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Back-to-school time is a great time to make family lifestyle changes that include more sleep for everyone. You’re correct to worry that lack of sleep may affect your child’s ability to learn and grow. Millions of kids and their parents don’t get enough sleep, with negative effects on memory, learning, physical growth, and psychological functioning. To determine an appropriate bedtime, look at your morning schedule and subtract 10 hours from your child’s wake-up time....

Your baby has completed their first month of life, and so much has changed. Although your baby is still really little, they are starting to feel less like a newborn, and more like a full-fledged baby. Your baby’s growth is really taking off by now, and you are probably finding that your baby has outgrown their newborn clothes and newborn diapers. You are probably also noticing that they are much more alert, aware of their surroundings, and engaged with you....

Child development theories focus on explaining how children change and grow over the course of childhood. Such theories center on various aspects of development including social, emotional, and cognitive growth. The study of human development is a rich and varied subject. We all have personal experience with development, but it is sometimes difficult to understand how and why people grow, learn, and act as they do. Why do children behave in certain ways?...

You are two months pregnant! At 8 weeks pregnant, your baby’s arms and legs are growing as their facial features are beginning to take shape. And, while the world can’t yet see your growing baby bump, you may be noticing that your clothes are starting to feel a tad tight in the waist. Your Baby’s Development at 8 Weeks At 8 weeks, a baby is typically between 1/2 and 3/4 inch long (1....

The day has finally arrived! Your twins are here and you’re ready to welcome them into your home and family. During the long months of pregnancy, it may have felt like this moment would never come. A twin or multiple pregnancies can be fraught with anxiety and worries about everything from financial strain to medical complications to telling your twins apart. Your pregnancy may have been cut short by preterm labor....

Coping with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in family members can be difficult because the effect of PTSD on the family can be great. Studies have shown that families in which a parent has PTSD are characterized by more anxiety, unhappiness, marital problems and behavioral problems among children in the family as compared to families where a parent does not have PTSD. This finding is not entirely surprising. PTSD symptoms can cause a person to act in ways that may be hard for family members to understand....

If you’re a new parent who’s experiencing anxiety and feelings of depression, know that you’re not alone. Giving birth at any time is a major life event; adding a pandemic to the mix is a huge deal, and it can exacerbate those “baby blues” feelings that are so common right after having a baby. These are scary times, and there isn’t much reassuring news to turn to. But, that doesn’t mean you have to suffer alone, isolated from your support network....

In general, breastfeeding is considered to be the best way to feed your baby during their first year of life. However, if you need to take medications or have an addiction to substances like recreational drugs or alcohol, you could harm your body. It’s important to be upfront with your doctor with what medications or substances you use. Your physician can help you decide what to do. Drug Excretion in Breast Milk and Your Baby’s Exposure How much of the drug is excreted in your breast milk depends on the characteristics of the drug and how it enters your breast milk from your blood plasma....

Dyscalculia is a broad term for severe difficulties in math. It includes all types of math problems ranging from inability to understand the meaning of numbers to inability to apply math principles to solve problems. Causes of Math Disabilities As with other types of learning disabilities, dyscalculia is believed to involve the language and visual processing centers of the brain. Dyscalculia is one type of learning disability that is served by special education programs....

Girl Scouts have all sorts of fun and interesting traditions. One of those is SWAPS, which stands for “Special Whatchamacallits Affectionately Pinned Somewhere” or simply “Shared With A Pal.” SWAPs are small tokens of friendship that girls exchange with other Girl Scouts they meet. They come in handy when you meet a lot of different troops during events like World Thinking Day, summer camps, and when you travel with your girls....

Parents have known for some time that it may not be safe to eat fish. Fish and High Levels of Mercury In contrast to the health effects for most other people, because of high levels of methylmercury, certain types of fish can be a dangerous, high-risk food for young children, women who may become pregnant, pregnant women, and nursing mothers. An advisory from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has helped to make fish a safe part of your child’s diet....

What Is Gaslighting? Gaslighting refers to acts of manipulation that are meant to make victims doubt their reality for the benefit of their perpetrators. While anyone can experience the debilitating mental effects of gaslighting, marginalized folx can experience it in a way that adds additional disproportionate harm. In fact, gaslighting can act as a tool of oppression against folx marginalized by various aspects of their identity such as race, gender, disability, etc....

Just as schools prepare to open this fall, the Delta variant is fueling another surge in Covid-19 cases, leaving parents in a very familiar predicament—wondering how to send their kids to school and still keep them safe. Key Takeaways The CDC is encouraging schools to reopen this fall, which has some parents wondering how to address socialization in a safe way.The Delta variant has led to a surge in COVID-19 cases nationwide causing major health organizations to recommend social distancing, masks, and safe socialization practices....

Sometimes stressful situations can seem to stick with us. Most of us find ourselves ruminating or holding onto negative feelings we have about stressors or conflicts in our lives at one time or another. Unfortunately, this tendency can prolong the stress that we experience and even magnify it. As the tension and frustration build, it can harden into anger—which can make it all the harder to shake. Here are some proven strategies to stop ruminating and finally let go of your anger....

Kids who become invested in self-improvement at a young age will likely experience many advantages in life. But it can be a little tricky to figure out exactly how to go about teaching kids about self-improvement. Fortunately, these strategies can help you raise confident children who are invested in becoming the best version of themselves. Balance Self-Acceptance with Self-Improvement It’s important to teach your children that they can love themselves the way they are while also striving to become better....

When it’s time to start toilet training your toddler, trading diapers for disposable toilet training pants is usually one of the first steps. Made of the same absorbent material as diapers, trainers are relatively easy for children to pull up and down in order to use the bathroom while potty training. These pants offer toddlers the benefits of feeling like a “big boy” or “big girl” while saving parents the hassle of cleaning up accidents that may happen if a child wears underwear....

When grown-ups see kids playing, they see games of hide and seek, freeze tag, or games of make-believe. What they don’t see is that kids are building confidence and self-esteem, nurturing curiosity, and developing coordination and stamina. Key Takeaways Children receive physical, mental, and social benefits from playing with other kids.3-year-old children who are good at peer play have less mental health issues when they get older.By the age of 3, kids are learning relational skills that are important for good mental health....

By now you’ve probably heard of probiotics, the “good” bacteria that are available in supplement form and found naturally in certain fermented foods such as yogurt, kefir, and sauerkraut. A few of the probiotic strains that you might see listed on product labels include Lactobacillus acidophilus, Bifidobacterium, and Saccharomyces. Before we can understand the role of probiotics in the body and decide whether we should give probiotic supplements to our kids, we need to take a step back and look at how the gastrointestinal (GI) system works and the ways gut health is affected by bacteria....

What Are Psychedelic Drugs? Also known as hallucinogenic drugs or simply hallucinogens, psychedelics are often used recreationally. They come in different forms, ranging from chemicals such as LSD to plants like peyote. Psychedelics Psychedelic drugs are a group of substances that change or enhance sensory perceptions, thought processes, and energy levels. These drugs are sometimes used to facilitate spiritual experiences. How Are Psychedelic Drugs Used? Psychedelics are often smoked (and inhaled), eaten, or brewed into tea....

From worrying about money to deadlines at work, everyday stress can affect your sex drive. And low libido can exacerbate stress by causing relationship issues or lowered self-confidence. So, improving the way you manage stress is important, because it may improve your sex life as well. How Stress Impacts Sex Drive When you encounter stress, your body goes through a series of changes in order to prepare you to run away or stay and fight....