My Baby is Difficult to Console. What Should I Do?

Is my baby just “difficult”, or is there something wrong? And if I do have a “difficult” baby, is there anything I can do about it? BabyShrink reader Tina is struggling with this issue. She writes: Dear Dr. Heather, I need some good advice on how to stop my 2-year-old from screaming for everything she more »

BabyShrink Handles the Grossest Problem Yet: Poop Smearing

BabyShrink readers Angie, Sharon and Stacy have emailed me over the past few weeks with the same horrified question: Why is my toddler suddenly smearing poop everywhere, and HOW CAN I GET THAT DISGUSTING BEHAVIOR TO STOP?! Although I tried to offer some suggestions, I had never experienced the same thing with my kids, so more »

Help — My Toddler Suddenly Hates the Bath!

Today, my sister in North Carolina called. I could barely hear her, with her 12-month-old screaming in the background. “We’re trying to give her a bath, like usual. But all of a sudden, she HATES it. What happened?” She remembered me telling her about one of our kids at that age. “It’s as if there’s more »

Getting a 2-Year-Old To Talk Nicely — Is It Possible?

I love 2-year-olds. I really do. It’s amazing to see how much they have learned in their very short time on this planet — and some of that includes finding exactly what bugs their parents. I mean, think of the cognition involved in this process. First, they have to be able to understand the complexities more »

How To Give “Time Out” to a Toddler

When your baby becomes a toddler, it’s very exciting. But with all his new skills comes the need to set firm and consistent limits; both for his safety, and for your sanity! Lots of you wonder how, and when, to give a Time Out to a toddler. And is it OK to do it, even more »

How Do I Get My Toddler To Stop Screaming?

Hi Dr. Heather,   My 19-month-old screams at the top of his lungs, “MYYYYYYY” for everything! Yes, we know it comes from not getting his way – most of the time. Quite often, though, we can be happily watching The Backyardigans and he starts screeching out of control for no reason. We’ve tried ignoring, we’ve more »

Finger-Sucking in Preschoolers

Dear Dr. Heather, My daughter is five-and-a-half and starts kindergarten in the fall. Though she’s not developmentally delayed, she is a bit emotionally immature. The thing is — she’s a finger sucker (the 3 middle fingers on her right hand). It doesn’t interfere with her play, but if her hands are not busy, her fingers more »

How Do I Wean My Toddler? I’m Tired of Breastfeeding!

Hi BabyShrink! I’m struggling with weaning my 20-month old daughter. I was determined to ‘do it right’, even though my baby was colicky. I was willing to do ANYTHING to stop the screaming. Hence I became her pacifier. I’m continually bombarded with conflicting advice that ranges from ‘It’s wrong to wean a child before they’re more »

Food Fight! Toddlers and Picky Eating Habits

Hi Dr. Heather: I eat a variety of healthy foods, heavy on the veggies, with a variety of ethnic cuisines, most of which I cook myself. On the other hand, my daughter more or less eats the same things every day. Every resource says the same thing: keep offering it to your child. My question more »

A 3-Year-Old’s Annoying Habit: Nail Picking. Can It Be Stopped?

Mom Kelley Tells Us How Ben is Sleeping Now

Yesterday, I posted the first half of my conversation with Kelley, Mom to 13-month-old Ben. Ben was making his parents crazy from lack of sleep, and they were desperate enough to try anything. I gave them some suggestions designed to send Ben a clear, consistent message about sleeping through the night, in his own crib. more »

Will I Ever Pee Alone Again?

Dear BabyShrink, My 4-year-old has a sincere fear of being alone. She’ll drop whatever she is doing to follow someone out of a room if she realizes she’s the last one in it. She is most definitely NOT SHY; she is extremely gregarious and lights up a room. When I ask her why she doesn’t more »

Baby Binky Battles

Dear BabyShrink, My two-year-old will not cope without his pacifier. He keeps it in his mouth at all times. I am afraid it is delaying his speech as he has quite a few words, but most of the time tries to talk with the button in his face. I have always hated it when I more »

Whining

Dear BabyShrink, My husband and I have two really great little girls, ages four and 22 months. They are both really well behaved, good kids, but we have been having a lot of problems with our youngest whining constantly. I expect a toddler her age to have plenty of temper tantrums and be willful. But more »

This Toddler is Driving Me Nuts!

‘Tics’ in Young Kids?

Hello BabyShrink! I have a six-year-old son and a four-year-old daughter. They are like night and day personality-wise. When my son was between two and four, he had several “tics” including twiddling my thumb with his finger and his own belly button and nipple. He also had a pacifier in his mouth until he was more »

Biting Babies

Dear BabyShrink, My 16-month-old son just got kicked out of daycare for biting, a habit he picked up there! I’ve heard many different ways to stop the biting habit. Do you have any suggestions on what you’ve found that works best? Amy in Louisville Hi, Amy, I’m so sorry that your son’s daycare hasn’t found more »

Pirates of the Crib-bian

Turns out Johnny Depp is a lot more than a fantastic actor; he’s also an armchair psychologist. On a recent appearance with David Letterman, Depp said this about his kids: “Living with young children is like hanging around with miniature drunks. You have to hold on to them. They bump into things. They laugh. They more »

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