How do you get started? Like any good recipe, it starts with making sure you have the right tools for the job. When it comes down to it, all you really need to make baby food is a banana and a fork. However, if you’re starting with purées, a fork won’t cut it for most puréed fruits and veggies—not to mention meats. That said, you don’t necessarily need fancy kitchen implements to make baby food at home....

You’ll know your baby is ready for solid foods when they can hold up their head, can sit unassisted, and have doubled their birth weight (or are around 13 pounds or more). Showing an interest in food is also key. Most babies are ready to start solid foods between the ages of four and six months. Check with their pediatrician if you’re unsure about your baby’s readiness. As you prepare for the milestone, you are likely wondering what supplies you need to make your baby’s first eating experiences smooth and enjoyable....

Babies change from day to day, and their appetite does too. As your child grows, pay attention to feeding trends and alter the amount of formula you put in bottles accordingly. At the same time, be flexible and alert enough to respond to shifts in your baby’s appetite. Avoid the temptation to overfeed your baby. Don’t insist that she finish everything you have prepared in her bottle. If you feed her too much, she will either hurl or get fat....

How do you go about finding a reliable babysitter? How do you know that the sitter is right for your children? Babysitters come from varied backgrounds and in all shapes and sizes. They can range from sixth-graders to grandparents; both males and females can be wonderful babysitters. But, unless you can rely on relatives or close friends, the options can be bewildering. There are steps you can take, nonetheless, to insure that your children are well cared for when you go out....

Gin Rummy is actually just like “Knock Rummy,” but it is played by only two people. There are other versions of Gin that can be played with more than two, but the basic game is two-handed. Like all versions of Rummy, it is a draw-and-discard game. Luck of the Draw Cards are drawn from the deck to determine who deals first. The person who drew the highest card can choose to deal or not to deal....

The issue: Schools that value parent input and involvement need to solicit and use feedback from parents. Parents who want to do the best job they can to help their children and the school must value and use feedback from the teacher. It’s important that schools listen to parents who hear their kids complaining that work is boring, too hard, or too easy. It’s also important to listen to parents who have a sense that something’s not right with the curriculum (for example, when parents discover that the same content is being taught by both the third- and the fourth-grade science teacher – oops!...

Envelopes made from gift-wrap or wallpaper add a special touch to holiday cards, invitations, and thank-you notes. Materials Scissors Rectangular greeting card Pencil and ruler Glue and paper clips Directions

Level: Moderately easy Time involved: One to two hours Materials: 25-inch piece of pre-gathered, 2-inch-wide lace 25-inch piece of 18-gauge jewelry wire 10- or 12-inch wood dowel Red craft paint Paintbrush Bag of pink, white, and red foam hearts Glue gun Bunch of pink, white, and red satin ribbon roses (the 1/2-inch size) Thin red satin ribbon

Here we take a look at what to expect and how your partner may feel so you can successfully support them and navigate the last month of pregnancy together. What to Expect in the Last Month of Pregnancy The last month of pregnancy can bring a mix of emotions—from relief to anxiety—as well as a range of physical challenges. Understanding how your partner may feel, physically and emotionally, is key to supporting them through this final stage....

You can expect that over time, your child will develop friendships with other homeschoolers and that their friendships with school friends will gradually fade somewhat. This is an inevitable part of the transition just because of the physical separation and the lack of commonality of the school experience (except for those kids who have strong connections outside of school, such as in clubs or other activities). In the short term, you should help your child remain in as close contact with her friends as you can (assuming the friend is someone you want your child to remain in contact with of course)....

Drawing supplies No Left Turn. Right Turn Only. One Way. Left Lane Merges Right. These signs would make perfect sense if you saw them while driving about town in your car. But in your house!? Your kids can have a great time devising directional and other signs that turn your house into a veritable traffic maze. The signs can be made of construction paper, illustrated with markers and paints, and include such exhortations as Do Not Enter or Exit Only....

Once a baby’s vision begins to develop, they love to look at faces, even their own. You’ve probably already introduced your baby to mirrors, but a mirror toy is something they can explore on their own. Here’s a simple play activity that your baby is bound to love. Baby Play With Mirrors Use these tips to help your baby safely play with mirrors: Development of Self-Awareness Believe it or not, your baby won’t realize that he’s looking at his own reflection until somewhere around 9 months of age....

The first season of the HBO docuseries, Nathan Fielder’s The Rehearsal, ended in August, but fans of Fielder’s offbeat humor will be happy to hear that HBO is renewing it for a second season. However, Fielder’s combination of staging scenarios with real people and actors and essentially playing games with them isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. Especially when it involves child actors. The Rehearsal follows Fielder as he re-creates real-life situations for playing out awkward, and often hilarious, as well as oddly poignant scenarios — which raise serious questions on parenting, challenges for older and single parents, interfaith parenting, and ethical debates around child actors....

Egg-freezing, also known as oocyte cryopreservation, is a fertility strategy that is widely accepted and growing increasingly popular among people who would like to pursue childrearing in the future. The process includes extracting, freezing, and storing the eggs. For each of these steps, there are costs. If you’re considering freezing your eggs, it’s important to understand the total cost of each part of the process, so you can be prepared—physically, emotionally, and financially—before undergoing treatment....

How Many Ounces Should a Baby Eat? There is no specific amount of formula that all babies should get each day. However, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) suggests that on average, your baby needs about 2 1/2 ounces of formula a day for every pound of body weight. For example, a 3-month-old baby weighing 13 pounds needs about 32 1/2 ounces a day. However, some young babies of the same age may drink 22 ounces a day, others may need 34 ounces or more....

As part of that recovery, you’ll experience some postpartum bleeding and discharge for a few weeks. For most people, the bleeding is heavy right after childbirth and eventually lightens up before disappearing altogether. Ahead, learn more about postpartum bleeding, why it occurs, how to cope, and when you might want to give your healthcare provider a call. Why Does Postpartum Bleeding Happen? The blood and vaginal discharge that you experience in the postpartum period is known as lochia, and it’s a typical part of the postpartum healing process....