As a Christian parent, one of my biggest fears is whether my children will be saved. Will they believe in Jesus? Have I done my job of teaching them about God and His words?
“You shall love your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall diligently teach them to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.”
Deuteronomy 6:5-7
But how do you teach your baby and toddler about Jesus and His words?
Amazingly, Jesus gave us an opportunity and put the right thoughts in my mind. Now, my 3-year-old girl can pray to Jesus and ask Him for help all the time.
How We Introduced Jesus to Our Daughter
Our family loves to travel with our little ones. In general, they do pretty well during vacations, but there have been challenges.
Last fall, we went to Hilton Head Island, SC. My little girl was not even 2 and a half years old. She was sharing a room with her little brother. I find that when they share a room in a new environment, they usually do better.
For whatever reason, she was scared of the big bathtub. She cried a lot in the tub and refused to take a bath. This was a first for me and my husband — she usually loves baths what’s the deal?
Whenever she starts crying, it’s game over. It’s always been hard to stop her, often crying to the point of throwing up.
This was a bad start to the typically relaxing night time routine and to the whole vacation in general! Being in the same room with her little brother did not help her stop crying at bedtime every single night.
One night, before I was about to leave my hard-crying girl, I was so frustrated and unsure of what to do. None of our usual methods were working. I prayed silently to the Lord to help us. Suddenly, an idea came to me. I said to my daughter, “Do you know you can ask Jesus to help you? Sometimes mommy and daddy can’t help, but Jesus always can.”
Amazingly, she kind of stopped crying. Then I said, “Do you want to ask Jesus to help you?” She said yes, so I prayed with her. Before leaving the room, I reminded her, “Remember, you can always ask Jesus to help you!”
That night, she didn’t cry! We continued this for the rest of the vacation, and it worked!
To my surprise, after our vacation, whenever my daughter faced discipline or a meltdown, she would ask, “Mommy, will you ask Jesus to help me?”. Even in moments when I would forget to turn to Jesus for help, she would make the request.
She just turned 3 years old and still does this! Little did I know that one vacation would have such a big impact on her.
Looking back, it wasn’t just that one incident that helped my daughter remember to involve Jesus in her young life. It’s the little things we do every day. The Lord helped me find the opportunity, and I seized it at the right time.
4 Steps to Incorporate in Your Daily Life
1. Plant the Seed
Pray for Them Every Day
We asked our pastor at Sarah’s baby dedication (before she turned 6 months old) what we should do at this age. He said it’s never too early to pray for them! Sometimes, we’re so caught up in taking care of a little baby that praying for them might not be on top of our minds.
I read a Christian parenting book where the author, a pastor, shared how his father prayed for each of his children every night, which had a great impact on their lives.
Now, my husband and I take one child to bed separately every night, singing two Christian songs and praying for them. Sarah now understands how to pray and has even memorized the lyrics to her songs.
Children’s Bible Books
A friend gave our kids a book called “My First Bible.” We started reading it to Sarah first, then to Noah when he was a little older. They both loved it. It has lots of animals that they love to identify, mixed in with Bible stories. This helps them become familiar with God and Jesus.
Sunday School at Church
We’re blessed to have a great church with lots of resources for kids. Both children went to nursery/class at 12 months old. There, they are exposed to worship songs, Bible stories, Christian kids’ songs, and prayer.
Whatever way you can get them involved at your church is great. Even just taking them to worship to hear the preaching helps plant the seeds!
2. Find the Opportunities
This might be the easiest part. With the terrible twos and horrible threes, there are many opportunities to bring Jesus into their lives.
Meltdowns, disciplines, separation anxieties, and fear of darkness are all great opportunities.
Whenever you find yourself needing help from Jesus when dealing with your child, you can use the opportunity to turn to him together.
3. Pray with Your Child
We turn situations of “Can you ask Jesus to help me?” into praying together. I tell Sarah, “Mommy will ask Jesus. Will you ask Jesus with Mommy?” She often replies, “Mommy, you say it first. I’ll pray after.” And she does. She prays about her fears and emotions. It makes me so happy and proud!
Invite your toddler to pray with you! This is a great age to start. Don’t be discouraged if they’re not interested. Keep trying and praying for them as well. It is the Lord who opens the heart! But as Christian parents, we have to show them the need for prayer and the power of prayer.
4. Be a Good Role Model
At this age, toddlers are like sponges. They observe and learn things quickly. Sometimes, it feels like talking to walls when they don’t listen, but they are keen to observe what you do.
They mimic you. If they don’t see Jesus in your life, how will they learn about Jesus? If they don’t see you pray, why would they pray?
Your love for each other in Christ is the most secure thing for your kids. They will learn from how you handle conflict and how you lean on Jesus with all the challenges you face daily.
Wrap Up
Baby and toddlerhood are hard. They are the cutest times but also the most challenging. I pray to the Lord for patience and wisdom to handle each tantrum.
There’s so much advice on how to handle tantrums and sleep issues on the internet. How do you know which advice is right? Each child is different. You can’t use the same method on every child, it just won’t work.
But the Lord knows! Lean on Him in each situation and show your child how you handle these challenges. They will learn from you.
That’s the best way to introduce Jesus to them.
