These 10 tips will give you simple strategies to get your toddler to listen better!

As a mom, learning how to get your toddlers to listen can seem like a magic trick, or sometimes like a total impossibility!

But it doesn’t have to be. You are in the right place!

I’ll be honest when I say that the toddler years weren’t always a dreamy state of bliss – we had our fair share of meltdowns and tantrums.

No toddler mom is perfect, and I’d never claim to be. But I have learned some SUPER helpful tactics along the way that helped the toddler wars become an occasional skirmish here and there.

Check out these 10 tips to learn how to get your toddler to listen and let me know what you think in the comments below!

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How to get your toddler to listen:

1. Get low

The first step to getting your toddler to listen is to get down on your toddler’s level to talk to her as much as possible.

Can you imagine how it would feel to always have to crane your neck to look at the person speaking to you? Personally, I think it would get old in a hurry.

The height difference between you and your toddler certainly brings a feeling of superiority, and as toddlers are developing their own sense of identity, they don’t always want to be controlled by such an authoritarian figure.

So kneel or squat down and put your face level with your toddler’s eyes.

Establishing eye contact is SO important – for both you and your child. 

When you take the time to make eye contact, you are showing your child that he is valued and that you are trying to connect with him in a meaningful way.

2. Learn to say YES

Toddlers are told NO all. day. long.

“No, don’t put that in your mouth.”

“No, stay out of the road.”

“No, don’t throw that rock.”

“No running in the house.”

You get the idea.

In all of these instances, saying NO is completely justified.

We need to keep our kids safe and toddlers don’t think in terms of safety all that much. This means that saying NO sometimes is inevitable.

But you can increase how often you say YES. And it’s so EASY.

Are you ready?

When your toddler comes to you and makes a bid for your attention, instead of saying “What?,” all you need to do is say, “Yes?”

Just hearing the positive response of YES on a regular basis will help your toddler to feel more agreeable. 

(And to be honest, it can help you to feel more agreeable too!)

3. Tell your toddler what’s acceptable

One way to say NO less is to tell your toddler what he CAN do.

Oftentimes, only telling him what he can’t do isn’t that helpful, because he receives no directions about what IS acceptable.

Instead of only saying, “No we can’t get out the playdough right now,” add a simple example of what would be okay for him to do.

For example, “No, we can’t get out the playdough right now, but you CAN get out your trains and build a track.” 

This tactic creates acceptable options for your toddler to choose from, which is very empowering to him.

The more you use this tactic of describing what IS acceptable, the quicker you will find that your toddler listens and obeys much quicker.

4. Change IF to WHEN

Changing “If” statements to “when” statements is another super easy verbal change you can make overnight.

When you are facing a challenging moment and need to issue an ultimatum, change the typical IF to WHEN.

For example, pretend your toddler wants to throw his wooden train across the room. Saying “IF you throw that train, I’m going to put it in time out,” is less effective than if you said, “WHEN you throw that train, I’m going to put it in time out.” 

That doesn’t seem like a big difference, but hear me out.

The word IF sounds like a challenge to your toddler. It’s as if we are saying “I dare you to throw that train –  even though I don’t want you to.”

On the other hand, the word WHEN is simply a concrete reminder of a consequence that will follow their action.

And that’s what we want them to understand in the first place right?

5. Try TOY timeout 

You may or not be a timeout mama.

If you are, let me just share a few thoughts here.

When we put our kids in timeout (which I have done on occasion), that communicates to them that THEY are not worthy to be with other people.

This can lead to feelings of shame and abandonment as described in this article from Aha! Parenting.

Time out is best utilized only when your toddler is biting, hitting, or otherwise needs to be physically removed from the situation.

Other than that, if your toddler is being whiny, disobedient, or unruly, try giving a toy a timeout instead of your toddler.

For example, at our house when I toy goes to timeout, I set it on top of the fridge where my child can see it (never threaten to throw it away – that is not going to help at all).

Once the toy is in timeout, calmly explain to your toddler that she can earn that toy back when she starts speaking kindly, obeying, cleaning up, or whatever.

6. Sing instead of yell

Singing instead of yelling is one of the most effective tips for knowing how to get your toddler to listen!

It’s definitely frustrating to keep calling your kid to get his attention. And if a screen is involved, it’s five times as hard.

Instead of repeatedly speaking yelling his name, start singing it instead.

You can choose opera style or country, a ballad or rap, but whatever you pick, I guarantee it will be so out of the ordinary that he will instantly drop what he’s doing and see what is going on with you!

(This works for teenagers too, by the way!)

7. Signal transitions with events

We’ve all heard how important it is to give our kiddos a heads up before they’re expected to transition from one event to another.

BUT …. most of us do this in a completely ineffective way for toddlers though!

How many times have you heard parents say “Five more minutes!” at the park? And then when five minutes pass, their kids still throw a fit? 

Part of the reason is that toddlers have zero idea what five minutes feels like. They are terrible judges of time!

Instead of giving a time-based warning, give them an event cue to look for.

For example, “Slide down three more times and then we are leaving the park” or “I can help you after I finishing making this sandwich,” or “I will read to you after I start the laundry.”

A toddler can understand what any of these events looks like so much easier than he can understand how long five minutes is.

8. Yelling doesn’t help

Let’s just be honest: communicating with a toddler can be frustrating. Sometimes they simply don’t understand the instructions we are giving them.

But please remember this, mama: raising the VOLUME of your voice does not help your child to understand what you are saying.

Instead, according to a recent Parents magazine article, yelling can have long-lasting negative effects on the parent-child relationship and on the child’s willingness to trust.

If you feel your voice rising, try one of these techniques:

• Take a deep breath
• Count to ten
• Step outside and get some fresh air for two minutes (this is the one I usually do!)
• Ball your fists tightly and then release them quickly

For tips on how to avoid feeling mommy burnout, read this article about it here!

Remember that to get your toddler to listen, it’s very important to learn to keep the volume of our voices under control.

9. Create accountability for yourself

When your toddler is being really obstinate or throwing a huge fit, start recording the epic meltdown with your phone.

No, this isn’t so you can share it on Instagram or Facebook!

Instead, turning on video creates accountability for you and gives you an audience.

I know that I am a much calmer parent when I’m around other adults. When I turn my phone camera on and start recording, it’s almost as if someone else is watching me.

Automatically, I’m much less likely to lose it if I have the accountability of knowing my response is being recorded. 

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10. Understand toddler physicality 

It’s a simple fact that toddlers don’t have complete control of their bodies.

There will be times that your toddler will be in the middle of winding up for a throw or launching himself off the coffee table and you’ll tell him, “You better not throw that ball / jump off that table” and he will still do it anyway. Frustrating, right?

Maybe not.

While these moments may seem like defiance, they actually may just be your toddler’s inability to reign in his physical motions that are already in gear.

When this happens, it is better to wait until after the action is complete and then give a directive, such as “Please don’t throw that ball inside again. Remember, we don’t throw in the house,” or “I know you just jumped off the table. That is not something we do.”

And then remember to follow up with a positive directive! For example, “You CAN play with your cars though.”

Giving the directions right in the middle of his action only sets him up for disobedience, intentional or not. 

Recommended reading for more on how to get your toddler to listen