Podcast · 54 episodes
Toddlers Made Easy with Dr Cathryn, page 2
by Dr. Cathryn · English
Toddlers Made Easy is a short, 10 minute, bite-sized podcast that gives you the insight, tools, and confidence you need to not only handle anything toddler-related thrown your way —but prevent problem behaviors before they start. Toddlers Made Easy is hosted by Dr. Cathryn, a nationally recognized pediatrician (retired) with more than 35 years of experience and a mother of 4.
All episodes, page 2
Why Your Toddler Refuses the Potty (And What Helps)Why toddlers refuse the potty and how to reduce potty “pushback” by lowering pressure and increasing toddler control.1 Apr 2026 · 11 min · 4 chapters
End Overnight Toddler Wake UpsWhy toddlers wake overnight (light-sleep cycles every 60–90 minutes) and how to stop toddler wake-ups by changing learned sleep associations so kids can fall asleep independently.25 Mar 2026 · 10 min · 5 chapters
Kids Want to Help. Here’s Why You Should Let Them.The episode argues that involving toddlers in tiny, real household tasks (“chores”) helps them feel valued, needed, and like true contributors—building responsibility and belonging early.18 Mar 2026 · 7 min · 4 chapters
Aggressive Toddler Tantrums: Why Kids Hit, Bite, and Kick (And What To Do)How to manage aggressive toddler tantrums (hitting, biting, kicking, throwing) by protecting self-esteem and staying “kind but firm,” based on the idea that toddlers’ brains are still under…11 Mar 2026 · 9 min · 4 chapters
Q&A: 3-Year-Old Fighting Bedtime and Toddler Throwing ExplainedQ&A on toddler sleep regression and managing 21-month-old throwing/rough play. Guests: No guests; host Dr Cathryn answers listener questions. Guest backgrounds: N/A.4 Mar 2026 · 13 min · 2 chapters
The Helper Trap: How to raise a caring child who doesn’t feel responsible for everythingRaising an empathetic toddler without “people-pleasing” or feeling responsible for everything—avoiding parentification of an older child as a caregiver.25 Feb 2026 · 8 min · 3 chapters
Am I Expecting Too Much Of My Child?Whether you’re expecting too much from your toddler, and how to adjust expectations to match toddler brain development (impulse control and emotional regulation), avoid punishment that doesn’t teach,…18 Feb 2026 · 7 min · 4 chapters
How to Calm A Toddler's Tantrum Without Making It WorseHow to calm a toddler’s tantrum without escalating it, emphasizing timing (anger vs. sadness phases), safety, and caregiver calm.11 Feb 2026 · 10 min · 7 chapters
How to Calm A Tantrum Without Making It WorseHow to calm a toddler’s tantrum without escalating it, emphasizing that tantrums are an overload response and that timing, safety, and caregiver calm matter more than words.11 Feb 2026 · 10 min · 4 chapters
Why Forcing Kids to Share Backfires (And What to Do Instead)Why forcing toddlers to share backfires, and what to do instead—emphasizing empathy, boundaries, turn-taking, and teaching “asking for a turn” rather than demanding immediate sharing.4 Feb 2026 · 10 min · 5 chapters
Helping Kids Listen Better: The Big-Hearted WayToddlers “not listening” is framed as a cooperation/autonomy issue, not defiance; yelling triggers threat mode and shuts down self-control, while “seeing” the child and offering choices helps them…28 Jan 2026 · 8 min · 4 chapters
Make Potty Training Easier- Home PrepHome and child prep for low-pressure potty training (“bottomless”), emphasizing confidence, body awareness, and staying composed during inevitable accidents.21 Jan 2026 · 9 min · 3 chapters
Make Potty Training Easier: What To Do Before You BeginPart 1 of a two-part potty-training series focused on parent readiness—staying calm, identifying triggers, and planning for accidents—rather than age, rewards, timers, or pull-ups vs underwear.14 Jan 2026 · 11 min · 5 chapters
When Your Toddler Says 'No' To EverythingToddler “automatic no” refusal (18–36 months) and how to respond without power struggles. Guest backgrounds: No guests; host is Dr. Catherine, pediatrician and mom of four.7 Jan 2026 · 7 min · 4 chapters
My Toddler Keeps Waking Up At Night—Help!Why toddlers wake at night and how to reduce middle-of-the-night crying by fixing sleep associations, addressing fear/missing parents, and ruling out medical causes.31 Dec 2025 · 11 min · 7 chapters
The Secret To Shorter, Fewer, and Less Intense TantrumsHow to reduce toddler tantrums by understanding toddler brain development and using prevention and calm responses to make tantrums shorter, fewer, and less intense.24 Dec 2025 · 10 min · 5 chapters
Stop Food Battles Before They BeginHow to prevent and reduce toddler food battles by understanding picky eating as protective brain behavior, not defiance.17 Dec 2025 · 9 min · 4 chapters
Helping Little Kids Through Big Fears (And What They Actually Need From You)How toddlers experience normal, sudden fears (bedtime, public places, bath time, relatives) because their amygdala “alarm system” reacts faster than their ability to self-soothe; also how they mix…10 Dec 2025 · 7 min · 2 chapters
Wired or Tired? Why Your Child Loses It at BedtimeWhy toddlers seem “wired” at bedtime and how to fix it by catching the early sleep window and calming the nervous system (overtired vs needing less sleep).3 Dec 2025 · 8 min · 4 chapters
When Toddlers Ask, "Mommy, Am I Fat?"Early childhood body image—how toddlers/preschoolers (ages ~3–6) can develop body dissatisfaction and weight bias, often from offhand comments and adult behavior; strategies to build body trust and…26 Nov 2025 · 9 min · 4 chapters
Help! My Toddler Will Only Poop in a DiaperToddler poop refusal—pee on the potty but refusing to poop there; holding poop all day, asking for a diaper at bedtime, panic when potty is mentioned; reframing the issue as fear/discomfort rather…19 Nov 2025 · 9 min · 5 chapters
End Bedtime Battles For GoodBedtime “battles” and why kids cling, stall, or fall apart when parents try to leave; strategies to make bedtime calmer, shorter, and less conflict-driven.12 Nov 2025 · 9 min · 4 chapters
Why The Toddler Years Matter More Than You ThinkDr. Catherine explains why toddlerhood is a foundational emotional/mental-health period, arguing that toddlers are “big babies on the inside,” so parents must address emotional needs—not just manage…5 Nov 2025 · 7 min · 2 chapters
Rethinking Readiness: How to Stop Waiting and Start Potty TrainingThe episode argues that “potty training readiness” checklists can mislead parents and proposes “potty prep” to build familiarity and comfort before formal training, reducing stress and power…29 Oct 2025 · 13 min · 7 chapters