Behavior Management for Specific Behaviors

How much sleep do we need? Infants usually sleep about 16 hours and  2-year-olds sleep about 10 to 14 hours (including naps). How common are sleep problems? 25% of kids demonstrate bedtime resistance and/or night-waking at some point during childhood.  “Should I worry...

“UGH” Children sometimes smear their own feces.  Among very young children who are not yet toilet-trained, this behavior is more common than you would think.  It is particularly important to eliminate this behavior as soon as possible for the obvious threats that it...

What is Trichotillomania? Trichotillomania (sometimes referred to as TTM or "trich") is a disorder involving the repeated urge/behavior of pulling out one’s own hair.  In DSM-IV, trichotillomania is characterized as an impulse control disorder (rather than, for...

Charles Dickens wrote, “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.”  Indeed, turn-taking, sharing, and social relations can bring out the best (and/or worst) in us.  Giving and receiving are sources of great joy and satisfaction. “Toy-Jacking” is a common...

In the classic 1994 book, “Siblings without Rivalry: How to help your children live together, so you can too” authors Adele Faber and Elaine Mazlish make several striking points.  First, your firstborn enjoys all of your attention until you bring home a new baby,...

“WHAT is a Tantrum?” tan·trum noun. A fit of bad temper. (according to The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition, Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company and Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.)  For...

Many young children run away from their caregivers in public places.  You may find yourself conflicted about how to react, due to anxiety, anger, and/or concern with what others will say or do.  Some tips: “Buyer Beware” Before entering a store, prepare by minimizing...

“Mine, mine, all mine!” or “Share, share, that’s fair!”  Of course, sharing can be very difficult for some children (at any age).  Often children do not distinguish between the concepts of owning and sharing.   To distinguish between owning and sharing, create...

My child walks around like he owns the place and he destroys everything!  How can I teach him to respect things that don’t belong to him?”   Typically, children will learn to respect and “be careful” with their own toys first, before learning to respect others’...

“My child frustrates very easily…I feel like I’m always walking on eggshells”  When an activity could not be completed or a goal could not be reached, your child’s disappointment is, of course, a very normal reaction. However, with some children, the disappointment...