Parenting Now Blog

As the rain settles in for the winter season, parents often start looking for indoor activities to keep their busy toddlers and preschoolers engaged. Singing and listening to music, specifically fingerplay songs, is a fun way to entertain your child, while also building connection. Fingerplays are short songs that are paired with finger movements or ...

 As a parent, it's never easy seeing your child fret over getting a shot or feel pain from it, but there are things you can do to help prepare your child for their COVID-19 vaccination or any other shots as part of a wellness checkup. "It's not uncommon for kids to be anxious about getting ...

Big transitions and new routines, like starting school, take a lot-physically and emotionally-out of kids. During this transitional stage of either starting school for the first time or returning from a long period away from the classroom, your child might feel extra tired and emotional-especially after school. This is sometimes known as the "after-school meltdown." ...

A close, nurturing, and responsive relationship is the single most important factor affecting our children's well-being. One of the most powerful ways we can strengthen our relationship with our children is through Positive Attention Through Play. Positive Attention Through Play is an important way to connect with our children and help them learn about themselves and ...

Babies don't come with an instruction manual-but car seats sure do, and even then, we, as parents, still question whether we are using the right type of car seat (infant seat, convertible car seat, booster, high-back booster?) and installing it correctly (rear-facing, forward-facing, back seat, front seat?). If you too have had these questions, you ...

Families having fun and socializing during Squishtivities. Between feedings, diaper changes, holding, swaying, and rocking, it can be easy to get caught up in the demands of parenthood-leaving little time to attend to your own individual needs. It's not uncommon for new parents to feel sad, anxious, overwhelmed, or depressed during the baby's first year ...

After a year-plus of distance learning, Lane County children are re-entering the classroom. For some, it's their first time away from home. Whether your child is entering kindergarten for the first time or going into elementary school, children of all ages are likely to experience separation anxiety from their caregivers as they transition into a ...

Children, of all ages, lie for a variety of reasons. In fact, it is so common that a study from the University of Waterloo found that 96 percent of young children lie at some point.  Children are trying to figure out how to act in the world, the difference between real and pretend, and how ...

Being pregnant can be such an exciting time. There's baby clothes to pick out, potential baby names to gush over, and lots of decisions to make, including who your child's pediatrician will be. But where do you start? And how do you know if a pediatrician is the right fit for your family? Pediatrician Anita ...

Along with all the joys and precious moments with your little one, parenting a new baby can be lonely work. Especially as a new parent - you are adapting to a lot! There are long days of seemingly endless feedings and diaper changes, rocking and swaying, swaddling and then re-swaddling-and, ironically, you are never really ...

Everyone at every age can thrive on positive attention! It feels good when someone focuses his or her full attention - in a good way - on you. Children, especially, need that attention in order to grow emotionally, develop their self-esteem, confidence, and a positive sense of identity. But as parents, we get busy and ...

Team parenting is about having a shared approach to parenting, even when the parents don't live together. It includes having similar approaches to everything from bedtime to how to handle discipline, and supporting one another in those choices. Team parenting can make the daily challenges of parenting so much easier, by helping your child understand ...