Toddler

Toys, clothes, books, paint: it can be worrisome when your child constantly puts things in his mouth that don't belong there. What's a parent to do?

"My 2-year-old daughter . . . still puts everything in her mouth. Luckily we haven't choked on anything to this point, but I thought we would be done with this by now," says Jamie N., seeking the Circle of Moms community for advice. "Anyone else having or have had this problem and if so, what have you done?"

Carisa V. shares the same problem with her 4-and-a-half-year-old and 16-month-old daughters. "My oldest daughter is still putting things in her mouth. Sometimes I will tell her to take something out of her mouth only to find her putting it back in a minute later. My 16-month-old also puts everything in her mouth, which is probably normal for her age, but I'm afraid she will never stop because her sister does it. Any ideas on how to break this habit?"

For suggestions on how to keep unwanted things out of your young child's mouth, consider the following five tips.

Which words should parents use when talking with children about private parts? There's certainly more than one perspective on the issue: Some moms adamantly believe that only anatomically correct names should be used, another camp is fine with cute code words, and still others fall somewhere in between. Here we break down the key reasons parents choose the words they do.

We all know those parents of 2-year-olds who claim they've got the terrible 2s under control and their kid is perfectly disciplined because they have the secret behavioral formula. But for most moms of toddlers, it can be incredibly frustrating trying to keep under control a child who is at an age when he is not exactly a rational human being.

That's why moms like Danielle P. want to know what is reasonable when setting behavior standards for toddlers. She says she's tried and failed at "everything" to try to discipline her "independent, determined, stubborn, and adventurous" 22-month-old daughter. Lisa A. feels similarly frustrated, noting, "Sometimes I feel like I'd get more of a response talking to/disciplining a rock."

So what do you do when you're pushed to the limit and feel like nothing is working with your misbehaving toddler? While there's no one-size-fits-all approach to discipline — some moms maintain a good spanking is the key to disciplining a toddler, while others are adamant about avoiding spanking — many Circle of Moms members agree on the following tried-and-true strategies for helping tots learn good behavior and helping moms not feel so frustrated in the process.

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At what age does it become inappropriate to shower or bathe with your child? Two, five, seven . . . never?

While many parents say showering with their young child, even of the opposite gender, is perfectly fine up to a certain point in time, there's little consensus on when exactly that moment is. But here are the four common reasons parents give for stopping and their thoughts on how to recognize when that moment arrives.

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It's time to accept the cold, hard truth.

I'm not a crafty mom. I'll never be a crafty mom.

One of my goals for 2013 was to actually try some of my pins on Pinterest. I love looking through what other people have pinned, I love seeing good ideas, and I love pinning things of my own. However, I'm not great when it comes to following through and actually putting some of these great ideas into practice.

Therefore, I gave myself a goal. One pin per week.

At first, I was flying. I found several recipes that were hits with my family, from the 10-month-old to the picky 2-and-a-half-year-old to the 30-something husband. I tried a couple of cleaning tips (apparently blue Dawn plus warm vinegar is the cleaning elixir!). I wasn't just meeting my challenge — I was exceeding my challenge.

Then I realized that I had two boards I was great about adding pins to, but those boards remained untried: "Crafts I Can Handle" and "Crafts For the Kids." Hmm . . .

If Pinterest, Facebook, and many, many blogs written by moms are any indication, doing amazing crafts both with and for your kids is the new benchmark. Why spend your money on a bin from the store when you can cover an old diaper box? Why put hair bows in a drawer when you can work together and create a gorgeous hanger? A good mom is a crafty mom. She creates amazing products and engages her children in a wonderful way. They aren't just crafting — they are making wholesome, quality memories.

My toddler is part of an art playgroup. One of my friends has really embraced her inner preschool teacher/wholesome-crafty-mom persona. She gathers a group of 2-year-olds together, and every week we do something different. We paint with pine branches, we experiment with homemade puffy paint, we stamp with muffin tins, and we marble paint with shaving cream. The kids adore it.

I can do that . . . right?

One of the things I realized about myself last year was that stepping out of my comfort zone brings me unexpected joy and pride. Crafts are definitely out of my comfort zone, so it was time to try.

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If your toddler has ever had a nightmare, then you know how scary it can be for him. But if, like Maggie C.'s 17-month-old son, he's "thrashing around" with "no regard for what's around him," then you're dealing with something that can be quite scary for you: night terrors. 

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You've heard that a critical factor in potty training success is waiting until your child is ready . . . but what exactly does "ready" mean? Keep reading for five signs that typically indicate potty training readiness.