From the packing list to the amount of time it takes to get from point A to point B, to breastfeeding and sanitizing bottles, traveling is slightly more complicated with a baby in tow. If you’re traveling with a little one for the first time during the holidays, don’t worry! We’re sharing the best travel tips and essentials that’ll make your holiday that bit easier. Editor’s Note: We know raising kids can be hard....

5 to 10 minutes Materials Package of balloons Directions Extensions Try to move the balloons by blowing them.Hit the balloons using only the head.Put your hands behind your back and walk through the balloons, letting them brush your faces.

Potting soil mix Milk cartons Used pony packs or small containers Plastic wrap Assorted seeds—parsley, tomatoes, cabbage, chives, marigolds, zinnias, asters, sunflowers, squash, poppies In a few weeks they will be ready for sale. Let your neighbors know that you have bedding plants for sale and watch them disappear! Note: Find a good gardening book and check for climate and soil suitability when selecting seeds.

K: We went when the kids were 2 and 4 and it was painful. Sweaty kids who miss their naps and are too little to ride the rides they want to ride on is like vacationing in a migraine. J: When my oldest was not even 2, we went the week between Christmas and New Year’s, and it was basically like being in the pit at Bonnaroo, except the people were much meaner....

Teaching children about diversity is important at all ages, and it should start as young as possible. Part of the way young children begin to develop a sense of identity and self-esteem is by noticing traits and characteristics about themselves and others. For example, a three-year-old might notice that they have dark skin and dark hair while their best friend has blond hair and pale skin. Unfortunately, parents and educators struggle at times to find the best way to discuss diversity appropriately....

While expressed milk can sit at room temperature for a bit after pumping, it shouldn’t be left out too long, as it can grow bacteria at too high of temperatures, which will cause it to spoil and could make your baby sick. Breast milk is good in the fridge for a few days, but freezing it can help it last many months. Deciding what you will keep expressed milk in is also important....

Don’t Avoid Medications After you’ve had a c-section, you may be concerned with the medications that you are taking for pain. These medications are compatible with breastfeeding, though it is important that you tell your practitioner and the baby’s doctor that you are breastfeeding. This will ensure that they are able to give you the right medication and dose to help you cope with post-surgical pain. Talk to your doctor and nurses about how to wean off narcotic-based medications when appropriate, and on to medications that are less likely to cause you to feel groggy....

There are many different types of breast-pumps out there, all claiming to be the best on the market, and all sold at competitive prices. If you’re a new mom, it can be overwhelming just figuring out where to start. There are also other uses for a breast pump. While it’s true that a great pump can give a nursing mother more freedom and convenience, breastfeeding isn’t the only use for a pump....

Nothing to do on a summer afternoon? Organize a bubbleblowing contest! Mix up some bubble solution, assemble some tools for blowing, and you’re set. These contest ideas come from the book Science Wizardry for Kids by Margaret Kenda and Phyllis S. Williams. Bubble solution Bubble-blowing tools: drinking straws, funnels, wire loops, and so on Marble or other small toy Directions

Is your cabinet showing its age? Is it too small, poorly designed, or just plain ugly? You can replace the cabinet by buying a particle-board wonder, but it’s rather easy to make a much better cabinet. Building your own takes work, but it also puts you in control of size, materials, and design. It’s a great introduction to the art of cabinet-making. And you can admire the fruits of your labor first thing in the morning and last thing at night!...

To improve our old deep-shelf cabinets, which were known to swallow blenders and what-all, we built six big drawers, plus one for the garbage can. That allows us to group stuff in logical categories—and use the full depth of the cabinet. Result? No more cascades of pots, pans, and plastic plunging from the cavernous depths of our cabinets. Step 1: Make Some Decisions Big drawers are a good thing, but they take work....

“Tuna is safe for your baby and very healthy if you pick the low-mercury types,” says Preeti Parikh, a pediatrician and the executive medical director at GoodRx. Some types of tuna are safe and healthy for your baby in limited amounts, while other types should be avoided completely. Generally, larger fish that live longer have higher mercury levels. There are some smaller types of tuna that your baby can enjoy....

If you regularly get massages, you may be wondering if it’s still safe to do so now that you’re pregnant. And if massages are not a part of your normal routine, you might consider if getting one could help with your aching back. “Massages are a great way for an expectant mother to manage stress levels, which is especially essential during pregnancy,” says Michael Green, MD, an OB/GYN at Winona, a female-founded anti-aging wellness center....

In these kinds of situations, stress will not harm your baby. Stress That Can Harm Your Pregnancy On the other hand, intense or chronic stress can be a problem for you and your baby. If this is an unplanned pregnancy, for example, if you have separated from your partner, if you are grieving over the death of a close friend or family member, or if you have a stressful job, your body’s physical reaction to this kind of stress can be harmful to both you and your baby in many ways: The World Federation of Sleep Society tells us that three or more hours of lost sleep per night can decrease the efficiency of the body’s immune system by as much as 50 percent....

The short answer is that it is highly unlikely to get pregnant from anal sex alone. However, doctors warn that unprotected anal intercourse should never be relied upon as a form of contraception. We turned to the experts to find out more about pregnancy from anal sex, and why birth control is still important. Can Anal Sex Lead to Pregnancy? When unprotected vaginal intercourse occurs between heterosexual couples, semen is released at the point of male ejaculation close to the cervix....

Mucus, Temperature, and Ovulation Usually, fertile cervical mucus—a watery to raw egg-white like vaginal discharge—will precede ovulation. If you’re charting your basal body temperature, and ovulation occurred, you’d expect to see a sustained temperature rise within a few days of seeing your most fertile cervical mucus. If you don’t seem to get a temperature rise at all, it could be for a few different reasons. Let’s take a look at the possible explanations....

They divorce. They remarry. They become parents again after already having raised children. They become stepparents. They worry about whether their kids and stepchildren will get along. Life can be pretty exciting during middle age, and pretty hard on your finances, as well. If you’re experiencing—or expect that you will experience—a change in marital status, you’ll need to take steps to protect your personal financial situation. Dealing With the Big D While death can change marital status in an instant, it is more often divorce or separation that does so during middle age....

How Shingles Spreads If someone you know has shingles, you cannot catch shingles itself from them. Shingles are caused by the chickenpox virus, which has been dormant in their body ever since they had chickenpox. So, you get shingles from your own chickenpox virus, not from someone else. That said, shingles are still contagious and can transmit the chickenpox virus to susceptible people. Fortunately, classic localized shingles are not as contagious as chickenpox itself....