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On Toddlers...

Cutting the Apron Strings Just a Little
My son has had a particularly hard time separating himself from me. He would not even go to his father until he was over two. One thing that has helped their relationship tremendously is establishing rituals which only the two of them share. My son's favorite is making coffee at night with daddy before going to bed. It has not only established an entity which only the two of them share (my daughter and I do not get to assist in any way!), but it has also taught him simple math skills, and he can now make a mean cup of java!

--Jodi MacKenzie

He Won't Stop Brushing His Teeth!
I have no problem getting my 18-month-old to brush. The problem I have is getting him to stop! He will want to brush his teeth for hours. When I take the brush away he cries and puts on this great show. I tell him every time, "I hope you like brushing your teeth this much in a few years!"

--Wendy Hooghkirk

What to Do With Nature Boy
When my son was two he liked to strip down anywhere we were. One weekend we were shopping in the mall with all three kids, and we noticed that people kept walking by, giggling, and smiling at our son. Not thinking anything about it because he likes to smile at people, we didn't know what was up until our three-year-old daughter walked in front of us to look at something, looked back and said, "Mackie is naked again, Mommy."

Sure enough he had stripped down in the stroller and set his clothes neatly beside him. What got me was no one said a thing to us about it but my daughter. We got him dressed as quickly as possible and then one of us walked up front by him after that experience!

--Kori Pierson

Indoor Play Days
The smartest thing I ever bought for those long days in the house is a play tent. It folds flat when we aren't using it and pops up easily when we want to "go camping." We get out the sleeping bags and have a picnic lunch and just pretend we are camping all day. My kids love it. I need to get a second one so everyone can be in a tent at the same time! We even take our naps in our tent. So, let it snow! We don't care!
--Crafty Mom


Back Seat Driver
My three-year-old and I were headed to daycare the other morning when she glanced out the window at all the cars whizzing by. Out of nowhere, she says, "Mommy, you better slow down. Traffic is terrible!"

--Libby Motto

Kids Will Be Kids
Discipline is hard these days with everyone having such different views. Remember not to try to please other people because you never can. Remember that a child has to learn what's right before they can be disciplined for not doing it. Keep in mind that kids will be kids and there is a difference in being bad or obnoxious and just being a kid.

--Mollie Nix

Sing Out About Sharing
There is a wonderful and upbeat song by Raffi on "Singable Songs for the Very Young." I play The Sharing Song in the car a lot. My children have been introduced to the concept of sharing being fun. We build on it by being happy about sharing and grateful when the kids share with us. We do have to remind them and sometimes intervene when our three-year-old gets grabby, but that song is wonderful.

--Karen Hartmann

Word Worry
Owen’s first word was “Uh Oh!” which concerned me. I thought, “What kind of kid is he going to be?” Until a day later, he started saying, “Dank you!” (thank you)

--Julie Harden

Beating the Bad Weather Blues
On bad-weather days to beat boredom, sometimes I’ll give my boys some chocolate syrup in a dish and some paper, and they finger paint! Or I just dump them in the empty tub and let them paint the walls and tub. When they’re done, I just shower it off and fill up the tub for the kids!

--Bree

Fighting the Bad Breath Monster
To get my three-year-old daughter to brush, I tell her that I have to get the bad-breath monster out of there in the morning and at night I have to brush out the sugar bugs! It’s kind of mean, but it does the trick!

--Heather Morris

10 Seconds is All It Takes
NEVER leave a two-year-old unattended for less than 10 seconds! When my son was just over two, I was feeling ill one day and simply closed the bathroom door. When I came out, I stepped in catsup! It was up and down the hallway carpet and literally ALL OVER his room! Now if that wouldn’t make you sick!

--Carrie Nappi

Words and Sounds
My two-year old is extremely interested in letters, their sounds, and reading. He loves the book Chicka Chicka Boom Boom so we made a construction paper coconut tree for the fridge, bought some alphabet magnets and he has hours of fun moving his letters around while reciting the story to himself.

--Amanda

Avoiding Spills
My 16-month-old daughter loves to play with the straws they bring with our drinks. She doesn't get them at home so they are an instant hit with her. We ask for her drink in a to-go container if they don't do kiddie cups. That way it comes with a lid on it already, so she can hold the drink and get it herself with little mess.

--Anonymous

The Messier the Kid, The Bigger the Tip
We always adjust our tip up according to our child's behavior and the mess she left behind. Every child has a bad/messy visit, but if you leave a nice tip then they will remember that you are a nice family with a cute kid, rather than how messy, noisy your child was.

--Bethany

Fresh Snack Ideas
Kids love chopped up pieces of fruit like apples, bananas, pears, and watermelon. Another good snack is crackers with a topping like jelly or peanut butter and a raisin stuck on top.

--Jess

Night Time Freedom
We switched our son to a toddler bed at about 14 months; we just put him in bed, gave him a kiss and closed the door. The new-found freedom to get out of bed was a little hard for him to resist at first and he would get out of bed and knock on the door and yell for us, but after a couple of days he realized this was how things were going to be and he does fine (although I did find him asleep in his closet the other day). Most babies realize pretty quickly when a change in routine is there to stay and they'll adapt in time. All you can do is just go for it.

--Natalie

Mommy&Me Exercise
I enjoy having my toddler to exercises with me. I feel that will encourage him to stay fit as he gets older. There are so many great games that keep us both fit. We like to take time in the day to dance to music; like REALLY dance. Dance like no one is watching, go crazy, have fun. Another one that we’ve had success with is kind of an aerobics “Simon Says.” He loves to copy what I do and he thinks the movements are so funny!
--Shannon

Teaching Them How to Help Pays Off
I include my 21-month-old son while I do my chores, prepare meals, do yard work, etc. It is time-consuming at first to show him how to help, but he enjoy helping, feels special, and to him it is the norm that everyone chips in (including my husband). Keeping a routine in place has been the best thing for our family.

--Suzanne

Shoo Fly
One night after my husband came home from work, our four-year-old daughter was under his feet. As usual, he made the comment, “Shoo fly, don’t bother me!” She retorted, “I can’t Daddy! I don’t have wings!”

--Becky

Out of the Mouth of Babes
My five-year-old son found my pregnancy book and showed his three-year-old brother how my baby was positioned in the tummy. He pointed to the umbilical cord and told his little brother that the doctor was going to pull the baby out by the string!

--Kimberly Bell

Kissing Boo Boos
We always kiss our two-year-old son’s boo-boos, and the other day we were outside playing and I stubbed my toe on something. Before I could do or say anything, my son walks over and bends down and kisses my toe. He then looks at me and says very matter-of-fact, “There Mommy, all better.” Then he went along to play again.

--Louise

Who Cut the Cheese?
My two-year-old son was developing a taste for cheese so each time we went grocery shopping, we would select something different. When we looked at the choices, I turned to my son and suggested, “Havarti?”
He furrowed his brow and asked loudly, “Your fart-ied?”

--Anonymous