Introduction ix
Chapter 1 It's a "Big" Deal! Saying Ta-Ta to Cribs, Diapers, Bottles, and Other "Little Guy" Stuff 1
Out of the Crib and into the...: Strategies for a Smooth Move to a Big Bed 2
Wander-Unlusting and Fall-Proofing: Tips for Helping Your Toddler Stay in Bed-Without Ropes or Magic 4
Ready or Not, Here I Go!: A Readiness Checklist for Potty Training 7
Tinklers Anonymous: A Twelve-Step Program for Becoming Clean and Dry 9
Potty Games: Activities to Encourage Readiness and Cooperation 12
Peeing for Fun and Profit: Effective Potty-Training Incentives 14
Peer Pressure: Other "Different" Approaches to Training 17
Sweetie, There's a Reason It's Called "Underwear": Panty Problems and Solutions 19
Remedial Potty Class: Coping with Refusal, Regression, and Other Problems 21
There's a Sucker Reformed Every Minute: Helping Your Child (and you) Give Up Bottles, Pacifiers, Thumbs, and Other Habits That Suck 24
It's Not What You Say, but How You Say It: Strategies for Minimizing Crying, Whining, Bossiness, and Baby Talk 26
"A Sock for You! A Sock for Me!": Ways to Foster Your Child's Independence 28
Isn't Child Labor Wonderful?: Putting Your Preschooler to Work 30
Chapter 2 Whoa, Baby!: Busting New-Sibling Bothers 33
Breaking News! We're Having a Baby!: When and How to Tell Your Preschooler 34
"Why Did You Eat the Baby?": A Preschooler's FAQs about Pregnancy and Birth 36
Waiting Ways: Activities for Anticipating 38
Nurturing the Nurturing Urge: Activities to Elicit Interest and Skill in Caregiving 40
Making Womb: Managing Your First Kid and Your Second Pregnancy withoutEveryone Barfing 42
When It's Not the Way It's Supposed to Be: Supporting Your Preschooler During Complications and Crises 44
Avoiding the Delivery Gloom: Easing Separation Anxieties and Other Birth Day Concerns 48
Welcome Matts!: Safe and Satisfying Ways for Siblings to Meet and Greet 52
Adopt-Able: Coping with the Special Concerns of Welcoming an Adopted Sibling 54
Once Upon a Time There Was a New Baby: Just-Right Strategies for Soft Spots and Hot Spots 66
Entertaining Your Child on Auto-parent: Activities for Tired Days 69
Beyond Newborns: That Bothersome Old Baby 71
Chapter 3 Skip into School: Cha-Cha into Childcare! 75
3...2...1... Preschool!: Preparing Your Child for a Successful Launch 78
The Grand Entrance: Squashing First-Day Jumpy Jitters 81
A Month of Muchness: Support during the First Weeks 84
Help! I Think My Kid Is Made from Superglue: Handling Persistent Separation Anxiety 86
Did you Know Bullies Could Be So Little? And Cute?: How to Support or Intervene with Bullies and Other Tough Social Situations 89
You Can Kiss That School Good-Bye!: Tactics to Ease Vacation, Caregiver, and End-of-the-year-Transitions 93
Ready! Or Not?: Is It Time for Big School? 96
Get-Set Games: Competence-and Confidence-Building Activities for the Summer before Kindergarten 98
Chapter 4 Friends and Festivities Without Too Many Hissy Fits 105
Social Engineering, Part I Helping Your Child Make Friends 106
Social Engineering, Part II Helping Your Child Keep Friends 109
Play Date-iquette: How to Help Your Child Be a Happy Host or a Great Guest 112
The Peer-Pressure Cooker: How to Let off the Steam Or Cook with It! 115
Friends Who Fight: Unscrambling the Squabbles 118
More Buddy Bugaboos: Handling Threesomes, Leeches, and More 120
Excitement Management 101: Celebrating Like Mad without Getting Mad 123
The Birthday Blues: Putting the "Happy" Back in Your Child's Birthday 126
Planning the Better Birthday Party: Simple, Short, and Not Too Many Sweets 127
Party Poopers Should Use the Toilet: More Lessons to Teach Your Birthday-Party Animal 131
Chapter 5 Fighting Fears, Fancies, and Foibles 135
The Fear Factor: Taming Preschool Phobias 136
Play-It-Again Sams: Introducing Change to Children Who Love Sameness 140
Let Me Do It Myself!: Living Safely with Pint-Sized DIY-Types 142
Un-Civil Disobedience-And Too-Civil Obedience: Helping Kids Who Won't-Or Always Will 145
Speak No Evil: At Least Not with Those Words! At Least Not in Front of Grandma! 148
Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them: The Truth about Preschoolers and the Truth 150
Cheats and Thieves: More Preschool Vices and What to Do about Them 153
And While We're at It, Nose-Picking: Tempering Habits That Drive Parents Crazy 156
Careful! You're Sitting on Ms. Piggle-Toes!: FAQs About Imaginary Friends and Obsessions 159
Chapter 6 Moving without Mayhem: Remodeling without Remorse 163
We're Outta Here!: How and When to Break the News of an Impending Move 164
House Hunting with Your Child-Without Shooting Anything!: It Can Be Done, Sort Of 166
Living a Lie: Helping Your Child Cope When Your House Is on the Market 169
Your Child Can Help Pack!: How to Fit Six Stuffed Animals, Fifteen Mismatched Holey Socks, Last Month's Newspaper, a Bag of Stale Cheerios, and a Live Goldfish into Thirty-seven Boxes and Other Useful Tips for "Painless" Packing 172
The Long Good-Bye: Helping Your Child Say Farewell to Everyone from Her Best Friend to Her Favorite Toilet 174
Sanity for Moving-Day Madness: Helpful Tips and Reassurances 176
As If Anyone Needed to Make Moving with Children More Difficult: Surviving under Tough Circumstances 179
Moving In and Moving On: Managing Unpacking and the Transition Period 181
It's New! It's Improved!: Ways to Sell Your Child on a Different or Redecorated Bedroom 184
Introducing Major Chaos and General Disorder: A Strategic Approach to Helping Your Child Face the Front Lines of a Major Home Remodel 186
Chapter 7 "That's a Tough One": Dealing with Concerns about Sex, Death, Religion, Race, Money, and More 191
Answers to "Why Is Your 'Bagina' Fuzzy?": Everything Your Preschooler Wants to Know about Sex and Isn't Afraid to Ask in a Loud Voice in Public 192
The Bare Facts about Prudes and Nudes: A Butt-Nekkid Discussion 196
It's Passé to Say, "You'll Grow Hair on Your Palms": Modern Responses to Masturbation 199
Flower Boys and Lumber-Jills: Cross-Dressing and Other Gender-Role Issues 201
Oops! Part I What to Do When You Catch Them in the Act 204
Oops! Part II What to Do When They Catch You in the Act 206
Can Dead People Watch Cartoons?: Q&A about Death (and Other Sad Endings) 207
Flush with Dignity: Some Serious Tips for Handling the Death of a Pet 210
Oh God!: Responding to Your Child's Religious Concerns 214
Beyond Shushing and Blushing: Handling Insensitive or Prejudiced Behavior 216
Tease Proofing and Pride Promoting: Helping Kids Who Are Starting to Notice Their Differences 220
Dollars and Sense: Allowance, Greed, Philanthropy, and Other Money Issues 223
When the World Intrudes: Ways to Un-Scare Your Child during Disturbing Times 226
Chapter 8 Family Crisis!: A Catalog of Coping and Hoping 231
Ten Best All-Purpose Coping Strategies: For Your Child-and You 232
Fun and Games When Life's Not Fun and Games: Play Therapy for Amateurs 235
Let Him Sleep on Your Face: Comforts When a Parent Is Absent from Home 238
Parental Etiquette for Separation and Divorce: What to Say, Do, and Even Wear during the Transition 241
Visitation Excitation: Smoothing Out the Highs and Lows of Shared Custody and Visitation 245
Preschoolers and the Dating Scene: Q&A for Single Parents and Their Kids 247
Weddings, Honeymoons, and Marriage-for Three!: Helping Your Child with the Transition to Remarriage 251
Stepping In-And Up: Some Stepparenting Strategies That Work 254
Life after Death: Coping with a Preschooler's Grief and Needs 259
Good Good-Byes and Memorable Memories: Helping Your Preschooler Cope with Funerals, Memorials, and Anniversaries 264
Stormy Weather and Other Scary Situations: On-the-Spot Crisis Management 266
We're Not in Kansas Anymore: Coping After Disasters 271
Money Madness: Easing Family Stress during Tough Financial Times 274
Rough Housing: Helping Kids Cope with Home Loss and Stressful Living Arrangements 278
Hospitalization Helper: Easing the Pains of Procedures, Separation, and Fear 286
Conclusion A Fable to Help You Solve All the Preschooler Problems I Haven't Covered 291
Bibliography 300
Index 302
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