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Your 17-month-old

Why toddlers don’t play by the rules
For starters, they've got short memories, especially when it comes to verbal instructions. They’re also impulsive and unable to think ahead the way that older children and adults can. This can make for some frustrating situations, but it's important to realize this is a developmental stage your toddler will almost certainly leave behind when he becomes a more settled, reasoned preschooler.

How do you handle it in the meantime? Here are five simple rules to keep in mind as you raise your child.

Sleepless nights?
Perhaps the most difficult aspect of nightwaking, aside from how exhausting it is, is the embarrassment and even guilt it causes parents. Somehow, having a toddler who wakes in the night has become a bit of a stigma in our society. But a child's nightwaking has nothing to do with bad or ineffective parenting.

Find out what’s disturbing your little one’s slumber and get back-to-sleep strategies that work.

Ride safety check
At this age, many toddlers are keen on toys they can take a ride on. But naturally, safety is a big concern. Keep your mini-driver safe with these rules for the sidewalk.

Taming the toys
Has your toddler already acquired an unruly number of toys? You know it's only going to get worse in the years to come! Proper storage is key to clutter control, and if your child finds it easier to locate his toys he might just starting putting them away himself too.

Playtime! Edible crafts
Can you think of a more hands-on group of people? Toddlers don't just look at their world, they touch it, grab it, take a bite out of it. That's why edible crafts are such a good idea for kids this age. Here are a couple you can make and taste with your toddler:

• Yummy finger paint: Set your young artist up in his high chair. Hand over some chocolate pudding or coloured yogurt for him to squish around a clean tray. When he's glooped it and spread it to his heart's content, lay a piece of paper over the tray, peel it back and voila — a toddler-style masterpiece.

• Necklace nibbles: Gather an assortment of edibles with holes — O-shaped cereal is perfect. Then give your toddler a piece of shoestring licorice with a knot at one end and help him thread the treats into a tasty chain.

• Pear prints: Hunt through your freezer for an old quarter tub of raspberry, strawberry or other vividly-coloured sorbet. (An old popsicle will work, too.) Let it melt and pour it into a shallow dish. Then cut an apple or a pear in half and help your child dip the cut surface of the fruit into the liquid before he makes a print of it on a clean piece of paper.

Nursing toddlers
Did you know that toddler nursing is common around the world? In many cultures, it's not unusual for women to breastfeed for two, three, or four years. Since continuing to breastfeed can present some new challenges, we’ve rounded up 10 tips for nursing toddlers.

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