Parenting & Child Development: From Infancy to Adolescence

Parenting success relies on understanding developmental benchmarks, managing maternal health during and after pregnancy, and implementing effective behavioral strategies for toddlers and teenagers.

Close up on pregnancy test.

How to Tell Whether You Are Pregnant After Ovulation

It's not possible to tell whether you're pregnant immediately after ovulation. In fact, the embryo doesn't even begin to implant into the lining of the uterus until about 6 days after the egg is fertilized. Only after implantation does your body produce the hormones that cause early pregnancy symptoms.

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Happy mother and father kissing their daughter in the park

What Is the Family Impact on Early Childhood Development?

During early childhood, a parent's attitudes and values can be passed on to the child. During this time their self concept is forming, and can be heavily influenced by their parents, according to Heather Weiss, Founder and Director of the Harvard Family Research Project.

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Food to Eat During a Stomach Virus

The stomach flu, also known as viral gastroenteritis, causes nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramps and fever. The condition spreads through contact with an infected person or drinking contaminated water, states MayoClinic.com.

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Tingling in the Thigh

Tingling in the thigh, also known as meralgia paresthetica, is a condition characterized by a tingling sensation in the outer part of the thigh muscle, or quadricep. The condition results when the nerve responsible for supplying sensation to the surface of the leg gets compressed.

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Erections in Babies

New babies are full of surprises, and for many parents of newborn boys, infant erections are one of the biggest surprises of all. If you notice a baby's erection during his bath or when changing his diaper, it's normal to feel a little concerned. But in most cases, your baby's erections are not a cause for worry.

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Pregnant woman with a glass of water in her hands

List of Safe OTC Medications for Pregnancy

Pregnancy equals change, physically, emotionally and in the lifestyle of a woman. She is no longer thinking and acting on her own behalf, but is caring for and nourishing her child as well. Old habits may need to be broken or altered to benefit the baby, including medications taken, alcohol consumed and diet choices.

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Woman looking down at baby sleeping

Weight-Loss Supplements for Post-Baby Body

After 40 weeks of watching your body change and grow, it's tempting to jump right into losing weight after delivery. However, slow down a bit -- your body has been through a massive ordeal. If you're breast-feeding, dieting can destroy your milk supply.

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Portrait of a Baby Lying on a Bed

Can You Help a Baby Grow Taller

Babies, like older children, grow at different rates. In addition to determining eye color and hair type, heredity plays a large part in determining how tall your baby will grow. But even if heredity suggests your baby won't be an NBA center, there are things you can do to help him reach his height potential.

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HCG Levels & Nausea

Nausea and vomiting, among the most unpleasant aspects of early pregnancy, affects around 75 percent of all pregnant women during the first three months of pregnancy, according to BabyCenter. Human chorionic gonadotropin, or hCG levels in the blood also rise in early pregnancy, suggesting a correlation between the two.

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Child playing with blanket on bed

What Firmness of Mattress Is Best for a Toddler?

Making the shift from a crib to a bed is a big transition for any toddler and her parents. Once deciding your toddler is ready for this change, there are a few different mattress options to consider. There is no one mattress firmness that is best for a toddler.

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How to Treat a Groin Strain

Groin strains can refer to a number of types of injuries in one or more of a multitude of muscles on the inside of your upper leg or front of your hip. Sports Injury Bulletin explains that many of these muscles are responsible for hip adduction--moving your leg toward your body's center line.

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Sun protection

How to Clear Dark Spots on Children's Skin

Though occasionally troubling in appearance, most dark spots that appear on a child's skin are harmless. Birthmarks, rashes, exposure to the sun or infections of the skin can cause dark spots to appear.

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Girl in the car seat

High Back Booster Seats or Booster Seats with No Back?

Most parents have accepted the necessity of placing small children in approved car seats. Once children reach 40 pounds, however, many parents want to ditch the space consuming -- but ultimately safe car seat -- and strap a child directly into an adult seat belt.

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Baby feeding from bottle

Are Microwave Bottle Sterilizers Safe?

Babies are most at risk of contracting viruses and infections during their first year of life, according to the Baby Center network. If your baby drinks from a bottle, it is important to sterilize the bottle to kill bacteria before using it.

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Trifolium pratense - Red clover in different flowering stages

Can You Lower FSH Levels With Health Foods & Herbs?

Both men and women produce follicle stimulating hormone, or FSH, which plays an important role in a woman's ability to get pregnant. In women, this hormone, produced by the pituitary gland, signals the ovaries to produce an egg-containing follicle each month. As you age, your FSH level rises.

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close-up of a ginger root

Fresh Ginger & Breast-Feeding

Nursing mothers who experience low milk production may look to natural remedies as a first-line option to promote and support a healthy supply of breast milk. Ginger is a power food with many health benefits and may be well suited as a dietary addition to increase milk supply.

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Girl (6-7) yawning in bed, eyes closed, elevated view

Excessive Yawning in Children

Yawning, a normal human activity that also occurs in many animals, affects even in fetuses as early as 11 weeks after conception. Yawns occur involuntarily; a person can’t force themselves to yawn or stop a yawn once it starts. The causes of yawning are not well understood.

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Progesterone and Estrogen Levels in Early Pregnancy

As soon as sperm meets egg, hormonal changes begin. Before you know you have conceived, your progesterone and estrogen hormones have begun an intricate and complex process that lays the foundation for a healthy pregnancy and birth.

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