Little You

If your child is throwing a fit 1Get BELOW eye level. Fill your expression with compassion and have a warm and welcoming tone. You want your child to know that you are a safe place for them to feel the way that they do. On the other hand, if you posture yourself aggressively in the moment of your child’s vulnerability, this communicates YOU SHOULD FEAR ME! I AM A THREAT. This will then trigger their fight, flight, or freeze response. You are then left with a child wh...o feels really unsafe. In addition to that, your child is unable to control their impulses in the moment, make decisions calmly or control their emotions. Research shows that when young children feel safe, their brain and body send chemical signals that it’s ok to calm down. The way you use your body can help your child settle down. 2Next, respond with empathy- even if you don’t agree or you think that they are exaggerating. You can also put into words what exactly they might be thinking. Example: You’re upset that we have to walk so far or say can you show me or tell me what you need?

Do you bounce or pat your baby to sleep, only to realize that it has been 30 minutes and they are STILL awake. Are you continuously trying to achieve that ‘perfect’ nap? Truth is, you cannot force sleep. It is a biological function!... It can become so frustrating to sit in a dark room for long periods of time, stressing out and trying to force a nap when your baby is just not tired enough to sleep or they are frustrated from being so overtired. If this is you, here are some things you can try in the moment & for next time: Have a calm, consistent routine. Your baby needs to feel relaxed enough to sleep. Avoid over-stimulation or overtiredness before sleep. This can lead to a second-wind, which then makes falling asleep MUCH harder. Take a break. If the nap is just not happening after 20 minutes or so, leave your babies room. They may just need a change of scenery or more awake time. In about 10 minutes or so, try your short nap/ bedtime routine again.

If your baby is in their crib doing one or more of these things, they are trying to self-soothe. If so, this means that you don’t need to intervene. Knowing your baby and his or her ways of self soothing can help determine when its best to respond and give them some support if needed. As long as your baby is safe, let them explore and get comfortable in their own sleep environment.... If things start to escalate, it may be time to intervene and support them.

The parenting style that has consistently shown to have the best outcomes is an authoritative parenting style. An authoritative parent has rules and consequences but they also take their child’s feelings and emotions into consideration. Authoritative parents invest time and energy into preventing behaviour problems before they even start.... Studies show that by strengthening early emotion knowledge, you can help to reduce your child’s risk of developing anxiety later in life. By labelling emotions (You’re feeling sad), you are Short term: Make your child feel heard and understood, which can stop a tantrum in the moment and decrease power struggles. Long term: Helping your child name and understand their feelings builds emotional awareness which is important for a child to learn how to problem solve, and handle their emotions. Dr Dan Siegel names this connect and redirect. When a child is upset or throwing a tantrum 1First connect emotionally 2When they are more in control and receptive, set the boundary

To avoid a tantrum before it even starts, try offering an age appropriate choice. Toddlers want to feel like they have power and they are in charge: I DO IT ... NO, ME!. Sound familiar? Instead of dealing with a power struggle, try giving your child a choice that is within your boundaries. For example: If they do not want to put on their pajamas, you can say Its time to go to bed, would you like your blue pajamas or your green pajamas? As an educator for 10 years, this tip was life changing for me and has made a difference in managing difficult behaviour for many families. The link below shows some research that supports this strategy. All of our strategies and tips are research based and have proven to work! www.earlychildhoodnews.com/earlychildhood/article_view.aspx #childdevelopment #childbehaviours #lifeofaparent #lifeofadad #peacefulparenting #positivediscipline #positiveparenting #behaviourconsulting #childhood #behaviourspecialist #todaysparenting #raisingcompetentchildren #earlychildhood #behaviourmanagement #offeringchoices #freebehaviourtips #freepreschooltips #freetoddlertips #parenting #support #terriblethrees #terribletwos #newmom #mommyandme #daddyandme #busymom #busydad #workingmom #toddlerlife

Focus on praising your child’s effort, action or process instead of the outcome. This is a great way to build your child’s self-esteem without the use of external rewards such as stickers or a new toy Examples of ways that you can praise a child’s effort rather than the outcome: Thank you for starting to clean up your toys. I appreciate you remembering. Or..... I can see that you are trying very hard to find the right spot for those puzzle pieces The more specific the praise, rather than a general good job, the more genuine the praise becomes and the more effective the praise is. By doing this, you are essentially teaching your child that when they do something good, the return they get is ‘feeling good’, making them more competent and confident in their every day life through the tasks they complete Intrinsically motivated children are less likely to expect something tangible in return when they do well Research shows that how children are praised for their successes affects how they deal with complications, influencing awareness of their performance, and the motivation to complete upcoming tasks. #raisingcompetanthumans #boymom #girlmom #newmom #toddlermomlife #toddlerdadlife #girldad #boydad #motherhoodintheraw #toddlers #preschoolers #positiveparenting #parenteducation #childhood #motivatingchildren #instrinsicmotivation #extrinsicmotivation #busymom #busyparentlife #praisingchildren #raisingselfesteem #parenthood #childrensbehaviour #behaviourtips #newmom #raisinglittles #raisingkids #mommiesofinstagram #tiredmotherhood #childhood

Dealing with sleep regressions can be exhausting, however, if you look on the positive side, sleep regressions are a sign of developmental progression The brain is at work, so sleep is impacted! Here are some tips on how to deal with the 8-10 month regression:... Avoid overtiredness -aim for 3.5 or 4 hours max of awake time! Practice new skills during awake time -Offer lots of time on the floor so that your little one can practice pulling up, crawling etc. Practicing these skills during the day will make them seem less interesting when it comes time for your baby to sleep Stay consistent! -Avoiding developing new habits that you don’t want to continue. The more consistent you are, the faster it will pass. #babysleep #sleepconsulting #childdevelopment #sleepproducessleep #childsleep #sleeptraining #lifeofaparent #sleepeducation #todaysparenting #sleepcoaching #bedtime #mindfulparenting #sleepspecialist #exhaustedparent #certifiedsleepconsultant #babysleepconsultant #babydevelopment #8monthregression #9monthregression #10monthregression #sleepregression #parentof2 #parentof3 #parentof4 #babies #sotired #exhuastedmama #parenttips #parenthacks

Let’s talk consequences! When giving a consequence, it is important that the consequence is logical, making sense to the child. The consequence should match the behavior. The goal is not to shame, but rather to teach. For example, if your four-year-old wakes a lot in the middle of the night and goes into your room, you could say Today I am just too tired to go for a bike ride because I didn’t get to sleep well. Tonight you will have another chance to try again and hopefully... we can go for a fun bike ride tomorrow. Another common type of consequence is the natural consequence. This is what the child naturally experiences as a result of their actions. For example, the child chooses not to wear a raincoat- the child gets wet! When children experience the result of their behaviour, they learn that their actions have consequences and they learn to take responsibility for their actions. You’ll know when the consequence is fit for the situation when the behaviour changes! Overall, implementing consequences allows children to learn from their mistakes and make better choices next time. Consequences also allow children to think for themselves, rather than constantly being told what to do and how to do it. By doing this, you are also avoiding an argument or power struggle. Allowing the consequence to happen has taught the child the same lesson, but in more of a quick and efficient way #behaviourmanagement #consequences #longtermgain #motherhood #fatherhood #behaviourtip #positivediscipline #parentingadvice #soloparenting #meltdown #tantrumtaming #momtalk #exhaustedparent #markhammom #stouffvillemom #newmomlife #daddyhood #blogger #lifewithlittles #parenteducation #raisingcompetenthumans #earlychildhood #positiveparenting #behaviourconsulting #childhood #childdevelopment #mindfulparenting #behaviourcoach #frustratedparent #lifewithkids