Reddit reviews INFANTS TODDLERS & CAREGIVERS:CURRICULUM RELATIONSHIP

As a toddlers teacher, I can tell you that there absolutely are tons of good books!!

You have to remember that there is no "ways to teach my kids." All kids learn differently. Luckily, since you are their parent, you are privileged to info about your kid that us teachers are not!

All kids naturally posses a desire to explore and learn. Teaching a toddler is not so much teaching as it is facilitating. Give your child the ability to explore and play freely. When you see your child has an interest in something, provide resources and opportunities for your child to discover and learn more about that thing. Scaffold. Info on scaffolding: https://www.naeyc.org/resources/pubs/yc/may2017/rocking-and-rolling-empowering-infants-and-toddlers. I recommend spending some time on NAEYC's website. They have TONS of great information.

Books.

I also provided links to Amazon to view the books. I recommend that you buy older editions of the textbooks since these ones are really expensive. The older editions are pretty much the same, and much much cheaper.

• Your Self-confident baby by Magda Gerber.
  
• Developmentally Appropriate Practice by Carol Copple, et al.
  
• Infants, Toddlers, and Caregivers by Janet Gonzalez-Mena, et al.
  
• Elevating Childcare by Janet Lansbury.
  
• The Whole Brain Child by Daniel Siegal (haven't read this one yet, but my colleagues say it's good).

Secure caregiver attachment is the healthiest thing a child can have. Numerous studies show that children who are securely attached to an adult caregiver develop better in every area, and are generally more autonomous. There is no limit to how securely attached a child can be, and the more attached, generally, the better. Securely attached kids are also usually more comfortable being away from their caregiver or letting other children interact with their caregiver because they trust that their caregiver will still be there for them when they need their caregiver (Trawick-Smith, 2014) (Gonzalez-Mena and Eyer, 2018).

Insecure attachment, however, happens when a child is very attached, but does not have complete trust in their caregiver. They may fear that, if their caregiver starts interacting with other children that they will be forgotten, or that the caregiver will prefer the other children over them. Children in insecure caregiver relationships are generally less likely to be confident in themselves as-well, and sometimes show less interest in exploring the world around them (Gonzalez-Mena and Eyer, 2018).

The best thing for making sure a child feels secure in their relationship is to build trust. A caregiver should always be honest with the child, include them in things that concern them, respect and value their opinions, and always keep their word. Children need to know that their caregiver is going to be there to care for them when they have needs (Gonzalez-Mena and Eyer, 2018). These needs include physical needs, emotional needs, social needs, affectionate needs, creative needs, and cognitive needs (Chahin, 2008).

Sometimes insecure attachments can transfer over from previous insecure attachment. For example, if he has an insecure attachment with mom, then he will have a much harder time forming a secure attachment with a caregiver, even if that caregiver does everything perfectly (Gonzalez-Mena and Eyer, 2018).