Parents pay an average of $233,610 to raise a child to the age of 18, according to analysis by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Not only does this amount include the cost of housing and education, but it also takes food costs, healthcare costs and other necessities into account. This figure works out to a little under $13,000 annually if you break it down over 18 years, which actually doesn't sound so bad. But remember, this fi...
Parenting is not easy – but it can be fun! Amidst the sleepless nights, the tears and tantrums, and so many other demands, we can still infuse humor, joy, and playfulness. In fact, play and silliness can make those challenging moments lighter! Imagine getting out of the door in the morning. Just as you realize you forgot something, your preschooler doesn't want to put on her shoes, and your baby spits up. A typical reaction would be to start feel...
Have you ever wondered about the best ways to encourage infants or children to eat healthy, nutritious food? Dietician and family therapist Ellyn Satter offers some advice. You may be surprised by some of what you find! N ever force a child to eat . Instead, follow the Division of Responsibility system created by Ellen Satter. In this system, parents determine what children, infants, and almost toddlers eat, and the child determines whether to ea...
While doing an outreach event recently I had a wonderful conversation with a mom about sibling relationships. She told me about her hopes and dreams for her children and the friendship she hoped they would develop and keep throughout their lives. She admitted, like many parents, that fostering those good relationships was sometimes incredibly hard! After this conversation I got thinking about my own family, I grew up as the older sister of three ...
As a kid, I remember how excited I got about dressing up for Halloween. There's just something magical about pretending to be someone or something else for an evening, having fun and getting lots of yummy treats. Carving pumpkins, trick-or-treating, and drinking warm apple cider are some of the things I looked forward to most about Halloween. However, I wasn't always the biggest fan of the scarier things about the holiday--the creepy costumes, th...
If there's one thing I've learned about toddlers, it's that they have some pretty big feelings , and sometimes they struggle to convey those feelings well. Sometimes, they know what they're trying to say, but are unsure about how to express what they feel, or they may not understand what they're feeling, and that can be scary for a child. This can create a challenge for parents as they seek to help their kids learn how to use words to express the...
When kids eat a healthy and balanced diet, it provides them with the nutrients that they need to grow and develop in a healthy way. However, it can be hard to know what and how to feed your kid sometimes. These four recommendations can help guide you in helping your kid eat a balanced and healthy diet. Eat the 5 food gro ups: Kids need to eat a balance of foods from the five food groups each day. The food groups include fruits, vegetables, dairy,...
In some cases divorce is necessary for the well-being of the family, for example, when there is abuse. Though when that is not the case, strengthening marriage and working through conflict avoids many challenges while at the same time supporting children in learning valuable skills for life. Why to avoid divorce when possible Divorce hurts children when there are fewer resources available to cover expenses and when the reason for the break up is ...
My 5-month-old son has recently started reaching for my face when I hold him. He enjoys grabbing my glasses and pulling at my nose. Kids his age are curious and starting to learn to use their hands and grab things. They also don't understand that sometimes the things they do can cause pain or potentially create damage (if he had squeezed my glasses in just the wrong way, it could have been a big problem). It got me thinking about how I should app...
Is your child nervous about the start of the school year? It's common for all kids to feel nervous about beginning school. For some though, those beginning of the year nerves turn into something more. If you've noticed your student is struggling with excessive worry or anxiety, there are several simple things you can do to help. Below is a list of ways to help your child cope with worry and anxiety. Have your child tense and relax each muscle gro...
We have an interconnected generation where (for better or worse) we have a hyper awareness of everything that's happening around us. With social media, cable news and the constant pings and notifications of technology we are aware of many things beyond our control and far away from us. Our brains, bred for survival, struggle to differentiate between those immediate and far away threats. The result is we are more aware, and more afraid. And our in...
Growing up, I was fortunate to have my grandparents in my life. My relationship with each of them was as different as each of their personalities, from the grandpa who lived out of state but was a "snowbird" and traveled through Utah each fall and spring and treating us to dinner at a local buffet to the grandma who passed on her love of Welch's grape juice and the color purple to me. With Grandparent's Day just around the corner on September 12,...
If your child's bedtime is a struggle, you're not alone. Whether it's asking for a drink of water every 5 minutes, hearing "I'm not tired", or a meltdown in general, bedtime can be chaos. We all know that sleep is important, but for children, getting enough sleep helps with things like behavior and learning . Studies show that poor sleep habits in childhood can lead to difficulty sleeping as an adult . To help bedtimes go smoother, you can try th...
When 2-year-old Liam* started crying, his mother Sadie went to investigate. Her two children were playing in their room together and Liam was crying and obviously in distress. After questioning her older daughter, Abigail, who insisted she didn't know what happened, Sadie decided to check the video feed from the baby monitor. Much to her surprise, Abigail had kicked Liam as they were both on the ladder of the bunk bed. When Sadie showed her daugh...
It's August, which means it's time to get ready to go back to school. When I was growing up, getting ready to go back to school meant shopping for school clothes, going to bed earlier, getting up earlier and of course new school supplies. There was always excitement in the air as I met my friends at the bus stop and we talked about our summers and wondered if we would have the same teacher in class that year. The beginning of the new school year ...
Around 50% of young kids have severe nightmares that cause them to wake up their parents. I had a nightmare every night as a kid, and even though it was distressing to me, it was equally distressing to my parents. My bedtime routine became a battle because I was so terrified to get into bed. And even when I finally did get to sleep, I would wake up from a nightmare and refuse to go back to sleep. This goes without saying, but it isn't very fun wh...
In a world where around every corner we are faced with diet advertisements and messages of what "health" is, it can be hard to navigate healthy eating with your kids. If you're looking for some pretty basic tips on what to feed your kids, here is a great resource. That being said, your child's healthy eating habits go beyond what is on their plate every day. A healthy relationship with food helps guide children into these healthy eating habits th...
We teach our children about stranger danger, stop drop and roll, and fire safety; but do we teach our kids about keeping their bodies safe? Think back to your childhood--did you have the aunt who plopped a slimy kiss on your cheek or an uncle who gave a rib-cracking hug? Were you told it was rude to say no, so you bore the awfulness until you could escape and go play with your cousins? I know I did. We hated this experience, so why are we teachin...
If the 4th of July snuck up on you this year like it did for me, you'll likely need some last-minute ideas on how to entertain your children and make the holiday special. There are so many fun and creative ways to celebrate with your kids that don't require copious amounts of time and money. Crafts: Holidays are exciting for your kids! Crafts are a great way to work on your child's fine motor skills as well as give them an outlet for creativity. ...
Around 6.1 million children in the U.S. have been diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD, also known as ADD). That means that 9.4% of children between the ages of 2-17 have been faced with the challenges associated with an ADHD diagnosis. So if your child has been diagnosed with ADHD, you are not alone. ADHD is a complex disorder that requires treatment from professionals. That being said, there are some strategies that you...
