parenting

Media and Children Under Age 2

By / 3 minutes of reading

By Colleen Brunetti, M.Ed., C.H.C   Between videos that promise little geniuses, to toys that light up and engage babies with electronic stimulation, to strong recommendations from leading experts on the “best” way to raise your baby, it can be a little overwhelming for parents to discern what the best choices are for your family.   In particular, there has been a lot of concern about media viewing for infants, with the American Academy of Pediatrics going so far as to say there should be no television for children under the age of two. This is a pretty strong-handed guideline, …

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Spoiled or Secure? Meeting baby’s needs, without going overboard

By / 4 minutes of reading

Spoiled or Secure?  How to meet your baby’s needs – without going overboard By Colleen Brunetti, M.Ed. C.H.C. From the very first moment a baby is placed in the arms of a parent, the opening steps to establishing a sense of safety and security begins. As with all things parenting, there are many schools of thought on how you should best respond to your infant. However, as Susan Spieker, the director of the Center on Infant and Mental Health Development notes, “This is a dance back and forth. Every family works it out different…The key is to give babies a secure enough base …

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Bully-Proof your Preschooler – Part 2: EMPATHY

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Bully-Proof your Preschooler – Part 2: EMPATHY In our last article, Bully-Proof Your Preschooler, we featured tips and signs for helping young children deal with aggressors. Today we’ll take a look at empathy and its role in prevention.  Why empathy matters Empathy is the ability to understand and identify with another person’s feelings. It includes regulating one’s own emotions and is central to success in social relationships. Children who are empathic are less likely to use aggression. Empathy has to be taught  Although there is evidence that the human brain may be pre-wired for empathy, just ask a group of toddlers to share …

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Three Things Your Child Needs To Hear You Say

By / 2 minutes of reading

1. You did it!  Nurture your child’s confidence by celebrating everyday accomplishments. Give out hugs or do the happy dance together. Help your child track progress toward a goal over time with charts and stickers. Print a certificate for a big milestone such as potty training. Or tell your child how proud your are with a song. Our favorites are Let’s Celebrate or Proud to Be Me. 2. Accidents happen. When accidents happen, tell your child: “It’s all right. Keep trying because you will get it someday!” Use songs like Uh Oh! It’s an Accident and Itsy Bitsy Spider/Never Give Up to help you inspire your …

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Signing Time Song + Your Slide Show = Winning Idea!

By / 1 minute of reading

This idea is SO much FUN, we just HAD to share it with you: We DVR certain shows on Nick Jr. for our daughter. One day the TV was still on after the show and we heard the song, “In a House” and started dancing to it. We played it over and over. She loved it! So I bought the song online for $0.99 and created a slide show of our family. I put the video on my USB drive so I can show it to her on our car DVD player. It’s a special treat for her. – Jocelyn …

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