One of the toughest challenges of raising infants and toddlers is determining their needs without the benefit of their using spoken words. New parents especially can become stressed out, not knowing whether their child is truly happy and healthy. First of all, experts say that even happy kids aren’t happy all the time; and that’s normal. There are some things you can do that will virtually guarantee that you have a contented child.

How to ensure the happiness of children of all ages

Granted, most parents of babies and toddlers are too busy and sometimes frazzled to stop and fret over whether their little ones are actually happy. How to survive various challenges and smells is a more common line of thought. But plenty of parents are more likely to stress over whether their children realize how loved they are and whether their needs are being fully met. Fortunately, there are a number of foundational things that have proven to provide a happy home for children from infancy to adulthood. Check them out because it’s always good to find out that you’re doing great as a parent and to learn new ways to improve family life:

• Have meals at the same time each day. With this type of schedule, your child will grow to have confidence that a meal is soon coming. If mealtimes are erratic and ever-changing, babies and toddlers are more likely to cry when hungry, since they are unsure when they will be fed.
• Keeping babies, toddlers, and children of all ages on a consistent sleep schedule in which they can get the prescribed amount of sleep will make everyone happier! A sleepy toddler is a cranky toddler. The same goes for mommies and daddies, as well.
• Allow your children, whatever their ages, to express their emotions. You will help them develop healthy emotional habits, if they are encouraged to express the emotions they are feeling, rather than suppressing them. It can get loud, embarrassing, awkward, and complicated to allow babies, toddlers, and older children to express their emotions, but it can also help to make for more well-adjusted little humans.
• Give your children a continuous supply of unconditional love. Make sure they don’t think the objects in the home or the house rules that will inevitably be broken on occasion have greater value than the children. Appropriate discipline at various ages is important; just don’t respond to things in a way that causes little ones to doubt your undying love and devotion as their parents.

Plus a taste of freedom

As a final bit of advice, allow your little ones to enjoy unstructured play and to make choices on their own. Let them know they are being heard, even before they know how to form words. All of these things combined can’t help but make for happy little tots. 

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