Toddler (18MOS-3 years)
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...
Read MorePlaying Well With Toddlers
Posted on 11/8/2022
Q: I have two boys, 18 and 33 months. How much time each day should I spend involved in activities with them? Also, they chase one another around the house and other sorts of...
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 MoreOn Chores, Discipline, Potty-Training
Posted on 3/29/2022
Q: When I give my 5-year-old daughter a chore, she does it, but all the while she is muttering under her breath, huffing and puffing, and so on. Do I discipline that behavior or just let her...
Read MoreThe Keys to Relatively Quick, Painless Toilet Training
Posted on 1/12/2022
Q: I recently tried toilet training my 32-month-old, but after a few days of no success, I decided to stop. A friend tells me to hang in there, but my pediatrician says my son isn’t ready. She...
Read MoreWhat To Do About Head-Banging Toddler?
Posted on 8/12/2021
Q: Our 19-month-old is a very active little boy who flips out when things do not go his way. When he has a tantrum, we walk away or simply ignore him. Nonetheless, he will scream and flail about...
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 MoreEar Infections and Misbehavior; Boundaries for Boys
Posted on 3/23/2021
Q: My three-year-old is prone to ear infections. When he has one, his behavior deteriorates considerably. He becomes disobedient and given to angry outbursts. When his ears are clear, he’s...
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 MoreThe More You Say “No," the Less Effective It Becomes
Posted on 10/13/2020
Q: Our first child, a boy, just turned two. Per your advice, he is toilet trained and eating whatever I serve. Before he was born, we determined that we were not going to raise a picky eater. Our...
Read MoreRecent Questions
22 MONTH OLD POOPY PROBLEM
Posted 1 week ago
Hi, we’re potty training our 22 month old using “Naked and $75” and we’re having issues with poop. My daughter refuses to sit on the potty when she has to poop. She starts pooping and then says...
Read MoreUnderstanding a 2 year old.
Posted 3 weeks ago
Our main discipline tool for our sensitive 2.5 year old son is time out. When he disobeys after a count of 3 or says “no” to us, he goes in our bedroom or his bedroom for a 2 minute time out. I...
Read MoreLate Talkers
Posted 3 weeks ago
Help! My 2 grandchildren, a boy 3, girl 16 months are being labeled autistic by their pediatrician because they are not speaking a lot of words yet. They both speak gibberish, and the boy is...
Read MoreNight time potty training
Posted on 12/26/2022
Hello, I am ready to toilet train my 22-month old son. My question is with regard to leaving him naked and free for overnights. He currently sleeps in his crib overnight from 7pm-7am. This allows...
Read More20-Month-Old Girl Wants Personal Chef
Posted on 11/19/2022
My 20 month old daughter says “ew no” to almost any meal put in front of her. I rarely introduce a food she likes or will eat (other than snacks such as cheese, fruit, etc.). When our son finishes...
Read MoreTYPICAL TODDLER BEHAVIOR, JUST A LOT OF IT
Posted on 11/16/2022
Update: The previous issue I wrote about where my toddler held his pee for hours and refused to go potty seems to have improved following some antibiotics given prophetically. However, other...
Read More2 year old Bedtime Woes
Posted on 11/15/2022
When my 2.1 years old daughter was smaller, I trained her to sleep by herself. However, these few months, if she's not too sleepy when I leave alone in the room her after evening milk, she...
Read MoreThe Daycare Biter, Act 2
Posted on 11/8/2022
My just turned 2 granddaughter is biting at her preschool/daycare. This has happened off and on for over 3 months and is getting more frequent. She does not do this at home, to her 4 yr bother, on...
Read MoreThe Daycare Biter
Posted on 10/27/2022
My 2 yo is biting excessively at daycare. They do not believe in "time outs" only distractions. She does not have any delays and has been seen by ENT and speech is appropriate. I know biting...
Read More"PERSNIKETY" 32 MONTH OLD RUNS THE HOUSE
Posted on 9/29/2022
We have a very particular 32 month old. We've followed John's teachings for our other two from toddlerhood but this kid has us scratching our heads. This child of ours had a rough start to life;...
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)
- Elementary School
- Extracurricular Activities/Hobbies
- Father
- Food/Eating Problems
- Gender
- Gentle Parenting
- Grandparents/Grandchildren
- High School
- Homeschooling
- Homework
- John's Discipline Methods
- Learning Disabilities
- Lying
- Manners
- Marriage Issues
- Mealtime/Eating
- Mental Health
- 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
- Sexual Issues
- Shyness
- Sibling Conflict
- Single Parents
- Social Issues (fighting/arguing with friends)
- Socialization/Social Skills
- Spanking
- Step-Families
- Tantrums
- Teenage Issues
- Terrible Twos
- Toilet Training
