Each and every summer, our news headlines seem filled with reports of young children dying of hyperthermia due to being inadvertently left behind in the family car.  After looking at the following sobering statistics from the Department of Geosciences, I'm glad to have learned of a product which will stop parents from making the deadly mistake of leaving their children in an unattended vehicle.

Baby Alert International has developed a super easy to use child alarm which will sound immediately if your child is left behind in their car seat.  The ChildMinder Smart Clip System takes less than 3 minutes to install and just might save a child's life.  Keep reading to learn more!

But wait, there`s more! »

If you have been to your child's school or daycare during the cough and cold or allergy season, you have undoubtedly heard a contagious chorus of coughs and sniffles.

On average, a young child will have 6-10 colds per year and the virus swap is at its peak during the winter season.  When you child is sick, many parents struggle with knowing when to keep them home, or when to send them back into "The Wild."

Here are some invaluable tips from Zarbee's creator, Dr. Zak Zarbock, on when it's safe for children to go to school and when it's best for them to stay home and recover.

But wait, there`s more! »

More than 10 million American children attend a camp each summer. Because these children often spend weeks – and sometimes months – away from parental supervision, Eating Recovery Center, an international center for eating disorders recovery, urges parents to be aware of summer camp triggers that may contribute to the development of an eating disorder in their camp-going children.
 
“Every year, Eating Recovery Center sees many young patients who cite summer camp as the place where their disordered eating behaviors either began or intensified,” said Jamie Manwaring, PhD, primary therapist at Eating Recovery Center’s Behavioral Hospital for Children and Adolescents. “It is important to recognize that summer camps do not ‘cause’ eating disorders; however, camps’ environments can often be triggering for a child with the genetic or temperamental predisposition for an eating disorder.”
 
The onset of puberty, typically occurring between the ages of 10 and 14 for girls and 12 and 16 for boys, is one of the two most common times when eating disorders develop. Children in this age range who have a family history of eating disorders, who have previously engaged in disordered eating or who have highly sensitive, perfectionistic temperaments may be more likely to be triggered by camp activities or situations.

But wait, there`s more! »

As children blossom into young men and women, most insist on planning and running their own lives. Parents worry about all the basic essentials for their kids’ independent living, like housing, eating properly, staying warm, being careful at night and more. But most parents forget to teach their youngsters one of the most important lessons of all – financial responsibility. The resulting turmoil can spell disaster for a child’s future.

Consider this: The average young adult amasses $45,000 in debt by the time they turn 29, according to a recent PNC Bank report.

“This generation of 20-somethings was raised during an economically-thriving period,” says financial expert Mark Hansen, author of Success 101 for Teens (www.success101forteens.com). “Undisciplined spending habits, student and car loans, and a tough job market have stymied their financial growth. Perhaps the worst culprit is financial ignorance, but we can count this as a lesson for future 20-somethings.”  For young people, organizing finances can be intimidating to the point of prohibitive, he says.

“We need to have a curriculum in schools, from kindergarten through 12th grade, that ensures our kids graduate with financially literacy,” he says. “From balancing a checkbook to understanding what it means to pay – and earn – interest, kids need basic money management skills to survive in the world, and most aren’t getting them.”

Hansen says all teens should know and practice so they can control their financial destinies:

But wait, there`s more! »

“We Can Do It!” was a World War II-era battle cry that empowered women. Today, however, the expression for many women is more like, “We can do it -- if there’s time.”  By their 40s, more than 80 percent of American women are mothers, according to the U.S. census. Meanwhile, they also make up roughly half of the workforce, a percentage that has doubled since Rosie the Riveter’s proclamation.

At least 50 percent of women say they don't have enough free time and 60 percent feel guilty for spending what little time they do have on themselves, according to a survey published in the March issue of Real Simple magazine.

Between motherhood and work, it is crucial that busy women also take time out for themselves, says Saniel Bonder, a wellness coach, Harvard graduate and author of the acclaimed new novel Ultimaya 1.0: The Trouble with the Wishes of Leopold Stokes (www.humansunmedia.com).

“Putting things into a new perspective and realizing that a really good mother and home manager – or a mother who works outside the home -- can’t be chronically tired and cranky is a first step to achieving a healthy balance between a mom and her to-do list,” he says.  Mothering is a marathon, not a sprint, Bonder says. Unhappiness, failure and disappointment are guaranteed when a woman continues to drive competing interests at excessive speeds, he says.

He offers tips for managing a mother’s to-do list:

But wait, there`s more! »

I was shocked when my eldest daughter started showing an interest in fashion at the ripe age of 2. How could she have an opinion about her clothes at such a young age? My oldest is now 4, and still fashion conscious. My youngest is just turning 2, has always been very particular about her shoes. I fear she will be even more particular about her wardrobe!

Keeping up with these little fashionistas can put a strain on my wallet especially when half the items I buy end up not getting worn. Here's how I have learned to save money on my girls' wardrobes.

1. Bring them shopping

Yes, I know. It's not my favorite thing to do either, especially with my girls at the ages they are. However, I find that if they're involved in picking out what they want to wear, they're more likely to actually wear it. CafeMom outlines other reasons it's good to let your kids choose what they wear.

But wait, there`s more! »