10 Things That Turn Toddlers Into Bloodhounds

Toddlers are wonderful, snugly, loving little people. They are cute and cuddly, like teddy bears. However, there are some things that turn them into bloodhounds.  They pick up the scent and begin tracking. They will not stop their hunt until they find their prize.  

1.  Toilet Paper – A toddler can sense where there is a fresh roll of toilet paper placed in a bathroom. They need to unroll it. They have to unroll it. They will not stop until it is in a pile all over the bathroom floor.

2.  Freshly Folded Laundry – Similar to the toilet paper and anything else that has just been cleaned or organized. A toddler knows when there are beautiful piles of folded laundry that just need to be knocked over. They cannot stand order and organization. They must destroy folded laundry.  

3.  Band-aids – A toddler will fake an owie, fake a tantrum, produce real tears, and pretend to fall to obtain a band-aid.  Band-aids make everything better. Always.

4.  Stickers – Stickers are like gold to a toddler. They know where they are hidden. They want them. They need them. They will do whatever they need to get them (and stick them all over their shirts just before they get washed…leaving sticker residue everywhere).    

5.  Dog Bowls – Not just for Fido. Dog bowls are prime targets for a toddler. A toddler will find them, dump them out, play in the water, taste the kibble. Poor Fido never had a fighting chance.

6.  Buckles – A toddler will find any carseat, booster seat, stroller, high chair, purse, coat, backpack or anything with buckles. They will obsess over those buckles until they can clasp and unclasp those annoying little plastic finger pinchers. They will twist and knot the straps so tight that you will never be on time for anything, ever again.  

7.  Mommy Relaxing – Anytime mommy sits down, closes her eyes, opens a piece of candy, fixes herself something to eat, enters the bathroom, or does anything for herself, they know. A toddler can smell a relaxed mommy. A toddler cannot stand a relaxed mommy. They will find her. 

8.  “Unhealthy” Snacks – Fruit snacks, juice boxes, doughnuts, ice cream, candy, marshmallows, cookies, basically anything that is not organic and “healthy”. A toddler will find it and whine until they get it. Especially if it is being given away in a public place – free samples at the store or the sucker dish at the bank.

9.  Cabinets – There is something about a closed cabinet that calls to a toddler. They need to know what is inside. They need to see, smell, touch, and destroy. They need to take everything out of the cabinet and throw it in a pile on the floor.

10.  Public Restrooms – They are fascinating.  They are new.  They are dirty.  A toddler needs to pee in every potty in every building everywhere, except their own of course. No, that would be weird.

Ashley
I am the mom to four amazing kiddos. Isaac (2012). Eli (2013). Anna (2017). Ava (2019). I have been married to my husband Jonathan since 2009. I was born and raised in Nebraska and am a cornhusker through and through. I am also a local speech-language pathologist. I specialize in working with kiddos ages birth to seven, specifically children with autism spectrum disorder, apraxia of speech, articulation/phonological disorders, and developmental delay. You can also follow me at https://morethanmama.weebly.com/