Toddler

Connecting to your child requires constant work. Not all of that work is visible to other people. But it’s the invisible stuff, the deep down acceptance and tolerance of your maniac child that truly matters. This is usually how the judgment from others goes. You’re out, in public, doing wondrous public things with your beloved cherubs. You have…

You have followed your baby’s lead for a whole year (or more!) and there seems no sign that this child will ever sleep ‘all night’. You are wondering, ‘what have we done wrong?’ You are facing pressure from everyone, including your partner, that it’s time to make changes, even if that means tears (for you as well as your child). You can make…

Getting a toddler to bed can be tricky enough without adding a baby into the mix and it can be a huge concern for parents who are expecting a new baby, especially if you have a younger toddler who needs a lot of support at bedtime. If you are wondering (or worried), how you will manage bedtimes with a newborn and toddler, here are some tips from…

‘If you sit on the potty, you can have a Smartie.’ ‘Thank you for helping pack up the toys. Now we can go to the park.’ ‘I will get you the ice-cream now if you promise you will sit still in the doctor’s room.’ What is the difference between a bribe and a reward? A bribe is something offered before the task in order to get your child to…

Sometimes we get into such a routine of saying ‘no’ to our children,  not out of being a bad parent but just because we condition ourselves into having this response. D1: “Can I tip this tub of trains out Mummy?”
Me: “No, it’s too messy, you don’t need to!” I say no because it’s convenient for me. Surely he can play without tipping them all…

Nobody tells you ‘breast is best’ any more (even though it is!). Instead, you hear “are you STILL breastfeeding” or “you will be going to school to feed him at lunchtime.” (Tell them, ‘only if I am on canteen duty’) The positioning mantra ‘chest to chest and chin to breast’ no longer applies – now it’s ‘gymnurstics’ with their feet in your face,…

Make a cubby Do you remember making cubbies as a kid? This is such an obvious rainy day activity but it never fails to keep kids happy. Throw a sheet over a few chairs or a table and then make it comfy inside with cushions. Gather the dolls and soft toys and have a picnic. Yes, it's messy but it’s a ‘clean’ mess and it will keep little ones…

If you have ever watched a desperate mother trying to round up flailing arms and legs as she wipes her child’s snot off her arms in the middle of a shopping centre and vowed that your own sweet baby will never carry on like that incompetent mother’s brat, think again. Tantrums are a normal fact of toddler life. It can help to think of a tantrum as…

Your tot is intrigued. He has discovered his nostrils and his penis – with gusto! You are feeling grossed out by the nose-picking and playing with his ‘willy’ in public is enough to make you want to pretend you are fostering a poor deprived street child (if only you could get him to stop calling you ‘mummy’). Let’s face it, whether your child is…

The use of the word ‘should’ would do well to be banned when it comes to parenting.  Trying to live up to the way you ‘should’ be doing things is a sure fire way to diminish or completely obliterate any internal soundtrack. With the experts of the day peddling their ‘shoulds’ and with well-meaning family, friends and even complete strangers quick…