Kids today hear lots of stories about their parents and grandparents exploring their neighborhoods, trying to build treehouses in the summer, and spending hours practicing make-believe in the backyard. In other words, kids today hear about unstructured play, but they don’t experience it as commonly as today’s adults did during their childhoods. Although parents have […]
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Infants begin life with a liquid diet of breast milk or infant formula. At around six months (no earlier than four months), babies are usually ready for their parents to begin gradually introducing solid foods. However, parents should be sure that their infant is ready to tackle this developmental milestone and that they understand how
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Why is the sky blue? Why do dogs bark? Why do your feet smell bad? Why do I have to wear my coat? Why can’t we have ice cream? Why do we have to go to the store? Why can’t I have a new toy? Why, why, why! If this string of questions sounds familiar
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For new parents, one of the biggest challenges is learning, working with, and improving their new baby’s sleep patterns. Infant sleep cycles, however, are much different than those of adults, so understanding the infant sleep cycle can help you understand and work to improve how your baby sleeps. What Is a Sleep Cycle? Everyone who
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Parenting toddlers and preschool-aged children can sometimes feel like riding a rollercoaster, with your child oscillating between demanding that they can “do it themself” and clinging to you. Your child has an instinct for developing independence, but they also like to flex their independence muscles while knowing you’re nearby, just in case they need to
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Sweet blinking, cute head turning, grasping, and other movements all make new parents fall even deeper in love with their babies. What many parents don’t realize about their baby’s movements is that they are mostly involuntary. Up until about a year after birth, many of an infant’s movements are actually newborn reflexes. What Are Newborn
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Transitions and changes are a normal part of life, and they’re required for growth, development, and learning. Transitioning into middle school or high school requires students to experience, endure, and adjust to significant changes while finding a sense of belonging in a new place among a new set of peers. During these transitions, students enter
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Brain development begins in the womb and doesn’t stop until about age 25. However, children undergo a critical period of brain development through their infancy and early childhood years. In fact, about 90% of a child’s brain development will be completed by age 5. Throughout this critical period, a child’s experiences and interactions directly shape
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Children and teens can glean a myriad of academic, social, and personal benefits from extracurricular activities. Also called enrichment activities, extracurriculars can include activities such as sports, before-and-after-school programs, educational clubs, student government, private lessons, tutoring, and community service. The Benefits of Extracurricular Activities On the personal and social front, extracurriculars enrich the lives of
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Infant eczema is a skin condition that affects an estimated 25% of infants, according to the American Academy of Dermatology. The term “eczema” actually describes several similar skin conditions. The most common of which include: Atopic dermatitis Contact dermatitis Dyshidrotic eczema Seborrheic dermatitis (cradle cap) These conditions can have slightly different causes and tend to
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