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...
Read MorePosted on 5/23/2018
Competition amongst the membership of the International Association of the Weird and Even Weirder for the Most Bizarre Idea of All Time has finally, after more than five decades of...
Read MorePosted on 8/12/2014
On one of my websites I, along with a team of certified parent coaches, answer questions submitted by parents. In the last two days, 67 percent of the questions have concerned toilet...
Read MorePosted on 7/22/2014
Q: Using your advice, I successfully toilet-trained my daughter by age 16 months. It is now three months later and we are still using diapers at naps and nighttime. At her nap, which lasts...
Read MorePosted on 12/10/2013
Q: My 18-month-old kicks me and hits me when I try to change his diaper. He doesn't do this for his father or grandparents. Should I hold his legs down until he gives up or will this worsen...
Read MorePosted on 10/25/2013
Editor's Comment: John gets so many questions about toilet training. I am reprinting a column from two years ago; with an additional note. Almost every question received about toilet training has...
Read MorePosted on 2/26/2013
Q: Our 18 month old is a table terror! While I'm preparing dinner, she walks around acting like she's starving, but as soon as we sit her in her highchair she takes a few bites and then wants...
Read MorePosted on 11/8/2011
Punishment may fail with toddlers, but try a firm 'no' Q: My 1-year-old has started slapping us. He also screams a lot, often for no reason, or at least we can't figure out the reason. He won't...
Read MorePosted on 6/14/2011
Read to toddlers when they're ready Q: In your book on 2-year-olds, you recommend reading to a child from early on. My problem is that every time I attempt to read to my 16-month-old son he...
Read MorePosted on 1/25/2011
Parents should roll with baby's rocking Q: Our first child, a 10-month-old boy, bangs his head on the headboard of his crib when we put him to bed. He doesn't cry or exhibit any distress, but...
Read MorePosted on 10/12/2010
Preschool without shame? What a pity The National Association for the Education of Young Children and I don't see eye to eye on many things - maybe anything. We don't even agree on a definition...
Read MorePosted on 3/30/2010
Quelling bath-time fear Q. My 14-month-old was taking baths just fine until about a month ago when he became enraged because I wouldn't let him stand up in the sink. Ever since, he becomes...
Read MorePosted on 7/21/2009
BABY WILL FALL ASLEEP IF YOU LET GO Q. My 13-month-old has become used to napping while I hold her, which I started when she was a small baby during a horrible bout of teething. Now she will...
Read MorePosted on 6/30/2009
GIVING BRIBES CAN ONLY BACKFIRE As readers already know, I am not a fan of rewards given for behaving properly. Rewards teach children how to be manipulative, to withhold proper behavior...
Read MorePosted on 4/28/2009
THIS GENERATION'S WAYS OF POTTY TRAINING HAS GOTTA GO What's it going to take for American parents to realize that just as it's far easier to house-train a 4-month-old puppy than a 1-year-old...
Read MorePosted on 12/30/2008
PARENTS SHOULD CALMLY HELP BABY LEARN TO FEED HIMSELF Q. Our 16-month-old son refuses to feed himself. He will not even touch his food other than to throw it to the floor. If I try to put a bit...
Read MorePosted on 10/7/2008
EARLY IS BETTER THAN LATER FOR BABY'S TOILET TRAINING I've said many times that letting a child older than 30 months soil and wet herself several times a day is an insult to the child's...
Read MorePosted on 9/2/2008
LOSE THE DIAPERS ASAP From the Great Suggestions Department: Amanda from Illinois shares a great idea concerning night-time "potty" training. She writes: "When my first daughter was day-time...
Read MorePosted on 4/1/2008
CRYING AT RESTAURANTS IS TOUGH BEHAVIOR TO CHANGE, SO EAT IN Q. How should I handle an 18-month-old who cries at a restaurant because he wants out of his high chair to sit with me or someone...
Read MorePosted on 11/20/2007
TAKING BUNNY AWAY ONLY ADDS TO TOT'S FEELINGS OF INSECURITY Q. I work at a day care where a 13-month-old child is having difficulty adjusting. She has a rash around her mouth from constant...
Read MorePosted on 1/9/2007
ALL THOSE CLASSES FOR TOTS WON'T TEACH WHAT REALLY MATTERS Q: In my hometown, various enrichment programs for children under 3 are proliferating. A 2-year-old can take ballet, music, yoga, or...
Read MorePosted on 8/22/2006
LET GRANDMA ENJOY THE FUN OF BRINGING GIFTS FOR THE CHILDREN Q: Should I stop my mom from giving my three preschool kids presents every time she visits? She is usually here once a month for...
Read MorePosted on 5/2/2006
Q: Is it possible to discipline a child below the age of 2, and if so, how? A: If by "discipline" you mean teaching and enforcing proper behavior, the answer is no. Discipline of that sort is...
Read MorePosted on 3/28/2006
TOILET TRAINING MAY BECOME A THING OF THE PAST I tried to write a column but all I could manage to write was pieces of columns. So, I strung them together and, voila! A column! From the...
Read MorePosted on 10/25/2005
ADD 'ELIMINATION TRAINING' TO LIST OF PARENTING FADS The buzz in American parenting of late surrounds infant "elimination training," or training children as young as 6 months to signal their...
Read MorePosted on 8/9/2005
TOILET TRAINING MYTHS TO IGNORE As some of my readers already know, I have declared all-out war on the absurd, destructive idea - promoted by a good number of pediatricians and mental...
Read MorePosted on 7/26/2005
THERE'S NOT A GOOD REASON TO DELAY TOILET TRAINING My recent column on early toilet training prompted a good amount of reader response, both pro and con. Not surprisingly, the older the...
Read MorePosted on 7/12/2005
DONE PROPERLY, TOILET TRAINING CAN BEGIN 'EARLY' Q: According to my grandmother's diary, my mother was completely toilet trained by age 18 months, but my grandmother didn't explain her...
Read MorePosted on 9/7/2004
<b>Q: All of the moms in my mother's morning out group are purchasing academic "jump start" programs for their toddlers, some of whom are barely 2. What do you think of this trend, and if I don't...
Read MorePosted on 5/11/2004
IGNORE FOOD-TOSSING TODDLER Q: We recently expanded our 9-month-old daughter's finger-food menu at mealtimes. The problem is that she's discovered how much fun it is to throw her food on the...
Read MorePosted on 4/20/2004
IT'S NORMAL FOR TODDLERS TO CLING Q: Our 18-month-old daughter has recently started clinging to me, following me from room to room, and wanting to be held more than ever before. I expected...
Read MorePosted on 12/23/2003
TOILET TRAINING MUST START EARLY THE LONGER PARENTS WAIT AFTER 24 MONTHS, THE HARDER IT WILL BE Is it easier to house-train a 6-month-old puppy or a 1-year-old dog? The puppy, right? If you...
Read MorePosted on 10/14/2003
PARENTING NUGGETS' OFFER SOLUTIONS TO EVERYDAY CHALLENGES Every so often, through my Web site usually, a parent - well, actually, a mom - will send me an especially creative idea she stumbled...
Read MorePosted on 5/27/2003
LIMIT KIDS' PC USE TILL THEY'RE LITERATE Were he alive today, Samuel Taylor Coleridge might well have written, "PCs, PCs in every class, and no child is made to think." Psychologist Jane...
Read MorePosted on 3/11/2003
Q: Our 13-month-old eats table food at his high chair. The problem is that he shares his meal with the dog. He throws food over the side just to watch the dog jump on it. This is actually funny,...
Read MorePosted on 10/29/2002
MANNERS FIRST, THEN MOUSE PADS Q: What is your opinion of the spate of computer-driven academic "jump start" programs for children as young as 3, if not younger? All of the mothers in my...
Read MorePosted on 9/10/2002
DON'T BE BRAINWASHED ABOUT POTTY TRAINING As most folks know, PC stands for politically correct, but the P could just as well stand for psychologically or pediatrically. In any case, what is...
Read MorePosted on 3/26/2002
JUST IGNORE TODDLER'S FEAR OF HIS PENIS Q: My 16-month-old has recently become afraid of his penis. A few weeks ago he accidentally peed one evening after his bath while I was toweling him off...
Read MorePosted on 3/19/2002
DISPUTE OVER SIPPY CUPS POINTS TO LAZY PARENTING The front page of The Wall Street Journal on Feb. 12 blared the shocking news: The sippy cup - the spill-free cup used by most American...
Read MorePosted on 11/20/2001
PARENTS ARE GOING BACK TO THE BASICS An analysis of the 3,000-plus questions submitted to date to my Web site suggests the two biggest problems besetting American parents concern the toilet and...
Read MorePosted on 7/3/2001
JUST CHILD-PROOF HOME WHEN BABY GETS GRABBY Q. Our 15-month-old daughter has recently started climbing and getting into everything. At my mother-in-law's suggestion, we have tried popping her...
Read MorePosted on 5/22/2001
CLOSED MINDS SHUT OUT VITAL RESEARCH ON DAY CARE We live in the postmodern age, which is characterized by a rampant anti-intellectualism. It matters not, for example, that objective evidence...
Read MorePosted on 3/6/2001
A LITTLE COMMON SENSE YOU CAN FILE FOR LATER Good Ideas File: Responding to my recent article on pacifiers, a mother writes, "I have three children, ages 5, 7, and 9. When it came time for one...
Read MorePosted on 2/27/2001
AN EASILY STARTLED 10-MONTH-OLD IS NOT A 'CRYBABY' Q. Our 10-month-old son has started crying at things he's never cried at before. A stuffed cow mooed at him the other day and he just began...
Read MorePosted on 10/17/2000
SOCIAL SKILLS HAVE THEIR MILESTONE AGES, TOO Almost everyone is familiar with the concept of milestones as they relate to a child's developmental "health." For example, the average age of...
Read MorePosted on 7/11/2000
SCHLESSINGER TAKES OVERLY HARSH STAND ON DAY CARE It was, I suppose, inevitable that people, journalists included, would ask me what I think about the position on children and day care that...
Read MorePosted on 6/27/2000
PEN, PAPER BETTER THAN COMPUTER AS LEARNING TOOL A growing number of experts are recommending that young children not be allowed on computers for any reason at all. These people are not...
Read MorePosted on 5/23/2000
ENJOY YOUR TRIP - CHILD WILL WELCOME YOU BACK Q. My husband and I are about to take a four-day trip, during which we plan to leave our 18-month-old daughter with my in-laws. Grandma works, but...
Read MorePosted on 4/18/2000
PARENTS TODAY EXAGGERATE PSYCHOLOGY OF TOILET TRAINING I came across an interesting question the other day while reading my e-mail. The mother of a 30-month-old was asking for some direction...
Read MorePosted on 3/14/2000
TODDLER WILL SOON BECOME DEPENDENT ON STEADY PRAISE Q. What is the appropriate amount of praise for a 15-month-old? I praise my toddler for specific accomplishments, but I don't make a...
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