My toddler keeps tearing book pages!

Book-tearing is an extremely common stage that toddlers tend to go through. In fact, most moms who I know have mentioned their toddlers tearing book pages at least occasionally. With a little help from their parents, toddlers will generally outgrow this phase by the time they reach the preschool stage of development. Here are a few tips for handling toddlers who tear books.

1. Explain what books are -- and aren't -- for. Often, toddlers tear books because they simply don't understand that it's an unacceptable behavior. Communication difficulties are a common problem in toddlers who engage in behaviors that seem harmful. A simple, repeated command, "No tearing," every time your toddler starts to shred a page can help to prevent the behavior from recurring. Until your toddler truly understands that books are not shreddable toys, she'll likely keep doing it.

2. Supervise your toddler when he "reads." As helpful as it might be to leave your toddler in his room with a book and corresponding CD, this is a great way to end up with an entire stack of shredded illustrations and text. When my daughter was in her book-shredding stage, I made a point of keeping her out of rooms with book shelves unless she was directly within my line of sight. (This is a good idea for safety reasons, as well.) When you read to your toddler, remind her "no tearing" if she shows signs of wanting to tear the book. If she makes a deliberate attempt to tear it, stop reading entirely.

3. Buy board books. Some toddlers tear books by mistake, turning pages too quickly to do so gently. If this is the case, your toddler can benefit from hard-bound board books, which resist tearing. Nevertheless, remind your child to avoid even attempting to tear these books. Although they won't be damaged by your toddler's advances, it's important to enforce rules even when they appear not to matter. Consistency is the most critical teaching tool for toddlers.

4. Give paper to shred. It's not a good idea to let your child shred notebooks or coloring books-- these look too much like regular books, and it could confuse his understanding of the rules. Instead, give your toddler your junk mail and printer scraps and allow him to shred them to his heart's content. This can help him get that paper-shredding energy out, and can also help to exercise his fine motor skills.

5. Minimize stresses and triggers. A few toddlers may tear books as a deliberate act of vandalism and rebellion. Toddlers who are frustrated or angry with their parents might turn to book-shredding as a simple, but destructive outlet. In addition to handling the behavior promptly by taking away his solitary access to books, make a point of spending quality, one-on-one time with your toddler to minimize potential stresses. If book-shredding comes alongside other worrisome behaviors, schedule a chat with your child's pediatrician.