Child Development Expert Shares Key Parenting Tips via TikTok

A doctor who specializes in child development has taken to Social Media to share a number of key parenting tips, all of which are based on scientific evidence and research. Dr. Kristyn Sommer has a Ph.D. in child development and has recently seen her TikTok account go viral due to the advice she has been offering parents on the platform. 

In a world where it seems that everyone has their own theories on what works and what doesn’t when it comes to parenting, it may be refreshing for some people out there to take advice from an expert who leans on research to back up her points. 

Here are four of the most interesting tips that she has shared with her army of followers so far:

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Positive Reinforcement 

It’s very easy to get frustrated with children when they are misbehaving, especially when it feels as if the more you tell them not to do something, the more they do that very thing. According to Dr. Sommer, the best way to get your kids to behave is to actually avoid using words like “naughty” and “bad.” 

Instead, she says that research shows that positive reinforcement is the best way to encourage good behavior in children. When her daughter misbehaves, she asks her to contemplate whether she is doing the right thing or not instead of telling her outright that she is being bad. 

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Don’t Discourage Children to Play with their Food

For many parents, the sight of their toddler playing with food at the dinner table and dropping bits of fruit and veg into their juice is enough to make them feel like the world is coming to an end, especially after a stressful day at work. Instead, Dr. Sommer says in one TikTok video that this type of behavior should be encouraged.

She says that when your child plays with their food, they are learning how certain things react with each other. If this behavior still triggers you at the dinner table, then Dr. Sommer suggests letting them play with non-messy food on their play mats.

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There’s Nothing Wrong with Apologizing to your Kids

There is an old theory that says parents should never apologize to their kids as it shows weakness and makes them believe that their parents are pushovers. However, Dr. Sommer says that new research dispels this myth entirely.

The research states that Mothers who don’t mind apologizing to their children when appropriate to do so are more likely to offer consistent parenting, which in turn puts a child at ease. The study also found that if you are okay with apologizing to your children, they are less likely to suffer from anxiety. 

Don’t Force Learning on Preschool Children

Dr. Sommer says that there isn’t any real benefit to teaching your toddlers their ABCs or how to count to ten before they start school. Instead, she says that parents should be encouraging play time as much as possible as this is where toddlers learn the most.

She says that she is fine with her child going to school without being able to count up to ten as it is during school that she will get the opportunity to learn those skills. 

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