A new study from the University of York shows that the way mothers communicate with their babies has a major impact on their child’s social skills later in life. This communication skill is known as “mind-mindfulness” and involves acknowledging a child’s feelings in a given situation. Mother and baby pairings were studied at 10, 12, 16, and 20 months and

Everyone knows about pregnancy hormones, but not everyone realizes when they say something that offends a pregnant woman. Some of these are invasions of personal space: “Can I touch your belly?” and “Do you plan to breastfeed?” and some are just flat out insulting: “You sure were hungry.” As difficult as it may be, try to respond cordially. If someone

We often teach children that sharing is extremely important and scold them for not handing over their toys when asked. What exactly are we teaching them with this lesson? Do we want them to think it’s acceptable to demand something when someone else is using it or let someone else walk all over them if they have a coveted object?

How many people do you want in the room while you’re giving birth? In the 1960s, women typically had one person other than a midwife present and the number has been rising steadily ever since. Channel Mum in the UK shows that the current average is eight people. Younger women in the spectator birth generation also have shown to be

Have you always known what you wanted to name your baby, or did it come to you on your way to the delivery room? Some people choose boy and girl names and wait to find out the gender while others wait until they know the gender. What factors did you consider when deciding on a baby name? Did you use

Does your child have strong opinions about food or is he or she just hesitant to try new things? Expand the food repertoire by making taste testing into a game. A recent post on Rookie Moms has several great examples for creating a test for your kids. Make sure they have something to vote with so you can keep track