Tina Hanson, MS, BCBA

Calmer days. Smoother routines. Few tantrums. It starts with six simple skills-and you can teach them at home, in everyday moments. If you have a toddler, you already know: some days feel like one long negotiation, interrupted by tears, followed by a meltdown at the grocery store, then a standoff at bedtime. You are not doing it wrong. Your child is not a handful. They are simply missing a few key skills — and those skills can be taught. That is the whole idea behind the Calm Start 6™...

One day it happens. Your toddler, who used to drift off after lunch without a second thought, suddenly has other plans. The crib acrobatics start. The singing. The calling for water, then more water, then "just one more hug." The nap that once gave you a guaranteed chunk of time to breathe — or fold laundry, or simply sit in silence — is slipping away. Signs your child may be ready to drop the nap: It takes longer than 30 minutes for them to fall asleep at nap time They're skipping the nap...

~A simple analogy from the sleep community that might be the most reassuring thing you hear as a parent this week. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Picture this scene. You’re strapping your baby into the car seat. They hate it. They arch their back, their face goes red, and the crying starts; that full-body, absolutely-not-happening crying that every parent knows well. You don’t unbuckle them. You check the...