A preschooler’s wet bed is more common than you think.  

Are you dreading your preschooler’s first sleepover invite, because he still wears a nappy?  Take heart. Bedwetting is so common that there are probably other kids in your child’s class who bedwet and whose parents keep it a secret too.  Here are expert answers to the questions you may be too embarrassed to ask.

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Santa Clara County officials vote to ban toys and other promotions that come with high-calorie children’s meals.

After a contentious meeting between parents and restaurant owners, the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors voted in favor of banning the Happy Meal in Silicon Valley restaurants.

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Get your child ready for that first movie theater experience.

Is your little one ready for the big screen? You may remember your first time in a dark, cavernous theater as a thrilling experience, but for a preschooler, it might be overwhelming, even traumatic.  Much of this first foray into the movie theatre will also depend on your child’s temperament, interests and quirks.

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Children’s food allergies are unpredictable, and misinterpreting them could be deadly. Learn to separate fact from fiction.

MYTH:  Children are allergic to any kind of food that causes a negative reaction.

FACT: Many negative food reactions are unrelated to food allergies and are simply food sensitivities.  True food allergies are not as common as people think and only affect 2% of children.

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Teasing can bruise young egos. Help your child tackle teasing without turning her into a tattletale or perpetual victim.

The preschool years is a time when kids grow more sensitive to individual differences. As children grow up and interact with others, inevitably, there will be conflict.  The schoolyard and the playground are melting pots for kids of all shapes, sizes and persuasions.  As your child opens her world up to more kids and more diverse types of kids, teasing will be part of life, and there is no way to prevent it.

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Family meals ease anxiety — and asthma as well.

Family mealtime is great for many things… including better outcomes for children with asthma. U.S. researchers found children’s asthma symptoms decrease if their families have regular mealtimes together.

Barbara H. Fiese, director of the University of Illinois Family Resiliency Center, said family members play an important role in helping children emotionally manage their asthma symptoms.

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Because a well-rested child is a happy, healthy child.

A good night’s sleep is crucial for anyone — especially babies, toddlers and preschoolers. If your child sleeps well, he will have better immune function and healthy growth. Did you know that growth hormones are only produced during sleep? That’s what our pediatrician tells us. Sleep affects behavior too. Kids who are sleep-deprived are cranky, impatient, distractible and do poorly in school.

Sticking to a good bedtime routine is key to developing healthy sleep habits. Start them young and be consistent. We’ll tell you how.

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Talk to me please!

I ask my 5-year-old son how was school today? Do I get a long answer about his latest science investigation? How about a detailed account of the playground drama for the day? Nope. Apparently, getting your child to talk with you entails refining our communication approach.

Dr. Atilla Ceranoglu is a child psychiatrist at Harvard Medical School and an expert in parent-child communication. She emphasizes how important it is to have satisfying conversations with your child — as soon as your child learns to speak. “Talking to children from early on keeps both child and parent attuned to one another. It is solid preparation for the more stormy, tumultuous days of adolescence,” explains Dr. Ceranoglu.

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What makes them so sensitive, can also make them do so well.

As a baby, my son couldn’t stand the sound of the vacuum cleaner. A noisy blender would scare him to tears. When he was 2-years-old, I thought all kids loved carousels so I took him for a ride. He hated it. He wailed and begged to get off even if he was on my lap as we were riding a coach. Every strange noise, every new experience was met with trepidation.

My daughter was a bit different. Strange sounds were met more with curiosity than fear, but she was even more clingy than her also-clingy big brother. She was adventurous in the play ground, she made friends, but before getting that way she needed a long warm-up period.

A few years later and my little neurotics are now happy, well-adjusted preschoolers. Though I do notice they are essentially still cautious, still sensitive to everything and everyone around them. Still slow to warm. I had accepted these traits as part of their nature,  although it can make parties and play dates more difficult for me. Little did I know, that such sensitive children may actually have an advantage over their more easy going, gregarious peers. At least that’s what research tells us.

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Help! My baby bumped his head!

I cannot forget the first time my first child bumped his head hard. He was about 2 years old, running around the house, when he smacked into the corner of a wall. Within minutes, his forehead had a bump the size of a golf ball. He was hysterical too. I called our pediatrician, sure that my son needed and x-ray. My pediatrician actually just told me to relax… and observe my son before rushing to the emergency room. We have  a simple guide on how you can tell if that bump needs medical attention or just some ice, hugs and kisses.

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