Four years later I’m often woken up with dramatic screams from my three-year-old who had a bad dream. I’ll often think about those early married days in the middle of the night, dreaming I could go back, for just a few days. More: Is a Family Bed Right for My Family? Sleep, or lack therof can be a brutal beast, and just when you think you know how to get your kid to sleep, something changes....

But as it turns out, many families love the adventure of camping, even with little ones in ​tow. The fresh air, the smell of the fire and the warmth it provides at night, and endless fun as you explore nature together. Camping with a toddler or baby is not only possible, but it’s also enjoyable too. Here are a few tips for making the most of your family’s first camping experience....

And, it may not be the safest route for her either. Although wanting to help is a natural reaction, try to limit your advice. Your daughter needs to make the decision to break up on her own time. Instead, try encouraging to take back some control in her life. Here are five things you can do to help. Resist the Urge to Step In It is vital that your daughter regain control of her life on her own....

Parents and providers should discuss and agree on the planned potty training process. A consistent approach and common encouragement techniques can minimize confusion of a child during this time, and help to set the environment for a successful transition to becoming a big kid! Be as Consistent as Possible Consistency is important when potty training so find out what potty your daycare uses. Is it a seat that attaches to an adult toilet or is a small separate potty?...

Ideally, though, you won’t do any of these things. Instead, you will respond calmly. Listen to everything your child has to say and then validate his feelings. By doing so, you are giving your child the best chance of moving beyond this terrible ordeal. If your child is being bullied, there are ways to help lessen its lasting impact. Remember, kids often don’t tell adults about bullying because they feel embarrassed, ashamed, or confused....

What is Self-Soothing? Self-soothing is a method of self-regulation where someone teaches themselves not impulsively react to upsetting situations. Especially in younger kids, frustrations, confusion, or even being overstimulated by an exciting situation like a family vacation can often result in crying or screaming. Toddlers’ brains are still emotionally developing. It’s a sign of your toddler maturing when they’re able to deal with small challenges in life without immediately feeling like it’s the end of the road....

If you’ve never cooked with your children before, you may be worried about kitchen safety. Understanding all the ways your child can get involved happily and safely can help to ease your fears. Learning about age-appropriate knife skills, proper handwashing, and food handling, and readiness for oven use can result in a peaceful and enjoyable meal time for all. Baby to Two-Years-Old Certain skills, such as cutting and chopping, are not age-appropriate until much later in life, but children can begin to help in the kitchen and learn about food through their senses as soon as they have graduated to solid foods at around six months of age....

A child who doesn’t know how to manage his anger may exhibit aggressive behavior and frequent angry outbursts. Similarly, a child who doesn’t know what to do when he feels sad may spend hours pouting by himself. When children don’t understand their emotions, they may also avoid anything that feels uncomfortable. For example, a child who is really shy in social situations may avoid joining a new activity because she lacks confidence in her ability to tolerate the discomfort associated with trying new things....

While Halloween poses a ton of fun opportunities, like any new experience, it could feel stressful too. Ahead, learn more about how and when to pick a costume, how to stay safe while out and about on Halloween night, how to manage the inevitable candy mountain that will invade your house, and how to keep your child’s teeth clean and healthy after the sugar-filled holiday. Making or Buying a Costume As far as costumes are concerned, think ahead....

Scissors Small paper plates Wine bottle, candlestick, or other tall, steady object Directions

It helps to establish a special degree of physical intimacy that shows your baby that you love her. If you doubt your own gentleness, massage can help you get accustomed to handling your baby tenderly and lovingly. It stimulates your baby’s circulatory, digestive, and respiratory systems. It can ease your baby’s gas pains, calm her, and quiet her when she seems fussy. Studies have shown that massage even improves the growth and development of babies born prematurely....

The History of World Breastfeeding Week During a meeting in 1990, The World Health Organization (WHO) and The United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) created the Innocenti Declaration. The Innocenti Declaration is a formal statement about the protection, promotion, and support of breastfeeding. This document outlines the benefits and importance of breastfeeding, establishes breastfeeding goals and provides methods for achieving those goals. The main four points of the Innocenti Declaration are:...

In this improvement, we’ll look at some basic electrical techniques, and then add a light near an electrical outlet. The hard part about running cable is getting through walls without destroying them; always try to run cable through an unfinished area, like a basement, attic, or garage. Running cable through finished walls can be frustrating. Wires get stuck. The fish tape you use to pull wires through the wall gets stuck....

Your time only The world of science and engineering brings us all kinds of great and useless things. But what about the truly useless or silly things that haven’t been invented yet? Here are some ideas to get your kid’s creative juices flowing. “Complexity Is Beautiful.” Simple might be elegant, but complex can be fun. Have everyone imagine, and then diagram or verbally explain, the most complicated device they can think of for turning on a light switch....

The medical term for not having periods is amenorrhea, and when this condition goes beyond about three months, further evaluation is usually needed. According to Dr. Shari Nethersole, a Boston Children’s Hospital physician, it’s possible no underlying abnormality is present and that your daughter will start to have menstrual cycles again within another month. However, various hormonal problems can cause menstrual cycles to stop in teenagers. The good news is that most of these problems are quite treatable, but diagnosing and treating them early is best....

The Basics of Softball and Baseball In these sports, two teams of nine players alternate between offense and defense. Offensive players try to score runs by hitting the baseball with a bat, then running around the bases on the diamond while the defensive players try to field the ball. While on offense, players only bat and run the bases. On defense, they play positions including pitcher (who throws the ball to the batter), catcher (who catches missed balls and returns them to the pitcher), infielders (who man the bases and can use the ball to tag the runner out), shortstop (an infielder located between second and third base), and outfielders (who try to catch the ball and throw it to the bases)....

Your child’s first encounters with food will be supplemental, experimental, and part of a learning process for them rather than being necessary to meet their daily caloric and nutrient requirements. Signs of Readiness for Solids From birth, babies are accustomed to getting their food primarily from a breast or bottle via sucking. If anything else manages to make its way into their mouths, infants have a tongue-thrust reflex that kicks in to prevent choking and gagging....

Some say K-Fed has taken this battle too far by releasing videos of Britney Spears arguing with their sons Sean Preston and Jayden when they were younger. It might sound like celebrity tittle-tattle on the surface, but many are saying that by sharing the videos, Federline was engaging in toxic mom-shaming and courting parental alienation. And that has greater repercussions for all of us. What is Mom-Shaming? Mom shaming simply means criticizing a mom for parenting in a way that you don’t agree with....