Why are threads about 3 year olds being moved from Childhood Years to Toddlers?

[LynnS6]

I'm a bit confused. I've noticed that several threads about 3 year olds have been moved to Toddlers from Childhood Years. I thought that's where they belonged?

I think a good case could be made that 3 year olds belong in childhood years. While my kids are older now, I also found it very helpful when my kids were that age to get advice from parents of kids slightly older who'd been through that stage.

[JessicaS]

Three year old threads do belong in Toddlers.

If you want advice from parents of older children you may cross post by posting a link and asking them to read your thread in Toddlers.

[liliaceae]

I just wanted to state for the record that I think this is ridiculous.  When my son was 3, he was absolutely not a toddler.  If we can't have a preschooler forum, I think we should at least be trusted to know which developmental stage our own children are in.

[lonegirl]

I agree...I tried pming Autumn Breeze with the suggestion of a Preschooler group of 3-5.  My son will be 4 next week so it isn't a big deal now....but I have found excellent advice in the Childhood years and the Toddler group was not what I was needing. 

[Daffodil]

I thought there were no hard-and-fast rules about what ages went with which forums - that it was up to parents to decide which forum seemed most applicable.  I liked it that way.  If there are going to be rules now, it would be helpful to have the ages included in the forum title.  And I agree with others that 3 year olds don't really seem like toddlers, at least mine didn't. 

[samstress]

Originally Posted by Daffodil 

 If there are going to be rules now, it would be helpful to have the ages included in the forum title.

i'm never sure where to post.  age ranges would help me.

[ollyoxenfree]

Shouldn't the developmental stage or issue apply rather than a hard-and-fast rule about chronological age?  

After all, there are 8 y.o's in puberty. It wouldn't be appropriate to restrict posts about them to the childhood forum when they are obviously dealing with tween/teen issues.  Likewise, posts about a 3 y.o. may be more relevant to the childhood forum than toddlers. I suppose cross-posting works, but better responses are more likely if the main post is in the relevant forum. 

[JessicaS]

But threads in the wrong place do lead to confusion and more applicable threads being bumped down.

I do think traditionally toddler is defined as 1-3. We can certainly revisit the preschooler forum idea but we cannot do that until things calm down a bit.

[Daffodil]

Quote:

Originally Posted by JessicaS 

But threads in the wrong place do lead to confusion and more applicable threads being bumped down.

I do think traditionally toddler is defined as 1-3. We can certainly revisit the preschooler forum idea but we cannot do that until things calm down a bit.

I don't think too many people on MDC would be confused by seeing a post about a 3 year old in The Childhood Years, or see that as "the wrong place."  On the contrary, I think the MDC tradition is to include 3 year olds in The Childhood Years, though I've certainly also seen posts about 3 year olds in Toddlers.
 

[liliaceae]

Quote:

Originally Posted by JessicaS 

But threads in the wrong place do lead to confusion and more applicable threads being bumped down.

I do think traditionally toddler is defined as 1-3. We can certainly revisit the preschooler forum idea but we cannot do that until things calm down a bit.

Yes, a toddler is defined as 1-3 years, as in 12 to 36 months.  So once a child is in their 4th year, right after they turn 3, they are no longer considered a toddler.

Not that it matters, as a PP said, it should be the developmental stage that matters, not the chronological age.

[JessicaS]

The decision was made because there was an excess of three year old threads in there and it was appearing as if they belonged in there.

We do want people to try and keep threads regarding 3 year olds in Toddlers. I don't think it was an issue with only "developmentally CY" threads. I know a tantrum thread and a potty training thread were among those moved. CY and Teens both have a wide age range, wider than both LWAB and Toddlers. 

[Daffodil]

Originally Posted by JessicaS 

The decision was made because there was an excess of three year old threads in there and it was appearing as if they belonged in there.

When was it decided that they didn't belong in there?  I've always had the impression that was the most common place for people to post about their 3 year olds.  I've also never seen any reference to rules about which ages belonged in which forums until now.

[lonegirl]

Originally Posted by Daffodil 

When was it decided that they didn't belong in there?  I've always had the impression that was the most common place for people to post about their 3 year olds.  I've also never seen any reference to rules about which ages belonged in which forums until now.

[mamadelbosque]

Just another confused poster... I've been posting in CY and toddlers both since DS1 was just shy of 3 yrs. Just as theres a fuzzy point between LWAB and Toddlers in that 12-18 months age range where, to some degree at least posts can fit in both depending on what exactly your talking about theres definetly a fuzzy spot between, say 2.5-3 yrs where posts can fit in both Toddlers and/or Childhood Years. If you want to change toddlers to toddlers & preschoolers, then thats fine, but lets make that clear...

[sunnmama]

I have a 3 yo and a 9 yo.  According to the notice in CY, the new ages will be 4-8.

I don't really have an issue with 3 yo posts being in toddlers, as long as the majority of 3 yo posts are there. 

I do have an issue with 9 yo posts in teens.  9 years old is still a child!  I'd like to see posts through at least 10 remaining in CY.  If you are going to keep the 3 yos in toddlers, it makes sense to skew the CY upwards to 10, imo.  Then let preteen/teen be truly what the forum name describes.   That is still a big range: 11-18.

[JessicaS]

Originally Posted by sunnmama 

I have a 3 yo and a 9 yo.  According to the notice in CY, the new ages will be 4-8.

I don't really have an issue with 3 yo posts being in toddlers, as long as the majority of 3 yo posts are there. 

I do have an issue with 9 yo posts in teens.  9 years old is still a child!  I'd like to see posts through at least 10 remaining in CY.  If you are going to keep the 3 yos in toddlers, it makes sense to skew the CY upwards to 10, imo.  Then let preteen/teen be truly what the forum name describes.   That is still a big range: 11-18.

 As far as your nine year old goes please do feel to place that whereever you think is applicable. The forum is titled "Pre-Teens and Teens" My nine year old has her period so I think that is really individual.

[JessicaS]

Originally Posted by mamadelbosque 

Just another confused poster... I've been posting in CY and toddlers both since DS1 was just shy of 3 yrs. Just as theres a fuzzy point between LWAB and Toddlers in that 12-18 months age range where, to some degree at least posts can fit in both depending on what exactly your talking about theres definetly a fuzzy spot between, say 2.5-3 yrs where posts can fit in both Toddlers and/or Childhood Years. If you want to change toddlers to toddlers & preschoolers, then thats fine, but lets make that clear...

We'll have to examine that once things calm down a bit.

[beanma]

I think there might be a case made for a separate tween forum and a separate teen forum. I think the issues can be pretty different. You might be talking training bras and beginning signs  of puberty for a tween vs what's the best birth control or how to handle getting into college or finding a summer job for teens.

FTR, I think sometime in the 3yr old year kids transition out of toddlerdom and into childhood. I would leave that up to the parent to decide, though. I doubt there are many almost 4 yr olds that I would consider a toddler, but I would probably consider many just turned 3 year olds a toddler. In fact when my dd2 turned 3 she refused to let me tell people she was 3 and insisted on still being 2! (I'd tell people she had a birthday in November and decided to stay 2.) By the time she turned 4 she was about ready to be 8 instead. If there's a thread about potty training I do think that's not so much a childhood years issue, but maybe a preschooler forum is the way to go.

[sunnmama]

Originally Posted by JessicaS 

Originally Posted by sunnmama 

I have a 3 yo and a 9 yo.  According to the notice in CY, the new ages will be 4-8.

I don't really have an issue with 3 yo posts being in toddlers, as long as the majority of 3 yo posts are there. 

I do have an issue with 9 yo posts in teens.  9 years old is still a child!  I'd like to see posts through at least 10 remaining in CY.  If you are going to keep the 3 yos in toddlers, it makes sense to skew the CY upwards to 10, imo.  Then let preteen/teen be truly what the forum name describes.   That is still a big range: 11-18.

 As far as your nine year old goes please do feel to place that whereever you think is applicable. The forum is titled "Pre-Teens and Teens" My nine year old has her period so I think that is really individual.

Ok, that sounds good.  My 9 yo's issues would be misplaced in preteens :)

Originally Posted by beanma 

I think there might be a case made for a separate tween forum and a separate teen forum. I think the issues can be pretty different. You might be talking training bras and beginning signs  of puberty for a tween vs what's the best birth control or how to handle getting into college or finding a summer job for teens.

 I was thinking the same thing....maybe early adolescence and late adolescence would make sense. 

[LiLStar]

well, how i've always decided where to put things (and imnsho I think is quite sensible!) is go by what the subject is vs the age. If I was posting about my 12 month old teething, i'd post to lwab. If it were about speech development, then toddlers. If i'm posting about my 3yo's tantrums, then toddlers. If I wanted tips for what brand of shoes to buy this winter, i'd sure as heck post in childhood! (because I definitely wouldn't want to hear anyone rattling off brands that only go up to 8 or 9, when she wears 11!)