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The Thoughtful Parent
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Notes on Parenting
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- April 26, 2011
- 11:11 AM
- 181 views
Fussy Babies and Later Behavior: Complex Results
by Amy Webb in The Thoughtful Parent
If you are the parent of an especially fussy or colicky baby, you may wonder whether their temperament at this early age is a sign of later behavior problems. Well, this a perfect case to illustrate the complex science that is the study of child development. A recent study out of Europe showed that babies who have "regulatory problems" (e.g., persistent crying, difficulty eating or sleeping) were more likely to have childhood behavioral problems such as ADHD and aggression. This study was a meta........ Read more »
Hemmi MH, Wolke D, & Schneider S. (2011) Associations between problems with crying, sleeping and/or feeding in infancy and long-term behavioural outcomes in childhood: a meta-analysis. Archives of disease in childhood. PMID: 21508059
- April 18, 2011
- 09:16 AM
- 580 views
What is the Goal of Preschool?
by Amy Webb in Notes on Parenting
Have you ever wondered what the goal of preschool really is? Honestly, I never spent much time pondering this question until recently. Even as a graduate student in child development, I do not remember this issue being discussed much in any of my classes. Now that my son is approaching two years old, however, and I have begun to consider if or when we might enroll him in preschool, I have started delving into the issue a little more. One of the first things I discovered when learning about pre........ Read more »
Bonawitz E, Shafto P, Gweon H, Goodman ND, Spelke E, & Schulz L. (2011) The double-edged sword of pedagogy: Instruction limits spontaneous exploration and discovery. Cognition. PMID: 21216395
- March 29, 2011
- 11:28 AM
- 479 views
I'm Just Tired: Children's Sleep and the Socioeconomic Status Achievement Gap
by Amy Webb in The Thoughtful Parent
Finally, a new post! Sorry for not posting lately but we have had a lot of family activities going on. Spring time in Texas is prime time for outdoor activities before the 100+ degrees of summer hits. Now, on to the research...We all know sleep is important, especially for children. A recent study showed that missing just one hour of sleep can reduce a child's cognitive abilities the next day by almost 2 years. For example, a 5th grader who misses sleep the night before, may perform like a 3rd g........ Read more »
Buckhalt, J. (2011) Insufficient Sleep and the Socioeconomic Status Achievement Gap. Child Development Perspectives, 5(1), 59-65. DOI: 10.1111/j.1750-8606.2010.00151.x
- January 4, 2011
- 11:37 AM
- 368 views
Mr. Sandman Bring Me a...Smart Kid?
by Amy Webb in The Thoughtful Parent
As parents we know that sleep is important for our kids and ourselves. One of the biggest struggles many parents face is getting their little ones to sleep through the night consistently. Many times, we may think this is a selfish goal since that means we will get more sleep too, but new research is showing once again that nighttime sleep is important for young children's cognitive development. This study appeared in a recent edition of the journal Child Development and was conducted by research........ Read more »
Bernier A, Carlson SM, Bordeleau S, & Carrier J. (2010) Relations between physiological and cognitive regulatory systems: infant sleep regulation and subsequent executive functioning. Child development, 81(6), 1739-52. PMID: 21077861
- November 30, 2010
- 11:23 AM
- 457 views
The Moral Mind of Toddlers
by Amy Webb in The Thoughtful Parent
We, as parents, all want to encourage the moral development of our children. From a young age, we teach our children to help other people, share their toys, etc. Of course, for very young children, this is often a challenge because they simply lack the cognitive development to be able to understand events from another person's perspective or understand another's feelings. New research, however, is showing that toddlers as young as 3 years old are quite developed and discriminating in their under........ Read more »
Vaish A, Carpenter M, & Tomasello M. (2010) Young children selectively avoid helping people with harmful intentions. Child development, 81(6), 1661-9. PMID: 21077854
- November 2, 2010
- 11:34 AM
- 452 views
Language Skills Help Boys Develop Self-Regulation
by Amy Webb in The Thoughtful Parent
Many a parent of a toddler has encouraged their child to "use your words" in dealing with a problem or request, instead of crying, acting out, or whining. It turns out that teaching toddlers to "use their words" is especially useful in helping boys develop self-regulation. A recent study published in Early Childhood Research Quarterly found that language skills are more important in the development of self-regulation skills in young boys than young girls.The study looked at children as they deve........ Read more »
Claire Vallotton, & Catherine Ayoub. (2010) Use your words: The role of language in the development of toddlers' self-regulation. Early Childhood Research Quarterly. info:/
- September 30, 2010
- 10:34 AM
- 528 views
Children's Media Use and Achievement
by Amy Webb in The Thoughtful Parent
With the increase in electronic media in recent years, many parents are wondering what the effects might be of media use on the children--especially on their academic achievement. Many new media (e.g., computer games, websites, etc.) claim to have educational benefits, but in many cases they do seem to displace old-fashioned educational activities like reading books or playing board games. There is no scarcity of research on this topic, but a recent study in the journal Child Development caught ........ Read more »
Hofferth SL. (2010) Home media and children's achievement and behavior. Child development, 81(5), 1598-619. PMID: 20840243
- August 17, 2010
- 11:34 AM
- 471 views
Infant Sleep and Parental Responsiveness
by Amy Webb in The Thoughtful Parent
Since becoming a parent, sleep has become a major issue in my life. Probably like many of you other parents out there, I was somewhat unprepared for months of interrupted sleep and how this would affect my overall well-being. Once my son was born, I began reading everything I could get my hands on about infant/childhood sleep in an effort to understand how to get my son to sleep better. This was not only a selfish endeavor, of course, as I knew he needed good sleep and it obviously made him feel........ Read more »
Teti, D., Kim, B., Mayer, G., & Countermine, M. (2010) Maternal emotional availability at bedtime predicts infant sleep quality. Journal of Family Psychology, 24(3), 307-315. DOI: 10.1037/a0019306
- March 15, 2010
- 10:08 PM
- 570 views
Yes, the Little Things Matter: Parents' Role in Helping Kids Become Socially Competent
by Amy Webb in The Thoughtful Parent
Parents out there you know how it goes: you play the same game over and over again with your toddler or you help them put together a puzzle. This is the daily "stuff" of parenting and you may feel it doesn't make a difference. Well, turns out, it does make a difference! A recent study from the University of Montreal and the University of Minnesota shows that how parents interact with young children helps them develop crucial cognitive skills. Here's a brief overview of the study:- researchers st........ Read more »
Bernier, A., Carlson, S., & Whipple, N. (2010) From External Regulation to Self-Regulation: Early Parenting Precursors of Young Children’s Executive Functioning. Child Development, 81(1), 326-339. DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-8624.2009.01397.x
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