Ages & Stages

We all know that a consistent bedtime routine helps children transition from being awake to falling asleep, but it isn't always that easy. Think of bedtime as a two-step process. Parents often get confused about how long their child's bedtime...

"Do I look pretty?" my nine-year-old asked as she looked at herself in the mirror. A simple question, but it took me a minute to reply. Not because I would have said anything other than "of course," but because...

Is your toddler in the “one nap isn’t enough, but two naps are too much” phase? If so, they may need some help transitioning from two naps to one. Most children are ready for the transition sometime between 15 and...

After having my second daughter 13 months after having my first, there was a long stretch of time that I felt my life would never get easier.  I was disheartened and discouraged by the number of moms who told me...

I recently listened to “Need You Now” by Plumb. Every time I hear it, I think of the time I was getting closer to my 40th birthday. I can remember feeling excited and looking forward to turning this monumental milestone....

As kids get older and we move from the baby phase to toddler, to school-age with my oldest, I reflect on the type of mom I was and the one I am today. I am a weird mom. A hot...

“This too shall pass” and “It’s just a phase” are two of my least favorite phrases.  I will preface by saying that I wholeheartedly believe that fellow parents voice these expressions with sincerity after listening to descriptions of a certain...

With my daughter's first birthday and the 4th of July holiday near us, I am approaching another independence day of sorts; freedom from the breast pump, my mechanical sidekick for the past ten or so months. The excitement with...

If you grew up in a Jewish, upper-middle-class household, you likely spent your summers at sleepaway camp. As a child, it never occurred to me that some kids stayed home all summer. If you met someone, you might ask,...

The decision of whether to start your child in kindergarten when they are 4 or 5 is a difficult one for many parents in Connecticut, mainly because the January 1 cutoff date (for turning 5) is months behind that...