As I was researching the issue of toddler hitting, I came across another interesting resource, “The discipline tool kit: Successful strategies for every age,” on BabyCenter. The article describes ground rules to set the stage for discipline success and follows with implementation tools and useful descriptions of process and application, from birth to 8 years old.

BabyCenter offers substantial topic resources for parents from pre-pregnancy on. Plug in your due date to receive pregnancy bulletins; do the same based on your child’s birth date for age-related development content. BabyCenter’s retail component offers a full range of products (with parent reviews) and an online registry.

As I was researching the issue of toddler hitting, I came across another interesting resource, “The discipline tool kit: Successful strategies for every age,” on BabyCenter. The article describes ground rules to set the stage for discipline success and follows with implementation tools and useful descriptions of process and application, from birth to 8 years old.

BabyCenter offers substantial topic resources for parents from pre-pregnancy on. Plug in your due date to receive pregnancy bulletins; do the same based on your child’s birth date for age-related development content. BabyCenter’s retail component offers a full range of products (with parent reviews) and an online registry.

No one wants to be the parent with the hitting toddler. So I was particularly downtrodden when the babe started hitting recently (sometimes pretend, sometimes not) and today even said “Toby hit!” as in, “Today I’ll hit my friend Toby!”

I found an article on Parenting iVillage that helped give me perspective. Basically, toddlers are like astute little experimental psychologists: they collect data by repeating an action over and over (and over again) because: 1) they are fascinated by what they can make happen repeatedly; and 2) they want to see how people react in different situations. Hitting satisfies both of those empirical quests. In addition, toddlers still see the world from their own point of view and thus assume that if the hitting behavior is fun for them, it will be fun for you too.

So now I know that the babe isn’t trying to get us kicked out of play dates on purpose. See the iVillage original post for suggestions on how to handle hitting, and related topics.

No one wants to be the parent with the hitting toddler. So I was particularly downtrodden when the babe started hitting recently (sometimes pretend, sometimes not) and today even said “Toby hit!” as in, “Today I’ll hit my friend Toby!”

I found an article on Parenting iVillage that helped give me perspective. Basically, toddlers are like astute little experimental psychologists: they collect data by repeating an action over and over (and over again) because: 1) they are fascinated by what they can make happen repeatedly; and 2) they want to see how people react in different situations. Hitting satisfies both of those empirical quests. In addition, toddlers still see the world from their own point of view and thus assume that if the hitting behavior is fun for them, it will be fun for you too.

So now I know that the babe isn’t trying to get us kicked out of play dates on purpose. See the iVillage original post for suggestions on how to handle hitting, and related topics.

Once my toddler started saying phrases like “mommy’s boobies!” it seemed like a good time to cover up after showering. Alas, laziness and summer heat prevailed. After all, it takes all of 5 steps to get from our bathroom to bedroom. How much psychological damage could result from 5 steps? Over dinner with a mama friend last week the topic came up (her husband started covering up almost immediately after their daughter was born…) and I figured I ought to investigate.

Dr. Susanne Denham, a developmental psychologist and part of the expert advice team at BabyCenter suggests that until around the 2nd birthday toddlers aren’t really aware of nudity. But shortly thereafter, the babe develops more of a sense of self that includes the existence of private parts. Signs of awareness may include resisting a diaper change in public or showing signs of embarrassment (e.g., shielding eyes, giggling) in the face of public nudity. At this point, Dr. Denham suggests it may be time to cover up.

But if you feel it’s important to be able to be nude at home, Dr. Denham suggests talking to your child and explaining that nudity is natural and nothing to be ashamed of, but that it is intended for private times. Explain that the home is a private space in which it is okay to be naked if no one else is around.

See Dr. Denham's original post and readers' comments.

Once my toddler started saying phrases like “mommy’s boobies!” it seemed like a good time to cover up after showering. Alas, laziness and summer heat prevailed. After all, it takes all of 5 steps to get from our bathroom to bedroom. How much psychological damage could result from 5 steps? Over dinner with a mama friend last week the topic came up (her husband started covering up almost immediately after their daughter was born…) and I figured I ought to investigate.

Dr. Susanne Denham, a developmental psychologist and part of the expert advice team at BabyCenter suggests that until around the 2nd birthday toddlers aren’t really aware of nudity. But shortly thereafter, the babe develops more of a sense of self that includes the existence of private parts. Signs of awareness may include resisting a diaper change in public or showing signs of embarrassment (e.g., shielding eyes, giggling) in the face of public nudity. At this point, Dr. Denham suggests it may be time to cover up.

But if you feel it’s important to be able to be nude at home, Dr. Denham suggests talking to your child and explaining that nudity is natural and nothing to be ashamed of, but that it is intended for private times. Explain that the home is a private space in which it is okay to be naked if no one else is around.

See Dr. Denham's original post and readers' comments.