JOHN ROSEMOND | Parenting Get toddler some masculine fantasy togs

Great Ideas Department: A mom on the members' side of my Web site (www.rosemond.com) responded to another mom who was anxious over her 3-year-old son's desire to play dress-up in girl's clothing.
She wrote: "My husband was really bothered by the fact that, like yours, our 3-year-old boy wanted to dress up in his older sister's clothes and costumes. It was not a major issue for me, but I wanted to find a solution for the sake of my hubby, who wanted this cross-dressing to stay in the closet, literally.
"I finally realized that it probably didn't matter to our son whether the clothes were male or female as long as they facilitated pretend play. As things stood, however, his sister had all the good pretend stuff.
"So I bought him some masculine 'fantasy clothes' for dress-up, mainly hats and vests. From that point on, he could be a construction worker, a firefighter, police officer or a cowboy. He loved it! Better yet, so did my husband."
More Great Ideas Department: To the question, "How does one get a toddler to play by himself for reasonably long periods of time?"
I suggest creating and operating a toy lending library out of a closet or large cabinet in your home. All of the child's toys go into the lending library. From that point on, the child is allowed play with but two toys at a time, and in order to obtain a different toy, he must turn one in.
The lending library not only eliminates toy clutter from the house, it also reduces "toy distraction" for the toddler, promoting longer play times.
Paradoxical perhaps, but true: A child will play on his own for longer periods with two toys than with 22 or 200. Creativity and imagination flower, attention span begins to greatly improve, and perhaps best of all, Mommy and Daddy gain a lot more time for themselves and one another.
Great Feedback Department: As I boarded a jet recently, one of the flight attendants recognized me and reminded me that I'd been her passenger several years earlier, when her first child, a boy, was 24 months old.
At that time, she had asked me about toilet training. I told her it was time and recommended what I call "naked and $75." The next time she had five days at home, she took my advice and let her son walk around the house naked from the waist down.
A toddler who has no problem collecting several hours worth of "stuff" in a diaper will not like it running/oozing down his legs.
"He didn't like it at all," she told me, which is the idea. When her son began to pee or poop, he felt instantly uncomfortable and yelled for Mommy's help. Within several days, he was fully trained.
Oh, I almost forgot. The $75 is for carpet cleaning.
XJohn Rosemond is a family psychologist. Questions of general interest may be sent to him at Affirmative Parenting, 1020 East 86th Street, Suite 26B, Indianapolis, IN 46240 and at his Web site: http://www.rosemond.com/.