Toddler Tactics

After two little boys who had been fairly easy to teach about using the toilet - boys can have so much fun peeing on rocks and trees in the garden as they learn how their bodies function - my daughter simply didn't give a damn about peeing in the toilet. Until today.

If you are all played out, but your child isn’t, and you don’t want to resort to TV, it’s OK to cheat. If you are feeling desperately in need of some time out (for yourself, you cant lock your kids in a cupboard) , try these:

‘If you sit on the potty, you can have a Smartie.’ ‘Thank you for helping pack up the toys. Now we can go to the park.’ ‘I will get you the ice-cream now if you promise you will sit still in the doctor’s room.’ What is the difference between a bribe and a reward? A bribe is something offered before the task in order to get your child to…

Nobody tells you ‘breast is best’ any more (even though it is!). Instead, you hear “are you STILL breastfeeding” or “you will be going to school to feed him at lunchtime.” (Tell them, ‘only if I am on canteen duty’) The positioning mantra ‘chest to chest and chin to breast’ no longer applies – now it’s ‘gymnurstics’ with their feet in your face,…

Make a cubby Do you remember making cubbies as a kid? This is such an obvious rainy day activity but it never fails to keep kids happy. Throw a sheet over a few chairs or a table and then make it comfy inside with cushions. Gather the dolls and soft toys and have a picnic. Yes, it's messy but it’s a ‘clean’ mess and it will keep little ones…

If you have ever watched a desperate mother trying to round up flailing arms and legs as she wipes her child’s snot off her arms in the middle of a shopping centre and vowed that your own sweet baby will never carry on like that incompetent mother’s brat, think again. Tantrums are a normal fact of toddler life. It can help to think of a tantrum as…

Your tot is intrigued. He has discovered his nostrils and his penis – with gusto! You are feeling grossed out by the nose-picking and playing with his ‘willy’ in public is enough to make you want to pretend you are fostering a poor deprived street child (if only you could get him to stop calling you ‘mummy’). Let’s face it, whether your child is…

Your toddler's delaying tactics at bedtime – needing a drink, one more kiss, a lost toy – are her way of saying, 'I really want you to stay with me.' From a toddler's perspective, it may be difficult to relax and fall asleep if she feels stressed about being left in her room alone, especially if she can hear adults having fun (talking, watching…

Mum question: I have a three year old and an 8 month old. We recently started gentle parenting with my three year old. I've read a few books but nothing we do is helping. My three year old hits us and is constantly pushing, hitting, kicking, and scratching his little sister. He's also taking things from her every chance he can. How can we address…

  You may be able to keep your girl out of pink but it is more difficult to temper the media message that ‘pink is only for girls’. Television doesn’t always portray male and female role models as rigidly as ‘The Brady Bunch’ any more but role models still include superheroes for boys and Barbies (and lots of pink!) for girls. Research suggests…