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'Tough Love' Parenting for Baby Boys Can Do More Harm Than Good

Baby boys don’t need to be “toughened up” by letting them cry or intentionally withholding your affection. In fact, doing so can lead to harmful consequences, says a recently published research review.

According to the research review published in Infant Mental Health Journal, baby boys are more vulnerable to stress due to “significant gender differences…between male and female social and emotional functions in the earliest stages of development.”

Is Your Child Ready for a Pet?

Taking care of a pet has been shown to help children develop empathy and compassion for animals, people and themselves. But how can you tell if your child is ready for the responsibility of caring for a pet?

8 Mistakes Parents Make When Raising Bilingual Children

Parenting is a learning journey and although we try our best, we are always going to make mistakes. The important thing, is that we learn from them, and from those of others. From speaking to many parents who are raising bilingual or multilingual children, we have compiled a list of the most common mistakes:

Mom’s Awesome Toy Line Proves Boys Can Play With Dolls, Too

"Why can't a superhero, builder or dino explorer also be a nurturer?"

The Most Astonishingly Unconventional Children’s Books of 2016

Pushing the envelope. Pushing boundaries. Pushing buttons. Here’s to children’s books that expand our assumptions of what a children’s book can be.

Building Assertiveness: How to Help Your Quiet Child Speak Up

A fourth grade girl sits in my office, tears in her eyes. She had a really hard week. She struggles with anxiety and inattention in the classroom, and that makes learning difficult on a good week. That wasn’t what brought her tears, though. She can cope with the mixed emotions that go hand-in-hand with learning problems. What made an average week terrible for this little girl was peer conflict.

Is Your Child Getting Enough Sleep?

You don't really need to answer that. We can save you the trouble of trying to figure it out and just say that the answer is most likely 'no'. Your child is probably not getting enough sleep. At least that is what the experts are saying. In fact, it is said that the average person will spend about 40% of their childhood asleep, but this is still not enough according to some experts.

My Child is Being Bullied—What Should I Do?

How can you tell if your child is being bullied? If my child comes to me and tells me he is being bullied, what is the best thing to do? So, what can I do to stop the bullying?

13 Ways to Help You Stick to Your Healthy Habits

What can you do to have healthy eating habits without sacrificing a ton of time in the kitchen? Here are 13 ways to embrace healthy eating for a family with a tight schedule. Pick a few that could work for your family, and add more over time.

Parenting Advice: Keep Watch of Your Kids Eating Habits And See Them Grow And Develop Better Values in Doing So

The habits of kids will later make their character and will help shape their future. It is therefore important to teach kids to have good habits at their early age. One of areas where they should have develop is to have the discipline in having the right habits with the food they eat.

The Spanking Gap: Why Are Most Parents in Favor Despite the Research?

When it comes to mommy wars, I tend to be pretty neutral. I feel confident in the choices I make in the raising of my daughter, while also understanding that all kids, homes and parents are different.

Don’t Tell Anxious Kids that Everything Will Be O.K.

It doesn't help. Here's what to say instead.

Today’s kids are more worried than any kids in recent history. According to some long-term surveys of mental health literature, the average kid today is more anxious than people who were hospitalized for anxiety in the 1950s.

Saying Goodbye To My Boy

His growing up, moving on, and leaving childhood behind as he reaches for all his full potential. It's wonderful and magical and bitter sweet

MONSTER SLIME SENSORY WRITING TRAY

Make a monster slime sensory writing tray for such a fun way to learn to write the alphabet, practise phonics, name writing and sight words! The googly eyes are so much extra fun and this theme could be paired with many fantastic monster story books too.

7 House Cleaning Hacks You’ll Actually Want To Try

20 Guaranteed Ways to Mess Up Your Children

Parenting is nerve-wracking. You love your children and want them to grow up to be happy, successful adults, but some days you’re not sure how to make that happen.
Sometimes you fear that something you’re doing or saying will mess them up permanently. But here’s the good news: Part of great parenting is avoiding mistakes. Even better news is that you don’t have to discover these mistakes for yourself.
- See more at: https://www.familiesforlife.sg/discover-an-article/Pages/20-Guaranteed-Ways-to-Mess-Up-Your-Children.aspx#sthash.7UKv8IoI.dpuf

How To Gently Transition Your Baby or Toddler From Co-Sleeping

You can use these 4 steps to gently wean your baby or toddler away from co-sleeping, and towards sleeping in his or her own bed (and hopefully sleeping through the night!)...

10 Tips On How To Raise A Free-Spirited Child

Raising a strong-willed child can be a challenge when he or she is young. They might seem overly difficult, stubborn and opinionated. But strong-willed children are also spirited, fun and courageous. They simply want to learn things for themselves instead of accepting what others tell them. They may have a habit of testing boundaries and limits, but it’s because they are strong, passionate and they live life to the fullest. So how can a parent raise a strong-willed child without discouraging the child’s high energy, persistence and spunk? Here are ten tips for parenting a strong-willed, free-spirited child:

How our toddlers showed us that they’d reached key milestones.

One of the most fascinating things of parenting is watching your children learn and develop. From the moment they are placed in your arms their little minds are absorbing knowledge and information from the world around them. They’re always watching, always listening (even when you wish they weren’t!) and all the time, their minds are expanding. There’s no ‘off’ switch when it comes to toddler’s learning. From the minute they wake in the (very) early morning their brains are little sponges; soaking up whatever their environment has to offer.

Yes, there are apps that are good for preschoolers

While each app might not be a big investment, no one wants to waste money or spend kids' limited screen time on low-quality content. To make good choices about the apps you download for your preschooler, use these criteria before you buy, and check out our list of preschool apps worth the money for more recommendations.

9 Things babies touch every day that are dirtier than a public toilet

It starts from carpet: 200,000 bacteria...PER SQUARE INCH.

What Does the “Bee” in “Spelling Bee” Mean Exactly?

As spellers from across the country and around the globe gather to take part in the annual Scripps National Spelling Bee, let’s try to settle a basic question: Where does the bee in “spelling bee” come from?

FARM ANIMALS LETTER SOUNDS MATCHING

This FREE Farm Animals activity includes 8 farm animals that children have to match to their beginning letter sounds. Includes both uppercase and lowercase letters so you can choose which one is right for your child.

Ways to Get Your Children to Stay in Their Own Beds All Night Long

Musical beds is a common nocturnal pastime in our household. The night starts out right with both children asleep in their own beds, but by the morning, usually at least one of them is in my bed and I am usually either on the lounge or in one of their beds.

Is there any way to get those darned children to stay asleep… in their own rooms… in their own beds.. for the entire night?

Never Wonder If That Watermelon Is Ripe Again. Just Use These 3 Tricks!

Watermelon season is back in full swing! When you go to the store to get your family their favorite summertime fruit, don’t struggle to figure out which melons are ripe. It can be difficult to tell with watermelon’s hard exterior, but there are tricks that instantly let you know if the watermelon is ready to eat. Watch the video below and learn these three tricks for yourself!

10 Sensory Tubs For 3 Year Olds

Sensory tubs gives children opportunities for learning so many things, not just making a mess. The one that I see most often with the 3-year-olds I work with and thinking back to my own children is storytelling.

8 Essential Skills You Never Learn In School -- Thus Should Teach Your Child

Here are eight vital life skills that children aren’t taught in school:

1. Independence: Teaching children, a little at a time, to be independent, can show them that they can make decisions on their own. Letting them make their own mistakes can teach them valuable lessons they’ll carry with them.

2. Compassion: Compassion is needed to work well with others, to care for other people and to find happiness through making other people happy.

3. Individuality: They need to be taught that we come in all sizes, shapes and colors, and it is perfectly OK to be unique.

4. Welcoming Change: Teaching children that change isn’t something to be afraid of – just something to prepare for – can help them in so many aspects throughout their life.

5. Happiness: Many parents coddle their children in an attempt to keep them happy and safe, but it can make children rely on their parents for their happiness. Teaching a child from an early age that they can be happy on their own, by things like playing, reading and imagining, is a valuable life lesson.

6. Finding Passion: Many people struggle with finding their passion. Helping a child find what he or she is passionate about by allowing them to try a bunch of different things can help them find a source of lifelong internal happiness and motivation. Encourage the adventure, but let children decide on their own, where they find passion.

7. Asking questions: Teaching children that asking questions is a good thing, can encourage their curiosity and help them continue to seek knowledge in different aspects of life.

8. Solving problems: Constantly solving a child’s problems for them won’t help them as they grow. They need to know that they can solve problems on their own. New skills, a new environment, a new job – they’re all just problems to be solved. Modeling problem solving and allowing children to come up with their solution ideas can help them develop confidence and let them know that whatever comes their way, they are capable of handling it.

Should We All Be Raising Gender-Neutral Kids?

After the birth of my daughter, FaceTime conversations with my mother or my mother-in-law usually consist of a lot of cooing. “How’s my little princess doing today?” one of them will ask my five-month-old. “She looks like such a beautiful doll today,” the other will say. After ending a recent call, my husband came up to me and asked if we could please tell the grandmothers to stop referring to our daughter as a princess or a doll. “All dolls and princesses have to do is sit and look pretty,” he said. “Is that the kind of message you want her to grow up with?”

Yes, 8-year-olds can do their own laundry: Which chores at what ages?

Her TEDx Talk on the same subject, "The Expectation Gap," discussed how some parents believe their kids are too busy with school and extracurricular obligations for additional chores. Gilboa's assertions reflect the results of a recent national phone survey of 1,001 Americans conducted by Braun Research on behalf of Whirlpool in which 82 percent of respondents said they regularly did chores as children, but only 28 percent give their own children chores now.

Here’s How You Can Use Watermelon As Medicine!

Anyone who’s ever bitten into a slice of watermelon knows it induces a state of relaxation like few other fruits. But did you know that the fruit can also be used as medicine? Humans began doing just that thousands of years ago. Renowned physicians like Hippocrates and Dioscorides actually praised the bright red melon for its healing properties.

10 Things You Need To Make Peace With When You Have A Toddler

The first rule of having a toddler is that they are your boss. You cannot control a toddler, a toddler controls you. The sooner you realise that, the better. A toddler does not care whether you like to have a tidy kitchen, or snot-free clothes. - See more at: http://www.bellybelly.com.au/toddler/10-things-make-peace-with-a-toddler/

How to Keep Your Family Safe from Toxic Chemicals

As the environmental exposures and chemical burden on our bodies has risen, so have rates of diseases, particularly those that impact kids, including asthma, childhood cancers, autism, and ADHD. The questions arise: What are the toxins? Where can we find them? How dangerous are they? Most importantly, how can we reduce, if not remove, them?

Helicopter Parenting Linked To Anxiety And Depression In Children

Raise your hand if you end up doing the majority of your kid’s language arts homework? Or is it just me who spent an entire weekend making a booklet on penguins and writing an essay on Mandela? It isn’t so much that I want to control everything, but I have a fear that if my son hasn’t properly researched a speech or presentation he has to make, he’ll get up in front of his class and make a huge fool of himself. My husband frequently reminds me, “It isn’t your homework, it’s his.” He refuses to get involved, but I just can’t help myself.....

ActiveSG: Passing skills to kids

Over 350 kids receive basketball pointers in first Jr NBA S'pore open clinic; 1,400 more to benefit

Five Fun Science Experiments You Can Do at Home With Your Kids

These 5 experiments are the perfect at home science experiments to try with your kids!

Taking the chore out of housework during the holidays

Since I aim to do most of the housework while he is in school, it is little surprise he does not see much of the work involved in running a household.

When we decided to do without live-in help four years ago after our maid left, the plan was for the kids to be more independent.

After all, getting kids involved in daily chores during school break leads to fulfilling time for all.

5 of the most popular parenting styles -- and how they could affect your children

One of the major criticisms of these typologies is how culturally determined they are. So what does research say about the pros and cons of each of these parenting styles?

24 Adorably Mismatched Fashion Trends Invented by Little Girls

Kids put together the strangest outfits. You’d think this is because kids can’t be bothered with style (so many more important things to do!), but that’s not the case. Kids care very much about what they wear.

The exhausting truth about parenting a toddler while pregnant

Parenting a toddler while I was pregnant was not as simple as I thought it would be.

I imagined in that last trimester as my stomach housed a whole human, that I'd be able to sit on the couch and rest while instructing my two-year-old how to engineer towers with blocks.

Laugh on.

Ear Infections and Antibiotics: What Parents Should Know?

Ask any parent about ear infections, and you will most likely hear one horror story after another. Ear infection, or Otitis Media, is the most common reason for visits to the paediatrician’s office. It is estimated that over 30 million visits are made every year in an attempt to deal with this problem.

15 Kids Crafts For A Spooktacular Halloween

It's October! The air is crisp, the trees are starting to turn, and there's candy everywhere! Yay!

3 Reasons Why You Should Not Be Afraid to Be Strict With Your Child

We all know how difficult it is to be consistent with parenting. The area of discipline is even fraught with a lot of hand-wringing, usually out of guilt on our part. We've lost count at how often we've given the kids a pass from an infraction that would have meant automatic suspension of iPad privileges if it happened on a day when we're not distracted (read: bone tired).

Peaceful Parenting: Make A Kindness Jar

A great way to get kids to make good choices on their is to Make a Kindness Jar! With 9 & 10 year old siblings, a fair amount of bickering and unkindness occurs in our household. Having tried (and failed) a variety of different ideas, we came across an idea last year that helped them keep kindness top of mind. Inspired by this Good Deed Jar, we took the idea of a Kindness Jar and made it our own.

15 amazing tips that will make cooking much easier

All experienced cooks do absolutely great in the kitchen with the help of some simple tricks. These tricks will make you a real home chef while making food storage and cleaning much easier.

Guide to Toddler Portion Sizes

It’s so exciting when your chubby little baby begins to walk, or ‘toddle’ their way into a toddler. But with that comes the challenges of feeding and introducing all sorts of wonderful foods to this little person. A lot of times, it seems they are barely eating enough to sustain a bird, let alone a body who is constantly on the move! How do you know how much to feed them?

A Photographer Captures The Beauty And Sweetness Of Kids With Down Syndrome

She knows that each family and each child are beautiful and special in their own way — but sometimes, people can’t see how special a child really is if that child happens to be born with a disability,

I’m a Doctor. If I Drop Food on the Kitchen Floor, I Still Eat It.

You may have read or heard about the study debunking the five-second rule. It said that no matter how fast you pick up food that falls on the floor, you will pick up bacteria with it.

Deliciously Easy Roasted Cauliflower Recipe Your Family Will Love

This is the most delicious cauliflower recipe you’ll eat and on top of that it’s such an easy addition to include a roasted cauliflower in your family’s dinner plan or for a dinner party with friends.