Rearing children is a difficult, amazing, scary, beautiful thing. The toddler years are short but can seem long due to all the trouble toddlers manage to get into while they are learning and growing and discovering the world. Since toddlers have such a propensity to get themselves into dangerous situations, there is no doubt that they have a need to be covered in prayer!
Prayer for Salvation
The most important thing for our young children is that they learn to know and trust God. Even though they are still very small, they still need a Savior. Praying that they come to an understanding of that need and are drawn to God should be a daily entreaty to the Father.
“Heavenly Father, thank you for this child you have put in my family. Help us to teach this little one about You so this child will trust You in the way we do. Draw the heart of this child to You.”
Prayer for Safety
Toddlers can get themselves into crazy situations! They are learning, testing, and discovering, and most toddlers are pretty much fearless. This is a dangerous combination, but thankfully toddlers also tend to be pretty resilient. Since parents cannot have an eye on their toddlers every second of every day, it is good to petition God for protection.
“Dear God, this child is so active and so busy! There is rarely a time when we have stillness and calm. Please protect my child from injury and danger. Give this baby wisdom to refrain from doing things that will cause pain, blood, or broken bones.”
Prayer for Sleep
Once children get to the toddler stage, they are often sleeping in their own beds in their own rooms – or supposed to be! When the lights go out, some toddlers decide it is time to pop out of bed and play. Praying with the child, and for the child, can be of assistance in getting the child down for the night.
“Dear Jesus, You know the day has been long and this child needs rest – and so do I! Please bless this child with sweet sleep and keep this baby through the night. Give us peace and rest tonight and wake us in the morning refreshed. Thank You.”
Prayer for Sickness
Toddlers put everything in their mouths, and this introduces germs. While it is good to give their immune systems a workout occasionally, it can be difficult for the child and the parents to deal with illness, even when it is minor. Colds, stomach aches, headaches, and similar malaise can cause a toddler to feel unwell.
“Father God, this sweet young child is not feeling well today. Please relieve the baby’s symptoms and give healing and rest. Touch my child’s body and clear out this illness and give strength and health.”
Prayers for Serious Illness
Parents never want to have their toddlers diagnosed with serious illness, but sometimes it happens. When that happens, it is important to remember that God is bigger than any illness, and parents can go to Him at any time.
“Dear God, we never expected to face this devastating illness that our child has! But we know that You are in control and You are the Great Physician. Because we know You care for our young one even more than we do, we beg You to touch this baby and heal this tiny child. Give us grace and strength as we walk this path and give the doctors wisdom.”
Prayer for Strength
The little ones must develop strength as they grow – both of character and of body. Parents teach what they can, but some of it just comes with age. Still, parents can pray that their toddlers will gain strength appropriately.
“Dear Lord, bless this child with strength and help my little one to grow healthy and strong. Give my child the ability to use strength as You want and the wisdom to control bodily strength when it has developed. Thank You.”
Prayer for Surrounding Friends
The people with which people are surrounded have an effect on the person’s life and character. Children also need to have friends that will encourage proper growth and proper habits. Of course, at the toddler age level, parents will do most of the choosing, but it is not too early to pray for the child to make good friends at later stages of development.
“Heavenly Father, thank You for the good friends we have been able to bring into our child’s life. As this tiny human grows and changes, keep good friends available to encourage spiritual growth as well as surrounding this child with love and laughter. Keep the bad influences at a distance, so they will be less of a temptation to our young one.”
Prayer for Sincerity and Honesty
Character is an integral part of one’s personality. Developing good character in young children will only help them as they grow into productive adults at some point in the future.
“Lord God, You gave us this child to bring up in Your nurture and admonition. Give us wisdom to help our baby to learn to be honest and sincere in everything. Help our child to speak and do the things that are true and right all through life.”
Prayer for Servant’s Heart
Having a servant’s heart means being willing to help others and to set aside one’s own wants and desires to assist or care for another. Children will learn this best by their parents’ example, but lifting up this request in prayer will keep the purpose in parents’ hearts and minds, and is a request God will be pleased to hear.
“Dear God, give me a servant’s heart, that I may be an example to my toddler. Teach my child to serve others in order to serve You. Give this child the compassion and desire to be helpful that is required for a servant’s heart.”
Prayer for Self-Control
It can be hard for parents to maintain self-control, so how much harder it must be for toddlers, who have not yet learned how to regulate their own behavior. God stands ready and willing to help.
“Heavenly Father, this child is so impulsive and does not understand how to pause and think before jumping into situations! Please help me teach this little one to pause and consider before acting on an impulse. Increase the impulse control that this child is just beginning to learn and keep this one from harm while this important skill is still under development.”
Prayer for Spirited Humor
Laughter does good like a medicine, and humor is something that can help a person deal with even the most difficult days. When tough times need to be faced down, a smile can be the most disarming thing with which to meet them.
“Lord, please fill our child’s life with laughter. Give this young one the perspective needed to see the humor in every situation and help our child to meet every situation with a smile. Give this little one a sense of fun and cheerfulness no matter what sort of things must be faced.”
There are sure to be other areas of a toddler’s life that require a heavy dose of prayer, but these are some of the more common situations for most parents. Any and every situation can be bathed in copious quantities of prayer and parents can have confidence that God hears and He will answer every petition.