Having worked amongst many babies and toddlers who either fuss at the breast/bottle or are refusing or fussy with their solids I would like to discus some of the reasons I have found are quite common causes of this fussiness. Fussy feeders covers quite a large age range from newborns through to childhood and can be due to various reasons and therefore should be looked at closely to decide if or not is behavioural or is there some other more sinister cause. In this article I

Starting school or childcare is an exciting time for children but it can also be very daunting. There is a great deal of change and some children (and adults!) adapt quicker and easier than others. Not only do you have to find the right placement for your child but it is also very important to prepare your child for this new step. There are a few things that you can do to help your child prepare. Firstly, prepare your child by talking about school or childcare. Tell them w

There are some personality types that are naturally ‘worry warts’ if you are one of these your children will pick up on your anxiety. As a parent you want to teach your child a healthy fear to keep them safe but also how to deal with stress and not to become over anxious. Anxiety is infectious. If one person is anxious it is sure to spread to the other wether from parent to child or from child to parent. Try to remember when a stressful situation arises to keep you self con

This month I am taking a look at Phobias, Fears and Anxiety in Young Children and next month I will look at tips to help your children overcome their fears. Anxiety disorders Anxiety disorders are very common. One in four people will experience an anxiety disorder at some stage in their lives. We all feel anxious at times but some people are unable to control their anxiety it becomes so overwhelming that it affects their everyday activities making it difficult for them to c

Parents naturally want to protect their children against the terrors and pains this world can bring but unfortunately there are some things that we may not be able to protect our children from. Some of these life’s experience are difficult to avoid or prevent these events may lead to fears, anxiety or phobias. Fear is a normal and healthy response to prepare us to deal with a potentially dangerous situation– fear triggers our adrenalin making us highly alert and ready for a

A lot of parents aim to stimulate their children early in order to promote good attention and learning abilities. This is a wonderful thing to do, but can sometimes lead to overstimulation of the child’s mind. Overstimulation can lead to moody behaviour, disobedience and difficulty in communication as they move toward kindergarten years. The one thing I tell new mothers is to feed your child’s mind, just as you would their appetite. You don’t want to over or under feed your b

Preparing your child for the first day of childcare or school can be a daunting task physically, financially and emotionally. If you are preparing for school you may possibly need a whole new wardrobe of school clothes, shoes, a hat and school bag which will be filled with pencils, books, a lunch box and drink bottle. For childcare you will need similar items which of course all need to be labelled including spare cloths, undies or nappies and possibly bedding if your chil

How much do children understand? You would be surprised how much you child understands even from a very early age of nine months. Your child knows when you are displeased by your tone of voice and facial expressions. They know how to get your attention and how to use it to their own advantage as seen in teaching a child to sleep. As their intellectual ability develops, children need to be taught what acceptable and non-acceptable behaviour is. A baby as young as three mon

Time Out Time out can be for the child or for the parent. Time out is basically time alone. That is away from the social group. Being social beings, we prefer to be where the action is, so by isolating a child will grab their attention and allow them to rethink their behaviour. Time out is not punishment and should never used to humiliate a child as being forced into the ‘naught chair/spot’. We are looking to avoid creating hurt feelings, embarrassment and humiliation. T

Boundaries, Discipline and Punishment Setting boundaries and disciplining your child is the beginning of social edict. We are marking out the boundaries that our society expects ie - What is accepted as good behaviour and what is not acceptable. The boundaries you set at a young age will last your child for life; alternatively the lack of social skills you instill within your children will often be the bench mark that leads them into adulthood. We have all seen unacceptab