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Are Play dates Overrated?

It used to be that the mommies got together and the babies played. But it seems these days that scheduling our children’s lives from even infancy is a big focus of the parenting game. Babies need socialization–or so I’m told. They need to make friends–so sayeth the experts. I must confess that it leaves me scratching my head. Now don’t get me wrong. I enjoy the occasional park date with other moms who have similar aged children. I definitely love the social time and of course the kids love going to the park. But my babies needing to socialize and … Continue reading →

Catch Bad Habits Early

I believe that children are habitual creatures. If truth be told, we probably all are habitual creatures, but I have just been able to notice it more in my children than I can in myself. One thing I’ve learned about bad or unsavory habits is that it is best to catch them early—before they become so ingrained that they are incredibly hard or impossible to change… Sure, there are plenty of times when kids just seem to evolve and outgrow bad habits. But there are others that can be so insidious and ingrained that they last a lifetime. According to … Continue reading →

My Toddler Ignores Me

There is nothing more frustrating for a parent than to say something they know their baby understands, but that their baby just seems to blithely ignore. From the: don’t touch that to the bring that to mommy to the play nicely to the stop doing that – when your toddler isn’t listening to you, you may wonder what you are doing wrong. Before you start banging your head against a brick wall in frustration, keep the following in mind: Actions speak louder than words to your toddler, if you want them to stop doing something, remove them from the activity … Continue reading →

Teaching Your Toddler: What’s Respect?

I read this great phrase in a book once, it said: the British Empire have nothing on toddlers. The sun rises and sets on them. Truer words have never been written. To a toddler, the world belongs to them and it’s theirs for the taking. Everyone belongs to them and everyone is there for them. This can make your toddler a tyrant at times and it’s important to understand that while your toddler believes the world revolves around them – it’s important to teach them that they cannot make decisions for other people. One of the greatest gifts you can … Continue reading →

Toddler Playdates & Picking Up Bad Social Habits

I remember when my daughter was just 20 months old and my nephew was visiting. He was just a little over 4, himself. But he was going through a phase of arguing about everything and when he didn’t get his way, he’d scream. Not twenty seconds after the first demonstration of this little talent – my daughter fell into step. We spent the next two months coping with a toddler who would scream when she didn’t get her way and it was far from a pleasant task. The simple thing is – when toddlers get together with other children, they … Continue reading →