John's Articles
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...
Read MoreA Hardly-Ever-Fails Thumb-Sucking Program
Posted on 4/12/2016
Q: Our 7-year-old son has sucked his thumb forever and more or less constantly. He has recently switched to sucking his index finger and putting his right hand down the back of his pants at the...
Read MoreThumb Sucking - Revisited
Posted on 8/27/2013
In a recent column I said thumb-sucking is not, as was once thought, a sign of insecurity or other psychological problems. Well-adjusted children suck their thumbs and grow up to be...
Read MoreThumb Sucking and Security Blankets
Posted on 8/13/2013
Q: My 5-year-old is going to Kindergarten soon and still sucks her thumb. We've tried everything to get her to stop, even a dental appliance, but she won't give it up. Do you have a solution for...
Read More7-Year-Old Son Sucking on Stuffed Animals
Posted on 7/20/2010
Sleeping with stuffed toys Q: My husband recently discovered that our 7-year-old son has been sucking on his stuffed animals when we put him to bed. He took the animals away, telling our son he...
Read MoreUse of the The Doctor to Abandon Certain Behaviors
Posted on 6/23/2009
SORRY, DEAR READER: 'THE DOCTOR' IS IN More from the mailroom: Reader Objects to My Favorite Therapist: One woman believes that I am wrong to invent "The Doctor" as a means of persuading...
Read More5-Year-Old Annoying Habit
Posted on 8/1/2006
TELL 5-YEAR-OLD HER HABIT ANNOYS YOU Q: My 5-year-old has been sucking her thumb since she was 2 months old. The problem is she likes to touch faces when she's doing it. She will snuggle up to...
Read MoreDiscipline is Leadership
Posted on 6/14/2005
DISCIPLINE'S GOAL: ADULTS WITH CHARACTER With rare exception, today's parents believe discipline is all about the clever manipulation of reward and punishment. They think this because...
Read MoreIf You Respect a Child, then You Expect a Lot of the Child
Posted on 6/24/2003
MISBEHAVIOR BY STUBBORN CHILDREN REQUIRES STUBBORN LOVE AND DISCIPLINE The following are some things I've been thinking about lately. I thought perhaps you might want to think about them, too....
Read More3-Year-Old Carries Around Kitchen Towels
Posted on 6/11/2002
LET THE CHILD KEEP HIS SECURITY TOWEL Q: About two years ago, our 3-year-old son developed a fondness for kitchen towels, similar to some children's attachment to security blankets. At first,...
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...
Read MoreChild Older Than 18 Months Should Not Be Allowed to Suck on Pacifier
Posted on 2/6/2001
PARENTS, IT'S TIME TO GROW UP AND PASS ON THE PACIFIER Please bear with me while I rant and rave: What is this business of allowing children older than 6 months to walk/ride/be carried around...
Read MoreParents Cannot Control Children
Posted on 7/22/1997
PARENTING ISN'T FOR WIMPS - OR DICTATORS This may cause great dismay among parents everywhere, but it's a fact: No matter what your child's age, no matter how hard you try, no matter what...
Read More3-Year-Old Addicted to Pacifier
Posted on 5/16/1996
IS OUR 3-YEAR-OLD TOO DEPENDENT ON HIS PACIFIER? Q. Our 3-year-old son seems addicted to his pacifier. Over the past year, we've limited its use to his bed, but he still comes to us four or...
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