We are now home from a great holiday!

Iceland is certainly an interesting county and we loved it. Reykavick was a great starting point for our adventure. We saw volcanic landscapes that looked like Mars and green agriculture countryside.  We swam in hot thermal pools and ate  lots of delicious fish and lobster soups!  

We spent two weeks hiking in the mountains in Norway and the scenery is absolutely spectacular.  Stunning fjords surrounded by snow capped mountains and in some parts lush green countryside. The area around Hjorundfjord is stunning, massive mountains with steep sides falling into the fjords. Lots of waterfalls and massive rivers.We stayed near a fjord and our first walk was a climb up a mountain to look down onto a fjord. The next day found us on two ferries crossing fjords . From there we could see the mountain we had climbed. We went to this incredible glass lookout where we saw the longest descent in Europe. Hairpin bends and the most zig zag road I have seen! We then drove down this road, two cars could not pass each other on the corners! After some time we came into some agricultural areas. So green ,small holdings and all the houses are painted red and all the barns are painted red.

Further north in Norway  we stayed in a hotel in Konsvold. It is a series if little houses that were built in the1700′s. They are nestled in lush green fields and some have grass growing on the roof! This is for insulation in the colder months. One of our walks  was part of a Pilgrim`s trail and took us through some silver birch forests, and lovely lichen covered rocks, meadows and pretty alpine flowers. In 3 months time it will be all covered in snow. We saw two musk oxen, a species that goes back 2 million years! They were extinct in Norway and were re-introduced  from Greenland.  We also saw lemmings, which are a ginger coloured rodent and quite cute.

It was hard to get used to daylight 24/7 , but we managed ! A fantastic holiday and great to be home and to catch up with family and friends!  Hope you enjoyed this snippet of our time away.

Separation anxiety is normal during early childhood however it can be distressing for parents.

If a pattern is established where the special person always comes back after small separations, the child eventually learns that the world is a safe place, and they are able to be happy when the special people aren’t there.
 

Toddlers may often become distressed on separation from parents and carers when being dropped off at child care centres. However, this distress is often short-lived, and many children do thrive in the safe environment of a child care centre.

Children may be upset at the time that a parent leaves them, be relaxed and happy with the person caring for them, then upset again when the parent returns and they ‘remember’ that they were left. This is not ‘manipulative’ – it is normal child development, and shows that the child still does not feel really comfortable when the parent is not there, but is learning how to manage.

Tips

• Help them get to know any new situation or carer while you are there. It can take some time for them to feel comfortable.
• If your baby or young child is going to child care, try to find a place where there will be only one or two people who will be the special carers and who will usually be there when your child is there. 
• If you can, stay with your children until they get to know the carer. If you show that you trust and like the carer, it will help children to feel safe.
• Always say goodbye, this builds trust. Sneaking out or trying to get away may make a child feel that you can’t be trusted?
• Let the child mind something of yours (such as a bag, photo of you or keys) when you are not there. 
• It will help them to know when you will be coming back. Tell them in ways they understand, eg. “After lunch”.
• Be reliable and always come back when you say you will. If for some reason you can’t get back on time, let the carer know, so that she will be able to tell your child what has happened.

Have lots of little practice separations, eg, play Peek-a-Boo and Hide and Seek (and make sure to be easy to find!). This helps the child learn that you always come back.

There are sometimes other issues underlying separation anxiety which necessitate different strategies to be applied. We can help turn this around!  If your child is experiencing separation anxiety at a level you feel is not acceptable please contact Janet on 99393732 



Expect your child to interrupt!  All young children do this. It is annoying but take heart with time,  patience and consistency they will move through this stage!

Why young children interrupt.

Young children are just starting to figure out that there is more going on in your life than just them.

Children truly forget what you tell them. Short-term memory is still developing at this age, contributing to a short attention span.

What seems like three hours to your preschooler when waiting to tell you something has probably only been about three minutes.

To your young child, the picture of the flower just drawn is important enough to stop you from talking on the phone.

Your child may have something very exciting to say!

Strategies to stop your child interrupting.

Ignore the interruption.

Plan to be interrupted. Assign something for your child to do during that time . Set a timer and explain that you are not to be interrupted (unless it is a true emergency) until the timer goes off.

Avoid teaching your young child to say “excuse me”.  They see it as a license to say “excuse me” over & over & over again!  This can be more annoying than the interrupting.

Explain why you don’t like to be interrupted — as many times as it takes.

Play turn taking games. eg. throw the ball to the dog, knock down empty milk bottles with a soft ball, any board game.

Signal. If you are having a conversation, put your hand on your child’s shoulder (to let them know you will listen shortly) keep looking at the other adult and finish what you are saying. eg

2-3  years           Hold your hand up as a stop signal and finish your sentence only, then turn to the child.

3-4  years           Hand on shoulder and finish your paragraph.

4-5  years           Finish your topic!

Teach children to wait for the “gap” in the conversation.  Stop your conversation, say “wait for the gap” and follow the guidelines above. This works a treat in our family!

Each child is different & you will discover the best strategy for your child.  As your child matures and learns more about taking turns, they will less likely to interrupt you. Be sure to give praise when they remember about interrupting!