Making the "Terrible" Twos Terrific! (Volume 16)

Really grateful I'm reading this book early, my child is 15 months old. It gives simple, easy steps for dealing with common problems that occur with toddlers- hitting, biting, being overly selfish, etc. He first outlines the primary goal of this stage is to move them from being a baby to becoming a happy, independent toddler and what that looks like. He never advocates spanking, on the contrary he is against it and suggests more effective alternatives. The only thing I didn't quite agree with him on is his old-school takes on sleep training. All I will say is I agree more with Dr Sears' take on the matter but I do think moving a kid to their own bed in their own room is a part of this move to independence he is talking about. I just think there are more gradual ways to do it. I do think his tips for toddlers waking up during the night were gentle enough though. Yes, he does suggest cutting their bedroom door in half to make a Dutch door, so that they can see out but you can still confine them for naps. Doubt I will be doing that, haven't needed to so far but it's hardly anything cruel. Better than just straight up shutting the door. Yes the author does reminisce about the 1950s but he was raised in the era, so he is talking about first hand experience and a lot of the advice is timeless. I read gentle parenting too, but left it feeling like "what if they still won't quit doing that behavior though?" and this book has more answers to it. Another couple notes- yes he does say in the last chapter that he has changed his mind about children being in daycare before age 3 based on research he has done writing his books but he felt differently about it 20 years ago. He states his reasons for his change of thinking and you can agree or disagree with him. His book is not entirely question and answer format, there is just a part of that at the end of every chapter. He is also not a journalist- he is a child psychologist who writes advice columns. I have read a few books on toddler behavior and this has been my favorite so far. I am also a fan of early potty training, he recommends 18-24 months and has a pretty good method for it. An enjoyable read too, I recommend it!

Me and my husband was starting to experience the terrible 2's with out 2.5 year old girl, tantrums, not doing what we asked, being difficult during nap times. I absolutely loved this book! It was refreshing to have something so easily digestible and straight forward. Everything in the book made sense and explained a lot of things about my child's behaviors! I am now able to to a "part time' mother. I can do things around the house and my daughter can play be herself without my help or attention! It feels like the needed break I've been waiting for, for the last 2.5 years! Stay at home Mom's out there DON'T feel guilty for not paying attention to your kid every waking moment! You and your child need space alone sometimes! I will recommend this book to anyone that listens to me!

John Rosemond has a very straightforward approach to dealing with toddlers. He takes all the BS that you hear out there and completely shuts it down! All the coddling and trying to be friends with your 2 year old is totally unrealistic and a recipe for disaster. He makes you feel ok to discipline your kid without feeling guilty or like a monster! One of the things he says is that our parents' parents did it, and they turned out fine. No psycho-emotional trauma occurred because they were told "No!", "Stop!", and "Leave me alone!".. Lol. What I really like is that he points out all the guilt-ridden "advice" that parents, mothers especially, are inundated with these days. And his approach is simple, discipline now, so you can have a friendship later. If you try to be friends now, when your kids do something that you don't like, it will only confuse them as to why their friend is yelling at them, and then later, they will resent you for the rest of their life.Right now I am in the middle of potty training my now 27 month old (which is late according to him), but I used his "Naked and $75" method. And she is potty trained in 3 days. We even left the house on day 4 and had 0 accidents! My only gripe is that he doesn't cover naptimes and bedtimes while potty training as much.One of the things that I like is that he has a question/answer section at the end of each chapter to cover some of the common issues or questions that he has heard through the years. I HIGHLY recommend this book for dealing with your 2 year old. And remember, they are 2, it's not the end of the world if they don't act right 100% of the time. They are trying to figure it out just like we are. Get the book and get rid of the guilt!