You asked

My toddler loves to explore. How much freedom should I give her?

If your child is already mobile, be it crawling, cruising, or walking, they might just begin to show a reluctance to be picked up and carried around. This means that, because he or she has had a taste of freedom, they like it and want to explore more and more. If you go shopping for instance, your child might show a reluctance to sit in the trolley and want to walk around on their own. If you’re not in a hurry, and have patience, then let them walk with you, even if only for a little while.

Also, remember that falling down is part of learning to walk, so try to resist the urge to rush to help them should they fall, unless they have hurt themselves. Uneven floors, a wrinkle in a carpet, or sand in a play area, will more than likely cause him or her to trip and fall, but it’s really great practice, so give them the opportunity to explore their new found freedom, with all the bumps along the way. Also, at this stage, while your toddler is still learning to walk properly, it is not necessary to put shoes on her feet. Walking barefoot helps build the muscles in her lower legs, as well as develop her sense of balance.


To show them that it is normal procedure to trip and fall sometimes, pretend that you are stumbling and falling down. Your little one will have a good giggle at this, and will also feel confident, knowing that “big” people can also sometimes fall down.

More questions

The earlier you begin to encourage a love of reading in your child, the better. 
Serious risks and medical conditions associated with regression of a child’s motor skills
Drooling and difficulty eating can be associated with normal toddler behaviour, illness or sensory processes.
Up to the age of three, your toddler will be over separation anxiety. However, as there are so many separations in the years of growing up – pre-school, a few days away at camp, and even your child’s first year at college, bouts of separation anxiety could very well occur from time to time all through your child’s life.
As long as your toddler has plenty of space and time to play, and practice all their new physical skills, they’re probably doing just fine with her development!
Toddlers are naturally curious about everything. Instead of stifling that curiosity, you should be making every effort to promote it!
Your child’s imagination is not only a source of fun – it’s one of his or her most important early learning tools.
Young children are emotional beings. The worst thing you can do is make them stifle those emotions. Teach them how to cope with them instead, and you’ll raise a well-adjusted child.
If you want your child to grow up with a strong spiritual foundation, it’s never too young to start teaching, but remember to teach by example.
For toddlers, as with older children and adults, happiness comes from inside, not from outside.

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