Birth to 18MOS

John's Most Recent Articles

Why Hanna Sleeps With Us

Posted on 5/9/2023

My wife, Willie (nee Wilma), and I are the happy caretakers of a happy seventeen-month-old pure white toy schnauzer, Hanna. Hanna occupies the center of our attention. If you spent a day in our...

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Don't Turn Little Issues Into Big Problems

Posted on 4/11/2023

Q: My almost-3-year-old, when I begin to do something, will yell, “I WILL DO IT!” When it’s something he can do, fine, but if it’s not, then I just say, “No, Mommy will do it” and that’s the end...

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Starting Toilet Training Early Pays Off

Posted on 12/27/2022

Q: My grandmother maintains that her children – my mother and her two siblings, all born in the 1950s – were completely toilet trained at 18 months. Her terse explanation: “I just gave...

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The Problem With Pull-Ups

Posted on 11/1/2022

I finally tracked down the fellow who invented the so-called “pull-up.” His name is Lucapher (Big Lou) Saytan. Reputedly, Mr. Saytan lives in an underground bunker from which he develops and...

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Help Big Brother Understand Baby’s Limits

Posted on 8/2/2022

Q: Our soon to be 5-year-old son enjoys playing with his 14-month-old brother, but there have been three times recently when the baby has started crying and when I check, big brother has a guilty...

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Son’s Crying Is Normal

Posted on 2/22/2022

Q: Our 11-month-old son has started crying at just about anything he doesn’t understand. In our playgroup, if another child or an adult so much as looks at him the “wrong” way, he melts down....

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With Sippy Cups, Stick to the Short Term

Posted on 7/20/2021

Research finds that so-called “sippy cups” – spill-free cups used by most American preschoolers – are linked to speech problems as well as early dental issues. A sippy cup’s spout depresses a...

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On Picky Eaters

Posted on 11/4/2020

It’s funny, sort of, the things some parents want to believe. An example concerns children who’ve developed full-blown “eating disorders” by age three. “My child was exhibiting food...

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10-Month-Old Tosses Food for Mealtime Fun

Posted on 8/4/2020

Q: Our 10-month-old son has recently discovered the joys of throwing finger food on the floor at mealtimes. He doesn’t seem to care if I feed it to him myself, one piece at a time, but isn't it...

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Some Benchmarks on Toilet Training

Posted on 6/9/2020

“There’s no one-size-fits-all model of childrearing for all the world’s parents,” opines Alma Gottlieb, Professor Emerita of Anthropology at the University of Illinois. Gottlieb was quoted in an...

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Recent Questions

My Daughter is Refusing Foods at Mealtime

Posted on 3/21/2024

Hello, my 13-month-old is refusing to eat what we are serving her at lunch or dinner. She has no problems with the eggs in the morning even when I add vegetables or meats. She will either just...

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Tickets

Posted on 1/19/2024

At what age can I use the ticket method or “three strikes, you’re out”? With kids 2.5 & 1.5 I don’t know of very many consequences that make sense at this point. I make them go to their bed if...

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You're Going to Learn to Use the Toilet Today

Posted on 9/22/2023

Today I have started potty training my almost 16 month boy. I’m a little overwhelmed but felt that the time was right. Am I supposed to still use diapers when he sleeps and just focus on day...

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How to Purge the Toys

Posted on 8/25/2023

I have 2 boys aged 5 and 3 and a 1-year-old girl. We are trying to reduce the number of toys we have by gifting the toys we don't need anymore. However, I am finding it difficult to decide which...

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15 month doing what 15 months do

Posted on 8/9/2023

My son (almost 15 months) is having anger issues. If I (or some other adult in his life) set him down in the play area so we can go get things done, he often will get very angry. He will roar with...

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Don't stop, keep going.

Posted on 7/18/2023

We started potty training our 17-month old daughter last week, and we are on day 9. Yesterday she had 24 successes and 7 accidents for pee, but she is still pooping only on the floor. Today she is...

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Train Them Up

Posted on 7/11/2023

Our family doctor was shocked when I started potty training our daughter at 16 months old and she is mostly potty trained now (she’s a few months past 2). With my son (13 months old) the doctor...

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1 and 2-year olds scared of vacuum

Posted on 6/28/2023

My kids (2 yr and 1 yr) are both terrified of the vacuum. I thought that the older one was less scared and was getting over the fear but then she suddenly went back to crying and sometimes almost...

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Book Etiquette and Two Year Olds

Posted on 6/27/2023

My daughter (2) has done pretty well in being gentle with books. But recently she has started tearing pages and biting books. It doesn’t matter if they are normal books or board books, she is hard...

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Is spanking working for us or not?

Posted on 6/15/2023

My husband and I believe in spanking but I don’t like doing it very often. We have a 2 year old girl and a 1 year old boy. If the our son is pulling out books, messes with my glasses, or refuses...

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