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Don't get into the habit of comparing yourself to others, you'll always find someone who is better at some aspect of parenting that you are, and comparing yourself to them will just make you feel bad about yourself. That isn't to say you shouldn't observe what other parents do and emulate what you think is good (and avoid what isn't), it's a good way to ...

When you play with him at home, say to him, I can play with you for 10 minutes, but then I have to run to put dinner in the oven and will be right back. At the end of 10 minutes, say I am going to put dinner in the oven and then I will be right back, how about you make superman fly over the tower of blocks (or whatever you are playing) while I am gone and ...

I've found that children generally are deferential to adults who aren't their relatives or friends. So be friendly and don't be scared to engage with them. I've found if children are hogging stuff, if you say: "Hey there can my kid have a go on this, it looks cool?" will usually result in them moving along to something else, or showing you and your kid how ...

My son is the same, as was I. It's pretty normal. So normal that when I showed up to daycare with my mouth duct taped shut (because Spider-man doesn't have a mouth), the social workers understood. The teachers still had to call them in- probably some kind of policy regarding duct tape on children's mouths- but it was more hilarious than anything else, ...

When mine were younger, I would give them some of the following: their own fork, shovel and bucket and a piece of soil they could dig in similarly, a toy mower (and a toy vacuum cleaner, which bizarrely was more popular in the garden) a bucket and a hose (turned on, but not too much :-) outdoor bowls and a series of targets play tents a sand pit Duplo lego ...

Okay, a few pieces of advice. Can your son help you with the baby in any way? If you are bottle feeding can he help with that? If you are nursing can he bring you anything? Can he sing to the baby while you feed him/her? Can he play with a doll right next to you while you are helping the baby? Can he be in charge of poopy diaper disposal (my kids took ...

This role playing is normal, common, and essential for skills building. In imaginative role play children get to practice dialog, politeness, meanness, being the authority (parent), and all sort of other social interactions they have been exposed to. They also will seek out and gain knowledge on the subject of their role play to enable it to be more fun and ...

At that age, it is normal to spend pretty much all her waking time trying to interact with her - remember, the more interaction she has with you, your wife and others now, the faster her brain will develop, and the easier it is for her to learn social skills. That said, be sensible about it - you don't both need to be with her, so take turns - each of you ...

If you don't feel comfortable interfering here, either because you think you're going to rage out or because you don't see any possible positive outcome, then avoid the place altogether. Instead, I would find similar places that have more supervision, or if wherever you live has limited children's activities, go with a bunch of friends who have kids about ...

I don't know how into books your oldest one is, but it might be time to start a new book or book series ;-) if he/she is into that sort of thing. Also...if your kids are at all prone to motion sickness, make sure you take some dramamine or something to help with that. As an added benefit, dramamine makes most people drowsy. I'm not advocating drugging ...

I have flown frequently with my children, now 7 and 4. We have traveled a lot-and on long flights-like to Europe or to Hawaii from the midwest. I do not like electronics for them, I prefer other things-I let them play/watch for 30 minutes per 4 or 5 hours of flight or per flight. However, if they get really fussy, I might allow an extra 30 minutes or ...

Though I always start with non-electronic activities, I make sure to keep a few tucked into my bag as a backup. There is nothing more miserable than realizing they've run through everything you packed them, and that there are three hours left in this stupid flight. Also, don't forget, you could have your flight delayed, and that one hour space before the ...

I would say that snacks are a must. I would also definitely recommend gum (for the older one) and a sippy cup for the younger ones to help their ears adjust during takeoff and landing. If they have any favorite animals or blankets, those might be obvious choices. I would also let them help with the packing. Give them a small bag (or whatever amount of ...

This all depends on where you live. If you live in some countries, where they adore their kids, then this would be considered par for the course. I remember walking down a street with our (then) three year old daughter in one such country. A waitress came out of a cafe, picked her up, and carried her into the shop. 30 seconds later they re-emerged, our ...

When you were a child, what kind of games or toys did you like to play? Maybe playing those games or with those toys with children will allow you to be more comfortable and get into it. The more practice you do the better you will be at it. I spend what feels like a LOT of time sitting with my 2 year old just watching him play, giving him some encouragement ...

The signs would be that the child is not happy with the number of activities or is not doing as well as they should do due to lack of time or energy. In the end, the child should be able to do as many activities as they want subject to: the child wanting to do them the parents being willing to pay for them the parents willing to drive them around it not ...

The behavioralist axiom is to reward the behavior you want and punish the behavior you don't. A tantrum should bring swift, certain, severe punishment. So applied here ... when the child spends time playing alone, praise and reward him. When he acts out, punish him, perhaps by closing him in his room or taking away prized possessions for a time. There ...

Their own corner of the garden to dig in Paintbrushes and a bucket of water to "Paint" the sidewalk An empty bucket and a pile of rocks I have a yard ornament that looks like a frog with a hole in the mouth, my boys are 2 and love to "feed" the froggy every time we go outside.

It is very hard to deal with undisciplined children, especially when they have disciplining parents. A few suggestions: Speak to the parent privately and give suggestions. Demonstrate good parenting at all times. Teach your child to remove themselves from the situation. Teach your child, and this is a big one in our family, that different children have ...

This question has been asked a lot so check out other answers too. In the interest of clarity, I propose addressing the underlying problem and not just the symptoms. The problem is that your son's needs for belonging and significance are not being met, this is further aggravated by the arrival of a new baby that forces him to question is his place in the ...

I have tried the simple direction "go play on your own" combined with praise when my son is found to be playing on his own. The results are mixed and the effort is ongoing. This article inspired me to work on my son's independence and might help you too. The title may not charm you but there are some interesting points made. Why French Parents Are Superior

You're talking about a child that is too young for school? You can't really compare what they can handle to that of someone in school. There are HUGE developmental milestones in between. Toddlers can't handle 5 hours of anything (except sleep if you're lucky :) ) That being said, taking your little one on outings is awesome. The Zoo, library, museums, ...

It can indeed feel very lonely watching someone else play with your kids in a way that clearly makes them happy while you are just sitting on the sidelines ignored. Do not misinterpret this. If you are more the peaceful type (like me), just wait quietly in the sidelines. Some day soon you will see one of yours step out of the bundle of playing kids, walk ...

Don't have a huge amount to add to the other good advice. I can't remember where I read it (a blog somewhere) but something struck a chord with me that I always think about during play - you have to learn to be child-like with children. Get down on their level. Pretend. Be silly. Joke with them. Sing daft songs. Casting aside your adopted adult inhibitions ...

Playful Parenting is a book with lots of good ideas. It not only provides different techniques but also helps in understanding why play is important and helps in building connection with the kids. I have been following the tips and have had great success in building connection with my kids. You could also look at this book The Art of Roughhousing which ...

The age and particular temperment of the child/children you play with will be a key piece in how they react to you. Not for this reason alone, GdD makes a fabulous point about letting the kids take the lead, but there might be a few helpful things to know too. First, I imagining you are talking about kid kids - like 2-9 or so, if that is the case, they ...

I've never been shy about "helping" other parents out when what they're doing (or more often what they're not doing) isn't working. I've found that typically if you get on to another parents child, one of two things will happen: The child will run off and whine to their parents about you chastising them. The parent will come over, give you dirty looks, and ...

I'd leave and find somewhere else and other groups of people to play with. We're lucky to have places to go where we meat other conscious and reasonable parents so we don't experience this sort of thing often, but when we do we stay close and leave as soon as we can basically. However fun it seems, it's not worth it. A side effect of "depriving" your ...

I've done a lot of road trips and a few airplane trips with my now 6-year-old and often alone. I have NEVER needed to have a DS, video player or any other such thing and we've always been just fine. There are TONS of travel games out there. My four year old enjoyed travel boggle last summer, not as a game to play with others, but simply because reading ...

I would suggest small, portable board games such as Zombie Dice, or a more PC version of the same: Martian Dice. A personal favorite of mine is Hive. Other suggestions: Puzzles, the kind where you have to figure out how to release the horseshoe or ring or whatever. Something they won't be able to figure out without at least an hour of trying. Any mental ...