What to Do When Your Toddler Swears

So your toddler has picked up a few strange habits lately. Most likely, you are disturbed by a few. Who was planning on dealing with issues such as head banging, touching themselves in public, or picking their nose? Don’t worry and don’t panic- it happens. So will the day that your terrible two starts his Andrew Dice Clay routine. The key to stopping these things is playing it cool, especially in regards to swearing.

So, where did your little angel pick up these foul words? Most likely, they heard them from Mom or Dad. Experience any road rage lately? Even the calmest parent can occasionally let potty language slip during mid-town traffic. Remember, a toddler is developing his language skills at an alarming rate- mimicking is one of the ways he learns.

It is almost feasible that you can go forever without swearing in front of your little one (yeah right) but chances are, the t.v. or the playground will still expose him at some point. Remember, play it cool. Reacting harshly to a child who swears gives them great leverage- they know it will garner attention and will do it repeatedly if you freak out. Easier said than done, but it’s another case in which you need to ignore your toddler’s behavior in order to nip it in the bud.

If you catch yourself saying a bad word, here’s a tip: don’t make a production out of it, but you may want to calmly say, “Oops.” Leave it at that. If your toddler hears you say an interesting new word (one you don’t want them repeating), just ignore and distract. Their attention span is incredibly short, as you probably already know.

It is a good idea to start censoring you and your spouse’s language when the first child is born. They won’t be speaking until at least 8 or 9 months, but it is good to get into the habit. Let anyone else in the house know that swearing is inappropriate and insensitive to others. Your children will learn by example and you are their biggest role model.