Frequently Asked Questions - Behaviour and Discipline



Our Expert Health Visitors have answered the following questions on Behaviour and Discipline to aid parents of infants & children 0-5 years. Look through the questions listed below, or use our confidential online Health Visitor support service if you would like to ask your own question.


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Q My 2 year old daughter has been attacking other children, usually babies, over the last three months. She appears very sweet and playful at toddler groups but all of a sudden she can turn and pin them down and start scratching at their faces.Her nails are now always short as she did draw blood on several of the children. health visitors response

Q I'm concerned about my son who doesn't appear to be developing any social skills. He will play with me and his dad and his sister - with toys, football, role play, etc. but not outside his immediate family. At nursery he will join in with others but only using the toys not playing 'with' them. He seems happy playing by himself, but I can't help but feel that he is missing out on something. health visitors response

Q My friends and I have been meeting regularly since our children were born. We all met at the Antenatal class and we enjoy each other’s company. We now have a big problem because our two year olds scream and push each other over toys and don’t seem to enjoy playing with each other. What can we do? health visitors response

Q My 20 month old whinges all the time and is very demanding. Even if I say ‘NO’ he keeps at it until I give in. What can I do? health visitors response

Q I am very worried about my two-year-old son because my baby is due in eight weeks time. I am beginning to feel guilty about the baby now because friends have told me that my son will have a difficult time coping when the new baby arrives home. We have talked about the baby to him and he seems excited so how can I prepare him for the new baby and what should we do once the baby arrives? health visitors response

Q My baby is waking in the night and head banging the cot, is there anything we can do to discourage this behaviour? health visitors response

Q My daughter won't eat an evening meal? health visitors response

Q My eighteen-month-old daughter always had a nap for two hours in the afternoon but lately she is refusing her nap. The problem is that she is grumpy all day. Have you got any ideas that might help? health visitors response

Q My son is two years and has started to bite other children at the mother and toddler group we go to. What is the best way to tackle this? health visitors response

Q I am worried about my son because he is oversensitive and every time I tell him off for being naughty he gets very withdrawn, closes his eyes as if to say ‘I cant take this’. How can I discipline him without ruining his self-esteem? health visitors response

Q We have two children a three year old and an eighteen month old. Our first child loves all the hugs we dole out to her and is ready for a cuddle at any time but the younger one is not like that and is only happy with the occasional hug. Should we be worried about this? health visitors response

Q Is it normal for my son to be tilting his head to the right ALL THE TIME? He has only been doing this for about 2 weeks but it’s only now I have noticed he is doing it all the time! I am worried he is not going to be able to straighten his head or he might have neck problems? health visitors response

Q My son has just started hitting people round the face, when I say no or his dad says no, we are quite firm with him, he just laughs and does it again, he even hits us, but we can’t seem to get him to understand its wrong and it hurts and he just carries on doing it. Can you give me any advice on how I can tackle him with this? I don’t have any steps to sit him on as I’m in a one bedroom flat, and also I have tried time out with him, putting him in the bedroom on his own, and it doesn’t bother him, he likes it, so I don’t know what to do next to get him to understand he can’t do that. health visitors response