Toddler

Your toddler's delaying tactics at bedtime – needing a drink, one more kiss, a lost toy – are her way of saying, 'I really want you to stay with me.' From a toddler's perspective, it may be difficult to relax and fall asleep if she feels stressed about being left in her room alone, especially if she can hear adults having fun (talking, watching…

Mum question: Does anyone have any simple recipes for healthy muffins? My 4yr old is a very fussy eater. Thought if I could make a healthy muffin she would eat it. Pinky says: I have been baking these oatmeal muffins for years –I first discovered the original version  in a La Leche League  cookbook,’ Whole Foods for The Whole Family’. Over the…

Your day might seem chaotic and crazy. You may feel as though there is no order at all. However, creating a fairly predictable daily rhythm (no, you don’t have to watch the clock), marked with your own unique family rituals, will help you feel more ‘in control’. And, by sharing moments of family time connecting with love and reverence, you will be…

Mum question: I have a three year old and an 8 month old. We recently started gentle parenting with my three year old. I've read a few books but nothing we do is helping. My three year old hits us and is constantly pushing, hitting, kicking, and scratching his little sister. He's also taking things from her every chance he can. How can we address…

I remember sitting with my partner just before Gracie was born saying, “how will we ever love another baby as much as Tilly?” says Penny, mother of 5 year old Tilly and eighteen month old Gracie. Feelings of anxiety that a second child will never be as special as the firstborn are common but, fortunately, if you are considering (or…

  You may be able to keep your girl out of pink but it is more difficult to temper the media message that ‘pink is only for girls’. Television doesn’t always portray male and female role models as rigidly as ‘The Brady Bunch’ any more but role models still include superheroes for boys and Barbies (and lots of pink!) for girls. Research suggests…

A mother asks…. For the past 9 months that my 17 month old son has been going to Family daycare for 2 days a week, he has had approximately 5 really good, happy days. The rest have ranged from whingy/whiny/clingy to full on crying/screaming all day. We are all stumped as to what to do - the only thing that worked so far, was telling…

One day your child will happily wave ‘good-bye’ and another, she will cling to your legs; she may have been happily enjoying family meals at the table for weeks but then suddenly want to sit in her highchair and be fed again or, even though she has been sleeping all night long in her own bed, she may start waking and needing a cuddle in…

Do you lend your friends your car, your computer or your brand new shoes? Isn’t it a bit unrealistic then to expect your toddler to willingly part with his favourite toys whenever a strange child visits – read, invades his territory? Being able to share is a developmental stage that most children under three simply aren’t ready to…

Emma, mother of a two year old called me recently, furious. Her husband had smacked their two year old. This was a shock to Emma who had never contemplated she would have to deal with differences in parenting styles. She says, “I just couldn’t believe it, we have both been so on board with responding and guiding Mia with respect. Hitting a child is…