HaltonParents

Starting solids? No need to rush.

Posted on July 12, 2013 by Andrea Scott RN

Debating whether to start your baby on solid foods before 6 months of age? Hearing conflicting advice??

I’ve got a whole other perspective for you.

Personally, I’m not sure what the rush is. Life is easier before solids. There’s no cooking, pureeing, defrosting, warming up, mixing food. No anxiety over food allergies and whether that bum rash is from the carrots or not. No daily wipe of the floors, highchair, other chairs, the walls, the underside of your table (oh the places purees can go!). You can come and go as you please with your baby in tow (this is starting to sound like a Dr. Seuss book…) I used to always say “Got the baby? Check. Got the diapers? Check. Got my breasts? Check.” Easy. Continue reading →

Surviving the Cottage with a Baby

Posted on July 11, 2013 by Andrea Scott RN

My husband just cannot get excited about sleeping outside and so instead of camping, our yearly summer tradition is “cottaging.” The cottage itself is never anything fancy. It just needs to have beds indoors, a working shower/washroom, a barbeque, nearby water. Most importantly it is also accompanied by friends and family. We spend oodles of time outside swimming, playing sports, sitting around a campfire, and playing lots of cards.

Last year was our first time cottaging with a baby and we survived! To be honest it wasn’t the usual relaxing week but it was still worth it.

Here are my top 10 tips for surviving the cottage with a baby: Continue reading →

Posted in Babies, Breastfeeding Your Baby, Keeping Your Baby Safe, Keeping Your Toddler & Preschooler Safe, Parenting, Parenting Your Baby, Parenting Your Toddler & Preschooler, Play, Growth & Development for Babies, Toddlers & Preschoolers, Toddlers & Preschoolers with Special Needs | Tagged baby, babyproof, camping, cottage, infant, Keeping Your Baby Safe, Physical Health, prepare, safe, sleep, summer, toys, vacation, what to pack | Leave a comment

Talking to tweens about stranger dangers

Posted on July 8, 2013 by Cynthia Lindsay RN

“There are 2 middle aged men driving a van approaching tweens in an Oakville neighbourhood.” This is the message I received from multiple friends by email; I noticed Facebook postings and saw warnings via twitter, along with an article posted on Inside Halton. This scares the heck out of me! I have tweens!

It really resonates with me as I’ve just started letting them go to the neighborhood park and play outside with their friends on their own. And let me tell you, it was so hard to go to this next step allowing them some of the experiences I so enjoyed growing up. But now my mind runs wild, my “mama bear” wants to rear its head as I begin to sharpen my claws! Continue reading →

Posted in Children & Tweens, Children & Tweens with Special Needs, Emotional Well-Being & Mental Health for Your Child/Tween, Keeping Your Child/Tween Safe, Parenting, Parenting Your Child/Tween | Tagged danger, Halton, Keeping Your Baby Safe, Mental Health, Oakville, outdoors, play, safety tips, stranger danger, strangers, tweens | Leave a comment

Sleep away camp – Are you and your kids ready?

Posted on July 4, 2013 by Cynthia Lindsay RN

An image of summer camp like this one gets me all the time. The kids are smiling and hugging, and you just sense they are loving every second of their time away from home. Perhaps these types of images and memories are also exactly what you have from your own childhood and now you want your kids to follow & share in your intense love for sleep away camp.

However for me, my mind runs wild with worry at the thought of sending my kids to sleep away camp. Will they be home sick? Will they make friends? Will they be picked on or bullied? Will they eat anything? Will I scar them for life? Yes… scar!!! It has crossed my mind should they have a negative experience… Ohhh the never ending worries of parenting! Continue reading →

Posted in Children & Tweens, Children & Tweens with Special Needs, Keeping Your Child/Tween Safe, Parenting, Parenting Your Child/Tween | Tagged camp, kids, Mental Health, parents, Physical Health, Services, sleep, sleep away camp, special needs, summer activities, Summer camp, tips | Leave a comment

Is there really anything wrong with this generation of kids?

Posted on July 2, 2013 by Paula D'Orazio

There we were, sweltering in an excruciatingly humid auditorium in a tiny church in our small town on the hottest evening of the year. The room was packed with the parents, siblings, grandparents, friends and neighbours of the brave little souls – all under 13 – about to take the stage under the blinding spotlights.

After weeks of my 3^rd grader begging me to let her off the solo vocal recital hook, her slow-to-warm temperament in tow, we sat and waited for her turn. It wasn’t until after the intermission, which was a 45-minute wait for her stomach-churning moment, and she was seated away from the loving bosom of her family…waiting…fidgeting…and fighting back tears. Continue reading →