Got Questions?

Is my toddler ready to potty train? How should I potty train her? My 8 month old isn't sleeping through the night. How can I get him to sleep? Why does my toddler bite? How can I get him to stop? What do I do with my picky eater? How do I get my child to play independently? This is just a small sample of the questions that can arise for parents. The list goes on and on. And is always changing as your child grows and develops. The challenge for parents is not just identifying the questions but finding reliable, safe and useful answers that are developmentally appropriate. 

In their National Parenting Survey, Zero to Three found that parents are overwhelmed and unsure of where to find quality parenting information. 84% of parents report utilizing articles about parenting, but only 49% find these same articles to be helpful. Parents are also overwhelmed by the amount of information available. 54% of parents saying it is hard to know who trust due to the amount of information available. 

The same survey found that 91% of parents often rely on parenting the way their parents parented them despite only 64% finding this to be effective. Over 80% of parents rely on advice from family members and friends but this was also reported to be only about 50-65% effective depending on which family member or friend the parent asked for advice. 

So rather than just throwing their arms up in frustration, what can parents do? How can they find reliable parenting advice and resources? 

1. Remember, you know your child best. What works for one child may not work for another. With any parenting advice you receive, think about what you know about your child. Does this advice fit with your child's temperament, age and stage of development? 
2. Sign up for an ECFE class. ECFE is a great place to not only learn about parenting and child development but also find a supportive community. Registration is now open for our Fall 2021 ECFE classes. Find a class that fits your family here.
3. Sign up for one of our parent in-home or phone consultations. South Washington County Schools Early Learning offers free in-home and phone consultations with licensed parent educators for parents of children birth to age 8. These consultation allow you to ask specific questions and receive advice about your child's development and behavior or about parenting struggles or issues. Our parent consultation will start again when school starts. You can sign up for a consultation here.
4.  Choose reliable resources that provide research based information on parenting and child development. Some examples of these types of resources are MN Help Me Grow, Zero to Three, Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University, Child Mind Institute, Kids Health from Nemours, Center for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Spark & Stitch Institute. 
5. When utilizing a website or article to answer your parenting questions, ask yourself the following:
1. Who is the author of the source?
2. Where was the source published? Is it reputable?
3. When was the source published? Is it recent? 
4. What information does the source include and what does the source look like?
5. Why did the author create the source? Is there a personal or professional bias?
6. When you are seeking advice, you want to know where that advice is coming from. Understanding how to evaluate a website can be very helpful. Does the domain name tell you something about the source? Look for websites that end in .edu, .org or .gov. Check out the information about the source by exploring the "About Us" or "Mission" section of the website. 

As your child grows and develops, you will have many parenting questions and need to seek information. By using some of the suggestions provided, you can ensure you are finding and using reliable, evidenced-based information. And don't forget. No one gets handed a manual when they become a parent. Be willing to learn and develop as a parent as your child learns and develops.