Recent Articles
A talk with the 'Happiest Baby' doc
He’s been dubbed the new millennium’s Dr. Spock — and sure enough, Dr. Harvey Karp’s best-selling books, The Happiest Baby on the Block and The Happiest Toddler on the Block, line the bookshelves of thousands of today’s parents. Karp, a nationally renowned pediatrician, child development speciali
Read More »The Importance of Preschool
I loved preschool: puzzles, paints and plenty of play. We adored musical chairs, were crazy for crackers, and at rest time, dutifully rolled out blankets and teddy bears. I have no idea whether Miss Mimi — our practically perfect preschool teacher — followed any sort of standardized curriculum. I d
Read More »
Tips for limiting TV time
Tips and resources for parents, caregivers and day care providers, provided by Seattle Children's Hospital. For babies: Avoid TV for children younger than age 2. Choose activities that promote language development and brain growth, such as talking, playing, reading, singing and enjoying music. F
Read More »Pink Brain, Blue Brain: What's Nature? What's Nurture?
Nine-month-old Caroline is in love. She has just spotted her first baby doll, and the connection is instantaneous and obvious. “We were at a friend’s house for dinner,” says Caroline’s mother, Mercer Island writer and editor Linda Rorem. “She literally fell in love. She was rolling on the floor with
Read More »Going hybrid: Best bangs for the family buck
It’s a rarity to roam the highways and byways of Western Washington these days without noticing them: hybrids, the environmentally friendly, easier-on-the-gas automobiles that have lately become far more ubiquitous in carmakers’ inventories — and in family garages. As manufacturers line up to intro
Read More »
Teaching tots to share
“It’s mine!” “No, it’s mine!” If your toddler frequently announces his toys are off limits to others, it’s probably time to teach him how to share. “Sharing doesn’t come naturally; that’s why it’s difficult to teach,” says Susan Heid, a certified parent coach in Mill Creek. H
Read More »
Sneaky Sweets: What's Lurking in Your Child's 'Healthy' Foods?
When Mary Poppins sang, “A spoon full of sugar helps the medicine go down,” should the children’s parents have objected? If she had suggested “a spoonful of honey,” would that have been healthier? And if she had recommended “a spoonful of high-fructose corn syrup,” should she have been fired on the
Read More »
Why Imagination is Important
Katie is learning about the food pyramid in her first-grade classroom, when, suddenly, it hits her: She wants to become a farmer! She imagines the smell of the earth as she pulls a fat carrot from the ground. She pictures herself riding high atop a combine, the wind in her hair; selling her vegetabl
Read More »