Toddlers Preschoolers

When it's time to potty train, it's all about the three "P" words: preparation, praise and patience.

Prepare your children for toilet training by providing them with books on the topic and the words your family uses to describe bathroom functions.

Introduce children to the potty slowly. Start by setting them fully clothed on a closed toilet seat. Eventually, let them sit on the potty at times when they are likely to go -- early in the morning, after a meal or about 45 minutes after they've had a drink.

"It's best to do some figuring out of the child's patterns in advance of the situation," says Linda Sonna, a psychologist and author of "Early-Start Potty Training."

"Imagination Playground" at the South Street Seaport in Manhattan officially opened to the public this summer, with a press conference featuring New York City's Mayor Michael Bloomberg -- and a $7.5 million price tag.

The South Street Seaport has a long history as the city's maritime commerce center, dating back to the early 1800s. In 1983, through a city redevelopment initiative, the Seaport was opened to the public with dozens of shops and restaurants. Since then, it has grown into a major tourist area with a schedule of events and amenities that attract scores of visitors and locals to the area.

Imagination Playground was clearly built to honor and celebrate the area's rich maritime tradition, using design elements such as ship's masts and a crow's nest, and featuring water and sand as the two core play elements. It spans an entire city block, replacing a parking lot that had been used by one of the city agencies, which helped develop the project.

I heard of the plans for the playground about four years ago, when the concept was first announced by the city. Architect David Rockwell is well-respected and pretty well known in these parts, so the fact that he was turning his talents to design a playground for kids was certainly newsworthy.

Yet, when I read about the playground's opening and its hefty price tag, I have to admit I was outraged, as my thoughts turned to the battle of the budget fought this year by New York parents to ensure their kids still receive free transit cards for travel to and from school.

You have a gut feeling that something's wrong with your child: He's often cranky, confused, overwhelmed, fatigued. At times you suspect a rare illness -- maybe autism or ADD? But his pediatrician gives him a clean bill of health, and his teacher says those other labels don't quite fit. Neurodevelopment expert Roya Ostovar may have the answer.

Her book, "The Ultimate Guide to Sensory Processing Disorder," introduces the little-known developmental condition. Children with the disorder cannot properly process stimuli received through the senses. Because sensory processing disorder is just now gaining wider recognition outside specialized clinical circles, it can be difficult to diagnose and, therefore, treat. Not only does "The Ultimate Guide" thoroughly explain the condition and offer many real case examples, it lists detailed, situation-specific strategies for children and their families that can produce life-changing results.

Cuisipro's Peanut Butter & Jelly Spreader really is the best thing to happen to PB&J since sliced bread.

Designed to keep the peanut butter out of the jelly jar and vice versa, this double-ended, color-coded silicone spreader makes PB&J construction a neater experience. Soft edges and smooth surfaces won't tear bread, and the long handle makes it easy to scrape the very last gobs out of the jar.

Bonus: It's also great for kids who are learning to tackle peanut butter and jelly time on their own.

Available at Amazon for $8.51.

Related: Keep Track of Your Kid's Stuff With Cool Labels

As the iconic Dora the Explorer celebrates its 10th year on the air this week, I began to reflect on my own children's relationship with the spunky Latina adventurer -- and how it morphed from utter adoration into hyperbolic hatred.

From the moment my daughter was old enough to recognize television characters -- about 18 months or so -- Dora was her hero. Dora posters lined her walls, Dora sheets adorned her bed and Dora dolls filled in the space around her. It felt like a Dora song was always being sung somewhere around our house and our DVR's "Now Playing" list quickly became one long litany of Dora episodes. This obsession lasted all through her preschool years and on past kindergarten.

Then, somewhere around age 7, she decided Dora was too babyish for her. And now as she prepares to enter third grade, she despises the mere mention of the spunky Latina adventurer, reacting with tween-ish eye rolls and fake retching. This makes me incredibly sad.

Here at ParentDish, we love us some "Single Ladies," and we've proved it by posting videos of scandalous dancers, weeping toddlers and smartie students. But alas, the time has come to pass the viral video parody baton.

Our friends at Urlesque sent us this video of a tot and her backup dancers performing Lady Gaga's "Telephone." We've watched this several times already. Maybe the "Telephone" videos are still just novel to us, maybe it's that we never realized how well Gaga's style translated to toddlers or maybe it's just that good, but this is officially our new online distraction.

Related: Little Boy Weeps When Told He's Not a Single Lady, But Dad Saves the Day

Some people argue we are letting TV raise our children.

They say that like it's a bad thing.

You can learn a lot about parenting just by watching TV. Here is some classic advice on parenting, children and families from classic television.

On encouragement:
Bart: Mom, am I a butch or a femme?
Marge: Honey, you can be anything you want to be.
"The Simpsons," 1989

On education:
Vanessa Huxtable: Rudy, what are you gonna do in life with a fourth-grade education?
Rudy: Teach third grade!
"The Cosby Show," 1984

On raising kids:
Roseanne: Dan and I always felt that it was our responsibility as parents to improve the lives of our children by 50 percent over our own. And we did. We didn't hit our children as we were hit. We didn't demand their unquestioning silence, and we didn't teach our daughters to sacrifice more than our sons.
"Roseanne," 1997

Raggedy Ann, the rag doll with red yarn for hair, was created in 1915 by children's book author Johnny Gruelle for his daughter Marcella.

In 1918, the first Raggedy Ann book written by Gruelle, Raggedy Ann Stories, was published. The Raggedy Ann doll could be purchased along with the book. A sequel, Raggedy Andy Stories, came out in 1920 and introduced her brother, Raggedy Andy. Both the Raggedy Ann and Andy dolls are still popular today among both children and collectors.

Since the birth of Raggedy Ann, many more books have been published, a comic book was released, and there was even a TV show, "The Adventures of Raggedy Ann and Andy", which ran from 1988 to 1992. Almost one hundred years after her creation, Raggedy Ann was inducted into the National Toy Hall of Fame in 2002, and she remains to be a beloved doll to many today.

To learn more about Raggedy Ann and her brother, visit Raggedy Land.

Check out ParentDish's coverage of great toys throughout the years.

Put your hands up for this little one, who's planning to give Beyonce some competition in about 20 years.


On second thought, maybe Kanye West will have something to say about it and the baby will become president instead.

Here's a nice story for you.

Three year old Joshua Childers wandered away from his house at 11:30 am Monday morning. Mom was taking a nap, dad was on the phone. The parents of course panicked when they couldn't find their son. Turns out Joshua had wandered into Mark Twain Forest in Madison County, Missouri. Despite the friendly name, the forest is pretty treacherous. Bears. Mountain lions. Snakes. (Oh my.) Frankly, no matter what the terrain is like, he's a little kid. So him being lost for more than a few seconds would be enough to send me looking for a Valium. Or four.

Luckily, Joshua was fine. Searcher Donnie Halpin found him. Well, first he found his butt. Donnie told CBS' Early Show: "I could just see the little part of his little butt sticking up there, and I took a couple more steps, and I could see his legs. I thought the worst at first. I said, 'Hey, buddy,' And that little feller just sit right up, gets a little smile on his face and I asked him, 'Do you want to go home?'" He did. I mean, hey. Clearly the kid is pretty tough and may be the future host of Survivorman. But he's still only three years old.

Is eating dirt good for you? Perhaps so. I've heard that in the course of a lifetime we consume and inordinate amount of dirt, and other things too, but is that something that perhaps we're supposed to be doing? Mud pies aside, it may be instinctive for small children to eat dirt, and good for them too. It's a trait humans have exhibited as long as they've been around. Little kids naturally tend to put things in their mouths. We've been told they do this in order to learn more about the world. That may be true, but what about using their senses other than taste for that? One would think that sight, touch and sound -- heck, even smell -- might give a child more of a clue about something than putting it in her mouth.

What scientists are concerned with, though, is what goes into the mouth along with the dirt. So called the "hygiene hypothesis," researchers look at the bacteria, viruses and worms introduced into the system along with the dirt which may promote a healthy immune system. Further research indicates that worms in particular might "redirect" an errant immune system resulting in autoimmune disorders, allergies and asthma. According to Dr. Mary Ruebush, a microbiology and immunology instructor, eating dirt allows a child's immune system to practice its craft and also allow it to learn to ignore what should be ignored. Dr. David Elliott who practices gastroenterology and immunology at the University of Iowa furthers that notion by stating that worms are "likely to be the biggest player" in directing immune system response. In a study of mice with colleague Dr. Weinstock of Tufts Medical Center, used worms to both prevent and even reverse autoimmune disease,

It was noted in developing countries that a lot of the good organisms have been removed along with the bad ones. Children being raised in ultra-clean environments are not getting exposed to the good dirt and organisms. No one is suggesting throwing out the bathwater, but that using antibacterial products should be done in moderation and that cleanliness isn't necessarily next to godliness. According to Dr. Ruebush, author of "Why Dirt is Good," hands should be cleaned after changing diapers, when handling food, whenever they are visibly soiled and, of course, after using the bathroom. Dr.Weinstock also suggested giving kids two dogs and a cat to expose them to intestinal worms. Not sure that it would really take two dogs to have the intended effect, but I think you get the idea.