I wouldn't say the toddler years are sanity-threatening as a whole; more so, there are times of extreme sanity stress. How many of those moments of stress you run into as a parent depends on plenty of things like your perspective on events, the disposition and personality of your loving spawn, how many kids you have, and even your parenting style. Unfortunately, some of those factors are outside of your control. As a parent who was, at least, until I decided to have another baby, exiting the toddler stage with two very sanity-challenging toddlers, I do have some tips for sanity survival. For added perspective, I also polled parents on Facebook for their tips and have sprinkled them throughout this article, because everything is better with sprinkles.
Try to keep things in perspective
You'll notice above, perspective was a factor mentioned in how sanity-threatening toddler care could be. Anytime you find yourself in one of those moments, it can help to stop and really put the situation into perspective. OK, so maybe your toddler has just drawn the most beautiful mural all over your couch in diaper rash cream. It's just a mess. You still have a healthy child who loves you more than anything in the whole-wide universe-and apparently one with some artistic ability. Be realistic, proactive, and productive.
Don't stress the sticky stuff.
I'd say small stuff, but toddler disasters are rarely small it seems. This runs right along with keeping things in perspective. Chasing a toddler, or toddlers in my case, around can feel a bit overwhelming sometimes, like you've been shrunk down and thrown on a spinning record stuck on repeat playing Justin Bieber; it doesn't matter how hard you try you feel like you're in the same place and that place feels sort of hellish. As some of my fellow parents put it, "If it can be hoovered up, wiped off or shoved in the washing machine, then don't stress about it" and all you need is "humor, humility, and hand-wipes." Basically, don't let everyday sticky stuff wear you down so much you stop enjoying the day.
Know your child
Many of the long thread of toddler-sanity advice tips from my Facebook page boiled down to, "know your kids." What worked to reduce toddler stress moments for one child, may not work at all for another. Know your child's weak spots, strengths, and learning style and use that to improve behavior and proactively avoid meltdowns and messes.
"Pick your battles"
I quote that, because it was also parenting advice given multiple times from other parents. I found personally giving my toddlers a bit of freedom helped reduce the stress in my life. This isn't to say I let them run wild, but I'd say let them pick their own clothes or what chair they sat at during dinner. You need to pick your battles, so to speak, in terms of what really matters to you behavioral wise, because if you try to regulate every aspect of your child's life and behavior, you will go entirely insane.
Be the law and the love
Finally, while I believe you can indeed be a friend and a parent, your kids still need to know mom/dads word is law. Many of my parenting panel mentioned the "eye of mom," that like some mythological ego-weapon, allows parents to stop bad behavior with a mere look. Through all your parenting endeavors remain consistent and in control, but remember that consistency and control can be administered without the loss of love.
If all the above fails, remember, they are only toddlers for so long and then their gone.
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