Are You A Snowplow Parent?

There are many different kinds of parenting styles to choose from. Some of them are very beneficial both to the children and the parents. Others are disadvantageous to not only the children, but also to their parents. Among the worst is the “snowplow parent”. Actual snow is not required for a parent to choose this parenting style. Emma Waverman, writing for Today’s Parent defined a snowplow parent as “a person who constantly forces obstacles out of their kids’ paths. They have their eye on the future success of their child, and anyone or anything that stands in their way has … Continue reading

Boppy Newborn Loungers Have Been Recalled

Boppy is a well known brand that sells a variety of products, including baby carriers, nursing pillows, and Boppy Loungers. Boppy announced that a safety recall alert has been placed on their Newborn Loungers. This is important for parents of newborns to know about. Here is the information Boppy provided: In cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, The Boppy Company is conducting a voluntary recall of its Newborn Lounger to address a risk of infant suffocation. Infants can suffocate if they roll, move, or are placed on the lounger in a position that obstructs breathing, or roll off … Continue reading

Puberty Can Be Emotionally Overwhelming to Adolescents

Parents may have forgotten what it was like to go through puberty. According to Psychology Today writer David Schwartz LMFT, puberty can be emotionally overwhelming to adolescents. Your tween or teen may be experiencing emotional difficulty as their body changes. According to David Schwarts LMFT, adolescents start to experience a whole new world of feelings when they reach puberty. They start to have emotions, recognizing their own sexuality and longing for closeness with others of their own age. This can create an overwhelming sense of change and uncertainty. Many adolescents aren’t sure what is happening to them. Parents can help … Continue reading

YouTube is Not for Kids Under 13

Parents need to be aware that YouTube is not intended for children who are under the age of 13. YouTube has been making efforts to protect minors and families, and recommends that kids who are 12 and under use YouTube Kids instead of the main YouTube. According to YouTube, it never was intended to be used by children who are under the age of 13. That is why they created YouTube Kids in 2015. It is a safe place for kids to be able to explore their interests and for parents to have more control over what their kids can watch. … Continue reading

YouTube Introduces YouTube Kids App Profiles

YouTube started rolling out Kid Profiles on November 2, 2017. The purpose is to have a kid-safe YouTube Kids account that your child can use to access kid-friendly content. It also means that parents won’t have to share their YouTube account with their children anymore. YouTube explains the decision to create Kid Profiles this way: “After talking to parents all over, we know that kids who love the YouTube Kids app are getting older and want a platform that’ll grow with them. Whether kids are watching Monster High, DC Kids, LEGO, learning their ABCs, or picking up the latest tricks … Continue reading

Report: Instagram is the Worst App for Young People’s Mental Health

A report titled #StatusOfMind was done by the Royal Society for Public Health (RSPH). They surveyed 1,500 young people about social media. Of the five social media platforms that were included in the survey, Instagram was found to have the worst effect on young people’s mental health. The #StatusOfMind report examined both the positive, and the negative, effects that social media has on young people’s health. The report included Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Snapchat. The report asked 1,500 young people, who were between the ages of 14 and 24 to rank what extent different social media platforms impacted certain … Continue reading

FDA Warns of Dangers of Codeine and Tramadol for Children

The Food and Drug Administration has posted a safety announcement that warns parents of the dangers of giving children codeine pain and cough medicines and tramadol pain medicines. This warning includes a recommendation that women who are breastfeeding not use codeine or tramadol. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued this safety warning in April of 2017. It is an update to two previous safety warnings. One was an evaluation of potential risks of codeine cough and cold medicines in children that was issued in 2015. Another was an evaluation of the risk of using tramadol in children aged 17 … Continue reading

Teach Your Kids How to Spot Fake News

Parents should give their children the tools they need to safely navigate their way through the plethora of information that can be found online. Teach them how to spot fake news. Fake news is an article, website, or social media post that was created with intentionally false information. It is usually designed to evoke a strong emotional response – which urges people to share the fake news on social media. Example: Someone made a Twitter account that used what looked a lot like the icon for the BBC. The fake account used a photo of the Queen of England and … Continue reading

Everything You Need to Know About Norovirus

Flu season typically reaches its peak between late January and March. There is a lot of focus on Influenza which can be prevented by getting vaccinated every year. The “flu” vaccine cannot prevent Norovirus. Here is a quick look at everything a parent needs to know about Norovirus. There is no vaccine for Norovirus. Unfortunately, there is no vaccine to prevent Norovirus. Part of the difficulty involved in making a vaccine is that Norovirus can mutate and that it is a virus that lives in the gut. Some companies are working on a Norovirus vaccine, but it isn’t ready yet. … Continue reading

How to Childproof Your Toddler’s Room

Toddlers are really good at getting into things that parents wish they would leave alone. A viral video that showed a dresser falling over onto twin toddler boys made many parents want to learn how to childproof their toddler’s room. You may have seen the viral video that showed two twin toddlers climbing up their dresser when they were supposed to be sleeping. The two-year-old boys, Bowdy and Brock, figured out how to open up the bottom drawers of the dresser and use them like a step so they could climb up to the top of the dresser. Unfortunately, the … Continue reading