Whether your child is just starting to walk or deep into the terrible twos, parents of toddlers can all agree that parenting just got a lot more interesting — and fun.
Discuss and share advice on all things toddler like potty training, language development, and dealing with all kinds of new behaviors.
I really need to figure out a child care option so my son can be around other kids. He's very social and I feel bad just keeping him at home. We do go to toddler gyms and we have a playdate but I just think he might need more than that. Hes 22 weeks.
My 3year old son knows how to use the toilet already. He can use our toilet seat but i still put his toilet seat so its way comfortable for him. Everytime he needs to have BM, he will runaway from me and refused to sit on the toilet seat. I can see on his face that he is afraid that his poop coming out of his buttoms. The feeling that something gonna come out makes him refuse to sir in the pott... More
Is it possible that he had something “scary” happen? Like some water splashing on his butt when he pooped in the past? I only ask because my daughter had two “scary” incidents. One was the water splashed on her butt, and then once I’d helped her get past that she had another thing happen where she pooped once and then stood up (this was when she was still almost religiously using her potty ch... More
Honestly when my son does that we go lock down mode. I just sit in the bathroom w him and explain (over and over) this is where we go poop, we will wait here together until you’re ready to try. It isn’t ok to poop in your pants all over the house. Usually it’s a fight, but he gives in eventually.
We started training back in May and had a few successful toilet uses. When our daycare situation changed we stopped (he was 2 at the time). any and all tips are much appreciated.
Any tips on weaning an extreme boob loving 19 mo old? He crys and hits me if I tell him no more milkies. Help!
I’m looking for some new book ideas for my 2.5 year old. She has a lot of books already but I want to get her some new ones for Christmas. We don’t go over the top for this holiday but books are always a gift. She loves everything....from fire trucks, trains, airplanes and school busses to dolls, babies, animals...very typical toddler with wide and varied interests. She’s an only child and ... More
My son loves the "Don't touch Monster" and the other "Don't touch" books. They have textured parts that the kid can feel. He also loves ANY interactive book like lift a flap or slide something over. In term of non-interactive books he seems to like the Llama Llama books. Llama Llama Red Pajama gets read a lot and there are several holiday books so we have been readi... More
My son will be two in December and he still isn’t speaking . He makes eye contact he loves playing with other kids . Grabs my hand and point to what he wants something but he only says mama . Should I be worried ? Do I take him in or should I wait.
You should get him evaluated by a speech therapist. Pediatrician can give a recommendation. Might be nothing but sounds like it’s time to see if some help
My son is 26 months. He says a few words but not many. He also does not point to what he wants but whines and we have to guess if he is hungry or whatever. Or he will just try to get food from the pantry himself and ask us to open it for him. We talked to the doctor and they referred us to a program run by the schools called Child Find. It’s free for parents and they do an evaluation and figure... More
My 20 month old seems anti social to me. We currently live with my parents and she has gone from wanting them to screaming when they look at her. She doesn’t go to daycare or anything and doesn’t play well with her cousins or her older brother and sister that don’t live with us. Daycare is too expensive and I’m not sure what else to do
There are a lot of affordable half day programs for kids. Look at your local churches or even call preschools to see what they offer for part time hours and days. There are also lots of Mommy and me activities as well as library events, and activities at the rec center. She doesn’t have to go to daycare to get socialized you just have to do your research!
It could be something or it could be nothing. The likelihood is that it’s nothing but a toddler being a toddler. Is she teething? Those times turn my daughter into a complete mess, from happy go lucky to crying and so upset. Is she verbal? She may just be having trouble expressing herself. I would start by talking to her pediatrician and writing down everything that’s bothering you beforehand ... More
My little boy will be 3 in May and he absolutely refuses to use a potty chair/toilet. He is not my biological son, I did not know his full background but I do know he's kinda had it rough. I have three girls of my own ages 6, 5 and 22 months, so I've been through the potty training and the difficulties but with girls. He wants to sit on the potty and he wants to wear his big boy underw... More
My second was similar. He was ready and had the understanding, but I realized that it was just an unnatural feeling for him. He’s peed in a diaper his whole life and not had himself exposed with watching eyes. I imagine I would have a difficult time peeing in a diaper as an adult, because that’s not what I’m used to anymore. Anyway, I stuck his toilet in a closet (I noticed he sometimes hid so... More
Hey! Our 18 month old was showing the tell-tale signs (dry diapers in a row, fighting changes, exerting her independence, showing deep interest in the toilet and us going potty including pretending to wipe herself)...we started oh crap! method on Wednesday. She definitely recognizes when she is peeing (she’ll say “uhoh!” If she’s not on her potty and holds it if you tell her mid-stream when t... More
I’ve tried it multiple times. And My daughter has shown full interest over and over. Yet she sometimes goes back to not using it all. It’s not something to force. I believe that Whatever is best will happen in its own time. And you can’t decide what’s 100% comfortable for them. You can’t control life so roll with the punches.
It doesn’t seem to matter where he sleeps, when, or how long. He wakes up crying or whiny, often before his eyes are even open. He settles down after a minute or two of being fully awake, but still: Why and how to fix it?
My daughter does this when she wakes up abruptly or when she wakes up in the dark. I try to catch her before she wakes up and open some window shades or turn on some music so she will have a gentler wakeup. It helps sometimes but sometimes she’s still a grump for a few minutes till she gets into the flow of things.
It’s something he will get over. Just let him put himself back to sleep. Unless he wakes up fully and won’t go back to sleep after a few minutes; then go in. I usually just comfort him by hugging my son while he is sitting up in bed. Then when he’s ready he lays back down and goes to sleep.
I’ve got a 15 month old with 6 teeth who loves vegetables. Great! Except he’ll only accept them in purée form. The most we’re able to do is get him to eat a little in a diced and heavily steamed version, but a) you have to feed it to him by hand, no utensils, and b) he’ll eat less than he would if it was puréed. I think he’s gotten stuck on his first solid food texture. Any tips on helping him... More
Keep offering. And slowly chunk up the food...things like stews where the veggies are formed but soft can be really helpful. Also, when he’s teething, offer things like frozen peas, corn, or watermelon...stuff that’s cool and soothing on his gums will hopefully help him over the hump. You mention that he likes puff type things, so he’s okay with dry solids. Maybe try things like raisins, freez... More
I’ve been co-sleeping with my son, now 18 months old, since birth. I am trying to transition him into his own bed because he is getting too big for my bed and “scoots” around all night now. I co-slept with my first son until he was 5. He is now in his own bed but it was still a hard transition. I CANNOT do the “cry-it-out” method. I’ve never been able to let any of my babies cry. Perhaps th... More
And feel like it just wasnt the right fit? I found the book to be informative and useful on many levels but knowing my kid I just dont think that method will be the best for her. Just wondering what others thought of the book and experiences with it. TIA!
I bought it, all excited, until I started hearing everyone else’s rave reviews, explaining how their child only peed on the floor x number of times today... and I will fully admit that I selfishly did not want to clean up unnecessary bodily fluids. So I did exactly what everyone says you should never do and put my child in pull-ups. She was 90% there (even waking up dry) at 2.5, but then regr... More
We just went through this over Thanksgiving! I read the book in its entirety and my husband read key chapters and the checklist/FAQ while on a business trip. Some of it was great, but the rest seemed totally unrealistic unless you have at least one stay-at home parent (Block one is three days but can take up to a week? Sorry can’t burn up the few vacation/sick days I have on a week of potty ... More
We are wondering if our son is ready for potty training or not. He just turned 2, 2 months ago. His diaper is staying dry for a pretty long time and often does not need to be changed after a nap. But he does not talk much (he is getting a speech therapist soon) so I’m worried he won’t tell us when he needs to go. He also has never given any cues he is going to the bathroom and never let us know... More
Do you feel that he is aware of when he is wetting or soiling his diaper or do you think he is unaware of when it happens. If he is aware maybe you can try an object (pull up or a picture of a potty) he can retrieve to let you know he needs to go. Whenever you change his diaper or put him on the potty reinforce your action with the object of your choice to help him start associating the card or... More
My LO seems to be on the road to potty training. She tells me when she has poops and can seem to hold her pee (she almost never pees during nap). I was just looking to hear your stories regarding trying to potty train at this age. To me it seems a little young, but I am 3 months pregnant so the thought of only changing 1 set of diapers is appealing.
My daughter was the same age when she started to show genuine interest. She’s been fully trained since she was about 20 months, she only wears diapers at night and now she’s starting to wake herself up when she has to go at night too. She’s 2 years 3 months and started training at 18 months and it was pretty much all done by 20. Good luck!!
Our 18 mo just did a modified Oh Crap over Thanksgiving and is doing really well. She had similar signs—multiple dry diapers in a row, VERY interested in us going potty, and even mimicking wiping/fighting to wipe herself during diaper changes. I’m due with our second in Feb, so I’m glad she seemed to “get” it...I’m hoping she’ll be almost 100% by the time #2 comes so we only have regression r... More
Are there any parents out there who have any experience sleep training their 18mo? My LO still needs to be held and have bottle in order to go to bed/nap. She also gets up during the night usually only once for a bottle but sometimes she gets up for a cuddle session. Looking for some tips and tricks to sleep train an older infant. Don’t mean to be harsh but looking only for responses from ... More
It took a good solid week but got better each night. It sounds like our son was a lot worse than your daughter though since he was waking frequently all night. The first couple of nights, he’d wake every hour or two and cry for up to 30-60 mins. Our neighbors weren’t pleased, and it was brutal on us as well. Our dr firmly encouraged it though. I cried a bit, had some wine before bed, and we’d w... More
My almost 2 year old was diagnosed with pneumonia on Monday and he’s been on antibiotics since. His symptoms have greatly improved and he’s no longer wheezing just has a cough, and him and his brother are dying to get outside. It’s finally not raining and I’m tempted to do it but I don’t want him to get really sick again. What would you guys do?
My son had double lung pneumonia with a severe double ear infection when he was just turning one (he is 4 now). My doctor actually suggested taking him out into the cold air for short periods of time a few days after he was on antibiotics and the nebulizer. It was February. As others have suggested, give a call to ask. But, I think as long as the medicine is doing it’s job, fresh air is always ... More
My husband, 2 yo daughter and I recently moved cross country to be closer to family and moved in with my in-laws. I'm pregnant and we're staying with them until the baby is born and we find our own house. Before the move she slept all night in her own room just fine. (And it wasn't like she was super used to living in the old place cause we had just moved there and got her in her ow... More
She’s two. My 2 year old has started noticing shadows, sounds, thinks of monsters. She’s prefers a light to be on when she sleeps. These never bothered her or came up till now. And we just moved to my parents. She’s also been asking to go home the whole time, especially at bed time. But I can’t manifest a house right now. But in time she’ll hopefully realize home is where she and I both are and... More
She probably just feels uneasy. I’d put her back to bed. Hug her and lightly talk to her. Tell her you are there. And soothe her back to sleep. My son had a sleep regression a couple months ago. It was hard; especially since he’s no longer in a crib. I found out he just feels unsettled. So I comforted him in his bed by hugging him. Then holding his hand, to sitting but not touching. To gettin... More
I am going to start trying to potty training my 21 month old over the holiday break. I always thought I would wait until 2 1/2 or 3 but he is showing a lot of the signs of readiness (occasionally asking to go on the potty, telling me before he goes, asking for his diaper to be changed, etc). What strategies worked best for you? I’m currently reading “oh crap” but would like some insight as well.
I read ‘Oh Crap’ and I found it very useful. Capitalize on those signs of readiness you’ve seen in your son by starting the method when you have the most time to dedicate to it (holiday break is perfect). Read the whole book now and summarize it for your partner and/or other caregivers so you know it well when you start. Have your son practice pulling his pants down. My daughter was 22 months w... More
We used oh crap method as well, took 10 days for complete success! I also joined the oh crap page on fb and found the support and outreach to be really helpful if I had questions
My almost 2 yr old is just getting super frustrated and lashing out when he doesn’t get his way or we simply don’t understand him. i want to start teaching him more about emotions and he responds to books well. Any book recommendations that cover this topic?
Just wanted to second two replies: (1) the Little Monkey Calms Down (and other Hello Genius) board books have worked great for our 18 month old, and (2) what Ashleigh recommends—helping identify the emotion for your little...I know when I started saying things similar to Ashleigh’s example to our toddler, she would stop to listen or say yes/no to confirm that it was how she felt.