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Simple stretches should be a regular part of kids’ physical activity routines. Before or after a sports practice or a long bike ride, before bed, or anytime your child’s muscles feel tense or tight, encourage them to try some easy stretches. Note that kids (and adults) should stretch when their muscles are warmed up. So, if your child hasn’t just been exercising, they should do a short warm-up, such as dancing or walking or jogging in place, prior to stretching....

Depression experienced during the perinatal period is common, affecting between 10% and 20% of women in the United States. After childbirth, most mothers experience the “baby blues,” which is a common postpartum mood disorder that includes symptoms of unhappiness, feelings of worry, and exhaustion. The “baby blues” usually last two weeks or less, and the symptoms will resolve independently. However, if they don’t, then you may be experiencing postpartum depression (PPD)....

You love your baby and love caring for them. But let’s be honest: having to get up multiple times in the night to feed them can be, well…completely exhausting. For the first few months of a baby’s life, it’s common for babies to wake more than once per night—sometimes multiple times—to eat. As your baby gets a little older, you might be wondering whether it’s okay to start feeding them a little less overnight, and how to go about paring down those feedings....

Anemia in pregnancy is common and it is most often caused by an iron deficiency. Iron is a mineral that everyone needs. Pregnant women need more iron for a variety of reasons. The biggest reason is that iron helps your body make new blood to carry the oxygen and nutrients to the baby during pregnancy. By the end of pregnancy, you will have a 30% to 50% increase in the amount of blood in your body compared to when pregnancy began....

At any age, crying is a normal response to being overwhelmed by strong feelings, like anger, fear, stress, or even happiness. Some children, however, cry more than others. Those same children may get angry more often, feel frustrated faster, and get overly excited compared to their peers too. The ability to regulate big emotions is largely dependent on age and development. Experiencing things more intensely is also sometimes just part of who someone is....

If your child plays sports, sooner or later you’ll deal with a declaration of “I’m quitting!” But before you say no—fearing your child will be branded a quitter for life—hear him out, and try to understand his motives. Better yet, develop an anti-quitting plan even before your child signs up for a new sport. Discuss up front what kind of commitment your child is making: needing to stick out the whole season, for example, or a certain number of weeks or months if the sport doesn’t have a defined season....

A few days ago, I took a trip to New York City to see the rainbow flags and decor set up in the West Village. As I walked around, I noticed there were pride flags, lesbian flags, non-binary flags, trans flags, and bisexual flags. However, I didn’t see any asexual flags. I first discovered the term “asexuality” in high school. Throughout those formative years, I thought something was wrong with me....

How often do babies who are breastfed normally have bowel movements, and what is the definition of constipation in breastfed babies? How can you manage this common concern? Constipation in Breastfed Babies Babies who are breastfed can often go several days without a bowel movement. Even though their stool is soft, it may seem like they have many days of no stool followed by a “blow-out.” For an older infant or child, going 5 or 6 days without a bowel movement would usually be a problem....

What Does the Term ‘Marianismo’ Mean? History of Marianismo Although a definition of ‘Marianismo’ did not arise until the 1970s, the construct can be dated back to Colonization. When the Spanish arrived in what is now Latin America, they brought along with them their Roman Catholic beliefs, and inside their bibles and in their art, they praised a figure of what they believed to be the definition of a pure woman—The Virgin Mary....

I stood in line at a vaccine mega-site behind dozens of others awaiting their COVID-19 shot. I drove 40 minutes to get there, and honestly, if it were closer to home, I might have tried to run away already. When I suggested leaving, my wife squeezed my hand and told me to relax.I qualified for the vaccine with the first priority group, but I put it off for months, justifying the delay with a variety of excuses that weren’t all valid or reasonable....

Fetal heart rate changes throughout pregnancy. It’s fastest at around 9 weeks gestation then gradually slows after the 13th week of pregnancy. But fetal heart rate by week remains faster than an adult heart rate. Many pregnant people, particularly after hearing their baby’s heartbeat at a prenatal visit, may wonder what fetal heart rate is normal—and what’s not. What you hear might really surprise you. Most people are not prepared for how quickly a baby’s heart beats in pregnancy....

Nose picking is a common behavior from time to time, but it is particularly common and troublesome among young children. Little kids can do some pretty gross things, including picking their noses and sometimes eating what they dig out. In addition to being socially unacceptable, nose picking spreads germs. A 2018 study published in the European Respiratory Journal found that nose picking can spread the bacteria responsible for pneumonia. What’s more, nose picking can cause trauma to nasal passages, resulting in nosebleeds, infections, and hard-to-heal sores....

COVID-19 school closures are predicted to increase the academic divide between students, especially with school closures potentially extending into the 2020-2021 school year. Key Takeaways Most students are predicted to have learned less in the 2019-20 school year compared to previous years. The academic divide between students will likely have been widened during COVID-19 school closures. Tutoring in school is suggested to help close the gap and improve academic outcomes as schools re-open....

As children learn to read and are exposed to unfamiliar words and concepts, a reliable, age-appropriate resource that can provide the meanings of new words is a must. Knowing where to find and how to use an online dictionary or encyclopedia will make accomplishing this goal easier. Online dictionaries help kids learn new words and develop their research skills. They can also help kids gain confidence in their ability to comprehend the world....

Substance and behavioral addictions can have a physical, emotional, social, and financial impact on a person’s life. Fortunately, effective treatments are available—including online options. Online therapy can be a viable option for people who are dealing with addictions. Research has found that people who have online therapy for the treatment of substance use disorders show improvement over those who do not receive any treatment. Techniques Some evidence-based therapeutic approaches are easier to adapt to an online format than others, such as:...

An enzyme is a substance (usually a protein) that creates a chemical reaction in the cells of the body. Enzymes perform important functions that are necessary for survival, including those involved in digestion and metabolism. Each enzyme has only one job, and it’s specific to the type of chemical reaction that it produces. The Enzymes Found in Breast Milk There are many different enzymes found in human breast milk. These enzymes play an important role in the health and development of a newborn child....

The preoperational stage is the second stage in Piaget’s theory of cognitive development. This stage begins around age 2, as children start to talk, and lasts until approximately age 7. During this stage, children begin to engage in symbolic play and learn to manipulate symbols. However, Piaget noted that they do not yet understand concrete logic. Characteristics of the Preoperational Stage The preoperational stage occurs roughly between the ages 2 and 7....

What’s good for the gut might benefit the brain, researchers suggest, noting that imbalances in the gut microbiota could contribute to development of Alzheimer’s disease, the most common cause of dementia. Key Takeaways Imbalances in gut microbes could contribute to amyloid plaques in the brain, and raise risk of Alzheimer’s disease, researchers suggest.Researchers noted that previous studies have shown that those with the condition tend to have altered gut microbiota compared to those without dementia....

Keeping stock of the supplies your family needs has been a major challenge throughout the pandemic. With recommendations changing at a dizzying speed, it’s been hard to keep up with what the safest mask options for adults and kids are. Given the high transmission rate of the Omicron variant, experts now recommend wearing N95 or KN95 masks, which have better filters and a tight seal that makes them more effective. But what about kids, do they need N95 or KN95 masks too?...

While you might think of child development as something that begins during infancy, the prenatal period is also considered an important part of the developmental process. Prenatal development is a time of remarkable change that helps set the stage for future psychological development. The brain develops over the course of the prenatal period, but it will continue to go through more changes during the early years of childhood The process of prenatal development occurs in three main stages....