Messy. Crazy. Energetic. Adorable. Exhausting.
Those are just some of the words my colleagues use to describe their toddlers.
Parents of toddlers: translated. Post continues after video.
Parents and non-parents alike know toddlers (children 1-3 years of age) will push your limits. They'll be laughing one minute and crying the next.
We asked our Mamamia community to share a photo that shows they have a toddler. And boy, did they deliver.
From mess, to tantrums... to more mess, here are 36 photos that sum up the toddler stage.
1. Nicole
2. Jacqui
"Working from home means you always have a... helper."
3. Alyssa-Jane
"When your son finds himself into your makeup bag."
4. Rikki
"Speaks for itself really..."
5. Laura
"I'm not sure this needs much explanation. It was an attempt to go for a walk around our local suburb that did not go well. I think you can tell! It was taken during lockdown in 2020 of my then three-year-old Leo and I think it summed up the mood of the world generally."
6. Rebecca
"He decorated our gingerbread tree..."
7. Lauren
"Why? Why did I think glitter would be a good idea with two toddlers and a newborn in the house?"
8. Katie
"Kids are so weird."
9. Rachel
"And I cleaned the shower two days ago."
10. Merryn
"The OCBC Skyway is 22 metres above the ground. We were there for half an hour trying to spot an ant on the ground."
11. Lauren
12. Katie
13. Lauren
14. Kate
"My son wanted to hold his own babycino and the lid came off when taking a sip."
15. Christina
"I searched the entire house for the toy that's needed for sleep."
16. Carly
"The wet patch to my right is piss. Motherhood is a gift."
17. Antonia
"My two-year-old son crying because he couldn’t have any of the dog's birthday cake..."
18. Amanda
"She made a bad decision, can’t lie her way out of it."
19. Casey
"My house is full of discarded pieces of fruit with one bite taken out of them."
20. Laura
"Looked away for one second..."
21. Bessie
"When you put your vodka, lime and soda down for two seconds."
22. Courtney
"When they eat like this and won’t let you wipe their face and Vegemite gets all over the couch."
23. Antonia
"My son always eating my food."
24. Casey
"When you let them open their treat at the shops..."
25. Zara
"Toilet training going well."
26. Nikki
"My freshly baked cake got fisted in a split second."
27. Renee
"On the way to preschool. Definitely not a morning toddler."
28. Michelle
"He wanted to eat dry quick oats."
29. Alicia
"When you let your kids play with the polystyrene packaging..."
30. Frankie
"My camera roll: a photoshoot with an Owlette doll."
31. Sarah
"Winter park trip in Melbourne. Who needs shoes?"
32. Brooke
"I caption this 'Picasso'. Yep, that's his bedroom wall."
33. Sarah
"Because where else would one store a sandwich?"
34. Jo
"She was guarding the real artwork which was on the lounge."
35. Laura
"Toddler packed my older son’s lunchbox for him... with cat food."
36. Elizabeth
"When they insist on taking a photo of you."
Do you have a photo that sums up having a toddler? Share it with us in the comments below.
Feature images: Supplied.