You can help teach your toddler to take increasing responsibility for her belongings and her behavior as she grows older—one of the most important lessons a Baby Buffer can pass along to help her toddler become a healthy person. The older your child gets, the more she realizes that she’s an individual separate from you. The good news? With her growing identity comes a need to do things on her own. Here’s how to make the most of her zeal for independence!

As one-year olds play, they start to build their mathematical thinking by recognizing patterns and understanding shapes. For example, they notice that night is followed by day and that socks go on feet before shoes. It is important to let your toddler have time to figure out how these patterns work and try to problem-solve on her own to build her capacity for doing so,

Every parent needs to set limits, but sometimes it’s okay to let your toddler take the reins — even if her decisions seem outlandish. If, for example, your 17-month-old insists on wearing her mittens when the temperature is too warm for mittens, let her — at some point she’ll get overheated and figure out for herself that mittens are for cold weather. By allowing her to come to that conclusion on her own, you give her the chance to learn and grow.