Toddler Toolkit

How to Find the Perfect Babysitter for Your Toddler In this episode, Heather shares valuable insights on finding a babysitter that suits your toddler's temperament and aligns with your parenting style. She discusses emotional fit, parenting style alignment, and offers tips on managing time duration and transitions. Heather shares personal experiences and emphasizes the importance of interview ques...

Do you feel as though you've read every parenting book out there and tried all the advice without seeing any of the results? When we're looking for help for battling difficult behaviors, it seems that every parent "expert" out there has the solution to our struggles. But when we try to implement their advice, it either doesn't quite work out like we hoped or we burnout before we see results. Taylo...

Overcoming Toddler Separation Anxiety: Tips and Strategies In this episode of the Toddler Toolkit Podcast, Heather tackles the challenging issue of separation anxiety in toddlers. Drawing from her personal experiences as a mother of twins, she provides practical advice on how to help toddlers feel secure when parents leave. You'll discover why separation anxiety happens, the importance of predicta...

We hear from all the parenting advice how important it is to set boundaries and limits with our children to keep them from doing the things we don't want them to do. But what if they don't work? Boundaries are a great tool to have in your parenting toolkit, and you should use them when appropriate, but they aren't the only parenting tool or strategy we can use to be effective in our parenting. Whe...

Are you ready to set new parenting goals for the new year that don't cause more tension, burnout, and frustration for your family?! Make 2025 the year of calmer parenting, fewer tantrums, and a happier home with a simple strategy that actually works! Listen in to learn the KEY to parenting your toddler with less stress this year, and join Heather in doing a quick activity that will help you map ou...

Feeling stressed about navigating the holidays with your toddler? From new routines (or lack thereof), family gatherings, fun outings, travel, and, of course, all the fun new gadgets and toys, the holidays can be a major meltdown generator for your toddler. However, you don't have to figure it all out on your own or convince yourself that you just have to push through the tantrums. Join Heather in...

Does your child have food allergies or sensitivities and you're worried about keeping them safe, especially during the holiday season? The holidays usually mean lots of gatherings, which usually means lots of food, and it can be a major source of anxiety and overwhelm for parents when their little ones can't have certain foods. Instead of skipping the holiday get-togethers all-together or pulling...

Check out the brand new mini-course, Transform Tantrums: A Listening Toddler in 7 Days ! If you're ready to stop the meltdowns and finally enjoy more peaceful days with your toddler, then this is a course you don't want to miss! Take advantage of the pre-sale price now before it's gone and the price goes up! Do you feel like you're going to lose your cool if you hear your toddler shout, "NO!" at y...

You may think you know the cause behind your toddler's meltdowns, but do you really? In this episode, Heather discusses the real reasons behind your toddler's tantrums and they may not be what you think! Is your toddler really upset that he got the blue cup instead of the green one or is he frustrated that he just can't seem to communicate what he wants? Is your toddler really upset with her toy o...

You might be surprised to find that there are some pretty common misconceptions about what it means to help toddlers listen more and tantrum less. Even though we may all want our toddlers to be better listeners and throw fewer tantrums, our beliefs around how to do that and why affect our approach and the methods we use. Whether you believe that kids will be kids or that they should know better, y...

No matter how old your baby is, it's never too late to heal your postpartum body. Through the many physical and hormonal changes that occur throughout pregnancy, our bodies can easily become depleted and distressed during the postpartum period. Even years later, our bodies can still feel the effects of pregnancy and the stress it creates. Join Heather in this enlightening and encouraging episode a...

Competing for attention and affection is not uncommon among twin toddlers or even toddlers that are just close in age. When one toddler wants hugs and kisses from mom, the other one is usually not too far behind. And when one toddler gets hurt during playtime or even when bickering with their sibling, you have to manage comforting one while navigating conflict resolution with the other. So how do...

It's the Toddler Toolkit one-year celebration episode! Come join in the fun and celebrate the podcast's first birthday with Heather as she dives into 7 key milestones to look out for between ages 2 1/2 and 3 1/2, and shares some fun toddler bloopers with her own twin boys from the past year. Also, be entered in to win a fun prize for the podcast's birthday by leaving a review! Write a short, 5-sta...

October is pregnancy loss awareness month and we're here to spread light, love, and comfort to every parent who has experienced or is currently experiencing the grief of loss. Join Heather as she discusses this sensitive topic with guest, Sabrina Fletcher, a pregnancy loss doula and companion. In this interview, Heather and Sabrina acknowledge and recognize the pain and hardship of losing a pregna...

Parenting a complex, or neurodivergent, child is full of its own unique challenges and obstacles that add onto the many routine challenges we already face as parents everyday. When we don't know how to support our children in the best way, or don't understand the why behind our children's behavior, we often get caught up in a cycle of stress, frustration, overwhelm, and anger. The key to breaking...

Are you making this mistake with your toddler? This parenting tactic often becomes the biggest regret for many parents as their children grow into teens and then adults. It often causes a rift in the parent-child relationship, creates shame-based beliefs for children, and stops them from developing their natural gifts and strengths. Rather than playing against our children’s strengths to change th...

Cheering for your child sounds like such a simple thing. We all want what's best for our kids, right? But sometimes, it can be difficult to know what words to say or actions to take to show our children the support they need in the way they need it. And when we can learn and grow together as a family, we experience rich relationships that bring us and our children joy and fulfillment. So how can w...

Is your strong-willed child making you want to rip your hair out and throw in the towel with this whole parenting thing? A toddler who talks back, makes seemingly simple activities the most challenging, or who gets physically violent with themselves or others can cause any parent to want to give up. Navigating your toddler's heightened emotions, tantrums, and violent tendencies is mentally and emo...

Does your toddler love to throw their food and won't stop no matter how many different parenting hacks you try? Well then, this is the episode for you! Using her love of psychology, research, and child development education, Heather explores the different reasons why our toddlers throw food and how we, as parents, can determine what methods really work for our unique child. Diving into proactive s...

Tantrums that we can see coming aren't easy to deal with, but at least we know how to prepare for them. On the other hand, tantrums that we never saw coming can be incredibly difficult and upsetting for the whole family! So how can we navigate those public tantrums that seem to come out of nowhere and what can we do to prepare ourselves ahead of time as much as possible? Heather answers these ques...

Are you tired of feeling like you have to avoid public outings because your toddler seems to have a meltdown every time you go out? Parent, you are not alone! Join Heather in this episode as she dives into preparing for public tantrums and how to mitigate the behavior. The key is to dig beneath the behavior and get to the root cause. When we more fully understand what's causing the meltdowns, we c...

If you've been trying to get your toddler to quit hitting you, their siblings, or even themselves, but it feels like nothing ever works, then you're in good company! In this episode, Heather opens up about how she could not get her twin toddler to stop hitting her, even when she tried many different strategies, and how frustrating it was. But once she tried this one new strategy, it just seemed to...

Is it a struggle to get your toddler to wear a helmet when riding a bicycle or doing some other kind of outdoor activity? Whether your toddler has sensory challenges, you have a hard time finding a helmet that fits, or your toddler just simply refuses to wear one, it can be very frustrating when you can't get your toddler to wear their helmet. Helmets are a must to keep our toddlers safe when doin...

Teaching our toddlers about water safety can be a tricky task. While going swimming can be a very enjoyable time for us with our families, it can also be a major stressor and worry for us toddler parents. How can we communicate rules to our toddlers about water do's and don'ts in a way that they can understand?  What do we do when our toddlers are afraid of the water and how can we encourage them...

Toddler sleep transitions are difficult not just for your toddler but also for you! Trying to navigate resistance to sleep, crankiness, night-wakings, and more can make even the most prepared parent feel lost as to how they’re going to make it through. So how can we support our toddlers through this transition effectively while keeping our sanity and our cool? Tune in to find out! In this episode,...