Do I really need to start talking to my tweens about vaping?

Posted on December 18, 2019 by Heather Van Laare RN

I feel like I’m in a golden age of parenting. My kids are in their tween years (defined as being between the ages of 8 to 12 years). The exhausting days of early parenting are far behind me. My kids are doing more things on their own and often surprise me by what they can do. Yet they still need me and I have lots of input into their decisions. Sure, their brains are still developing which makes for regular emotional outbursts leaving me to wonder at times, who are these children? But for the most part, I love it!

Two sisters hugging ages 9 and 11

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Posted in Children & Tweens, Emotional Well-Being & Mental Health for Your Child/Tween, Keeping Your Child/Tween Safe, Parenting, Parenting Your Child/Tween | Tagged | Leave a comment

Edible Cannabis: how to protect your kids from unintentional poisoning

Posted on October 17, 2019 by Tamara Kraszewski, RN

I’ll never forget the feeling of panic when I saw my 3 year-old holding a bottle of household cleaner. I left a cupboard door unlocked in the bathroom as I went to answer my phone. Fortunately, he only looked at it. At that time, edible cannabis was not on my list of potential safety concerns. If I were to have a young child now, that list would be different.

In Canada, the number of young children hospitalized after the ingestion of cannabis has increased since cannabis legislation. Between September and December 2018, sixteen cases of severe reactions were reported to the Canadian Paediatric Surveillance Program.

Girl's Hand Reaching For Cupcake On Kitchen Counter

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Posted in Babies, Children & Tweens, Emotional Well-Being & Mental Health for Your Child/Tween, Healthy Eating for Toddlers & Preschoolers, Healthy Eating for Your Child/Tween, Keeping Your Baby Safe, Keeping Your Child/Tween Safe, Parenting, Parenting Your Baby, Parenting Your Child/Tween, Parenting Your Toddler & Preschooler, Play, Growth & Development, Play, Growth & Development for Babies, Toddlers & Preschoolers | Tagged , , , , , , | 16 Comments

Supporting breastfeeding in public

Posted on July 31, 2019 by Halton Guest Blogger

On August 1 to 7, let’s celebrate World Breastfeeding Week!

Breastfeeding is the natural way to feed a child with major health benefits for parents and babies. Parents have the right to breastfeed anywhere, anytime – a right protected by the Human Rights Code in Ontario. However, we still have some work to do to help parents feel comfortable breastfeeding in public places. Continue reading →

Posted in Babies, Breastfeeding Your Baby, Breastfeeding Your Child, Parenting, Pregnancy, Preparing to Breastfeed, Toddlers & Preschoolers | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

My baby went to university! This is what we learned.

Posted on July 24, 2019 by Nicole O'Donnell, RN

One year ago we prepared to send my oldest daughter off to university. The final year of high school had kept us busy: driver’s license √, university acceptance √, prom √. We made it; but we had a new mountain to climb. She was moving away to go to school.

First day of College

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Posted in Emotional Well-Being & Mental Health for Your Teen, Keeping Your Teen Safe, Parenting, Parenting Your Teen, Teen Brain, Teens | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Your school age child is stealing: what can you do?

Posted on July 16, 2019 by Tamara Kraszewski, RN

Put your hand up if you remember stealing something when you were a kid. I bet there are lots of hands raised right now!

It’s not unusual for kids to take something that doesn’t belong to them, without asking permission, especially between the ages of five and eight. But by this age, they know it’s wrong and a parent’s response is very important. If we ignore the behaviour, it encourages your child to keep trying to get away with it.Mom talking sternly to daughter, daughter looking down

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Posted in Children & Tweens, Emotional Well-Being & Mental Health for Your Child/Tween, Emotional Well-Being & Mental Health for Your Teen, Keeping Your Teen Safe, Parenting, Parenting Your Child/Tween, Parenting Your Teen, Teens | Tagged | 8 Comments