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Being parents isn’t an easy job in itself, but what’s even more challenging is handling kids in their formative years. Once newborns turn into toddlers, they tend to become demanding and relentless making temper tantrums and incessant screaming, an everyday sight. It is because they have an explosive amount of energy at this stage which needs to be channelized in the right direction, in the absence of which they resort to such a behavior. But, rest assured, this rather freakish phase does pass.
We at MomJunction enlist some of these weird toddler behaviors that are in fact quite normal:
1. Getting Strange Cravings
We have all seen kids picking up almost everything from a chip to the cookie scrapes and putting them in their mouth. Toddlers use their mouths as experimental tools mostly out of curiosity as they try to experience everything around them. However, it comes down to the actual prevalence and gravity of the situation. If it’s about just a few incidences of weird cravings here and there, you can let it go. But, if your kid seems to be obsessed with eating things like dirt, chalk or lead, you should make a call to the pediatrician.
2. Picking Their Nose
Yes, we understand that it is the sight that grosses you out like nothing ever could, but hey, keep calm! Kids do this for the exact same reason that adults do – discomfort in their nose due to dirt or foreign body. You can tackle this situation in a better way by asking him/her to do it away from the public eye, and later on advising them to not indulge in it at all. This way they’ll learn that it is not a good habit and stop doing it eventually.
3. Head Banging
Little did you know that your toddler banging his/her head out of the blue is completely normal (1). Especially, if your child shows this behavior during nap time or at night, you shouldn’t be concerned. Almost 20 percent of healthy children turn out to be head-bangers for some time (2). Most often, the head banging occurs during the latter half of a child’s first year and ends by the time they’re four years old. Possible reasons could range from pain-relief, attention-seeking to trying to vent out some strong emotions such as frustration.
4. Having Imaginary Friends
Imaginary friends, no matter how strange that may sound, are a pretty natural element of a child’s cognitive development. This wonderful fictitious creation that your child’s imagination has fuelled becomes someone to accompany him/her as they go ahead exploring the world. Children generally use their imaginary friends to practice verbal skills, for role-playing or boosting their confidence. Don’t you worry, though! This might just mean that your child is big on creativity and may grow up to be a very bright kid.
So, in case you find your kid chattering away to no one in particular, it’s better to let him/her be. Keeping their make-believe companion alive will be in good interest for their healthy development.
5. Playing With Poop
As unpleasant as that sight is, some kids take their diaper for a spin and explore the mess inside. You might think it is far from possible, but it is quite common than you realize. Well, if there’s one thing you can do to make him/her stop is to find other interesting things to mess around with. For instance, building sand castles or shredding some of your unwanted documents. However, if your kid still keeps the diaper act up, make sure you tighten the edges, so he/she is unable to take them off.
After reading this list, it’s not difficult to identify some weird behaviors that your kids exhibit, right mommies? Let us know some of those in the comments below.
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