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3-5 years: Preschool

Everyone knows one, has one or was one – a picky eater. The logic behind why a child does or does not eat something is difficult to understand. Sometimes picky eating is as simple as a food being too bitter or too bland. Other times, it can be more complex. I like to remind parents that it can take anywhere from 10-15 tries before a taste becomes likable or even familiar. Coffee is a great example. The first time you tried it, I bet it wasn’t your favorite food. But over time — and early wake ups, dance recitals, baseball practice, carpool, swim lessons and potty training — it probably holds a pretty significant place in your heart (and your sanity). Introducing new foods to picky eaters Introduce a new food with old foods and favorite foods (example: mac and cheese with broccoli) Consider “taste-ability.” Crunchy, sweet, good-looking foods will […]

While many parents are familiar with developmental screenings for hearing or vision, they may not be aware of the importance of screening for issues like reading readiness. Reading readiness screening tools—like the Nemours BrightStart! Preschool Reading Screener for children ages 3-5—can provide a snapshot of a child’s progress in essential pre-reading skills. They can also show how a child’s progress compares to developmental milestones for those skills. Early screening gives parents, health and early childhood professionals the chance to offer additional supports for children who may not be on track for developmental milestones. Providing these supports as early as possible makes it much more likely that children will gain the skills they need to be successful readers. Nemours knows that literacy and health are connected, so we developed ReadingBrightStart.org to help parents build their children’s early literacy skills. It’s loaded with tips, milestones, developmentally appropriate activities, articles and recommended books by age, […]

We all know about time-outs: Sending children to their room or removing them from enjoyable people or activities. But how well do we practice time-ins, which help reinforce good behaviors? And why should we work on quality time together? Why Time-Ins and Quality Time? Quality time with parents provides many benefits to kids. An important thing to remember is that quality really does matter over quantity. It’s not necessarily how many minutes you spend with your children, but that you’re present and make the time matter when you’re together. Research suggests positive quality time with parents results in a number of positive outcomes, including: strengthening the parent-child relationship fostering communication improving behavior decreasing later risks in adolescents for both mental health and health outcomes You’re also modeling positive relationships for your children and helping them understand the importance of being engaged and consistent. Start Simple 1. Snuggle. Be generous with your […]

Many parents wonder: “Is my child’s anxiety normal? Should I be worried?” While anxiety in young kids can be nerve-wracking for parents, it has a lot to do with age and development. Anxiety about a certain trigger can be completely appropriate at one stage and inappropriate at another. For example, it’s entirely normal for children up to age 2 to have some degree of separation anxiety, but we hope that kids are able to separate without too many tears around ages 3 or 4. Being worried about dogs, bees, storms and sudden loud noises is totally understandable for 3- and 4-year-olds because they’re starting to understand that the world can be scary sometimes. It’s also expected that kids of this age will go through a phase when they’re exercising mastery of their environment – when it’s “my way or the highway,” which can often be mistaken for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). For […]

If ever there were a hot-button parenting topic, it’s spanking. The argument for spanking from some parents and often-well-meaning relatives sometimes goes: “I was spanked and my parents were spanked, and we all turned out just fine. Kids today wouldn’t be such spoiled, disrespectful brats if their parents had a firm hand.” To which opponents of spanking (from pediatricians to mental health professionals, from your neighbor to a mom’s group friend) might say… “But research consistently shows that spanking: teaches children that it’s OK to hit when they’re angry can cause anger, aggression, resentment and physical harm (Babies and toddlers are especially unlikely to be able to make any connection between their behavior and physical punishment. They will only feel the pain of the hit.) often doesn’t teach the lesson a parent is trying to convey can make children fearful and resentful of (instead of respectful toward) their parents may […]

We don’t usually think of blood pressure as a matter of concern during childhood — and for most kids, it’s not. But blood pressure is an important vital sign and one that your child’s physician should be taking at every check-up. Babies’ blood pressure measurements are taken at birth as part of routine newborn screenings. After that, expert guidelines, including those of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), call for measurements to be taken at well-child visits and sick visits in the pediatrician’s office, starting at age 3. What’s Considered “Normal” Blood Pressure for Kids? Determining normal or optimal blood pressure for children is a bit complex because it depends on a number of factors including age, height and gender. A simplified approach is to use these thresholds: A child from 3 to 11 years should have blood pressure at or below 110/70. From age 12 upward, a measurement of […]