Parenting Family – Page 2

Lulla Doll Parenting Family Sleep Products Small Humans Tech

11 baby sleep gadgets to try if you’re feeling really tired and desperate

sudshr47 October 12, 2018

Welcome to Small Humans, an ongoing series at Mashable that looks at how to take care of – and deal with – the kids in your life. Because Dr. Spock is nice and all, but it’s 2018 and we have the entire internet to contend with.

We’re not going to tell you that you can actually buy your way to better sleep with a newborn. If that was true, parents everywhere would have far less disposable income, but find it a lot easier to get out of bed in the morning and function like normal human beings. But sometimes the deep desire to try something, anything wins out and you fire up Amazon looking for a solution. Read more…

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Parenting Family Small Humans Tech

First comes the baby, then comes the startup

sudshr47 October 10, 2018 Startups

One pair of e-commerce veterans wondered why it was so difficult to find quality kids clothes in vibrant colors without logos or designs. A technology professional wanted to figure out a simpler way to help busy parents find a trusted babysitter, even at the last minute.

They channeled those frustrations in the manner they knew best – by launching a startup.

“Over and over again, I’d hear parents tell me they couldn’t find good childcare,” said Lynn Perkins, founder of UrbanSitter, an online childcare booking service. “The technology and innovation were in just the right spot at that time to solve two challenges related to parenting – helping families find quality childcare they could trust and doing it efficiently.” Read more…

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Artificial Intelligence Parenting Family Robots Small Humans Tech

Why I’m in no hurry to have Rosie from ‘The Jetsons’

sudshr47 October 1, 2018

During my first pregnancy, I craved a mamaRoo rocker, believing it would alleviate by stress as a new mom. Unfortunately, a gadget with that kind of price tag just wasn’t in our budget. Instead, I did things the old-fashioned way, rocking my baby in my arms and using baby wraps for multitasking.

Nearly three years later, I’m thinking about it again as we wait on our second child. I knew that the mamaRoo – and my finances – had improved. The latest model has multiple motions, varying sounds, and mp3/Bluetooth compatibility. It’s pretty deluxe. As a work-from-home mom, it sounded perfect. But for some reason, its “moves like you do” description triggered me and planted a seed of doubt about my purpose as a mother. If it moves like I do, what does that mean for me? Read more…

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Books Immigration Kids Parenting Family Refugees

5 books about immigrant and refugee experiences that you’ll want to read with your kids

sudshr47 July 5, 2018

Over the past several weeks, we’ve had heartrending conversations about what’s happening to migrant children and their families at the U.S. border.

The Trump administration’s “zero tolerance” immigration policy has separated children from their parents and raised the possibility that the U.S. will indefinitely detain migrants, even those seeking asylum. Explaining these recent developments to children as a parent or caregiver can feel challenging — and emotionally daunting.

Yet such conversations are imperative, says Ladislava Khailova, professor at the Founders Memorial Library at Northern Illinois University. Storytelling helps children become attached to a character’s fate, which can increase their empathy for the experiences and people they read about. Avoiding the subject all together, or dodging tough questions, can contribute to cultural misunderstandings that grow into hostility or even hatred toward immigrant and refugee groups over time. Read more…

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Air New Zealand Airlines Parenting Family Transportation travel

Air New Zealand’s Skycouch lets you sleep alongside your baby

sudshr47 March 28, 2018

As many of us know, sleeping in economy seats is a challenge at best.
At least on some Air New Zealand flights, the airline has added something it calls a Skycouch, turning a row of seats into a flat-ish bed that’s intended for couples to cuddl…

Apple Facebook Iphone Kids Parenting Family

We don’t give kids free access to junk food. We shouldn’t give them free access to the iPhone.

sudshr47 January 10, 2018

It’s fine-tuned to be as engaging as possible, so that you don’t want to put it down once you pick it up. It lacks real substance and is engineered to be desirable. With their sufficiently random rewards systems giving you unpredictable dopamine hits, they’re designed to be addictive. You don’t need it, but you want it, and companies spend billions of dollars each year to convince you to consume it.

Once you tap, you can’t stop.

Our addiction to smartphones has taken on many of the hallmarks of the junk food that has become ubiquitous in our culture.

Adults have enough problems with this kind of self control in the face of advertising. For kids, it’s an entirely unreasonable ask and a growing body of research speaks to the profound negative effects smartphones are having on them. Excessive smartphone use is correlated with depression and other negative mental health outcomes. Read more…

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Culture Dads Dogs Parenting Parenting Family

Dad loves dogsitting so much he calls himself ‘gramps’

sudshr47 December 29, 2017

It is a truth universally acknowledged that dogs are not just pets. They’re a core part of the family.
That’s why this excellent father treated his daughter’s dog like a grandchild when she was away over the holidays.
SEE ALSO: You can no…