See if you can involve your tween in your work by having him help out at your place of business or have him participate in your hobby. Even if he accompanies you to the spa but you don’t work out together, you will continue to hold a central place in his life if he feels that it is a shared experience. Riding to the spa with the radio blaring and sending him to the pool to kill time until you’re finished exercising doesn’t count as togetherness!...

Today’s dads have lots of responsibilities and may feel pressure to do it all. They may be a stay-at-home dad, devoted husband, loving father, home handyman (well, sort of), and amateur chef, just to name a handful. The pressure at times may feel a bit overwhelming. And if I had to guess, I’d say plenty of other dads feel similarly. With that in mind, Here’s a list of unconventional gifts that would make me—and probably countless other dads out there—smile....

What Does Fertility Testing Involve? Initial fertility testing may be done by your gynecologist or urologist. If further testing is indicated, you will likely be referred to a reproductive endocrinologist. Your partner may need to see their respective healthcare provider for testing as well. Fertility testing involves laboratory tests (blood tests and semen analysis), image testing (such as ultrasounds) of you and your partner’s reproductive organs, and other procedures to test the functioning of your reproductive system....

Research on Alcohol in Early Pregnancy Some studies have suggested that consuming alcohol during the first few weeks of pregnancy can harm the development of the fetus. However, other studies have suggested that drinking during the early days of pregnancy does not harm a developing fetus. Research has also provided evidence that it’s a person’s pattern of drinking (for example, having one drink per day as opposed to binge drinking) that wields the most influence on the effect alcohol consumption has on fetal development....

Overview The physical and emotional experience of a miscarriage can vary significantly based on the cause and timing of the loss and other individual factors. Those that occur in very early pregnancy can be quite different from those that happen in the second or third trimester. In some cases, miscarriage can happen almost invisibly, as with so-called missed or silent miscarriages that have no outward symptoms. Below, we take a look at what typically happens in first-trimester, threatened, and second-trimester miscarriages....

Effort: Quick and easy – no sewing required Materials: Large cardboard box Pencil Colored construction paper Nontoxic glue Stapler/staples Green pipe cleaners Thick ribbon – 2 feet long Watering can Scissors Instructions: Cut off all the box flaps, leaving the top and bottom of the box open. Cut points around the top of the box to make it look like a picket fence. Draw flowers and leaves on the construction paper, cut them out, glue them onto the pipe cleaners, and staple them onto the box....

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. The following stretches for kids do not have to be done in this order. But generally, it is a good idea to stretch the spine first and then move from the upper to the lower body....

Chalk is no longer just for chalkboards and sidewalks. Today chalk is affordable and widely available in a variety of colors and sizes. Encourage your child to use chalk in the creative ways described below. Materials Colored chalk Water, liquid starch, or buttermilk Hair spray Sugar Paper Sponge Cotton ball Paintbrush Directions

Legend says that if you bring home sand from a beach, you’ll visit that beach again. Whether that’s true, collecting sand is a fun way to remember your visits to the beach and to see how sand differs from beach to beach. Small containers (pill bottles, film canisters, and so on) Labels Pen Camera Magnifying glass Directions

In 2019, 25.3% of U.S. children aged 2 to 17 years wore glasses or contact lenses. The percentage increased with age among both boys and girls, per data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Providing students with the glasses they need to see properly is vital for them to reach their academic potential, says a recent study published in JAMA Ophthalmology. A Closer Look at the Study Johns Hopkins University researchers studied students who received eye examinations and glasses through the Vision for Baltimore program....

In recent years, the peace of mind that comes with home security has become a priority for many households. With reliable do-it-yourself security cameras like the Google Nest Cam Indoor, you can get all the features you want (and more) at a relatively fair price with barely any setup. The Nest Cam Indoor, in particular, is designed to fit seamlessly into your lifestyle and make it easy for you to monitor the day-to-day activities in your home (like package delivery, a child napping, or the arrival of your dog walker) but that’s not to say it’s any less qualified to help you protect your home while you’re out of town....

It would be convenient if you could combine, freeze, and store your breast milk in the amounts that your baby is taking at each feeding. By putting small quantities of breast milk together into one container, you can also maximize the storage space in your freezer. But, is it safe? Freshly expressed breast milk or even breast milk that has been pumped and left out at room temperature, is warm....

Effort: Quick and easy - some sewing on Variations I and II. Materials: One button-up blouse One button-up skirt One pair of pants One button-up men’s shirt One tie One boy shoe and one girl shoe Safety pins Instructions: Take one shirt and fold it inside itself (sleeve in sleeve). Do the same with the blouse. Safety-pin the two shirts together, (on the inside) to make one shirt. Take the pants and put one leg in the other....

Most people interact with places other than the places they’re in almost every day-whether they’re eating food or wearing clothes produced in another region or sharing information via telephone, newspaper, radio, TV, or Internet. The following activities are fun ways to learn about how people, products, and information move. Directions

Age group: 30-40 months Duration of activity: 15 minutes Materials: Cut-out or photograph of a cow Cut-out or photograph of the moon Masking tape 1 sheet poster board Use the famous nursery rhyme to help your child learn spatial concepts.

A Closer Look at Osteoporosis Osteoporosis is a disease where, as a person ages, their bones become less dense and more prone to fractures. What’s more, it is sometimes referred to as the childhood disease that comes with consequences in old age. The reason is simple. The bone mass a person attains in childhood and throughout the teens years helps determine their lifelong bone health. Without good health habits and adequate physical activity now, their bones will break as they age....

There will always be someone who thinks you breastfed for too long or too short a period. But, there isn’t a right or wrong way, and no one should judge you on the length of time you decide to breastfeed. Breastfeeding Recommendations Health experts around the world are pretty much in agreement about when it comes to breastfeeding guidelines. Here are some of the top expert recommendations: The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP): Recommends breastfeeding exclusively for 6 months, then breastfeeding in addition to the start of solid foods for at least 2 years....

Did you know that car seats expire? If you have an expired car seat or even just an old car seat your child has outgrown, hang on to it so you can bring it to Walmart in time for their next car seat trade in! At the 2019 car seat trade in event, parents were eligible for a $30 Walmart gift card with every car seat trade-in, and it looks like they’ll be similar benefits next time around....