Joyful Toddlers!
Enjoy Your Toddlers & Preschoolers
Dear Faith, My son is 3.5yo, and we’re struggling with defiance. I had been very permissive with him in the past, and it wasn’t serving us or him. Now I am struggling to establish new boundaries. I feel like this is the right thing to do, but it isn’t going so well. In the moment, …
Dear Faith, My little boy is intense and sensitive in how he loves people. My mother was in town for 2 weeks, and we took her to the airport to send her off together. I took my son with her to the gate and showed him that she was leaving and going back to her …
Dear Faith–My 2 year old is running away from me for everything, and it’s causing some problems. Put on socks, shoes, brush teeth, go to school, change diaper, go outside – he runs runs runs! Any ideas? He used to be excited to do all this, and now …
Dear Faith, My daughter (2 1/4) has a strong preference for mama. I mean – really strong. My husband and I are both at home (he’s been taking time off work since she was born) and they get plenty of one-on-one, but the fact is that if I am in the room (or the house), …
What can you do for Easter with little ones, especially if you’re not very religious, or don’t have many traditions from your own family? We all know about Easter Egg Hunts, although these can be difficult for very dreamy kids, who can’t figure out where to look. Another way of doing an Easter Egg Hunt …
Dear Faith, I’m a nanny of two boys, and I’d love your advice on situations like this: The other morning, Joey came down for breakfast and he saw that his dad had put the little brother’s food on a plate that Joey thinks is “his,” and the sight of that triggered a total meltdown. His …
Many parents and caregivers whose children actively dislike diaper-changing try to do it as fast as they can, and get it over with as quickly as possible. But in my experience, this merely accentuates all of the things kids dislike about getting their diaper changed, making it even more intensely unpleasant. On the other hand, …
Dear Faith, Our daughter recently learned how to climb out of her crib, so we’ve made the switch to a big-kid bed, and now everybody’s miserable. We used to put her into her bed, give her a kiss and shut the door. She’d chatter for about ten minutes, then fall asleep. Now, she’s climbing out …
I absolutely loved the book Raising Happiness: 10 Simple Steps for More Joyful Kids and Happier Parents, by Christine Carter, Ph.D. Christine Carter is the executive director of the Greater Good Science Center at UC Berkeley, an interdisciplinary research center that “translates” the study of happiness, compassion, and altruism for the public. Through examining the …
I’ve talked before about how it benefits children when we have clear expectations and firm boundaries, and how it is reassuring to children to know that we are in charge. I’ve talked about how having regular schedules and doing things the same way each time can help cut down on discipline issues and allow children …
Dear Faith, My three year old is having such a hard time lately, acting antagonistic towards his baby brothers, and no amount of helping him or punishing him is seeming to work. I’ve tried everything I can think of and I’m at a loss…It seems like he has lots of opportunities to get his big …
Dear Faith, I am a home daycare provider and I wonder if you could give some advice on what to do when children throw toys or mistreat them. Getting angry doesn’t seems to be helping, lol. -D.
