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| Q: |
I
can't decide which child care center to choose
for my 2 ½ year old son. Can you help? |
| A: |
Choosing
the right place for your child takes a lot
of time and research. When you visit the center,
take your son with you. Observe the teacher
and her interactions with the children and
the interaction between the children. If every
child is sitting perfectly still and there
is no spontaneity among them-that is a red
flag. Children need creative activities such
as blocks, dress-ups and they should be experiencing
all sorts of fun stuff-squishing mud through
their fingers, building sand castles, painting,
singing and dancing!! They cannot do those
kinds of things when they are sitting still!!!!!
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| Q: |
Can
you "spoil" an infant? |
| A: |
The
answer is NO. During the first few months
of an infant's life, crying and fussing are
the only means of communication available
to them. Picking them up and comforting them
tells them that they are "special"
and loved. In doing that, the baby learns
to trust adults and develops a sense of security.
By letting them "cry it out" we
are failing to meet their emotional and physical
needs. Research has proven that meeting an
infant's needs leads to a secure, trusting
toddler!!! |
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| Q: |
Why
does my child bite, hit, and pull hair? |
| A: |
Biting,
hitting, and pulling hair are common misbehaviors
in pre-verbal children. When a toddler lashes
out, she is telling you in the only way she
knows how that something is bothering her.
The problem may be that she is tired, bored,
overexcited, confused, frustrated or hungry.
Whatever the problem, there is no need to
worry. Biting, hitting and pulling hair are
not signs that your child is a bully nor are
they sings that you are a bad parent. Learn
to "read" the behavior by asking
yourself, "what's going on here? Is it
past naptime? Did we skip snack? Is all of
this music and excitement too much for her?" |
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| Q: |
My
happy- go-lucky 7 mos. old son now screams
and cries whenever I leave the room and won't
stop until I return.What is happening to my
baby?? |
| A: |
Welcome
to the world of separation anxiety!!The prime
time for separation anxiety in a baby's life
is between 7 and 12 months. Developmentally
speaking, you can consider this stage to be
a built-in survival mechanism for a growing
infant. In the second half of the first year,
babies begin to develop motor skills of crawling
and walking shich enables them to move father
away from their primary caregivers. But, separation
anxiety keeps them safely connected so they
don't move too far. A young baby doesn't have
"person or object permanence" which
means --out of sight-out of mind". So,
if he cannot see you, you don't exist. Between
one and two years of age, he develops the
ability to carry a mental picture of you in
his mind even when you are out of his sight.
This , in turn, helps him separate from you
with less anxiety. He begins to trust that
when you leave, you will come back because
he pictures you in his mind and has developed
a secure feeling about it. Don't misinterpret
this stage as your child being overly attached,
dependent, or spoiled. In fact, it is just
the opposite--the most securely connected
infants become the most independent toddlers.
You will see !!! |
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