toddler behaviour

Those sweet months of snuggling your tiny helpless baby in your arms went by in a flash, didn’t they? Now you have a spirited little person who is moving faster than you can keep up as he explores and discovers how his body works - as he climbs and jumps off whatever he has climbed on - and how things work – from how the dog reacts when its tail is…

So what difference does having your child choose a word make? It makes a huge difference. They own it, and from that, they expand their vocabulary, increase understanding and comprehension, spark engagement and calm their emotions. They receive continual positive messages throughout the day, and it gives you another word to use besides 'good'.

This surrender is not weak or submissive. It is not ‘giving in’. Surrender, in this context, is really about acceptance of where our child is at right now, as well as where we are as parents, and about ‘letting go’. Surrender means living in the present, not missing precious moments through resentment or blame – especially blaming ourselves – for…

‘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…

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…

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…

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…

Where did that biddable baby in the bunny rug go? He grew into a terrific toddler, that's what! And now he wants it all. He wants it now. And he wants it all to himself! Your toddler can be affectionate one minute and obstinate the next. He runs away when you call him and yells when you want peace and quiet. He wants the blue cup,…