Dear Dr. Day Care, Our 4-year-old son refuses to sit down and eat a meal with his family each evening. We are visiting family over the holidays, and I am worried that he will not cooperate. What can we do? Signed, Stressed Dinner Parents Dear Stressed, Children need to be taught rules about appropriate dinner behavior beginning at an early age. I recommend starting around 7 months old. If your son has not previously been given limits in this area, he probably has made up his own rules and acts the way he chooses. I suggest taking some time with him to re-teach him … [Read more...]
Ouch He Bit Me!
Dear Dr. Day Care, I have 2 toddler sons - 18 months and 2 ½ years old. They are always together. At least three times a day (some days it seems like a lot more!) my 18-month-old bites his brother. What can we do to stop this behavior? Signed, Ouch He Bit Me! Dear Ouch, Biting is one of the most frequent questions I have received in my career! Over the course of my 47 years working in child development, I have found that parents often have the most concerns about biting, sleeping, or eating. Fortunately, biting is a stage. I understand that it is a … [Read more...]
Child’s Self Portrait
Dear Dr. Day Care, My child just turned three years old and is drawing a picture of himself with his head bigger than his body and his legs and arms are coming out of his head! He didn’t draw any details like fingers or toes. Should I be alarmed at his portrait of himself? Signed, First Time Mom Dear First Time Mom, Actually, it sounds to me that your son is right on target! Most children at his age are drawing the same type of images of themselves. Did you know that children go through stages of drawing just like any other stages of development? … [Read more...]
