Pre-Preschool (3 Year Old)
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 MoreIf Bedtime Routine Invites Trouble, Shorten It
Posted on 7/12/2022
Q: We have a 3.5-year-old and each night we have a routine that we go through with her--bath, pajamas, brush, choose two books and read them, sing a couple of songs, and pray before lights out....
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 MorePatience With Young Daughter’s Questions Will Pay Off
Posted on 3/1/2022
Q: I’m concerned that my 3-year-old – she’s nearly 4 – daughter has some sort of language issue. For example, even though my brother’s family moved away nearly two years ago, whenever we drive by...
Read MoreIn Defense of ‘Because I Said So'
Posted on 2/1/2022
Q: Concerning chores, another expert recommends giving a child a certain number of chips, like poker chips, every month and if he or she fails to do a chore or doesn’t do it properly, you take a...
Read MoreAvoid Telling Young Kids About Existential Threats
Posted on 1/18/2022
Q: My 3-year-old is fearful of trying anything new, including things that other kids his age love to do such as swinging on a swing, sliding down a slide, and splashing in a pool. I feel like I...
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 MoreIs This Battle Worth It?
Posted on 12/29/2021
Q: I have six-month- and thirty-two-month-old boys. The older one—well-mannered, easy going, very affectionate—attends a preschool program three mornings a week. This is his second year there. ...
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 MoreAdvice for Preschool Teachers
Posted on 1/5/2021
Q: I teach 3- and 4-year-olds in a childcare center in Australia. I always have a few difficult children in any group and the book in which you describe Alpha Speech [The Well-Behaved Child] has...
Read MoreRecent Questions
Potty training and responsibility
Posted 4 weeks ago
Is it ok to discipline a 4-year old for a potty accident? We potty trained our daughter at 25-months old. She turns 4 next week and she rarely has accidents anymore. However, strangely, today...
Read MoreAdoption questions
Posted on 9/27/2022
We have adopted 2 sons. They are 5 and 3 years old, and they came to us as babies (6 months and 3 1/2 months). They have never had any family member visits, or anyone in their lives other than my...
Read MoreGRANDPARENT TRAVAILS REDUX
Posted on 8/23/2022
John, Hi, my sons are grown now, enjoyed your columns, WE have 1 grandson . His Dad, my son, was spoiled so it seems to be continuing unfortunately. Question: now that Roman is 3, doesn't...
Read MoreDeciding how to grandparent.
Posted on 8/21/2022
Our grandson, turned 3, is starting to be a brat. Our son and daughter in law don't correct him. Daughter in law talks to him and never gets to the point. He doesn't go to bed at a regular...
Read More3.5-Year-Old Pulling Mom's Chain
Posted on 7/24/2022
The card system is working for the 3.5 year old and he is (begrudgingly) becoming obedient! However, he will not perform for me! He swims for his swim coach, but freaks out and demands to be put...
Read MoreMiddle of the Night Potty Solution
Posted on 7/16/2022
My 3.5 year old has been potty trained since before he was 2. I read and generally used the Rosemond book. However, I didn’t do the night/nap training as my pediatrician said it was just...
Read More3 YO SCREAMING OVER RANDOM STUFF AT BEDTIME
Posted on 7/6/2022
We have a 3.5 year old and each night, we have a routine that we go through with her - bath, put on pajamas, brush teeth, choose two books and read them, sing a couple of songs, and pray before...
Read MoreWhen to Transition 3-Year-Old to 'Big Bed'?
Posted on 7/5/2022
My son just turned three. He slept two nights in his twin bed in the room with his older brother. On the third night he wanted to go back to his room and sleep in his baby bed because he could not...
Read MoreThree-Year-Old's Sleep Patterns Changing
Posted on 6/22/2022
I believe my 3.5 year old is not getting enough sleep. He has toys in his room that he plays with during quiet time. He almost never naps anymore, but enjoys quiet time. Only recently has he...
Read MoreTicket System questions
Posted on 6/22/2022
I have some questions regarding the ticket system for a 3.5 year old. 1. What if he loses all of his tickets at the end of the day? One time he lost his last ticket but it was right before...
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
- Shyness
- Sibling Conflict
- Single Parents
- Social Issues (fighting/arguing with friends)
- Socialization/Social Skills
- Spanking
- Step-Families
- Tantrums
- Teenage Issues
- Terrible Twos
- Toilet Training
