Parenting ideas that fly.

Restoring Mobility Helps Baby Learn To Sit

Hi Janet, I just read your article on infants sitting up on their own. I am a first time mom, and (sadly) I have been propping my baby up to sit since she was months old. I had no idea of the harm I had been doing. She is now almost 8.5 months and can’t yet sit up on her own, or crawl.  I wish I had read your article or even looked into sitting months ago. I feel like such a horrible mom. I can’t...

I’m No Fan of Timers

“Kids seem to have all the time in the world—but adults don’t. Even with an established routine, time is an abstract concept, especially to young children, so you can hardly expect them to share your sense of urgency. The solution: Get a timer. The bigger the numbers and the louder the ding, the better!”         – Nanny Stella, Nickelodeon Parents Connect  If you use a timer, I know what...

Stop Entertaining Your Toddler (In 3 Steps)

“How can I get my 2.5 year old son to be more independent? He is my sidekick, my errand running buddy, and we thoroughly enjoy each other’s company.  That being said, he seems incapable of doing anything without me right by his side, and honestly, it can get a bit frustrating. Am I asking too much of him at his stage of development?” I keep getting on his level and telling him that Mama needs to get some...

Did My High-Need Child Need To Cry? (Guest Post by Jane Roets)

When my babies were small, I absolutely hated to hear them cry. I thought my job was to meet all their needs until they were big enough, or old enough to meet them themselves.  I was an Attachment Parent all the way! Especially with my second child. She was my “high-need” baby.  For the first 6 months of her life she was either in the sling or sleeping next to me. She nursed all night long sometimes...

Need Your Child’s Cooperation? Try This…

My first sing-a-long (to the tune of “My Favorite Things”): Wiping wet noses and nails that need clipping Changing soiled diapers and medicine sipping Sitting in car seats, injections that sting These are a few of my favorite things… …Said no child, ever. And since children are inclined to resist these activities, parents tend to dread them. So, in our haste to get the job done, we rush our babies...

Don’t Fight the Feelings

One of the most ironically counterintuitive twists of parenting is this: the more we welcome our children’s displeasure, the happier everyone in our household will be. There is no greater gift to our children and ourselves than complete acceptance of their negative feelings. (Notice I did not say “behaviors”.)  By deleting from our parenting job description the responsibilities to ‘soothe’, ‘correct’...

Toddler Discipline That Works (It’s About Our Attitude)

The secret to raising children who generally cooperate with our rules and direction has very little to do with specific strategies or wordplay like “I won’t let you” versus “Don’t hit.”  What matters most — and essentially makes or breaks successful guidance — is the way we perceive our children and our overall attitude toward boundaries and discipline. The good news is that once these...

5 Benefits of Sportscasting Your Child’s Struggles

‘Sportscasting’ (or ‘broadcasting’) is the term infant specialist Magda Gerber coined to describe the nonjudgmental, “just the facts” verbalization of events she advised parents to use to support infants and toddlers as they struggle to develop new skills. Sportscasters don’t judge, fix, shame, blame or get emotionally involved. They just keep children safe, observe and state what they see, affording...