You tell your child to pick up their clothes and they crumble to the ground. “Why are you shouting at me!” They exclaim. Seriously? You just asked them to pick up their clothes. It seems like you can’t even redirect your anxious kid without them imploding. So what are you supposed to do? Not discipline? Walk on eggshells? Is that helpful or hurtful to them long-term?
It’s another school day. Which means another stomach ache. Another battle of wills. Lots of tears. Lots of threats. Eat Dinner. Go to bed. Repeat. Why is your child constantly clutching their stomach? Why are they paralyzed with fear and…heartburn. Unfortunately stomach pain and anxiety like to hang out together and I mean – often. They are best friends and they like to team up against your child.
This page is brought to you by nOCD. Download this mobile tool for free! Beyond Picky Eating: When Kids have a Fear of Food Your kid is hungry. They haven’t eaten all day. But when you put food in front of them, they just stare at it. They worry about the taste. They worry about the brand. Is this the same brand as last […]
Your child gets embarrassed when you breathe wrong. They refuse to talk to strangers and they fixate on what other people think of them. Social anxiety can debilitate kids and confuse parents. This was me as a child. Let me give you a window into the mind of a socially anxious child. At times, it isn’t pretty.
This page is brought to you by nOCD. Download this mobile tool for free! If you are about to start child counseling -let’s talk! You thought the decision to start child counseling was hard enough, but how are you supposed to know what makes a good child therapist? You are about to partner with a stranger to help you parent. Gulp. That’s a […]
Kids are picky eaters, but some kids take picky eating to a new level. Has your child moved beyond picky and into the realm of a Selective Eating Disorder? Kids with anxiety, OCD or sensitivities will often have major issues with food. Learn the most common causes for extreme picky eating and what approaches you can take to help your child.
Nobody gives parents a handbook when they pop out a kid. Even if they did, it probably wouldn’t have a chapter on anxiety in children. That’s why so many of us with anxious kids feel like we are sailing in a very lonely boat. A boat that no one really taught us how to sail.
She’s refusing to go to school again – is it cruel to make her go? Who the heck knows!
He needs me to be with him until he falls asleep – should I do it? Someone give me a clue!
She’s so shy, I order her food for her – am I helping or hurting her anxiety?
Let’s decode this mystery together. Grab a seat and let’s have a chat…
Separation anxiety doesn’t just impact young children, many anxious children of all ages have separation anxiety. Learn how to parent children with separation anxiety and what approaches work best.
Your child is tapping, washing, counting over and over again. As a parent, you want to make it stop and make it stop right away. Watching your child be mentally tortured by OCD can be excruciating. You fast forward five years, ten years from now. What will life be like for your child? Can OCD be cured? What is the long-term prognosis for OCD in children?
Do you want to help a child with anxiety? Life offers them two doors. Behind door #1 is fear, avoidance and misery. Behind door #2 is fear, bravery and determination. What door does your anxious child pick? What door do you pick for them? As parents, it is hard to not be overly sympathetic to our children with anxiety. Watching them squirm and suffer through anxiety is not fun. It is understandable that for some of us, we want to help our kids avoid this suffering by avoiding the root cause of their misery. Unfortunately, if you want to help a child with anxiety – you need to do just the opposite.
Many children with anxiety have issues that lead to a toilet phobia. This is not just a toddler issue! Learn the common issues and how to help!
It sucks watching kids struggle with anxiety. Parents try all sorts of things to help, but often they are missing this key step. Forget about your breathing exercises, aromatherapy and distraction techniques. If you don’t teach your kids this, your anxious kids will never experience anxiety relief.
It started about a month ago. My daughter came home from school and wanted a “fidget spinner.” She thought it might help with her anxiety. I had heard of fidget toys, but never a fidget spinner. As a child therapist I am normally ahead of the curve with kid crazes, but not this one.
In this episode I talk about the overlap between sensory processing issues and child anxiety. Many anxious children also have sensory issues as well.
Your child is doing it again. They are walking in a weird pattern. They are paralyzed in front of the sink. They are asking the same question over and over again, and you can’t make them stop. You’ve poured over all the typical parenting books, but this chapter is definitely missing. What are you supposed to do? How are you supposed to help your child get unstuck? It is painful to watch any child with OCD, but when it’s your own, it’s excruciating.
Welcome to Anxious Toddlers! My name is Natasha Daniels and I created Anxious Toddlers to offer support and guidance for parenting kids through all ages and stages of life. I am a Child Therapist who specializes in child anxiety and OCD. When I am not in my practice, I am soaking up my three children, who teach me more about life and parenting than anyone else. To read more about me and the site click here.
