Moms and kids

Babies spend at least their first two years in diapers, and at least a few days or weeks of those years suffering from diaper rash – red, irritated, broken-down skin. But there are things you can do to help your baby avoid diaper rash and to heal it when it does occur. Common Causes of Diaper Rash Rash in the diaper area is commonly caused by …

Any parent with a colicky baby knows how frustrating and exhausting this condition can be. Despite a parent’s best efforts, the baby may cry for hours, well into the night. Here are some simple steps you can take to help relieve your baby’s discomfort and find some peace for yourself. If gas pain seems to be the problem, place your baby stomach-down on your lap …

In some instances, when the baby’s colic is related to gas pains caused by the nursing mother’s diet or the formula, colic may be prevented. Try the following preventive measures: If you are nursing, make note of whether your baby is colicky after you eat certain foods, so that you can avoid them. Foods that frequently cause the problem include cabbage, onions, garlic, broccoli and …

Here are some simple steps you can take to protect your baby’s new teeth and ensure healthful habits later on: When the first teeth appear, make tooth brushing a part of your child’s daily routine. Use either a child’s toothbrush with small, soft bristles or a gauze pad. Gently rub the teeth bottom to top, front and back. Never put your baby to bed with …

Tolerance and perception of pain during childbirth vary enormously. The prospect of pain frightens some women, who request pain medication early in labor. Others want a completely “natural” birth, with all the intensity of sensation and the fewest interventions possible. The topic of epidural anesthesia and pain relief is controversial, even though epidurals are widely used in this country. First-time expectant mothers may feel confused by …

My husband and I have decided to start trying for a child in the spring of 2012, 18 months from now, but I’ve found that I’m already starting to make changes in many areas of my life. Some of these changes weren’t necessarily borne out of our plans for parenthood; but in the odd way the world works, they support the direction we’re heading. Planning …

There is something uncanny about traveling in a car with young children. No matter the size of the car, kids often “get into it” with each other. They tease, torment, bicker, bug or fight. The topics vary among who gets to enter which door, who gets to sit in which position, how close they are sitting together, if someone is bumping the back of the …

Parent circles can be formed in different configurations depending on the size of the local student population or common issues. Sometimes it makes sense to have parents of several grades meet together (for example, kindergarten through third grade, or fourth and fifth grades), while other times it may make sense for parents of a particular grade to meet alone. Choosing a meeting time that is …

Ask any mother who has raised children who were both breast and bottle-fed, and I’ll bet that parent would be hard pressed to say that her breast-fed child is smarter than the other. Yet a new study says that’s precisely the case – breast- fed babies are smarter than their bottle-fed counterparts. (This caused great conversation in our house since my eldest child is bottle-fed …

My 14-year-old son has been treated for an ingrown toenail about six times in the past year. We have an appointment today to possibly have it permanently removed. Does the toenail on the big toe serve a specific purpose? Will he suffer any consequences by having it removed? The toenail’s primary purpose is to protect the surface of the toe. A toenail that has been …

I’m nine years old, and I can never sleep! A couple of nights ago, I didn’t fall asleep until 5:00 a.m.! I don’t know whether to go to a doctor or not. You must be pretty sleepy during the day! Sleeplessness can have a variety of causes, including taking certain medications or drinking caffeine-containing beverages, anxiety, depression, and some medical conditions in which nighttime symptoms …

Head lice treatments Why does head lice appear to be on the rise these days? My daughters have always been instructed to take precautions and not share brushes, but have contracted head lice three times in the past year! Head lice infestation in child care and school-age children is common in the U.S. and elsewhere. Indeed, if you talk with any parent of a child …