At the very end of the wearying journey that is potty training awaits one final challenge: the butt wipe. It may seem intuitive to you, but to a kid with a high tolerance for grossness and an urgency to get back to their toys, wiping properly is just not a priority. Teaching a kid to wipe their butt is the last battle, but it’s not going to be a simple one. A good wipe is essential to prevent a number of uncomfortable genital bacterial infections and, in some cases, serious health complications. The uphill battle to toilet independence might be long, but here are some tips to help your child ..read more

Barf. Puke. Vomit. Call it what you will, but rest assured that as a parent, you’ll encounter kid vomit—and it won’t be fun. Even the most seasoned, BTDT parents can find themselves fully frazzled when their kid starts throwing up. But the fact is, kid vomit happens. And when it does, you may have some questions. Here are the answers: What can cause a child to vomit? Here are some of the most common reasons kids throw up: Viral gastroenteritis, also known as “stomach flu,” is the most common culprit. This infection can last anywhere from a couple of days to more than a week. COVID ..read more

Your two-year-old asked for the blue cup… and you gave them the blue cup? You silly, naive fool. They didn’t actually want the blue cup. They wanted the green cup. No wait, the pink cup. Or no cup. Actually, their water bottle. Not the orange one, the pink one. Oh wait, they’ll drink the rest of your can of Perrier, thank you very much. Yah, that’s it. *brain explodes* Toddlers are a wacky bunch, unburdened by common courtesy, emotional restraint, rational thinking and the like. They want what they want when they want it, whether it’s a mouth full of bathwater or a security toilet plunger. Bu ..read more

Parents of toddlers are always on the hunt for an activity that will keep their kid focussed for more than a few minutes at a time. If the activity is calm and quiet, that’s a bonus. If this sounds like you, look no further than this TikTok for some inspiration. TikTok parent Crissy (@imcrissyrodriguez) shares lots of videos of herself and her daughter, Luca. In one recent video, Crissy shows how she and her husband keep their toddler entertained for a whopping 15 minutes straight! Check out the video here. @imcrissyrodriguez I cannot remember the last time it’s been this quiet #joy #toddlert ..read more

At age two, Lee-Anne Maier’s son, Theo, was still in diapers, but he could climb to the top of the 12-foot net climber at the playground down the street. Maier quickly got used to all the concerned looks from other parents at the park. “He was such a small kid that he looked like a baby climbing that thing! But I would just say, ‘Hey, good job!’ because I was so certain he could do it.” His other favourite trick was to grab the frame of a doorway (one hand on each side), wriggle himself up until he was dangling about six inches off the floor, and hang there like a monkey, clamped on for ..read more

There’s a line of unsolicited advice—usually offered by smug parents of multiple kids who are a little too eager to share their hard-earned wisdom—guaranteed to make any new mom seethe: Cherish the newborn stage, because if you think this is hard, just wait until they’re older. I remember some of my friends and family imparting these exact words of guidance as they cooed over my freshly-birthed firstborn. Meanwhile, I was leaking several bodily fluids into an adult diaper, had maybe slept three hours over the past two days, and I had just cried hot tears of frustration because I couldn’t figu ..read more

Toddlers, amiright? Unpredictable, destructive, stubborn and volatile, they can swing wildly from cuddle bug to incensed teenager to drunk uncle and back again in less time than it takes to change the channel from Paw Patrol to The Wiggles (neither of which will actually be what they wanted). Which is why we as caregivers try to wield as much control over them possible. From car seat tantrums to battles over weather-appropriate clothing and everything in between: They want control, we want them to keep their pants on at circle time. What I wish I’d known when my first kid was a toddler was th ..read more

“I only have to make it to naptime” was my refrain every single morning when I was juggling a baby, a toddler, and freelance work I somehow had to fit in. When there were ill-timed diaper blowouts, unending toddler tantrums, or tears from all three of us, the one thing I could count on was the midday snooze. Until, that is, my oldest started protesting his nap. I panicked. There was no way I was going to be able to get through an entire day without a break, let alone get any work done. Enter: Quiet Time. Though it might seem impossible at the outset, substituting naptime with quiet time ..read more

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