My daughter of just 20 months has developed a fear of the vacuum cleaner. I am not sure what started this but now she will scream when the cleaner is turned on. How do I get her to realise that there is nothing to be afraid of? I have to get the house cleaned so should I just keep vacuuming in front of her?  Is this sort of behaviour normal? Small children often develop fears about all kinds of things. It is a quite normal part of development.   Learning how to deal with your child’s fear in a sympathetic and understanding way is an important part of motherhood. Most irrational…

My 15mth son has begun to clamp his mouth shut when it is time to brush his teeth. I am beginning to dread getting my son ready for bed as he just refuses to have his teeth brushed. He will open his mouth for me and then clamps tightly shut onto the brush and wont let me do a thing. He thinks it is hilarious and shakes his head from side to side with a big grin on his face. When he first began to do this I did laugh with him but now I am not sure how to get him to stop this each and every evening. I…

We have emigrated and my baby’s development is regressing Please help… we emigrated to Australia four weeks ago with our 9 month old son, and despite seeming to be happy he does seem to have gone backwards in his development. He was finger feeding quite confidently before we left, and now he refuses to put any food in his mouth at all, although he will put an empty spoon in his mouth, and in my mouth. He is happy to eat finger foods, i.e. toast, fruit etc and is eating quite lumpy food, but I have to feed it to him. When we first arrived here we put him straight…

How can I get my nine-month daughter Kate to be less wary of people? How can I get my nine-month daughter Kate to be less wary of people? We live in a small village, which is a close and friendly community. Until about a month ago, Kate would smile happily at everyone, but now she turns her head away when people speak to her. My neighbour, whom Kate has known since birth, would love to look after her occasionally, but Kate just wants to be beside me the whole time. I tried leaving Kate last week for an hour, but it was a disaster and in the end I brought…

My 6 month old is not properly sitting yet and is unable to amuse herself for long My daughter who is just over 6 months old does not sit well alone. She seems bored and frustrated within minutes of being put down on her play mat. Often she will hold a toy for a few minutes, suck it and then look for something else as though she is bored with everything she has. It isn’t long before she is grizzling and wants to be picked up. What sort of toys should she now be having and what can I do to help her be more independent? Getting your daughter to…

My son, who is almost eight months old, is making no attempt to crawl yet. Should I be concerned about this and is there anything I can do to encourage him? He sits quite well on his own, but has never really enjoyed being on his tummy. I appreciate that, once he is crawling, a few changes will have to take place around the home to prevent accidents. What things should I be aware of? You can find ways to encourage your son to crawl, but only when he is physically ready to do so. Crawling is a milestone, which comes once sitting alone has been mastered, and usually occurs…

I have been told to place my newborn baby on her tummy on a daily basis. Why do I need to do this, as she does not seem to enjoy it? I keep being told I should give my 6 week old son some time on his tummy each day. Why is this and how will it help him? When I tried this with him he looked really uncomfortable. I thought babies were always supposed to be on their backs. With the current recommendations to let babies sleep on their backs, doctors and health professionals have begun to notice slight developmental delays in rolling, sitting and crawling in a lot…

How do I get my baby of almost six months to sit on her own without toppling? How can I get my baby to sit alone safely? Even with cushions on the floor, I am afraid she will topple and hurt her head. Do I wait until she is ready? A baby’s muscles are developing from birth. Control starts with the head and moves down the trunk until the body is strong enough to be supported in the sitting position. To help your daughter sit unaided, she needs plenty of practice and encouragement from you. Spending lots of time on her tummy will help her lift her neck and strengthen…

My son of 3.5 mths seems unable to hold a toy in his hand yet. Should I be concerned? Matthew, who is three and a half months old, seems unable to hold anything in his hands yet. He has plenty of rattles and toys, but drops them soon after we have put them into his hand. Nor does he look for a toy once it has fallen to the floor. Is this normal? When will he be able to play with toys by himself? At birth, Matthew had an innate grasping reflex. You will probably recall how he held on to your little finger with an intense grip. At that…

When can I expect my 5 week old baby to smile at us? When can I expect my 5 week old baby to smile at us? I am sure he does smile but my mother dismisses it as wind. At times I feel he does look at me knowing who I am but no smile shows so maybe he is not really sure who we are yet. You are probably right in thinking that he does already look at you with recognition in his eyes, as many babies do this before they learn how to control their facial muscles to form a smile. The kind of smiles your mother dismisses…