Introduction

Resilience is more important today than it has possibly ever been and that is why preparing our children to be resilient needs to be of paramount importance. Resilience is the capacity for recovering from threats, losses, or Emotional traumata. It remains a valuable asset in the improvement of social and self-development and it assists children manage the challenges in life with hope. Well, the good news is that the foundation in building resilience begins in childhood. – Resilience Starts Early

In essence, parents should practice shaping their children by modeling resilience to ensure they protect and take care of their children. What we have today is the sanctuary of mindful parenting and that’s very much in tune with today’s lifestyle. Being aware, intentionally involved and accepting are all parts of what is described as mindful parenting when addressing children. It’s about providing a safe, warm and protected nest, into which they hear challenges and adversities waiting for them.

In this blog post, going to explain the meaning of the word resilience in toddlers and introduce an idea of how can mindful parenting help in the development of the right trait. We will share proven techniques that you can use in your interactions with your child to ensure they grow into confident persons.

Disaster and Life Resiliency in Toddlers

But, for that, let us know how resilience appears when a child is a toddler first before getting to the mindful parenting tips. You can never eliminate difficulties from your child’s life; what you can do is prepare your child for how to handle them.

In toddlers, resilience might manifest as:

• Adaptability: Does your child cope well with changes or unknown situations by becoming easily upset?
• Problem-solving: Do they try to solve micro-problems, for example, how to get to a toy, or how to fit the correct piece into a puzzle?
• Emotional regulation: Do they know how to go about expressing feelings such as frustration, or anger, in a healthy manner for their current age?
• Positive self-talk: Does the candidate speak and act positively, including when they work under pressure?

I believe that positive adaptation in the form of resilience is important in toddlers because it sets up the child’s later psychological and social development. It enables them to have called self-efficacy, or the confidence in their capacity to achieve their goals. This in turn enhances confidence, self-reliance and positive attitude to life.

Some of the developmental tasks that involve use of resilience usually include The toddler is able to separate from caregivers, and while doing so he or she is able to contain frustrations when they cannot get what they want. That way, we ensure that when we are faced with such hardships in future, they will be able to handle it with a lot of ease.

The Power of Mindful Parenting

Mindful parenting is definitely on effective approach that can enhance the resilience level of Your child tremendously. It’s all about devoting time to spend with your child not just your material time but your total consciousness. It means listening to them, the way they feel and act with no consideration of their shortcomings.

Key principles of mindful parenting include:

• Presence: Spending quality time with your child; this means focusing on him or her whenever you are carrying out a routine task, for example cooking.
• Acceptance: Affirmation of your child, body, mind and soul; embracing of your child despite his failures and shortcomings.
• Non-judgment: As you interact with your child and as you read this book, avoid punishing your child’s behavior using good or bad labels.
• Compassion: Kindness and understanding when responding to a child’s need is another way of care giving.

Mindful parenting fosters resilience in toddlers by:

• Creating a secure attachment: Basically, the conclusion derived from the literature is that when children are secure, they have little fear for anything and will be able to go out and find the world on their own.
• Promoting emotional regulation: The self-compassionate parents gate Avengers teach their children how to handle emotions so that can deal with problems.
• Encouraging problem-solving: Thus, when let to fail and look for the solutions on their own, mindful parents teach children how to reason.
• Building self-awareness: Mindful parenting MAKES children attentive to how they think, how they feel, and how they behave.

It is essential to noted that the advantages which result from mindful parenting reach out beyond the feature of resilience. It also has the potential of improving your relationship with your child, lowering stress levels and boosting ones own health.

Mindful Parenting Tips to Build Resilience in Toddlers

As we now know, resilience and mindful parenting are crucial for your little ones, let’s highlight some suggestions you can apply in your everyday practice for enhancing your toddler’s resilience.

Fact 2: Putting up a Safe and Caring Atmosphere

First of all, safety and warmth make the pivotal core of the resilience of the toddlers. The children who have positive feelings such as safety and love, experience more stimulus and response to go out and take chances, to engage responses, and to recover from failure. Here’s how to create that environment:

• Provide consistent routines and boundaries: Children at this age lack structure in their lives, as such, they love routine. The structure I was speaking of concerns eating patterns or even, the bedtime for the children to have familiar routines which can make them comforted. When there are separate lines drawn, that becomes clear to them makes them realize there is a structure they need to work with and determines what everyone needs to do.
• Offer unconditional love and support: Its crucial that your child hears it from you that you do love them even when things are not so good with them. Be poised to appreciate their achievements whenever they can be noticed, and help them through when they are down.
• Foster a sense of belonging: It helps make your child feel an important personality in the family. Include them in activities as well as decisions of any type appropriate to their age.
• Create a calm and peaceful home environment: Reduce as much stress and clutter within the household as is possible. It is more likely for a person to regulate their emotions and be emotionally healthy if the environment around is more on the quieter side.

Helping people express themselves emotionally

Enabling the toddlers to categorize and describe their emotions is now very important for the development of emotional intelligence. Here are some ways to encourage emotional expression:

• Help them identify and label their emotions: Just teach your child to say things like ‘I am happy’, ‘I am sad’, ‘I am angry’, and ‘I am scared’.
• Validate their feelings: To help your child cope with the above emotions and others, tell them that it is alright to have all sorts of emotions. Denial and underestimation should not be made by the interventionist when dealing with such clients.
• Teach healthy ways to express emotions: Ensure that your child follows more healthy ways of talking out their emotions in words, by drawing or even by playing.
• Model healthy emotional expression: Always explain to your child the way you handle emotions in case you are irritated or stressed.

Supporting Problem Solving

It is, therefore, significant to solve problems as one of the aspects of resilience. When you engage your toddler into solving the problems, they will develop self-confidence and be able to handle situations on their own. Here’s how:

• Encourage them to try new things and take safe risks: There should be given opportunities to carry out activities that the child wants to do and feels like doing them. It’s important for children to learn boundaries but allow them to exercise this as much as they can even utilizing the playground equipment, or self-feeding.
• Allow them to make age-appropriate choices: If you can, let your child make decisions or choose between things/activities. This make them feel powerful and build up decision making skills.
• Support them in finding solutions to challenges: Always advice your child against solving a problem as soon as they encounter it and instead let them find their own solutions. But rather ask, ‘What could you try?” or “You thought that, would you?”
• Avoid rescuing them from every difficulty: This would allow your child to suffer natural repercussions for his or her actions within reasonable limits that may help him or her learn best from their mistakes.

The Two of Promoting Independence and Self-Reliance

Promoting autonomy for toddlers builds up self-esteem results in increased confidence in his or her ability to go it alone. Here’s how to promote these qualities:

• Give toddlers age-appropriate responsibilities: Guang give your child household chores including picking toys and putting them in the toy box or helping to set the table.
• Encourage self-help skills: The sooner you allow your child do things on their own you should allow him to dress himself, feed himself and even brush his teeth.
• Celebrate their achievements and efforts: Always encourage the child and congratulate her and him on anything they have done, no matter how minor it is. This assist to help develop their self-esteem and to motivate them.

Modeling Resilient Behavior

What children perceive is what they practice Since children learn through modeling the behavior of the people around them, It also helps your child learn how to respond to adversity and recover from adversity since you are modeling that to him or her. Here’s how:

• Show toddlers how you cope with challenges: Discuss with your child how you cope with stress. For example, self-statements could be vocalized such as: “I am feeling angry now and I need to calm down” thus solving this to mean taking a couple of deep breaths.
• Demonstrate positive self-talk and coping strategies: Assert positive thoughts to oneself and avoid engaging in negative behaviors like using alcohol, drugs, alcohol or engaging seclusively in anger.

When practicing mindfulness, one may find it easier for one to listen than the other and that is why practicing mindfulness together helps.

Cognitive exercises including mindfulness can assist you and your child to enhance more control of oneself to calmness and fortitude. Here are some ways to practice mindfulness together:

• Engage in simple mindfulness activities: Soothing techniques include as simple as inhaling deeply and then exhaling, taking a slow walk or listening to some soft music.
• Create a calm and peaceful environment at home: It is useful to choose one room in the house where the both of you can retreat and calm down.

Overcoming Challenges and Setbacks

The great temptation is to think that even the hardiest of toddlers will always survive unscathed no matter what happens. They should try to assist the affected people to foster helpful ways of dealing with their problems and grow from them.

Here are some strategies for helping toddlers overcome challenges:

• Acknowledge and validate their feelings: Sometimes when your child is angered, frustrated, or is simply sad, make sure to tell him or her that it is alright to feel this or that way. Do not ignore or try to belittle them.
• Help them identify the problem: Explain to your child what made them experience upset feelings. This may help them to gain problem solving abilities.
• Offer support and encouragement: Make sure your child knows that you will support him, and that you are confident that he will be able to deal with difficulties.
• Teach healthy coping mechanisms: Help your child learn ways to manage stress, including taking a break and breathing deeply, or talking about what they’re feeling.
• Focus on the positive: Suggest your child to view the positive side of things. For instance if they loose a tooth while cycling, tell them it is time to remember they are growing.

Managing Tantrums Mindfully

Temper tantrums are typical in kids when they are at a age, which is between one to three years. Despite this, it is also important to view them as a chance to help your child learn about emotional self-control and about how to persevere. Here are some tips for managing tantrums mindfully:

• Stay calm and present: When your child is continuing his/her temper toss, you do not lose your temper or get angry whatever the case. After discussion, do not respond in a kind so as to portray anger or frustration.
• Create a safe space: If possible take your child to a separate room where he or she can cool off without causing more harm to himself or herself.
• Offer comfort and support: After your child has cooled down, try to comfort him or her. Make them feel that you are aware of how they feel.
• Talk about the tantrum: After your child is calm, explain what happened and what your child should do every time it occurs again.

When to Get Help

It would help if you took action if you have an idea that your child may have issues regulating their emotions or handling stress. You should consult a therapist or counselor who will help you and your child find the right direction.

Cultivating a Growth Mindset

A growth mindset is the understanding and the approach to personal abilities and intelligence that may be further enhanced via effort. Cultivating a growth mentality at your little one will assist them learn to appreciate and accept difficulties, learn better ways of coming to terms with failures and be receptive to constructive criticism.

Here’s how to cultivate a growth mindset in your toddler:

• Explain the concept of a growth mindset: Instead of complicated words use simple words and you need to tell your child that his or her head is just like any other organ in the body which becomes strong when properly exercised.
• Encourage effort and perseverance: Encourage your child each time they try something and even if they fail to achieve their goal in the first try.
• Praise effort and progress, not just outcomes: Rather than calling your child intelligent or smart, encourage him or her to work harder and put more effort.
• Help toddlers see mistakes as learning opportunities: When your child does something wrong, assist them to realize that it was an opportunity for them to learn something new. Encourage them to try again.
• Use “yet” statements: If your child starts with the words I can’t do this, immediately follow it with ‘yet.’ For example, “I can’t ride my bike… yet.”

Conclusion

The process of raising toddlers that are strong and stable is one that is a life long one not a one time goal. It takes time and a lot of understanding, not to mention good intention to apply mindful parenting. When caregivers give children security, affection, ways to share feelings and integrase as well as the thought of independence, children can tackle issues in a positive way.

That means that developing resilience is not an event that just takes place one day and is then forgotten about. It will not be all smooth sailing along the way. By being there for them, being awake to what they are trying to say or achieve and by not critiquing them we are giving our toddlers the strength for the unknown.

Begin today by practicing at least one of the mindful parenting ideas given below. You should watch your child’s reactions and rejoice whenever they accomplish what seems like a tiny goal. That is the seed for a lifetime of personal resilience that you are building, and that is something valuable that will not run out anytime soon, ever.

References – Resilience Starts Early

• American Academy of Pediatrics: HealthyChildren.org – Offers a wealth of information on child development, parenting, and health.
• Zero to Three: Zerotothree.org – Provides resources and support for parents and professionals working with infants and toddlers.
• Mindful.org: Mindful.org – A comprehensive resource for learning about and practicing mindfulness.
• Greater Good Science Center: ggsc.berkeley.edu – Research-based articles and resources on happiness, resilience, and well-being.
• Dr. Dan Siegel: drdansiegel.com – A clinical professor of psychiatric medicine and expert on mindful parenting and interpersonal neurobiology.