Training parents about all things preschool and kids aged 18 months–5 years
Ask any seasoned parent, and they’ll tell you potty training a little one can be one of the most frustrating and trying times in their lives. For something so seemingly simple, something adults don’t even remember learning, the transition from diapers to big kid underwear can seem very complicated. When should you start training your…
Remember how we talked last week about weird relatives? Bad news – your kids are weird around the holidays, too. Mostly because they just cannot calm the flip down but also because they get a little greedy this time of year. In fact, the title of this article is a direct quote from a child…
Although life with kids can sometimes feel like the movie Groundhog Day, daily rituals are pretty important for your little ones. A ritual is something that’s special to your family, that’s done in a certain way or order, and that sends a message to each member that you’re on the same team and working toward…
You all know the type I’m talking about. If you weren’t one yourself, you can probably still name the kindergarten class clown or the mean kid in second grade who spent more time in the principal’s office than homeroom. But what happens when you’re the parent of said rabble-rouser? (For the record, this is one…
I was the director of my preschool for over 17 years. I don’t claim to know it all, but there are a few things you learn from experience. I could walk into a classroom and within 2 minutes spot the hot spots and the red flags. So what is a red flag? It’s a behavior…
You’ve seen the look — zombified little faces lit up by the blue glow the an iPad, television, or other screen. And heaven forbid you ever ask them to turn it off. Experts recommend no more than two hours per day of screen time for kids—even less for preschoolers—and having unstructured down-time to explore is…
Do you ever wonder what restaurants think when they see that your party of four is actually a party of two humans and two small howler monkeys? Believe it or not, the writers at Bon Appétit actually sympathize, and have offered some tips to improve your experience dining with children. And I mean, how much worse…
You know that picky eaters have become endemic in the U.S. when The Onion takes time to parody the issue. A couple of our favorite suggestions: Set an example by eating anything your child hands you. If your child throws a tantrum when she sees veggies on her plate, try calmly explaining to her that you…
Here’s a familiar scene: It’s past 8:30 and everyone in the house, including Mama, is CRANKY. When you have preschoolers at home, bedtime can really be a nightmare (no pun intended!). Your last task of the day is putting your little angel to sleep. In preschool land we have something called Routines and Rituals. It’s…
There are some babies who come out of the womb “politic’in” and ready to run for office, while other children are naturally more reserved. Being timid could be in your child’s DNA and it isn’t necessarily a bad thing. However, it could cause your child to miss out on a lot of fun and new…
