As we know all too well, kids will do anything to get our attention, so we might as well make that attention positive. Here we share some of our secrets for really interacting with your children. Of course, there are plenty of books by doctors and specialists, and we'll talk about those. We complement their advice with our favorite activities, too!
Featured Articles:
Top 10 Reasons You Know You're Ready To Have a Baby
You think personal space is overrated...
Your Virgo Child
Virgo babies seem like every mother's dream of the perfect infant...
Information Overload
I want the baby book our moms would have written talking about mother’s intuition and how to give "the look" that freezes a child in motion...
Your Leo Child
This knowledge is an invaluable tool to assist in understanding the unique nature of each person young or old...
Summer Lovin'
There is something I like about the routine of the school year. Perhaps I will love the routine of the summer time when I figure out what it is...
I Survived Summer Camp. Will The Kids?
Eight weeks is a long time to figure out how to entertain your kids, or for your kids to figure out how to entertain themselves...
Active Indoor Activities for Kids
Blazingly hot weather poses pitfalls for young and old alike. As a parent of young children though, the challenge lies in how to keep your active kids entertained indoors when the heat is too extreme outside...
Parenting: The Dark Side
The story has sparked some pretty interesting conversations with my son...What is good, what is bad, and how on earth we’re supposed to tell the difference...
Who Do I Think I Am? Angelina Jolie?
I think there is another baby out there for us. My husband is thinking he's done...
Your Gemini Child
While there are many philosophies on child development and parenting, their weakness lies in the lack of personalization...
Parenting: Are You Still Cutting Off The End Of Your Ham?
Parenting is one of, if not the most, difficult job there is to do. And to follow without questioning the traditional ways of our parents and grandparents is like unnecessarily cutting off the end of the ham...
Strategies For Summer Safety
This is a great time to look at how your family’s safety needs have changed since last summer and begin to talk with your children about summer safety...
Top 10 Ways To Recognize The Worst Tantrum Of Your Life
You search for matches in your pocket to burn every book that ever advised you to "just stay calm."
Top 10 Things I Thought About Kids Before Becoming A Parent
They stared lovingly into my eyes as we both rocked in a hammock for hours...
When You Think You Have Kids Who Misbehave, Go To The Park
All parents have the day in public from hell with their offspring that you wish you could have back for your reputation and theirs...
Pretty Pretty Princess
All because of my one minor lapse in judgement and my one princess insult, my daughter will fixate on princesses for years to come...
Getting Ready For Number Two
There are moments I almost forget I’m pregnant…until I try to pick Choochie up from her crib and find myself hoisting my belly over the rail to reach her. That’s a really awesome experience, let me tell you...
Top 10 Reasons Why You Turning One Ruled!
No more formula. You drink milk like a regular human...
The Silver Thread
Her little butterfly of a hand closed around my index finger and that invisible silver thread which connects us, that always pulls her back to me whether or not we touch, became steel...
Top 10 Ways Your Toddler Is Similar To A Drunk
Pees and poops herself without any guilt...
The Silver Lining In Sick
She complained when she pooped and she cried when I cleaned it up, but aside from that she was in an incredibly good mood. For the life of me, I have absolutely no idea where this trait came from...
Top 10 Things I Want To Do Well So I Can Teach You
Speak French: your entire face changes when you speak French. Your cheeks sink in, your mouth puckers up, and you purr like a little velvet kitten...
Top 10 Things I Understand About Parents Now That I'm One
Why my mother couldn't sleep sometimes simply "worrying..."
HonestBaby's Kicking The Pacifier Habit
Sometimes the pacifier habit will phase out on its own. But sometimes your kid is entering Kindergarten and people are giving you looks (no judgments here)...
Top 10 Qualities That Are Important To Me In Life
She started giving out the toys from underneath her stroller — she would literally walk up to a random child and give them her toy...she sincerely wanted them to have it and maybe play with her too...
Felt Fortune Cookies for Valentine's Day
Since Valentine’s Day and Chinese New Year are both Ferbruary 14th this year, create your own Felt Fortune Cookies!
Top 10 Things You Do Now That Melt My Heart
Attachment to my leg no matter where I am standing...
Little Helping Hands
I'm not ready to tell him that houses can fall down, that whole cities can be flattened in minutes, that food and water can suddenly be all gone...
Top 10 Things I Dread
That there will be even a moment you doubt my love for you...
Top 10 Things I've Learned About Toddlerhood So Far
Keep things educational. Instead of saying "Don't lick the door," say "Don't lick that RED door that is shaped like a RECTANGLE..."
When Mommy's Little Girl Only Wants Daddy
I was her sun, moon and stars…and then, one day, the “Daddy” switch turned on...
Top 10 Things My Parents Did Right
I was taught to never, ever, NEVER interrupt an adult conversation...
To All The Kids Who Survived The 1930s, '40s, '50s, '60s, '70s
...We were put to sleep on our tummies in baby cribs covered with bright colored lead-based paints...
It's Fun to Win!
It is fun to play, it's way more fun to win. If it wasn't fun to win, we wouldn't keep scores, we wouldn't have the Super Bowl, the Olympics wouldn't have a gold, silver and bronze...
One On One With My Little One
I'm...wondering what I can do to stretch this great "vacation" behavior out into everyday life. Here's what I've come up with so far...
Top 10 Random Thoughts About "SuperNanny"
I don't think there is anything more frustrating in this world than a child sliding out of your arms like an oiled-up noodle while screaming on top of their lungs and simultaneously kicking you...
Eggs, Toast And A Side Of Cynicism
Cold cereal nourishes the body, but hot cakes (and other breakfasty-type foods with irresistibly enticing aromas) inspire action of the bounding-out-of-bed variety…
Top 10 Things I Learned About Baby/Toddler Sleep Training
I want my money back for every soother, night-time CD and comfort blanket I bought in the last year. I fell for all of you...
Another Safe Halloween
I love the candy! Then I had a child who has a fatal allergy to nuts, and I love her more. Nine years ago, Halloween changed...
I Have Eggs Inside Of Me?!
"What's in your belly mom? Why is it getting bigger? How do you know when it's ready to come out? How does it come out? Is it a boy or a girl? What color is the baby going to be? Can I name it?”
Top 10 Dirty Little Secrets Mothers Don't Mention
You secretly compare your kid to others and your body to every other mother's at the playground...
Pajama Program
The Pajama Program is an incredible organization that works tirelessly to provide new pajamas and books to children in need, many who are waiting and hoping to be adopted…
Top Ten Truths About Being Pregnant
You will love your full-body pillow at night way more than your husband...
The Apples Of My Eye
I wondered how it would be to take my daughter apple picking: Would she throw a temper tantrum that two year-olds are so famous for? Would it be terribly muddy? (We city girls don’t get a lot of mud.)
Top 10 Things Never To Say To A New Mom
"Who is the father?"
When Will I Know?
...No matter how diligent I am, something can go wrong. Labels can lie...
It Goes So Fast!
I always say that before I had kids I was a great parent, I had it all figured out...
Rockin' Out with Yo Gabba Gabba!
Then music started and suddenly, there he was: DJ Lance Rock live and in person … very tall, very thin and very orange...
How Are We Supposed to Discipline Our Children?
What I read is that the style of parenting I've been using is going to, apparently, damage my children on a deep psychological level for years to come. Always a lovely thing to discover before breakfast...
Top 10 Differences A Year Makes
Babies sleep. Forget the five-hour definition of sleeping through the night...the majority now sleep 11-12 hours STRAIGHT.
Top 10 Things I Learned From Watching TV Shows
If you have a full-time nanny, you can still have leisurely Cosmos with your friends. ("Sex in the City")...
Newborn Blues
I love being a mom, more than anything I've ever done in my life...AND this newborn phase is really hard...
You Wouldn't Let Them Play With Matches, Would You?
Being wishy-washy and lax will serve no purpose in building character and commitment in your children or in yourself...
I'm Not Your Friend, I'm Your Mom
Most days I feel like the “Mean Mommy”...
Just When I Thought I Knew It All
I explained to him that we can't be sure if the food is safe and he said, "But mom, I'm not the one with the allergy."
Vacation Voyage: The Return
... you can’t click your ruby slippers three times and miraculously find yourself home again … fully unpacked and completely settled.
Top 10 Things People Who Are Not Parents Should Ever Tell Parents
"I was bored all weekend."
From One Child to Two
We are having a really hard time adjusting...we miss our first-born! We were so busy focusing on him we didn't stop to think about how the transition might affect us...
The Worst Day Of My Life
I have a secret. I am not as diligent as people think I am.
Lack Of Nap Attack
My daughter does not nap. Yes, you read correctly. She doesn’t nap, and her naps ended sometime ago.
Setting Boundaries with Toddlers
Our job is to let them have their spirit, nurture it, even encourage it and teach them how to listen at the same time. No small task.
Get This Baby Out Of Me!
I am having a meltdown about not having music and candles and pillows … and all the other "stuff" I had read about that I needed...
Make Memories By Making Your Child's Baby Book
I have always had the very best of intentions in pulling it all together, but my good intentions had not yet created a memorable baby book for my youngest daughter...
Adventures in Potty Training
I knew it was time to potty train him, but who has the time and the patience? It takes a lot of concentration and attention to get this potty training thing working well, and I didn't want to deal with it...
HonestBaby's Top Ten Toilet Training Tips
You can be sure that toilet training your toddler is on no one’s list of favorite things to do.
A Defeated Moment...And That's Okay
The circumstances won and in that moment, I gave up and into it...and that's when I heard Tom Petty come on the radio...
The Truth About Pregnancy
What? I'm busy! I made a nervous system today, and maybe even a spleen. What did you do?
Bye-Bye Baby
I stared at the picture...and it just hit me: she’s no longer a baby. She’s a child. My baby is gone...
Traveling With Nut Allergies
We don't know who the last renters were…before I can even let them in the trailer, I have to clean it to our safety standards…
We've All Thrown A Stone or Two
Before I had kids, I would inevitably get stuck in a seat right in front of a little angel who played with his tray table and kicked the back of my chair for the entire flight...
Vacation Voyage: In The Beginning
My husband, our 22-month-old toddler and I are going on vacation for a week to Greece...
Vacation Voyage: Ready, Set...
T-minus "x" number of hours until the taxi picks us up for our family trip to Greece...
Vacation Voyage: Go!
I can hardly believe that I’m here ... but then again, the journey here was something I won't soon forget...
Vacation Voyage: The Vacation Part
For those of you who have been reading this series ... this is the part you've been waiting for. This is the vacation part. Let us all take a moment to say: Amen...
Childhood Wounds of Michael Jackson
I grew up with Michael Jackson, like most of us. I loved this guy. Hard for me to admit — as his fascination with children really bothered me...
My Daughter's Ears Are Pierced, I Can Sleep Now!
My husband and I are flawed parents. I want to stress this, we love our kids...but we are certain that we screw up...
The Summer Jar
Picking out of the Summer Jar each day has become sort of like opening the door on an advent calendar...
The Birthday Party Circuit
I am actually embarrassed to say I didn’t recognize the birthday girl, and I didn’t know too many of the parents there either...
My Daughter Thinks Her Poop Doesn't Stink
In actuality, my daughter is living the moment we all dream about. Her self-esteem is at 300%...
My Quick Tongue
I vowed many years ago, you know when I had no idea what it took to be a parent and I was pretty confident...
Daycare Puzzle
So to be fair, with today's current conversion rate, that’s $1.41 US Dollars per day. Take a moment and breathe...
A Day Lost
As I closed his bedroom door, I realized I blew it...
Blackmail Parenting
And so it went. The counting, the swapping, the bargaining. Trading tasks like commodities for sleep instead of money...
Name That Feeling
I gave her a quick kiss goodbye and proceeded to work without my usual anger, bitterness and resentment...
Eating Disorders … Let’s Get Serious
This country seriously needs to get a handle on eating...
Top 10 Reasons You Know You're Ready To Have a Baby
You think personal space is overrated...
Your Virgo Child
Virgo babies seem like every mother's dream of the perfect infant...
Information Overload
I want the baby book our moms would have written talking about mother’s intuition and how to give "the look" that freezes a child in motion...
Active Indoor Activities for Kids
As a parent of young children, the challenge lies in how to keep your active kids entertained indoors when the heat is too extreme outside...
Who Do I Think I Am? Angelina Jolie?
I think there is another baby out there for us. My husband is thinking he's done...
When Mommy's Little Girl Only Wants Daddy
I was her sun, moon and stars…and then, one day, the "Daddy" switch turned on...
