Parenting 101: 15 March

Jenni Johnson, our resident ‘Baby Whisperer’, has been a practicing child-care practitioner for 15 years, and owns a busy ante and post natal clinic in Durban. This week she talks about discipline and stress, among other things.

* The best way to get children to do what you want is to spend time with them before discipline-type problems occur;, have fun together and enjoy mutual laughter. Children are often not as tempted to challenge and test limits if you’ve built a friendship with them.

* Many children will simply not eat vegetables but a tasty soup is surprisingly often liked. Make a blended soup, add cheesy bread for dipping and you’ll find a way to get the daily quota of 5 veg down your little one all at once!  I’ve put a recipe on my website, jennisays.com

* Start bird watching with your children! A birdbath and home-made bird feeder is a good place to start. Identify the birds that your child sees with the aid of a field guide. Besides the green and educational value to this, it's also cheap and could start a lifetime interest.

* Feeling stressed, tired, emotional, wanting visitors, dreading visitors, feeling like you're going to go crazy if you don't get out the house but equally terrified to go out are normal feelings with a newborn baby. I teach one should limit visitors in the first week, organize a set time for having them over, get out of the house by the time your baby is 2 weeks old, sleep when your baby sleeps and work out a night-time schedule with your partner so you both get some rest.

* If you're going or have gone through a divorce - honesty, sensitivity, self-control and time will help the healing process, but not everyone's timetable is the same so be patient. To help your children manage their feelings, encourage them to talk about what’s happening – both the positive and the negative.

* Catch Jenni on-air every day just after 10am with her tip of the day.

At Jenni’s ante and post natal clinic in Durban, parents are taught a system that gives them structure and routine to the baby and childhood years. Jenni has a nursing background. She’s a registered nurse, midwife, psychiatric nurse and private nurse practitioner.

Jenni’s online clinic, can be accessed online via www.jennisays.com. For appointments, e-mail [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter via @JenniSays or on Facebook by 'liking' The Berea Baby Clinic.