Parenting is the most important job we’ll ever have. But it’s also the most challenging. Just when you think you’ve got this whole tricky business down, your child turns a developmental corner…and it’s a brand new ballgame.
Often, it comes down to on-the-job learning, regardless of parenting styles. In the meantime, there’s plenty of positive parenting advice out there, and we’ve brought our favorite tips together here, under three broad topics:
Parenting Strategies – Life is busy. Sometimes, downright chaotic. Every parent can benefit from some strategies and shortcuts for keeping the mayhem in check. How do you get the family out the door on time? How do you get through an airplane flight with minimal tears? You’ll find helpful ideas here.
Helping Kids Learn and Grow – We all want our kids to be happy and healthy and to love learning. Here, you’ll find tips for maximizing the developmental aspects of play, kids’ favorite thing. And if you want to focus on a particular developmental area—whether physical skills like balance and coordination, or life skills like taking on responsibility and managing money—check out these parenting articles.
Resolving Childhood Challenges – The early years are marked by remarkable milestones, like crawling, walking, and learning to talk. But at some point, most of us also experience a few little hurdles, like bed wetting and thumb sucking. From how to soothe a teething baby to a less-stress approach to potty training, find straightforward solutions for common kid challenges here.
It’s never too soon to begin teaching your child “dollars and sense.” According to experts, kids who learn how to handle their money early on are less likely to get in financial trouble later. The risk is real, and it’s closer than you think. Eighty-three percent of college students have at least one credit card—and […]
When it comes to kids and physical activity, few skills are more important than balance control. Whether learning to crawl, walk, ride a bike, or play sports, kids can’t get very far until they can keep those little bodies properly balanced.While a lucky few are born with an intuitive sense of balance, most children need […]
The Real Poop on Potty Training From potty training horror stories…to widely-quoted training “rules”…to claims that sound too good to be true, it’s enough to overwhelm any parent. Don’t be daunted by all the chatter and buzz. Let’s take a closer look at some of the common claims. Claim: Parents Should Start Potty Training Kids […]
Is It Really Harder to Potty Train Boys? According to conventional wisdom, it’s harder to potty train boys than girls. That being said, we’ve yet to find any scientific evidence backing this up. However, studies have found that boys achieve training a little later than girls: at an average of 31 months for boys versus […]
The Fine Art of Self Dressing Of all the life skills kids are asked to master early on, self dressing ranks up there in complexity. Self dressing takes time and practice. It requires coordination, sequencing skills, and the ability to handle frustration. Luckily, most kids can’t wait to dress themselves. Here’s how you can help […]
Is Your Baby Teething? At about six months of age, most babies begin teething. By no coincidence, at about the same time, many happy-go-lucky infants transform into grumpy little grouches. Any way you look at it, teething doesn’t feel good. Some babies have a much harder time teething than others. One thing is for certain: […]
Are Your Kids Prepared For The Cold? Few things are more delightful than playing in the snow, but few things are more daunting than bundling kids up for winter weather. Gearing up for cold weather play presents some challenges for parents. How do you keep kids warm and dry, without over-bundling? How do you minimize […]
Dealing with Potty Training Pressure Of the many social burdens placed on parents, one of the greatest (and dumbest!) is the pressure to potty train toddlers “early.” Potty Training Readiness: Getting Real This is just plain silly, because there is no single ideal potty training age. It isn’t something you can accelerate. Until your child […]
Love dining out? Who doesn’t! Sharing a meal out with your baby or tot can be very enjoyable family time—and it’s a great way to start building social savvy. But when your dinner companion is cranky and restless, the experience quickly turns sour. In order to ensure a pleasant occasion—for baby, for you, and for […]
Pros And Cons Of Thumb-Sucking For infants and toddlers, thumbsucking is a natural, beneficial form of self-soothing. Sucking is, after all, one of a newborn’s first reflexes. But as kids mature, the detriments start outweighing the benefits. When does that “thumbs up” become a “thumbs down?” Here’s what experts have to say about why, when, […]
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