Does your child dread going to the doctor’s office? If so, the following tips may make it easier: • First, schedule an appointment at a time your youngster won’t be needing a nap. Also, feed him beforehand so he won’t be hungry. • Second, bring a stuffed animal, security blanket, pacifier, or snack with you […]
We need to teach our children not to hurt other children. Hitting, slapping, pinching, scratching, shoving, knocking down, hair pulling and biting are all unacceptable behaviors. Clarify for your child, “We don’t hit. We don’t hurt people. Disagreements are settled by talking, not hitting.” If children do fight, respond swiftly: • First, intervene at the
Children of all ages and most adults have some food dislikes. If this is the case in your home consider the following: • First, most complaints are about vegetables such as spinach or broccoli. Vegetables are over rated. There are no essential foods, just essential food groups. Since fruits and vegetables are in the same
Some children drop whatever they’re doing as soon as their parent picks up the telephone. Avoid part of this problem by making most of your calls during naptime or after bedtime. However, that won’t help you with incoming calls. Try this approach. • First, have a rule,”Don’t interrupt me while I’m on the telephone” and
Blessed is the child who has a loving grandparent. Don’t begrudge the fact that they’ve learned a lot since having you. Include them in your family life. Here are some ideas: • First, everyone needs extra help during those first weeks at home with a new baby, and the best person to call upon is
Your response to biting should leave no question but that you mean business. Make the rule absolutely clear, “Don’t bite. It hurts. We don’t bite people.” • First, give your child verbal disapproval in a sharp voice. Say, “No biting.” It’s fine to startle your child for this type of behavior. • Second, put him
“Time-out” is the best discipline available for the irrational behaviors of young children. It’s especially helpful for behaviors that can’t be ignored, such as harmful or disruptive behaviors. “Time-out” means isolating your child in a boring place for a few minutes. “Time-out” has the advantage of providing a cooling off period for both you and
Breath holding spells occur in some children who are able to hold their breath long enough to actually pass out. Only five per cent of children have this abnormal reflex. They are healthy in every other way. Following a triggering event, such as being frustrated or falling down, your child cries once, holds his breath,
Bottle fed babies don’t need solids until four months of age and breast fed babies are fine until six months. Introducing strained foods earlier just makes feeding more complicated without helping your baby in any way. • Between four and eight months of age introduce your baby to most of the strained foods and cereals.
Toddlers can learn a lot by going shopping with you. They can also get into trouble at the supermarket, so here are some tips. • First, to prevent grabbing food off the shelves, distract your child. On arrival, give her a snack such as animal crackers. Keep her sitting in the grocery cart seat and
