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…
Whether you travel away from home, or you’re the one who hosts family and friends for the yearly Thanksgiving meal, think about keeping your kids safe and occupied during the holiday. The stove may be putting out delicious smells and tastes, but be sure you’ve got an eye on it…
The title of “working mom” could be applied to any mother — as we all know, raising children is a full-time job in itself. For those who also work outside the home, the tug of war between mommyhood and a 9-to-5 job can be downright exhausting. If you want to…
Choosing a pediatrician is one of the first — and most important — rituals you’ll experience as a parent. When it comes to picking your child’s doctor, you want someone you can trust, which is why due diligence is integral. After all, you’re putting your child’s life in this person’s…
When you walk in the door, you see a stack of papers floating around your desk, and when you go home, just as at the office, you can’t find those important papers you need so desperately to stay out of trouble or make an excuse. When you come home at…
Before cliques, dating, break-ups and office politics, comes that first and developmentally vital tradition in a human being’s life: play dates. Play dates are a child’s first foray into the world of friends and social rules. Kids can learn a great deal about social interaction during play dates, which is…
It is important that we discipline in a way that teaches responsibility by motivating our children internally, to build their self-esteem and make them feel loved. If our children are disciplined in this respect, they will not have a need to turn to gangs, drugs, or sex to feel powerful…
As much as you want Christmas morning to be just right, it rarely goes off without a hitch. There’s always something you’ve forgotten or want to forget. More often than not, the kids are usually dragging you out of bed before daylight. With your eyes barely open, it’s hard to…
Admit it – there’s nothing fun about rainy days, especially when there are kids in the picture. Within a few hours, it feels like everybody has come down with a serious case of cabin fever. There are ways to be prepared for the worst-case scenario. Arm yourself with these techniques…
As a dietitian and a mom of three young children, I naturally have a bowl of fruit on the kitchen table. You may think that this has always been the case. The truth is that it wasn’t. The practice of having fresh fruit sitting out didn’t occur to me until…