All Search Results
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Is Babywearing Hurting My Child’s Hips?
Babywearing is the practice of carrying a baby close against your body through the use of a sling or similar carrier. When done safely, this practice can be a beneficial choice for both infants and parents. In fact, carrying your baby on your chest or back has been shown to increase the health and happiness of babies, among other positives.
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Going the Distance: Mustering the Self-Discipline Needed for Success
A good routine both on and off the field is vital to the success of any athlete. Kids who play soccer or any other sport know that getting to the top of their game involves working on strength, endurance and agility. Plus, athletes need to focus on nutrition and sleep at home, as well as staying away from drugs, tobacco and alcohol.
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Worried About Your Child’s Weight? Here's How to Prevent Obesity
If you’re a parent or caregiver who’s worried about your child’s weight, you’re not alone. The rate of obesity in children has skyrocketed in the United States over the last two decades and is now referred to as an “epidemic.” Today, more than a third of American children fall into the obese category. Due to multiple factors— including poor diets and a lack of exercise—that number is expected to continue increasing.
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When Should You Start Feeding Your Baby Solid Foods?
Wondering when it’s time to start adding solid foods to your baby’s diet? While the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that you wait to feed your baby anything besides breast milk or formula until the age of 6 months, every baby is different. Once your baby is ready to dig into some mashed sweet potatoes, peas and applesauce, here are a few tips to consider.
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5 Steps for Managing the Risks of Your Child’s Epilepsy
If you have a child with epilepsy, worrying about the risk of seizures can add stress to any day. Whether they’re at school, the playground or accompanying you to the grocery store, you may be searching for signs of an oncoming issue. But there are steps you can take to prevent epilepsy’s most serious risks.
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6 Tips for Staying Safe (and Sane!) While Traveling with Kids
Traveling with children can make any trip memorable. But packing up the little ones and whisking them off to new places also can feel extremely daunting. The right preparation and adjustments, though, can help parents stay calm and in control during travel. Whether you’re taking a short road trip, flying across the country or hopping on board a cruise ship, just remember to have fun and be safe.
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Why you (and your kids) shouldn't use antibacterial soap anymore
No more antibacterial soap. Not at home. Not at school. Not at all for healthy people.
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Tips to make your kid's sport season a safer one
Kids are back in school and back in sports. When I was younger, that always meant balancing the less-than-happy feelings of returning to a sleep schedule with my excitement over returning to organized sports. Sports were always a fun way for me to stay active, learn to work within a team and to build friendships.
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How do you teach a child to be kind, caring and compassionate?
Working as a child life specialist has granted me a front row seat to some of life's most challenging, defining, and intimate moments for the kids I serve. In partnering with children and families, we work to empower and encourage positive coping skills and help them make meaning from the obstacles they have been presented. And through this, I am always left with a chance for meaning-making of my own. Lately, I have been reflecting on the concept of empathy and its importance not only within the lives of those affected by medical challenges, but as a basic skill needed between all people.
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How to Make the Most of Your Family Dinners
I talk to a lot parents who share that their child comes home from school and when they ask how their day was, they hear “fine” as their child walks toward their room and shuts the door. I praise these parents for trying to connect with their child, and then tell them they are doing it all wrong!