Children’s Mental Health Blog
Explore recent articles from Little Otter’s child and family mental health and wellness experts.
7 Tips for Talking about War with Children
War. It’s something we wish we didn’t have to talk about. But here we are. To help support your family during these difficult times, here are 7 tips for how to talk with your children about war.
20 Tips for How to Understand and Parent Your Highly Sensitive Child
If you’re parenting a highly sensitive child, you know it can be full of extremes. These bright, intuitive kids are full of feistiness and intensity. Here are 12 traits of highly sensitive children, and 8 tips to parent them.
Toddler Aggression: When to Worry & How to Respond
Parents and caregivers often ask us how to deal with an aggressive child. Seeing toddler aggression - physical behaviors like hitting, kicking, pushing, biting, pinching - often sparks concern. In this article, learn how to deal with an aggressive child, common parenting mistakes, what their behavior might signal, and when to worry.
How Many Gifts Should You Give Kids for the Holidays?
In this blog post about gift-giving, you’ll learn how many presents to give a child for the holidays, tips for talking with family about gifting budgets, and how to help you child learn to receive gifts well.
When Do Kids Stop Believing in Santa?
If your family traditions involve make-believe characters like Santa, the Easter Bunny, or the Tooth Fairy, you may wonder how long your child will believe in Santa, and how to talk about it as they grow up. Get clear answers from our team of child mental health experts.
The Importance of Self-Love for Your Family’s Wellbeing
Loving yourself isn’t selfish; it’s essential for your family’s wellness and mental health. Learn how self-love can help your family cultivate better, more compassionate relationships and support mental wellbeing.
How Quickly Should a Child Receive a Diagnosis in Child Therapy?
One parent recently wrote in asking about whether their child should receive a diagnosis within 4-5 sessions of starting child therapy. Here’s the feedback from our team of mental health professionals.
Can Babies Be Altruistic?
Is your baby or toddler showing signs of altruistic behavior? Babies and toddlers with the desire to share what they have has made psychologists curious on the reasons.
Is It Okay for Parents to Take a Vacation Without Their Child?
“My husband and I have a trip planned in a few weeks. We’ll be leaving my 23 month old daughter with her grandparents for 6 days. I’m worried she might hate us when we get back, or feel abandoned or detached…Can a 2-year-old get detached from her parents over 6 days if spent with family?”
Tips for How to Talk to Kids about a Shooting
As we reckon with mass violence events, you may be wondering how to talk to kids about a shooting. Little Otter gathered 5 tips from experts, including research-based guidance from the National Child Traumatic Stress Network, for how to have these important conversations with your children.