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The required month-to-month subscription and the tricky channel switching feature that takes some getting used to doesn’t take away from the usefulness of the device. For your big kids who aren’t quite teens but are entering the early stages of independence, keeping in contact with them while they’re away from home is an important first step. While your kiddo might not be ready for a traditional cellphone, getting them an option that allows you to keep in contact when they are away from home is helpful for caregivers as well as great for teaching them responsibility....

Risks of Additional Preterm Births Previous preterm birth is one of the biggest risk factors for having another premature infant. The risk goes up when mothers have had more than one premature birth, and goes down when mothers have a term pregnancy after a preterm birth. Mothers who had medically indicated preterm births are also at increased risk for future preterm births—due to the same medical issues that led to the first preterm delivery....

How Popular Is the Name Ryan? Although the name Ryan has never broken into the top 10 U.S. names, it’s had a solid run as a moderately popular option. According to the Social Security Administration, Ryan made it into the top 20 names for boys in 1976, staying between the 11th and 20th spot for 33 years. (Its most popular year was 1991.) In 2010, it slipped to the 23rd spot, and its ranking has steadily declined since then....

Instead of handing out traditional valentines, your child can send messages in the following fun ways. Directions

In children, when too many sound sources bombard the brain, the brain reacts by “tuning out” what seems less important. Multiple sounds inundate us every day, all day long. Learn more about selective hearing and how to deal with it to improve communication in your family. What Is Selective Hearing? Picture a typical weekday morning: The television news is on, the birds are chirping, the coffee pot is gurgling, the dishwasher is running, your spouse is talking to you, and you are listening to the sounds of the shower upstairs to make sure your child is getting ready for school....

Is Your Self-Care Warning Light On? Our bodies don’t come with warning lights like cars do. So you won’t see an orange glow coming from the dashboard to tell you that you’re almost out of gas. But you will see some clear signs that you need to bump up your self-care efforts. These can include anything from feeling easily frustrated to yelling at your kids, becoming increasingly forgetful, and even experiencing physical symptoms....

When will the car be available for teen use? Are there hours (such as when you’re at work) when it will never be available? Who pays for gas? Who takes responsibility for car maintenance? Traffic tickets should be paid for by the person who gets them. (The punishment for parking tickets should be the fine itself. You may want to suspend driving privileges if your teen is ticketed for driving violations....

Painting places or studios can be arranged easily and be quite efficient. If you do not have the best possible place, remember that the principles of creativity and the spirit of the method are what count. Home Setting for One or Two Children Finding a place: A wall works as well as an easel - you can cover it with soft fiberboard for gripping tacks, or with a piece of cardboard to which you can tape paper....

Siblings confound us with their dedication to making each other’s lives a living hell. As parents, our feeble brains may remind us that “all kids fight,” but our hearts cry out against such unhappy logic.All kids may indeed fight – we just expected that our children would be different!Adele Faber (co-author with Elaine Mazlish of the now-classic Siblings Without Rivalry) harbored similar delusions when she raised her own kids. She secretly believed that “sibling rivalry was something that happened to other people’s children....

Special Time with Your Child Special Time is one-on-one time-one parent and one child. Family togetherness is very important, but don’t ever sacrifice your time alone with each child. To effectively teach discipline, you need to establish that special rapport. Besides, most parents find that tensions dissipate, boundaries fall, and troubles fly away-at least until special time is over. Special time is: Best if it’s regular. Fun when it’s spontaneous. Dangerous when it always involves food treats....

Other families opt for single-sport participation due to cost and time constraints. And still, others give in to pressures from coaches and club directors and encourage their kids to specialize at an early age. Yet, whatever the motivating factor, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), along with some coaches and orthopedic specialists, advise against sports specialization—especially at a young age. Their fear is that when kids focus on a single sport without any breaks, they run the risk of detrimental physical and psychological effects....

Build the Excitement for Leprechauns Leprechauns are mythical figures in Irish folklore. While they are best known for hiding a pot of at the end of the rainbow, they are also supposed to be very, very naughty, playing lots of tricks on unsuspecting humans. For some St. Patrick’s Day fun with your little one, try luring one of the wee ones to your home and see what happens next! These leprechaun visit ideas offer you a chance to bring a bit of magic to your preschooler....

20 to 30 minutes Materials Large and small plastic bowlLarge plastic cooking spoonWater Directions The motion and properties of water are mysteries to toddlers, and exploring them can provide great entertainment. Sit with your toddler at a low table outside and demonstrate how to spoon water from the big bowl to the little bowl. Extensions Add ice cubes to make it more challenging.Float a few grapes in the water for spooning and eating....

15 to 30 minutes Materials Favorite stuffed animal or doll Directions You can use a favorite stuffed animal to help your child express things that are difficult to talk about. Many children will open up more easily with this simple way to buffer personal feelings. Extensions Use two stuffed animals and let them talk to each other about an issue. Designate dolls with a particular function, like the silly doll or the serious doll....

However, while we might expect teens to have an adult grasp of terrorism, in fact they are often not able to understand it as fully. Teens have a natural sense of invulnerability that may help them distance themselves from the event. While some may be very involved in world events, others may be so overwhelmed by their immediate life that it hard for them to think about the needs of other people....

What to Do If Your Car Seat Expires Did you know your car seat can expire? Car seat manufacturers typically give car seats expiration dates of 6 to 10 years after they’re made due to factors like deteriorating plastic, outdated technology, or no longer meeting the safety standards of other top car seats in the market. Obviously, car seat safety is a major priority for parents, but for many families, especially those with more than one child, a good car seat is expensive!...