The Hottest Halloween Items of 2022

October is the best time of the year for people who absolutely love Halloween! This year, companies like McDonald’s and Squishmallows are taking part of the fun. Get them before they run out of stock or disappear after a limited amount of time. Bloomberg reported that McDonald’s has announced the return of the trick-or-treating trio. These are three, colorful, Happy Meal Pails that can double as a carrying case for kids who want to go trick-or-treating.  These colorful Halloween buckets first debuted in 1986, and could cause some nostalgia for parents who had one when they were kids. The Happy … Continue reading

Puberty Can Be Emotionally Overwhelming to Adolescents

Parents may have forgotten what it was like to go through puberty. According to Psychology Today writer David Schwartz LMFT, puberty can be emotionally overwhelming to adolescents. Your tween or teen may be experiencing emotional difficulty as their body changes. According to David Schwarts LMFT, adolescents start to experience a whole new world of feelings when they reach puberty. They start to have emotions, recognizing their own sexuality and longing for closeness with others of their own age. This can create an overwhelming sense of change and uncertainty. Many adolescents aren’t sure what is happening to them. Parents can help … Continue reading

AAP: Breastfeeding for 2 Months Lowers Risk of SIDS

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), citing a study, states that breastfeeding for at least two months decreases the risk of SIDS. This information can help lower the rate of infant mortality. SIDS is an acronym for Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. SIDS is an unexpected death of a seemingly healthy infant that is less than a year old which happens while the baby is sleeping. The syndrome is also called “crib death” because the infants often die in their cribs. The AAP pointed out a study that was titled “Duration of Breastfeeding and Risk of SIDS: An Individual Participant Data … Continue reading

Study: Kids Raised by Single Moms do as Well as Kids Raised by Two Parents

A study that was published by the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology found that children of single mothers are no more likely to suffer later in life than kids raised by a mother and a father “in terms of parent-child relationship or child development.” Researchers from the University of Amsterdam looked at 69 “single-mothers-by-choice.” By that, they meant women who knowingly chose to raise their child alone. The researchers also looked at 59 mothers from heterosexual two-parent families. All of the parents in the study had children between the ages of 1.5 years of age and 6 years … Continue reading

AAP Recommends No Juice Before Age 1

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has issued a recommendation about the amount of juice children should consume. In general, the recommendations might be less than what you are currently giving your child. An AAP policy statement issued in 2001 (and reaffirmed in 2006) recommended no juice for children younger than 6 months of age. The same statement recommended 4-6 ounces of juice daily for children ages 1-6, and 8-12 ounces for children 7 or older. Those recommendations have now been revised. Part of the reason for the change is due to considerable concern about increasing obesity rates and risks … Continue reading

FDA Warns of Dangers of Codeine and Tramadol for Children

The Food and Drug Administration has posted a safety announcement that warns parents of the dangers of giving children codeine pain and cough medicines and tramadol pain medicines. This warning includes a recommendation that women who are breastfeeding not use codeine or tramadol. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued this safety warning in April of 2017. It is an update to two previous safety warnings. One was an evaluation of potential risks of codeine cough and cold medicines in children that was issued in 2015. Another was an evaluation of the risk of using tramadol in children aged 17 … Continue reading

Social Media was Not Designed for Tweens

Your tween may be bothering you, night and day, begging to be allowed to have their own social media accounts. Parents need to realize that social media was not designed for tweens. Despite what your tween may tell you, it is unlikely that everyone at their school is on social media. Social Media is for Age 13 and Up Facebook requires everyone to be at least 13 years old before they can create an account. Twitter has advice for parents of teenagers who want to get their own Twitter account. That advice is not directed at tweens. Tumblr requires everyone … Continue reading

The Slime Craze is Causing a Glue Shortage

Has your child taken a sudden interest in slime? It seems to be the newest, hottest, trend among children, tweens, and even some teenagers. The slime craze is so popular that it is causing craft stores to run out of glue. Slime is a homemade substance that can be made in any color. It starts out sticky and becomes a gelatinous substance that can be pulled, stretched and squished. There are plenty of recipes and photos of slime on Pinterest. A pastel rainbow colored version is called “unicorn poop.” Some kids are making slime that corresponds to a holiday (such … Continue reading

Halloween Events for Kids

Your kids might be super excited about celebrating Halloween. While some Halloween events are specifically geared for children, there are others that might be too scary for little ones to attend. Here is a list of some kid-friendly Halloween events that are taking place this year. Disney Store Halloween Dress Rehearsal Event The Disney Store near you might be having a Halloween Dress Rehearsal Event. Children must be at least three years of age in order to participate. Kids are to arrive dressed in their favorite Disney character costume. The event will take place on Friday, October 5, 2016, between … Continue reading

Robot Babies Don’t Prevent Teen Pregnancy

When you were in high school, you might have been assigned to carry around an egg, or a baby doll, as part of your sexual education coursework. It provided just enough awkwardness, and annoyance, to make teens realize that being a parent can be difficult. Today, some teens are assigned to care for a robot baby. Unfortunately, these adorable robot babies don’t prevent teen pregnancy. Robot babies are infant simulators with wireless programing and reporting capabilities. At first glance, you might think it was a real baby. The robot baby will cry when it needs to be fed, burped, rocked, … Continue reading