Whether it’s thumb-sucking, nose-picking, picky eating, bad manners or other annoying habit, many kids drive their parents crazy. But there are ways to break your kids of bothersome rituals. First of all, harping on them to quit doesn’t work. Punishment probably won’t, either. When you want to break your child…
There’s nothing worse than having a young child who curses like a sailor. While it’s great your child is learning the art of verbal communication, there’s nothing proper about a potty mouth. In most cases, we have nobody but ourselves to blame. Unless they’re being exposed to foul language at…
Their plates are barely clean and your children are already demanding to know what’s for dessert. In most households, dessert is a reward, not a guarantee. And while many parents try to dodge the dessert bullet as often as possible, it’s possible to make the post-supper snack a truly nutritious…
Letting your kids sleep in your bed – aka co-sleeping – is a hot-button topic, regardless of the child’s age. Nursing moms might find that sleeping with the baby makes nighttime feedings easier, allows more bonding time and promotes sounder sleep. Those who do not co-sleep with their newborns may…
Remember the embarrassment of having to insist your date come in to meet your parents? Or the anticipation of sitting by the phone waiting for a boy to call – then intercepting said call before one of your parents picked up and found a boy on the other end? For…
The second week of January is Folic Acid Awareness week, and for many women of childbearing age, they may not be getting enough. This particular nutrient is important because it prevents many birth defects, particularly neural tube disorders. The neural tube eventually develops into the baby’s spinal cord and brain,…
Can playing music to your baby or young child make her smarter? That was the claim of the much-hyped “Mozart Effect” several years ago, but the truth isn’t exactly black and white. Certainly, music is a great complement for stimulating babies’ brains and teaching toddlers vocabulary, but the jury’s out…
Going to church, temple or any other service with children can be a real religious experience, especially if your little one has a hard time staying in the spirit of things. No matter how much faith you have in your child, chances are he is going to get bored early…
If your extended family is strewn from coast to coast – or even in different countries — then it might be hard to keep them in the loop about what’s going on in you and your kids’ lives. We all get busy and lose touch with family members once in…
When most parents think of the characteristics they want to instill in their children, empathy is usually at the top of the list. After all, we want our kids to be considerate of other people’s feelings. Caring children eventually become thoughtful, compassionate adults who take other people’s feelings into consideration….