Understanding your family temperament
Is your child easily distracted? Highly sensitive to noise, perhaps? Happy-go-lucky or prone to sulk? Research suggests …
Behaviour and Values
Tips for raising generous kids
If the world of the generous gets larger and larger then teaching our children generosity really is the gift that keeps on giving. Ellie Gwilliam shares some tips on raising generous kids. Young children are very good at expressing their needs and …
Ask yourself this before trying to defuse a tantrum
When your child’s emotions regularly boil over into tantrums, it’s a hard ask to keep your cool. Pippa Henderson offers no judgment, only suggestions, and reassurance that peace will return to your world. My daughter, now nine, suffered from …
Family Mission Statements - Why You Should Make One
Former OHbaby! Editor Ellie Gwilliam looks at how a family mission statement can encourage the team and motivate even the youngest players. I have little quote books filled with the wisdom and wit of my three daughters. From the mouths of babes …
Two words to calm the storm
Crush disappointment and stress with these two words! "It's Okay!" Do you ever feel like your head is going to explode? Between work and cleaning house and meals and laundry and the car that needs to be fixed and the bills that need to be paid, …
How To Create An Attitude of Gratitude In Children
Psychologist Dr Melanie Woodfield on how to foster an attitude of gratitude and encourage contentment in our children Gratitude. It’s a concept I was first introduced to as a teenager while watching Oprah. That influential woman suggested we all …
Creative discipline when kids are messy
Try these creative discipline ideas when your children are messy. by Lisa Whelchel If you're looking for ways to get your kids to clean up after themselves, try these ideas: Here's a solution for a perpetually messy bedroom: Explain to your …
Chore reward cards
Want a fun and easy way to get your little ones earning pocket money? Download and print this free chore card system. They get a tick or hole punch for each chore that you ask them to do. Once the chore card is full they earn $2. You can make it …
five ways to teach kids kindness
We all want to raise our kids to be caring people who think of others. We can start this from an early age by showing them how to do little things that can grow into bigger things. This might be volunteering at the City Mission or at a local rest …
Set The Scene For Good Behaviour
Children aren’t always the pliable, amendable creatures we’d like them to be, but as Miriam McCaleb writes, with love and clear limits, life can run more smoothly. It all started in my local library. It’s open-plan so sound travels. On this …
Discipline strategies
If your little cherub is more tearaway than treasure, fear not! Help is at hand in the form of simple but effective discipline strategies, writes psychologist Dr Melanie Woodfield. Many psychologists believe that behaviour, whether it's "good" or …
What do I do when my child says "no" to dinner?
OHbaby! sleep expert Dorothy Waide, who is also a baby and toddler consultant, comes up with solutions for those troublesome behavioural problems that are so common among preschoolers. Question: You've just served dinner so you say to your child, …
How can I stop my child throwing things at me from the backseat?
OHbaby! sleep expert Dorothy Waide, who is also a baby and toddler consultant, comes up with solutions for those troublesome behavioural problems that are so common among preschoolers. And some are not just annoying, they're downright …
Is yelling the new smacking?
What's the alternative to yelling at the kids when you want them to do as they're told? Parenting children at any stage can be a real challenge. From the toddler who throws a lay-flat-on-the-floor-and-cry tantrum to the brother and sister who won’t …