Guest blogger Kim Schewitz is a marketing consultant, writer and mother of two.

“Wake up, Lazy Bones,” the cheerful 5-year-old alarm sings at 6am.

You pry your lashes from their ferocious grip and groan internally (you think) that your few hours of respite are already over. You fumble around in your “How-To-Be-A-Good-Example-Kit,” find your “What-A-Great-Way-To-Start-The-Day-Smile,” paste it on, if a little askew and agree to ten minutes of TV time.

An hour later, you exchange a few more morning pleasantries and leave the children upstairs to get dressed, praising yourself for providing the autonomy necessary to raise resilient, independent children. You prepare whatever you can for breakfast (milk) and await the imminent arrival of the neatly dressed, brushed and preened children to place their breakfast order. You go upstairs to inspect their progress and are crestfallen to find none. (more…)

This week at Kolari’s Corner on InfoMommy, Jennifer Kolari answers a question from a reader whose 14-month-old toddler keeps getting into things and then becomes irate when they are taken away from her.

Jennifer explains that at 14 months, children can understand much more than they can express and that this can lead to frustration-induced tantrums. Jennifer advises using her mirroring technique to show your toddler you understand how upset she is and to articulate what’s upsetting her. Mirroring will defuse the meltdowns, decrease your toddler’s sense of frustration and improve her emotional regulation and language skills.

Click here to read Jennifer’s full answer or check out her other advice at Kolari’s Corner.

[Originally posted at Just the Facts, Baby]

One issue moms often talk to me about is how strongly they react when their older child hurts, or is rough with, the baby. This is really common, especially if the older child is under five. Young kids are often rough with their little siblings–sometimes it is intended and behavioral, and sometimes it’s just because they get really excited and can’t control those big feelings.

Either way, it can make your protective instincts take over and your response can be more intense than you meant it to be.

Safety is important and older siblings must learn to be gentle with baby siblings, but sometimes “blowing up” can lead to more of the very behaviors that made you upset in the first place. They can add to any feelings the older child may have of feeling less important or less loved than the baby. This is not rational, young kids don’t reflect on their behaviors, they just focus on how they feel.

Here are some things you can do:

1. Remember to try and stay neutral, which is very hard, I know. You can be serious and firm, but if you “fly off the handle,” it won’t help.

2. Sit down with your older child every day for some connecting play with her alone. She may even want you to baby her and give her the same kind of attention the baby gets. This is fine and she will not regress permanently. In fact, it can be tremendously helpful and strengthening for your older child.

Pull out baby pictures, her favorite toys or little outfits she wore when she was younger and tell her lots of stories about when she was a baby. This alone may decrease her negative feelings or behaviors regarding the baby.

3. Talk to your older child in a calm moment about the importance of being careful and gentle with the baby and let her know that there will be consequences if she chooses to be rough.

What I like to suggest is an interruption. It’s not a traditional time-out, instead, she is asked to go somewhere else to think for a few minutes and can come back when she is ready to comply. You don’t have to lecture or discuss it when the interruption is over, just welcome her back and repeat the routine until the behavior stops. If you are calm and consistent, it will work.

4. Help your older child make good choices by offering alternate ways to interact with the baby and let her know when you notice her trying to be appropriate. Remember too, that the baby is not made of glass. Babies are pretty tough and, within reason, being squeezed and picked up by siblings is part of living in a family.