of sleep-disturbance problem. P is for the Psychology of co-sleeping Psychological studies show that children who have co-slept with their parents in the first years of their life enjoy significantly higher self-esteem, experience less fear and anxiety

in both private and state sectors. However, a friend of mine was teaching in a successful school in Hampstead where parents are encouraged to help out from time to time. When one of the mothers began a part-time Open University course in child psychology

starts here ■More psychology from Junior:Ten rules for raising successful daughtersHow to combat sibling rivalry

in life that it's very important how you look," says Andrew Hill, Professor of Medical Psychology at Leeds University. "And that it's good to be slim and bad to be fat. It's written large across our society on billboards, in ads, magazines, TV, even

in it. But Jeffrey Goldstein, Professor of Social Psychology at the University of Utrecht and chairman of the National Toy Council, says this misses the main point about modern toys. “What toys do is promote and initiate play,” says Professor Goldstein

' expectations of them. Inone famous Sixties psychology study, six researchers were told that theirrats had superior intellects; another six researchers were told their ratswere particularly dim. Within days, the researchers with the supposedlyintelligent rats

they learn best,” says Dr Judith A Hudson, an associate professor of psychology at Rutgers University and a child development expert. “Hearing something many times helps them remember information for increasing periods of time. Once your child has learned

1. Be patient  Many toddlers go through stages of being scared of the dark. At this age, they're still separating reality from their vivid imaginations2. Acknowledge your child's fear  Tell her you understand that the dark can be a scary place – then help her check under the bed ...

There's nothing like the giggle of your child to make your heart sing. Surely there's no sound sweeter. Try these corny jokes to make them smileWhat do you get if you cross a snowman with a vampire?  Frostbite!What do you call a snowman with a suntan?  A puddle!How do you get a s...

TANTRUMS ARE A very common phenomenon in toddlers. That's because, at this age, a child's cognitive development is advancing very rapidly, but while he is able to imagine what he wants, his ability to wait and view the situation from another perspective is not quite as sophistica...