Tiny Tyrants

By Elizabeth Hashagen

As you might expect--since I'm expecting--headlines about babies and baby care are catching my eyes these days.

Like this one: "Fussy babies are likely to grow into tiny tyrants who rule the roost at home and are often in trouble at school."

Uh-oh!

So first you get a fussy baby--then you get phone calls from the teacher!

New research shows that babies who are fussy about their food are more likely to develop behavior problems later on.

Their bad behavior seems to follow them into their early teens as they develop into children who disobey parents and cheat, lie, and bully at school, doctors said.

So, I'm not sure that they're suggesting a tough love technique to get them to eat carrots or chicken, but researchers found children who are less moody and more predictable as infants are at very low risk of future behavior problems.

Now if you're wondering if the bundle of joy you know right now fits into the category--here's how they define fussy babies: those who refuse, or take a long time, to feed; are hungry or tired at different times each day; are constantly demanding attention; or will not sleep in the evenings and through the night.

The study tracked nearly 2,000 children from birth to the age of 13.

And they did say that genetics plays a part in a child's behavior.

But we can help!!

No matter what style of parenting you choose to take, the study found that parents who gave their little ones plenty of intellectual stimulation in the first year of life by reading to them, talking to them and taking them out of the house were less likely to have serious behavior problems.

It said good behavior might reflect how generally caring and affectionate parents are!!!

But stimulating activities during infancy could also aid children's language development, making it easier for them to communicate and socialize so they are less frustrated.