Photo by LelandsMommy

The toddler years...when our disciplinary skills are first really put to the test. We all have our own methods that we feel work best with our families. Here are some discipline links I love:

Photo by thinline

These days moms name their parenting styles the way women only used to name their political parties. And I get that. For the sake of discussion, you never know it you're a sitting Democrat walking into a room of Republicans. And you'd hate people to assume. It's nice to get it out in the open so there are no misconceptions. It also forces you move beyond these issues and find other kinds of commonalities.

But now that we let it all hang out — from where our child sleeps and what our child eats to whether or not we vaccinate and how we discipline — can it get in the way of friendships with other moms?

What do you think?

Photo by AshBayGrammy

Toddlers acting out after starting preschool or pre-K is pretty common, but one CafeMom, NutFctryHedNut, is having a particularly hard time of it with her toddler daughter.

At pick-up, the little girl threw a fit because she didn't get to ride the bus with the other kids.

As she and her mom walked to the car, she ran into the street and ignored her mom's pleas to stop.

Returning home, she's whiny, rude, and won't listen.

Any of this sound familiar? It does to me. Exhaustion and hunger are never a good combo, and that's what most toddlers are after a long day at day care or preschool. Even children who are little angels for their teachers during the day seem to save it all up and take it out on their parents.

Here's how other CafeMoms have dealt with these behavior issues successfully:

An Ohio woman allegedly spanked a stranger's two-year-old son for saying something that annoyed her. Gloria Ballard, 43, was then arrested and charged with assault.

Photo by mommy22girls

You could try the Paci Fairy, pretend that Elmo is having a baby and mail the binky to him, or even donate it to the zoo. You could also try this brilliant, no-tears suggestion from Toddler Mom cafemama ...

Photo by Margot12

I was one of those annoying pregnant moms that swore up and down "my kids will never watch TV," until the day I realized that if I ever wanted to shower again, I'd have to turn on the TV.

We started out slowly, only clicking on Noggin for a half-hour in the mornings when I needed to get ready to get out of the house. Then it became another half-hour around dinner-time prep. Soon they were also watching 15 minutes before bedtime ...

And on and on it snowballed ...

Photo by BrettMommy08

One minute your toddler will act like he can take on the world -- paint a Rembrandt, score the winning goal in his brother's soccer game, or help Daddy repair the car with the (yikes) hammer.

Don't be surprised if one day he does a total switcharoo and says, "I can't do it!" for just about everything, either because he really believes it or he just doesn't want to.

"I don't know what to do!," says JanuaryBaby06, whose 3 1/2 year old is going through this phase.

"We make an extra effort to not say things like that in front of him," she says. "I try to say 'Oh, baby, you can do it' or 'There isn't anything you can't do' or 'Reach for the moon and it's yours!' We cheer when he does something good and let him know how proud we are. I just don't want him to have low self-esteem or a really hard time with school work. What can I do?"

Photo by cymbaltamomma

Some churches or places of worship have nurseries that will watch your kids during the services. Others don't, or moms are forced to wrangle the wily youngsters themselves while their husband is signing in the choir or (if he's not the church-going type) at home.

On mother in Stay At Home Moms asked about this very problem the other day. She wants her 1 year old and 2 year old (who's training and making constant potty runs) to start coming to church more often, but her husband sings in the choir and can't help in the pew.

Have you always been dying to ask the other moms of toddlers in church, especially those with the kids who sit without saying a peep, if they get as stressed out as you do? Here's what they say about getting a toddler to behave during church:

Photo From Harry Potter and the

Half-Blood Prince Official Site

Has your toddler been to the movies? How about to see Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince?

Last week I went to see an evening showing of the film and was seated next to a preschool-aged child. Let's just say that not much movie watching was accomplished by this tot...

Photo by Veela

When toddlers hit a certain age, there are days when it seems like "no" is the only word that comes out of your mouth. "No, you can't eat the cat's food," "No, that will break," "No, you can't draw on the wall."

A couple things happen at that point. You get bogged down in all that negativity, the word starts to lose some of its power, and eventually your child starts repeating it right back to you.

Then you'll never get rid of it!

One mom in the Old Fashioned & Anti Mainstream Moms is looking for alternatives to the word "no" for her 1 year old.