What is Up With Toddlers?

Have you a short fat dictator in your home? Do you cower before a 24-pound child demanding pizza– no, not THAT kind of pizza! the other kind, the kind she likes NOW, which apparently has neither sauce nor cheese?  What is *UP* with toddlers?  In this episode we discuss    * why toddlers’ tantrums may have, at least at one time, been biologically necessary  why taking your toddler’s french toast sticks away makes him feel like he’s suddenly swimming alone in open ocean  how expecting a toddler to be “magically cute” is extremely problematic  why, if you really must ice-skate with a toddler, you must always, always take your own skates off first    And here’s links to some fascinating research, helpful tips, and funny toddler stuff we reference:  Kate Gammon for Popular Science: Birth Of Memory: Why Kids Forget What Happened Before Age 7 Patrick Sauer for Fatherly: What’s Going On Inside A Toddler’s Brain, According To Science Alison Gopnik’s TED talk: What Do Babies Think? Mo Willems and his perfect description of how a toddler goes “boneless” Toddlerography with James Corden and Jennifer Lopez …and from England’s First Steps Research, a study indicating that a toddler’s daily caloric output is the equivalent of going 83 rounds in a boxing ring. This episode also features our interview with Heather Spohr, co-author of the new book The Toddler Survival Guide: Complete Protection From the Whiny Unfed. Spohr’s book is hilarious *and* has practical advice (our favorite combo) for surviving the inevitable onslaught of the Toddler Apocalypse in your own household. Take heart, and plan ahead.