Search Results for: blog the sensitive preschooler

Get Your Preschooler Involved in Meal Planning

Like most parents, sometimes I despair about my preschooler’s eating habits. It all began well, with yams and blueberries and the occasional bit of meat. Yet like most preschoolers, my daughter has now developed a distinct dislike of crusts, tomatoes, onions and any leafy greens that are not directly from the garden. I do understand. I remember being forced to eat tomatoes and onions and how they tasted atrocious to my sensitive tastebuds. Now, of course, the more tomatoes, onions and garlic the better – hurrah! I don’t force my daughter to eat vegetables and fruit, but I do try … Continue reading →

Parenting the Sensitive Preschooler

My daughter is a lovely and sensitive soul. If you also have a preschooler who is easily over-stimulated and sensitive to her physical and emotional environment, here are some ways that we’ve worked to make life good for all members of our household. Have a designated talking time, a quiet time when you are not distracted by anything else and can focus completely on your child. For us, this is right before bedtime. Sometimes it’s in the car, too. Having that focused, quiet snuggle time is essential for her and for me, if I want to stay in tune with … Continue reading →

The Sensitive Preschooler

I’m beginning to suspect something. I should have known it when my daughter refused to be put down, or when she screamed when I stepped away from her. Or perhaps the fact that I had to bounce and swaddle her to sleep and that I still put her to sleep through touch should have been a good indicator. I have a sensitive child. Being a mom of one, it’s sometimes hard to compare your child’s everyday habits with those of other preschoolers. Sure, I teach toddlers and preschoolers all the time, but it’s not the same. I see them at … Continue reading →

Thanksgiving Dishes That Please Preschoolers

The holiday meal. In our extended family, food items like brussel sprouts are a standby for the holidays, as is turnip and apple. We also serve salad, carrots with lots and lots of onions, wine…you get the picture. It’s not all that kid-friendly, except perhaps for the pumpkin pie. Especially not the sprouts – in fact, I find them somewhat unfriendly as well and tend to steer clear of the tiny cabbages. Shhh, don’t tell! While your preschooler may adore a dish of sprouts and vegetable dishes amply strewn with onions, mine does not. Extended families that have children present … Continue reading →

The Flu and Your Preschooler

We’re still fighting a bug over here. I think that I may be fighting it off, although last night’s less-than-stellar sleep may help it win. I suspect it’s the flu. We live in an area where everyone seems to have the flu these days, and many people have “the” flu: H1N1 or swine flu. I’m not normally someone who panics about disease. When my daughter gets a fever, I don’t exactly embrace it, but I do accept it fairly gracefully. Fever is her way of fighting off an illness, and she does it with style. She’s been known to go … Continue reading →

Preschoolers and Monsters

Sometime between the age of three-and-a-half and four-and-a-half, the monsters under the bed (and in the closet, behind the curtain, in the hamper, etc) start to appear. Your preschooler may suddenly be afraid to sleep alone in her own bed and may describe bad dreams or associate noises in the home with monsters. Why is this happening? Well, there are a number of reasons. The preschooler is now at an age where she is growing in a few developmental ways. Her imagination is really taking off. You may witness a lot of imaginative play that involves complete story lines with … Continue reading →

What Makes a Mother?

(Am I a “real” mom?) “It feels like you’re really officially, really truly a mother when you have two kids.” Really? I’m pretty sure actress Jessica Alba regrets having uttered those words during an interview with PEOPLE magazine. Then again, maybe she stands behind each and every syllable. Alba’s comment went viral months ago, yet whenever I conduct an online search for information about transitioning from a one-child household to a two-child home, the Hollywood mom’s infamous quote still pops up. Seems as though parents of singletons don’t much care for the movie star’s opinion on what it takes to … Continue reading →

Shaming is Never the Answer

Something I have been trying to focus on as a parent of a preschooler is not to make my child feel ashamed about bad behavior and herself. That’s a hard thing to do. However, I want her to grow up to be a strong, confident woman, that loves herself. I feel like shaming can harm the spirit of young children. It seems like I’ve heard a lot in the media lately about mothers doing just that. There was one Mom who made her teenage son stand on a street corner with a sign for several hours a day, reading, “I … Continue reading →

Finding a Sport

Does your preschooler love sports? Mine does. She loves to run around in the garden in the summertime kicking a soccer ball, and she’s actually rather good at it. She loves to dance and we’ve attended dance classes, where she was the least adept in the class. My daughter is getting to the age when she’s interested in trying things out and a feels a little awkward if she doesn’t keep up with the other kids. She’s also getting to the age when many people around our neighborhood enroll their children in sports teams. Now, I did not grow up … Continue reading →

Giving Cotton Swabs the Boot

You have probably heard the old adage – never stick anything smaller than your elbow in your ear. Now if you are like me, you probably don’t follow that rule. But, NPR reported last week that following that rule is very, very important. Even if we think we know what we are doing, our ear is very sensitive and in just a matter of seconds, you can do real damage. Margaret Chessor, a Michigan grandmother, is a good example of how bad things can go. She was cleaning her ear with a Q-tip when an insect flew in front of … Continue reading →