John's Articles
32-Month-Old Girl Shyness
Posted on 7/26/2011
Shy toddlers Q. Our 32-month-old daughter has always been outgoing and loves to be around people ... until recently, that is. All of a sudden she has started lowering her head when we get...
Read MoreYoung Children Attending Funeral
Posted on 6/14/2011
Children at funerals? Q: My father-in-law has about one month to live. Should our children - ages 7, 5 and 2 - attend the funeral or viewing? A. Sit down with the older two children,...
Read More32-Month-Old Girl Hits, Screams and Throws Things
Posted on 4/26/2011
Brother's response to surly sister stokes more outbursts Q: Our 7-year-old son and 32-month-old daughter squabble with each other constantly, mostly over taking and playing with each other's...
Read More2-Year-Old Boy Separation Anxiety
Posted on 4/26/2011
Q: My husband and I are raising our 2-year-old grandson. He's been in day care since he was a year old. He loves his current day care, and we've had absolutely no problems until recently. All of a...
Read More28-Month-Old Girl Naptime
Posted on 2/15/2011
Kids give up naps when ready, no matter the age Q. Over the holidays, our 28-month-old daughter stopped napping. A couple of days we were so busy with Christmas that a nap simply was not...
Read MoreMeal Time Circus
Posted on 2/8/2011
Don't let kids run family food circus I must, in the interest of full disclosure, begin this column with a confession: I am a voyeur; more specifically, a parenting voyeur. In the words of...
Read More2-Year-Old Sleeping in Parents' Bed
Posted on 11/30/2010
Time for the really bad parenting advice award Every so often, when I'm feeling in an especially mischievous mood (as opposed to my typically mischievous mood), I award a RALPH - Rosemond's...
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 More2-Year-Old Girl Eating Issues
Posted on 9/28/2010
Don't get into a food fight with a toddler Q: My 2-year-old daughter eats a few bites of supper each night and then wants milk. So I give her milk. Then she refuses to eat anything else. We...
Read MoreToddler Tantrums
Posted on 9/14/2010
Toddler tantrums have simple source Today's parents - especially those in the educated class who consume parenting information via newspaper columns, books, and seminars - tend toward what I...
Read More26-Month-Old Boy Ready for Toilet Training
Posted on 8/10/2010
Toddler sends a message Q: Our 26-month-old grandson has started finger-painting on walls and furniture with poop when he wakes up from his nap. We think he wakes up, poops in his diaper and...
Read More2-Year-Old Boy Throws Items at Others
Posted on 7/27/2010
Got a 2-year-old who throws? Give him the gate Q. Our son is a month from being 2. We're concerned about his throwing. During a recent dinner out, he threw a fork that whizzed by a lady's head,...
Read More30-Month-Old Boy Very Clingy
Posted on 7/13/2010
When toddler clings, don't give in Q: I'm a stay-at-home mom who attends a moms' group that meets every two weeks. Every time I leave my 30-month-old in the play group, which is supervised by...
Read More2 1/2-Year-Old Girl Nap Time
Posted on 5/18/2010
Toddler exercises her will at naptime Q: My 21/2-year- old is still sleeping in her crib. When we put her in for a nap, she begins jumping up and down, holding onto the side. (She was also...
Read MoreToilet Training Success
Posted on 5/12/2009
PARENTS' ATTITUDE IS KEY TO POTTY TRAINING SUCCESS Two weeks ago, I addressed what has become the No. 1 Toilet Training Problem in America: children who refuse to use the toilet for bowel...
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 More2-Year-Old Girl Rejecting Dad and Brother
Posted on 1/13/2009
TOT'S BEHAVIOR MAY NOT BE TIED TO MEDICAL ILLS Q: As a result of being born with PHACES syndrome, my 2-year-old daughter has had numerous facial and eye operations. Because of all the stress,...
Read More2 1/2-Year-Old Boy Overly Tired From Waking Up During the Night
Posted on 1/6/2009
LATE BEDTIME MAY MEAN YOUNG CHILD WON'T SLEEP AS WELL THE BIGGEST BENEFIT OF PUTTING A CHILD TO BED EARLY IS THAT COUPLES GET TO SPEND TIME TOGETHER. Q. For the last month, our 2...
Read More2-Year-Old Boy Socialization Opportunities
Posted on 1/6/2009
Q. How important is it that I provide my 2-year-old with socialization opportunities? The other mothers in the neighborhood have formed a play group for their toddlers, but they seem to spend most...
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 MoreToddler Toilet Training
Posted on 9/23/2008
PARENTS GET CREATIVE AND GET GOOD RESULTS As regular readers of this column know, my advice tends toward the "psychologically incorrect" end of the spectrum. As a consequence, I frequently...
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 More33-Month-Old Girl Being Spoiled by Grandmother
Posted on 7/15/2008
LET GRANDMA CATER TO TODDLER IF SHE LIKES Q: My daughter is 33 months old and has been potty-trained for a year now. When my mom comes to visit, or when we go to her house, she still reads my...
Read MorePreSchool-Age Kids' Tantrums
Posted on 6/10/2008
TAMP DOWN TODDLER'S TANTRUMS EARLY An Atlanta pediatrician sent me an article from the February issue of Pediatric News describing research on tantrums in children ages 3-6. Intrigued, I spent...
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 MoreSecond Grade Girl's Teacher Does Not Correct Homework
Posted on 2/5/2008
REVIEW CHILD'S HOMEWORK IF TEACHER ISN'T CORRECTING IT Q. My daughter's second-grade teacher does not correct homework but only checks whether or not it was done. I find that my daughter often...
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 More3 - Year - Old - Child Controlling Parent
Posted on 11/20/2007
Don't let child control you Q. My 3-year-old is a control freak. She's usually agreeable and obeys the first time more often than not. However, she often attempts to control her...
Read More2-Year-Old Child Being Clingy
Posted on 10/16/2007
COPING WITH A CLINGY CHILD; A SOLUTION FOR SIBLING BATTLES Q. Our family just moved to a new city and my 2 1/2-year-old son won't do anything during the day but follow me around. If I give...
Read MoreMealtime Issues With Young Children
Posted on 9/4/2007
Spilled drinks Q. My 2-year-old has a bad habit of tipping over a regular cup at meals. He will take a drink and then just dump the rest onto the tray of his highchair. We have tried only...
Read More2-Year-Old Girl Being Rough With Younger Sibling
Posted on 8/21/2007
HOW TO KEEP TODDLER FROM PLAYING TOO ROUGH WITH BABY Q. My 2-year-old loves her 11-month-old little sister and will play nicely with her most of the time. At times, however, she gets excited...
Read MoreYoungsters Don't Need To Use Computers
Posted on 7/3/2007
YOUNGSTERS DON'T NEED TO USE COMPUTERS Q: The first time our children visited the grandparents this summer, Grandpa began asking the oldest if he was going to computer camp this summer, if he...
Read MoreTicket Method for Discipline
Posted on 5/1/2007
WANT A WAY TO TRAIN CHILDREN TO BEHAVE? HERE'S THE TICKET Q: John, several other parents have told me about your "ticket" method for dealing with misbehavior, but I wonder if I can get it...
Read MoreAggressvie Children
Posted on 4/24/2007
STOP AGGRESSION WITH SIR METHOD Last week I promised to provide a tried-and-true solution to a problem that is increasing in both frequency and magnitude: children who are aggressive toward...
Read More3-Year-Old Tantrums
Posted on 4/10/2007
EARLY LESSON IN GOOD BEHAVIOR TAMPS DOWN A TEMPER TANTRUM I had a conflict with one of my grandchildren the other day during which I was insensitive to his feelings, used my size advantage to...
Read More3-Year-Old Sleeping Issue
Posted on 2/20/2007
ALLOWING KIDS TO SLEEP IN YOUR BED CAN LEAD TO A NIGHTMARE Sometimes I wonder if parents understand the concept of robbing Peter to pay Paul - that taking the easy way out of a parenting...
Read More3-Year-Old in Timeout
Posted on 1/16/2007
Time-out turnaround Q: In looking over the last 25 years of your work, I've discovered that in one place you said a 3-year-old should spend no more than three minutes in time-out, but in...
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 More3-Year-Old Going to Preschool
Posted on 1/2/2007
TODDLERS WHO DON'T GO TO PRESCHOOL UNLIKELY TO FALL BEHIND THEIR PEERS Q: At what age do you think children should start going to preschool? My son is going on 3, and he is home with me. I...
Read MoreToddler Tantrums
Posted on 12/12/2006
TODDLER'S TANTRUMS RUIN THE MORNING Q: My daughter skipped the terrible twos and is now going through the even more terrible threes. The worst part of it is her behavior in the morning. When...
Read More30-Month-Old Twins Won't Go To Sleep
Posted on 12/12/2006
Bedtime turns into playtime The problem: 30-month-old twin boys who have learned to climb out of their cribs, thus turning bedtime into a two-hour play-fest. (Note: beds have been ordered and...
Read More5- and 2-Year-Old Boys Won't Take Naps
Posted on 12/5/2006
NOW THAT THEY'RE BUNKING TOGETHER, THEY WON'T TAKE NAPS Q: My almost 5- and 2-year-old boys recently moved to a bunk bed to be in the same room. I'm delighted that they have a wonderful...
Read More2 1/2-Year-Old Obsessions
Posted on 10/24/2006
TODDLER DOESN'T NEED THERAPY TO GET OVER HIS 'OBSESSIONS' Q: My 2 1/2-year-old sometimes becomes obsessed with certain objects or activities. When this happens, it's impossible to distract him...
Read More19-Month-Old Sleep Issues
Posted on 10/3/2006
TODDLER WON'T SLEEP IN HER OWN ROOM Q: I am adopting a 19-month-old child who has had problems going to sleep on her own since the day I brought her home. At first, I sat next to her while she...
Read MoreToilet Train by Age 2
Posted on 9/26/2006
BE KIND - LIBERATE YOUR BABY FROM DIRTY DIAPERS BY AGE 2 Knowing that I recommend toilet training between 18 and 24 months, and apparently feeling a tad contrary, a reader recently shared with...
Read More30-Month-Old Moving to New House
Posted on 9/19/2006
Make moving an adventure Q: When and how we should begin preparing our 30-month-old daughter for moving to a new house? Should we tell her a few weeks ahead of time or the week of the move?...
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 MoreSocializing the Toddler is the Single Biggest Challenge of Parenthood
Posted on 8/15/2006
PARENTS' BIGGEST CHALLENGE IS TAMING THEIR TODDLERS In response to my recent "How to grow a happy child" column, a reader writes that while she agreed with its gist, she was disappointed that I...
Read More28-Month-Old Sleeping Issues
Posted on 8/8/2006
STAY CALM ABOUT TODDLER'S CHANGING SLEEP PATTERNS Q: Our 28-month-old recently started waking three or four times a night and coming into our room crying. We respond by telling her it's still...
Read MoreShowing results 51-100 on page 2 of 5.
