A few posts back I talked about the importance of teaching your daughters Self Love. In that post I talked about how self care was one way to teach self love. Being able to take care of yourself is a very important human responsibility. For both boys and girls, it is really important that they understand that taking care of their body and their health is one of the best ways to love themselves and to portray that inner confidence that they need to succeed in life and be happy. In this post I am going to talk more about that, and how teaching it at a young age can help implement good self care habits early on.
Before I list off all the things you can teach your little one to begin implementing good self care, I want to talk about a few things you can do to make this learning process the best experience for both yourself and your child.
Make it Easy
Sometimes it is easy to forget the simple things that make life harder on toddlers. Like not being able to reach the sink to wash their hands, or not being able to say “I have to go to the bathroom” just yet. Make it easy for them to learn self care by making everything they need accessible to them. Purchase a step stool for them to use at the sink. Make sure your little ones have their own sized hair brush and tooth brush so that they can manage it on their own. Put water and safe snacks in a place that is reachable for them. And stick to a routine so they know what is coming. Toddlers love routine and they will expect bath time and naps and meal times if you can keep their routines the same!
Teach Signs
The best way to get your toddler to let you know when they need something without them just crying, is to teach them signs they can use since they are still learning to talk. You can do this by alerting them of when something needs to be done. For example, if your child has dirty hands from playing outside you can say, “Aria! Your hands look kind of dirty don’t they? Should you go wash them so they can be clean again? Do you remember how to wash your hands good?”. You can do the same with a runny nose, or having to go to the bathroom when potty training!
Guide
Guide your child while they do their tasks, but be sure not to do everything for them. It may be frustrating for your little one to get a shirt on by themselves at first, helping them along will encourage them to learn, but putting the shirt on for them does not help them at all. This can be tricky and will beg a lot of patience, but the more you guide the faster they will learn.
12 Ways to Teach Your Toddler The Importance Self Care
Teeth Brushing
As soon as they can walk and those first couple teeth are through, go get a cute little toothbrush and make it a part of their everyday morning and evening routine to brush their teeth. Don’t forget to show them how by brushing your own teeth and letting them watch! Once your toddler is 1 year old you can take them in for their first Dentist appointment too. You can make the whole experience really special for them by talking about how special their teeth are and how important it is to keep them healthy.
Diapers
This may sound silly, but you can actually teach your toddler to help you change their diaper! This makes it easier for you too! When your little one’s diaper is ready for a change make a point of say, “Uh oh! Your Diaper is dirty huh? Should we go change it so you can be all clean again?!”. Have your little one help you by lifting their legs up for a wipe and putting them down for the new diaper to go on. For my daughter, I have taught her “Ok Aria, legs up! GOOD JOB!….ok legs down! Yay, that is so good! Thank you for helping momma!”. She always exclaims “yay!” and claps her hands, proud of herself for doing a good job.
Face Care
Most kids do not like getting their face washed, but it is important that they know to wash their face everyday and practice good skin care. Having them wash their face themselves can make it not only more fun, but will show them that they should wash their face just like they should brush their teeth. Aside from washing their face it is also important to help them to learn to clean out their ears and blow their nose too. Remind them when these things need to be done and show them how to do it themselves. My daughter LOVES to clean out her own ears, for some reason she thinks it is very fun!
Skin
Skin care covers taking a bath and using lotion for dry skin. Because there are baby safe products out there, letting them wash themselves and lotion up can be done completely by them. There are lots of songs about taking a bath and washing up, making it a fun event will make learning how to wash and lotion very easy! Always ask your littles ones if they got everything, “Did you get your…. TOES?! Did you get your….. SHOULDERS?!”…etc
Washing Hands
Washing hands is SO important not only for good hygiene and self care, but for health reasons too! Make it a point to have a special hand washing station set up in your home and teach your toddler to use it very often. You can get fun animal shaped soap, bright colored wash clothes, and even put a little fish tank or something in your hand washing station to make it a fun place! Teach them the habit of washing their hands when they get home, before and after meals, and anytime they play outside. You can also have safe hand wipes with you wherever you go and let your little one know where they are so they can clean their hands of germs on the go.
Feet Protection
I am currently in the process of teaching my daughter to look at her feet when she is walking on obstacles or over rough ground. Most toddlers love shoes, but teaching them how to put them on can be a testy feat. It is not uncommon for toddlers to get frustrated or put them on the wrong feet. The lesson here is to stand back and let them try, try again! Get shoes that are east to slip on, let it go if they are on the wrong feet, but correct them the next time and maybe tie a bow on the right shoe until they learn.
Getting Dressed
Another testy feat is teaching your toddler how to get dressed! My daughter is 16 months and just now starting to show an interest in getting dressed by herself. This usually means everything goes on her head… It is funny, and frustrating because it can be a very time consuming event just to get her dressed each morning or ready for bed each night. This is a perfect time to practice guiding your child along. Every time they get dressed give them the independence of choosing their outfit and then help them along as they go by saying “here is where your arm goes, good!…here is where your right leg goes, good job!”.
Hair Care
Not all toddlers have a lot of hair, but it is still good to teach them hair care. Get them a toddler sized hair brush, teach them the difference between washing their hair with shampoo and washing their body with soap. Talk about why it is good to make your hair neat each day and tell them how beautiful or handsome they are when they do! My daughter LOVES to help pick out the bow she will wear each day and smiles real big once I get it in her hair. She loves to try to put it in herself too!
Food/Drink
Although all meals are monitored at this age, it is still important to teach your child how to respond to hunger and thirst. You can have a snack station in your home where each morning you put their sippy cup of water and a small bowl of crackers that they can help themselves to if they need it. Throughout the day remind them it is there and ask, “Are you hungry? Thirsty? Would you like a sip of water and then you can go back to playing your game?”. Even though we are their guardians we can not feel if they are thirsty or hungry and it is our job to teach them to know that for them self.
First Aid
God forbid you ever need it, but it is good to have a toddler-safe first aid kit somewhere they can access it. Take the time to teach your child what an owey is, and what they need to do if they get one. They should always get help first, but it is good for them to know how to find a bandaid or wash cloth or ice pack, JUST IN CASE. I like to have a little pink bag that I put two Princess Poppy band aids, once squeeze activated ice pack, and one wash cloth, that I put under my daughter’s sink in her bathroom. I have shown her where it is and what is inside and how to use them a number of times and I do so again on occasion. It helps to know that she has access in case of an emergency.
Sun Protection
Teaching sun protection is HUGE for toddlers because they do not yet know to look away from the sun or the damage they could cause to their eyes and skin if not careful. I have a hat and sunglasses for my daughter and I teach her to wear them whenever we are going out in the sun. You can even buy sunglasses that strap on so they do not fall off. Keep child safe sunscreen with you and teach your child the importance of wearing it so they do not get burned. I like to make it a whole thing by teaching my daughter, you simply do not swim until you put on sunscreen, everyone knows that!
Safety
Looking both ways before crossing the street, holding an adults hand when walking in a store or a crowd, staying close by when in a public place, staying off the big playground until they are of age…all these things fall into the safety category and becomes an everyday lesson. Teaching your child safety is also teaching them self care by guiding them to be cautious and careful to always protect them self from danger. We want our children to learn to be aware of their surroundings and that can start today!