Pushing your child to eat more or specific foods may actually promote picky eating problems. Dealing with fussy eating habits is one of the more challenging aspects of raising a toddler. It can be frustrating or sometimes stressful when your toddler refuses to eat the nourishing meal that you have lovingly spent time preparing.  Today, I dive into ways to avoid picky eating habits. I suggest a better approach to mealtimes, offer strategies to help your toddler expand their diet, and share a new and more enlightened way of helping your little one develop a healthy relationship with food.&n ..read more

As a parent, you will be pleased to learn that pooping issues are pretty common during potty training! Toddlers have a short attention span and buzz quickly from one activity to the next. They tend to use the potty much the same, so they sometimes don't sit there as long as they should. Today I answer some burning questions from parents about potty training. I explain why toddlers may resist pooping and what tends to happen when they don't stay long enough on the potty. I also discuss constipation, how to avoid it, and ways to empower your toddler to use the potty.  Stay tuned to learn ho ..read more

Does thinking of introducing your toddler to their new sibling stress you out? If so, the solution may be much simpler than you surmised. No matter what you do to prepare your toddler beforehand, they will still be surprised when a new baby comes home and stays. All parents share similar fears and concerns about turning their toddlers' worlds upside down when having another baby. So cut yourself some slack. Take the time to make sense of the new relationships and figure out how to balance everyone’s needs. Your assumptions and attitudes can influence the process of preparing your toddler for t ..read more

Unrealistic expectations start early. Would you believe that most moms magnify what their toddlers can manage? Having unrealistic expectations can lead to disappointment and frustration and cause unnecessary stress and conflict between parents and children. Parents with unreasonable expectations could even result in children having a sense of failure for not pleasing their parents. A national survey of parents of young children by the ZERO TO THREE Organization found that most parents overestimate their toddler's abilities. The survey also showed that most parents wished they could stop losing ..read more

Would it surprise you to learn that pooping problems often prevail during the potty training process?  Toddlers love routines and rituals, so changing them could upset your child and cause problems. When a child who pooped perfectly well in a diaper starts experiencing problems while being potty trained, something about the process is likely upsetting them. It could be due to fear or anxiety. It may be a need for privacy or better support. Or your toddler may be holding their bowel movements to maintain some semblance of control over their life. Today, I answer a question from Gillian, wh ..read more

Did you know that setting limits for your little ones will let them know they are looked after and loved? Most parents find it easy to love their kids and ensure they are happy and self-confident. Yet many struggle with setting and holding boundaries.  Toddlers need boundaries to keep them safe and healthy and allow them to feel protected and secure in their world. Even though they are desperate for power, getting too much of it feels uncomfortable for toddlers. That’s why they often cannot cope when they get what they want.  Parents need to understand that when their toddler cries f ..read more

Did you know toddlers do not typically try to hurt the person they hit?  Your toddler is not a bad kid if they smack someone. Nor does it mean you are no good as a parent or indicate that there may be problems down the road. They are simply acting their age. Toddlers hit to express their feelings. Their brains are still developing. So they have poor impulse control. They struggle to articulate their feelings and tend to behave however they feel. They are also still learning about cause and effect. So when they hit someone, they fail to understand how it impacts them. In this episode, I di ..read more

Did you know that smiling, smirking, or sniggering is a common way for toddlers to cope with the stress of being scolded? It can be challenging for parents to deal with what looks like sassy behavior. But toddlers are not being purposefully rude if they laugh, cover their ears, stick out their tongue, or get angry and run away when they get criticized or pulled up. They tend to do that because they don't know what to do with their intense feelings. They are still learning about social norms, so they might not understand what others expect of them. They realize they have done something wrong an ..read more

Did you know that spitting might simply be your toddler’s way of showing their singularity? Spitting is a pretty common toddler problem. It may seem gross to us as parents, but toddlers find it funny and love to watch their parents freaking out! That does not make them bad kids. They just enjoy feeling powerful.  Developmentally, toddlers are starting to realize themselves as separate people, and seeing their parents get upset emphasizes their sense of individuality. An effective way to stop them from spitting is to help them find new ways of exploring their uniqueness and power. Today, I ..read more

Does your toddler’s extra-enthusiastic, energetic, and excitable temperament ever exasperate you? Some kids are just naturally more intense, passionate, and emotional than others. Two-year-olds have limited self-control. So even though toddlers with big, exuberant personalities are delightful, their extreme enthusiasm can sometimes cause problems. They cannot restrain their energy, so their hugs and physical interactions can often be too much for other children to bear. Today, I dive into the topic of excitable kids and answer a question from a lovely mom in Florida, struggling to discipline h ..read more