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16 posts

Parenting

Practical help for the hard parts — drop-offs, tantrums, screens, siblings, and sleep.

The parents corner at Ideal Daycare with information boards and seating

September 16, 20262 min

September hits the whole family, not just the school-age child

When an older sibling starts kindergarten or grade one, the toddler at Ideal feels it too. Here is what usually shifts in the first three weeks of the school year.

Children on a walking outing near the park in Mill Woods

August 19, 20262 min

August is the reset before the busy season

Before backpacks and early alarms return, use August to fix the boring things: labelled gear, updated contacts, sleep schedules, and one honest conversation about the autumn routine.

The infant room at Ideal Daycare, set up with soft mats and low shelves

May 20, 20264 min

The first two weeks: what settling into daycare really looks like

Your child will probably cry at drop-off. That is not a sign anything is wrong. Here is the honest week-by-week, and what actually helps.

October 15, 20242 min

Tantrums: what is actually happening, and what to do

A two-year-old on the floor of a grocery store is not manipulating you. Their brain has genuinely run out of capacity. That changes what helps.

June 18, 20242 min

Screen time under five: a realistic take

The guidelines say almost none. Real life says otherwise. What actually matters is not the number of minutes.

July 19, 20232 min

Naps at daycare, and why your child sleeps here but not at home

The most common question at pickup. The answer is usually about the room rather than the child.

June 15, 20222 min

Better questions than "what did you do today?"

Ask a four-year-old what they did and you get "nothing." Ask a different question and you get twenty minutes.

February 18, 20202 min

Label everything: practical advice from the lost and found box

A short, entirely unglamorous list of things that make daycare life easier, learned from years of unclaimed navy mittens.

October 16, 20182 min

Biting: why toddlers do it and what we do about it

The phone call no parent wants, from either side. Biting is common, developmental, and manageable.

November 15, 20162 min

Toilet learning without a battle

Readiness signs, what we do here, and the single most important rule: do not make it a contest.

November 17, 20152 min

Choosing a daycare: what to ask, and what to watch

A tour will show you a clean room. Here are the questions that tell you something a clean room cannot.

July 21, 20152 min

What we do instead of discipline

No time-outs, no naughty chair, no reward charts. What replaces them, and why it works better.

November 19, 20132 min

When a new baby arrives: what we see in the room

A new sibling shows up in a child’s daycare behaviour before it shows up at home. What to expect and how to help.

November 20, 20122 min

The thirty seconds at the door

Drop-off and pickup are short and busy, and they are where nearly all parent-educator communication actually happens. How to use them.

June 21, 20112 min

The two-minute warning: the smallest change with the biggest effect

Most difficult moments with a young child are transitions. One habit prevents a remarkable share of them.

February 15, 20112 min

What to say instead of "good job"

"Good job" is automatic, harmless, and does almost nothing. Small changes make praise genuinely useful.

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Prefer to message? Email idealdaycareedmonton@gmail.com.

Visit us: 6013 Millwoods Road South
Millhurst Shopping Centre
Edmonton, AB T6L 5X9
Open: Mon – Fri — 6:30 AM – 6:00 PMSaturday — ClosedSunday — Closed
Registration enquiries: idealdaycareedmonton@gmail.com