Parents of an ADHD sufferer throwing tantrums throughout the day without showing signs of exhaustion know how difficult it is to deal with ADHD. These parents are exhausted from taking care of their ADHD toddler, and often they blame themselves for their toddler’s condition adding to their suffering. The toddler’s behavior itself and the people’s comment toward the toddler can hurt a parent emotionally. Thus, it’s not only important to develop treatments for ADHD in toddlers, it’s also important to develop support for the parents of these toddlers too.

Foremost to these supports is the proper diagnosis of toddlers showing signs of hyperactivity typical in ADHD. It’s natural for toddlers to be unruly so that some ADHD in toddlers are often dismissed as natural toddler behavior. This situation does not help parents at all; in fact, it can only add up to their frustration of trying to understand their toddler. Lesson to parents: do not hesitate to consult an informed doctor if you see signs of ADHD in your toddler.

If you determined that your toddler has ADHD, get as much help as you can from family, friends, and especially from support groups that knows ADHD in toddlers very well. Set aside your prejudice about support groups because in your situation they are the best to provide you with answers regarding your toddler’s behavior. You can also ask a government social worker to visit you personally to provide tips in raising a toddler with ADHD. Ask the social worker or your support group for some good self-help books or ADHD manual for parents that can help you understand and cope with your toddler’s behavior.

ADHD toddlers do not want unexpected changes in their usual routine so that it’s best to plan your ADHD toddler’s daily routine to help them control their tantrums. Make your toddler’s daily routine as familiar to him or her as possible by doing exact activity at the exact time. And it’s very important for parents with ADHD toddler to treat themselves to something nice every now and then like a trip to the spa or a nice short vacation. ADHD in toddlers can be physically and emotionally draining so that grab an opportunity to regain your strength back because you can give more to your toddler if you give more to yourself also.

There are a few of times in a child’s life when they go through a period of rapid development that would seem almost impossible. The first is, of course, after they are born and they go from a tiny infant into a baby capable of sitting up and making sounds and connecting. During this time, children learn to walk and talk; they learn to use the restroom and dress themselves; and they start to learn how to interact with others and determine their own place in the world. But maybe the most fascinating stage of development is that of the toddler years – when a baby goes from one to three – because of the changes that occur in a child.

Before a child turns two years old, a lot seems to happen in terms of their development and it happens very rapidly. By 14 months, a child can walk well on its own, crawl upstairs, drink from a cup and use a spoon and can build things composed of two blocks as opposed to one. By 15 months, they can use 10-15 words, say “no” and understand its context and can indicate when their diaper is wet. At 16 months old they are able to walk both backwards and sideways and they can run although they fall easily; they can use phrases that involve both nouns and adjectives and nouns together; they can climb stairs and furniture and they begin throwing tantrums.

Then they hit 2 and the real fun beings in terms of what to expect the toddler years – this is when the talking and interacting with people really starts. Children typically weigh 24 pounds, are around 30 inches tall and they have 12 of their 20 total temporary teeth (by 2 ½ they will have acquired the full set). Their gross motor skills become well-defined; they can walk up stairs on their feet, build towers with multiple blocks, control a spoon and become toilet trained during the day. Their vocabulary also sees a dramatic improvement – they know about 350 words and can follow simple commands and dress themselves. They also begin to realize that they are separate people although other children are still just “objects” to them which is why the “everything is mine” phase starts.

The period after this is filled with many more jumps in development. They are able to participate in parallel play – playing alongside other children well although still not with them. They are able to anticipate a day’s routine and the need to nap slowly starts to decrease. They being playing with their toys in imaginative ways and completing puzzles as well. This time is filled with great change is one of the most formative times in a child’s life so it’s important to understand what to expect the toddler years.