Birth to 18MOS
John's Most Recent Articles
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....
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 MoreRecent Questions
Saying "Bye-Bye" to Binkie
Posted on 2/25/2022
What age should children stop using a binkie? Our 3-year-old still loves his for night only. Any ideas how to approach taking it away?
Read MoreShould We Let Newborn "Cry It Out"?
Posted on 2/21/2022
We are new parents of a three-week old girl. As we've been reading the "New Parent Power!," we've been focusing on "Part 2," which gives guidance for the stages. For infants, it seems that John...
Read MoreConsistency is Key to Re-establishing Nighttime Sleep Routine
Posted on 1/8/2022
I sleep trained my second when he was 11 months old, then we went on vacation and fell back into the bad habit of letting him sleep in our bed. He is now 14 months old, I’m pregnant and due in...
Read MoreMom Needs Nighttime Nightmare To End!
Posted on 5/25/2021
I have a 5 yr old, 3 yr old and 1 yr old - all boys - who share a room. We have a 2 bedroom house so there is no other option - we have a parent room and a boy room. The 1 yr old used to share our...
Read MoreEarly Intervention Resources
Posted on 5/22/2021
Hi, It is so hard to tell who the scammers are and who are legitimate in the "medical" realm. I have a friend who has a son who has all the classic symptoms of actual autism, but his Dr. has not...
Read More2 year old Hair Cut Anxiety
Posted on 5/21/2021
Hello, my son is 2 years and 3 months old. He has not had a full evaluation for autism yet but is showing signs and is nonverbal. He is in desperate need of a haircut but anytime we have taken him...
Read MoreToddler Needs Help Working Through Separation Anxiety
Posted on 3/29/2021
My 15 month old daughter will cry and cry if my husband and I wont pick her up or give her all of our attention. This isn't feasible since we have things we have to get done. How can we help her...
Read MorePotty Training
Posted on 3/15/2021
We are toilet training our 18 month old son. He has sat on the small potty many times, peed in it a few times, mostly he refuses to sit on it. He is clearly capable of what is being asked of him....
Read MoreToo Soon for Discipline?
Posted on 2/22/2021
Is it too early to discipline a 13 month old? My son is hitting & screaming A LOT and I swat his little hands when he hits and it does not phase him... Little swats on his bum do not phase him...
Read MoreToddler Fun
Posted on 1/26/2021
Advice for dealing with 16 month old toddler boy who is beginning to have tantrums and throw himself down when he doesn’t get his way. It it too early for a time out chair?
Read MoreTopics Covered
- ADHD and other disorders
- Adoption/Foster Parent
- Aggression
- Allowances
- Alpha Speech
- Anxieties, Fears
- Arguments with Children
- Audio Files
- Bedtime/Sleep
- Bedwetting
- Bullies/Bullying
- Character/Values (teaching)
- Chores/Responsibilities
- College
- Consequences/Punishment
- Daycare/Preschool
- Depression/Self-Harm
- Developmental Issues (e.g. late talking)
- Discipline Methods (e.g. time-out)
- Disobedience/Defiance
- Divorce/Custody
- Drugs (marijuana, cocaine, etc.)
- Education
- Electronics (Computers/Video Games/Television/Cell Phones)
- Extracurricular Activities/Hobbies
- Father
- Food/Eating Problems
- Gender
- Grandparents/Grandchildren
- High School
- Homeschooling
- Homework
- John's Discipline Methods
- Learning Disabilities
- Lying
- Manners
- Marriage Issues
- Mealtime/Eating
- Miscellaneous Discipline Problems
- Miscellaneous Editorial Columns
- Mothers
- Only Children
- Pacifiers/Security Blankets/Thumbsucking
- Parent Leadership and Authority
- Play
- Preschool
- Rebellious Behavior
- Respect
- Rewards
- School Issues
- Self-Esteem
- Shyness
- Sibling Conflict
- Single Parents
- Social Issues (fighting/arguing with friends)
- Socialization/Social Skills
- Spanking
- Step-Families
- Tantrums
- Teenage Issues
- Terrible Twos
- Toilet Training
