Hellobee

Through all of the changes we’ve experienced in the Hopscotch household the past few months, Miss H has been a trooper! Since the end of August we’ve moved into a new home in a new community, Miss H has started a new daycare, she’s been fully potty trained (woo hoo!!), we’ve welcomed our twins into the family, Miss H has gone from her crib to a twin-sized bed, I’ve been home on maternity leave and then as of mid-January I’ve gone back to work. Busy much?

While she’s been doing a fantastic job of accepting all of these changes, Miss H definitely has had her struggles. It’s been a lot to take in! We’ve been dealing with some pretty intense tantrums. In addition to talking with Miss H about her behavior, how things are making her feel, and giving her lots of one-on-one time, we’ve also been using books as tools to help reinforce some important messages we’re trying to get across to Miss H.

1. Waiting Is Not Easy! by Mo Willems. We love anything and everything by author Mo Willems, and this book is a gem. The message is pretty straightforward: waiting just isn’t easy — a feeling toddlers are quite familiar with! When Miss H is impatiently fussing about one thing or another we will simply say, “Waiting is not…” and Miss H will fill in the “…easy!” It helps make her feel more like we understand where she’s coming from – waiting for exciting stuff isn’t easy!

2. The Girl Who Got Out of Bed by Betsy Childs. While Miss H has been doing decently well with the freedom of her twin “big girl bed,” she has started to discover the freedom of being able to go in and out of her bed over and over again. We just started reading this book and it has really resonated well with Miss H. As parents we all know that sleep can be one of the toughest things to tackle, and a crying toddler who doesn’t want to be alone in her bed is tough! This book does an excellent job of helping Miss H feel like it’s ok that she doesn’t want to stay in bed, but in the end shows how positive it can be to stay in bed until morning.

3. I’m a Big Sister by Joanna Cole. We’ve read this book practically a million times since getting it over the summer. The little girl in the book has brown hair as does the mom, and the dad has black hair so Miss H always thinks it’s our family – if only the family was welcoming twins in the story! The book does an excellent job of showing how babies are little and need our help, but the big sister gets to do so many exciting things.

4. No No Yes Yes by Leslie Patricelli. In addition to this book, Leslie Patricelli also has some other great titles, including an awesome potty training book. We’ve found No No Yes Yes to work really well for us because it spells out “no no’s” very clearly in the book and pairs those with positives – i.e. splashing water out of the tub is a “no no” but playing with toys in the tub is a “yes yes.” It’s very simply and straightforward but hits on a variety of areas that come up every day when you’re with a precocious toddler!

What are your go-to books for reinforcing lessons with your toddler?