Living Large: Scaling A Child's World Down To His Size

One of the biggest concerns facing toddlers or young children is living in a world they don't fit in. Children are adults in miniature size, but everything around them is made to someone else's scale. This can be excellent for preventing little hands from reaching a glass on a counter or keeping a fragile keepsake in one piece by setting it high. From a child's perspective, though, the level of frustration they feel at living with everything either out of reach or too big for them is quite high.

Think about the situation a little further. Put yourself in your child's shoes and look at the world around you from your child's perspective. Crouch down or sit on the floor. Doesn't the room around you suddenly seem to be very big? Doorknobs are out of reach, furniture appears huge, and you can't see out of windows. Go one step further, and pretend you're talking to an adult. You have to bend your neck and tip your head back uncomfortably to look up, don't you?

While adults can't shrink themselves down to a child's level, there are choices for shrinking other things down to a toddler's size for the child's maximum enjoyment. Here are some ways that parents can help their child live in a world more forgiving of short stature and ease frustration children sometimes feel at dealing with things that don't fit.

Choosing smaller-sized forks and spoons designed for youngsters is kinder on motor skills not yet fully developed and tiny hands. Wielding long, heavy forks designed for adult use isn't easy for children.

Offer cups with handles rather than ones children need to clasp with two hands to drink. Handles fit well into small fists, whereas a cup with nothing to hold onto requires the use of both hands to hold steady and lift.

Provide small-scale furniture for your child as much as possible. Sitting on the floor to draw without a table to hold the paper at an ergonomic height is just as uncomfortable for children as it is for adults. Furniture sized for toddlers and young children helps them to enjoy activities comfortably and increases the opportunity for proper posture.

On the same note as providing little tables and chairs for your child, purchase a bed that is also scaled down to your son or daughter's size. A child-sized bed is safer than adapting an adult or teen bed and helps prevent falls from heights. Also, a child-sized bed eases the task of climbing in at night.

Choose bookcases or toy storage furniture built for a child's height so that your youngster can reach everything he or she wants to without having to climb or become frustrated at not being able to reach. Also, storage furniture that is child-sized makes picking up toys easier for toddlers.

Place your child's clothes in the bottom drawer of dressers for easy self-serve access. If you hang some of your child's clothing, buy a wooden dowel and affix it low down for an extra rod to hang small clothes in reach of children's hands. Around the age of 2 and a half to three, children enjoy exploring independence and dressing themselves. Having clothes handy encourages them to do so.

While the situation of offering child-sized items is a temporary one, the consideration that you've shown for the difficulties your child faces in a grown-up world will be well worth it. Your child will feel accepted and have an easier time of everything by having objects that he or she can reach and use for increased comfort. When your child outgrows the items, you can store them to pass on through generations.