Parenting Australia is proud to announce that Dr Jonny Taitz will be joining our ‘Online family’ and contributing a monthly blog commencing at the end of January 2010.

Dr Jonny Taitz is a distinguished paediatrician who often works with children with rare conditions. He is currently the Assistant Director of Clinical Operations and Staff Specialist Paediatrician at the Sydney Children’s Hospital Randwick. He also lectures in Paediatrics and Child Health at the University of NSW.

Jonny is probably best known as the paediatrician who treated accident victim Sophie Delezio. His interests range from rural paediatric health issues to his involvement with children’s charities such as the Humpty Dumpty Foundation and the SMILE Foundation.

Sponsorship enquiries for Dr Jonny Taitz blog can be made by emailing sponsorship@parentingaustralia.com.au

Dr. Jonny Taitz

As summer approaches toilet training becomes important for parents and their little ones who are eager to shed nappies and join the ‘big’ girls and boys.

Peter Potty is designed to make the potty training process easier - so you will have more success, with less mess!
This product allows children to urinate by themselves. Peter Potty is sized to fit and grow with your little boy and can be wall mounted or free standing on its base.

Little girls need to sit, but with Peter Potty, little boys can stand like Daddy. No more training your little man to sit first and stand later. This is the world's only flushable toddler urinal. Known to achieve success at a younger age - from 2 to 6 months faster than traditional sit-down training methods.

Available from Selected Retailers for $74.95
Go to www.peterpotty.com.au or call 1300 743 833.

Catherine Oehlman has invented the phrase, Advanced Toilet Training or ATT. Her blog this week explores seat up seat down, graduating from potty to toilet, wiping #1, wiping #2 and more - all with her humorous twist we have come to love...Read more.

Afro Beats: Feel the African rhythm in this colourful, energetic musical performance featuring traditional instruments and percussion.

Kids at the House 2010: Don’t miss Kids at the House, a year long festival of the world’s best performances for young people and their families.

Hoyts and Parenting Australia are giving away 20 family passes(admit 4) to see Thomas as you've never seen him before - on the big screen at Hoyts! 'Thomas & Friends: Hero of the Rails' will be screening from 20 November at selected Hoyts Cinemas (NSW/VIC/ACT/WA/SA only) for a limited time only.

Artisse Organic Aribars are a healthier snacking option that kids are sure to still love. The certified organic Aribars are made with wholegrain brown rice and are free from artificial colours and flavours. They are free from gluten, wheat and dairy, so can be enjoyed by the many kids with these allergies. Perfect for the school lunchbox, meeting the nutritional guidelines for school canteens.

Sally Hall founder of Cradle to Kindy offers some practical tips on toilet training your toddler.

HeadStart’s unique approach to childcare ensures that children at the centre enjoy higher staff ratios, nutritious meals freshly cooked on the premises, extensive educational programs for all ages as well as a comprehensive preschool program.
Their programs are designed to meet specific developmental needs of every age group - from babies to preschoolers. Their school readiness program ensures that children leave HeadStart educationally and emotionally ready for school.
In addition to age appropriate educational programs, HeadStart also provides children with an abundance of educational and developmental resources including computers and age appropriate software for the older children. For the younger children and babies, individual daily routines are designed to mirror the routine and environment children have in their homes.

Sometimes after your child has been fully toilet trained they can regress and start wetting their pants again. This is usually because the child is feeling some kind or stress.

If you find your child is still having accidents, even after doing a lot of preparation and intensive work with toilet training, you can try Positive Responses Practice.

Childhood bedwetting happens in many families. While a lot of children grow out of wetting the bed by the time they start school, many children of primary school age still wet the bed.

Johanna asks herself, "Who would have thought I would ever be this excited about looking at poo in a toilet? Am I mad, or did you get excited when you toilet trained your child too?" Read more.