Sep
25
Get Your Son Or Daughter to Quit The Thumb Sucking Habit: Essential Parenting Tips
Filed Under Parent Resources, Parenting By Age, Parenting Reports, Quick Tips, Toddler | Leave a Comment
Thumb sucking is a concern lots of parents have. Toddlers suck their thumbs because it’s calming and comforting. It’s probably something they did before they were born and revert back to it when they are nervous, agitated, scared or feeling poorly. They may also use it to lull themselves back to sleep in the middle of the night.
Parents shouldn’t concern themselves unless it continues after the age their permanent teeth begin to appear, around six years old. Experts say that it’s the intensity of the thumb sucking and the tongue’s thrust that deforms teeth and makes braces necessary later. Children who rest their thumb passively in their mouth are less likely to have difficulty than kids who suck aggressively. If you’re concerned, closely monitor your son or daughter and analyze their technique. If they appear to be sucking strongly, you may want to begin curbing their habit.
Punishing or nagging your son or daughter to stop won’t help because it’s usually an automatic response. Attempting to curb it by putting an elastic bandage on their thumb or another method will seem like an unjust punishment, especially as they indulge in the habit for comfort and security.
Try to wait it out. Children usually give up thumb-sucking when they’ve found other ways to calm and comfort themselves. Consider offering them other alternatives to comfort themselves such as a soft blanket or lullaby toy.
The key is to notice when and where they are likely to suck their thumbs and offer an alternative. If it happens while they are tired, try giving more naps. If they suck their thumb often while watching television, try to distract them with a toy that will keep their hands occupied.
Older children may need gentle reminders to curtail thumb sucking while in public, and praise should be given freely when the child finds and uses an acceptable alternative. Your child’s pediatric dentist can offer other suggestions for helping your son or daughter kick the thumb sucking habit.
If there is one stage of child development that seems to fill many parents with dread then it has to be toilet training. I think this originates from our own parents and grandparents telling us tales of woe about their own experiences of toilet training their children. But that was ages ago and knowledge about child development has grown dramatically. That means that your experience of toilet training can be very different from that of your mother or grandmother. The key is to follow a reputable toilet training program. And that actually starts well before you introduce your child to a potty. Check out the following article for further advice
tips for toilet training boys
And the guidance applies equally well whether you are toilet training a boy or girl.
Jun
18
Better Behavior for Kids
Filed Under Parent Resources, Preschoolers, Toddler | 1 Comment
I’ve come across a website that has a wonderful new approach to bettering your child’s behavior. My 4 year old seems to be in a tantrum phase, so I could really use some help! I’ve ordered one of these unique behavior wheels and I can’t wait for it to arrive. Your child actually HELPS you decide on the punishment they should receive for common behavior problems! It is even customizable if you need help for a specific challenge your child is having problems with.
I will update you all when I’ve received it and have started using it. I just couldn’t wait to share it with you though since it really sounds like a unique and helpful tool!
Why Spank When You Can Spin?
The Better Behavior Wheel is an upbeat, fun, and totally unique approach
to child behavior management that’s delighting parents everywhere.
If you have kids, you NEED the Wheel!
Jun
18
YOU AND YOUR SPOUSE: A UNITED, UNMOVABLE FRONT
Filed Under Quick Tips, Teens, Toddler | Leave a Comment
You and your spouse need to convey to your children, through your words and actions, that you’re together on your decisions and they can’t pit one parent against the other. And they need to understand that when you’ve made a decision, all their arguing and fussing will not change that decision. How do you do that? Before handing down decisions to your children, make sure you and your spouse are in agreement about that decision. (And be sure to do this somewhere that your children aren’t privy to your discussion!) Then, once that decision has been given to the children, make sure you don’t cave under the pressure of their arguing. In our home, when one of the kids asks us for something (say, permission to go to a friend’s house for the night), we take time to think about our response. Once we give it, we don’t change it. Our philosophy is to say yes whenever possible - they hear “no” often enough, and if we can say yes, why not! But when we say no, we don’t change our minds just because they don’t like the answer. If you and your spouse give careful thought to your responses and provide a united, unmovable front, your children will soon stop trying to pit one parent against the other, and will begin to understand that arguing with a ruling is futile.
Jun
16
Controlling Toddler Temper Tantrums
Filed Under Quick Tips, Toddler | Leave a Comment
Quick Tip- Distraction: A Parent’s Best Friend
While their is no one answer to stop your toddler’s flaring temper tantrum or tears that are about to go out of control, one of the most recommended techniques is distraction. Little things such as “Hey! Look at that weird bug!” or snapping a sudden photo of the child can provide just enough distraction to nip the out-of-control aspects of things in the bud.
Anther tip to tame your pint sized monster is the tried and true “Time Out”. Usually, when put in “time out” my temper tantrum throwing toddler emerges from “time out” the perfect little angel.
Time Out doesn’t work well when you are out and about though! One trick that I have recently started using is to ask my son “I know you are a really good boy, but the people here in the restaurant don’t know you, you don’t want them to think you are a naughty boy do you?” I’ve tried this three times in the last week or two and it seems to be working quite well. If the server is nice I use him or her as the person that might not think well of my son. He seems to care about what others think at this stage so I think I’ve hit on a great technique.
Jun
10
Show Interest In Your Child’s Day
Filed Under Quick Tips, Teens, Toddler | Leave a Comment
Another wonderful tip: Daily talks about their day.
“From age three to adult Start young talking to your children about all the events of their day. I started with my kids at ages 3 or 4 when they went of to Mother’s Day out and preschool. Every day, it became a part of our daily ritual for my kids to tell me all about their day. For me to ask questions was normal. So, by the time they became teenagers, they still looked forward to telling me all about their day and were never resistant to any questions I had. They knew I’ve always been interested in them. They trusted me. So, now we still talk all the time. I’m the one they tell everything to–even more than their best friends. I don’t judge them. I tell them what I think because they have always heard my respnse to their day. But even if they do things I don’t like or approve of, they still feel a need to tell me everything.”
-Kathrine