For more colorful rainy fun, sprinkle a few drops of food coloring or tempera paint powder onto a paper plate (or ​other sturdy piece of paper). Take it outside and let the rain give you watercolors. You can swirl the liquid around to make designs. Bring the plate inside to dry, or press another piece of paper on top, then peel off to make a print. On a warm, summer rainy day, dress kids in swimsuits or old clothes, then send them outside with washable or bathtub paint....

New research published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism found that women with higher exposures to PFAS may be 20% more likely to stop breastfeeding early. Knowing to avoid PFAS may help parents breastfeed as long as they would like. For other parents, this new information may help explain why they weaned earlier than intended. It can hopefully provide reassurance that these parents that they are not to blame....

The basics are that you should follow all health and safety guidelines, including prenatal care and well care, for you and your baby. This includes infant vaccines using the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines. You should be wary of and avoid using most infant sleep devices that make claims to protect against SIDS and other risks during sleep for babies as there is no research supporting those claims....

As teens and children increasingly carry smartphones and use tablets, computers, social media, apps, and messaging, the risks that they will be exposed to or send or receive sexually explicit content has become a concern for parents, teachers, and law enforcement. Sexting is often done as a joke, a way of trying to seem “cool,” to get attention, or as flirting. Parents should discuss the issue with their children to ensure they understand the risks and what to do if or when they’re exposed to or participate in sexting....

Homeschooling can be a real asset if you have a gifted child, allowing them to receive individual attention and a gifted individualized education plan (IEP) without the red tape of getting your child special services. However, homeschooling is not easy and parents should consider several issues before making the decision to homeschool. Temperament Perhaps the first consideration is temperament—of both parents and children. It takes patience to homeschool children. Keeping up with housework and perhaps a part-time job in addition to teaching a gifted child can be stressful....

Gay couples can explore all avenues of adoption, including foster care adoption, traditional adoption, and international adoptions. Adoption profiles are shared with birth mothers and parents who are planning to put their children up for adoption to help them determine which adopting family they want to choose. Your profile should be open, honest, and paint a picture of the life you can offer an adopted child. In the past—and likely still today in some areas of the country—some gay couples have resorted to lying about their statuses so they could adopt....

Traditionally, when babies were ready to start solids, parents would begin with purees and a spoon. But, now, more and more families are taking a different approach called baby-led weaning. Learn more about baby-led weaning, if it might be right for your family, and how to start. What Is Baby-Led Weaning? When a baby is ready to wean from breast milk or infant formula to solid foods, it doesn’t mean the baby is ready to stop taking the bottle or the breast....

Up to half of kids will experience a sleep problem at some point during childhood. Some toddlers have sleeping troubles related to separation anxiety. Others may be missing or outgrowing their afternoon naps and are overtired, which can cause them to fight sleep. Sleep issues in toddlers are so common that there are countless sleep experts who provide parents with advice on this very topic. Below, find expert advice from two sleep consultants and a pediatrician as well as tips from parents who’ve successfully managed bedtime challenges....

Sometimes their cyberbullying is overt, obvious and painful. Teens post pictures and comments that shame and humiliate others. Other times, they are subtler in their bullying. To avoid detection, they cyberbully under the radar of parents, teachers, and administrators by using tactics like subtweeting and vaguebooking. What Are Subtweeting and Vaguebooking? Subtweeting and vaguebooking are the Internet equivalent of talking about people behind their backs on Twitter and on Facebook....

If you can prevent your rings from getting stuck, do so. You might notice that your rings slip on fine in the morning, but are harder to get off in the evenings. This is normal. If you have trouble getting your rings off, you can try holding your hands above your head for a bit, use some lotion to lubricate your finger or even soak your hands in cool water to decrease the swelling....

Unfortunately, in the digital age, many teens aren’t learning basic social skills, like cellphone etiquette. And there are many manners teens often forget even though they’ve learned them in the past. Sometimes, teens go through phases where they want to look cool and manners go out the window. At other times, they get a little sloppy and forget to be polite. Basic Manners Teens Should Know Sometimes, teens need a little refresher on the basic manners department....

“With a double jogging stroller, size and weight are huge factors because they can be very big and heavy. So be sure that you consider whether you’ll be able to run while pushing the weight of your stroller, plus your two kids,” Christine Luff, ACE-CPT, Road Runner Club of America certified running coach, tells Verywell Family. “Also, think about whether you’ll be able to store it easily or get it into your car without any trouble....

Since toddlers are walking, it’s important for their shoes to fit well, support the foot correctly, and be used in the proper way. Invest in a well-made everyday shoe and your kiddo’s feet will thank you. We carefully considered material, design, sizing, fit, use, and value when reviewing products. Here are the best sandals for your toddler. The best part, for both kids and parents, is the soft fabric heel, which makes it super easy for kids to put these shoes on all by themselves....

Safety is of the utmost importance when selecting a crib for your baby. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, the bars of your baby’s crib should be 2 3/8 inches apart to avoid the possibility of injury. While dropside cribs have been banned and taken off the market as per the Consumer Product Safety Commission in 2011, this crib style may still be circulating via secondhand sellers and should be avoided due to the suffocation and strangulation hazard....

A good warm-up also offers the benefits of both injury prevention and improved performance. That’s thanks to increased blood flow to the muscles, as well as improved range of motion. A slower, gentler version of the sport or activity they’re about to play is always a good option, such as brisk walking or jogging to warm up for running. Alternatively, hockey players might take some slower laps around the rink prior to hockey practice, or swimmers might do some less intense laps before going all out....

Gather Your Supplies You need… A pregnancy test A disposable cup (if you’re using the dip stick kind of pregnancy test) A timer (probably got one on your phone) A pleasant morning hour (You really should take the test in the morning.) Your calendar or fertility chart Your favorite chocolate (Just in case… we won’t talk about why, so we don’t jinx it, but I know you know why.) Since it’s best to take the test in the morning with your first morning urine, you might want to consider gathering these supplies the night before you take the test....