Anti-Vaccination Mom Changed Mind After Her 3 Kids Got Sick

Vaccinations prevent people from catching dangerous diseases. Vaccines also can help stop the spread of a disease. There are schools that require students to have their vaccinations before the student can attend school. A mom who was anti-vaccinations has changed her mind after her three children got sick. Kristen O’Meara has three daughters, all of whom are under the age of seven. She chose not to vaccinate her daughters because she was a big believer in anti-vaccination research. O’Meara said she actively sought out anti-vaccination research and books and presumed that they were accurate. Anti-vaccination research has been proven flawed. … Continue reading

4 Reasons to Helicopter Parent Your Pet

It has been said that helicopter parenting might not be the most ideal parenting style. Kids need some room to make mistakes and learn from them. That being said, there are a lot of great reasons why you should helicopter parent your pet. Reasons Why You Should Helicopter Parent Your Pets Pets Don’t “Grow Out of It” Babies and toddlers go through a stage where they put everything they can grab into their mouths. They will grow out of this stage eventually. Pets, however, will always have a tendency to try and eat things that may or may not be … Continue reading

Toddlers and the Flu Vaccine

Every parent, who has children under the age of five, quickly discovers that little kids are “germ spreaders.” One cannot be too surprised by this revelation. Toddlers, for example, tend to put things into their mouths, to pick their noses, and to strongly resists all parental attempts to wash their little faces and hands. As such, it is recommended that toddlers receive the flu vaccine. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that the LAIV (live attenuated influenza vaccine) be given to children ages 2 through 8 years old. In addition, they recommend that kids between age 2 … Continue reading

Apps for Busy Parents

Parenting has often been described as a full-time job. Moms and dads have to organize children’s schedules, find kid-friendly places to eat, and remember all the things that their family needs from the grocery store this week. Fortunately, there are apps that can help busy parents to keep track of everything. Here are a few to try. Mom Maps Mom Maps helps moms and dads find places that are appropriate for family fun. There are over 28,000 locations supported by this app. It gives you directions to parks, playgrounds, children’s museums, kid’s indoor play areas, kid’s restaurants and more (including … Continue reading

When Your Child Doesn’t Want to go to Preschool

Your child has been happily attending preschool for a while now. He or she always comes home with a smile and a story about something fun that happened that day. Now, suddenly, your child has started to resist going to preschool. What happened? Here is a quick checklist for parents who are baffled by their child’s declaration of “I don’t want to go to preschool!” Keep in mind that it is totally normal for a child to decided that he or she no longer wants to attend preschool. There are days when you don’t particularly want to go to work, … Continue reading

Hitting the Pool with a Toddler

I used to think watching a naked toddler run around a swimming pool was cute. Of course, that was when it was my kid baring it all and not a stranger’s tot trotting around in his birthday suit relieving himself in the same water my family’s swimming in. Due to the serious nature of wading in a pool contaminated with human stool, it’s vital your toddler be clad properly. If your toddler is not potty trained you will want to invest in swim diapers before you head to the pool.  Regular diapers may fit snugly around his thighs and waist, … Continue reading

Avoid Swimming Pool Sickness

And I thought chasing after a wet, naked child in public was a problem… Imagine taking your kids to the city pool to cool off on the first day of summer vacation, then being forced to spend the next week nursing them back to health. A growing number of kids are getting sick from swimming in public pools.  The problem has become so widespread the Center for Disease Control recently issued a warning to parents about protecting their children from recreational water illnesses. Heath experts say even regularly maintained pools can contain contaminants like cryptosporidium.  If a person doesn’t shower … Continue reading

Picture-Perfect Mother’s Day

What are you asking for this Mother’s Day? A clean basement? Not if your husband’s idea of “cleaning” is tossing out all of your stuff. An expensive vacuum? Not if you have to use it more to justify the price. Breakfast in bed? Not if it means doing damage control in the kitchen until dinner. What about a peaceful day surrounded by the people whose existence affords you membership in the sweetest sorority on earth? This Mother’s Day consider cuddling up with your kiddos and enjoying a quiet moment with these picture-perfect holiday reads: The Berenstain Bears: We Love Our … Continue reading

Dirty Habit

Remember when you had your first child and his pacifier fell out of his mouth at the park?  You wouldn’t dream of letting your precious peanut place the plastic plug back in his mouth after it touched the ground.  Not a chance.  Rather, you likely pulled out a fresh binky and let your baby resume sucking on it. Then, you had baby number two.  When his pacifier fell to the ground, you picked it up, brushed it off on your sleeve and stuck it back in his mouth without thinking twice. Looking back, I bet it’s hard to tell whether … Continue reading

Surviving Your Kid’s Spring Break

Not your little guy’s break from school, your older one. You know, the one who begged you to let him head down to Cabo with a bunch of friends for spring break, and now you are sitting at home praying that the next call you get isn’t from a Mexican prison. Keeping children safe is the utmost priority for most parents, but you can’t expect your college-age kid to want to spend every school break at home so you can monitor his every move. Sure, viewing Facebook photos of your son at the bottom of a beer bong and your … Continue reading