25-03-09, 07:25 PM
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bad habits and behaviors in children
What do I need to know about bad habits and behaviors in children?
Parents find many habits and behaviors of their children annoying. When you want to change an unwanted behavior, it helps to first understand why your child is doing it. Often bad habits are just a coping strategy. Your child may fall back on these behaviors when they are stressed, bored, tired, frustrated, unhappy, insecure, or falling asleep. Many of these “bad” habits are calming and soothing to the child.
Most of the time, these behaviors are just “phases” or habits—not serious medical problems—and the child typically outgrows them. Managing them can be difficult, however. In general, you should ignore bad habits. Yelling, calling attention to the habit and punishment do not usually work to stop the behavior (and may even increase it!), but praise, positive rewards, and patience are likely to help.
What about thumb and finger sucking and pacifiers?
There are different types of sucking kids might do their infancy and childhood. Thumb and finger sucking typically starts in the first few months of life. Many babies outgrow it well before their first birthday, and most stop by age five years due to peer pressure. Other sucking objects include pacifiers and blankets. (Get some tips on choosing a safe pacifier from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP).
Sucking has a soothing, calming effect, and often helps kids get to sleep. However, it may become worrisome when the permanent teeth start coming in (around age five) if the sucking alters the shape of the child's teeth, palate or bite. Get more information on this from the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry. For more tips on how to help your child quit sucking,
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