Learning how to deal with your child's personality

You can tell by your watch that it's time for your baby's next feeding but she's not giving you any cues. She's not crying or fussing. This is so unlike your girlfriend's baby who can wake the entire block with his hunger cries. What makes your child so easygoing and your friend's so vocal? Temperament. It's a little something that when understood and nurtured can support your child's development in a big way.

The parenting and child development experts at Invest in Kids (a national Canadian charity organization aimed at helping parents improve their parenting skills) note that it's important for you to recognize your child's basic temperament in order to respond appropriately.

Using the Comfort, Play and Teach technique – Invest in Kids' research-based approach to parenting – there are distinct ways you can nurture both your child and their unique temperament.

Comfort, Play and Teach transforms everyday parent-child routines and activities into teachable moments that actively support a child's healthy social, emotional and intellectual development. It shows parents the developmental link between their actions and their child's responses. Here are some personality examples and situational tips you can use:

For the Timid Baby (Birth to 18 Months)
With a timid child, introduce new activities slowly and allow time for him to build up confidence.  
   
If you do this: Comfort
Plan to visit with someone your child is meeting for the first time in your own home or at a park or other place familiar to your child.
  
Your child will: Feel more secure as he gets to know this new person in familiar territory. Being surrounded by his favourite or recognizable things will help him adapt more readily to a new person and soothe him more quickly should he become upset.

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