Ten Reasons to Hold Your Toddler continued…

9. The world is still a pretty foreign place to them and that need for human connection, to feel secure; to feel safe is important to their developing beings.

10. If you hold a toddler with resentment, or mixed feelings, the toddler will feel your unwillingness and that may make him feel more insecure and want to be held more - so when you do hold your child, hold your child lovingly, willingly and with compassion and a desire to give that child exactly what she needs.

I think toddlerhood is too young to stop a child from asking for "uppys" It's a time to willingly give uppys. If your child is too heavy for you, then tell your child you'd love to cuddle with him on the coach or in a comfy chair instead of holding him as you walk around the house. But give your child the cuddles he/she is asking for them. You're nurturing your child and it's good for your child to get those needs for nurturing met. If it feels like it’s "too much" for you, ask yourself if you've been ignoring or neglecting your child's requests for other kinds of attention, or pre-occupied with work/personal things and unable to give your child as much as your child needs…If so, realize that your young child needs a lot from you. When you became a parent, hopefully you signed on for becoming and being a great parent, not just a barely adequate one. Feel good that your child feels safe enough to ask you for ‘uppys’.

Also, remember - this parenting thing goes really fast. Before you know it your child won't be asking for “uppy” anymore. And before you know it you'll be fondly remembering the cuddly times and wishing your child wanted more cuddles.

By adolescence, you won’t be cuddling nearly as often and that comes sooner than you think when you’re looking at your toddler and wondering if your body will ever be yours again.

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