Things to Know About CHIP

The Children’s Health Insurance Program, which is abbreviated as CHIP, is something that is talked about in the news from time to time. Your child might qualify for the program, or could currently be benefiting from it. The CHIP program receives funding for a certain amount of years, and then depends on Congress to allow that funding to continue. Facts About CHIP The Children’s Health Insurance Program was passed in 1997. CHIP provides health insurance for 9 million children. CHIP helps families who make too much money to qualify for Medicaid, but who don’t make enough to be able to … Continue reading

Everything You Need to Know About Norovirus

Flu season typically reaches its peak between late January and March. There is a lot of focus on Influenza which can be prevented by getting vaccinated every year. The “flu” vaccine cannot prevent Norovirus. Here is a quick look at everything a parent needs to know about Norovirus. There is no vaccine for Norovirus. Unfortunately, there is no vaccine to prevent Norovirus. Part of the difficulty involved in making a vaccine is that Norovirus can mutate and that it is a virus that lives in the gut. Some companies are working on a Norovirus vaccine, but it isn’t ready yet. … Continue reading

How to Help Your Kids Fall Asleep

Sleep is important. We all know what it feels like to have to get up and start the day after not having enough sleep. Before parents can turn in for the night they need to make sure their children are asleep. What can you do if your child is resisting bedtime or getting up at night? Here are some ideas that could help your kids to fall asleep. How much sleep do kids really need? The National Sleep Foundation has some recommendations that are based upon the age of the person. Adults need less sleep than children and babies do. … Continue reading

Positive Parenting Might be your Style

Parents today have a plethora of parenting styles to choose from. Have you figured out what your parenting style is yet? If not, then perhaps Positive Parenting might be your style. Positive Parenting is a style that is intended to lessen stress and form healthier relationships between parents and their children. It is not an authoritarian parenting style. Other phrases that have been used to describe Positive Parenting include: positive discipline, gentle guidance, or loving guidance. Physical punishment, such as spanking, is absolutely not a part of Positive Parenting. It isn’t about “teaching your child a lesson”. Instead, this parenting … Continue reading

Exercise Can Improve Your Ability to Parent

Everyone knows that getting regular exercise is important. Exercise helps you lose weight, tone muscle, and stay healthy. Did you know that exercise can actually improve your ability to parent your children? This revelation could give parents a whole new reason to start exercising. Stasia Bliss wrote an article at Liberty Voice about the many ways that exercise improves parenting. She notes that when you are exercising you are nourishing yourself. Personally, I see what she is suggesting as “me time”. When you are exercising, your entire focus is on yourself and what your body is doing. It is a … Continue reading

The Dirty Diaper and Your Child’s Health

According to a New York Times article, “In a study published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, researchers led by Anita Kozyrskyj found that babies born by C-Section vaginally, and that infants who were breast-fed had a different recipe of bacteria in their guts than those who were given formula.” And when it comes to health, specifically digestive heath and the immune system, it is the bacteria, or bugs, that count. Studies have long shown that children who have been delivered by C-Section have greater risks of certain illnesses, such as asthma, diabetes and obesity, as do children who were … Continue reading

What’s it Like to Parent a Child who has Special Needs?

All children are unique. This means that your parenting experience will have some aspects that are different from what other parents may be doing. Sometimes, people will ask a mom or dad who has a child with special needs what it is like to parent their child. There isn’t a “one size fits all” answer to this question. Here’s a quick roundup of the answers given by some parents. NR Today has a post titled “Jemelene Wilson: Raising a child with special needs”. She is the mother of two children. One of her daughters is grown, and married. Her youngest … Continue reading

Protect Your Allergic Child from Valentine’s Day

Does your child attend an elementary school that will be having a classroom Valentine’s Day party? Typically, those parties involve a ton of sweets, treats, and goodies that do not have ingredient labels and may contain things your child is allergic to. What’s a parent to do? Here are some options to protect your child from Valentine’s Day. Parents want to protect their child from all potential harm. Food allergies make that difficult. Not everyone understands what your child could experience if he or she encounters peanuts, gluten, eggs, or milk. Your child might not entirely understand exactly how this … Continue reading

Don’t Forget to Take Care of Yourself

As a mother it is natural to put our children’s needs above our own. While there is nothing wrong with this, it is important to remember to take care of your needs as well. Your kids need a healthy mommy to take care of them, which means like it or not, you can’t push your needs aside anymore. You have to take care of yourself, so you are still around to take care of them in the future. As a woman yearly exams are crucial. It doesn’t matter how old you are, how healthy you think you may be, there’s … Continue reading

Could Your Clutter Be Putting You at Risk?

Don’t let your clutter control your life or your finances. Taking some time to de-clutter your home can not only be more freeing, but it could possible reduce your risk of going into debt. Here is why. Clutter Can Be Overwhelming When clutter gets out of control, you can quickly become overwhelmed. Being overwhelmed means that you will have less focus and energy to live your life. Studies have shown that too much clutter may even contribute to depression. With less focus and energy for work and life, plus possible “retail therapy” to lift the spirits, debt could quickly get … Continue reading