I have been hearing a lot of concerns from parents about anxiety lately. Separation anxiety, common fears…anxiety is in the air right now! The time has come. The time to talk about anxiety…from a behavioral perspective, of course!
If you have read my other sleep posts, you know that we struggle with our 3-year-old’s sleep. Since his birth he has been a difficult sleeper
Subscribe to skip all this and get More Carrot Than Stick’s Measuring Progress Behavior Guide! Have you tried some of the techniques I have suggested for improving your child’s behavior? (I recommend starting here and here). Maybe he or she hasn’t seemed quite as annoying today as in past days? Maybe you felt like snuggling … Read more
You know how you feel when you haven’t had your morning coffee? When you only got a few hours of sleep? When you were so busy that you didn’t have time for lunch? When life got in the way of what little time you have for exercise? For me, these circumstances spell disaster (except coffee … Read more
Did you read my post on natural consequences? If not, you should! If so, you may be asking yourself “What if my child’s behavior doesn’t have a natural consequence?” What you need then, my friend, is logical consequences. Logical consequences require a little more work on your part but are still infinitely easier than sticker … Read more
Often I see parents bending over backwards to develop elaborate reward and punishment schemes that are too complex for realistic follow-through. I’m guilty of it too, particularly when I was a young parent and just learning about behavioral techniques in graduate school. What if I told you there is something so much easier and just … Read more
Has an adult in your child’s life (including you) used any of these terms to describe your child? Inattentive, angry, impulsive, distracted, nervous, irritable, depressed, not following directions, moody, hyperactive, stubborn, anxious, fidgety, fearful…the list could go on and on. Generally, if your child is anything but happy and functioning optimally, sleep should be the … Read more
Diapers aren’t gone forever for us, not yet. But one less kid in diapers is still a dream come true! Lately I have seen so many social media requests for help with potty training that I was inspired to share our potty training story. Our then 2-year-old didn’t train himself. He wasn’t “just ready”. We decided it was time, and our hard work and research-based methods paid off!
I think most parents would agree that “no” can be one of the most frustrating things a kid can say. Put your shoes on. “No.” Pick up your toys. “No.” Finish your lunch. ”No.” Do you want a cookie? “No.” That one is the most vexing – when your tempting parental bribe is rejected by … Read more
Screaming. Throwing. Hitting. Grabbing. Spitting. Biting. “No”-ing. These are just a few of the many endearing behaviors that I have seen from our newly-3-year-old son. My personal favorite is this new attention-monopolizing gem – he recently started yelling strings of random words whenever anyone else is involved in a conversation, with the sweetest look of … Read more