Your Child's Journey

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Stop Interrupting

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You are talking to your friend and your child bursts between the two of you talking loudly.

Want to stop this behavior? Try this silent, but effective way to stop this annoyance.

Explain to your child that you want to give them your full attention. But since it is rude to interrupt when others are talking, you are going to use a silent signal. Here’s how it works.

A parent and friend are talking. Child enters the room quietly. He places his hand on his parent’s hand. This means, “I have something I want to say to you.” The parent places their hand over the child’s hand. This means, “I know you want to talk and I will listen to you as soon as I can.” As soon as possible, the parent politely pauses talking to their friend and pays full attention to the child.

This is so gentle and respectful to both adults and child. It will take a little practice. If the child gets impatient or forgets to wait, just gently tap their hand again as a reminder. Remember that consistency is the best way to build a new habit.

Kids Don’t Have to EAT Their Veggies

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Q. Why are we always trying to make our kids EAT their veggies?

A. We want them to have a balanced diet and veggies are a large part of that.

Solution: Why not make veggie smoothies that your kids will crave?

Alexa does not hide veggies, she makes them into smoothies. Kids love smoothies when the texture, color, taste, and name are appealing. “Bunny Blues” for a smoothie that contains blueberries and carrots or an orange color smoothie called “The Tiger Energy Smoothie” are two favorites. You can use your child’s name or their favorite cartoon character’s name for a fun way to entice them to drink up.

Fill the smoothie with veggies, enough fruit to sweeten, and served in an appealing cup with a fun name! No added sugar!

Remember: The smoothie has to taste good and look good!

 

Symptoms to Call Your Doctor About

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When you become a parent, you earn a medical merit badge of sorts. Whether you’re sopping up a goopy nose or extracting a dangling-by-a-thread baby tooth, eventually few things faze you. But sometimes it’s tough to tell what warrants a call to your doctor’s office: Which temperature actually classifies as a “high fever”? What kind of tummy ache means your child has more than your average stomach bug? And when something truly frightening happens — say, your child suddenly breaks out in hives — should you call your pediatrician or head straight to the E.R.?

“Parents should always err on the side of caution and seek immediate medical care when they’re worried about something,” says Anita Chandra-Puri, M.D., a pediatrician at Northwestern Memorial Physicians Group, in Chicago, and a spokesperson for the American Academy of Pediatrics. However, to give you more specific guidelines to follow, we talked to top pediatricians about the 12 symptoms that always require medical attention.

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New Kid by Friday- part 5

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Dr. Leman has a technique that he uses for a lot of different behavior problems. This one works particularly well when the purpose of the misbehavior is to get your attention and to control you. It goes like this: 1. Say it once. 2. Turn your back. 3. Walk away.

Telling your child more than once, he believes, just teaches your child that you think he/she is too stupid to understand you the first time. I tend to think it teaches children that they don’t have to obey until you have gotten worked up about it. That’s why counting is usually a bad idea.

Turning your back keeps your child from the reward of your attention. Children sometimes want your attention so much they don’t care if it means being punished. Not giving them attention when they are misbehaving breaks that link. Later, when they are doing well is the time to reward them with your attention.

Walking away is the hardest part of this method. When you walk away your child begins to panic, “Why isn’t mom giving me what I expect?” Dr. Leman says not to even say why you are walking away, just do it and it will result in a teachable moment.

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