News You Need To Know

Summer vacations are coming to a close and the start of school is rapidly approaching. In addition to new school supplies, there are several things you can do to ease the back to school transition. Adjust Bedtime and Wakeup Routines Two weeks before school starts, start gradually making bedtime and wakeup times earlier until you are back on the normal school schedule. Just like adults, children who do not get enough sleep are crankier and cannot focus as well during the school day. Placing your children back on a normal sleep schedule helps making the transition back to school much easier. Mee......

On August 21st, there will be a total solar eclipse over most of Tennessee. Many area schools have closed in preparation for this seemingly once in a lifetime event. Areas north of the city can expect between 1 minute and almost 3 minutes of darkness during the afternoon as the moon travels directly between the sun and Earth. The eclipse will occur across the continental US, moving from the west coast to the east coast. Since it can be extremely damaging to your eyes to look at the sun, there are a few precautions to take to ensure the best possible viewing experience. To maximize your viewing......

Instilling good eating habits before age 2 helps to ensure that your children won’t become picky eaters. Studies have also shown that eating habits are created in infancy influence choices made through childhood and adolescence. Rather than trying to curb eating habits later in life, follow these tips to help develop a taste and appreciation for more foods than goldfish and chicken nuggets. Give It Time Rome wasn’t built in a day and neither is a child’s appreciation for a wide variety of foods. Discovering new foods can be a long and sometimes stressful process. The key to create a taste for ......

Baby proofing your home can seem like a daunting task, but with children under 1 at the highest risk for unintentional home injury death, it is essential. In addition to securing cabinet doors and stocking up on baby gates and outlet covers, there are a few other precautions to take to ensure your home is safe for baby. Stove knobs can be a magnet for small hands. Reminiscent of toys, young children have a difficult time resisting the chance to turn them. Keep the flames at bay by using knob covers for the stove and use a latch to keep the oven door from turning into a jungle gym. Baby pro......

While it seems like an ideal solution, time outs are not always as effective as we’d like. For many parents, the expectation is that children will emerge from time out calm, cool and collected, while often times that isn’t the case. Whether they refuse to sit still or simply the outburst lasts long after the timer goes off, time outs don’t always do the trick. A study from the Oregon Health and Science University in Portland revealed that upwards of 85 percent of parents are making mistakes when issuing time outs. Before you wash your hands of time outs and pull out your hair, try these time o......

No 4th of July celebration is complete without a night sky light up with a beautiful fireworks display. Celebrate America’s birthday with a bang at these local events and fireworks displays. 1st: Lake Winnepesaukah at 10pm 3rd: Pops on the River at Coolidge Park at 10pm Collegedale Veterans Memorial Park 4th: Chattanooga Lookouts game at AT&T Field Lake Winnepesaukah at 10pm We hope you have a holiday weekend filled with friends, family, fun… and of course fireworks!...

Discipline can be one of the most difficult aspects of parenthood. The test of wills can leave you frustrated and tired. Disciplining a toddler is about more than spanking them, it focuses on setting boundaries while stopping dangerous, aggressive or inappropriate behavior. Here are a few tips to help you through the discipline process. Pick Your Battles You’ve heard it a million times, but decide whether or not an action is necessary. Picking your battles clarifies your priorities and makes life easier. Define realistic limits and follow through with appropriate consequences. Don’t spend too ......

Illness and injury don’t take the summer off. Don’t let these risk factors ruin your summer. Here are a few tips for keeping your babies and toddlers safe this summer. Water Don’t let their size fool you, inflatable pools are just as dangerous as larger in-ground pools. Taking your eyes off your baby can have serious consequences. Research indicates that in 20 percent of drownings, an adult was present, but distracted. When supervising your child in the water, leave all the distractions in your bag. Reading a book or texting may seem innocent enough, but taking your eyes off your child in the ......

There may be no scientific evidence to support our claim, but we are here to say that the terrible 2’s have nothing on the 3’s. It’s a tough reality to face, but 3 years are a little wiser and don’t fall for the same tricks that worked months earlier. They are curious little creatures and manage to discover the hidden veggies on their plates. Suddenly, they can no longer play quietly or be trusted not to run a truck over their sister’s head. Three years have a new-found sense of independence, and it now takes forever to do anything or go anywhere. Forget zipping their jacket or carrying th......

We are busy teaching our children ABCs, manners, and right from wrong, while they each us a thing or 2 too! Of course they teach us about patience and unconditional love, but they’ve also taught us a few hard lessons. After we’ve finished scratching our heads and wondering how we ended up here, we learned a few lessons… A king size bed is large enough to accommodate a family of 4 plus the dog. A singing 4-year-old is louder than even concert you’ve ever attended. When in doubt always look in the couch cushions Silence is golden until you have children There is no such thing as ......