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Whether you have children or not, there’s no doubt that the COVID-19 pandemic has had a toll on your household. Adults and children alike are experiencing social isolation, high rates of anxiety and depression, and a general uneasiness for the future as surges of new variants continue to ebb and flow. We’re still working to understand the full extent of the impact on children and teachers, though. The pandemic’s beginning saw teachers and children thrust into distance learning at short notice....

Vacation Bible School (VBS) is a ministry outreach churches provide to educate children about God. Each church runs its own Vacation Bible School program but may use a purchased religious curriculum in its teachings. To get more help on finding the right kids’ summer camps, you can read the Summer Camp Guide. What Is VBS? VBS is a nationwide program many churches offer. The purpose is to incorporate themed activities that entertain kids with the chance to learn about God....

It can feel overwhelming if you’re told by your pediatrician that your child is underweight. It’s important to remember that one or two plot points on a growth chart are not necessarily a sign that a child isn’t growing at the rate that is right for them. And genetics should be considered as well. However, keeping an eye on a child’s growth and having ongoing conversations with their pediatrician (and dietitian, if you have access to one) is important to recognize any potential undernutrition or an underlying medical condition....

Even if you don’t feel confident, practicing confident body language can increase your self-esteem and help you feel better about yourself. People with social anxiety disorder (SAD) often have trouble feeling confident in interactions with others. However, anyone can boost their confidence by making sure that their body language conveys a positive message. Practice these gestures and movements to project an air of confidence. Yes, “fake it ’til you make it” can be good advice!...

Babbles, smiles, and rolls, oh my! Your 5-month-old is becoming more active and personable each day. By 5 months, your baby is a certified pro at crying, eating, pooping, and—hopefully—sleeping. They are likely rolling all over the living room and flashing their ever-adorable smile. (Which you likely can’t get enough of!) Most importantly, you are beginning to see more of a pattern in your child’s behavior. “[Your child] should settle into routines and patterns of behavior that are more recognizable,” explains Samuel Werner, DO, who is board-certified in family medicine....

Beyond making the commitment to a daily practice, learning how to sit when meditating is the first step in learning how to meditate. Give the meditation steps and basic skills outlined below a try for one week. Consider it a one-week meditation experiment. Make a commitment to follow these simple steps every day of the week. What You’ll Do Sitting is the best position for beginning meditation. If you lie down, especially in the beginning, you risk losing awareness and falling asleep....

Adaptation is the ability to adjust to new information and experiences. Learning is essentially adapting to our constantly changing environment. Through adaptation, we are able to adopt new behaviors that allow us to cope with change. Twentieth century Swiss psychologist and genetic epistemologist Jean Piaget’s theory of cognitive development outlined four stages of learning. These stages include sensorimotor (0 to 2 years old), preoperational (2 to 7 years old), concrete operational (7 to 12 years old), and formal operational (12 years old and up)—however, the age each stage starts can vary....

There is a difference between addiction, physical dependence, and tolerance to pain medication. It is imperative that each of us understands the difference. Many people with chronic pain conditions, including certain types of arthritis, are prescribed pain medication. Their medical condition dictates the need for such drugs—that’s why it was prescribed as part of their treatment plan. Yet, if you pay attention to the news, people who are legitimately prescribed pain medication are being lumped in with the abusers....

Some personality traits have been linked to different types of addictive behaviors. However, it is important to remember that addiction is a complex brain disorder that is the result of a variety of factors. Genetic factors can play a large part in determining susceptibility to addiction, but other variables including family history, upbringing, environment, socioeconomic status, and drug availability also play a role in a person’s risk of addiction. An addictive personality is a hypothetical set of personality traits that may make a person more susceptible to addiction....

Nicci Levy always knew she wanted to be a mother–but she always also knew that she wanted to start her own business, and those two things were at odds during much of her 30s. “Throughout my career, I’ve always felt a little conflicted about the ticking time clock and my career aspirations,” she says. Thankfully, modern medicine was able to help out in the form of freezing her eggs, freeing her up to have more breathing room to work on her first baby, her brand....

Is it possible to teach your baby before he or she is even born? That’s the goal of the Baby Plus Prenatal Education System, which uses sound patterns to train your baby’s brain to recognize and differentiate various inputs before birth. Baby Plus is supposed to help your baby grow up calm and smart, right from the beginning. Baby Plus reviews from parents are generally positive. The majority of parents believe that the Baby Plus system has helped their child be calm, alert, and happy....

Making your own homemade, pureed baby food is a wonderful idea. The benefits are threefold: Baby gets fresh, lovingly prepared meals, the cost is significantly less than store-bought jars, and you know exactly what’s in your baby’s food. Overview The drawback of making homemade baby food is that it can be a lot of work, including boiling, steaming, baking, peeling, deseeding, chopping, pureeing, mixing, heating, and cleaning of the blender and other kitchen tools....

Eclampsia is a serious condition of pregnancy that can be the endpoint of progressively worsening preeclampsia. However, some patients develop eclampsia without any prior symptoms other than high blood pressure. If left untreated, eclampsia can be life-threatening for both the parent and baby. Learn to recognize the symptoms and causes of this condition. Symptoms Symptoms of preeclampsia often precede those of eclampsia and may include: Protein in the urine Elevated blood pressure (>140 mmHg systolic or >90 mmHg diastolic) Abdominal pain Decreased urine output Signs of “fetal distress,” i....

Panic disorder is a psychiatric condition that causes recurring panic attacks—episodes characterized by a cluster of disturbing physical and psychological symptoms. Typical symptoms during a panic attack a person include shortness of breath, shaking, and chest pain that can cause someone to fear they’re having a heart attack. The mental and emotional symptoms that accompany these bodily sensations can be equally frightening. Many people who have panic attacks describe feeling as if they’re going insane, losing control, even dying....

A person comes to a psychiatrist because they’re having sudden bouts of crying for no apparent reason. The doctor diagnoses depression and prescribes an antidepressant. The crying episodes are reduced, but there is still a problem. Another person sees their doctor because they are experiencing unexplained crying and laughing. They may be diagnosed with bipolar disorder and treated as such. In both cases, the diagnosis may be correct, but the reason for these bursts of uncontrollable crying and, less often, laughing may be due to an illness called pseudobulbar affect (PBA)....

In the first trimester of a normal pregnancy, levels of human chorionic gonadotropin, a pregnancy hormone commonly known as hCG, increase over time. Usually, hCG levels double every two to three days in early pregnancy. hCG is made by placental cells that provide nourishment to the egg after it has been fertilized and attaches to the uterine wall. It is the same hormone that home pregnancy tests can detect in urine about 12 to 14 days after conception....

When overwhelmed, a person is flooded by thoughts, emotions, and physical sensations—often related to a specific problem—that can be difficult for them to manage, says Sabrina Romanoff, PsyD, a clinical psychologist and professor at Yeshiva University. Do you feel like you have so much going on that you’re struggling to cope with it all? Or, are you going through something stressful that’s making it difficult for you to function? These are some of the signs of being overwhelmed....

Since doctors starting advising parents to put babies to sleep on their backs since the 1990s, two important things have happened: Deaths from SIDS have decreased. Putting babies to sleep on their backs significantly reduces the risk of SIDS. The rate of babies with “flat heads” has increased. In medical terms, it’s called positional brachycephaly and while it’s not necessarily dangerous, it does sometimes require treatment. Here’s what you need to know if you suspect your baby has a flat head....

The warmth of a soft, cozy blanket can feel wonderful when we are sleepy, exhausted and ready to relax. But what about when we feel anxious? Could a blanket also offer that same sense of comfort to help us relax when our bodies and minds don’t feel relaxed at all? Anxiety blankets are weighted blankets, also sometimes referred to as gravity blankets, that have been used in many hospitals and therapeutic programs for years....

With high-stakes competitive play continuing to spread to younger children, it’s easy to feel like anything past age 5 is “too late” for a child to start a sport. Whether it’s a good idea or not, kids do play competitively at very young ages and choose just one sport to specialize in earlier than ever. So can your child succeed as a late bloomer? Can he enjoy himself if his teammates have been playing for years and he’s just getting started?...