Kristin van Ogtrop is the editor of Real Simple magazine, she is a mother of three and the author of Just Let me Lie Down: Necessary Terms for the Half-Insane Working Mom. In a recent interview with Time Magazine, Kristin shared a few key insights about how she feels today’s generation of mothers and young [...]
Gender-specific play in early childhood has been explored in various Together Family articles over the last few months, but a recent event (the royal engagement) has brought it back to the spotlight. I started wondering about young girls’ princess fantasies: why they exist, how they’re fomented and whether or not they’re a healthy part of [...]
A 50-year UK study recently concluded that kids of working Moms turn out just fine. The report concludes that “kids whose Moms went back to work before the kids were 3 years old had no worse academic or behavioural problems than kids whose Moms stayed home. In fact, in some instances they did better.” [...]
Baby boys might be at a greater risk of being born with health problems if their mothers take painkillers during their pregnancy, a recent study found. Researches found a link between taking analgesics during pregnancy to a condition called cryptorchidism in baby boys. Boys with this condition are born with un-descended testicles, can have fertility [...]
I dislocated my son’s elbow yesterday. Yup – I popped it right out of the socket. I had my baby in my left arm and was holding my three-year-old’s hand with my right as we headed up the stairs. Half-way up my preschooler suddenly decided he didn’t want to go upstairs anymore. He tried to [...]
The average preschooler is spending about four hours in front of a screen each day – two times more than the recommended maximum. Screen time includes watching movies or television, using the computer or playing video games. A study that began in 2001 and was recently published in the Journal of Pediatrics, recorded screen time habits [...]
When talking with Carol Anne Wien – a PhD of education and early childhood development expert – about educational activities that parents can do with their children, I was shocked to hear what she had to say. Dr. Wien actually cautions parents against trying to do too much educational stuff with their children. “I don’t [...]
Tired of sharing your cellphone and computer with your preschooler? Offer one of these exciting educational toy options to your tech-savvy tot…and get ready to reclaim your gear! LeapFrog’s Text & Learn LeapFrog’s Text & Learn ($24.99, toysrus.ca), a 2009 Toy Talk award winner, gets three- to five-year-olds in on the fast-finger fun with letter [...]
Full-day kindergarten is now underway in select Ontario schools. This is the first program of its kind to be implemented in North America and everyone is watching to see how it will work. Many are arguing that the province was not ready and they jumped the gun in order to be the first. Many wrinkles [...]
