11
votes
6answers
343 views
How should I respond to a child asking to have as much spending money as her friends do?
When a child has some close friends at school, but some of them come from relatively richer families, so they get maybe twice my child's pocket money, how should I answer when he complains and asks to ...
11
votes
7answers
13k views
How can I safely keep a pacifier in an infant's mouth?
Sometimes the only thing that will keep a 2 month old baby happy is a pacifier, but at that age, baby is too young to retrieve the pacifier after it falls out.
It helps to tuck the pacifier under ...
11
votes
6answers
1k views
How to better engage myself with my 15 month old
My 15 month old toddler is very active and I often find it challenging to match his pace.
He seems to get bored with his toys very quickly. Earlier he used to be very much interested in my laptop and ...
11
votes
7answers
9k views
Are there any dangers or downsides to white noise as a calming tool
We find white nose to be extremely effective for soothing our 5-week old son. Loud white noise (60 decibels or so) will help soothe him when he is overtired and crying, and if we play soft white noise ...
11
votes
9answers
1k views
When should I transition a 2 year old toddler from the cot to a bed?
My son turned 2 today, and we have been considering for a long time to transition him to a bed. Specially since he already sleeps in a bed at the daycare.
I am afraid that he will not want to stay in ...
11
votes
3answers
471 views
How to tell my son (10yo), somebody he knows as a man, is actually a woman?
My adult step-daughter is in a same sex relationship. I love her and support her decision, if this makes her happy. I'm neither pro or against homosexuality ... actually, I'm not even neutral, I'm ...
11
votes
4answers
356 views
How to get a child to stop pretending to choke on foods he doesn't want to eat?
I have a 4 1/2 yr old. We're at the stage where he's definitely finicky over foods. The issue is not so much that he's finicky, but that he expresses it by taking a bite and then mock choking. I am ...
11
votes
4answers
2k views
At what age should a child be able to dress herself?
At what age are children typically able (and willing) to dress themselves? Our daughter is two and a half and can take her pants on and off and take her shirt off, but cannot put a shirt on herself. ...
11
votes
3answers
746 views
Why does my baby grind her face into my shoulder?
During episodes of fussiness, my 6-week-old daughter has started grinding her face into my chest or shoulder. She shakes vigorously from side to side like she's trying to burrow out the other side. ...
11
votes
7answers
6k views
How can I get my toddler to sleep later in the mornings?
My son, now 15 months old, was sleeping through the night, and waking up consistently at 6am. However, over the past few months he had been gradually waking up earlier. Now he wakes up consistently ...
11
votes
5answers
162 views
How do you say “not now”?
Sometimes children (say 3-5 years of age) want you to play with them, but for whatever reason, you cannot participate.
How do you say "not now" without hurting their feelings or making them feel ...
11
votes
6answers
15k views
Do I really need to wake my newborn to feed him?
We have a two week old child. He's eating well during the day, eating at least 8 times a day, and is breast feeding. His weight gain has been 'normal' so far, and he regained his original birth weight ...
11
votes
4answers
648 views
What should I consider when flying with an infant?
My wife and I will be traveling to the US next month and we're going to take two flights, probably one of 2 hrs and the other 4.
Although my 7-months-old son already sits by himself, I'm not sure I ...
11
votes
4answers
329 views
How accurate are the “Suggested Age Ranges” of toys?
Most toys manufactured today include a suggested age range, supposedly identifying the ages of children who will (safely) appreciate the toy.
How accurate are these ranges? How do the manufacturers ...
11
votes
2answers
906 views
When should a child transition through the different car seats, to none, and to the front seat?
What parameters (age/height/weight) should be considered when determining which type of car seat a child should use, or whether to use one at all? When should they be allowed to sit in the front ...
11
votes
7answers
9k views
How can my toddler learn to stay under the blanket at night?
My 2yo son slept in a sleeping bag (see image below) until around 1½ years old, then he didn't like that anymore so we switched to using a blanket. He moves around so much while sleeping that the ...
11
votes
3answers
6k views
Can I give my baby a bottle of breastmilk straight from the fridge?
I'm exclusively breastfeeding my baby, and occasionally give him pumped bottles. I generally try to warm them up before giving them to him, at least to room temperature. (I was once told as a tip to ...
11
votes
5answers
873 views
When changing diapers, how soon should we put the new diaper on?
Are we supposed to put the new diaper on immediately or give our newborn some diaper-free time? His skin under the diaper is slightly moist when changing it, should we give him some time to air out? ...
11
votes
3answers
2k views
Why do babies like to be bounced?
For a large amount of the time if our baby is crying I can stick her on my shoulder or my knee and bounce or rock her (gently), and she will calm down.
Why does this work?
She gets bounced a lot ...
11
votes
6answers
418 views
Is it harmful to a child's social development to tell them “don't talk to strangers”?
Conventional parenting wisdom tells us to drive the fear of talking to strangers into our kids. Is this at all harmful though? Is there any adverse impact to a child's social development by doing ...
11
votes
6answers
518 views
How do I get my overachiever to accept her mistakes and live up to her abilities?
My seven year old child is a perfectionist and I believe it holds her back. She is so afraid of making a mistake or "failing" that she is afraid to put herself out there. She is similarly afraid to be ...
11
votes
4answers
674 views
How do you reduce feelings of guilt for leaving children for a date night ?
We have two children, 3.5 and 1 years old. My wife and I rarely go out on our own, I can count on one hand since the oldest was born. We have never left them alone all night, they have always woken ...
11
votes
5answers
3k views
At what age do kids start sleeping through the night?
My son is now almost 12 months old and he still doesn't sleep through the night regularly. Maybe one night a month he will sleep from 7pm->6.30am without waking, and that's only if he's utterly ...
11
votes
2answers
205 views
How can we help my pre-schooler get over his initial shyness when we have guests?
My four year old is always extremely unsettled whenever they first interact with a guest.
It doesn't matter if it is another child who has played with many times before or an adult.
It also doesn't ...
11
votes
4answers
330 views
What are the biggest expenses for a new baby?
My wife is expecting, and as we plan, I want to know if there is anything that people were surprised by how expensive it is, or didn't realize they would need to pay for?
11
votes
7answers
217 views
How do we teach our 1 yr. old that “no” isn't a game?
We have a little girl that's almost 13 months old. She's found that when she touches a power cord or near an electrical outlet and we say "no" that it's a bit of a game. She gets a funny smirk on her ...
11
votes
6answers
7k views
How to handle a toddler does not want to fall asleep?
My 2½ year old son does not want to sleep, regardless how tired he is. He will do anything and everything he can think of, just to avoid falling asleep. It usually takes 1-1½ hours (sometimes even ...
11
votes
4answers
707 views
How not to lose patience with toddler
I am wondering how not to be harsh with a toddler. With all the love I have for my boy, I do lose patience and get angry with him once in a while! Any ideas on how to deal with such a situation.
11
votes
2answers
554 views
Toddler has a strong preference for one parent
Our almost 2 year old toddler has developed a strong preference for me. In mild doses, this was acceptable but it is getting pretty out of hand. She cries when my husband, her father, tries to hug ...
11
votes
7answers
2k views
Nearly 2 and doesn't comprehend speech
I see a lot on this site and all over the Internet about toddlers that are late to talk. The general consensus seems to be as long as they can understand when you talk to them then don't worry, they ...
11
votes
7answers
761 views
Can you guide a toddler to learn specific words?
My 14 month old has a pretty good vocabulary for his age. However, it is a source of frustration for my wife that "mommy" (or some variation thereof) is not part of his vocabulary.
He says "daddy" ...
11
votes
3answers
351 views
What are some ways to get an older sibling to give a younger sibling a little space?
We have 2 daughters - a 4 year old and a 1 year old. Our 4 year old daughter will not leave our 1 year old daughter alone. It is nothing malicious or intentionally mean, but it feels like we should ...
11
votes
3answers
404 views
At what age or developmental milestones is a child capable of critical thinking?
I am interested in pursuing a non-authoritarian approach to educating my son and I do not know at what age (or prerequisite milestones) the focus of education should switch from telling him facts to ...
11
votes
2answers
183 views
How can we prepare our child for the arrival of adopted siblings?
We are going through the process preparing to become adoptive parents. We have an 8-year-old biological child already. What are some things things we can do to help him be prepared,
A) for no longer ...
11
votes
3answers
479 views
How do I stop my daughter from hitting another child?
Recently my daughter started to hit another girl with whom she is currently sharing her nanny. My daughter is 2 years and 2 months now, the other child is 1 year 3 months. The nanny was our daughters ...
11
votes
3answers
2k views
Is it normal for a husband to sleep significantly more while his wife is pregnant?
Since my wife is pregnant, I've been sleeping a lot more. I feel tired much much earlier (around 9~10 instead of midnight).
Is this a documented known reaction? I've heard of/seen men gain weight, ...
11
votes
8answers
228 views
What are some resources to help in learning sign language?
Any recommended books, DVDs, websites, etc for parents wanting to use sign language with their (hearing) baby?
11
votes
2answers
708 views
Is teeth grinding bad for my child?
My one year old daughter will occasionally grind her teeth together for a few seconds. She has four teeth on top and four teeth on bottom, and she will grind them back and forth when she is walking ...
11
votes
1answer
277 views
What stories for children have strong female role models?
I notice that just about all young children's stories (fairy tales, etc) depict women in a subordinate role. This hit me while reading Cinderella: her ultimate goal in life is to be the prettiest so ...
11
votes
5answers
474 views
How do I prepare my home for the arrival of my premature baby?
My son was born prematurely a few weeks ago and is still in the hospital. If all goes well, he will leave the hospital when he reaches the equivalent of 36 gestational weeks, weighs at least 4 lbs, ...
11
votes
5answers
352 views
What studies exist regarding computer usage and computer game playing that support limiting access?
There is no shortage of questions here that relate to stopping or limiting computer time and game playing. What studies are motivating these concerns? I ask this as someone biased because I spent a ...
11
votes
4answers
301 views
Any advice on how to react to my 4 year old who gets hysterical instead of solving her “problem”?
My four year old daughter has had this issue recently where if anything goes "wrong" she completely loses it. I put "wrong" in quotes because its the slightest thing and, in particular, its ...
11
votes
4answers
4k views
At what age should my child start schooling (formal education)?
What is the best age to start schooling for my kid. In India, some start schooling at 3 few at 4-6. So, I just want to know what is the age come out from research which is the best age for schooling. ...
11
votes
2answers
461 views
How can we end nighttime 'comfort' nursing?
My wife and I are just finishing up a 4 week trip home to visit the grandparents (we live in Australia, they in North America). We have introduced the unfortunate habit in our 10 month old daughter ...
10
votes
5answers
1k views
How to handle a 11y/o son who act like a girl?
I have an 11 y/o son who is showing a tendency towards becoming gay. People have seen him walking like a girl but I haven't. I'm thinking that they are just judgmental.
On his computer games he ...
10
votes
4answers
769 views
My daughter wants me to read other's minds
My 8 year old is constantly asking me, why is that person not being safe? or why did that person do that?, why did my friend say that?...
I try to tell her my best guess or I say I can't read other ...
10
votes
8answers
265 views
What to read or learn before expecting?
We want to be prepare for our 9 months period as a couple and be sure to give a proper environment for our baby. What should we read before and during the 9 month period?
Please note: answers should ...
10
votes
6answers
658 views
Does using sign language really accelerate a child's ability to speak?
I have often heard that using sign language is really good in teaching a baby to talk. Is this really true, or is this an urban legend?
Related: Can toddlers learn sign
language?
10
votes
6answers
403 views
How to stop a baby of trying to reach things that he really wants?
I have a 10 months old boy who really, really wants to play with my computer. It is not like he is mildly curious - as would be the case with power sockets, glass stuff and other objects which deserve ...
10
votes
8answers
1k views
How much time is too much time playing educational computer games?
I recently bought an iPad primarily for my 3-year-old daughter. I put nothing on it but educational apps and children's books. No YouTube, no Internet, no (non-educational) games. I've decided to let ...
