Practicing Parents

It’s not uncommon for (“parenting”) advice to rain down on mums as soon as the word is out that they are expecting. Obviously this is meant well and stems from…

We’ve all been there. Having explained our request, argued, and issued threats, our defiant child stands before us, jaw set and arms akimbo. The question racing through both of our…

Disciplining your children is an art and a science, which we don’t always get right. We’ve all had those occasions when our discipline efforts backfire, and of course there are…

Cooking with kids is not only fun, it also teaches your children some very important life skills. So pick up that whisk, dust of the kitchen bench, and have some…

Leg shaving for girls and face shaving for boys is a rite of passage that many children look forward to, but despite the fact that it can make a kid…

The global baby care product industry caters to around 4 million babies on a yearly basis, generating retail revenue of nearly $8 billion, according to Packaged Facts.  Australians alone spent…

Kindergarten can be pivotal in preparing your child for their future academic journey. So it’s important that parents are involved even in these early stages as much as possible. Being…

No matter what your parenting style is, at some stage you will experience episodes of bad tween behaviour; some more severe than others. Using these five basic steps will improve…

  This is a brief overview of homeschooling to provide the basic ideas of homeschooling and resources for further information on homeschooling. What Is Homeschooling? Homeschooling is essentially parent-directed education….

We use signing as a means of communication all the time without even realizing it. For example, waving goodbye, singing nursery rhymes with hand movements (such as incy wincy spider),…

Being a dad should be a wonderful experience. Thankfully, the concept of “dad” as just the breadwinner is now considered old and unhelpful. The best dad is the one who…

Place your details into our Body Mass Calculator below and watch your Body Mass Index be shown immediately. Please note that this is only a guide. For more details on…

To reduce the incidence of SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome) and other fatal sleeping accidents, these baby sleeping guidelines are recommended by SIDS and Kids (a high profile NFP). Here…

First, it’s important to point out that there is no “right time” for your toddler to walk. When we say that most babies can hold onto something between the ages…

Have you been trying to become pregnant for quite a while now unsuccessfully? At some point if you are unsuccessful at becoming pregnant, you may need to look beyond natural…

It’s not always the female that is the reason behind failure to achieve pregnancy. In fact about 30%-40% of the time the cause of infertility comes from the male; which is why…

If you are trying to conceive but haven’t had any luck getting pregnant yet, read on! Chances are you or your partner may have an underlying fertility problem. Even if…

Conceiving can be hard at the best of times. There are many variables that will influence your ability to conceive at any given moment. Nevertheless, below are a list of…

For adults, childhood can seem like a carefree time, but the truth is that kids of all ages can still experience stress. Challenging home environments, difficulties at school and concerns…

A happy household doesn’t just happen. If  you want to be a great parent, if you want a family home filled with love and care, you need to go about…

In many ways, children and parties do have a natural affinity, but they can also be chaotic, exhausting, and stressful (and that’s for the child, not the parents!) Whilst they…

Advances in medical care have made it possible for women to have babies later in life and indeed having a baby in later life is becoming increasingly popular amongst women…

Top Parenting Tips Being a parent is the most important job you can do in your life so it helps to ignore the common myths and live by some simple,…

Crying is a baby’s most basic mode of communication, and soothing a fussy baby can prove to be challenging for any parent. It is awful for parents to hear their…

10. “We live in a society of laws! Why do you think I took you to all those Police Academymovies?! For fun?! Well, I didn’t hear anybody laughing, did you?!” 9….

Paul Graham is an essayist, programmer, and investor. In 1995 he developed with Robert Morris the first web-based application, Viaweb, which was acquired by Yahoo in 1998. In 2002 his…

In his book, The Ten Basic Principles of Good Parenting, Laurence Steinberg, PhD, provides tips and guidelines based on some 75 years of social science research. Follow them and you can…

Great Parent Advice For Working Mums & Dads Getting back into a routine after family holidays can be difficult, because normal patterns have been disrupted. For example, working parents may…

For many of us, friends and families live some distance away. So how do you feel when it’s time to pack up the car, pack up the kids, and head…

If you had any doubts about the importance of exercise in child development, get rid of them now. Every piece of research points to a correlation between increased fitness and…

Parenting Advice For Raising Well Balanced Children UNICEF has previously written about the correlation between raising children to be well balanced and healthy and the role of consumer products in…

There’s one thing that most parents agree on; Mornings can be really tough! Apparently one of the most common causes of parental stress is what we call ‘morning mayhem’.  Parents…

Understanding the basics of child development is essential to good parenting practice. This is a big subject (various aspects of which have been covered on PracticingParents.com by a number of…

Unfortunately, children don’t come in to the world with a manual on good behaviour! Even if they did, it wouldn’t work because there are so many mixed messages about how…

Positive stories about teens rarely make it into the headlines, but nine in ten teens do not get into trouble! Make no bones about it, there will be times when…

Did you know that research shows that pregnancy and child rearing enhance mental capabilities? Sure, it’s a time characterized by lack of sleep, walking around in a haze, and a…

Don’t worry! If the title brings up images of self-centered, egotistical, indulgent children you’re mistaken. This isn’t about teaching the Millennials (the generation born this side of the 21st century)…

When it comes to parenting, have you ever felt like the more you read and learn about something, the more you don’t know? Don’t worry, help is on hand. Of…

When Is The Right Time To Toilet Train? On average, most toddlers begin learning to use a potty by around their second birthday, but as with everything in children’s development,…

Handling children’s anger can be difficult. It’s puzzling, draining, and distressing for us. It also raises questions about the way we parent (“are we somehow to blame?”). So first things…

Sleep is important to everybody… and especially kids. When we sleep, we rest and gain energy for a new day. But, of course, sleep does more than that. For example,…

There’s no two ways about it, praise is a crucial part of being a positive parent. Whatever your parenting style, providing praise in the right way and at the right times is…

Toddlers are still just realising they’re separate people so as your toddler grows and develops, they’ll begin to learn who they are and will have more understanding about themself. As…

“Daddy wears a dress” my 8 year old told her friends at school, I later found out from a concerned parent. “Ah… don’t worry… An overactive imagination” I replied, as…

Effective parenting has never been more important to a family’s success than today. Proper parenting shapes the coming generations, and defines the way the way the next generation will behave….

  Quick Tips from the Experts is an important part of keeping your kids safe. Unfortunately, with each new stage of your child’s development, new dangers arise on the home front…

Many parents go through life unaware of how much their actions and choices affect their children. Whatever our children see us being and doing, they will invariably copy. For instance,…

Guest Author Carl DiNello is an Article Author whose articles are featured on websites covering the Internets most popular topics. He writes below: Parenting skills are something that new parents…

We’ve come to associate the flight with being the most uncomfortable part of the holiday, but after thinking carefully about our “travelling strategy”, we found it didn’t take much to…

  Guest Author, Bonnie Ryan, is writing for designer diaper bags, her personal hobby blog focused on recommendations to help mothers and fathers to get details to become much more eco-conscious…

As a family, we love to read. I read, my partner reads, our child reads. In short, we love our books. A lot has been written (and read) about the…

Some would say Cormac McCarthy’s subject in his new novel is as big as it gets; namely, that “The Road” is about the end of the civilized world. However, I…

Knowing how bad I am with my own money, I’m wondering when and “how much” (pun intended) to educate my children on the highs and lows of financial responsibility. Should…

It’s the end of the holidays for our daughter and she’s just moved into a new year and a new class. So, how’s she coping? Well, in my experience children…

The modern day Mary Poppins comes in many guises. No longer the conservative, middle aged luxury limited to the wealthy. In fact, in today’s society your next nanny might even…

All toys & gifts featured in this guide are under $20 (and many are around $10)! We were surprised at so many great deals we found online and the cheapest and…

We love Summer! Days of lazing at the beach, presents shared with friends and family (in the Southern hemisphere at least… it’s Christmas, you see). A couple of weeks off…

“Fight fight fight fight”… I can remember hearing the chants from the other boys in the playground. A common scene in most schools at some stage or another. 2 kids,…

Sorry to say this, but the answer is: no, probably not! Hey, I’m just being honest here. For some genetically embedded reason we all think that our kids are gifted….

Here’s the thing… parents often feel so much pressure to do everything right by their children that they quite easily forget to take care of their own needs. But if…

Summer is coming (in Australia) and we’ve just finished the latest holidays here. During this time we have been busy scheming up fun stuff to do as a family so…

Goodness me! I’ve just been privy to a very heated discussion about wet-nursing (the act of breastfeeding someone else’s child). Why does it evoke such a strong reaction in so…

It sounds like they come as a package doesn’t it? “Kids and Cursing”! And for many, that’s the reality. Especially, it seems, when they hit the tween and teen years….

I read an article recently about a 61 year old man in Georgia who slapped a two year (not his own, and not even anyone he knew) in a shop…

I’m in the process of reading Freakonomics by Stephen Dubner and Steven Levitt and – apart from being great read – there is a really interesting chapter about parenting. It’s entitled…

First, let me take this opportunity to thank everyone that has written in, commented on articles, provided feedback, and just been reading and supporting us here at Practicing Parents. It…

Parenting is a hard enough task in its own right. So, trying to save the planet at the same time is a tough ask! Keeping up with the latest news…

A recent UK report into the well being of children has identified the increasing number of women who return to the workforce, particularly in their baby’s first year, as one…

Although we are all familiar with the term “single parent families”, “step families” and “traditional families” the phrase “blended family” isn’t so widely recognised. So what exactly is a blended…

As parents, it’s easy to forget the basics… Here’s a quick reminder of the dos and don’ts! Enjoy These come from a book called Safe Baby Handling Tips by David…

Adoption differs from fostering in a number of ways. Adoption is a legal process by which all parental rights and responsibilities are permanently transferred to the adoptive parents by a…

Whenever I think of my mum - parenting 8 children (and sometimes more) - “control” isn’t the word that naturally springs to mind! Don’t get me wrong, I was blessed with wonderful…

  I’ve been asked by a number of people to put something together that is relevant for families splitting up. This is a really difficult topic to write about, mainly…

With over 16,700 cases now recorded in Australia (47 deaths) and the news from the Australian medical board that over 70% of influenza cases are now of the N1H1 (swine…

It’s a fact, children love their fathers just as much as their mums! OK, seriously though, I know (personally) that dads can get a raw deal. The pressure is on…

It’s pretty much a given that pregnancy is a time when you are expected to be happy and full of the joys of the world. You should be brimming with…

You probably don’t remember this story (it comes from the UK about 4/5 years ago), but for some reason it stuck with me. It was about a Mr and Mrs…

Although toddler tantrums are part of daily life with some toddlers, some parents seem to suffer far less than others. However liable your child is to tantrums, though, you can…

Getting pregnant can be easy for some and a real struggle for others. In this article we will look at some of the best “getting pregnant tips” and review one…

For some dads, the bonding process is well on its way from the moment their baby arrives, but don’t worry if you don’t fit into that category! Many dads find…

Once you’ve got over the excitement of being pregnant, it’s time to decide on your approach to work. Most women can continue working during pregnancy and many women work successfully…

Children and toys go hand in hand and the best toys are the ones that combine the element of learning with having a fun time. Although playing with toys can…

When we meet someone new, one of the first questions we ask is what they do for a living. What this tells us is that a) most of us define…

For a lot of people, these are difficult times. The economy is in meltdown, unemployment is on the rise, and it seems the media only wants to report the doom…

OK, the baby is out (congratulations!), but now what happens?   This is an interesting one. My partner (who, incidentally, had a caesarean) remembers the first 24 hours as being…

This is one of the most hotly debated baby topics around: should you leave a baby to cry itself to sleep or not? Is it helpful or harmful? There are…

Now we know that there are plenty of “old wives tales” for people who want to check the gender of their baby. There is the wedding ring over the tummy…

In today’s media-crazed world, children of all ages are exposed to mixed messages and images that affect their attitudes towards eating and food. On one hand they are bombarded with…

Recently I was trying to get some face time with a close friend and the conversation went something like this: Me – “fancy catching up soon… it’s high time we…

OK, let’s not beat around the burning bush here; I do believe in God (not an old bearded man in a white gown mind you) and my “religion” brings me…

Are you constantly searching the latest on parenting to make sure you are doing everything exactly right? It’s time to relax. Temple University psychologist, Laurence Steinberg, author of The Ten…

Knowing the difference between discipline and punishment is crucial and, as a parent, how do we know what is appropriate… and when? Many different schools of thought about how to…

Does the word “bully” evoke an image of a tough, muscular boy beating up on a skinny kid on a school playground? Despite the popular perception that only boys are…

Most adults get their exercise through deliberate activities such as running or walking, riding a stationary bike, or taking an aerobics class. They do this for the sake of reaching…

Primary-aged children who are taught at home learn more than those in schools, according to a number of studies into the benefits of home learning. Ongoing research reveals that in…