Kids and Parenting
Candy Alternatives for Your Gingerbread House
Keep the festive decorating tradition alive with these creative candy alternatives that allow you to maintain a healthier holiday for the whole family. These ideas will not only help you curb candy cravings, but they will also allow you to stand out in your next gingerbread decorating contest.
Toy Safety 101: Kid-Friendly Checklist
Are your child's toys safe? Each year, hundreds of thousands are hospitalized due to toy-related injuries.
Thanksgiving Recipe Ideas for the Picky Eater in Your Family
When you have a picky eater in your family, this can cause stress leading up to and during the holiday meal. Here are some ideas and recipes that can help your picky eater join in on the Thanksgiving dinner.
Understanding the Range of Premature Birth
Being born early can mean serious health risks for infants, particularly in their brain and lungs. The range of premature birth spans several weeks, and premature babies will require more care.
What is Sharenting? The Risks and Dangers of Oversharing Online
We all love to document moments with our children that mean a lot to us, but oversharing pictures and information about our kids online carries serious risk. The term for this habit is "sharenting."
Meal Planning for Kids with Type 1 Diabetes
When choosing meals for kids with type 1 diabetes, aim for a balanced mix of complex carbohydrates, proteins and fats. It’s also important to time meals and snacks in accordance with insulin doses.
5 Fall Nature Activities and Crafts for Kids
As the seasons start to change, make it a goal to keep your kids active and outside. Michigan fall is a beautiful time to get your kids involved in nature while letting them be creative and hands-on.
Benefits of Playing Youth Sports
As of 2020, more than 54% of school-aged children in the United States participated in youth sports. Youth sports are associated with higher levels of physical activity and improved physical and mental health. There are multiple benefits to participation in youth sports.
The Benefits of Silk Pillowcases and Accessories for Your Hair
Silk pillowcases and other silk accessories such as wraps, scarves and bonnets have become increasingly popular for their benefits for hair and skin. These silk head accessories have been a cornerstone of Black hair experiences to protect natural and braided hairstyles long before they were more widely adopted as a healthy hair technique. Now the use of silk material has become more popular regardless of hair type.
5 Healthy Breakfast Hacks for Busy Parents
A healthy breakfast doesn’t have to be complicated or time-consuming, but a little planning and preparation can go a long way.
8 Tools to Manage ADHD
By current estimates, more than 7 million children and more than 8 million adults in the United States have ADHD. Here are 8 tools to better manage ADHD for both adults and children.
Easy Ways to Introduce Yoga to Your Kids
Yoga is known for its health benefits, including increased flexibility, increased strength, improved sleep and the ability to help with chronic pain and inflammation. Many of these benefits apply to kids as well. Learn how to introduce yoga to kids with these tips and yoga poses.
The Importance of Modeling Healthy Behaviors for Kids
Healthy childhood eating habits help shape a child’s body image perception, relationship with food and chronic disease risk later in life.
Do Babies and Infants Need Sunglasses?
Putting sunglasses on a baby or infant is sure to be cute – but it’s also an important preventive choice to protect the child from sun damage. Learn when kids start to need sunglasses and how to pick out the right set of sunglasses for a baby or infant.
How to Help Kids Prepare for the First Year of Middle School
The first year of middle school is full of new experiences and challenges. Parents and mentors have an important role in helping kids acclimate and succeed in middle school. Learn some approaches and tips for helping kids prepare for middle school.
Benefits of Sharing Meals
Sharing meals is a great way to spend more time with your family and friends. It turns out there are multiple benefits to health and well-being from sharing meals, including improved eating habits, reduces stress and tension, improved self-image in kids, and improved family relationships.
Benefits of Reading Aloud to Kids
Reading out loud to your kids is a great way to spend time together and has multiple educational and emotional benefits for both kids and adults. Time spent together with books and stories can help kids’ reading and comprehension skills, as well as be a centering and calming practice for everyone involved, especially when reading together is part of a routine.
Michigan Bucket List: The Dow Gardens
Located in Midland, the Dow Gardens is 110 acres of tall trees, running water, and beautiful blooming flowers. The botanical garden is the perfect place to take a day trip to disconnect from the world and take a nature walk.
10 Mental Health Tips for New Parents
Practicing self-compassion at this time is important for your mental health. You’re going through a major life change, which takes time to adjust to.
Do Kids Need Multivitamins?
Multivitamins may seem like an easy way to ensure kids get the vitamins and minerals they need, but are they necessary? In healthy children, it’s best to get minerals and vitamins through a wide range of healthy foods.
Safely Preparing for Fall Sports During the Summer
Properly preparing for fall sports during the summer months is essential for the health and safety of young athletes.
Michigan Bucket List: Zoos to Visit
Michigan is home to many zoos, petting zoos, refuges, and specialty animal conservancies that are an exciting, fun and educational experience for the whole family. We’ve compiled some of the best zoos and conservatories from across the state.
How Do I Successfully Set a Summer Routine for My Kids?
Creating a gentle routine for your kids is important for their development and well-being. Knowing what to expect helps children feel more safe and secure.
Stopping the “Summer Slide”
Kids lose up to two months of education in the summer months. Use these tricks to keep them sharp all summer long.
Snack Swaps: Help Kids Eat Healthy All Summer
Lack of structure in the summer can lead to mindless snacking. Try these swaps to help kids eat right this summer.
Adults aren’t the only ones who get stressed out
It’s tempting to romanticize childhood as a time where the biggest concerns are who to sit with in the cafeteria, what your summer plans are, and what to spend your allowance on. Reality during childhood can often be a lot different than the ideal.
Michigan Bucket List: Hot Air Balloon Festivals
Hot air balloons offer the chance to see the breathtaking sight of different colors flying through the sky and learn about the physics of the balloons. There are plenty of opportunities across the state to see these spectacles. We have a list of a few different locations and dates where you can see a hot air balloon festival in Michigan.
Creative Ways to Thank the Father Figure in Your Life
Every year it can be a challenge to come up with something new and exciting to celebrate the father figure in your life. What to do for a man who has done so much for you? We’re here to help you come up with ideas to honor the father figure in your life.
Healthy Homemade Popsicle Recipes with Fresh Fruit
The freezer aisle of your favorite grocery stores is filled with different flavored popsicles sure to make you cool off a bit. However, in those freezers full of popsicles there are a lot of added sugars, colors, high fructose corn syrup, and preservatives. Learn some healthy fresh-fruit popsicle recipe to make at home.
5 Healthy Summer Fruit and Veggie Snacks for Kids
It can be a hassle finding healthy snacks your kids will eat and enjoy. These quick, easy, and nutritious snack options are perfect for your active kids this summer.
Recognizing and Managing Learning Disabilities in Students
Hear from Dr. Amy McKenzie on how to recognize and cope with students who are struggling with a learning disability.
Warning Signs to Look for in Children After a Concussion
When a child suffers a fall or a blow to the head, concussion is a concern. It’s important to know the signs of a concussion, warning signs that need immediate care, and what to do for a child who may be concussed.
9 Healthy Ideas for Memorial Day Weekend
Looking for something fun and healthy to do this weekend? Check out these ideas to usher in the unofficial start of summer.
Teacher Appreciation Week: Simple Acts to Show Appreciation
May 6 to May 10 is Teacher Appreciation Week this year. It is common to celebrate teachers during this week with events, gifts, and an outpouring of appreciation and respect for teachers and their work. Here are some examples of acts that students and parents can use to show their appreciation for teachers.
How Do I Get My Kids to Eat Healthier Meals?
It can feel like a constant effort to keep your kids eating healthy meals. Kids can also be notoriously picky, for a variety of reasons. Read on for some ideas for creating healthy meals for your kids and tips on getting kids to eat healthier.
Immunization 101: The Vaccines Your Child Needs to Stay Healthy
Vaccines prevent more than 2.5 million deaths each year and protect not only those receiving the vaccine, but also everyone around them, particularly those with weakened immune systems, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Understanding Autism in Children
Autism affects the way a person communicates and interacts with others. It does not affect all people equally, rather there are varying degrees of severity.
Autism Awareness Month: Jonathan’s Story
A Michigan mom shares the story of her family’s journey with autism and how she wants more understanding for people like her son.
What Are the Basics of Safe Sleep for Infants?
The primary dangers related to sleep for infants, and risk factors for sleep-related infant deaths, involve the positioning of the child while sleeping, the materials and environment the child sleeps in, temperature, respiratory inhibitors and choking hazards. There are a few basic standards or rules to go by when setting up a safe sleep environment for your baby.
Mindful Parenting: Celebrating Inchstones
We're used to celebrating our children's big milestone moments. But it can be valuable for both the parent and the child to celebrate the smaller triumphs, too.
8 Healthy Snacks for Pregnancy
These healthy pregnancy snacks incorporate many key nutrients and are also easy to prepare, transport and eat whether at home, work or on-the-go.
Signs of Feeding and Eating Disorders in Children
Feeding and eating disorders are considered mental health disorders and medical illnesses. Understanding the types, signs and symptoms is important, regardless of an individual’s age and gender.
Leading Causes of Cavities in Children
Limiting certain foods and teaching dental hygiene habits at a young age can lead to a lifetime of healthy behaviors while preventing cavities in the process.
Michigan Mom with Rare Heart Disease Credits Her Baby with Saving Her Life
West Michigan mom Amanda Banic, 35, almost died from a rare, genetic disease that caused her heart to tear apart – and she credits her baby with saving her life.
Healthy Paczki Recipe: Battered Banana Paczki Bites
In this healthier paczki recipe, banana slices are dipped in a fluffy batter, seared to golden perfection, then served on a platter with drizzles of raspberry preserves and a dusting of powdered sugar. Enjoy as breakfast or dessert.
Michigan Bucket List: Biggest Sledding Hills in Michigan
If you love sledding, you’re in the right place. Here’s our list of favorite sledding hills across Michigan.
Sledding Hill Safety Tips
The thrill of whooshing down a sledding hill is fun for all ages. But sledding comes with risks, too.
How to Help Your Child Make Healthy Eating Choices at School
How can you help kids make healthy choices when they buy lunch? It’s important to educate children on nutrition and how to make healthy decisions on their own.
How to Treat Your Weekend Like a Vacation
When your weeks feel cyclical and repetitive, try treating a weekend like a vacation. Here's how to unplug, unwind, and get into that vacation mindset.
Activities for Holiday Fun with Your Kids
Children make the holidays brighter. Make sure you set aside some special activities just for them, like the five ideas listed here.
Natural Home Cleaners You Can Make Yourself
Ready to make your own natural cleaners? We’ll show you how.
When to Take Down Your Christmas Tree
Do you love to let the holidays linger? When is the right time to take down your Christmas tree?
The Stress-Free Way to Host a Huge Family Gathering
There's a lot to juggle when setting out to host a family gathering. Before you host yours, give these five tips a glance.
Winter Break Activities in West Michigan
Step into a warm-water splash zone, join a museum mini camp, or skate away through a lighted forest trail. Winter Break activities are all about adventure.
How to Raise the Humidity in Your Home
Cold weather means your furnace is kicking on, and drying out the air in your home.
Diabetes-Friendly Thanksgiving Ideas
Enjoying food-centered holidays can be a real challenge for people with diabetes but there are ways to make these traditional gatherings more diabetes-friendly.
4 Tips to Handle Halloween Candy in a Healthy Way
The average kid is likely going to consume between 3,500 and 7,000 calories from candy on Halloween. This is the equivalent of up to three cups of sugar. -- and can be hard for kids to brush off of their teeth. Here are some tips to navigate the sugar rush of Halloween, and how to keep kids' teeth clean and healthy.
Safety Hacks for Pumpkin Carving
Knife-related hand injuries soar around Halloween for kids and teens. Here are some safety hacks for pumpkin carving.
Brain Foods for Studying and Exams
The brain is a highly active organ that requires a healthy supply of energy and micronutrients to function at its best.
Michigan Bucket List: U-Pick Pumpkin Patches
Pumpkin patches are a fall treat in Michigan. Find a good one, then stay for a wagon ride, eat a donut and do a little pumpkin bowling.
Navigating Conversations with Children About Obesity
Building healthy habits at home is a great way to teach children and teens behaviors that they can carry with them for the rest of their lives.
What is Malnutrition?
Malnutrition doesn’t just mean undernutrition, when you’re not eating enough nutrient-rich food. It can also mean overnutrition.
Top 5 Red Flags in Friendships
Recognizing and addressing the red flags in a friendship can be crucial to your mental and physical well-being. Start an open dialogue with your friend if you encounter these five red flags.
10 Healthy and Fun Michigan-Inspired Snacks for Your Kids
Activities with children – whether playing in the backyard or exploring your community – are never complete without snack time. Here are some tasty, healthy snacks that will keep your little ones energized throughout the day.
Sun Protection Needs by Age
Should our sun safety practices change as we get older? Here are sun protection tips by age.
Healthy Out-of-the-lunch-box Ideas for Kids
Different food groups provide vital nutrients to fuel a child’s day. Here’s how to get at least three of the five groups into your child’s lunch.
5 Fun and Creative Ways to Get Your Kids Involved in Cooking
Want to sharpen your child’s cooking skills early? These easy, creative tips can make for a fun family experience in the kitchen.
Is It Healthier Than a Cookie? Granola Bars Carry Hidden Sugars
Is reaching for a granola bar a healthier choice than a couple cookies? Here’s how reading a label can help.
How to Keep Kids Healthy During Summer Sports Practice
Summertime can be a busy season for kids and sports. Here’s a few tips to keep active kids healthy.
How to Spot Common Food Allergies in Children
Offices, classrooms and even restaurants often have signs that warn of food allergies. Here’s how parents can stay ahead of them.
Finding Relief: Who to Talk to When Allergies Strike
Learn how to spot the telltale signs of a new allergy’s development and where to go to receive qualified care and advice.
A Week of Healthy, Easy School Lunches
Need inspiration for balanced school lunches? These easy options have all the nutrients kids need and some take just a few minutes to make.
5 Easy Ways To Improve Your Speech at Home
Practice speaking clearly with these 5 easy speech techniques to help you feel more confident.
5 Simple Ways to Keep Your Preschooler Healthy
Keeping your preschooler healthy can be difficult. Check out these simple reminders to help strengthen their immune system and teach healthy habits.
Race to Recess: How Unstructured Play Helps Kids
One-third of children are overweight or obese, leaving room for a host of other health complications. So what can be done to help?
A Parent’s Guide to Dietary Discussions
Knowing how to talk to a child about their health is key to empowering them to make smart choices. Here are tips on how to start a dialogue.
Who’s Caring for the Caregivers?
Taking care of a sick or elderly family members is an extremely noble act. But be careful not to abandon your own self care.
Fight Childhood Obesity with Go, Glow and Grow Foods
The typical American diet favors convenience foods over health. The “go, glow and grow foods” concept can help kids make healthier choices.
What You Need to Know About Measles
Cases of the measles have been down in the United States since 2019, but the infectious viral disease should still be taken seriously.
8 Things You Should Know About the Flu Shot
The flu vaccine is effective, does not cause the flu, and affects children and adults differently. Here are some other facts to know in order to stay protected.
Helping Children Get Acquainted with a New School
A new school can be a hard transition for children, tweens and teens to navigate. Read up on ways to help your child build confidence this school year.
5 Sun Safety Myths Debunked
These common sun safety misconceptions and facts can reduce your family’s risk of skin damage and other sun-related health hazards.
Table Talks: Discussing Dad Life
Fatherhood poses unique challenges for men. From raising children to keeping themselves healthy, parenting is unlike any other experience.
Strawberry Picking in Michigan: Why You Should Go & Tips For When You Do
Fresh Michigan strawberries are a wonderful summer treat, especially when you pick them yourself!
What Age and How Often Should Kids Get an Eye Exam?
Visiting the eye doctor may seem intimidating, especially to kids, but it could make all the difference when testing for visual development and abnormalities.
Back-to-School: Backpack Health
As kids bring more and more home in their backpacks, make sure their backs stay healthy and strong by following these guidelines.
How to Teach Kids to Love Healthy Fats
Kids are bombarded with advertisements for unhealthy food. Here’s how to teach them to love healthy fats.
Bug off: Protect your family from insect bites this summer
Whether camping in the woods or gardening in the backyard, there will likely be mosquitos or ticks. Learn the best way to protect your family from bug bites.
Differences in Chronic Asthma and Exercise-Induced Asthma in Children
Does your child suffer from chronic asthma or exercise-induced asthma? Read more to find out how you can help manage their symptoms.
5 Healthy Habits You Can Learn From Your Dog
Your dog might slobber and snore, but it also lives a pretty healthy life. Here’s how to find inspiration from your pup to live your healthiest life.
The Joy of an Intimate, At-Home NYE Celebration
This New Year’s Eve will be different, but it doesn’t have to be any less fun. Here are some ideas for couples and families.
Is It Possible to Keep Holiday Traditions Alive This Year?
Big holiday gatherings are seen as high-risk in this COVID-19 era, so families are looking for new ways to keep traditions at the forefront.
Keep Kids Safe This Holiday: 6 Household Hazards to Avoid
If you’re celebrating this holiday season with babies, toddlers, or small children, you’ll want to take extra precautions to keep them safe.
How to Prepare Kids for a Different Kind of Holiday
Holidays will be different for many families this year. Helping children understand why and picking new ways to make them festive will make the difference.
Talking About Your Family’s Mental Health History
Finding out which mental health disorders could be in your family tree might take a little detective work but can be valuable information for your own health.
Talking to Kids About the Dangers of Drinking and Drugged Driving
Many children learn about alcohol and drugs a lot earlier than parents anticipate so having conversations about drinking and drugged driving is important.
4 Ways to Keep Anxiety Out of Your Holiday Planning
COVID-19 is putting a twist in holiday plans this year. But a little prep work ahead of time will make this year’s celebrations smoother.
Ideas to Keep the Family Connected this Holiday Season
From virtual chats decked out in your holiday best, to recipe swaps of your family’s favorites, there are ways to celebrate together while apart this season.
Child Safety and Protection Month
November is Child Safety and Protection Month. It was created to raise awareness about the potential dangers that children face each and every day.
How to Work STEM/STEAM Lessons in at Home Using Household Items
You can encourage your children to do STEM/STEAM projects with things already in your kitchen, pantry and bathroom cupboards.