My son of 14 months has begun to throw tantrums when he is told he may not do something. He also seems to ignore the word “No” both at home and nursery, returning to what he was trying to do even when he has been moved away. My son of 14 months is becoming very strong-willed and determined to get his own way. When he tries to do something, such as empty the fridge, and is stopped he throws himself backwards onto the ground screaming with rage. If I catch him about to do something such as fiddle with the video controls and say his name followed with “No” he…

My daughter of 15mths has little speech but one word she uses constantly is “no”. She will say this when either asked to do something, or told to stop doing something. At first it seemed quite amusing but now I feel as if every day is battle of wills from the moment she gets up. How can I get her to have a more positive response to things? Or is this just a phase? This is just one of the many different phases of your child’s normal development.  She has now reached the age where she is beginning to assert herself emotionally, physically and verbally and is gradually learning the…

I have a very boisterous 15-month-old girl and she is quite strong willed! How do you approach discipline at this age? For instance when we go to toddlers’ group she just runs in and pulls everything off the shelves; each time I ask her to stop she just runs to something else. She doesn’t seem to be able to concentrate on anything for any period of time. At 15 months old your daughter’s concentration skills are just beginning to form as well as her social skills. Remember for her everything is new and just needs to be explored and she does need time to do this, however, quite rightly, you…

My daughter Harriet is 13-months-old and sometimes gets really scared of other people – not only strangers, but sometimes friends of mine whom she has met several times before. She looks at them fearfully and bursts into tears. Today we went to a singing group for the fourth time. The first two times were OK but the next two occasions we had to leave after ten minutes because she just wouldn’t stop crying and it was rather embarrassing. Once a week she stays for a couple of hours with a friend who has a son the same age. She has been going there for two months and she still becomes…

How do I get my 10mth old son to stop screaming? It is affecting our whole life My son has always been a very happy and easy baby. However, there is one major problem that has caused endless tension and countless arguments between my husband and me. Basically, he likes to scream (a very high pitched horror film style scream). He seems to do it when he is excited, tired, hungry, dirty, bored, frustrated or in need of attention. It started when he was about 4 1/2 mths old and I was adamant it was just a phase that he would soon grow out of. I have always been able…

At 11mths my daughter is able to use spouted beakers for both milk and water. Lately she has started to drop or throw her cup after taking a small amount at milk feeds having previously taken these well. How do I deal with this behaviour? We introduced beakers to my daughter, who is now 11mths following the guidelines. She took to them well, and is now only having a bottle once a day at bedtime. She uses non-spill Tommee Tippee cups both with and without handles. She has always been inclined to drop her water beaker at mealtimes, and recently she has also started to drop her cup whilst it…

My nine-month-old twins have become extremely vocal in the last couple of weeks. My little girl makes most of the noise but my son is beginning to copy her. She has developed an ear splitting scream and continually blows raspberries. The twins are clearly enjoying communicating in this way, although it does contribute to rather messy mealtimes. It is hard not be amused by my daughter’s animation, and I assume it is just a phase but at what age should I begin to be “responsible” for my babies’ behaviour? They’re such happy babies that I don’t want to stop them from expressing themselves and being lively, but equally I don’t…

At 10.5mths my son is very clingy, especially when we are alone together I wonder of there is any advice you could give to help my baby form being wingey and clingy. He hangs onto my legs if I am washing up etc and wants to be picked up most of the time. He is very active and enjoys being around his older brother and he likes going to play centers. But when we are at home he just wants my constant attention, more so in the mornings whether there is anyone around or not. Have you any tips? At this stage in your son’s development he will become very…

Is there an ‘ideal’ age gap between first and second children? When would you recommend having our second child? Is there an ‘ideal’ age gap? Our first baby is now five months old. There is no simple answer to this question as everyone’s personal situation will be different. Before deciding when to try to have your second baby you will need to think about the pros and cons of having a smaller gap against having a larger one. Some factors to consider are your age, whether you conceived easily with your first (not something that can be relied upon) and your personal circumstances as regards finances, housing, family support and…

What is the best way stay on the routines when flying to Australia for three weeks with 10 week old twins? At Christmas time we are going to Australia, from the UK for three weeks. My twin girls will be 10 weeks when we leave. I have tried very hard to follow the routines and I am not only petrified that about the flight, but also scared that they will get off the routines. How is it best to do this travel? I am thinking about not going! It is a daunting prospect of flying this far with one baby, let alone two, but not impossible. A baby works on…