kirstin

My son is almost 5 and is 42 inches tall and 40 lbs. He has always been about 75th percentile in height. He just got back from the doctor, though, and he dropped to the 35th percentile in a year. His doctor said that kind of a drop is something to keep an eye on and if it continues to drop through age 7 we can think about growth hormones. My son is super healthy and happy - isn't it a little premature to worry? I thought kids have growth spurts and then sometimes don't grow for a few months. Should I worry? Thanks for any advice or sharing your experiences with this!

I know I do too much for my 4 year old son. Sometimes I don' t know what I should expect from him. What does your child do for her/himself? (making own bed/getting dressed/brushing teeth/ etc.)

Thanks!

My son goes to preschool but rarely has play dates (once every two weeks, I'd say). Sometimes I feel like he should be spending more time playing with other children. What do you think/do? Thanks!

My 3 1/2 year old son has a horrible, hacking cough (and cold) which has lasted 2 days now. I took him to the doctor who said his lungs are clear and I'll just have to wait out the virus. I have a cool air humidifier in his room and have taken him into a steamy bathroom - nothing is helping. It's so bad that he can't sleep (starting at around 12:00 at night) and has vomited once each night for the past two nights (due to coughing/plegm). It's horrible watching him go through this, and we all need sleep!. Any advice? Thanks!!

thanks!

How old was your son when he stopped wearing pull-ups at night? My 3 1/2 year old seems ready now (usually wakes up dry), but I'm not sure. Thanks!

My 3 1/2 year old son is potty trained during the day. He wears pull-ups at night and I'd say 1/2 the time he's dry in the morning. Do I wait until he's always dry or is part of the process having accidents? I hate to do all that laundry, but if I have to . . . Thanks!

My son loves blueberry muffins and plain baguette for breakfast (with fruit). That's it. No eggs, waffles, pancakes, cereal, or oatmeal. Help! Thanks!

My son loves to build things - do you know of any wonderful "toys" that let a child build and use their imagination? I have the usual - Legos, wooden blocks, big carboard blocks . . . I'm just looking for a new activity for him. Thank you!

What, where, when does your 3 year old eat? My son, a really great little guy, refuses to eat at the table with me (his dad gets home too late to eat with us - at around 7:30) - he eats in front of the tv - Curious George (horrible, I know, but he eats sooooo well and healthy that way!) What are your eating habits? Sometimes I feel like the rest of the world is doing the Leave it to Beaver thing at the table and I'm not doing my job. Then I think of how healthy he is. . . Thanks for any input.

My son is a size 9, but his Converse shoes are almost too small and the next size up is too big. Same with Pumas. Any tips for me? It's frustrating to have to put a shoe on him that's too big, but I'm afraid for his little toes if I don't. Thanks!

My son just turned 3 and hasn't had a lot of experience playing with other children (and he's quite timid with them). Unfortunately, I don' t have friends with children his age. He does go to the playground, music and art class and will be starting preschool in Sep. My concern is that he sometimes plays with characters from tv (Caillou, Rosie, Baby Jaguar, and Diego). Sometimes they even come to the front door and we greet them. It's heartbreaking to me because he doesn' t have any real friends yet and I don't know if this is something children just do or if he wants to play with friends that he doesn't have (is lonely). Any experience with this? Thanks!

My son just turned 3 and is super sweet and polite. He's truly a gentle soul, and I'm happy about that, BUT, he's having a hard time playing with other kids - he doesn' t understand when they're a bit rougher and yell and crash their cars into things, etc. (which is all perfectly normal). If a child says "no" (when he wants to borrow something) he truly is sad and says "Mommy, he doesn't want to share with me". Then he doesn't want to play with that child anymore - he's almost afraid. I'm afraid he's going to have his heart broken a lot because he's so sensitive. I want him to stay sweet but I know he has to toughen up a bit. He is starting school in Sep. and I'm concerned. Any advice? Thanks!

My son just turned 3 and is a little tornado. He hasn't learned to pick up after himself while playing, and I'm not always around (if he's playing in his room) to remind him to put things away before taking out other things. Plus, it seems so horrible to constantly interrupt his play like that - especially since different toys are sometimes used together (is it realistic for him to be semi tidy?) I'm not sure what my expectations should be - I am tired (and it seems wrong) to constantly pick up after him, but I don' t want him to be all stressed out, either. Any advice? Thanks!

My 3 year old son will be starting preschool this summer, and I thought reading some books to him might help. Any ideas? Thanks!

Any tips on how to make starting preschool easier? I can't stand the thought of him crying and I'm afraid I'm going to be one of those moms who stays all day forever. I don't want him to feel abandoned.

Just want to be sure I'm on the right track - thanks!

I thought it might be nice to help prepare my son for starting preschool this summer by reading some stories about what it's like. Thanks!