Whenever I speak to parents about discipline, amongst other things, we discuss developmentally appropriate expectations, consistency, positive alternatives, and immediate, natural consequences. Immediate, natural consequences are particularly important to explain because often, they don’t come immediately or naturally, to a grown up. First things first: what is an immediate, natural consequence? Using positive discipline begins by teaching Read More
young children
Plan to Play: Feed The Baby
As far as I am concerned, all young children (yes, even boys) should have a baby doll. Feeding a baby doll is a great way to introduce young children to pretend play. What You’ll Need: -Baby Doll -Real or pretend spoon, bowl, saucepan, bottle, napkin, and any other items you might use to prepare a meal Read More
A Plan To Play
After sitting down with another parent who felt self-conscious and unsure of how to play with her child, I had a thought: Playing doesn’t come naturally to every grown up and that’s okay. Why not use the Dana’s Kids blog to give parents a “Plan to Play?” I want to be clear that feeling “unable” to play is a Read More
My Favorite Things: Using Photographs with Children
All children love seeing themselves and the important people in their lives in photographs. For babies, photo albums can be used to support language development, recognition of their loved ones and caregivers, and are a great transition object for day care. Toddlers enjoy labeling all of the people and things they know. For twos and threes, photographs help Read More
Guest Post: 5 Ways to Enrich Your Child’s Language Development (0-3 years old)
1. Read 2 to 3 books a day with a clear beginning and ending. Books can vary in length Be creative in your reading style (i.e., singing the words, playing with character voices, changing your speech). It is ok to skip pages based on your child’s attention span. Make books accessible throughout the day. The Read More
Little Lunch Launchers
Lately I’ve been hearing the same thing from parent after parent….”My toddler/2/3 won’t stop throwing his food. I put him in the high chair to eat and almost immediately the food is flying. And the best part is, when I say ‘no throw,’ he laughs!” Here are just a few ideas that can be helpful: Read More
How Your Child’s Temperament (And Your Own) Affects Your Parenting Style
Wondering how your child’s temperament influences the effectiveness of your parenting style? Read my recent article for Babybites! http://www.babybites.com/03/14/temperament-and-parenting-style/
My Favorite Things: Easily Add More Fruits and Veggies To Your Child’s Diet
Most parents hope to encourage their children to eat in a healthful way, but we lead busy lives, and doing this on-the-go can be tough. I’ve hear it said that fruits and veggies are the original “convenience food.” They come in their own packages and many can be tossed in a bag and eaten without Read More
Another Smile Inducing Post
Some time ago, I worked with a child who was having a hard time internalizing the rules. Cognitively, he totally understood what he should and shouldn’t be doing at any given moment, but he just couldn’t seem to stop himself. It’s what educators call poor impulse control. This was also a child who loved animals. Read More
A Follow Up To “Restaurant Sanity Savers”
A parent recently had a great response after reading “Restaurant Sanity Savers.” This mother of three, whose eldest has special needs, created similar “kits” for her middle child when he accompanied his older brother to activities and therapy sessions. The eldest had a kit for when the middle child needed to be fed as an Read More