John's Articles
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...
Read MoreThe 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...
Read MoreHelp 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...
Read MoreSon’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....
Read MoreWith 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...
Read MoreOn 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...
Read More10-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...
Read MoreSome 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...
Read MoreShould You Ask Your Baby's Permission Before Changing Their Diaper?
Posted 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 MoreParental Anxiety
Posted 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 MoreDiapers at night
Posted 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 More150 Word Toilet Training Program
Posted 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 MoreToilet Training Without Tantrums Note
Posted 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 More18-Month-Old is a Table Terror!
Posted 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 MoreOne Year Old Slapping Parents and Screaming
Posted 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 More16-Month-Old Son - Read to Child When Ready
Posted 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 More10-Month-Old Boy Bangs Head
Posted 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 MorePreschool Education Programs
Posted 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 More14-Month-Old Boy Bath-Time Fear
Posted 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 More13-Month-Old Girl Sleeping Issues
Posted 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 More30-Month-Old Boy Toilet Training
Posted 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 MoreToilet Training: Just Do It
Posted 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 More16-Month-Old Boy Refuses to Feed Himself
Posted 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 MoreEarly is Better Than Later For Toilet Training
Posted 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 MoreToilet Training: Lose the Diapers Early
Posted 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 More18-Month-Old Boy Crys at Restaurants
Posted 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 More13 - Month - Old Child Having Difficulty Adjusting To Daycare
Posted 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 MoreToddler/Preschool Classes
Posted 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 MoreGrandma Giving Gifts to Grandchildren
Posted 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 MoreBaby Needs Structure, Routine; The Discipline Can Come Later
Posted 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 MoreToilet Training
Posted 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 MoreElimination Toliet Training
Posted 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 MoreToilet Training Myths
Posted 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 MoreNo Delay in Toilet Training
Posted 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 MoreToilet Training
Posted 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 MoreTeaching Academics to Toddlers is Worthless
Posted 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 More9-Month-Old Mealtime Issues
Posted 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 More18-Month-Old Clinging to Mom
Posted 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 MoreToilet Training Must Start Early
Posted 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 MoreMom Does Not Use Sippy Cups
Posted 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 MoreChildren and Computers
Posted 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 More13-Month-Old Shares His Meal with the Dog
Posted 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 More"Jump-Start" Programs are Worthless
Posted 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 MorePotty Training
Posted 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 More16-Month-Old Afraid of Penis
Posted 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 MoreSippy Cups
Posted 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 MoreToilet Training and Bedtime Issues
Posted 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 MoreChild-Proof Home for Active 15-Month-Old
Posted 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 MoreMom-Care is Generally Better Than Daycare
Posted 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 MorePacifiers
Posted 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...
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