Signs Child Care Providers May Notice that Indicate Toilet Learning Readiness

Toddler with red shirt

Learning to use the toilet is an important milestone for young children. Child care providers and parents need to work together to decide when a toddler is ready to learn how to use the toilet. Here are some things child care providers should keep in mind as toddlers approach this important milestone:

  • Toilet learning is a process. Many parents and child care providers get impatient for the child to give up diapers and use the toilet. Be patient — learning

Helping Children with Toilet Learning in Child Care

Toddler toilet training

Learning to use the toilet is an important developmental milestone for toddlers. Child care providers can help children with this learning process by being encouraging, knowing the signs of toilet learning readiness, and keeping toileting routines as consistent as possible while children learn how to use the toilet.

Signs of Readiness for Toileting

Each child will follow his or her own time schedule in being ready to use the toilet. To use the toilet successfully, children must be able to …

Toddlers in Child Care

Toddler squatting down

The toddler years are a time of exploration, active play and developing independence. Caring for toddlers is exciting but can be exhausting. Child care providers will be better equipped to support and nurture toddlers if they understand some of the typical developmental milestones in the toddler years. The following articles provide information child care providers can use to better understand children’s growth and development between 12 and 36 months of age.

Developmental Milestones for Toddlers

What Child Care Providers Can Expect in Toddlers' Social and Emotional Development

Sad toddler girl in red shirt

Learning to become independent is one of the most important milestones of the toddler years. Toddlers who say “no” to everything and insist on doing things for themselves are building a sense of identity that is important for healthy development. Child care providers can support toddlers’ social and emotional development by providing opportunities for children to do things independently, practice problem solving and begin learning how to get along with others. Here are some common social and emotional milestones during …

What Child Care Providers Can Expect in Toddlers' Physical Development

Toddler on riding car

Child care providers play an important role in promoting toddlers’ physical development Young children grow and develop so quickly between the ages of 12 and 36 months. In two short years, toddlers move from just learning to walk to being able to run, climb and jump with confidence. Toddlers explore their environments by touching, handling and tasting everything around them. They move from very basic fine motor skills to being able to turn pages of a book and draw with …

Dealing with Toddler Temper Tantrums in Child Care

Girl with curly hair crying

Temper tantrums are common in child care, especially in groups of toddlers. Children typically throw temper tantrums out of frustration. Understanding why tantrums happen and having quick strategies for handling and preventing tantrums can help child care providers maintain peace in the child care setting.

Understanding Temper Tantrums

Children throw temper tantrums for many reasons, some big and some small. When a square block won’t fit in a round hole, or their child care provider won’t let them climb on …

When Should Toddlers Stop Taking Pacifiers, Blankets, and Other Security Objects to Child Care?

Pacifier

Many young children bring pacifiers, blankets, stuffed animals and other security objects to child care. Objects like pacifiers can provide comfort when a child is feeling insecure. And they can help children make the transition between home and child care.

Many parents and child care providers wonder when children should stop taking the blanket or pacifier to child care. There’s no hard and fast rule. Some children are ready to give up their security objects by age 2 or 3. …

Why Do Some Children in Child Care Bite Others?

Teething baby

Few behaviors upset and anger child care providers and parents more than a child who bites. Although many children never bite, biting is not uncommon among toddlers, especially when they are in groups of children. Biting tends to be most common between about 18 months and 3 or 4 years of age.

Common Reasons for Biting

Many adults think of biting as a single behavior, but there are many different reasons why children bite. Here are some of the most …

Art Is a Valuable Learning Experience for Young Children in Child Care

Watercolor paint set

Art activities might appear to be “just messy,” but creating art is a valuable part of a child care curriculum. Art opens up new worlds for children and gives them a variety of important experiences. Crayons, markers, paint, clay and many other art materials are the tools that can help children:

  • build strength in the arms, hands and fingers
  • practice hand and finger control, which helps improve writing skills
  • practice coordination of the hands and eyes
  • explore textures, colors and