Children’s Mental Health Blog
Explore recent articles from Little Otter’s child and family mental health and wellness experts.
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.
How to Deal with Toddler Tantrums
Here are 15 tips for how to deal with toddler tantrums, from helpful mindset shifts to actionable guidelines. Tantrums are challenging! These tips aim to make dealing with temper tantrums easier.
Is it Bad to Bribe My Kid to Get a Haircut?
“Is it bad to bribe my 6-year-old? I never have before, but I really want him to get a haircut and he wants to grow long hair. He refuses to have it cut when I ask him, so I was thinking I would bribe him to do it for some candy or a video game. It would just be a one time thing but I'm unsure if there will be any long term implications. What do you think?”
How to Talk to Kids When a Caregiver has Cancer
Parents and caregivers who are diagnosed with cancer may wonder how to talk to their kids about it. This National Cancer Survivors Month, we teamed up with Bright Spot Network to provide four tips from clinical experts for talking with children about a caregiver’s cancer diagnosis.