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 im 17 and i'm pregnant,i dont know what to expect... Question hi im 17 years old and found out yesterday that i was pregnant i missed my period by 5 days so i went to go take a home p test i took three of them(clear blue)and they all said that im pregnant i went to a website that calcuates how far pregnant you are and it told me that im 4weeks 4 days pregnant i live with both of my parents and two younger sisters Are there any clinics i can go to so that i can check on my baby without my parents needing to be there i haven't tol them i don't know how yet i talked to my boyfriend and we want to tell his parents as well as mine later i need some time to tell them theres just too much going on in my family right now and i dont want to cause more problems this very moment im scared that they'll kick me out or scream at me please help me thank you :scared: Answer s 1 742 3/14/07 2:21 pm   3 Yr. Old Refuses to Use Potty Question I have a wonderful 3 yr old son who initally showed interest in the potty at 18 months But when he lost interest after a month or so we did not push him His interest was renewed at 2 yrs old when he discovered that he could pee off our deck But then his interest waned again Then he went through a phase where he only wanted to go potty in public places (like restaurants grocery stores etc ) That phase passed too In recent months we've become anxious for him to use the potty consistently At this point he knows that we want him to and I personally think he realizes this is the one thing that we cannot really "make him" do I really think it's a control issue And bless his heart he is having conflicting emotions one one hand he doesn't want to let go of babyhood but on the other hand he realizes that he is "still in diapers" & that he is not a big boy yet (although he wants to be) My husband is getting really impatient with the situation Also baby #2 was born last month and although my son has handled the arrival well I'm sure that's playing a part as well In addition he has never had a bowel movement in the potty absolutely refuses to Any suggestions would be appreciated Angela Answer Angela 2 640 3/8/07 11:26 am   Change of Behavior at Home & School Question My 4yo son has been in preschool since Sept 3hrs/3days a week As we are looking to enter him into the Kindergarten progam this coming fall his teacher recommended we start extending his days 1st by having him remain at school for lunch (1hr) for a while & gradually easing him into 3 f/t days (9 4) It was also recommended that we bring him in a half an hour early to work on his smll muscle development As of last week he had some behavioral issues at school One of his classmates has ADHD & my son has been fixated on acting out the way his friend does The teacher & we both explained that he (our child) should not necessarily copy his friend Since last Friday our son has had 1 peeing in his pants accident school & several at home/in the car He also had 2 time outs at school during lunch for telling the Aide in charge that he did not have to listen to her As of last week I have also been going to a couple of Drs since last week for a health concern We have tried to get some info from our son as to what's happening but he cannot really give us an answer Please help Answer momofone 1 617 3/7/07 11:47 pm   potty training Question I have a 3 year old son (middle child) who is doing fantastic "going #1" on the potty Even staying dry at night But when it comes to "going #2" on the potty he won't He doesn't want to wear pullups he goes in his underpants I have tried doing a chart with stickers and rewards He currently is into Superman and he wanted a costume I have ordered this and have told him that as soon has he goes the mail man will deliver it It has been 2 days and it is not working This is very frustrating any advise or suggestions are greatly appreciated Thank you Answer Karla 1 552 3/8/07 3:05 pm potty training Question I have a 2 year old daughter She is my first child I do not have much experience with children She is pretty advanced in her cognitive development I mean she is already saying sentences When is a good time to start potty training And how I have asked her if she would like to go on the big potty and she says "No thank you " I have put her on the potty and she says "It is cold " So what do I do now Also is a potty chair better than using a potty seat She does sometimes tell me when she has pooped but never before Help :oops: Answer anxious77 1 842 2/26/07 2:45 pm   baby einstein videos Question Hi there I was just curious on what you thought of the Baby Einstein videos My daughter is 3 months old and I use them every once in a while for her She really enjoys them but I'm worried that they aren't the best things to expose her to considering she is watching television On the other hand I can see that they can be good for brain development What do you think Answer lilcamp 1 708 2/23/07 12:36 am   Developmental Issues 4 Year Old Question My daughter is 4 and will be 5 at the end of June She is in PRE K She is very bright imaginative and uses lots of words The concern is that she cannot write her name It looks like squiggles and is in a messed up order compared to what she needs to copy When I point to letters she seems to not recognize them the same with numbers She can say the alphabet and count it is just recognition What could be the problem Compred to other children it is REALLY obvious that she is having some delays Should I be worried Thank you Evy Answer lizsmom99 1 694 2/7/07 11:26 am   My Five Year Old Daughter Question Dear Mrs Christine I have a five year old daughter and she has this habitat that i don't like and it kind of freaks me out since she as 3 year old she sleep with her hand in her pants for awhile it didn't bother because everyone i talk to said it was normal But now she is five and she's till doing it i don't let her go spend the night at her friend's house because i'm afraid of what other parents may say or accuse us of something and i feel like it's a pacifier for her a couple years ago my grandfather passed away and she was close to him and also i got married and moved away from my mom and she's real close to my mom do you think it's my fault the reason she acting this way is there something i can do Answer Angel of mine 1 719 2/7/07 3:13 pm   Socialising Question Hi I am a mother of two sons aged 4 and 1 yr respectively Though my elder son is a quite good child; being stubborn at times the only problem is that he doesnt socialize in school He just has one friend and is quite shy while talking to his class teacher He is active otherwise in his fum class and ground activities He even refuses to talk to our neighbours Please help me as to how i can make him into a friendlier person Answer Roxanne 1 685 1/31/07 2:48 pm   death of father Question Just last month my 8 year old son and 4 year old's father commited suicide My daughter has spoke about it and expressed grief for him but my son seems to not care In the past his father has treated him as an adult and not really paid much attention to him but doted on his "baby girl" I asked my son if he was ok and if he wanted to talk He said no i asked him if he cared about what happened he said not really I don't blame him for feeling that way but I was wondering if that was healthy we are signed up for group grief counseling but I don't know if he should see a more in depth counselor Answer anglbetty77 2 693 1/23/07 12:59 am   conflicts within the family Question I have a sixteen and thirteen year old who have seen very irrational behavior from some adults in my family and also my husbands family I just want to know if my children will be scared by this or will learn from these conflicts Whenever any of these arise and my children over hear anything I do sit with them and ask them how they feel about what they had just heard and listen to what they have to say I ask them what they think about it and turn it into a learning experience for both them and myself and we do discuss Recently my mother passed away and my sister hasn't spoken to me since My children do not understand this and I told them that it has nothing to do with them that it has to do with me and past issues that my sister has towards me that she needs to explore in herself I also dont understand why she has choosen to stop speaking to me but that I will deal with I have made the decision that I dont want my children to have any contact with their aunt until she can resolve these issues within herself I dont feel I can trust her to be around them in fear she will talk to them about me and what her problems are with me I feel she has to confront me with all this stuff and not put my children in the middle which she has done before Putting me down in front of my children etc They dont have a close relationship with their aunt my sister and they have told me themselves they have a hard time getting close to her And if they ask questions I do sit and talk with them and try to explain the best I can to help them to learn something from this experience that I am having I'm just hoping I am doing the right thing and that they dont take my sister's behavior as normal and understand that anything can be worked out or put to rest if your willing to talk it out Do you think this will have a positive or negative effect on my kids in their way of dealing with conflicts I hope I explained this enough to understand Thank you in advance Answer Looking4answers 2 686 1/16/07 12:19 am   My 10 year old son Question I have a son who is 10 year old I have been having problems with his behavior for couple years now He is growing up with out father all his life I'm trying hard to be a good parent but my problem with his behavior It seems to me he gets angry when I take things away from him He always try to blame someone in the daycare where he is attending after school always gets in trouble I do remind him everyday to be good but he seems don't understand it What can I do as a parent to change his behavior It's nothing working Thanks for your time in advance Answer Lana 3 734 1/10/07 10:50 pm   sleeping Question my 4 week old does not sleep for more then 2 hours at a time night or day when she wakes at night she will not go back untill shes been feed so she is over feeding how can i get her to sleep a bit longer at night Answer karli 4 793 12/19/06 9:07 pm   whats your opinion about having a baby while finishing school? Question I'm trying to decide whether to finish my college program while going through child birth and continuing care for my newborn I'm due at the end of May and my course will be finished end of Aug So for 3 months I would be gone for at aprox six hours Mon Thurs My doctor said even if I leave my child with a reliable caretaker I will be instilling a sense of abandonment permenently and that it could stay a concern in my childs entire future I thought that i could manage because during the first 3 months it would be sleeping a lot and I would be there for the rest of the day and all through the night while giving my child a better future having a better career to support him How significant do you think this sense of separation will impact his development Answer 1 636 1/13/07 6:11 pm   Brain Development and DHA Question I know that DHA supports brain development for babies but how do you feel about DHA fortified products Is it safe Can you get too much of it Answer vsoliven 2 696 1/10/07 6:43 pm   Constant demand for pacifier at night Question My 11 week old has a serious attachment to his pacifier I know newborns have a great need to suck but i'm not getting any sleep He wakes up 3 4 times in the middle of the night in addition to his mid night feeing (I'm breastfeeding so I understand the need for a middle of the night feeding ) The typical night for my son is bed at 8 pm final feeding at 10 pm midnight feeding at 2 am and then he wakes for the pacifier at 3 am 4 am 5 am and first morning feeding at 6 am The only thing that calms him is replacing the pacifier in his mouth not holding or rocking He also need to pacifier to nap during the day How can I break him of needing the pacifier without leaving him to cry all night in his crib Answer SusanD 1 739 1/4/07 3:29 pm Getting her attention Question Hello I have a 20 month old little girl who is extremly intellegent She already knows all of her body parts counts to 5 and is starting to say some of her ABC's However she is very independent and will only do things when she wants to She often wonders off into her own little world she gets very quite and gets this blank look on her face like she's in another world I really want to tap into her and teach her as much as possible Can you help Answer soinlove 1 859 12/29/06 7:14 pm   my noncooperative son Question My middle child is 9 He hasn't made many friends in his 3rd gr class His friends are in 4th and even 5th gr He never wants playdates with kids in his class Some of the moms have requested that we get the boys together I always tell them I have to check because of busy sports schedules When I approach my son he says "No way" I realize I shouldn't force it when I have he has ignored his classmates and I am frustrated so I don't do that anymore Do I just keep telling the moms that he's busy or that we can't do playdates for awhile Should I be doing something to improve these relationships or just let it evolve Thankyou Answer active mom 1 741 12/21/06 10:39 am   Defiance Question While I understand that a 2 1/2 year old will test the primary caregiver How normal is it for him to be defiant about almost everything Being I am due to deliver soon and I have been having some issues I know he understands something is happening He is shoved up my hiney However he seems to be testing more than normal What can I do to help him I feel guilty that there is tension and he feels it I feel awful when I find myself losing my temper because he whines whines whines Or because he will sit there and ignore me or yell NO I try to be patient but I am wearing thin Please help with some suggestions He says he wants mommy and daddy to bring home a baby like his playfriends have ( They each have a new sibling as well) He says we are having a baby sister and then he said baby brother come see EJ He talks to the baby and kisses the belly I know he is jealous to an extent as he has shown some signs when Daddy tries to talk to the baby Jsut not sure this is what his attitude is about or just normal stuff I cant even get him to sit down with me to do our abc's or read a book half the time except right before bed Answer mx20seven 1 746 12/19/06 7:30 am   answer to question Question Why cant I see the answer to this question Answer Looking4answers 3 725 12/15/06 3:50 am Change of behavior at Preschool Question Hi My daughter has just started her first year in a "surestart" program When she first began the class she seemed so anxious and excited and spoke up Since 3 months has passed on by I've noticed a dramatic change in her behavior She turned from this outgoing little girl to a very quite and shy being She seems to hide behind me whenever anyone family friends etc come up to say hi to her or to talk to her Do you think there could be something seriously wrong with her or could this be some sort of phase I'm lost and don't know where to begin to finding out why she change all so suddenly Thank you Answer shibug 1 941 12/7/06 7:42 pm 4 year old whining Question I have a 4 (almost 5) year old boy who has developed a very annoying trait he whines He s exceptionally bright on some levels (reads at a 5th grade level has an extensive vocabulary recites a 25 page book after reading it 3 time and is gifted musically) but on others he is behind (cannot catch a large ball unless it is thrown gently to him socially has difficulty relating to other children because he does not share their interests cannot work snaps buttons etc ) When he does not get something immediately after asking he starts with a whiney voice carries on and eventually either cries or goes off pouting (saying things like I ll never get anything maybe I ll just go away etc ) We stand our ground and don t give in but it still continues We ve tried positive & negative reinforcement comforting him explaining he cannot always have what he wants when he wants taking things away nothing seems to work My husband & I cannot stand spoiled children and though we ve tried very hard not to spoil him that s exactly the way he acts We re at wits end any suggestions Answer Hunter's Mom 1 1078 11/30/06 9:23 pm   my 3 yers old son does not talk onle 10 words Question Hi i have 3 yers old son who does not talk only 10 words What i have to do But our home is billangual home thanks Answer svetlana1140 1 804 11/9/06 4:28 pm   14 MO WAKES BEFORE DAWN Question HELLO I HAVE A 14 MONTH OLD WHO HAS ALWAYS GOTTEN UP EARLY IN THE MORNING NOW WITH THE TIME CHANGE HE IS UP AROUND 3:45 4:15AM EVEN BEFORE THE TIME CHANGE HE WOKE UP BETWEEN 4:15 5:00 HE GOES TO BED BY 7:OOPM AND FALLS ASLEEP ON HIS OWN WE HAVE A BEDTIME ROUTINE THAT IS CONSISTENT I HAVE TRIED MAKING HIS BEDTIME EARLIER AND HAVE TRIED MAKING IT LATER BUT HE ALWAYS WAKES AT THE SAME TIME I HAVE TRIED SO MANY DIFFERENT THINGS BUT NOTHING SEEMS TO WORK I HAVE EVEN TRIED GETTING HIM TO SLEEP IN MY BED WHEN HE WAKES UP HE HAS 2 NAPS DURING THE DAY I TRIED TO TAKE AWAY THE MORNING NAP BUT HE WOULD BECOME EXTREMELY OVERTIRED HE HAS ALMOST ALWAYS RISEN BEFORE THE SUN COMES UP ANY SUGGESTIONS ON HOW TO GET HIM TO SLEEP EVEN JUST A LITTLE BIT LATER WOULD BE GREAT THANKS FOR YOUR HELP JEN Answer MOONDANCEJL 1 792 11/1/06 11:18 am   Dog with major anxity and an 1yr old little boy Question HI I am a new mom and I have a 1yr old son and a small rat terrior who is 10 years old He has always had some anxiety but it is getting worse with my sons growing touching and pulling at the dog I will always put my child first I would love to find a way to not have to put the dog down We love the dog and want to keep him but I am very nervous Please Help newmombrigetmorrison yahoo com Answer newmom 1 721 10/30/06 1:43 pm   hello Question hi my name is Kayla and I'm 16 years old how do i tell my mom that im pregnant My ex boyfriend who got me pregnant said that he's taking my baby when she's born can he do that Answer kaylaparks2003 1 811 10/29/06 7:26 pm   18 month ols Question Thank you very much for your immediate response I appreciate your attention and detailed answer We'll let you know how it goes Answer itchybrother@aol.com 1 842 10/24/06 11:18 am   confused... Question the arching of his back is evrytime he plays or he just lying in the bed just wanna know if it is normal thank you Answer chesten hummings 1 808 10/24/06 8:40 am energy up the ying yang Question dear expert my niece has been extremely energetic lately she is a wake all day and we cant get her to go to bed at night she is 7 months and i thought babies at this ag slept alot crazy babyauntie joanna:baby: Answer joanna esquivel 3 1067 10/23/06 9:47 pm confused... Question i have a son ryder and he is a happy 5 month old chubbers well i am just curious about his back is arching of the back normal he wqas diagnosed by his pediatrician with reflux and his formula is nutramigen can you please elaborate reflux and cerebral palsy please i want to know the symptoms and the cause and cure please :pat Answer chesten hummings 1 1066 10/23/06 3:54 pm Page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8

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