Solving Common Problems

Everyday Issues

Is your baby covered in milk spots? Is your child constipated? Do your kids understand time limits? Is your 3 year old stuttering or a fussy eater? Or perhaps he has a permanently snotty nose? Or maybe you’re just desperate for a night of uninterrupted sleep or not sure what to make for dinner tonight? Raising kids is stressful and parents worry about all sorts of things. In this section, you’ll find practical help for common problems.

A Good Night’s Sleep

My advice would be to start with the articles on Sleep. (Cross-reference with the Natural Help for Behaviour section too, for articles such as Nutrition for a Good Night’s Sleep.) As every parent knows, a good night’s sleep is like gold dust. This is what they mean when they say ‘everything will change when the baby arrives’. A solid night’s sleep makes things so much more manageable in the cold light of day.

When my firstborn was ten days old, I remember my maternity nurse leaving us for one whole night and one whole day. It may as well have been an eternity and was truly the worst night of my life. At 7pm the baby screamed with colic. By 10pm, he’d calmed down, although I was a nervous wreck. And that night, the baby slept in our bedroom, while we did anything but.

With every snuffle and cry, I was up like a flash, fussing over the carrycot. I’d check his breathing, change his nappy, give him a cuddle, made sure he was warm enough (but not too warm, of course), made up a bottle or two, winded him, rocked him, tried the dummy, got rid of the dummy. It was never-ending. My husband and I slept a total of 45 minutes that night. By the end of it, I was alternating between laughing hysterically and crying with exasperation. Finally, at 6pm sharp that evening, the maternity nurse returned and peace reigned again.

One image has stuck firmly in my mind. I remember my husband literally kissing the ground and giving thanks when the nurse walked through the door. It seemed like the greatest gift that anyone could bestow: a whole night of uninterrupted sleep was to be ours again. And that night we couldn’t wait to go to bed. In fact, it was welcomed with such joy, if you’d come into our house that evening, you would have thought we’d just won the lottery (or were newlyweds – take your pick).

Lack of sleep turns us into maniacs. Many parents spend the first few months of their child’s arrival as if they’ve been bashed over the head with a huge stick, their brains replaced with cotton wool. We can’t function, we can’t think, we can’t speak, we’re short-tempered, we make mistakes and the easiest task suddenly seems like an impossible feat, requiring a MENSA membership. And yet, for so many parents, this is such a common occurrence.

Help at Hand!

In this section, our experts come to the rescue to help solve our common problems. We have solid advice from natural medics (such as homeopaths, naturopaths and nutritionists), allergy experts, sleep experts (like Sammy Margo, physiotherapist and author of The Good Sleep Guide) and speech experts. We will also hear from parents of tricky kids who have come up with useful solutions to everyday issues. For example, using countdown timers to show how time works. We all know it’s easier to avoid tantrums when children have fair warning (see Preparing for Success) but did you know that for under a tenner, you can buy a small, portable timer with giant numerals?! Suddenly children can understand the vague concept of time – because they can actually see what ‘just 5 more minutes’ really means.

Solving Common Problems will be constantly updated with new articles, so you might want to check in every so often. (And if you have any helpful tips or ideas you’d like to share, we’d love to hear from you. Please get in touch via the Contact Us page.) And finally, please remember if you can’t find what you’re looking for, chances are it’s coming soon or you might find it in another section. (For example, How to Be a Better Parent, Natural Help for Behaviour and/or Homework & Learning Tips.) Enjoy!