HaltonParents

The holidays are a great time to talk to your kids about alcohol

Posted on December 18, 2014 by Cynthia Lindsay RN

As stressful as the holiday season may be, I do admit to enjoying most festive rituals and traditions. Mine include family, food, baked goods and red wine! Ahh…there is nothing like cooking a turkey and enjoying a nice glass of red wine. I’m looking forward to it already!

It’s during this relaxed time that I jump on the chance to talk with my 11 and 13 year old about drinking alcohol. They see me and my wine, so I want to be clear about why I dont want them drinking until they are adults. Even though I’m drinking responsibly, I don’t want them drinking at ALL! Continue reading →

Posted in Alcohol, Tobacco & Drugs, Children & Tweens, Keeping Your Child/Tween Safe, Keeping Your Teen Safe, Parenting, Parenting Your Child/Tween, Parenting Your Teen, Teen Brain, Teens | Tagged acohol, brain, brain development, delay drinking, drinking, effects of alcohol, grandparents, Holidays, Mental Health, Physical Health, school health, teens and drinking, wine | 1 Comment

What every parent needs to know about CONSTIPATION

Posted on December 15, 2014 by Paula D'Orazio

Let’s all agree that constipation isn’t the greatest – especially for kids. It’s also not the most comfortable topic to talk about, although I’m pretty sure we all know that having a happy bowel is important if you’re going to be a happy and healthy person.

The problem is that constipation can be the hidden culprit causing vague signs and symptoms that may go unnoticed until other problems emerge. I’m not trying to scare you – just hang in there with me for a bit. Let me tell you a story. Continue reading →

Posted in Children & Tweens, Children & Tweens with Special Needs, Healthy Eating for Toddlers & Preschoolers, Healthy Eating for Your Child/Tween, Healthy Eating for your Teen, Keeping Your Child/Tween Safe, Keeping Your Teen Safe, Keeping Your Toddler & Preschooler Safe, Parenting, Teens, Toddlers & Preschoolers, Toddlers & Preschoolers with Special Needs | Tagged bowel and urinary, child poop problems, child urinary problems, child urination problems, child UTI, children and constipation, constipation, constipation mistaken for urinary tract infection, constipation vs. UTI, functional constipation, hard stools, kids and poo, my child is constipated, paediatric constipation, pediatric constipation, pee problems, Physical Health, poo, poo problems, poop, poop problems, preventing constipation, special needs, urination problems | Leave a comment

Getting to the bottom of newborn stool

Posted on December 9, 2014 by Carolyn Wilkie, RN

During your baby’s first year, you can expect to change about 2,500 diapers! It can be difficult to keep up with baby’s bowel movements! With all of those diaper changes, you may be wondering what’s normal in the newborn “poop” department.

Your newborn’s bowel habits can actually tell you a lot about their health. Stool colour, frequency and consistency tell us how much breastmilk baby is getting. Your baby should breastfeed at least eight times in 24 hours. The number of wet diapers baby is producing is equally important. The urine should be clear and odourless. To ensure your baby is getting enough breast milk, keep track of their wet and dirty diapers in a 24-hour window. This is especially important in your newborns first week of life. Continue reading →

Posted in Babies, Breastfeeding Your Baby, Feeding Your Baby in the First Year, Keeping Your Baby Safe, Parenting, Pregnancy | Tagged babies, baby health, baby poop, breastfed baby stools, breastfeeding a newborn, diaper changes, new baby, newborn health, newborn stool, normal baby poop, poo | Leave a comment

The SECRET to blended families revealed! (Brady Bunch style)

Posted on December 4, 2014 by Paula D'Orazio

This blog is the last in our 2014 series celebrating the 20th Anniversary of the International Year of the Family.

♫ “Here’s the story…of a lovely lady…who was bringing up three very lovely girls”♫…okay – I’m dating myself here (BADLY!) but I grew up watching and wanting to be a part of the Brady Bunch. In fact, my mother tells me there were times when I insisted on being referred to as Paula Brady and would answer to nothing else. LOL!

The Brady Bunch just seemed so perfect to me: a “lovely lady” and her daughters merging perfectly with ♫ “a man named Brady who was busy with 3 boys of his own” ♫ …ahhh…domestic bliss.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NLGG5AWJf7M Continue reading →

Posted in Babies, Children & Tweens, Emotional Well-Being & Mental Health for Your Child/Tween, Emotional Well-Being & Mental Health for Your Teen, Parenting, Parenting Your Baby, Parenting Your Child/Tween, Parenting Your Teen, Parenting Your Toddler & Preschooler, Teens, Toddlers & Preschoolers | Tagged blended families, blended family, Brady family, divorce and children, divorce and step families, making blended families work, Mental Health, special needs, step families, step parent, step siblings, step-family, The Brady Bunch | Leave a comment

Are you asking your kids to lie to you?

Posted on November 26, 2014 by Cynthia Lindsay RN

Have you ever fibbed about how much you like Aunt Betty’s gift? Or how you like your mother’s new hair cut? It’s harmless right? After all you’re only trying to protect their feelings… this isn’t really lying is it? And how does a child interpret this?

This very funny clip with Jim Carrey in the movie “Liar Liar” demonstrates, in a light hearted way, the exact struggles we have with “white lies”.