Does your toddler have the worst behavior at home? Maybe it happens at the playground, or only in the grocery store? Some days are worse then others, but do not dismay. When you are experiencing a case of the bad behavior with your little one, there are hundreds of resources for you to turn to! Because of the wealth of information out there, it can be quite overwhelming to browse the internet and parenting magazines alone, so we have searched the web for solutions, tips and advice for you!

Here are 10 toddler problem behaviors and how to deal with them. Click on the links for the full article and more resources on each topic!

1. Toddlers Who Have Separation Anxiety!

The intensity and severity of separation anxiety can vary from day to day with your toddlers. Depending on your child's age and level of understanding, this behavior can occur when dropping them off at daycare or the minute you step out to another room in your home. While this is most likely just a phase your child is going through, it can be very frustrating for both you and your child, as well as the caregiver you are attempting to leave your child with!

Here are 5 tips on dealing with this behavior:

  1. Teach Toddlers to Have Independent Play
  2. Practice Short Separations and Practice Parting
  3. Be Consistent!
  4. Try Using a Transitional Object or Stuffed Animal
  5. Learn Your Toddler's Triggers 

If you need a good laugh, read this article from Anxious Toddlers Blog! And remember, this is a normal part of being a toddler, so have patience while you ride this phase out!

2. Toddlers Who Just Won't Eat or Make Mealtime a Chore!

It is a known fact that some toddlers just don't want to eat what is being served. Other children aged 2 and up may still ask to be breastfed or will only take the bottle, against mom's wishes! So how do you curb naughty behavior at dinner time? Janet Lansbury shares some great ideas here!

Try making mealtime a fun activity! Author of cremedelachef, Deborah Song shares some great tips and strategies. And be sure to visit Parenting Science where they give several sources on how to get a picky eater to chow down too!

Related Article: All-in-One Patty Recipe

3. Toddlers Who Tantrum! (like more then you care to admit!)

Tantrums can wear at any parent's soul, making daily activities and errands seem impossible! When your child tantrums, you have several choices on how to react. Most important, you know your child best.

Here are 5 great resources to deal with toddler outbursts and what to do when you feel like you will lose your cool!

  1. Dealing with Tantrums from Positive Parenting: Toddlers and Beyond
  2. 10 Ways to Tame Toddler Tantrums from Parents.com
  3. Handling Temper Tantrums With Kids from Dirt and Boogers
  4. Tips for Handling Tantrums from Toddler Approved
  5. The Distraction/Replacement Method from What's Up Fagans

4. Toddlers Who Just Will Not Go to Bed (Or Take a Nap!)

Toddlers have many reasons why they refuse to adhere to your bedtime and nap routines. Some children just have a "night owl" mentality, and need to be worn out before bed, and others may need a very structured sleep training schedule in order to get them down for the night. Many parents have an opposite work schedule, which in turn causes an opposite sleep schedule, and children often do not magically choose that same schedule!

So, if you are an exhausted momma, or a sleep deprived dad, here are some tips to get your kids to sleep better through the night and hopefully, take that much needed daytime snooze!

  1. Start Slow and Give It Time!
  2. Create a Bedtime Routine
  3. Make Bedtime Fun!
  4. Wear Them Out!
  5. Create a Calm Sleep Environment

5. Toddlers Who Are Too Shy and Have Stranger Anxiety!

It can be frustrating, it can be embarrassing, and it can be downright comical! According to the University of Pittsburgh Office of Child Development, Stranger Anxiety occurs in infants and children when approached by a person they do not know, even when in a secure environment or with a trusted caregiver. Children typically begin to exhibit shyness or stranger anxiety at about 9 months, and it can last well into the toddler stages (and sometimes into elementary school). The good news is, this is all very normal behavior.

Here are some tips from parents around the web on how they dealt with this behavior in their children!

  1. Know Your Child 
  2. Take It Slow
  3. Stay Close to Your Child
  4. Be Patient With Your Child and Encourage Adults to Be Patient Too!
  5. Tell Your Child What to Expect

Related Article: 5 Things Your Toddler Needs You to Know

6. Toddlers Who Are Aggressive and Want to Hit, Bite and Kick!

Aggressive behavior can be scary. It can be frustrating and disheartening when your child directs their aggressiveness towards you. Parents will want to nip hitting, biting and kicking in the bud early, especially if the aggression is directed toward siblings and other children. Luckily, there are several tips and strategies to stop the punches and replace this behavior with gentle, positive actions instead!

Take a look at these tips from parents and experts around the web!

  1. Be an Anchor for Your Child with Patience and Empathy
  2. Try using Time-In and Calming and Soothing Techniques After Aggressive Behavior
  3. Calm Yourself as Well
  4. Show and Tell Your Child What to Do Instead of the Aggressive Behavior

7. Toddlers Who Just Cannot Stop Some Strange Behaviors

You may have seen your adorable 3 year old walk up to the wall and wipe a big, gooey booger on it, and merely walk away. You may have witnessed them eat said booger. Toddlers can exhibit some strange behavior (or at least what we deem as weird) and to them, in their toddler brains, the behavior is just a daily, normal activity! And, in most cases these behaviors are just a short phase!

Here are some great tips on what to do when your child exhibits strange and sometimes, icky behavior!

  1. Keep Calm and Replace That Behavior - Hands in Pants? How about Hands in Playdough?
  2. Ignore the Behavior, But Do Not Ignore Your Child - Although wearing a cape all day, every single day may seem strange to adults, acknowledge your child's love for Batman and offer alternatives when it is not appropriate to be a super hero (like during swim class or ballet lessons!)
  3. Prevent the Behavior From Happening - and supervise your child at all times.
  4. Set Rules and Limits and Be Consistent - When your child knows her boundaries, she is more likely to stop the behaviors and choose more appropriate (and less messy) ones!

For more information, check out The Bump, where they cover 7 wacky toddler behaviors and how to deal!

8. Toddlers Who Like to Test Their Voice Volume

We have all heard the top of the lungs scream from a toddler! Whether they are shrieks of joy, terror, or the onset of a tantrum, that high pitched screech usually is followed by an embarrassed parent shushing, scolding and high tailing for the nearest exit. Toddlers will test their voices, it is fact. And most of the time it is in a public place!

Here are some great tips on how to deal with this unwanted behavior.

  1. Acknowledge Your Child and the Emotions Behind the Screaming 
  2. Teach the Concept of Inside Voice/Outside Voice - and what is acceptable behavior.
  3. Know What Triggers the Screams (when the screeches are more then just creating sound for fun)
  4. Be Patient! - this phase will work itself out, and as kids learn to communicate, the screaming will start to happen less frequently.
  5. Don't Take It Personal!

9. Toddlers Who Cry and Whine - About Everything...

Whining and crying are one of the top behaviors that cause parents frustration. Whining over everything can indicate that your child is highly sensitive, and there are several more tips and strategies to help with this scenario. But, if you determine that the whining and incessant crying is only exhibited when your child is wanting something or after they've been told no, then try these tips to get this behavior to stop.

  1. Find Out Why Your Child Whining
  2. Teach Negotiating Skills
  3. Avoid Certain Triggers Like Hunger and Missing Nap Time
  4. Connect with Your Child and Be Pre-Emptive!

10. Toddlers Who Refuse to Wear Clothes!

Ahhh, yes, the old wait until mom turns her back and goes to check on the newborn before this shirt and skirt come flying off and toddler runs through the yard sans clothing trick! Every toddler loves it, and every parent dreads it! We spend numerous hours shopping, laundering and dressing these little tikes, only for them to strip down to the bare essentials at every chance they get!

So if your kiddo is like Tommy Pickles from Rugrats and loves to be "nakey", just know that this toddler behavior can be thwarted with some simple parenting tricks.

  • Try dressing your kids in hard to remove clothing with buttons and zippers that can't be easily accessed
  • At bedtime, zip them up in pj's put on backwards or opt for ones with a hidden zipper pull.
  • Overalls and other one-piece suits can be more difficult for little hands to take off too!
  • Teach your toddler that she needs to wear clothes to go in public places, but when at home, clothes are optional!
  • Make getting dressed a fun activity, and depending on age, give choices and allow your kids to plan outfits and get creative!

As Deborah Bonne says in her article entitled IS IT NORMAL? A GUIDE TO QUIRKY TODDLER BEHAVIOR, "your unique children are as normal as can be..." and she is right!

Use these parenting techniques and follow the steps that work for you and your children. Toddler behaviors don't have to rule your life - be consistent, loving and remain positive - and enjoy this short season of parenthood! Remember, this too shall pass! 

Related Article: The Key to Your Child's Heart