Another way to show off crafts, depending on the size, is in one of those coffee tables with a glass-topped display case built in. Change the display monthly and share new craft projects with everyone who visits. This type of display-case coffee table would make a good furniture-making project for an adult. If your child’s favorite craft usually takes the form of something flat, make a place to hang things on the wall and rotate with new versions as they come along....

If you’re considering donating baby items, it’s important to know who accepts what kinds of donations. While many baby items are accepted as donations, there are some that are not—and each organization or group has different rules. Here are some general guidelines to follow when donating baby items, so your donation can have the most impact. What to Consider Before Donating You’ve sorted out what you want to donate and what you want to keep....

Each state has its own laws on child support and custody, and you must understand your jurisdiction’s guidelines before preparing any agreements. In a child custody agreement, the parents draft an agreement that works to their satisfaction and present it to the court. The court will then either accept the child custody agreement, alter its terms, or reject certain provisions. Let’s explore the best ways to draft an agreement to avoid contention....

Here are some tips to help you find a counselor that is right for you. Make Sure They Are Licensed This may seem obvious, but there is a difference between a trained therapist and what’s known as an “infertility coach” or “infertility consultant.” If you’re coping with depression and anxiety, or your doctor requires that you see a therapist, you need someone who is a licensed mental health professional – not an infertility coach or consultant....

How to Hand Express Milk Expressing breast milk by hand is a skill that may take time and a little practice to learn how to do it properly. You can follow these steps to express breast milk by hand. Remember to have a storage bottle, cup, or bowl ready to catch the expressing milk. Here are the step-by-step instructions for hand expressing breast milk. Step 1 Wash your hands with soap and water....

Realistically, a single chat won’t do the trick for most kids. Instead, you’ll need to model, educate, and regulate — and possibly pay the occasional overage fees when things don’t go as planned. More: 6 Questions to Ask Before Getting Your Child a Cell Phone Model the behavior you want to see Kids model what they see, so if you never put your phone away, you can’t expect your kids to, either....

Old-fashioned custard-based recipes like the one my family grew up with and still uses typically call for raw egg, which can carry food safety risks. For today’s parents, Philadelphia-style ice cream, an American method that is based on milk, cream, and sugar, is a safer choice for kids looking to escape the summer heat. Do You Need to Buy an Ice Cream Maker? If you plan on making homemade ice cream regularly, investing in a dedicated maker pays off quickly....

Sensory development happens differently for each of us. People with a sensory impairment, such as deafness, or with sensory processing disorder (SPD) will grow into their senses differently than those without these characteristics. A sensory impairment keeps stimuli from getting to the brain in the first place, while someone with SPD would get the stimuli but wouldn’t be able to analyze and integrate them in a constructive way. In either of these cases, extra sensory support can go a long way....

How to Ship Breast Milk To ship your breast milk, first collect it and freeze it, making sure to leave some space in the containers for the milk to expand. Next, pack it securely in a styrofoam cooler with dry ice. You can put this into a cardboard box for shipping. Supplies You Will Need The supplies you will need to pack and ship your breast milk include: A hammer to break the dry ice, if necessaryA shipping boxA thick coolerDry IceGlovesNewspaper or packing paperPacking tapeStrong, sealable plastic zip-type bagsThe proper shipping labelsYour frozen breast milk...

Improperly prepared formula could cause malnutrition and illness in infants, making the preparation stage a very important component of feeding your baby. It can be easy to misread or assume that all formulas are alike, this is why it is good to read the instructions with every new can to ensure that you are mixing the formula and water in the right amounts for a proper nutritional experience for your baby....

For example, Amy Thery, a mother of two boys, struggled to find the right provider to deliver her second baby. With her first pregnancy, she simply used the fabulous OBGYN her sister recommended, who turned out to be a fantastic match for her. However, she ended up having to find a new provider, in a new city, in the middle of her second pregnancy. “I moved across the country when I was 35 weeks pregnant,” says Thery, who relocated from New York City to San Francisco for a new job, and now lives in Zurich with her family of four....

First, it’s important to make sure your child is ready to potty train. Then, focus on the potty training itself before worrying too much about their technique. You can let them try sitting or standing at the potty, but sitting can initially be easier. “I don’t really see [potty training boys] as much different than girls. It’s all about when the individual child is ready and when parents want to try to help foster the skill,” says Jennifer Trachtenberg, MD, a pediatrician at Carnegie Hill Pediatrics and an assistant clinical professor of pediatrics at Icahn School of Medicine Mount Sinai in New York City....

Unfortunately, the world looks different now than it did when we were growing up. Back then, access to pornography was very different than it is now. It was something you needed to actively seek out, not something that could accidentally appear on one’s iPad with the wrong click of a button. The idea of a child either unintentionally or deliberately viewing porn seemed extremely remote. While this discussion won’t likely be easy, it doesn’t have to be exceedingly uncomfortable or intolerable either....

While the responsibility to be a great role model ultimately falls on the parental figures in a child’s life, it’s perfectly OK to encourage an already existing desire to be a role model. Below we’ve outlined five effective strategies you can use to help foster that dynamic in a healthy and fruitful way. Model What it Looks Like to Be a “Good” Role Model Each of the three therapists we spoke to about this issue all agreed that the most effective way to teach older children how to be a great role model is to be a great role model yourself....

Eczema, also known as atopic dermatitis, is an itchy, chronic skin condition that is sporadic and is often associated with asthma and allergies. It is a breakdown in the skin barrier leading to compromised function. It most commonly affects children, with most cases appearing by age 5. In infants, it often affects the scalp, face, torso, and outer portion of the arms and legs. In children, the inner parts of the arms and legs are most commonly affected....

However, there are two different kinds of joint custody: joint legal custody and joint physical custody. Parents may also request a combination of both joint physical and joint legal custody. Parents should consider each option carefully as they prepare for child custody proceedings. Joint Legal Custody Joint legal custody allows both parents to make legal decisions for a child such as choosing schools and doctors. Parents interested in a joint legal custody arrangement should first consider the level of communication between themselves and the child’s other parent....

Changing Your Baby’s Formula Most of formula changes are usually unnecessary, such as changing formulas to treat a thriving baby with simple infantile colic. On the other hand, formula changes can be life-saving in infants born with particular metabolic diseases such as galactosemia. A formula change may be recommended if a baby has true medical problems, such as: Suspected cow milk protein or soy protein allergyGalactosemiaLactose intolerance (though it’s very rare for an infant to be born without the ability to digest lactose, the primary sugar in breast milk)...

Doctors disagree about whether it is a distinct disease that’s caused by pregnancy or a form of pustular psoriasis that’s triggered by pregnancy. Despite the name “herpetiformis,” the rash is not caused by a herpes virus. It is named “herpetiformis " based on the appearance of the pustules, which can look like those that are caused by herpes viruses (such as chickenpox.) Impetigo herpetiformis is unrelated to a similarly named condition called dermatitis herpetiformis, a rash that has been coined the “celiac rash....