Birth to 18MOS

John's Most Recent 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...

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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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Should 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...

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Parental 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...

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Recent Questions

18 month old protests potty training

Posted 4 days ago

I’m potty training my 18 month old boy. In your book, you state to not get into a power struggle if he is refusing to get on the toilet. But to be authoritative with telling him we go poop/pee on...

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ONE YEAR OLD SCREAMS THROUGH THE NIGHT

Posted 1 week ago

A one year old screams through the night and doesn’t sleep. What do I do?

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15 MONTH OLD GRUNTING

Posted 2 weeks ago

Re my previous question about my 15 mos. granddaughter grunting. We do let her feed herself with help and she is fine with that. She'll grunt loudly because it's not being placed in front of her...

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Grunting Granddaughter

Posted 2 weeks ago

My 15 mos granddaughter will grunt loudly if you're not getting her food fast enough or if you ask her to repeat a word or action she's recently learned. It's as if she's saying, "I've done it...

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OH, THE PEER PRESSURE PARENTS ARE UNDER, BEING SLOWLY CRUSHED

Posted 3 weeks ago

We understand that a child is best served by receiving personal attention for their first three years before starting regular daycare. However, could outside care still be beneficial by age two?...

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Late Talker or Developmental Delay?

Posted on 2/4/2023

My 2 grandchildren - a boy, 3, and a girl, 16 months - are being labeled autistic by their pediatrician because they are not speaking a lot of words yet. Their mom speaks Korean and English, both...

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To Share or Not to Share - That is the Question

Posted on 9/18/2022

What are the pros and cons for sibling room sharing? I wonder if I should make my 11 month old share a room with the 2.5 year old. P.S. The 2.5 year old is completely potty trained. Thanks for...

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Need more banger Info please!

Posted on 9/14/2022

We read the Q&A on "10 month boy bangs head" which is exactly what our son does except he's now 18 months old and has been doing it for so long he literally has a unicorn bump growing on his head....

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Toilet Training Takes Time

Posted on 8/1/2022

Hello, we started potty training our 18-month-old nine days ago and have had little progress. I've read John's book on toilet training, and I feel like we're doing all he recommends but think we...

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Toilet Training Guidance

Posted on 7/30/2022

My son is 17 months and I’ve been trying to toilet train him for 6 days using the “naked and $75” technique outlined in the “Toilet Training Without Tantrums” book. I have yet to see notable...

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