Your Kid Did What? Trivia Quiz

Answer: say "Please come down" and help him down

With a child this age, it is best to avoid as much as you can the use of negative language, that is, tell them what you WANT them to do, not what you DON'T want them to do. Their language skills are just not up to it. I don't think I need to tell you not to hit your children or call them names - it does no good, and may do harm.

Answer: give her her own spoon, continue feeding

Children learn by doing - she's got to start feeding herself sometime, and the fact that she's grabbing at the spoon means she's ready. However, at first she will not get enough food by herself, most of it will go in her ear and up her nose, so you need to do the bulk of the feeding.

Answer: don't panic, it's perfectly natural

This is one more of the benefits of exclusive breast-feeding - lots less dirty diapers! It is not unusual for a baby like this to only have two or three dirty diapers a week. Of course, as in anything to do with a young baby, if you're worried you should contact your doctor. Never give a child this age over-the-counter remedies without talking to your doctor. Also, it is recommended not to give honey to babies under six months; there is a small chance they will contract botulism from it.

Answer: get immediate medical attention

Diarrhea is extremely dangerous for babies; get help right now. Again, please no over-the-counter meds, and no honey at this age.

Answer: say "No! Biting hurts!" and comfort the hurt child

This is a problem and needs to be dealt with, but please don't bite your child! Lecturing a two-year-old is as useful as lecturing your dog, don't waste your time. Let her know it's not acceptable, let the hurt child get all the fuss and attention, and you could try helping the biter find other methods for expressing anger.

It is also a good idea to keep a close eye on her, so you can stop the next bite before it happens. This is something that comes up all the time at day-cares, but thankfully a biting phase doesn't usually last too long.

Answer: give them a drink of water

Young kids dehydrate quickly so if they are thirsty, give them a drink. However, there is no need to fill them up with sugars they don't need when lunch is so close. Juice is better than pop, but you will do your kids a favour if you teach them early - when you are thirsty, drink water.
Nutritionists generally agree that many Western kids drink too much juice - it fills them up so they don't eat more nutritious foods. Fruit juice is, broadly speaking, a poor quality food choice. Much better to eat the whole fruit.

Answer: false

I've fed hundreds of kids over the years, and have only met three who just would not eat any vegetables, and none who wouldn't eat fruit. Offer your kids a variety of vegetables, mostly raw, and maybe a little dip. A tossed salad without anything "yucky" like onions is a good bet, and there's always the old standby, spaghetti sauce.

Answer: No

At this age, if all the crafts are really well done and look like the teacher did them, it's because the teacher DID do them. In order for the child to be actually getting something from the activity, it must be all about process, not product. When your child mixes all the colours of paint together in a big blob in the middle of the paper, so it turns that nasty brownish-grey, and wears a hole through the paper, he has not only followed his own creative instincts, but has also learned some valuable lessons about the properties of his materials - the basis of all science.

It doesn't look as nice as separate little squares, all painted in exactly the way the teacher said, but it's a much better sign of a program based on child development, rather than pleasing parents. Of course, the odd really cute craft for Mother's Day, the odd teacher-led lesson in a specific technique, are not bad things.

However, most of the children's creative time should be child-led, and open ended.

Answer: no

Most babies get their first tooth around 6 months, but some teethe as early as 4 months, and some don't get teeth until they are a year old. My first child had no teeth at 10 months, and seven at 10 months and 2 weeks.

Answer: slice them in half or quarters lengthwise

Slice hot dogs in quarters lengthwise until the child is about 3 years old or so, and then in half until at least school-age, or even longer, if they will let you. This is such a simple thing to do, and could prevent a tragedy.