Rocking

When your child is about nine months old, he may begin rhythmic movements- rolling his head, rocking on his hands and knees, even banging his head on the end of the crib. Rocking usually occurs when the youngster is tired and trying to fall asleep. The habit, which may be an attempt to recreate the comfort of being rocked by you, will probably wane when the child begins to crawl, although it may persist as long as the age of four. The best thing to do is to let the behavior runs its course, unless the rocking becomes prolonged or extends into the Childs normal waking hours. You may want to cut down on the noise by padding the crib, and putting it on a thick rug or anchoring its legs. You should consult a doctor if head banging begins, how ever since this activity may become vigorous enough to cause bruises.

There are ways you can help prevent rocking from becoming exaggerated. During the day, spend as much time as possible with your child and cuddle him often. Keep the youngster occupied, and encourage him to vent his feelings at play. Prolong the child’s bedtime rituals in order to reduce tension; a warm bath may help and so may rhythmic music. Try not to leave your child alone in the crib until you that he is ready to fall asleep.

The Thumb Sucking Problem and Comfort objects

At about six months of age, your baby begins to sense for the first time that he is separate from you. He craves more independence, yet at the same time the child feels acutely anxious about losing his closeness to you. He may respond to this conflict by striking a compromise and clinging to a substitute parent in the form of a teddy bear, blanket or pacifier. This object is something the child can control, and it offers comfort and familiarity.

 It does no harm for a child whose social skills are developing well to become entranced with a comfort object. He may talk with it, invest it with special powers, weave rituals around it, even become attached to its grubbiness or smell. Do not try to take his object away from him. The youngster will most likely out grow his need for it between the ages of two and five.

However, there are some things you can do to limit the habit and make it easier for you to live with it. In the early stages you can restrict use of the comfort object to hoe or bedtime. When the object gets dirty, wash it while the child is asleep. It is a blanket, cut a piece of it off to save as a backup in case he loses the prized object- unless you  think you and your child can survive “ cold –turkey” withdrawal.

Remind him occasionally that when he is a big boy he will no longer needs his special comforter. Of course, you should not accept any and all uses of a comfort object. For example, do not let your child keep a feeding bottle in his bed and fall asleep sucking it; not only emotional attachment, but tooth decay as well, could result.

Thumbsucker

         

Your baby is born with a normal and necessary desire to suck, the intensity of which varies from child to child. At any time after birth, your baby may begin to suck her thumb or finger, even her lip or tongue, to satisfy that urge. Breast feed babies are less likely to become thumsuckers, because mothers generally allow them to linger longer at the breast than bottle fed babies at the bottle.

             When baby is weaned, the need to suck for food declines, but sucking usually of a thumb or a pacifier continues to be a comforting and calming activity for the child. It is not a sign of significant tired, upset or bored, or when she is or trying to fall asleep. You need teeth slightly. Neither effect is long lasting. Most likely, she will drop the habit by kindergarten age. Trying to talk her out of it before she is ready may only increase her determination. Arm restraints, bitter coatings and adhesive strips are not effective.

If thumsucking persists beyond the age of six, however, the child risks displacing the upper permanent teeth, and she should be discouraged from continuing thumsucking. The way to do this is indirectly, by dealing with the causes of the behavior rather than by for biding it. For example, if the youngster sucks when she is tired, try an earlier bedtime. Counter boredom with parental attention or stimulating play, hunger with a snack and so on.

Kids Anxiety

Kids feel anxiety even in their earliest months, when they are bothered by such things as hunger, boredom or fatigue. Toddlers worry about mastering new skills, including talking, using the toilet and socializing. There are rules to learn, and ever increasing pressures to act in more acceptable, less baby like ways. In addition, children may be confronted with sudden, worrisome changes such as a transfer to another day care center, move to a new home, or the appearance of a new brother or sister.

The kids need to relieve their anxiety, but the y lack the ability to talk them out or think them through. Physical activity helps, and play is an important therapy for kids anxiety cure. But sometimes a youngster will seek additional comfort in an activity such as thumb sucking, clinging to a favorite toy, or rocking back and forth.

 This kind of behavior usually soon out lives its usefulness as a kids anxiety reliever and is abandoned before it becomes a problem. If you view the activity as a bad habit that must be stopped, or worry that it is evidence of abnormality, you may add to the stress that prompted the behavior in the first place. Your best reaction is patience; the less attention you call to the kid’s anxiety, the more likely the child is to drop it at an early age. You should be concerned, and seek the advice of a doctor; only f the habit is greatly prolonged or accompanied by withdrawal from play and friends. If you notice your child engaging in several tension relieving habits simultaneously, this may also indicate a need for professional attention.

Making the terrible twos terrific

No other phase of childhood is so misunderstood, misnamed or mistakenly maligned as the notorious “terrible twos’. To begin with, the behavior patterns that distinguish this period are not restricted to two year olds, being found in children from the age of 18 months or even younger, right up into the preschool years. This is evidently displayed by this photograph next to this heading. The behavior of a child at this stage of development hardly deserves to be termed terrible, however irrepressible, unpredictable and, at times, even unlikable it may be.

In fact, for parents who understand what lies behind their child’s erratic actions, the so called “terrible twos” may be viewed as a kind of birth – the birth of an independent social being. The child enters this stage a baby, so totally dependent for every physical and psychological need that she is practically an extension of her parents. Within the year or so, she emerges as a separate person, capable of making decisions, asserting her will and, relatively speaking, taking care of herself.

To guide a youngster through these remarkable terrible twos terrific transformation is a moving and memorable experience, if often an exhausting one. As these pictures indicates, a child of two or thereabouts sets a dizzyingly fast pace of instantly changing moods, intermingling enthusiastic bursts of activity with quiet withdrawal, sweet compliance with stubborn negativism, joyful interest with tired or angry tears.

By watching closely to learn what causes such the terrible twos terrific emotional swings in your child, you can take steps to ease the struggle for independence, help build her confidence and ensure that the happy times predominate. In addition to insight, you will need a healthy portion of patience, a firm will and if he is typical, a great deal of stamina and a comforting pair of arms.

Weathering tantrums of your child

            When a tantrum erupts, stay calm. It is frightening for a child to lose control of herself and even scarier if a grown up follows suit. Do not try to reason with her, and do not argue, Scream back or threaten punishment. If your child is given to mild tantrum behavior, your best bet is to ignore it by turning your back, possibly even leaving the room. You are telling her that this outburst has no effect on you. Under no circumstances should your ward your child for this behavior- by offering candy in hopes of diverting her, for instance- or reveal that the tantrum upsets you. If you, you are likely to see more, not less, of it.

            However, if a tantrum is so severe that you think your child might actually injure herself or another child, you should gently but firmly pick her up and move her away from the Scene. It is best to stay with her, either holding her in your arms or simply remaining close by, until the emotions have subsided. With violent tantrums, many experts feel a child’s need for support and comfort outweighs any concerns the parent might have about encouraging such behavior.

             Few moments are so embarrassing for parents as when their children throw tantrums on the playground or in a department store, but you should not let the oh-you-cruel mother stares from passersby induce you into special handling. Your child needs your firmness and control now more than ever. If possible, pick her up and move her away from the source of stimulation. If not, stand your ground by holding her firmly until the outburst is over.

Temper tantrums of kids

             When your child has to struggle to master a task or makes a demand that you refuse to meet, he feels frustrated by his helplessness. Sometimes his frustration and anger well us suddenly and uncontrollably, and he erupts in a spontaneous display of emotion that alarms him as much as it does you. In the classic temper tantrum, familiar to generation after generation of parents but nonetheless disturbing to any grownup who is confronted with one, the child screams, kicks and flails widely about. He may fling toys or other objects.  Some children hold their breath until they turn blue in the face, in an effort to frighten their parents. Usually within a few minutes, the outburst ends and the child’s sunny disposition returns.

            Temper tantrums occur most frequently between the ages of one and three. More than half of all two year olds have tantrums once or twice a week. If your toddler is active, energetic and determined, he may be particularly prone to tantrums. The ignition points for each child are different, but most children will explode into a tantrum when frustrated, hungry, overtired or over excited. Tantrum behavior decreases as children mature psychologically and are able to express their protests verbally.