Tips for filling your toddlers 'love tank'
Ensuring your little one heads off to childcare with a 'full connection tank' and then refilling it once home, can do the …
Parenting toddlers
10 tips for welcoming a new sibling
Who can blame a first-born child for stroppy behaviour when faced with a tiny bawling bundle who takes all your mummy's …
Tips for helping your child manage their emotions
Emotions happen whether in response to the day-to-day (“It’s disappointing that we can’t go to the playground because of the rain”) or the once-in-a-lifetime (the death of a grandparent). Sooner or later children will learn that the world can be a …
Interview with Clinical Psychologist: mindful screen time use
OHbaby! founder Angela Pederson interviews Clinical Psychologist, author, mother of three, and host of the OHbaby! Mindful Parenting Course, Chantal Hoftsee to discuss mindful screen time use with our kids. Mindfulness The concept of …
Just how honest should you be with your children?
Santa, the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy are childhood institutions - but are we right in letting our children believe in them, or are we setting them up for a fall? Here, two mums explain their opposing viewpoints on just how honest we should be …
Here's an easy way to make your child feel cherished
When your child talks to you, do you take the time to stop and listen, or are you too busy doing other things to really hear what they're trying to communicate to you? Liz Donnelly explains how to listen with your heart as well as your ears. …
Key steps to raising sons from happy boys to confident men
Boys and girls are different - not only physically, but psychologically, and emotionally too. Psychologist Steve Biddulph insists that our approach to parenting boys also needs to be different. In this edited extract from the book Raising Boys, he …
Does your little one suffer from separation anxiety?
When a toddler goes to daycare or kindergarten, separation anxiety can make life miserable for both parents and children. But it isn't such a bad thing. Here are some coping strategies to make the transition easier on the whole family. Separation …
Sibling rivalry - shouldn't they just get along?
We all dream of our children being the best of friends, but the reality can look very different. Clinical psychologist, Chantal Hofstee unpacks the why behind sibling rivalry and explains that the answer is closer than you think. Think back to …
How to talk about body parts & more with your kids
Knowing how and when to broach certain subjects with our children can be tricky. Sex therapist, Jo Robertson shares how to talk about bodies, consent, sex & more. As parents we get the phenomenal (and terrifying) job of helping form our …
How can we raise a creative child?
Want to raise a creative child? Psychologist Dr Melanie Woodfield explains how to stimulate a toddler's imagination. Kids are naturally imaginative. It's their curiosity about the world, lateral thinking and unconventional problem-solving that …
10 tricks to taming toddler tantrums
Cinical psychologist Dr Melanie Woodfield gives us an insight into the mind of a toddler and shares her top ten tips of the trade. Toddlers are tempestuous wee things – calm and sunny one moment, and stormy the next. But when toddlers have a …
How to encourage sharing & turn-taking
Child education expert Miriam McCaleb on how to encourage sharing and turn-taking in your children. Picture this: it’s Saturday afternoon and a couple of families have got together to enjoy some leisure time. Snacks have been provided, drinks …
How to parent little people with big feelings
Toddlers and their big feelings can create a battlefield. Colin Gruetzmacher discovers the power of words to bring peace into the family home. You know that moment when you’re searching for a word and it just doesn’t show up? It’s so frustrating …
Navigating bedtime battles, big emotions and more!
As a senior family coach at Parenting Place, Jenny Hale knows a thing or two about bedtime battles and big emotions when it comes to navigating toddlerhood. Here she shares a few pearls of wisdom from her new book, Kind, Firm, Calm. There is no …
Imaginary play - Healthy or harmful?
The land of make-believe is the best destination for the world 's future novelists, scientists and inventors, writes Rochelle Gillespie. One of the joys of parenting is that little moment when you realise you have front-row tickets to the greatest …
The benefits of raising bilingual babies
Sarah Tennant talks to four Kiwi families whose homes have more than one language. Eleven-month-old Kien Jeoi technically doesn’t speak even one language yet, let alone two. But her mother Maria, who hopes Kien Jeoi will learn to speak her native …
How to grow great flatmates
For mamas raising the next generation, Miriam McCaleb has an insightful message that your future self will thank you for reading! Beautiful Millennial Mamas: I am here from the future to deliver an important message. In a way I am you, but with …
Praising kids: hot air or powerful parenting?
Is praise just a whole lot of hot air, or are warm fuzzies a powerful parenting tool? Psychologist Dr Melanie Woodfield examines the kudos of commendation. There are some unruly members of the parenting family. ‘Time-out’ is known for stirring up …
Four things I'm cherishing while my child is still little
Toddlerhood goes by all too fast! Pregnant with her second baby, Fiona Roberton is cherishing the quirky, funny and just plain cute things her toddler does during this precious time. My little girl continually surprises me with the things she says …
Alternative toddler milestones that really make mamas proud
Fiona Roberton reflects on some of the more untraditional toddler milestones that mamas – and probably only mamas – would celebrate. My husband and I were the first couple in our antenatal group to have our baby, even missing the final session …
Life lessons from a stay-at-home mum
Renee Murphy outlines the vital life-lessons she learned while at home with her two rambunctious boys. Dress up when you leave the house While you can’t beat trackpants, slippers and a sloppy joe sweater for comfort, you do need to ditch the …
Why now is a good time for story time
Storytime is a childhood sweet spot. Hannah Davison explores the power of picture books and why we should try and say ‘yes’ to that inevitable request for ‘Just one more!?’. We’re so often reminded how good reading is for our children’s brains, and …
Tips for making it through those toddler years
With research suggesting stay-at-home mums are twice as likely to suffer depression as those who head off to work, Hannah Denton asks what you can do to spice up life at home with a toddler. Auckland stay-at-home mum of three, Shannon Hayden, can …
The first 1000 days PART FOUR: toddlerdom and beyond
This is the fourth and final article in our series on the first 1000 days of life. Research has proven this a critical and unparalleled window of time with lifelong influence on an individual’s growth, brain development and relationships. Here we …
Paws for thought: does your little one need a pet?
Sarah Tennant weighs in on the ‘shall we get a pet’ debate. Some consider pets a childhood rite of passage, but there are several schools of thought when it comes to combining animals and children. The first approach is the ‘baby’s best friend’ …
Switch off your autopilot and live in the moment
The parenting journey walks a fine line between helpful routines and morale-challenging treadmill mileage. Gretchen Carroll explores ways to get out of a rut. Routine is important in a child’s life. It provides a sense of security and can help …
Is it time up for time-out?
What do you do when faced with unacceptable behaviour? While ‘time-out’ has long been touted as an effective disciplinary tool, Dr Melanie Woodfield re-visits the theory behind it. You may have missed it while making cheese toasties, but a debate …
Toddler talk
Trying to find out what your toddler is really thinking can be difficult. Dr Melanie Woodfield explains some simple strategies that you can use to open up the lines of communication. Having a real conversation with a child of any age can be a …
Help your child adjust to life with a sibling
Toddlers can find the arrival of another small person in their world rather challenging – sharing the stage is not always easy! Here are five ways to help your child adjust to life with a sibling: 1 Let your older child choose a present to give …
The world can be scary, but teaching kids resilience will help!
Have you ever wished you could just pause life while you regain control, change something, or even rewind a certain period and start it again? Wouldn’t that be great?! Unfortunately, we just have deal with life in all its different situations and …
The power of parenting: nature vs nurture
With regards to our children's personalities, what comes pre-packaged and what can be shaped? Dr Melanie Woodfield examines the case of nature vs nurture. Pick any of the ‘big ticket’ human characteristics and you’ll find heated debate around the …
Reward chart
Download and print a reward chart: simply click on one of the charts below to open it as a PDF. How to use your reward chart Step one: What behaviour do you want to change? You may already have a few behaviours in mind that you want to …
How to: prepare your little one for a hospital visit
Hospital visits and medical procedures are facts of life. Hannah Davison shares expert advice to help you prepare and navigate in these unsettling times. An apple a day keeps the doctor away – but it doesn’t really, does it? It’s something no …
What is my toddler thinking?
Tiny toddlers can express some big emotions. Psychologist Melanie Woodfield shares four thoughts on what might be going on inside our little ones’ minds. Me first When parenting young children, it's crucial to remember that toddlers are egocentric …
How to: empower your toddler for daily living
Fostering a love of learning is a gift we can all give our children. Early childhood advisor Kirsty Foster offers tips on how to empower our little ones with creative thinking and independence. Toddlers are inquisitive little people, bursting with …
Tantrum taming tips
Alexia Santamaria spoke to human behavioural specialist and author Dr John Demartini about toddlers and their tempers. Toddler temper tantrums are the bane of most parents' lives. A seemingly smooth morning can turn into an international incident …
Spending time with small children
Modern parents are constantly pressured by expectations placed on early childhood learning. How much time should we spend interacting with our toddlers? Are our children smothered by too much attention? Angela Frieswyk looks for answers. Exhausted …
Why we need to banish the term 'terrible twos'
Who are you calling terrible? Are you expecting too much from your toddler? Take a deep breath and read Miriam McCaleb's words of wisdom on how to parent a willful two year old. What gives, New Zealand? What makes us think it's acceptable to …
Toddlers, tantrums & tricky behaviour
OHbaby! expert and clinical psychologist Dr Melanie Woodfield answers your questions about dealing with tantrums and tricky behaviour. …
How to: get your toddler to help with chores
While toddlers may not be your first choice for hired help, Grace Cormack finds that little kids can be taught how to help with chores — with plenty of patience and practise. Teaching toddlers to do chores may seem like an impossible chore in …
6 ways to ditch the dummy
So you gave your child a dummy. No judgement here. But there will come a time when you may need help to break the habit. Hannah Davison lays out some strategies. It’s a known fact that a select few people will hover around the fruit and vege …
Are our playgrounds too safe?
The local playground should set the scene for adventure, but are risk-averse design and 'cookie-cutter' equipment restricting our children's ability to fully get the most out of play? Grace Cormack investigates. How do we keep our kids safe in the …
Five wonderful things I did with my preschoolers
It’s a big day when your baby finishes kindy. It’s another big day when she starts school! All in all, it’s a big week. Emotions? These are big too. Writing things down is helping. I’ve written a lot lately - mostly lists. Shopping lists, to-do …
The link between biology and behaviour
As we all suspected, there's more to toddler tantrums and mummy meltdowns than meets the eye. Dr Melanie Woodfield shares six findings that highlight the link between biology and behaviour. One of the first things I was taught in my clinical …
How to: Say sorry
Simple words, yet such a big concept for our little people to understand. Dr Melanie Woodfield offers five tips to help teach children the art of apologising. He pushed her over, but doesn’t even care!”, “Why won’t she just say sorry?!”, “Sometimes …
Screen time - How much is too much?
Living in a world increasingly distracted by screens, Alice Cranfield wonders what our youngest viewers are taking in, and whether or not we should be worried. Figuring out how to monitor our toddlers' screen time can be tricky. It’s a …
10 things my toddler taught me
Toddlers are sponges, absorbing information even as they sleep.They’re also brilliant teachers and we could all learn from their outlook on life. …
Disney princesses & their effect on our daughters
Who is the fairest of them all? Many little girls dream of being a princess, but Sarah Tennant asks if the Disney marketing machine is setting our daughters up for a life lived not so happily ever after. Quick, name a princess. If you answer …
Embarrassing toddlers
Oh, the shame! It's enough to make you hide at home until your child reaches the sensible age of 10. Lisa Glass reveals the seven most embarrassing habits of toddlers and preschoolers and how to deal with them Remember before you had children? …
Scientific parenting
Learn the science behind parenting advice and enjoy a more harmonious home life, writes educator and child advocate Miriam McCaleb Mothers-in-law aren't the only ones giving advice to new mothers. Modern parents have access to a dizzying array: …
Taking sides - birthday parties
All partied out by Liz Breslin I'm all for kids feeling special on their special days. And a birthday is pretty much the only day that is all about you (unless your mother was inconsiderate enough to give birth to twins, as I was). But I'm not …
Parenting through seperation
When parents separate, it can be especially difficult for children. Psychologist Pauline Ogilvy explains how communication can help to make the transition as stress-free as possible. Separation is a turbulent time for adults and children. Not …
Love for love's sake
Showing your child unconditional love is the key to raising a confident, self-assured individual, explains Angela Smith. Children naturally want to play, and it doesn't take much to elicit smiles on their faces. They remind us to live in the …
Avoiding mealtime problems
Family/whanau gathering around the dinner table remains an important part of our social fabric. It is an opportunity for family members to share their day's experiences, enjoy each other's company and join in the planning of family activities. For …
