Health Promotion and Prevention for Toddlers

The toddler period of development spans ages one to three. During this time, toddlers become more independent, active, and curious.

As the nurse caring for toddlers, you’ll collaborate with the registered nurse to assist caregivers to consider childcare options, encourage safe play, prevent injury, and provide adequate nutrition.

Child care is an arrangement where the caregivers place their toddler in the supervision of others while they tend to personal and professional obligations.

When choosing to place their toddler in child care, available options include leaving the child with a known and trusted family member or friend, enrolling them in a private licensed day care center, or using employer-supported child care.

Regardless of the type of child care, caregivers may experience a sense of guilt or worry when placing their toddler in the care of others.

As the nurse, you’ll assist families in choosing a care facility that meets their personal and cultural preferences, as well as their financial needs, and provide emotional support for any associated psychological symptoms they experience.

Now, through the act of play, toddlers explore and learn about their environment. Toddlers tend to engage in egocentric thinking, meaning they relate everything back to themselves, which can manifest as difficulty sharing toys, or having a temper tantrum when they don’t get their way.

By 18 months, they typically start playing with dolls or stuffed animals and engaging in parallel play, which is when children play next to each other but don’t interact.

As they continue to grow, they start to prefer cooperative play, where they play and interact with others. As the nurse, encourage caregivers to provide a safe place for their toddlers to engage in unstructured, self-directed play, and review how to choose suitable toys and activities for their toddler by reading the safety labels and being aware of recalls.

Next, let’s switch gears and talk about injury prevention. Due to their natural curiosity and increasing mobility, toddlers have an increased risk for injuries and accidental death.

With this in mind, you should review home safety measures with caregivers during each visit. These can include checking the batteries on smoke detectors, ensuring that the home's water heater is set to a safe maximum temperature to prevent accidental burns, and preventing poisoning by keeping medication cabinets locked and ensuring potentially hazardous household chemicals, like cleaning agents, are out of reach.

Also remind them that toddlers should always wear a helmet when riding a bicycle or scooter. Then, discuss ways to keep their toddler safe in the car.

Remind them that toddlers under two years old should never sit in the front seat or be placed in a car with just a seatbelt; instead, they should be placed in a rear-facing car seat with a five-point restraint harness for as long as possible or until they reach the maximum height and weight designated by the car seat manufacturer.

Toddlerhood is marked by slower physical growth than previous ages, yet height and weight continue to increase steadily.

At the same time, their stomach increases in size allowing toddlers to eat around three meals and two healthy snacks per day.

By the end of their second year, toddlers begin to develop a sense of independence and start feeding themselves, regulate their own food intake, and start to develop strong food preferences.

Feeding difficulties like picky eating may develop at this time though, so remind caregivers to avoid forcing their toddler to finish their meals, as it can lead to mealtime anxiety.

To promote nutrition, mealtimes should be offered at consistent times each day, and children should be allowed to choose from a variety of nutrient-rich food options including vegetables, fruits, dairy, grains, and proteins; while fruit juice, sodas, and foods high in sugar should be limited.

Alright, as a quick recap… The toddler period of development spans ages one to three. During this time, toddlers become more independent, active, and curious.

As the nurse caring for toddlers, you’ll collaborate with the registered nurse to assist caregivers to consider child care options, encourage safe play, prevent injury,