Where questions about your zero to three get answered for free!
May 20th, 2013
Dear Stef,
For the past few days my son (2) won’t stop climbing out of his crib, and I’m afraid he will get hurt! Does this mean he’s ready for a toddler bed? Won’t he just get out of that too and play with his toys? Any tips will help!
Click here to head over to RookieMoms.com for my transition tips!
May 18th, 2013
May 16th, 2013
Preschool Teachers are Amazing!
Every year our local children’s museum, Habitot, honors preschool teachers and the valuable work they do every day. Where would our society be without these amazing, creative, and patient people? If you know an amazing preschool teacher in the Bay Area, please nominate them by clicking here before May 31st.
If you are looking for some great end-of-the-year ideas to honor a teacher you know, check out my Teacher Appreciation Board on Pinterest!
May 15th, 2013
Young Toddler Won't Stop Screaming & Screaming
Dear Stef,
My 16 month old won’t stop screaming. She is a easy-going toddler, pretty active and tough (she climbs everything) so I know it’s not the I’m hurt scream...this is just screaming for screaming’s sake! What should I do? She won’t stop if I say “Shhh” or “No screaming” either. Thanks!
More Toddler ?’s here Check out Stef’s Answer here
May 11th, 2013
Help a Mother Out on Mother’s Day
You can also help by organizing a diaper drive in your community or school, everyone has diapers sitting around that their baby has grown out of right? Click here for more info about diaper drives.
I hope you can help - thanks so much!! And here is a video of a few moms who have been directly impacted by the work HAMO does:
May 9th, 2013
Pros and Cons: The New Joovy Dood Training Cup
My baby is no longer a baby! He is 15 months and now that we are entering toddlerhood I am looking for cups to help with the transition away from the bottle. (I have a feeling if I let him he would have his 3 bottles a day till he was 3!) Time to start the slow transition away from the bottle. We tried out the new Joovy Dood training cup, check out my Pros and Cons here.
May 3rd, 2013
A Few Tips for Brushing Teeth with Toddlers
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1)Keep the pressure low. Yes, dental hygiene is important, but when we approach necessary skills with too much zest or place to much importance on them, this automatically causes toddler push-back (this applies to eating and toilet training too!). There may be a couple nights where their teeth won’t be perfectly brushed, but this is better than a lifetime of dragging their feet.
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2)Brush with them. Commonly called modeling, we show them how to do all kinds of things through our own actions whether we realize it or not, but sometimes brushing teeth can be overlooked. Watching you do things is one of the main ways toddlers learn, and they would much prefer this method over just being told to do something, since they aren't really at that point developmentally.
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3)If they can't see themselves in your bathroom mirror and you have the space below it, mount a small mirror so they can. Everything you do, they should be able to do. (Plus, toddlers love to look at themselves!)
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4)I like to say "Open your mouth like a hippo or a crocodile”. Have them pick an animal with a big mouth and open really wide together. Make it fun!
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5)Praise their efforts even if they only touch one tooth with their brush: "Wow, you are taking such good care of your teeth, they are getting so clean and healthy," etc. And don't push it if they say they’re done.
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6)If their interest begins to wane, get two drastically different toothbrushes and offer a choice each time they brush. I always keep a bunch of extras around, because toddlers never fail to poke their toothbrush into a weird spot. Just run the dirty one through the dishwasher and grab an extra!
If you maintain a no pressure situation, you will have an awesome brusher who wants to brush their teeth to keep them clean and healthy, not because you told them they needed to do it :)
Stef
May 2nd, 2013
As some of my readers may know, I live in San Francisco and love it!
300 days of blue skies and never any snow? Works for me.
I am originally from Massachusetts and have shoveled enough snow and scraped enough windshields to last a lifetime.
So in honor of our beautiful city by the bay I thought
it was due time for a list of my favorite San Francisco books for babies and toddlers!
Check out my SF book rec’s here.
April 27th, 2013
April 25th, 2013
This week we have a curated list of kids yoga books from Giselle Shardlow, author of Kids Yoga Stories.
Her yoga-inspired children’s books get children moving, learning, and having fun. Giselle draws from her experiences as a teacher, traveler, yogi, and mom to write the stories found at www.kidsyogastories.com or on Amazon worldwide.
Check out Giselle’s yoga book rec’s here.
April 24th, 2013
Time to come inside - what to do about
Dear Stef,
What do you advise for a 21 month old who loves being outdoors now that the weather is getting better, but really puts up a fight when it's time to come in? Thanks!
More Toddler ?’s here Check out Stef’s Answer here
April 23rd, 2013
4 Things I Learned at
National Nanny Training Day SF
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7)When introducing new rules to preschoolers and up remind them of the rules grown-ups have to follow, like stopping at stop signs, wearing clothes, getting up in the morning when your alarm clock goes off, etc. Use relatable emotion words to describe your experiences with rules both the positive and negative as well. Thank you to Karen Wolfe, MFT intern!
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8)There are offical names for the different approaches one can use for sleep training babies and toddlers:
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•Fading which is stay, wait, and slowly remove your presence day by day.
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•Extinction which is the true Cry-It-Out method with little to no checks.
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•Graduated Extinction which the 5-10-15 method is an example of.
Thank you to Janet Mercer, LCSW for this info!
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9)It’s helpful to remember that you share common core goals with your employer - for their children to feel loved, be healthy, to grow independent, and to thrive - among many others. You also share many similar stresses that sometimes overshadow these goals: money, relationships, time, sickness, etc. But a stress that you may not share is a parent’s guilt. So when it comes to addressing a difficult situation bring a little more empathy than anger. Thank you to Angela Beeck from Early Childhood Matters for this amazing insight!
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10)You can turn that favorite Raffi tune about a white whale into ANYTHING with a little imagination...thank you to JAMaROO Kids!
Got Parenting Questions? Ask A Nanny!
You ask a question. Stef will answer it. It’s that simple!
AskaNanny.com is dedicated to helping parents of babies and toddlers on a “one-on-one” basis! Just straight-forward customized answers, useable tips, and parenting advice from an experienced nanny (and mom!).
www.askananny.com is intended to help parents to become better informed caregivers. The information expressed within this site and its sister Facebook and Twitter pages provide general advice on parenting. The owner of this site, while having many years in child development, is not a medical doctor. Always consult your child’s doctor for their specific needs. The views expressed by anyone other than the owner of this site/Facebook page do not reflect the views or opinions of said owner.
