All Questions
15
votes
11answers
5k views
How do I deal with a child that refuses to do a chore or task?
How do I deal with 7 year old kid who refuses to do a chore or task? He's not listening and ignores my request.
15
votes
9answers
19k views
How do you know when it is time to take a child to the Doctor?
Our children have recently been sick and I am wondering when is the right time to take them to the doctor. They both have had runny noses with coughs, diarrhea, and fevers off and on for a week, ...
15
votes
5answers
720 views
How do you stop a child from talking back without discouraging them from asserting themselves?
Our 3.5 yo is starting to talk back to us in the typical futile yes/no/yes/no pattern of opposites. The other day it was hooking his straps on his car seat; I asked him to put his arms in (like we ...
15
votes
4answers
752 views
At what age should a child stop accompanying a parent into the “wrong” public toilet?
When you're a Dad on your own you take your small girls into the Gents with you. Mums take their sons with them to the Ladies.
At what age should we stop doing this? I guess the answer changes ...
15
votes
4answers
364 views
Why do kisses stop a child from hurting?
Whenever my son gets a minor injury (scraped knee, stubbed toe, bumped head, etc.), the fastest way to get him to stop crying is to kiss wherever he got hurt.
It almost always immediately stops the ...
15
votes
9answers
729 views
How do I explain regional differences in language?
What are good methods of explaining to my four-year-old son why "color" is not how he should spell "colour", even though it is spelt that way in many of the books he's reading? (Also "realize", ...
15
votes
4answers
829 views
Is there any research on the effects of PG cartoon violence on small children?
Our son is now at the age where we let him watch a moderate amount of children's videos to entertain himself -- all firmly G rated stuff.
I have also been allowing him to watch some recent animated ...
15
votes
6answers
390 views
How to prevent “open air incidents”?
We have a newborn who seems to like to pee when we change his diapers. Any tips on how prevent this?
15
votes
9answers
4k views
How can I stop my toddler from playing with electrical outlets and plugs?
My 2.5-year-old son has this weird fascination with electrical outlets and power bars. I tried telling him that it's dangerous (he understand and can identify dangerous objects and situations, and ...
15
votes
8answers
2k views
How can I get my son to stay in bed at bedtime?
Lately my 4.5 year old son has started getting back up after bed time.
Frequently we will go through the entire bedtime ritual, including a bath, pajamas, brushing teeth, books, and then being tucked ...
15
votes
11answers
516 views
Email and social media for pre-teens
My daughter is 11 and I discovered that she had a Facebook account and a personal email account. These were two things my wife and I had told her she wasn't allowed to have. I felt she was still too ...
15
votes
8answers
519 views
What do we do when timeouts are not effective?
We have a three year old toddler, and he has just seemed to realize that timeouts are nothing more than him sitting in a corner for a few minutes. He has recently started doing a whole suite of bad ...
15
votes
4answers
468 views
How can I tell parents of a 1-year-old that they're doing it wrong?
Without getting into the circumstances, my wife's step sister and her husband are living with us while he's between orders with the US army. She's 28 and he's 42.
While they're living with us, it's ...
15
votes
3answers
145 views
What is the best way to evaluate a daycare?
What questions should I typically ask if the topics don't come up? Also, what should I be looking for that might not otherwise be pointed out, or worse things they may hope as a novice parent I won't ...
15
votes
5answers
1k views
How can a young child be taught not to bully?
How can an 18 month old be taught that bullying is not ok? He seems to like causing the trouble it brings upon him, and bullying, mean acts also seem to please him. He likes to sit on his younger ...
15
votes
5answers
2k views
What are some ways to teach a child how to spit (after brushing their teeth)?
Typically, this is something you don't want out of a child. My 4 1/2 yr old has been brushing his own teeth for about a year. The problem is that I can't convey to him to spit out the toothpaste. I ...
14
votes
10answers
2k views
What age do you stop reading bedtime stories?
I don't mind reading Cat in the Hat, but my 1st Grader still wants books to be read as part of the night time ritual, even though she reads them fine herself. But Ready Freddy is no fun to read out ...
14
votes
13answers
588 views
Are prenatal classes worth it?
My girlfriend an I were wondering if we should attend prenatal classes. We have some really mixed opinions in our friends and family. Some say we just have to listen to the DVD because they say ...
14
votes
10answers
6k views
My 5 year- old daughter is constantly defiant!
My 5-year old daughter is very defiant.
It started getting bad about 6 months ago. She doesn't do what she is told, and any time she hears the word no she throws terribly over dramatic fits screaming ...
14
votes
10answers
2k views
At what age should a child be introduced to the Television?
At what age should a child be introduced to the TV?
14
votes
8answers
860 views
Is crib use (mostly) universal?
We have friends who decided against a crib in favor of a futon mattress on the floor. This idea came from the book Montessori from the Start. The benefits for the baby are that they aren't confined ...
14
votes
5answers
570 views
How can a father teach his girl child about menstruation?
Usually in a home, the mother will teach her daughter about menstrual periods, but consider this following situation:
In my neighbor's home the father takes care of his daughter (at present the ...
14
votes
6answers
2k views
Is baby talk helpful or detrimental?
I have heard both that 'baby talking' in response to a child's babble is productive, and that 'baby talking' is counter-productive and can impede language development. Any thoughts?
14
votes
7answers
1k views
How to remove Toddler's attraction for iPhone /iPad?
I have a 2 year old boy.
When he sees iPhone and iPad, he is literally glued to it for hours on end. And he is so stubborn that it is difficult for us to get him leave these instruments.
Usually I ...
14
votes
5answers
409 views
Help child overcome fear of water on head
My 22-month-old daughter absolutely hates getting her hair wet.
At bathtime, she complains (crying, but without tears) when I pour water on her head in preparation for washing her hair (even if I'm ...
14
votes
7answers
690 views
How to approach my little brother's addiction to TV and computer?
I'm 26, my younger brother is 13. He is spending almost all of his day on TV and computer. Common problem, but I am really worried about him.
I came back to live in my parents' house since it's ...
14
votes
9answers
4k views
How to calm a toddler before bedtime?
I don't know about older children, but toddlers often get more agitated as they get more tired and by the time they are in bed it can take a while before they actually sleep.
I often read that taking ...
14
votes
6answers
1k views
What can be done to help bright children stuck in a boring school?
My kids (grades 2&4) are very bright and very active. The traditional school setting does not seem to be working for them. This is evident by their perpetual visits to the principal's office for ...
14
votes
2answers
391 views
How do parents have sex when there's a toddler in the house?
Scenario: 1-bedroom apartment and there's no one else living in the house to watch the toddler. Any recommendation?
14
votes
6answers
3k views
When should a child stop using a pacifier, and how can I help with this transition?
I am curious how a child can be helped to move on from his/her pacifier, and what age is a good age to do this?
14
votes
1answer
736 views
Why would a primary-schooler want to kill himself?
My nine year old nephew told his (single) mother tonight that he wants to kill himself. What would prompt that?
backstory:
His father is ... upstate ... for a little while longer, and they do have ...
14
votes
7answers
533 views
How to react to “cruelty” of a toddler?
My son is two and a half years old and is not in general of the violent type. However he regularly enjoys showing "cruelty". By that I mean that regularly when he "by accident" (let's stay positive) ...
14
votes
5answers
1k views
How long is breastfeeding effective and worthwhile?
I realize that this question can have many personal or subjective viewpoints, so the answer I'm looking for is what the best-known data shows us from two perspectives:
1) Is there an average ...
14
votes
6answers
770 views
What's the best way to extract baby snot?
Our baby currently has a cold which means her nose is streaming with snot.
She is quite unhappy with us wiping it away with a tissue every few minutes. I can imagine her upper lip is getting quite ...
14
votes
6answers
1k views
Should we freeze some breastmilk for later use even if there's no excess supply?
My wife is currently pumping just enough milk to keep up with "demand". Since she'll be going to back to work and won't be able to pump as often as she does now, her milk supply will likely run out ...
14
votes
3answers
648 views
How do you address hoarding behavior in a primary-schooler?
Our 9 year old girl has a rather annoying habit. She tends to hoard things of emotional significance to her. Note that the wrapper from an ice-cream she has just had for the first time is considered ...
14
votes
4answers
9k views
Getting a 2-year-old back to sleep in the middle of the night
We have always had trouble with our little boy not sleeping through the night. He will do it in spells (every night for a week, then not at all for a fortnight). But he has recently developed a ...
14
votes
4answers
213 views
What should I do with my daughter on Take Your Child to Work Day?
I'm a programmer and will be observing Take Your Child to Work Day with my four-year-old daughter, Thing1, on Thursday.
I'm planning to get us dressed up, take her to breakfast and then bring her ...
13
votes
14answers
26k views
When do kids usually stop believing in Santa Claus?
My 7-year old son treats Santa as a real person. He probably suspects something, but me and my wife always find a way to persuade him.
What is the normal age when children realize that Santa is not ...
13
votes
12answers
1k views
How do you know if you're ready to be a parent?
It's hard to imagine a more difficult life decision than deciding to be a parent.
How do you know if you're ready to be a parent?
13
votes
6answers
1k views
Raising a bilingual child when one parent knows both languages while the other doesn't
I am in the USA, originally from India, and my wife is American. My native language is Hindi. My wife knows only a little bit of Hindi. It hasn't been a problem because we usually talk in English ...
13
votes
6answers
7k views
At what age should siblings stop sharing their bedroom?
Currently we have one bedroom for our two daughters. Until what age can they share their room?
13
votes
18answers
2k views
How can I teach my son to ride a bike?
My son is almost seven years old and still can't ride a bike. He loves to be outside and play, and he wants to ride a bike. His bike has training wheels, but the moment I take them off and try to ...
13
votes
7answers
4k views
At what age does a toddler stop being a toddler?
I just told someone on parenting that a baby becomes a toddler when it starts moving around. The question which came back was "what age does a toddler stop being a toddler?".
That got me searching, ...
13
votes
6answers
243 views
Where is the line on helping with homework?
Here's something I know a lot of parents with school-age children struggle with. What's the line between "helping" a child with their homework versus out-and-out doing it for them? At what point is ...
13
votes
5answers
4k views
At what age should opposite-sex siblings stop bathing together?
When should I stop bathing my son and daughter together? What signs can I watch for that would indicate that they should be separate? Also, what are the average ages in the US and other countries and ...
13
votes
7answers
1k views
What are the risks of posting baby pictures online?
We've set up a Twitter account for our daughter so that interested people (friends, relatives, old ladies) can follow her, find out what she's doing and see how adorable she is.
My sister heard this ...
13
votes
3answers
2k views
Should you give honey to a newborn?
I visited a friend-of-the-family in hospital soon after they'd had their new baby. I was surprised to see a jar of honey by the bedside. I thought it was for the parents to have in Tea or on toast, ...
13
votes
8answers
2k views
How do you convince your son to poop in the toilet?
My four year old is completely pee trained, no issues when dealing with that. But when it comes to using the toilet for poop, he refuses. I'm constantly catching him going in his pants, leaving ...
13
votes
7answers
1k views
Why don't kids like vegetables?
I am sure there are children out there who do like munching on broccolis and feasting on spinach, but most of the children I know don't like veggies. Mine are especially suspicious of anything ...
