Considering Kindergarten?

I’m digging deeper into the decision of whether to start Kindergarten this fall — or not. Look out for 4 in-depth posts on the subject. Check out the video for a sneak-peek!   Aloha, Dr. Heather The BabyShrink

“Cutoff” birthdays and kindergarten readiness: How to know

Dear Dr. Heather, My daughter turns 5 right before the “cutoff” age for kindergarten – so she’ll be able to attend, but I’m not sure she’s ready. Should we have her start this fall, or wait another year? Sam in Philly Dear Sam, All over the country, parents are going through the same dilemma. For more »

Exciting Work — BabyShrink’s Updates

Whew, I’ve been busy! Make sure to check me out all month on ParentsConnect.com, the Nick Jr parenting blog. You know, “We’re not perfect, we’re parents.” We had an awesome connection over my “Good Enough” parenting posts, and it’s exciting to interact with so many of their families. It was all made possible by the more »

Ready for Kindergarten?

I started BabyShrink when this cute guy had just turned 2. And now look at him — he’s the “big boy” in his pre-kindergarten class.  It was easy to decide that he’ll start this fall — he’s a January-born guy, so he’s already 5. And as the third child of four he’s been waiting to more »

Getting your preschooler to eat fruits and veggies

Direct from the Parent Coaching files, an issue that plagues many of us: The Preschooler Who Won’t Eat Healthy Foods. Common variants of this plague include The Preschooler Who Only Eats White Foods, The Preschooler Who Only Eats Starches, The Preschooler Who Only Eats Chicken Nuggets, and my niece’s current version: The Preschooler Who Only more »

Why Your 4-Year-Old Is So Awesome — Psychological Milestones

I’m really enjoying our 4-year-old. He’s sort of an “Entry-Level Kid” — no longer a squirelly toddler, he can join in the group for some fun, manage his feelings pretty well, and tells silly stories that have us rolling. Common parenting wisdom has remedies for the “Terrible Twos.” But they leave out the “Terrible THREES,” more »

Kindergarten Haters And Dumb Potty Training Rules in Preschool

We bloggers check our blog traffic to see how many “hits” we’re getting. My software also tells me how you got to me — what you entered into the search or URL line to get to BabyShrink — and this is where it gets interesting. This time of year, I get a lot of searches more »

Body Awareness in Preschoolers — One Mom’s Fears

Dear Dr. Heather, I am worried about my 3-year-old daughter, who has made 2 comments about her “bottom” in the last 2 weeks. She didn’t want me to look at her bottom when I was putting a pull-up on her. When I asked her why, she said “I don’t know.” And visiting her grandparents’ house, more »

Help for a Preschooler Afraid of the Potty

Hi Dr. Heather, I am in desperate need of help. I have an almost-4-year-old son who is afraid of public restrooms. At 2 1/2 years old, his preschool teacher thought he may have a speech delay so we did early intervention with Easter Seals through the State run program. Turns out he just wasn’t ready more »

How to Handle Aggression in Your Young Child

Recently, I’ve gotten lots of questions about how to handle aggression in young children. It’s a common concern, and it’s always startling when your previously sweet little baby starts to bite, hit, or generally wreak havoc. How did this happen? Did I do something to cause this? Surely, we rationalize, he’s learning it from daycare…(or more »

Advice for a preschooler who HUGS too much

Dear Dr. Heather, My 3-year-old son started nursery school a few weeks ago. Everything is fine except that he hugs the other kids too much! They do not want him to hug them and they wind up hitting him or running from his approach. The teachers have tried to talk to him about it and more »

How to Talk to Kids: A Great Book

Our 6-year-old is in the throes of a really anxious phase. He often needs to be reassured about where we are, even if we’re all just in the house. He’s afraid to go to sleep at night. And he’s terrified of “ET”, a classic we allowed the babysitter to show the kids one night. You’d more »

Discipline Techniques for a 3-Year-Old

Dear Dr. Heather, When my 3-year-old son hits, pushes, or bites me, my husband, or his 6-month old sister, or is throwing things or generally being threatening (he likes to act like a mad dinosaur), our response is to tell him he needs to calm down and spend some time playing quietly in his room. more »

Help for a Jealous 3-year-old

There are still more people to thank, as I celebrate the first year of BabyShrink. But questions keep pouring in, so I thought I’d post this one today. It’s from a mom struggling with the “Dr. Jeckyll/Mr. Hyde” attitude change in her 3-year-old, following her new baby’s birth: Hi Dr. Heather! I have a 3-year-old more »

Is My Little Kid a Controlling Bully?

Hi Dr. Heather, My almost-4-year-old is extremely controlling. She tries to control everything, including telling us to stop whistling or singing, and trying to control the other children at her preschool. She has always had an outgoing personality, and is very determined. We have tried ignoring the situation when she tries to control us, which more »

Halloween and Young Children: What’s TOO scary?

Reader Fran in Massachusetts wrote recently, asking an interesting question about her 3-year-old son, who has an unusual request for a Halloween costume. He wants to be Cruella de Vil this year. Fran’s not worried about the gender thing; she knows that it’s perfectly fine for a 3-year-old boy to dress up in a female more »

Dear BabyShrink: Is My Son Normal?

Dear Dr. Heather, My 3-year-old son gets upset with his penis gets erect. He says “mommy my pee pee go big.” It’s like a question/concern/fear all rolled into one statement. He then pulls down his pull-up or underweare (whatever he is wearing) and shows me…no matter who is around. I tell him it is ok more »

BabyShrink’s Hubby Referees Playground Battles

Mr. Dr. BabyShrink, introduced here, is the playground expert. So I’m letting him handle the following question, sent in by reader Ben: Dear BabyShrink, I have a 3-year-old son who gets pushed around on the playground. He is active but friendly. At the playground, my wife gets involved and tries to work out the disagreements 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 »

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 »

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