When counseling a parent about changes a toddler may exhibit after a family member's death, what should the nurse include?

When counseling a parent about the changes a toddler may exhibit after the death of a family member, it is important to recognize that young children often respond to grief in various physical and emotional ways. The correct response emphasizes that toddlers may experience bowel or bladder disturbances as a reaction to stress and loss. This behavior can manifest due to the emotional turmoil they are facing, which may lead to regression in their toilet training or other behavioral changes.

Young children often struggle to verbalize their feelings and may express their distress through physical symptoms, demonstrating that they process grief differently from adults. This understanding can help parents normalize their toddler's reactions and provide the necessary support and reassurance.

In contrast to this idea, other options suggest misconceptions about toddlers’ abilities to process death: they might not be inherently resilient to loss, they do not possess a complete understanding of the cause of death, and while their sense of self can be affected, it is less directly related to grief responses than physical manifestations like disturbances in bowel or bladder function. Recognizing these signs can help parents better support their toddlers during such a challenging time.