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Behaviour/development

Talk to others about child development and behaviour stages here. You can find more information on our development calendar.

Bit worried about some of the fairly simple things my toddler struggles with...

17 replies

Kalypso · 08/08/2012 19:29

I've already posted about my very loveable, though currently somewhat trying, toddler here.

Things DS is good at (not a stealth boast, as you will see when I list the things he struggles with - I've only included the good things as I'm hoping they might help explain why he hasn't developed as well in other areas, as he's been focusing on memory/language skills):

~ He knows the alphabet: letter names and letter sounds. If concentrating (doesn't last long, mind!), he can sound out simple three-letter words out phonetically. He's not especially keen on this, after an initial interest, so I've not been pushing it.
~ Counts and understands concept of counting. He does simple addition and subtraction using his fingers; for example, he'll hold two fingers up, hold up another one and say "two and another one makes three", or put his hands together and say "five and five make ten".
~ He knows shapes and colours, including unusual shapes and shades of colours.
~ He's very observant - will notice lots of things his father and I don't, although this is probably standard for a child, as adults learn to zone out a lot of stuff.
~ His language/memory is good. Trying to think of examples... he will describe sharp bends on his railway as 'tight bends'' (random one, I know, but it came to mind); knows and correctly pronounces the names of the dinosaurs, including more unusual ones (e.g. pachycepholosaurus, euoplocephalus); knows lots of flower types, for instance.
~ Knowledge-wise, probably not particularly unusual, but he's been interested to hear about how we are all related, and he seems to understand that his grandmother is his mummy's mummy, his aunt is mummy's sister etc. He gets the concept of things growing and often says things like "mummy was a little girl and grew into a big lady". If I ask him what happens in Autumn, for instance, he'll answer that the leaves turn brown/yellow/red and fall off the trees. He knows that rain comes from 'rain clouds in the sky'. He is beginning to ask what words mean (he asked this morning what 'tremendous' means).
~ Often remembers things, such as conversations or objects in another person's house, from weeks and weeks ago
~ Loves being read to, and will 'read' his own books happily for hours if I left him to it (I can sometimes hear him making up a simple version of the story as he goes through them).

DS can't:

~ He can't jump with both feet off the floor
~ His running has improved, but he's still not very fast and coordinated like many other toddlers
~ Not very good at climbing, seems very slow and cautious when compared to others toddlers I see scrambling all over the rocks
~ He can't put his own clothes, and mostly can't take them off either. He shows no interest in doing so, and never has. If I ask him to pull down his trousers, he'll struggle and start whining when he can't get them over his nappy (see below re: potty training). He doesn't seem to 'get' where and in what direction he needs to pull to get them off, even when I guide him. I've only recently tried to encourage him to take his shoes off - he knows to undo the velcro straps, but when it comes to getting the shoe off, he really seems to struggle, even when I explain/show how to do it.
~ I'm starting to think about toilet training, but have tried to sit him on the toilet a few times and he gets very upset and scared. Shows awareness of poos ("I did it!") but never mentions wees, and a wet nappy never bothers him.

~ He isn't interested in colouring. He'll pick up colouring crayons, and then once he's made a few mad scribbles (that bit he enjoys!), he'll find another way to play with the crayons, which usually involves one of them being an engine, and the others carriages, to make a train Hmm. He doesn't try to draw or copy anything, even the simplest of flowers. The best he'll do is a 'swirl' for a circle, if asked. He still often grips the pencil incorrectly, although he holds it correctly when I place it in his hand.
~ He seems to like being with other children, but sometimes needs reminding to engage in conversation with them (for instance, a child might speak to him and he'll ignore until I remind him it's polite to respond!), and he doesn't often look them in the eye when he does talk.

Thoughts? Are any of these things to worry about? It's just there seems to be such a big contrast between what he can and can't do.

OP posts:
MamaBear17 · 08/08/2012 20:45

I think all children reach milestones at their own pace so would suggest that there is a 99% chance that there is nothing at all wrong. He is very bright by the sounds of things but is struggling a little with practical things. If he were a much older child who was exhibiting these difficulties I might suggest that you look into finding out if he is Dyspraxic. I am not suggesting for one second that I think your son is, I think he may be far too young to be able to tell yet. However, it might be worth looking into just in case things do not change as he gets bigger.

I have really struggled to write this post, I do not want it to read like I am scaremongering, I only know about dyspraxia because I am a teacher and I am by no means an expert. It just jumped out at me as I read your post and as you had asked I thought I might suggest it. I hope I havent upset or worried you or anyone else reading this.

BabyStone · 08/08/2012 20:50

Hey, I work in a nursery based in the 3-5 room (but not saying this from a "professional" point of view just experience. he seems very advanced mentally etc. Some of my 4 year olds wouldn't even know much about seasons, maybe only it snows at Christmas and its sunny in summer, wouldn't know different dinosaur names etc and never seen a child pretend a crayon is a train (personally I love the creativity) but the things you say he is not so good at, all tend to be physical things.
Does he go to a nursery? maybe speak to his keyworker and see if they can help in anyway.
Sorry if this is no help what so ever, I'm used to children being the other way round lol, very physical but struggle with shapes/letters/numbers that kind of thing

JazzTodd · 08/08/2012 21:18

I wouldn't overly worry, every child develops at different times. Prem babies often develop slower for example.
Here is something I found that you can do as a screen tool, and then do again in 6 months to see if your little one has reached the milestones by then. However if your still concerned I would speak to your health visitor or GP.
www.preschooleducation.com/tcheck2.shtml

DreamingOfPeace · 08/08/2012 21:18

Just read your other thread too. He sounds normal to me!

If you are worried about his physical development, things like soft play with some assistance/ guidance be it physical or verbal (that's it, reach up, now get your knee up etc plus usual praise on achievement or trying new thing) will help, swimming is great for coordination and muscle strength. Jumping may just be a bit later- it needs strength, coordination and balance to achieve. Own clothes- show him hand over hand how to do it, and encourage him to do it with your help. Talk through the sequence- we.put your nappy on, then your trousers, then your socks etc while doing it, and maybe lay clothes out first too. Just get him involved!.I wouldn't worry about dyspraxia or anything, he sounds a bit slower than some but pretty normal, and either way (not that i think there's a problem, I don't!) practice is the answer! Can't really comment on potty training, not been there myself yet (my eldest is just about 23 months) but i know loads of boys who weren't starting til 3 or older.

He sounds really bright too- 25 piece puzzles!!! Shock . Incidentally my dsn was doing puzzles like that at 2 (age 4+ puzzles, with ease), he's 7 now and on the gifted and talented register :)

SPsFanjoSponsorsTheOlympics · 08/08/2012 21:19

On your first list my son can only count and that's only 2 and 9.

On your second list he does most of it.

Every child is different.

UniPsychle · 08/08/2012 21:46

Things he can do well are above average for a child of his age. Things he can't do sound very normal for a 2 and a half year old. I believe the average age boys are potty trained is 3. I would not expect the majority of two year old boys to have any interest in colouring or mark making and certainly not be holding a pencil correctly yet. A fist grip is totally normal at this point. You suspect that you are worried about his less good skills because of the contrast and I think you're right. Children with good language often seem older than they are and it is easy to expect too much of them. Quite a few children his age aren't yet talking in whole sentences and probably get more realistic expectations in other areas because of it.

As you also note, children generally develop in fits and spurts and will concentrate on one area at a time. If you need him to be more independent for any reason then maybe work on some of the self-help skills, but otherwise don't worry. As for the social thing, children this age tend to be quite egocentric and may see no reason to respond to another child's approach. Social skills such as turntaking in conversation are really quite sophisticated and take maturity and practice.

FWIW I work in developmental psychology and would not be at all concerned about a child not being able to completely dress/undress or hold a pen properly until school age (at least.)

narmada · 08/08/2012 21:50

Hi, I posted on your other thread too :)

Your DS sounds very bright. Are you quite an analytical, academic person by any chance (or is your DP)? If so I think that would go a long way to explaining the way your son is. I am presuming here -apologies if wrongly - that DS is your biological child.

I have a daughter of 4.5 (as well as DS aged 21 months) and I have been thinking back to when DD was your son's age. A lot of what you describe above rings bells - both from the 'can do' and 'struggles with' categories.

I can say with confidence that at 4.5 I don't have half as many concerns about her development as I did when she was 2.5 . At times back then, I thought she may be on the autistic spectrum but now I am almost certain she is not. In the areas where she was slower to develop, she has started to catch up - especially in terms of socialising/ friendships and physical developments. Conversely, in the areas where she was stronger, she is now not quite so far off the norm as her peers have progressed in these areas.

I know it's not usually helpful to compare your DC with others but here is what my DD was like at your son's age.

At 2.5 she was definitely:

counting and doing simple maths using fingers or other objects;

aware of most shapes and colours, including unusual ones like tangerine (differentiated from orange);

very observant - example, would see a sign for ice cream miles down road, pick it out, and know what it was. As an aside, DS 21 months recognises many many food brands (the shame, capitalist child) and can tell me what is in the wrapper even when there is no pictoral indication on the packet. I think my kids must be very motivated by food Blush

very good verbal skills - could construct complex sentences and knew lots of words that were unusual in a child of her age; For example, she know loads of medical terminology e.g., midwife, stethoscope, syringe, all sorts (her brother had a lot of medical stuff going on when he was tiny but that doesn't entirely explain it - some of her terms predated his arrival!) .

remembering everything that happened everywhere, however seemingly insignificant it was to us. Oh, how I wished she wouldn't sometimes (and still do).... I don't think this is an unusual trait in small children BTW.

Understanding of the world - pretty good, e.g., knew what an ultrasound machine did and why it might be used; knew what tends to happen in different seasons.

She was rubbish at puzzles though, could not pronounce long and complex words like diplodocus. She still did the toddler euphemisms thing.

In terms of the can't do's, DD was miles behind most of her peers socially and physically, or so it seemed. She:

did not get playing with other children at all and has only just started to do it now, aged 4. In fact, she did not really like being around other children at all very much. Meeting up with other friends with children was quite awkward!

Was very very cautious on anything like play equipment - she was 3.5 before I could persuade her onto a bouncy castle :) There is no way on earth she would have scrambled over rocks or similar.

Although she liked scribbling for short bursts, she didn't do any representative drawings until probably the last few months and struggled to hold a pen in anything other than a fist-like grip.

I think it is quite unusual for children to be able to read and sound out letters at the age of 2.5. However, if you put together the combination of a child who is naturally gifted in this area and a parent who spends a lot of time with the child reading books and sounding out letters etc., then ....

It is always so difficult to know if you are right to be concerned or not when it comes to child development. We only really know our own, don't we??! I am not a child development expert but all I can say in summary is that I have (largely) been where you are and all turned out fine two years down the line :)

narmada · 08/08/2012 21:50

Eeek that was a long post, apologies.

PacificDogwood · 08/08/2012 21:57

OMG, how observant are you all of your children! I am not being sarky, just impressed. I have no idea when which of my DSs did what.

DS4 is 2.5 is physically really destrous, fast runner, mad climber, but counting?? Nope. Unless 'moah' (more) counts Grin?
DS4 is always covered in bruises - in contrast DS1(9) was a v early walker, but very very cautious and virtually hardly ever fell.

Op, your DS sounds amazing.
I would encourage what he enjoys and help with physical development with lots of play: outside play, balancing on low walls, soft play etc etc.
If memory serves, mine were around 3 before their art became less abstract...
Enjoy him and follow his lead whilst encouraging him.

If you are really worried, then speak to your HV or GP. Or to a nursery teacher if he attends a nursery at all?

firawla · 08/08/2012 22:13

My ds2 is just over 2 and half, your ds can do wayy more and would say he sounds very above average on the academic side but I do get why your concerned about the physical things, especially as its a big contrast to how well he has developed with the other stuff

Was he late with walking and other gross motor things or not? my ds was late with all of these, and he is still physically behind the normal development for his age although he has improved a lot from how he was before. Things like jumping, my ds has only just learned it and apparently they tend to do this around 24 months physio told me, so if you ds is 2 and half and cant jump then like mine he is behind on that.
my ds has very flat feet which are a bit hypermobile, so maybe look at your ds feet, and observe him walking to see if his feet role inwards or anything?? as i had people observe my ds feet before and they could see that yes they are not placed quite correctly, which makes a difference to the overall coordination - so it could be something like that?

For mine was told it should most likely improve by itself over time but the more physical acitivities they get chance to do the better, just normal things like park equipment, softplay, climbing.. anything to strengthen their muscles and she also mentioned about getting him to stand on tiptoes and reach upwards, as apparently this is also good.

The dressing and undressing and incorrect pencil grip I wouldn't be too worried about at this age because a lot of 2.5 cant do that yet. but the jumping thing and lack of coordination I would keep an eye on. Has he had 2 yrs check already because this is the kind of thing u could mention to the hv and see whether she could refer him just to be seen by a physio to get a proper check about his physical development, waiting lists are really long but if I was you I would think its worth trying to get him on the list for that just in case there is anything they can do or suggest for him?

DoubleLifeIsALifeHalved · 08/08/2012 22:15

Well, not in any way qualified, but my 2.5 yr old does few of your first list AND few on your second, yet has 'passed' his hv developmental tests & the nursery parents evenings!

Mind can jump, v wobbly but enthusiastic running, beautiful abstract squiggles, no interest in dressing/ undressing or potty training either!
He does have a brilliant memory & observation (in the manner of most toddlers I mean!), & he is v good company, funny, imaginative, except when he's concentrating & then would ignore everyone.

I was quite worried about his language, he's do contented & happy that he didn't really get the urge to communicate much until 3 weeks ago when he suddenly 'got it' & hasn't stopped talking since.

Both hv & nursery say he's cometely normal & doing well, just needs a bit of reminding to speak!

I think perhaps what's getting you nervous is the gap between being so advanced & not doing some things - so I just thought is try & reassure you that alot of the 'nots' are normal (esp in boys), & i dont think mine not dressing/ potty training yet is a sign of anything at all, except that he's got his mind of other things for the time being.

I guess if I was to pick anything to focus on I'd focus on the running/ jumping thing, just making sure you encourage him to play using his body not just his mind...

IMcHunt · 08/08/2012 22:22

I could have written that about my DS, when he was that age. He didn't, for example, learn to jump until he was about 4, when his then 2yo sister showed him. He didn't toilet train until he was 3.5. He wouldn't climb anything challenging. He could do plenty of other stuff - knew his alphabet by 18 months and was reading fluently and doing basic maths by 3. He generally ignored people who talked to him.
He's 7 now, and all of it's been ironed out. He's sociable, plays football, rides a bike stabiliser free, and will climb ANYTHING in the park now.

The main suggestion I'd have is this. Get his eyes tested. I'm almost certain that a large proportion of DS's lack of physical prowess Grin was down to poor eyesight - he's very long sighted, and astigmatic, and has a lazy eye. It wasn't picked up on until he was about 2.5, when his eyes started to cross. It never affected his reading, as he had no problem doing close work, but I'm pretty sure it affected everything else. You should be able to find an independent optician who's geared up for testing little ones, or you can try to get your GP to refer you to the Children's Development Centre (personal experience says go to the optician first - the other way takes AGES).

IMcHunt · 08/08/2012 22:25

(affected everything else apart from toilet training, that is - that was just cos he wasn't ready earlier)

AngelDog · 09/08/2012 10:08

That sounds pretty like my 2.7 y.o. in some ways, and I have no concerns about him.

~ He knows the alphabet: letter names and letter sounds. He can sound out some short words & can sight-read and spell quite a few words.

~ Counts and understands concept of counting. Can take a number and add one. Recites numbers to 200 in 1s and 10s, recites multiples of 100 to 1000.

~ He knows shapes and colours, including unusual shapes and shades of colours.

~ He's very observant.

~ His language/memory is good. His diction is poor (referred to speech therapy for this) but sentence structure is more like the average 3+ y.o. He asks what words mean, where they come from, extrapolates from known words e.g. guesses that Watford means the ford over the river Wat since he knows the meaning of Bedford and similar names. If I use a word which has 2 different meanings, he will tell me about the other meaning and ask me to explain the difference.

~ Knowledge-wise, knows lots about pregnancy, seasons, days, dates. Could tell you that leaves go brown and fall off trees in autumn, but that beech hedges keep their leaves on all winter till the new green ones grow in spring. He can correctly use terms like vertical & horizontal, clockwise & anti-clockwise, 90 degrees, body parts. He can describe how the digestive system and circulatory systems work.

~ Often remembers things, such as conversations or objects in another person's house, from months previously (despite not having talked about them for months). I am constantly amazed by this.

~ Loves being read to, and will 'read' his own books happily for quite a while. Just starting to make up his own version of stories.

My DS can't:

~ He can't jump with both feet off the floor

~ Running isn't very fast, and he's reluctant to do it unless there's a train at the end, or or it's in the supermarket.

~ Okay at climbing but is generally fairly cautious at climbing outside of the house.

~ He can't put his own clothes, and can't take them off either, though he is making progress with socks. He shows no interest in doing so, and never has. I asked on MN about this here and was told it was pretty early for a child to be able to start doing this and not to worry. He can undo shoe straps but nto take them off.

~ We do EC and have been pottying him since 8 months. He has been in trousers rather than nappies indoors since 18 months. A wet nappy still doesn't bother him at all and he won't tell me he's done a wee when he's wearing a nappy, even a cloth one. He won't always tell me when he's done a wee in trousers, although he usually will if he's done enough for it to go on the floor!

If your DS is reluctant, you could try looking at the UK EC site for ideas - the focus is on helping your child be aware of their toileting needs rather than potty training as such. FWIW, I only know one other person IRL with a similar age child who's actually started potty training.

~ DS is a bit interested in colouring. He holds the pen in his fist. He does try to draw things, but only trains. He doesn't draw for long as he gets immensely frustrated when it looks 'funny' (ie not exactly like the real thing). If we draw or write something a bit 'funny' he will complain about our drawing too. Grin He can draw straightish lines and have a go at circles.

~ DS doesn't like being with other children, and sees them exclusively as a threat to his personal space / to his possession of toys. He has never spoken to another child other than to tell them to go away or leave his toys alone. "Get rid of that boy! Not come here! Somewhere else!" would be a typical example. However, he's starting to be interested in other children and will ask me why they're crying.

He has had separation anxiety since 7 months which means he's been terrified other people other than DH and me. He is now sufficiently confident with adults that he'll occasionally talk to people he doesn't know, but that has only been in the last couple of months. He won't be left with anyone other than DH, me, his grandmothers or one grandfather (and that only as long as his grandmother is around). In a group context he follows me round closely, even if I'm just walking to the other side of a small room (and have told him that's what I'm doing), as he panics about being too far away from someone he knows.

I have no fears about autism as he is very good at 'shared attention' with familiar adults, and clearly has a fairly well developed understanding (for his age) that other people think in ways that are different to him.

Both DH and I were children who weren't particularly interested in running around or 'physical' things, and preferred to stay in one place doing more sedentary activities. Both of us are 'academic' and not particularly sporty now. A lot of DS's interests reflect mine (unsurprising as he spends all day every day with me).

DH apparently didn't speak to another child until he was at least 4, and at the age of 3.5-4 would only grunt at playgroups when spoken to by either an adult or children. At that age he didn't 'play' alongside other children at all, but would only do cutting & sticking. He is now a well-adjusted man who does managerial / people-skills type work. :)

Sorry, that was an epic post. Blush

I wouldn't be worried about your DS, just give him plenty of opportunities to practise those physical skills. My view is that some children are interested in running around, some are interested in less active things. I think it's unusual for them to be equally good at everything.

AngelDog · 09/08/2012 10:08

Your DS sounds gorgeous. :)

Kalypso · 11/08/2012 20:56

Thank you all so much for your very reassuring and detailed posts. Apologies for the late response - first decent chance I've had at the computer.

The funny thing is that over the past few days, since posting, I have really started encouraging him to start dressing himself (I have used stickers as bribery) This has shown me that DS CAN make at least a good attempt - he just doesn't want to. He can definitely now remove his shoes without help, and did quite well at trying to put them on this morning. Sometimes he refuses to try and sits there whining "I can't do it!" DreamingOfPeace mentioned hands over his hands to show him how to do it, and this has really helped.

Part of the trouble is that he is not the sort of toddler who ever insists on doing things by himself - not yet, at least. He's more than happy for me to do everything for him, and therefore, without really thinking about it, I've let all this time go by without really encouraging a bit more independence. Bad mummy.

Mamabear: thank you for your post. You are not scaremongering at all: I appreciate all thoughts/suggestions and, in fact, dyspraxia has crossed my mind already. I haven't discounted it, but at the moment I don't think he shows many other signs. He crawled and walked early, although learned to run very late. His balance, when going slowly, seems quite good, and his fine motor skills actually seem very good (apart from the drawing): he can be very delicate with his fingers, and prefers to eat most food using a small pickle fork, including obvious finger foods, such as grapes, cheese squares and tangerine pieces! Hmm I worried more about this a few months ago, when he fell over a lot and ran with arms a-flailing, like a much younger baby (both of these things have really improved). Part of the trouble is that until recently, we lived in London and in a small flat with no garden, and poor DS didn't get as many opportunities to run around outside burning off steam. He is over the moon now we've left London and he has - joy of joys! - a garden.

Narmada: yes, I suppose I am quite analytical and academic, and I imagine these are the things I have instinctively encouraged in DS. At school, I was a PE-hater, which is actually a bit of a shame as I don't think I was that appalling - I just wrote myself off from an early age and hated having to 'perform' in team sports. Thank you for telling me about your DD. My feeling is that DS will similarly improve on the physical stuff and level out on the 'academic' front.

IMcHunt: VERY interesting. I had to wear glasses for short sight from the age of 6 or 7, and short sight runs in the family, so thank you so much for drawing this to my attention - can't believe I never thought about this! I have never noticed anything 'off' about his eyesight but I think this is definitely something that should be checked.

AngelDog: your DS sounds lovely and very clever. I very much doubt my DS will be at his level in 2 months! It's so reassuring that on a physical and social level he sounds similar, however. My DS is also very attached to me and gets quite distressed if he knows I'll be leaving for a while, although his confidence is growing on that front. Regarding other children, I've seen an improvement now that we've moved house and are able to spend more time with his little cousins, but he definitely still likes to do his own thing. It's interesting what you said about your DH. Mine was the same as a child (also very, very shy) and is now well-adjusted, confident and in a managerial position.

Phew. I think I win 'epic post' of the thread award! Thank you all again - each reply appreciated.

OP posts:
HenriettaPootel · 11/08/2012 23:02

OP, your son sounds exactly the same as mine at that age (my DS1 is now nearly five and about to start school). It's not just the abilities that sound similar, it's also the attitude (the not wanting to try thing). I spent a long, long time thinking that DS might have Asperger Syndrome, and we very nearly started down the road to assessment, but over the last 9 months I've come to a pretty firm conclusion that he doesn't. He's actually much closer to the description of the 'Highly Sensitive Child' in Elaine Aron's book (I don't really like the whole 'labelling' thing, but I did find it a very useful read) - very clever, very observant, very cautious/anxious, very sensitive to criticism, a perfectionist, painfully shy, not very physically adept. I don't really think I'm the one to give out advice, because I don't necessarily think I've 'handled' DS terribly well myself. However. What I've come to realise/believe is that there's a really hard balance to strike between accepting and celebrating your child as he is, and pushing him to develop the skills he needs to cope in the world without you. I'm quite lucky in that my son has had practically a whole five years before starting school (September baby), but he's still only just ready (from a social/practical point of view - god knows what they're going to do with him academically Grin). The best move we made, by far, was sending him to nursery. He started when he was about two and three quarters, and it made a massive difference to his life. It was by no means easy - he was distraught when he first started, and it took about six months before he'd join in with any group activities, but in the end, the difference they made was enormous. They were basically much better at getting him to 'try' things than I am (whether it be new activities, new foods, whatever) - partly because kids always seem readier to bow to external authority, and partly because I am quite a critical/impatient person myself, and I find it incredibly hard to go at the pace he needs when doing new things. I think the choice of nursery was very important - it was a small, very nurturing environment where he got a huge amount of adult input and didn't need to 'fight it out' too much with the other children. I'm now pretty confident about him starting school, whereas a year or two ago I was completely petrified.

I don't know what your situation is, so I don't know whether 'send him to nursery' is very helpful advice!! Otherwise, I would say, try to start early on things like practical skills, because if he's like my son it will take a long, long time for him to pick them up. (Incidentally, DS still hates being made to get himself dressed, eat with cutlery etc - but at least I know he can do it if he has to.) Try to get him to 'help' with practical things you're doing as much as possible (rather than pushing him to do things for himself, IYKWIM), even though it will probably drive you crazy - eg helping you cook, helping you sort the washing/button up the duvet cover, helping you wash up, helping you write a list etc. All of these things will help develop his dexterity/independence without putting the pressure on him to do things for himself. WRT potty training, I'm afraid to say that this was the very worst thing we experienced. He would never 'try' sitting on the potty or the loo, so in the end we went completely cold turkey and chucked all the nappies in the bin (this was aged exactly 3). We were all a bit traumatised by it, and it was the only time I've resorted to complete bribery to get him to cooperate (cost me a bloody fortune in magazines). It was quick, though - he was totally dry within two weeks.

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