Parenting

If you are a parent travelling solo with a baby or small children, learn from my mistakes and make your trip go smoothly. I’ve run of nappies/diapers while stranded overnight so you don’t have to, I’ve left the toddler’s favourite blanket in a suitcase that went astray so you don’t have to…

Today's dads are, on the whole, much more involved than fathers have been in the past. Still, all fathers need encouragement to be present to their developing children.

The struggle of getting your toddler to eat healthy, let alone at all, is real! Let's talk about some menu options.

What you should know if CPS becomes involved in your family, based on my years of experience as a CPS worker.

Teen curfew laws are in place for a reason. Many teens and advocates are challenging local ordinances as to their constitutionality.

I want to share what REALLY happens on the “other side." I love my daughter, and I love being a mom; however, the canned advice that we feed each other is not doing us new moms any favors.

The mom of an autistic son recalls the insensitive comments that magnified her grief after her son's diagnosis. 1 child in every 40 is on the spectrum so we need to be more sensitive about what we say to parents who are hurting.

Self-absorption, bitching and moaning, extreme negativity, an inability to plan ahead...these are characteristics of teens that drive us parents nutty. But, if we appreciate that their brains are still developing and their behavior is normal, we can relax, stop worrying, and enjoy their teen years.

Why growing up as a military brat is a unique experience. My childhood as a Navy Junior, daughter of a career Naval officer and Annapolis grad shaped me more than I ever knew

Even natural toothpastes aimed at toddlers can contain ingredients that you would not want your child to swallow. This article reviews several natural toothpastes, taking a close look at ingredients as well as taste.

Most of us experienced some degree of name-calling when we were kids from our siblings or classmates. What happens to a person's psyche, though, when those hurtful names came from a parent?

Eating out can be a respite from having to cook (and clean up) a meal at home. Plus, it should be a fun experience! Here are some tips for eating our with your children that will help keep it a fun experience for everyone—kids, parents, and other guests alike.

When you're getting ready for a new baby, deciding what you need now and what you may never use can be pretty overwhelming. Here's my personal list of must-haves and naaaaahhhhs.

Sometimes a stroller is needed for an older, larger child. This article reviews different stroller types for big kids, and provides examples of stroller alternatives, jogging strollers, and large umbrella strollers.

A mother and teacher explains five of the biggest and most common mistakes parents make with their kids. If you're not putting your marriage first, becoming too emotionally enmeshed with your child, or not letting your kids fail, you're going down the wrong path. But it's not too late to change!

This article describes narcissistic mothers and their impact on children and blended families.

Free resources for parents of deaf and hard-of-hearing children. Free advocacy training, distance education courses, and magazines are available to families of young children diagnosed with hearing loss.

A natural playground contains elements from nature, such as trees, grass, rocks, sand, and water. It's a great place for both active play and creative play.

For many parents, the argument for whether or not to let their new baby suck his or her thumb after birth is a big one. I'll discuss the pros and cons, as well as tips to stop thumb sucking.

An examination of eating disorders during adolescence and its potential causes.

This article provide tips and ideas for getting your kids to eat more vegetables while avoiding mealtime power struggles.

The overuse of social media, including Facebook, can have a definite impact on teenagers and parents should be aware of the potential negative effects on kids.

With competitive job markets, and a need for people to step up and take leadership roles, it has become important that we instill strong leadership qualities in our children. Here are some tips and ideas on how to shape the future leaders of the world.

How many children can one woman give birth to in a lifetime? How many children can one man father? Who is the oldest and youngest mother, father, and grand parent on record? How big was the world's heaviest infant? Perplexing questions with startling answer, all right here, along with many other reproductive records.

How parental neglect in childhood effected me into adulthood. This article also includes research on how this type of neglect may affect others with similar experiences.

It is important to have cell phone rules for kids. Your family cell phone policy should include limits on cell phones at night and at school, and you should monitor cell phone contacts for young kids.

Should children have the right to participate in decisions or should they be protected from decision making? This hub discusses the options and pros and cons of each.

Family dinner time is an important part of raising successful children. Here's how to make your family dinners peaceful and pleasant with good table manners.

So you think you have what it takes to be a stepmom? Ask yourself these questions first...

Divorce creates a lot of stress for your kids, especially when they are forced to adjust to living at two homes with different sets of expectations.

Helping children cope with death is one of the hardest things you will encounter. But the most important thing is to let them deal with death in their own terms.

These 14 great Valentine's Day crafts to make with your kids will allow them to express themselves, learn some new skills, and receive the satisfaction of giving good gifts to others that come from the heart.

Teens today have it hard. Parenting teenagers is not easy, but understanding the issues they struggle with can help everyone involved. You can't help solve a problem until you know what it is. Here, I highlight the most common problems faced by teenagers today.

Want to buy infant formula that's hypoallergenic, dairy-free or lactose-free? They're useful when baby has dairy or soy allergy or intolerance, suffers with colic. stomach ache, gas or spit up. Maybe you're vegan or Jewish or Muslim and need a specialist formula for lifestyle reasons...

Recognizing an inflexible explosive child and what you can do to decrease your child’s frustration and angry outbursts

The lessons we learn in life become the tools we carry with us everywhere. Here are 6 life lessons I've learned being a stepmom...

Some people are impressed when a teenage girl proclaims, "my mother is my best friend!" Is being your child's buddy and play mate, though, really a good and healthy thing or just something that satisfies your ego? Find out from experts whether it's better to parent your child or befriend her.

Why not make the conversation around the dinner table a little more animated by playing a clean game of family "Never Have I Ever"!

Spending quality time together as a family is important. Here are 6 simple ways to spend more time together with your family.

Speech and language delays are a concern for many parents, who wonder if their child is simply a "late talker"or if there is a true language disorder present. Learn the signs of a language delay: early intervention is vital to successful treatment.

A collection of the tried and tested home remedies for diaper rash (nappy rash), proven to work quickly and safely to relieve your baby's discomfort.

Here are the top ten tips for young mothers and first-time parents for creating a healthy and happy relationship with your newborn baby.

Anxiety and depression are skyrocketing among our kids. While genetics plays a major role, moms and dads can also make an impact with the three E's: experiences, environment, and engagement.

Reading the statistics on what happens as a premature baby grows up can frighten parents. But statistics only paint half the picture. Read this article to see how to look behind them.

This is the story of how I was affected by my controlling mother, and how I overcame the psychological consequences of overbearing parents.

Recycle toilet paper rolls into binoculars, a kazoo, race tracks, marble runs, and other fun toys for toddlers. These inexpensive crafts will inspire a lot of imaginative play!

Learning how to discipline is one of the most important parts of raising your child. Many default to spanking, but there are many other ways to discipline that does not involve physical force.

Premature infants must fight to survive in a world that they are not yet scheduled to enter for weeks or months. Their immature central nervous system easily becomes overstimulated. The Developmental Care Model seeks to minimize environmental stress in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), and improve developmental outcomes.

The FDA has discovered a trend that until recently remained largely unrealized. This trend, backed by data from an innovative new study, is the substantial number of mothers who supply their newborn infants with herbal teas and/or various supplements. A warning has been issued to physicians treating infants to look for possible drug interactions with any substances provided to a baby by its mother.

Fevers are a body's natural method for fighting of viral or bacterial infections. Sometimes, however, it is necessary to lower a fever—a combination of fever-reducing medications and natural fever reducers may be used to comfort a sick child.

Nobody likes missing sleep due to a child who refuses to sleep at a reasonable time. Finding what works can be hard. So we decided to share a few things we tried and what worked for us to help you get the precious shut-eye.

Most people have heard of the “dive reflex,” which apparently means that babies are born able to swim. But there is more to the dive reflex than most of us assume, and some of its effects may not be what you would want for your baby. If you are thinking about teaching a young baby to swim read this article first.

Patterns are all around us and they help children to understand the natural order of every day life. Patterns build math vocabulary and concepts.

Having a black-sounding name can subject a person to prejudice and employment discrimination. Parents should be aware of this when naming their children.

Child abuse can take on many forms and can be hard to recognize at first. In this article, I discuss the signs and symptoms of various types of abuse, how to recognize these signs of abuse, and what you can do to stop it from occurring.

I am sharing with you the things I've learned being a parent to an 11-year-old boy. Topics include independence, girls, setting rules, friends, and the importance of family time.

We recently ran across a picture for Matilda's Activity Tower on Pinterest. We immediately saw the usefulness and made one for ourselves. Learn why we love this tower and see a few changes we made.

Concentrate on what's important when talking with teenagers, not things they don't need to know. Common mistakes parents make with their teens.

It's temping to tell the kids to never mention their mother, especially if she is a high conflict ex-wife. There is a better way.

Are kids these days being pushed too far with sports, after school activities, clubs, and all the things their parents wished they had as children? Is over scheduling crushing little spirits and minds?

This advice is relevant in recovering from ANY abusive relationship, not just at the hands of narcissistic parents, but also spouses/lovers, siblings, bosses, etc.

Exposing your child to more than one language early on can benefit them in the future.

Ways to teach your children empathy (caring for other people and caring for animals), and why that is so important. Being empathetic is essential to success in all areas of a person's life. Empathy begins at home.

This article explains why it's so common for teens to lack confidence and gives suggestions to boost your self-esteem.

Three ways to get a baby to take a bottle that up until now will only drink milk by breastfeeding.

Here are six rounds of Family Feud questions for kids. It's a great game for encouraging kids to build reasoning and recollection skills, imagine how others think, and have fun with each other.

Family game nights are always a great way to bond as a family, even more so if you switch it up and play truth or dare together! Try out this list of 100+ truths and dares for kids!

As our kids turn into teens, it can feel as if the childhood connections we formed with them all but disappeared overnight. And, understandably, many parents grieve that loss. But adolescence isn’t the end of an old relationship — it’s the beginning of a new one.

My cousins and I grew up with single mothers. These five assets helped us survive the odds predicted for fatherless children. They offer hope, not despair, to single mothers and fatherless children.

You spend hours each week planning menus, shopping for food, and preparing home cooked meals for your family, only to have your child look at it and say "Gross!" Let's end that habit for good!

If your child is beginning to read chapter books and likes funny books, here is a list of kids' all-time favorites.

Not only are spankings, time-outs, and digital groundings ineffective, they hurt the parent-child relationship and can cause long-term psychological damage. Find out what forms of discipline really work and can actually improve a child's well-being.

There are adaptive toys for special needs children, you just have to know where to find them. This article offers a list of resources for choosing, finding, and adapting toys.

Help your baby sleep through the night as kindly and gently as possible. Use these 7 Top tips to help your baby fall into a deep and peaceful sleep...

There is no single right or wrong way to parent. Thus, there is often a fine line between careless parenting and responsible parenting. Understanding the difference can affect your child.

Researchers have discovered that over-the-top praise is not only meaningless to kids but can actually hurt them. Find ways to build your child's resilience by offering meaningful feedback.

Car insurance for teen drivers cost more since accidents by teenage drivers are the number one cause of death among teens. Tips to help decide if your teenager is ready to drive are given.

For single mothers with a donor-conceived child who want to explain to their child how they came to be born.

Being a parent to a newborn is hard enough. See how this solution helped me regain my sanity and helped my little one and me get a break from the sleepless nights.

Be prepared with necessary supplies for your baby or young children as well in the event of an emergency or disaster. The article includes extra items to consider for your baby or young child(ren).

Toddlers and children may experience a speech delay for a variety of reasons. Use these strategies at home to encourage kids to talk.

As our world is becoming increasingly reliant on technology, our children spend more and more time with computers, video games, and electronic toys. While this is not without its negative effects, introducing children to the right kind of technology can help prepare them for the future.

The case of abused child Mary Ellen Wilson captured the nation's attention because the President of the American Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals was instrumental in securing her rescue from the abusive home.

Be prepared for your newborn with this list of baby essentials. Learn what you need for the baby and how you can save money buying items for your new baby.

Engaging children is easy when you know how. It can be difficult at first (believe me I know!) but follow the tips below and you will soon find that engaging with children and keeping their attention has become second nature. If you don't have a...

My experience and thoughts on everything about the Mountain Buggy Nano.

Many women in today's society suffer from Superwoman Syndrome. These women feel the pressure that they have to do it all and do it all well. Some even turn to pill-popping to help keep them going.

Modern cell phones can be great things for kids to have but they present a number of risks as well. Find out what a parent can do to protect their kids or monitor their activity.

Parents give lip service to boosting their children's self-esteem, often thinking that over-loading them with praise is the answer. In reality, though, it takes time, effort, empathy, and being present: validating their feelings, celebrating their uniqueness, and listening, not lecturing.

Don't be bored this summer! Here are 101 fun hobbies for teenage girls; everything from playing on your phone to hanging out with friends! You're sure to find something fun to do!

Deciding when to have kids can be a complicated process, but deciding when to close the book on the baby-making chapter can be even more so. Here's my top reasons for not having any more kids.

So you've noticed that your child is playing with an imaginary friend. Should you worry? Should you take him to a psychiatrist? Read on to find out more about imaginary buddies.

Tips and suggestions for making playing with toy cars fun for your kids as well as helping their development.

An honest review of the Besrey Airplane Stroller, which is one of the best strollers and baby products I have ever bought and used.

What is the difference between picky eating and a feeding problem? Learn the top ten signs that signal the need for medical investigation of picky eating in children.

Many children have sensory processing problems that influence behavior. Children may not like being touched, may have unusual preferences in clothing, or may have limited food choices. Understanding these issues may make it easier for parents and teachers to deal with children’s problem behaviors.

Looking to jazz up your youth group? Starting a new group at your church? Here are more than 50 ideas that will make your weekly youth meetings the place to be!

Parenting a child takes commitment and backbone. A parent must give guidelines and discipline, with a lot of love to make a difference in a child's life. Find out the foundations of good parenting.

A summary of rides at Disneyland California Adventures theme park that are suitable for toddlers and preschoolers.

If you grew up with an emotionally absent mom, it negatively impacted your life and your ability to connect with your inner world. Understanding your journey can help you celebrate your feelings, not hide from them.