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Sunday, November 30, 2008

Best Toys of 2008: Babies & Toddlers

The holiday season has arrived! To help in your shopping this year, the staff at Parents.com tested hundreds of toys to find the ones they know your kids will love.

Read this article to check out the baby and toddler toy picks for the hottest gifts. You can just shop, wrap, and relax!

Monday, November 24, 2008

Your Child's Top 10 Nightmares and Dreams Explained

If your child has a bad dream about bugs in her bed, would it surprise you to learn that she may be upset about having a new sibling? You can learn a great deal about your child's thoughts and feelings, and how to best comfort her, by discovering the hidden meanings behind her dreams.

In this article, get interpretations of your child's most common dreams and nightmares from dream expert Gillian Holloway, Ph.D.

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Hollywood's 10 Hottest Tots

These babes may be raised by celebrity royalty, but they earn their own silver spoons. To determine which tykes were tops, Forbes looked at both press clippings and blog presence for more than 50 A-list tots (5-years-old and younger) over the course of a year. Then, with a whittled down list, they reached out to Los Angeles, Calif.-based polling firm E-Poll Market Research for both awareness data for the kids and consumer appeal rankings for their celebrity parents.

View the list!

Monday, November 17, 2008

How to Help Your Kids Understand Time and Plan Ahead

While the passage of time feels subjective to all of us, it's especially baffling to young children. They don't yet have the skill of estimating how long activities will take. And they're only beginning to come into contact with the devices we grown-ups use to track time. (Did I really just spend an hour and 45 minutes on the computer?)

This article presents some ways to help your kids become more patient, handle long waits, and prepare for the next activity.

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

5 Toddler Travel Problems, Solved

You've heard the horror stories. But traveling with your 1-year-old can actually be fun -- if you're prepared. In this article, check out expert answers to five common travel problems and discover how to keep your toddler comfortable and entertained on the go.

Sunday, November 09, 2008

Are your kids ready to stay home alone?

When is it okay to begin leaving your child at home alone? The answer really is different for every child. In general, children under 10 should not be left on their own, and babies and younger children should not be left alone even for a few minutes. Before leaving your kids at home alone, make sure that they are mature enough to be on their own (even if only for a few hours).

This article presents some questions to ask yourself.

Tuesday, November 04, 2008

You're Fired: How to Break Up with Your Sitter

There are times when, despite your best efforts, a babysitter just isn't right for you and your family. But breaking up with a caregiver can be as difficult as leaving a high school sweetheart.

However, avoiding miscommunications from the get-go, and you may never have to fire your sitter at all.

Read the full article.

Sunday, November 02, 2008

7 New Mom Sleep-Saving Tips

It's understandable if the term "walking zombie" describes you during your new mom days. As you recover from pregnancy and childbirth, you're nurturing an infant who wakes up several times a night feeling hungry (or wet or colicky or disoriented) and needs you to be awake too. Luckily, this is temporary. Once your baby can sleep through the night, you can return to a regular sleep schedule. But most infants won't for least seven to eight weeks, often longer.

The good news: You can almost always sneak in sleep. These sleep-saving moves will show you how.

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Health Update: Babies and Kids Need More Vitamin D

Children aren't getting enough vitamin D, according to a new report from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), which says children need double the previously recommended amount. The group is advising that all children -- from newborns to teens -- get 400 international units (IU), the equivalent of drinking four 8-ounce glasses of fortified milk every day.

Is your child getting enough? Find out more by reading this article.

Sunday, October 26, 2008

The Secret to Better Grades

When you see the latest spelling bee champ crowned on TV, or hear about a kid earning a perfect score on the SATs, you probably assume the winner studies all day...or is just a born genius. In fact, there's usually something else at work. These kids, with their parents' help, have unlocked the secrets to being super-motivated students. They like to study, they like to achieve — and they know how to get results.

In this article, they spill their best strategies to help your children love learning and excel in school (and their future careers).

Thursday, October 23, 2008

Baby Nursery Setup Tips

For most parents it can be an enjoyable experience to set up a baby nursery. A baby nursery will provide a safe corner for your baby to romp and play. For this reason, it is important that you put in adequate thought and care into setting up your baby's nursery.

This article presents some things you will require to furnish a baby nursery.

Sunday, October 19, 2008

The Pregnant Woman's Guide to the Gym

This much is certain: The gym is a great place to be pregnant. If one cardio machine or strength exercise isn't comfortable, there's always another one to try.

However, now that you're expecting, navigating the gym can be extra-tricky. This article presents the goods on what's safe (and what's not), plus the best classes, cardio and weight training for pregnant women.

Thursday, October 16, 2008

Green Your Halloween

Halloween is a time to frighten your fellow man, but it is also a time that can be frightening to the environment. Luckily the National Geographic Green Guide has a few quick, easy and efficient tips to curb your waste while maintaining that Halloween spookishness.

Click here for our green tips.

Monday, October 13, 2008

The Best Pregnant Celebs of 2008

Pregnant is the new black. There's never been a more fashionable time to be preggers as some of the biggest celebs in the universe are rocking the baby bump.

Check out the gorgeous pregnancy photos of the best pregnant celebrities and celebrity moms o see what they're having, when they're delivering, and what they're wearing.

Wednesday, October 08, 2008

Babysitter Solutions: No Pizza Allowed!

Ever feel nostalgic for the days when pizza and sundaes were a special treat for kids during a babysitting job? Most of you probably remember babysitting gigs of old, where you could pig out with the kids and not feel guilty because it was a "date night." These days, with the childhood obesity trend, food scares, rising numbers of child allergies and an increase in lifestyle choices, feeding the kids has become just plain complicated.

Use the following tips to exercise control over what your kids eat — without driving your sitter up the wall.

Sunday, October 05, 2008

50 Simple Ways to Make Your Baby Smarter

Infant-development experts believe that the first years of a child's life are a prime time for learning, but sometimes it may be hard to think of new ways to stimulate your baby.

This article provides fun -- and scientific -- activities that will inspire you.

Wednesday, October 01, 2008

Kids can be easy prey for identity thieves

Because identity theft is typically associated with financial matters like the misuse of credit cards, most people don't consider the possibility that their child's personal information could be stolen and misused. But more than 34,000 reports of identity theft reported to the Federal Trade Commission from 2005 to 2007 concerned children younger than 18.

Because children don't have complex financial lives, there is less opportunity to notice that something has gone awry than for adults who try to access loans, mortgages and credit cards - one major factor that plays into child identity theft going undetected for years.

Learn more on protecting your child’s identity.

Monday, September 29, 2008

Our Space

With a little one on the way, it's time for you to start thinking about where all her stuff will go. But instead of designating just one space or room for it all, you can tastefully incorporate baby's furniture, toys and other necessities into your home without making it look like Romper Room.

Here are some ideas that will show you how to blend adult furnishings and traditional nursery pieces for a cohesive family space.

Thursday, September 25, 2008

Safe Sippers

If you've been following the headlines, you've learned by now that many bottles and sippy cups are made from polycarbonate plastic, which contains bisphenol-A (BPA), a synthetic estrogen that studies have linked to an increased risk of obesity, attention-deficit disorder, brain damage, and even cancer. Safe beverage containers are made from glass, steel, or BPA-free plastics like polyethylene or polypropylene (are typically opaque or labeled with a #2, #4, or #5).

Cookie Magazine puts these toxin-free brands to the test to help you find the best.

Monday, September 22, 2008

Pregnancy Nutrition Made Easy

Pregnancy is not the time to omit any of the major food groups, such as carbohydrates, or to put yourself on a weight-loss diet. Instead, focus on developing healthy habits. If your current diet is less than stellar or if you feel overwhelmed by all the food advice directed at mothers-to-be, work with a registered dietitian to get personal, individualized nutrition instruction. There are so many vibrant, energizing, and scrumptious new foods to enjoy during pregnancy, and many women find that they stick with their improved eating habits long after their babies are born.

Read through the information in this Plum Magazine article to determine what nutrients you need and how to get them.