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Why is everything with my child such a battle?

Written by Claire Burgess, Family Consultant. This is a very common question that lots of parents ask. These battles are in relation to everyday things such as getting them to clean their teeth, put their shoes on etc. as well as things like not wanting to go to certain places or just refusing to be cooperative in general!

The first thing we need to do in these situations is to look at what’s happening from their perspective; they are on their agenda and we are on ours, but neither party is considering the other. If your little one thinks that they are doing one thing and you think they need to be doing another, this can trigger a big outburst but also frustration from both sides. This is completely natural – think about how often, when we are told not to do something / how to do something or continually instructed to do things, we might get annoyed, frustrated and ultimately resistant to doing what we are being asked to do.

My child always cries when I drop them at nursery

Written by Claire Burgess, Family Consultant. When your little one goes to nursery one of the most common things that any parent or carer has to deal with, is your little one crying when you drop them off. For some it can start before even leaving home and your little one saying they don’t want to go or getting very upset (I was this child and my parents still remember it now!) and for others it is once you are at nursery and having to say those goodbyes.

I spent 10 years working in nurseries and have supported hundreds of families through this difficult stage, it does get easier and there are some things that you can try to help…

Potty training – we tried, we stopped, we need to try again!

Written by Claire Burgess, Family Consultant. Have you tried potty training but stopped because your little one didn’t seem ready or things were not progressing? This can be disappointing, especially if you have built up to the moment and when you felt that your little one was really ready. Don’t worry or despair though as this is something that lots of parents/carers experience with their little ones for various different reasons.

Why does my child keep interrupting me?

Written by Claire Burgess, Family Consultant. Do you have a toddler or an older child who, every time you are speaking with other adults on the phone or in person, or even to your other children, continually interrupts you or generally doesn’t let you speak to anyone else?

This can be a very common situation and can lead to frustration from both sides when it is happening frequently. However, we also need to keep in mind that this can be a skill which even some adults can struggle with ;-).

BehaviourRebekah Frankcom23 June 2021parenting, families, parenting tips, top tips, frustration, keep calm, attention needing, attention, why does my child keep interrupting me, interrupting kids, egocentric children, role model, behaviour, behaviour and emotions, toddler behaviour, kids behaviour, children's behaviour

The Fourth Trimester - the first 12 weeks with your newborn

Written by Emily Darwell, Family Consultant. The Fourth Trimester is often used to describe the time after your baby is born when you and your baby/babies are getting used to your new lives together. As with the other trimesters this is around 3 months.

There is a lot for a baby (and you) get used to in this first 3 months not least learning how to be together! This is also a time for babies to develop their senses and get used to all the noises, smells and sounds they encounter outside of the relatively quiet, dark, warm womb.

When reading the blog, particularly if you have older children, or multiples, there are lots of useful pieces of information to help you to support your baby / babies during this time, but in lots of cases it might be difficult for you to devote this time solely to your baby /babies with so many other things going on. The important thing, during these first 3 months in particular, is that you recognise that this is a period of adjustment for everyone and that your baby / babies, their siblings and your partner have plenty of love and support during these first 3 months to help make this whole transition easier for everyone.

Is your little one ready to drop a nap?

Written by Claire Burgess, Family Consultant. Looking at our little one’s naps can be a huge focus for the first few years, from things such as ‘are their naps too short?’, ‘too long?’, ‘are they napping too much or not enough?’ – it can be all consuming. We then finally feel that we have got the nap timings nailed and it is all going well, and then we start to notice that things are changing again. This is when we have to prepare for what is often referred to as a ‘nap transition’ so this might be going from 3 naps per day down to 2, 2 naps to 1 and then (sadly!) the day when it goes from 1 nap to no nap!

My baby/child hates bath time!

Written by Claire Burgess, Family Consultant.It is very often the case that your child, who loved having a bath all of a sudden stops wanting to go in! We often see bath time as that ‘wind down’ opportunity before bedtime and when our little one refuses to get in or gets upset we can worry that this might affect bedtime etc.

Please be reassured that some children will go through this phase, it can be normal and it is all about their stage of development at the time.

What to look for when choosing a nursery and how to prepare your child/ren (and you) for their first day!

Written by Claire Burgess, Family Consultant. There are lots of different types of nurseries to choose from – large, small, independent, chain, attached to a school, forest school, Montessori etc. You need to think about what type of nursery will best suit you and your child. Another key thing to consider is location – will you, for example, have enough time to drop off and pick up before going to work? Can you walk to the nursery if this is something that would work for you?

Using white noise for your little one’s sleep

Written by Claire Burgess, Family Consultant. White noise is something which is mentioned a great deal when talking about sleep and especially the sleep of babies and young children.

It’s important to note that while white noise can help to settle your little one for sleep it often needs to be used alongside other approaches such as a pre-sleep time routine, which white noise can form a part of. Have a look at our other sleep blogs which include lots of information about sleep for young babies, sleep associations, early waking, naps and much more.

Sleep, BabiesRebekah Frankcom16 May 2021parenting, children, families, nanny, childcare, babies, sleep, baby sleep tips, baby sleep, white noise, pink noise, using white noise, weaning off white noise, white noise machines, white noise machine recommendations

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