New: Roadmaps ordered paths through our cheat sheets and flashcards, so you always know what to study next.
Explore themSee what's new on GitHubFrom surviving your first tantrum to a confident, resilient five-year-old.
A 12-step learning path. Follow it in order, or jump to what you need.
This path is for anyone parenting a child roughly age 1 to 5, whether you're mid-tantrum right now or just crossed the one-year mark. It runs about 7 weeks at a few hours a week. It covers toddlerhood and the preschool years only; pregnancy, newborn care, and breastfeeding live in the separate New Parent: Pregnancy to First Year path. By the end you can read a meltdown without escalating it, run mealtimes and potty training without a power struggle, and choose childcare or a preschool on real quality signals instead of a brand name.
Expected: you're currently parenting, or about to parent, a child roughly age 1 to 5. Helpful but not required: the New Parent path if you're coming straight from the newborn stage.
Begin here the moment toddlerhood starts: knowing what a 15-month-old, a 2-year-old, and a 4-year-old typically do turns everything ahead, tantrums, potty readiness, screen limits, into something you can time instead of guess at.
This is where toddler parenting actually clicks: the meltdowns step 1's milestones predicted are amygdala output, not defiance, and once that reframe sticks you'll stay calm instead of escalating; expect to come back to this one.
You can spot exactly what your one-year-old is working on and stay calm instead of escalating when the meltdowns hit. Next up: turning that steadiness into your everyday discipline and safety toolkit.
Finish this section to unlock.
+100 XP
Turn the co-regulation from step 2 into a full daily script: limit-setting language, redirection, and repair-after-losing-your-cool here replace guesswork with words you can actually say in the moment.
A toddler who can run, climb, and open cabinets needs a different house than the crawler you had a year ago: room-by-room hazard checks and first aid here keep the new mobility step 1 flagged from ending in the ER.
With scripts from step 3 in hand, apply them to the next big transition: readiness signs and a method that fits your child, not a deadline, make this milestone about signals instead of a power struggle.
Mealtime battles get the same treatment as potty training: the Satter division of responsibility hands your toddler the same bodily autonomy step 5 built around toileting, applied to what and how much they eat.
Round out the daily toolkit with the AAP's 5 Cs framework for media: age-appropriate limits and screen-free rituals here close the gap between the discipline habits from step 3 and the devices actually in your house.
Discipline scripts, a toddler-proofed house, a potty plan, peaceful meals, and screen limits are all running without you improvising each time; a few minutes of due flashcards keeps steps 1 and 2 fresh while you build on them. Next up: the relationships and mindset that shape who your toddler becomes.
Finish this section to unlock.
+100 XP
If a second child has joined the toddler you're raising, the fairness and conflict-refereeing skills here lean directly on the co-regulation from step 2, now applied to two kids competing for your attention at once.
Go deeper than surviving a meltdown: Gottman's five-step framework here builds the emotional vocabulary that turns step 2's calm-in-the-moment into a child who can name and manage feelings on their own.
As your toddler approaches preschool age, weigh care and school options on the quality indicators here rather than a brand name, the same skepticism toward marketing that served you well picking a potty method in step 5.
Take this if you want your home environment itself to teach independence: low shelves, practical-life activities, and a prepared space here extend the self-regulation from step 2 into everyday tasks like dressing and pouring.
Everything from riding out step 2's meltdowns to weighing step 10's childcare options adds up here: the 7 Cs framework turns each individual skill into a family rhythm of struggle, recovery, and confidence that carries well past age five.
From reading a meltdown to weighing a preschool and building real resilience, you've turned the terrible twos into steady, evidence-based habits that carry your family straight through to a confident five-year-old: that toolkit is what the Toddler Years badge certifies.
Finish this section to unlock.
+100 XP
Finish every required step, at least 70% of them genuinely done (not skipped), to earn this badge and 500 XP.