Christine Tranchina has been in practice for 27 years, working with families, children, parents and general relationship issues. Her early training first took her to a state funded Family Crisis Center where she worked with families and their children. read more

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Sign In to Ask a Question Page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8   child development expert   Thread Posted by Replies Views Date   how long to play with a six week old Question I'm a first time parent My little girl just turned six weeks and she sleeps on average 3 hours(4 during the night) When she is awake she is either fussy or sleepy I try to engage in play she doesn’t like the cradle swing with music and butterflies or the moving mobile playing classical music the moment I put her near them she starts squirming and crying She also doesn’t react to the sound of her name said by me even though she responds to other sounds like phone ringing or something falling Sometimes when she’s calm and alert I feel bad if she’s lying and looking at the ceiling without any stimulation When I pick her up she turns her head and looks away and only sometimes she glances at me Is it all normal and how I can start engaging her in play Answer duzapolska 1 402 4/4/08 5:32 am   baby care Question Hi I am a single mom and  I need to go back to work full time I can't afford babysitter like Merry Popins and in my area there are cheap option like mom with baby taking care of my baby in her home for about 200 /week Or there are few daycare centers for about the same amount Which do you think would be better My concern is thet in day care she (my baby) wouldn't get so much attention becaouse of all the kids and she loves people She practicly stays on my arm all day and when I am putting her down she cries and I don't want her to feel let down But on the other hand they are profesional and mam with kid  well is verry experience but that is like hireing teenager as babysitter for older kids But with mom there will be just 2 3 kids counting my SO I am verry confused PLEASE HELP I don't want to leave my baby in first place but economy is forcing me to and since I have to do that I want her to have good care And will she won't forget me Will she still smiles everytime she sees me Answer Tweety 1 356 4/2/08 10:24 am   Potty Training! Question My daughter just turned 3 and we are in the process of potty training her we will sit her on the potty for quite a while and still nothing she never pees in the potty its almost like shes waiting until she gets off of it to go We as parents are very new to this and really are lost ive tried talking to other people about how they potty trained their children and really no one talks enough into it Im seriously lost in this situation and the whole family is looking to me to get her out of diapers my only concern is that i am in school most of the day as is her father is there anything that we can do to help us potty train her even with such a busy schedule Answer Evilsnowflake 3 452 1/31/08 11:20 pm   2 year old has trouble falling asleep Question Our daughter is 2 1/2 Up until a few months ago she was sleeping well on a schedule from 7pm 7:30am with a nap from 12noon 1:30 For the last few months she has had a really hard time falling asleep at 7pm Lately she just sits in there and talks to herself for about an hour or so before getting quiet We thought maybe she was ready to stay up later because 7pm is pretty early so we were keeping her up to 7:30 but then she was still taking over an hour to fall asleep and was tired and grumpy the next day Should we be keeping her up later Should we scold her for talking quietly and singing when she is supposed to be sleeping or not I make a point of waking her between 7 and 7:30am and getting her up by 1:30pm after nap so she will be able to sleep at bedtime When I go to wake her she is sound asleep and tired Should I be letting her sleep later and then stay up later Not sure what to do Thanks for your time Answer Susan 1 311 3/20/08 3:20 pm   RealSavvyMoms.com Mesage Boards Question Our daughter is 2 1/2 Up until a few months ago she was sleeping well on a schedule from 7pm 7:30am with a nap from 12noon 1:30 For the last few months she has had a really hard time falling asleep at 7pm Lately she just sits in there and talks to herself for about an hour or so before getting quiet We thought maybe she was ready to stay up later because 7pm is pretty early so we were keeping her up to 7:30 but then she was still taking over an hour to fall asleep and was tired and grumpy the next day Should we be keeping her up later Should we scold her for talking quietly and singing when she is supposed to be sleeping or not I make a point of waking her between 7 and 7:30am and getting her up by 1:30pm after nap so she will be able to sleep at bedtime When I go to wake her she is sound asleep and tired Should I be letting her sleep later and then stay up later Not sure what to do Thanks for your time Answer Susan 1 323 3/20/08 3:20 pm   RealSavvyMoms.com Mesage Boards Question Our daughter is 2 1/2 Up until a few months ago she was sleeping well on a schedule from 7pm 7:30am with a nap from 12noon 1:30 For the last few months she has had a really hard time falling asleep at 7pm Lately she just sits in there and talks to herself for about an hour or so before getting quiet We thought maybe she was ready to stay up later because 7pm is pretty early so we were keeping her up to 7:30 but then she was still taking over an hour to fall asleep and was tired and grumpy the next day Should we be keeping her up later Should we scold her for talking quietly and singing when she is supposed to be sleeping or not I make a point of waking her between 7 and 7:30am and getting her up by 1:30pm after nap so she will be able to sleep at bedtime When I go to wake her she is sound asleep and tired Should I be letting her sleep later and then stay up later Not sure what to do Thanks for your time Answer Susan 1 306 3/20/08 3:21 pm   my 6 week old Question What age dose baby start sleeping though the night My yongest son is starting to He dosent always wake up for feedings at night well he wakes up 1 a night Is that normal BTw if you need 2 know hes on formula Answer gkayla 1 332 3/15/08 5:56 pm   toys Question what do you suggest for 6 month old toys Answer 1 363 2/21/08 12:25 am   Swaddling Issues Question Christine my baby will be 3 months old in 2 days I have been swaddling her for sleep since birth and have had much success she seems to love sleeping while swaddled Lately since she is becoming stronger and bigger she is able to wrestle her hands free and when her hands are by her face she immediately wakes herself and is unable to sleep (cries fusses etc ) Any suggestions on how to either wean her off of swaddling or any other ideas you may have would be much appreciated I do realize that babies cannot be swaddled indefinitely and she is showing signs of recognizing her hands (ie: reaching for things sucking fists) but while she is asleep she is still waking herself up with her hands touching her face I would just like to stop swaddling gradually so as not to create huge sleep problems while while getting her used to sleeping with her hands free Answer irjohnson 1 422 2/5/08 4:32 pm   16 month old with temper tantrums! Question I really don't know how this behavior just happens but my 16 month old son started having temper tantrums around 13 months If I tell him no (when he slams his hands onto my glass china cabinet) and tell him why he shouldn't do that or when I give him his milk and he throws his binky on the floor and I ask him to pick it up and hand it to me he throws himself on the floor and screams arms going crazy in the air Once I give in and in the above situation get his binky and give him his milk he laughs and is perfectly happy Is this behavior normal in this age group or has he reach the so called "terrible two's" a lot earlier then most I watch super nanny and try to adjust the time out corner for a few seconds at a time when he does this I think he gets he did something hes not suppose to but he either gets more upset and trys to walk away or he laughs at me and thinks were playing a game Everyone says I'm crazy; that he's too young to start to disapline How can I help him to  understand "no" means "no"; that it's not a joke He's very smart and I think he is definatly learning to "get his way" already Answer Froggy's mom 1 393 2/15/08 11:49 am   ADD?? Question My daughter is 5 years old and she is in kindegarten   She is failing in class The teacher pulls her out of class 3 times a week and the therapist works with her one on one   The teacher has to tell her several times to go line up at the door etc   At our house we have to tell her the same thing several times too   Its like she hears you but it doesn't register   She has had her hearing tested and she hears fine   When we filled out a survey and so did the teacher we filled them out and gaveit to her Doctor   The symptoms are like ADHD or ADD   So he perscribed her some medicane called methylin   like ridilin   Another name for it   I am so nervous about giving it to her because there are so many side affects   The most common are not sleeping good at night and loss of appetite   WE are getting another opinion soon   What do we do   SHe won't be 6 until October   My mom and dad thinks that she is just a year behind   She really didn't talk right away either   Could watching too much tv cause ADD   Please help    Also we have a 4 month old and my mother in law watches her when we are at work and she watches tv most of the time   WIll that cause her to have ADD or ADHD   She thinks that our 4 month old likes to watch tv   THanks so much Lisa Answer Lisa 1 377 2/7/08 9:58 pm   Preschool Question Hello   I plan to send my 2 year old daughter to preschol in the fall she will be 33 months  My concern is I am expecting another child and the baby is due the end of August right around when preschool would start Do you think this would be detrimental for my daughter Answer sam 1 367 1/29/08 3:37 pm   holding her head up Question My daughter is going to be 4 months old on the 25th and she looks down alot   She won't hold her head up straight enough yet   Just once in a great while then she will put it back down again   When she is on her tummy she won't lift her head up very much   Do i need to be worried Answer Lisa 1 358 1/22/08 12:03 am   being held Question Me daughter is 4 months old and every time I put her down on the floor or in the swing etc she starts crying   She LOVES to be held   I can put her in her swing for about 15 minutes then she will get so upset What can we do   Answer Lisa 1 346 1/21/08 7:36 pm   My 8 months old Development Question I have a 8 month old son and I was wondering what kind of milestones he could be hitting now and what kind of games and activities I can play with him Im really not sure what kind of things he should be doing and your help would be greatly apprecitated Answer IssacsMum 1 391 1/16/08 2:49 pm   child custody Question Hi Chrsistina I am looking for a little advice I have a 4 year old daughter whose father was never really involved in her life when he was briefly it was not so positive and her best interest is not his he became a crack addict although it seems he has struggled with drug use way before I was aware of this he has not seen her in 3 years although a visitation order was in effect sice 04 now he is saying I'm in contempt and i certainly am not he made his own choices there are alot of negative forces behind this mostly his own mother whom herself and his sister all on and off drugs like you blink your eyes i have 4 other children all by the same man who i am back with and he has been in my daughters life from day 1 this is who she knows as her daddy and  she bonded with him immediately unlike her biological father there was never a parental bond i know family courts like to give the parent a fair chance but in this unique case how many chances can be given when emotional issues are at the forfront i know hes not taking me to court for himself but more so for his mothers wants she has taken to court also but lost because they reside in the same home how can a person think it is safe or even want to bring a child into such an enviorment that has so so much negativity going on to me this is selfish and would be devasting to my daughter who does not know these people at all this was thier choices in life not mine my choice is to spare my daughter any of this it is not only affecting me but my other children who are well aware of the situation please help Answer michelle hendrickson 1 423 1/15/08 2:03 pm   Potty Training Delay? Question My son turned 3 in October and he still has no interest in the potty I have gotten him to sit on it a few times but most of the time he gets scared as soon as I go to take his diaper off He doesn't communicate too great either he will tell us when he did go in his pants but not when he HAS to go His grandparents keep pushing the issue by going as far as fighting with us about it or yelling at him for messing his pants I am not sure if I should push the issue on him because I always felt that when hes ready he will let me know If I am right then how do I get everyone else to stop pushing it If I am wrong then what can I do to get him trained on the potty Please help Answer dorkgirl83 1 403 1/2/08 9:47 pm   bilingual children Question I read your answer and it really makes a lot of sense    Can you recomend any books and teaching tools already availble to teach spanish thanks Answer grethelita 1 395 12/22/07 11:09 pm   constipation Question my baby is one month old and is constipated she hasn't gone for today and went once yesterday how do i help her cause she is really trying hard to go HELP ME CAUSE I FEEL SO HELPLESS Answer cj 1 560 12/16/07 12:52 am   2 year old started stuttering Question My son is 2yrs 4months   The last 2 weeks I've noticed a very progressive increase in stuttering   It's getting to where it's very noticable to other people not just the typical two year old stuttering   He typically stutters on the first word of a sentence   He will stutter over the first syllable 3 12 times before the word actually gets out   This happens whenever he tells me anything whether he is excited or not   Before this began he was very verbal   He speaks in long sentences and has a very large vocabulary   I've read that this can be a normal phase but I was wondering what to look for or what makes it a problem that he should see a specialist for   Thanks for any help Answer Keegansmomma05 1 479 11/24/07 4:56 am   Growth of Brain Question My granddaughter was born not breathing and was in NICU for 17 days 8 on a ventilator   My daughter was told her brain is not growing that fast   I am curious about the Hyperbaric Oxygen treatments if anyone else is using this form of treatment and are they usually recommended   The baby seems to be responding waking more for more feedings laughing and cooing using all her limbs excitedly   She is four months old will her brain begin to grow also   Has anyone else experienced a similiar situation and if so what have the results been Answer ElenaByTheSea 1 457 11/27/07 9:34 pm   22 month old talking Question My daughter is just barely learning to talk She has been constant in her development from about one year She just points and whines When her brother was born she could say his name right off the bat but she wouldn't say anything else We know she can understand everything she says and she manages to communicate with us but when should we start to worry about development problems What is the age when we really need to push her or speak with a therapist Answer burgundyburning 1 450 11/17/07 6:24 pm   Something is wrong with my daughter??? What can I do? Question I have a 15 year old son who is very intellegent quiet mild mannered etc I have a daughter 7 who is also very intelligent loud outgoing singer demanding possessive emotional overbearing etc I am not sure what kind of things or what i am really looking for I guess I need to know that she is normal or that this will not be a step toward her becoming a uncontrollable child WE have a bit of problems with her always wanting to be with me sleeping with me only I can help with homework or tuck her in if I can convince her that she is safe in her own room I would hate to think that I am the cause of the demise Recently I took to the doctors with me to get my monthly RX and asked him what he thought of her without her knowing He agreed that there was definately a focus problem and definately not an intellegent issue I have a beautiful daughter who when she gets home cries and can't stand her handwriting she is frustrated and can't have any interruptions when we do her homework I mean the fan can't even be going I too get over stimulated but in a quieter way she goes absolutely ballistic and takes things literally  I need help and I don't know her pediatrician that well and the psychiatrist we see if about to retire I don't know what to do but i am at my wits end with all the different responsibilities plus my extra needy child     Answer goddess 1 453 11/16/07 12:27 am   22 month old talking Question my 22 month old says words but when he wants something he points and makes noises he has a big brother that's 19 a big sister that's 16 and now a newborn brother you can tell him to do anything and he knows exactly what you are talking about he just doesn't really talk he says cat dog mama dada his brother and sister's name and other simple words but won't tell you what he wants just does "ooooo" and points is this normal my mom is really worried about it but i'm not too concerned i know boys are slower than girls he does some simple sign language for please and more probably why he doesn't say those any suggestions Answer kimber12 1 420 11/6/07 12:56 pm   Bilingual Baby Question Hi Christine My husband's family are Bosnian and we would like our baby to speak both english and bosnian However I'd like to know how we can go about this without affecting him learning english well Will it be confusing to be speaking two languages to him at once Should we teach one language first then another I just don't want to affect his english and when he goes to school Thanks Chantal Answer chntlrose 1 388 11/14/07 1:15 am   autism Question my daughter is 6 weeks old and she was 2 weeks over dew she is growing and deleloping normaly with the exception that she is "healthy" but she was 9 lbs at birth she just dosent seem to be doing what the baby books say she should be doing like smiling and watching and object move in front of her face from left to right and she likes to stare at me (she watches me walk around as well) or the lights or something that interests her more she also is roling over (when she wants to) and holding her own head up and puting her hands togeather and finding her face  is she just being stubborn or do you think she could be showing early signs of autism maby im over reacting but maby i'm just not stimulating her enough please let me know what you think and if i can do something to help her thank you Answer heatherd20 1 462 10/31/07 3:20 pm   getting baby into a good sleep pattern Question Iama  new mom to a  7week old baby  boy and at the 6 week check up the pediatrician seemed overly concerned that he is not sleping through the night yet He is sleeping about 5 6 hours a night now and I though tt hat we were doing good Isn't he too young to be letting him cry himslef to sleep I thought that utnil he is about 3 or 4 months that when he cries that he should be consoled beacause his sence of comfort and trust in his parents are being developed right now Are we ok or should we be just as concerned as the pediatrician about his sleeping through the night Answer csugarpie 2 751 10/11/07 2:22 pm   Getting my child to tell the truth Question How do I do this   When asked a serious question she always transfers her guilt to something I have done and never addresses the truth of her actions or feelings   Please help me find the right words to bring her to opening up to me Answer lostsoul11 1 399 10/19/07 5:55 am   Crying for everything Question Hello               I have a 1 yr old he always cries when we put him down to play He always wants to be held We have been told that we just have to let him cry but how long is to long for him to cry Example: He cried for a half an hour the other day I felt so bad but my husband and I had to get ready for work and he was around all of his toys he just wants to be held When you pick him up it is like magic he stops crying instantly What should we do Answer soccermom 1 456 10/6/07 2:52 pm   2 year old won't stay in her own bed Question Hello I'm hoping you can help us Here's the history: Our daughter was about 20 months when we decided to turn her crib into a toddler bed At about 22 months we moved her to a twin bed where she was sleeping happily for about 2 months She would climb out of bed and crack the door but she would never leave her room At 24 months she started coming out to sleep on the floor at the foot of our bed on the "fluffly carpet" (a sheepskin rug) It's about 3 months later and we can't get her to stay in her own bed She will fall asleep if I lay down with her (which I don't want to have to do) but at some point in the night she will come into our room and sleep on the floor She cries like crazy if we try and put her back when she's awake and will come back again if we manage to get her into her own bed without waking her up Her words when we try and move her or put her to bed are "Wanna sleep on floor in mommy's room" or " fluffy carpet" My husband thinks she's attached to me rather than the carpet since she will settle if I lay with her Thankfully she hasn't asked to sleep with us and isn't able to get into our bed because that is where I would draw the line Obviously we want her to sleep in her own bed if only for health reasons She also keeps us awake with her moving around Plus I am having a baby in about 4 weeks and we plan to have it sleep in the room for at least a few months I'm forseeing even more difficulty getting #1 to stay in bed if #2 is in the room with us Help please and thankyou     Answer ekott2003 1 394 10/9/07 12:27 am Page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8

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