What Your Child Should Know Your child should know: That she is capable of creating, building, and designing with simple to complex materials How to assemble and disassemble simple to complex puzzles, railroad tracks, blocks, and other toys or objects Basic differences among different kinds of lines, curves, and shapes How You Can Help Building your child’s confidence and competence as a young engineer will require access to a variety of materials she can build with, manipulate, shape, put together, and take apart....

Jeanette Lofas, President and Founder of the Stepfamily Foundation, Inc., suggests assigning specific job descriptions: “We need to be as detailed as we are in business.” Other people resist the idea of too much regimentation: “I’m living in a house, not an army camp.” I suggest holding family meetings to discuss these issues, whether or not you want to write down the Family Rules and pin up a calendar of responsibilities....

What Are Learning Disabilities? According to the website LDOnline, the most common learning disabilities include: Auditory and visual processing disorders: “Sensory disabilities in which a person has difficulty understanding language despite normal hearing and vision.” Dyscalculia: A mathematical disability Dysgraphia: A writing disability Dyslexia: A reading disorder Nonverbal learning disabilities: A neurological disorder that causes problems with “visual-spatial, intuitive, organizational, evaluative and holistic processing functions.” Often, students with learning disabilities will have an Individualized Educational Program or 504 Plan which details teaching accommodations....

To develop your own child’s thinking skills following pointers may be helpful: Do tasks that enable you to think together with your child. Make sure you are thinking out loud: “What do we need to do next?” “Is what we’re doing now similar to any other problem we have solved in the past?” “Let’s pause and consider how we’re doing for a moment.” “What are we trying to do here?...

The Resurgence Researchers with BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute and the University of British Columbia studied data on RSV cases in Australia. They found a decrease in cases last year, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Experts say measures like social distancing and mask-wearing likely contributed to the lack of transmission. However, vaccines and even COVID-19 fatigue are leading to a loosening of rules that helped curb viruses from spreading....

During your first pregnancy, you may have been able to nap more frequently or had more time to practice self-care. This is more challenging when a toddler is around. You have to be on your toes and able to take care of them, which doesn’t leave much time for resting. You’ll need to come with new ways to cope with the unique challenges that accompany a subsequent pregnancy.​ Make a Plan If you have morning sickness or just generally feel extra sluggish or yucky in the morning, planning ahead helps....

The Food and Drug Administration has approved an H1N1 vaccine for widespread use, with a distribution date set for October 15, 2009. Kathleen Sebelius, the secretary of Health and Human Services, thinks that limited supplies may arrive even earlier than that. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that, among other high-risk groups, children between 6 months and 18 years receive the vaccination, based on their susceptibility to the H1N1 strain and close contact with their peers at school....

Toddlers like being read to. Read your child’s favorite books. He likes to hear the same book again and again. After he memorizes some of the story, he can join in and tell what happens next. Later, he may want to retell the story on his own. When you read to your child and her friends, make sure everyone can see the pictures in the book. Look for big-book versions of your child’s favorites....

However modest her donations, getting into the giving habit is a sound financial management principal for your child. She’ll get into the positive habit of giving and will learn to build it into her spending plans. When she gets older, she’ll be rewarded for her giving by being able to claim a tax deduction for her contributions. For now, though, she’ll be rewarded in other ways—satisfaction in helping others and learning to put off her own needs in favor of someone else....

When Do Children Learn to Write? We might think that children don’t really learn how to write until they approach kindergarten age, but a 2017 research study uncovered some interesting findings that show otherwise. The study, published in the journal Child Development, showed that children actually start to learn writing skills as early as age three. Previously, child development experts had assumed that children learned how to write only once they learned what sounds each letter represented....

Through a variety of songs, activities, and simple memorization, you can teach your preschooler the months of the year. As the year goes on, and the months are emphasized, your preschooler will begin to better understand how they work and how everything falls into place. Try a Calendar Even if your preschooler isn’t reading just yet, they can still begin to understand how a calendar functions and eventually recognize the names of the months....

What Is a Pad? Your child is probably already familiar with pads either from you, friends, TV commercials, or health class. However, just in case they aren’t familiar, be sure to explain that pads are meant to help people manage their periods and stay clean and dry while they are menstruating. How Do I Use One? Most people start out using pads because they are comfortable and easy to use. Show your child how to unwrap the pad and remove the sticky adhesive strip on the bottom of the pad, if necessary....

When a teenager is pregnant and deciding whether to bottle feed or breastfeed her baby, there are many factors that influence that decision. She may already have some misconceptions about breastfeeding and they may be difficult to break. For example, many teens who only consider bottle feeding see it as healthier (because you can read the ingredients on the label) and more convenient (because you don’t have to be “joined-at-the-hip” with the baby)....

Whether you decide to keep one as a memorable keepsake to look back on or as an easy way to record your medical history, keeping a pregnancy journal should be easy, fun, and joyful. “A pregnancy journal is a beautiful, simple way to acknowledge the process and honor the good, the interesting, and memorable moments of pregnancy,” says Jennifer Jolorte Doro, certified doula, lactation counselor, clinical nutritionist, and co-founder/chief culinary officer at Chiyo....

Pregnancy Milestones The nine months of pregnancy are full of many important milestones, starting with finding out you’re expecting and ending with a baby in your arms. The Positive Pregnancy Test Having a positive pregnancy test might seem like a no-brainer, but even when you have been trying to get pregnant and completely expect that your test will be positive, the sight of a positive pregnancy test in your hand is enough to send a shock to your system....

Perfect for your baby registry, the best baby bottle sterilizers will clean quickly, quietly, and are easy to use. We carefully considered bottle compatibility, capacity, cleaning time, versatility, and value when reviewing products. Below, we outline the benefits and unique features of the best baby bottle sterilizers. The Baby Brezza One-Step Sterilizer and Dryer is our top pick because of its large capacity that holds everything you need. This electric 4-in-1 sterilizer and bottle dryer holds up to six bottles of different shapes and sizes, plus accessories and pump parts....