Today's Parent | Parenting Resources… Articles, Advice, Help & Tips

Recent research shows that setting house rules for teen drivers could help them steer clear of car crashes when it’s done constructively.

In fact, teens who say their parents establish rules and pay attention to their activities in a helpful, supportive way are half as likely to be in a crash. According to research from The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) and State Farm®, it’s important for parents to communicate with teens that the rules are in place to keep them safe — not in order to control them.

Motor vehicle crashes are the No. 1 cause of death for adolescents, and a teen driver’s greatest lifetime chance of crashing occurs in the first six to 12 months after receiving a license. However, studies show that the majority of these crashes are preventable. Read More

There’s good news for parents when it comes to doing what’s best for baby’s health. You can provide for little or no cost most of what your baby needs right now. According to the experts on infants at the Centers for Disease Control, it’s important to: Read More

The health benefits of practicing good dental habits span far beyond white, shiny teeth. Increasingly, studies have shown that there is a direct connection between oral health and overall health. Lack of good dental-health practices can lead to gum disease, tooth decay and other painful oral complications. Frequently, we hear about these effects in adults, but children’s oral health is just as important if not moreso.

The U.S. Surgeon General reports that tooth decay is the most common chronic disease affecting American children, five times more common than asthma. Tooth decay greatly restricts children’s daily activities and results in the loss of millions of hours of school each year. Read More

Teachers today say that students are more ambitious and parents more involved than in the past. Those are some of the key findings of the recent MetLife Survey of the American Teacher, an annual survey of the opinions of teachers, principals and students.

The survey found that 90 percent of students questioned indicated they are likely to attend college, which represents a 10 percent increase from when the question was asked 20 years ago. At the same time, the majority of teachers (67 percent) now rate parental and community support for their school as good or excellent. Read More

Get your child off to a good start and help them maintain a proper weight.

Maintaining a healthy weight is important for everyone. If an individual is overweight or underweight it could put them at risk for various diseases and may keep them from fighting off infections.

Learning to maintain a healthy weight should start as early as possible. When children are in the womb, we can control what they eat by eating properly ourselves. After giving birth, parents can control a baby’s weight with proper nutrition by using formula and breast milk appropriately. However, as our babies grow, it can become harder and harder to control what a child eats, making it more difficult to ensure that they are developing properly. Read More