Nothing cures the common cold, so the best you can do is relieve the cough, sore throat and stuffy nose that come with it. But you don’t need to buy over-the-counter products — and shouldn’t in the case of children, who may have serious, even life-threatening reactions. The jury is still out on zinc and Vitamin C, but many of the homemade cold remedies your grandmother used to push really do...
Kids face more competition than ever, and that’s not always a bad thing. Competing at something they’re passionate about helps build self-esteem, motivation and persistence. The problems come when the only thing they’re passionate about is winning. Overly competitive kids often lose their love of the activity, even if they were passionate about it to begin with. “When there’s no prize, they...
Playground taunts and physical threats are nothing new, but until recently, children were usually safe inside their own home. Now, with email, texting and social networking, the harassment and intimidation can happen 24/7 – and anonymously. Here are answers to common questions about bullying and ways to protect your child. What constitutes bullying? There are three main types of bullying, according...
Being a shy child isn’t easy – and for many parents, neither is raising one. You want your child to be happy and make friends, and when you see her hang back, your tendency is to push her into social situations. But pushing won’t give her the skills to control her shyness, according to Bernardo J. Carducci, Ph.D., director of The Shyness Research Institute at Indiana University Southeast. “Adults...
We’ve all heard about the alarming rise in obesity in this country, but more widespread is the epidemic of “couch-potatoitis” that affects even those who aren’t overweight. Americans have become increasingly sedentary, spending their free time on things that involve no physical activity: video games, movies and TV, the Internet. The Centers of Disease Control and Prevention recommends...
If your child has food allergies, you know how serious and life-altering they can be. Now, a groundbreaking study by Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine shows just how common they are. Nearly 6 million American kids that are 18 years of age or younger (roughly 1 in 13) are allergic to at least one food, according to the 2011 study – twice as many as previously thought. Of...
