Dr. Heather’s Pint-Sized Parent Tip: Easing School Pickups

Today is the first in my series of quick parent tips designed to make your life easier. As a shrink and parent of 4 young kids, I feel your pain — and I’ve worked out some of the wrinkles along the way. I hope you enjoy these — and comment below if you have a more »

What’s Your Toddler’s “Lovey’s” Name?

I need your help! I’m writing my book chapter on toddlers’ gotta-have, must-have, go-ballistic-without-them comfort items. You know: The Binky. The Baba. The Blankie. Your toddler’s “Comfort Thingie” — whatever it might be. But I know your kids have come up with some fantastic, silly, unforgettable names, and I want to include those names in more »

Will One Spanking Cause Trauma in My Toddler?

Poor reader Jenn wrote in to confess her guilt at giving a swat on the tush to her toddler, worried that she might have psychologically scarred the poor baby for life. I hope you know me well enough by now that of course I don’t condone spanking, and aggression turned on your child is always more »

I Need Your Most Challenging Baby-Parenting Stories!

When our first child was 3 months old, a stranger in a coffee shop stopped to “ooh and aah” over her. “Is she your first?” He asked. When I nodded through my sleep-deprived haze, he went on to say, “A first child is always showered with love — and anxiety.” He didn’t stay long enough more »