Dear WholeFamily Counselor, I have an eight-month-old son who is bottle-fed. I have a problem getting him to sleep all the way though the night, and to take longer naps. I am also having problems getting him to drink more than four ounces at a time. He wants to eat four ounces or less and then wants more about an hour or two later. He only takes two to three naps of about 20-45 minutes each. I hear that they are supposed to be sleeping about two hours at a time.

Optional: Colored plastic sheet or cellophane that can be cut into shapes (can be purchased in a craft store)

Dear WholeFamily Counselor, My son is three-years and three months old. We have been trying to potty train him for almost six months now. He shows signs that he's ready. He gets excited when he goes tinkle, although he has never told us he needs to go. We put him on the potty every one and a half hours or so. Sometimes his pull up is wet after only an hour. Tonight, he was wet twice in about 45 minutes. Yet sometimes he'll go two hours. On a car trip it was three hours with a nap and he was dry (no consistency). The more I tell him not to go in his pull up, the more he goes in his pull up, yet he will also sometimes say, "I'm supposed to tell mom/dad". So far, he has never once told us he has to go. He even will go tinkle standing up now.

Dear WholeFamily Counselor, I have two boys who recently turned four and two, and the oldest cannot pass by his brother without hitting, pushing, or rolling on top of his brother all of which causes the younger to cry and scream. I have had the oldest to go to his room, and have spanked him and he also has to apologize and ask for forgiveness. There are times he is kind but the above is most often seen. I'm at my wits end, what can I do without doing bodily harm to him?

What Steps Can You Take To Limit The Effect Of Television On Your Young Child's Attitudes And Development? * Make A Television Viewing Plan For Your Family One of the easiest ways to fall into the "TV trap" is simply through lack of attention. When we don't evaluate and choose TV viewing times the amount of television watched in our houses adds up quickly. Make a viewing schedule for each member of your family and stick to it. Consider the following issues when drawing up your plan: * How Much Time Should A Young Child Watch Each Day? The American Association of Pediatrics recommends no more than two hours a day for children over two years old and no television viewing for children under two.

Dear WholeFamily Counselor, How do you deal with a child who, despite being reassured that she's doing well, gets frightened and tries to climb off the potty in the middle of a bowel movement? My answer would depend on where your child is in the toilet training process. If your child is at the beginning of the process and has not yet really established training for urine, then I would not push things by trying to force her to have bowel movements on the potty, if she is not yet secure in doing so. If your child has already established her ability to use the potty regularly for urinating (for several weeks) then it may be time to be more forceful about bowel movements.

Q: Dear WholeFamily Counselor, I just read your article Toilet Training Step by Step and found it very helpful. It was easy to read and very informative. I do have some questions, though, specifically related to toilet training my daughter. She is now 30 months and we have been "potty training" for around 10 months. Sounds crazy, I know.

Dear WholeFamily Counselor, My oldest son (he will be five-years-old next month) refuses to use the potty, he won't go near it. I have tried different things, such as rewards, potty-time videos, potty books and nothing has worked. He is in preschool three days a week and, of course, he was supposed to have been trained before entering this preschool, but he just wears his pull-ups and so far hasn't had any accidents. When asked why he doesn't want to use the potty, he just says he's not ready. I have never forced the issue -- but I'm losing patience. He has no physical or other developmental problems. His pediatrician had suggested that we take him to a child psychologist, which we did, but she didn't even have any kids!! Needless to say, she didn't help.