Review: Macleans Nurdle Time app
Sponsored feature by Amity Dry They say there’s an app for anything and now there’s even one to encourage your children to clean their teeth - and it's a lot of fun, as Amity Dry and her kids discovered.
Making brushing fun
Livia Gamble Brushing and caring for your child's teeth is important from the moment they're born – yes, months before those pearly whites have even emerged! Here's how to make the process easier for everyone.
Don't brush off kids' dental care
Melanie Charlton It's never too early to start looking after your child's dental health. Here's how to care for those little pearly whites – and how you can take better care of your own teeth, too.
My daughter's at daycare - and I'm at a loss
KASEY EDWARDS It wasn't my daughter who had trouble adjusting to childcare. It was me.
In praise of daycare staff
Kiran Chug The drawn-out goodbyes, the bloodshot eyes when you return, their refusal to eat or sleep, the unstoppable tears, Kiran Chug has daycare on her mind.
Vanishing act
KYLIE ORR You can be an incredibly attentive parent and still experience the stress of a child disappearing.
10 things I have time for now I'm a mum
Kiran Chug Instead of thinking about everything she misses out on now that she's a mum, Kiran Chug has decided to focus on what she's lucky enough to have time for.
Would you hire a male babysitter?
Petula Dvorak Spooked by the endless parade of child molesters in the news, most parents wouldn't hire a male babysitter - but in doing so, are we just creating more problems for society?
Nini, Commel and Pea: My daughter's imaginary friends
Matt Calman The height of the imaginary friend stage was when my daughter was about two and a half and we had them over for dinner. I got little notice apart from a shouted, "Daddy, my friends are at the door! And they're here for dinner!"
Dropping the day sleep
Catherine Rodie Blagg It’s been happening more and more, and despite all your pleading, it looks like your toddler is dropping his day sleep. So what can you do, apart from gritting your teeth and loading up on coffee?
Parenting
Let's talk about body parts
KASEY EDWARDS Sometimes it takes a (very curious) child to show you’re not as sexually liberated as you think.
Video: Toddler's wise advice for dad
MELANIE MAHONEY A determined toddler dishes out some sage advice to her dad in this cute video.
Child restraints debated but in demand
Effie Mann Attitudes are shifting on the once stigmatised products that simultaneously put a brake on toddlers and offer increased peace of mind.
Toddler's art amazes experts
Matthew Dunn His work is described as art in its purest form, representative of what is important and beautiful. And he's only two.
Eczema and dermatitis: the facts
Lakshmi Singh Eczema, also called atopic dermatitis, occurs in around one in five babies. Learn its symptoms and how to treat it.
Crying toddler a controversial internet hit
Melanie Mahoney A dad has harnessed the power of his son’s mini-meltdowns, creating an internet sensation with his controversial blog, Reasons My Son Is Crying.
Video: Ode to sleep deprived parents
Watch a fancy choir singing about the very un-fancy elements of parenting with lyrics written by a Sydney dad of three.
When stuffed animals die
Whit Honea When a favourite toy has seen his last day, an older sibling takes the lead.
Video: The bedtime burglar
Melanie Mahoney Watch a clever two-year-old pick a lock to break into his sister's room and steal a much-wanted item under the cover of darkness.
Childcare worker arrested for drugging toddlers
Staff writers A childcare worker has been arrested after slipping sleeping tablets into the cups of children under the age of two who were in her care.
The 10 toddler words I'll miss most
John Kinnear Before our kids learn our language, we get to experience the magic of learning theirs. One dad recalls his favourite toddler words and expressions.
Light-fingered little people
KYLIE ORR Her son began - and hopefully ended - his life of crime with a shoplifted chocolate bar. Kylie Orr shares her experiences with sticky-fingered kids - and how to deal with them.
Sponsored feature
When will my child be ready to toilet train?
Dr Cathrine Neilsen-Hewett In order for your child to succeed, they need to be physically, emotionally and mentally ready. Here are some of the signs of readiness. If your child is showing many of these signs, it’s probably time to start thinking about toilet training.
Sponsored feature
How to toilet train using a training pant
Dr Cathrine Neilsen-Hewett It's natural that your toddler wants to grow up and be more independent We outline the key skills with toilet training pants.
Sponsored feature
Free download: Toilet training certificate
Celebrate your child completing their toilet training journey with these Disney themed certificates, free to download and print.
Video: toddler winched to safety in bag
Staff writers As Queensland once again faces a flood crisis, watch this incredible footage of 1 year old Luke Collie winched to safety - in a backpack.
What's your favourite age?
KYLIE ORR For Kylie Orr, newborns are the best - but by the time her kids turn three, she's almost ready to send them back.
Regimented vs flexible routines: what works for your family?
AMITY DRY Does your family rely on routines to keep things running smoothly, or do you take a more relaxed approach to your day? Amity Dry reflects on her experiences as a go-with-the-flow mum.
Winners and losers: is competition bad for kids?
AMITY DRY As Amity Dry reflects on her time in The Block All Stars, she thinks about the nature of competition and ask the question: is it such a bad thing to raise kids who want to win?
Toddlers happier when giving
Brooke Lumsden Think toddlers are selfish? A new study has shown that young kids are happy to give to others - even when it involves personal sacrifice.
What I'll miss
AMITY DRY As Amity plans for a fortnight away from her kids, she's counting the things she won't miss about being a stay-at-home mum ... and things she'll miss terribly about them, too.
The failed art of the 'soft no'
Jason Good Why fight with your kids over something that’s ultimately not that important? Jason Good describes his attempts to say no to his children ... with mixed results.
Mum is 'The Chief': French parenting style
Glenda Cooper The French, long regarded as experts in food, wine and fashion, have added another string to their bow - parenting. So what makes their child-rearing technique so different to ours - and is it really better?
The last times
Devon Corneal We mark off our children's firsts, committing them to memory or capturing them on film, but what about the lasts? The final times your child asks for a cuddle in bed, colours in with you, crawls, mispronounces his brother's name? These moments pass all too easily without us knowing, writes Devon Corneal ...
Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it's Superbaby!
PINKY MCKAY Feeling guilty that you might be depriving your child of opportunities? Considering enrolling him in classes and buying products that promise to 'make your child smarter'? You're worrying for nothing – just keep it simple, Pinky McKay explains.
No-tears hair-washing (or how my son learnt to stop worrying and love the bath)
AMITY DRY As a preschooler, Amity Dry's son hated having his hair washed - as in screaming, crying, trying-to-climb-out-of-the-bath hated it. Then she discovered a trick to take the tears away ...
Buying double means less trouble
AMITY DRY Kids can get very attached to their comfort items – whether it's a stuffed toy or a blankie, the world can come crashing down if they go missing. Amity Dry shares her secret for avoiding meltdowns over missing favourites.
Toddler saved after 4WD overturns in river
Colin Cosier and Stephanie Gardiner A father held his baby son's head above chilly water after his four-wheel-drive overturned in a river in the state's central west while he was testing its capabilities yesterday, police say.
Are iPads rewiring our children’s brains?
AMITY DRY Like so many preschoolers today, Amity Dry's daughter started using an iPad well before her first birthday. But is their use of technology harming our kids more than we might realise?
My son, the fussy dresser
AMITY DRY From the age of three, Amity Dry's son knew what he wanted to wear and how he had to wear it. And it drove her mad ... until she saw the light.
Opinion
The shame files
Prue Corlette Prue Corlette names and shames the places parents with prams apparently aren't welcome.
Say goodbye to your night visitor
Elizabeth Pantley While some parents don't mind if their child makes the nocturnal journey into their bed, others are ready to have their little darling stay in their own room all night. Here are some ideas to try to facilitate change if you're ready to say goodbye to the nightly visits.
Top 10 tips for children who won't drink water
Rana Conway Water is an important part of a child's diet, but it can be tricky to get some children to drink it. Try these tips to encourage your baby or toddler to drink more water.
Is attachment parenting the superior option?
AMITY DRY This week, 60 Minutes ran a segment on attachment parenting. After using different parenting styles when her children were babies - and having once been an 'attachment' parent herself - Amity Dry was interested to see what unfolded.
Top 10 tips for babies and children who won’t eat meat
Dr Rana Conway If there are certain major food groups your child won't eat, there's a risk she will miss out on particular nutrients - but if she does go off particular foods, there are plenty of tactics you can try to help her get as balanced as a diet as possible. These tips should help if your little one has decided not to eat meat.
Making washing day fun
AMITY DRY In this age of instant technology it’s so easy to entertain our kids with the TV, iPad, iPhone and computer. But coming up with some fun activities can get them away from the screen to help you with your household tasks.
Potty humour
Melanie Hearse Leaving the house for shopping trips with a recently toilet-trained child can be pretty testing – especially when the child is prone to wandering off to do dirty deeds, as Melanie Hearse experienced.
Boys will be boys, girls will love Barbies
AMITY DRY Related: See our gallery of gender-neutral parenting practices around the world.
Tell us your secrets and win!
Nestle is giving you the chance to win your share of a prize pool valued at over $7500!
Little nippers: stopping your toddler from biting
Amity Dry For a while, when he was a toddler, Amity Dry's son would would sink his chompers into anything – toys, her, the furniture, and, most mortifying of all, other kids. She reveals how she stopped his biting behaviour.
Are you really there for your kids, or are you on your iPhone?
Amity Dry I just read something that made me feel guilty. And not just a little guilty - this is heavy-grade, industrial strength mother guilt.
Changing from two naps to one a day
Elizabeth Pantley How do you know when your child is ready to cut back from two naps a day to just one? And how do you go about making the change? Elizabeth Pantley explains how you might like to go about the transition.
Dumb questions, dumb answers
Kylie Orr Gathering facts with young children as fact-givers can be a fruitless task. Kylie Orr shares the shame of the dumbest questions she's asked her kids.
Forums
Toilet Training
Is your child ready? Looking for the signs and getting started
Challenging Behaviour & Discipline Techniques
Coping with tears, tantrums and trying times
Tools
Toddler Growth Chart
Compare your baby's length and weight for age against the World Health Organization's standard growth charts for children aged 0-3 years.
