When to potty train

In the 1950′s, 92% of children were potty trained by 18 months old. Today, roughly only about 4% of toddlers are potty trained by 18 months. In fact, only 60% are trained by 3 years old!

Make the kids’ table cool

Putting a teen with the younger children helps keep things under control and makes them feel included instead of shunned.

Teach healthy eating

Provide three nutritious meals supplemented with two to three healthy snacks daily.

Breakfast in bed

For some moms, Mother’s Day would not be the same without breakfast in bed. Coffee and toast are easy pleasers.

Mom’s Day

Make mother’s day important. Skip the shopping and the soccer games and simply plan the day with the family.

Time alone

Time alone is a rare thing for most moms. A yoga class, an hour thumbing through vinyl at a record store. Plan an afternoon of alone time for mom.

Bedwetting at 5

If bed-wetting is still an issue when your child turns five, try offering an incentive (an extra bedtime story the next night or a trip to the park) if he stays dry through the night.

vernal equinox

March 20th is the first day of spring, celebrate with your toddler by balancing an egg and explain the start of the season.

Lighting pumpkins

Consider using a flashlight or glow stick instead of a candle to light your pumpkin. If you do use a candle, a votive candle is safest.

Jump in the leaves!

Enlist the whole family to help with the yard work. Rake up the leaves into a giant pile and jump in.

Book Suggestion: Philadelphia Chickens

Sandra Boynton, long heralded for her menagerie of animal characters (Moo, Baa, La La La; Rhinoceros Tap), puts a fresh cast of singing, dancing critters center stage-from the titular boogying chickens to a tail-wagging “snuggle puppy”-in Philadelphia Chickens, a book-and-CD package billed as an “imaginary musical revue in Philadelphia Chickens

From: Lil’ Fingers Storybooks and Games

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Catch your child being good!

Often times we can get in a rut as parents of criticizing and disciplining.Catch your child doing something good and compliment them 3 times for every 1 time you have to discipline them.

Choosing foods

Don’t regularly feed your toddler foods you know he doesn’t like. It’s good to try to introduce new foods to your child, but do so slowly. If your child doesn’t like something, wait awhile to try to feed it to him again. Meal times are hard enough as it is without trying to force your toddler to eat something he doesn’t like. From creativehomemaking.com.

Sharing toys

If you know that it is going to be an issue to share a special toy then try to leave it at home. Don’t expect other kids not to want to play with it and don’t expect your child to want to share it.

From: essortment.com Opens in new window

Tooth Decay

Tooth decay is five times more common than asthma and seven times more common than hay fever in children, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics.

From: webmd.com Opens in new window