Content Catalog

You’ve consulted books, logged onto Websites and asked your friends–but you’ve still got niggling questions about feeding your baby safely that no one seems to know the answer to—until now. To help you sort through the confusion, we rounded up top pediatricians and baby safety experts to answer some of your most burning baby food questions. Bonus: Their answers might even save you money!

Playing with your baby may not seem like much more than a fun fest, when, say, he coos at his rattle or tries his hand at stacking ‘donuts.’ But make no mistake. What looks like downtime to us is work to little ones–and toys are the tools for getting the job done. Read on to find out what your baby actually learns from classic play time activities from newborn to age 2–and what you can do to play up their important lessons.

If you live in a house or apartment that’s short on space or even a good-size home with a growing family, you’ve got lots of BIG reasons to cull your gear “get” list. For starters, baby stuff can quickly become a tripping hazard, eat up precious square footage and make you feel like you’re trapped in the home version of Babies R Us. This piece focuses on which products to buy that can help minimize baby gear clutter.

About 75 percent of us will do a thorough cleaning once a year, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. But if you have a new baby or one on the way, you want keep up the good work year ‘round – not that you don’t already have enough to do! That’s because we spend 90 percent of our time indoors, which isn’t such a safe haven. Here, the dirt on why keeping a clean house can help your baby stay healthier.

When you’re adding to the family, a double stroller can make getting around with two more kids of the same or different ages a lot easier. The good and bad news: You’ve got lots of options–so many, in fact, that double stroller shopping can make you see double. Here’s the gist: Double strollers come in one of three basic configurations: tandem, side by side and modular, which converts as your kids grow. You can also add a platform or a seat to the stroller you currently own, turning it into a double (or even triple) baby/toddler mobile. Which route should you go? Asking yourself these five key questions before you hit the virtual or brick-and-mortar aisles can narrow the field and help save your double stroller shopping sanity.

Whether you’re training for a marathon, want to get in shape or just shed some baby weight, go ahead–get pushy. Get out there and stroll with your baby. Strolling is not only a fun way to bond with your baby/toddler, it offers a decent workout. If you’re a runner, a jogging stroller, of course, is the way to go. But it can be a big investment. Is it worth it? Should you go that route? Here, two runner parents weigh in on what it’s really like to jog with kids, what they’ve gained and lost along the way, and what to look for in a good jogging stroller.

Whether you’re registering for baby gear or paying the tab yourself, it pays to budget wisely. By focusing on the products you truly need, you’ll have more money to spend on necessities, such as diapers, diapers and more diapers. Your house will be less cluttered too. Too much baby gear can be a tripping hazard. Here are five baby products you’ll want to avoid or trade in for something more practical if you receive them as a gift.

Should you swaddle your baby? A May 2016 study in Pediatrics, which linked swaddling– tightly wrapping an infant in a light cloth–with an increased risk of SIDS, especially, put the question on the table and caused an uproar.

“There has been a lot of press about the study and it’s gotten blown out of proportion,” says Rachel Moon, MD, a co-author of the study and 14 Ways to Protect Your Baby from SIDS. Dr. Moon is also a professor of pediatrics at the University of Virginia School of Medicine. In this piece, Dr. Moon sets the record straight on swaddling safety and common mistakes many parents are still making when it comes to SIDS risk.

With hundreds of strollers on the market, buying one or two—that you might use until your baby is 4 or 5 years old–can feel as overwhelming as choosing a baby name. (Okay, maybe not that daunting. Still, stroller shopping is a big job.)

To narrow the field, start by asking yourself the basics: Where do you plan to use your stroller the most? On sidewalks? On rocky roads? On airport moving walkways? (Ha, ha.) How do you plan to use it—just as a stroller, as a jogger too, as a /shopping cart? (Seriously.) Size–Does the stroller need to fit in the trunk of your car or in an overhead compartment? What’s your budget?

If you don’t have all the answers, that’s okay. But you get the idea. No matter which stroller everybody else has, picking the right one for you is personal quest. This piece features a quiz to find out–and make your starter or forever stroller shopping easier.

Stevanne Auerbach, PhD, a.k.a. “Dr. Toy,” has been one of the world’s leading experts on toys and play for 49 years. Since 1968, Dr. Toy has been asking: “What is good for a child’s development?”

In this Q&A, Dr. Toy discusses what what babies learn by playing, how toys make her recommended toy lists, and what parents like you can to help your baby get the most from play time.

Tummy time is critical for a baby’s development. It develops head control, which helps develop walking skills, and increases neck and body strength and improves balance. When babies are on their tummies, they instinctively do the infant version of push-ups: They use their shoulder muscles to push their head and shoulders off the floor. Here’s how to make the most of your baby’s tummy time sessions.

When you become a parent, you take on lots of new roles, such as chief diaper changer, colic analyst, playdate organizer and breastaurant owner. As if that’s not enough, you’ve gotta be the safety police too. If not you, then who?

Sure, you can hire a professional baby proofer. But child proofing is also something you can and should do yourself because it’s not a one-off deal. It’s an ongoing process because kids are well, kids. To keep your little one out of harm’s way, this piece provides a rundown of some of the things you’ll need to do around the house to help keep your child safe.

“How many words does your child say?” is the hot topic of conversation among parents of 1-year-olds. But keeping a word count can be more nerve-wracking than thrilling if your toddler’s the silent type. When it comes to language development, every 1-year-old sets his own pace. The piece provides the latest word on when to worry and when to relax.

Take a look around at any mall or even in your neighborhood and you’re likely to see parents pushing Kindergarten, even grade-school age kids. It’s a burgeoning trend. Still, while strolling is excellent aerobic exercise for parents, it does nothing for kids. How long should you allow your child to ride? These smart strolling strategies to keep your kids moving in the right direction.

The piece details the story of Bellienda and Jim Burnett, a couple, who, with the help of a surrogate mother, had biological triplets—one month apart. It includes a side bar on the legal aspects of surrogacy.

The piece discusses how hard parenting can be—on your back, shoulders, elbows and wrists. In a word, ow! It covers how to reduce the parenting wear and tear that can result from lifting your baby, carrying a car seat or even just holding your toddler incorrectly.

This piece discusses the latest in infant and toddler surveillance: Wearable baby monitors. These “smart” devices track a baby’s heart rate, oxygen level and/or movement. They allow caregivers to detect a baby’s stealth distress signals—those you can’t always see or hear, especially in the dark. But these new-fangled devices aren’t regulated, which is important for parents to know before buying one (or not).

The question of which baby bottle to buy is more complicated than ever. In this piece, I discuss the pros and cons of plastic, glass, stainless steel and silicone, and highlight the latest research to help readers come to their own conclusion for this very important decision.

Forget what you learned in high school. The science of genes is changing. This piece covers how to predict what color hair your baby will have and other traits from both sides of your family.

Homework serves an important purpose. But it’s also cause for fights and frustration. What can parents do to help–without the hassle? In this piece, I feature 10 top homework tips from educators for kids of all ages. 

This piece discusses what parents can do to help their kids make the most of each developmental stage, from Kindergarten through high school.

This piece provides actionable advice on how parents can teach their kids three seemingly innate qualities: creativity, empathy and self-confidence.

You probably know that kids shouldn’t leave the house without having a healthy breakfast. But lunch is just as important. Children do better at school if they eat a balanced midday meal. This piece helps you make nutritious lunches that your child will eat and ask for again and again. A little time, creativity, and nutrition know-how is all it takes.

This piece discusses why it can be difficult to afford treatment for breast cancer, even if you have health insurance, and how to get free or lower-cost care if you’ve been diagnosed.

Studies show that regular exercise can help breast cancer survivors live longer and reduce the risk of recurrence. It can also help reclaim your sense of wellbeing. In this profile, three inspiring women reveal how pushing themselves physically after their breast cancer diagnosis made them stronger on every level. 

Six inspiring women share the stories of how their battles with breast cancer made them stronger and wiser.

Breast cancer isn’t a disease you need to battle alone. Here, four inspiring women reveal the life lessons they’ve learned about asking for help and how the support they got made them courageous and strong.

  This piece discusses four new tests women may need, in addition to mammogram, to detect breast cancer.

This piece discusses what parents can do at home to reinforce the lessons their child is learning in daycare and preschool, such as taking turns and following directions, and how to make drop off and pick up go smoothly.

This piece discusses what parents can do to help their preschoolers continue learning after their daily preschool program is over, to better prepare for Kindergarten.

If you’ll be returning to work after your baby is born, you probably know that open daycare spots can go faster than ice cream melts on a hot day. Still, for your child’s wellbeing and your own peace of mind, it pays to get picky. Starting about a few months before you’re ready, “visit three to five daycare programs,” says Kris Murray, author of The Ultimate Childcare Marketing Guide and a consultant to the childcare industry.

To narrow your selection, here are top questions Murray suggests asking daycare providers that can help you know if you’ve found the right place–or if you need to keep looking.

This piece discusses the trend of adults, especially moms, getting braces along with their kids. It covers why braces aren’t what they used to be. They’re more high-tech and less painful. Treatment is often must faster too.

If you have diabetes, your risk of periodontal (gum) disease, also known as periodontitis, is two to three times greater than it is for someone who doesn’t have diabetes. Diabetes doesn’t cause the gum infection but it can make it worse and progress faster, especially if your diabetes isn’t well-controlled. To avoid this vicious cycle, prevention and awareness are key. Here are and 7 things dentists wish their patients with diabetes knew to reduce their risk of periodontitis and help them stay healthy

This as-told-to piece is the story of Chris Lee, a 34-year-old father of three, who donated one of his kidneys to save the life of his toddler daughter, Piper. 

This piece discusses what women can do to help their husbands or boyfriends hone their parenting skills and be even more fulfilled in the dad department.  

In this quiz, readers test their knowledge about vitamin supplements, to debunk common misconceptions, such as “a multi-vitamin gives you energy.”

This piece discusses what you can do to help yourself stay healthy during cold and flu season and beyond.

Every day, you make dozens of decisions about your health that can impact your wellbeing, such as whether to tough out the flu or see the doctor; go for a power walk after work or watch TV instead; take a medicine, or skip it. You do the best you can. But let’s face it–you’re juggling your own responsibilities along with your kid’s health, school stuff, home life, and sports activities. And your spouse and your parents are probably in the mix, too. With so much going on, it’s easy to get distracted and make micro and macro judgment calls about your own healthcare that can do more harm than help. Where do you go wrong? Here are some of the biggest medical mistakes multitasking women make (that’s you) that doctors wish they wouldn’t and what you can to do remedy the situation.

Stroke claims more women’s lives each year than men’s. This piece discusses what you can do now to reduce your stroke risk.

 This piece offers simple steps from back pain experts on how to ease aches and feel better—from easy-to-implement prevention moves to the most effective cutting-edge surgical cures. Back pain is a common problem; 80 percent of us will deal with it at some point.

This is a comprehensive guide for preventing osteoporosis in your 20s, 30s, 40s and beyond.

Whether you’re uneasy about a treatment plan or think something’s wrong when your doc says you’re fine, you’re entitled to go elsewhere to make sure you’re on the right track. This piece provides steps that can help you feel confident about your care.

Each year, 5 to 7 percent of the 50 million Pap tests performed each year are abnormal in the U.S. This piece features a guide to various results, what they mean and what you need to do next.

This piece discusses the benefits of essential oils, such as lavender, sandalwood and rose geranium for your DIY skincare routine. The oils can be found at health food stores, including Whole Foods.

There’s no need to feel guilty about drinking coffee or living for your latte. Caffeine can be good for you. This highlights its health benefits.

This offers strategies to help readers optimize their energy level in a given day so they can multitask more efficiently and get more done.

Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), a.k.a. acid reflux, affects women of all ages.

It’s the most common GI disorder, affecting 20 percent of the population, with heartburn its main symptom. In this piece, I discuss how GERD sufferers can get the relief they need and feel better fast.

An estimated 39 million women in the U.S. have overactive bladder (OAB). Unfortunately, many are too embarrassed to see their doctor and spend years coping with the condition themselves. This piece encourages women to seek treatment and discusses the latest options for relief.

Hypnosis can be effective and beneficial for anyone who wants to change a habit, such as stopping smoking or weight loss. It can also be useful for anxiety-related issues, such as a chronic worrying or a phobia of the dentist, driving or needles—and even help manage everything from low back pain and irritable bowel syndrome, to the pain of childbirth. In this piece, readers will learn how to give their mindset a healthy makeover.

This pieces focuses on the stretches you can do at home that are good for your joints.

The more doctors learn about longevity, the more they appreciate the role life style plays in determining health. Here, top physicians reflect on the latest thinking on how to live a longer, healthier life.

This piece covers seven traps that can keep you from New Year’s resolution success and how to fix them.

Every day we make dozens of decisions that affect our well-being. We do the best we can, but some choices do more harm than good. Top doctors from across the country list the mistakes they wish their patients would avoid.

This piece discusses three common myths about Alzheimer’s and provides a reality check for each.

This piece offers insight on whether these skincare products really help lines and wrinkles disappear—or just money in your wallet.

Your stomach growls. Your knees creak. You snore like a freight train. This piece can help you decide whether these are everyday quirks or your body crying for help.

If you’re like nearly 50 percent of Americans, you’ll make at least one New Year’s resolution on January 1, most likely involving your health, money, or improving a relationship. But research shows that many of us abandon our resolutions by mid-February. In this piece, I cover a stage-by-stage approach based on the science of behavior chance that can help readers increase their chances of success. In stage 1, for example, you prep for behavior change by defining realistic and measurable goals; in stage 2, take action, but only after you’ve made sure your life is relatively calm so you have the time and energy to devote to implementing the changes you’ve planned, and so on.

We know more about preventing cancer than ever before. This piece discusses six surprising tips that can help stop this frightening disease before it stops you.

Don’t want to go with the flow? The tips these pieces offers can help.

Americans spend millions on probiotic products. Here’s what these friendly bacteria can do for you.

Over half of the nearly 24 million Americans with diabetes also have osteoarthritis. It’s the most common kind of arthritis, which occurs when the cartilage that provides a cushion between bones wears away, causing inflammation, stiffness and pain in joints. One disease affects the other. But staying active and at a healthy weight are key. Here are seven important facts that can help you manage both conditions to help you stay healthier.

This piece covers who’s at risk, warning signs of diabetes, and what you can do to manage the disease.

As the gatekeeper of your family’s well-being, you know that a balanced diet, plenty of exercise and other healthy habits your kids establish now can set a pattern for the rest of their lives. But how much influence do you really have? Plenty. This piece profiles three inspiring moms who took charge and banished bad habit—from too much junk food to smoking in secret—for good.

Irritable bowel syndrome affects 15 to 20 percent of Americans. In this piece, I discuss new, natural approaches to managing the condition.

Mitral value prolapsed (MVP) is inherited thickening of the mitral valve, one of heart’s four valves, which maintains the forward flow of blood. It’s the most common condition of the heart valves. Until recently, experts believed that MVP affected 5 to 35 percent of the population, with women outnumbering men two to one. But with improved diagnostic testing, it’s now estimated that MVP affects only about 2 percent of the population, men and women equally. Here’s a basic guide on what mitral valve prolapse is, symptoms, diagnosis and treatment.

This piece provides the basics on some of the most important hormones in your body and how they can help or hinder your health.

This piece covers everything you ever wanted to know about Botox to take years off your appearance.

This piece helps you get the most appropriate diagnosis and treatment the next time you visit the doctor.

This piece dissects the little lies we tell ourselves, such as “I don’t have to work out—chasing the kids around is enough,” that can do real damage.

According to the National Osteoporosis Foundation, as estimated 41 million women over 50 will be at risk for developing osteoporosis by 2020, signaling an epidemic. This includes women who are in their 20s and 30s now. This piece covers eight steps women in their 20s, 30s and 40s should take to protect their bones now, while there’s still time to do so.

With each drag on a cigarette, smokers set themselves up for a deadly heart attack. Their smoke also skill about 35,000 nonsmokers each year. This piece provides fact and tips to reduce your risk.

This piece covers common form faux pas spotted regularly at the gym and on the streets all over the country and how to fix them.

A suntan, once considered a sign of good health, is now dangerous, possibly even deadly. In fact, many dermatologists declare that there’s no such thing as a “healthy tan.” The reason: Skin cancer has reached epidemic proportions in the United States, and it’s estimated that 60 percent of the 2,000,000 cases reported each year are caused by harmful ultraviolet (UV) rays from sunshine or tanning beds. It’s a good idea to avoid tanning beds and tanning in general. But no one wants to shun the sun entirely. And you don’t have to, if you adopt some simple, common-sense procedures.

This piece covers how to protect yourself from UV rays and safely enjoy the summer sun.

This piece covers the best time of the month to have great sex, start a diet, quit smoking and even make a tough decision based on your menstrual cycle.

Feeling anxious, tired, depressed, bloated? Notice changes in your skin or hair? Gaining or losing weight for no reason? These could be signs your thyroid is on the fritz. This piece covers two of the most common thyroid problems, what you can do if you think your thyroid may be acting up and why you need to pay special attention to your thyroid if you’re pregnant or considering pregnancy.

Let’s face it–kids aren’t exactly the kings and queens of clean. After all, they’ve been known to share pacifiers, sippy cups and juice boxes, use their hands as a Kleenex and sneeze into the stratosphere. And that’s not counting the bad bugs they pick up in places you’d least expect. Playgrounds, restaurant high chairs, and petting zoos can all be seriously icky germy zones. Here’s how to protect your child.

As miserable as a phlegmy cough or stuffy nose can make your child feel, it’s helpful to know that these common cold symptoms can often seem worse they actually are. Coughing is the body’s way of clearing and protecting airways from irritating mucous and other secretions. Still, coughs and congestion can sometimes signal something more serious. What’s worrisome and what’s not? Here’s what you need to know to decipher your child’s cold symptoms and the best ways to handle them so your child can breathe easier and feel better fast.

You’ve probably heard the buzz: Radiation from cell phones, laptops, and tablets could be harmful. But this piece offers realistic advice for making the digital world less risky—especially for kids.

This piece helps parents decipher what their child’s cough might mean and what they can do to help their child feel better fast. 

If you’re like 90 percent of parents in the U.S., you get your baby immunized on schedule, according to U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s timetable. The CDC and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommend that by age 2, all children be immunized against 14 diseases, including hepatitis B, hepatitis A, pertussis (whopping cough), diphtheria, tetanus (lock jaw), Haemophilus influenza type b (Hib disease), pneumococcal infections, polio, measles, mumps, rubella (German measles), rotavirus, influenza and chickenpox.

But a growing number of parents—about 9 percent—are creating their own immunization schedule by skipping or delaying certain vaccines, or all of them. If you’re on the fence about immunizations, here are three reasons why you should consider partnering with a pediatrician you trust and getting your child immunized according to the schedule established by the CDC and AAP.

Love can be tricky at any age. This piece discusses what parents can do to help their child manage a first crush—and what they shouldn’t do—when Cupid’s arrow hits.

This piece is a symptom guide to common and not so common stomach illnesses in kids.

The piece profiles four children who helped save someone’s life, including a 5 year old who saved a baby from drowning, another 5 year old who saved her dad from being burned in a fire, a 4 year old who saved his brother from strangulation, and a 5 year old who called 911 when his Mom collapsed and stayed on the line until paramedics got there. It includes a side bar on what you can do to help prepare your kids for emergencies.

This piece profiles five young heroes who acted fast when it mattered most. It profiles a 5 year old who prevented her 2 year old brother from choking to death, a 4 year old who called 911 when her mom collapsed, a 10 year old who performed CPR to save her 18 month old brother, a 9 year old who saved his elderly neighbor, and an 8 year old who summoned help when she, her mother and her 1 year old brother were in a car wreck.

At first glance, water doesn’t seem to contribute much to your child’s overall health. After all, water has no vitamins, minerals, fiber, protein or carbohydrates.

Still, water can be vital to your child’s well-being, especially when the mercury rises. In this piece, I cover how to tap into water’s many underrated health benefits and what you can to help your child stay well-hydrated in the summer—and beyond.

This piece includes the most current advice on how to choose the right health plan for your family. 

This article profiles 3-year-old Houston’s battle with neuroblastoma and how his mother found the one physician who would operate—to ultimately save the little boy’s life.

You wouldn’t think that osteoporosis–the brittle bone disease that afflicts 10 million Americans over age 50–is something you need to worry about now for your kids. But calcium deficiency in U.S. kids is at an all-time high—and their bodies may pay the price for a lifetime. Here’s how to help your kids build strong bones now to reduce the risk of osteoporosis. (This piece is geared for parents of kids age 9 and under.)

Eighty-one percent of teen girls and 48 percent of teen boys fail to get the recommended amounts of calcium–1300 mg/day until age 18; 1,000 mgs after that until age 51, when it jumps to 1200 daily mgs. The shortfall comes at a pivotal time because from 9 to 18, hormones, such as estrogen and insulin-like growth factor-1 kick in, prompting the body to store calcium and absorb more of it from food.

The good news: Research shows that by boosting bone density by as little as 5 percent during the teen years lowers the risk of fractures later by 40 percent. Help your kids maximize their bone-building window of opportunity with our action plan.

Unfortunately, in some ways, getting sick when you’re young is simply part of the job description. Slowly, children prime their immunity by battling an ongoing series of germs, viruses and other organisms—which is why many pediatricians consider six to eight colds, bouts of flu, or ear infections per year normal. This piece covers the healthy habits you can adopt that will give your child’s immune system a boost.

This piece offers suggestions for healthy kitchen gadgets and equipment for the foodie in your life.

Fantasy: You give everyone gift cards for the holidays, let the dust bunnies gather and forget all about cooking, cleaning, shopping and wrapping. Reality: You’ve got more to do than ever, with hundreds of holiday cards to address, tons of family and friends to shop for, parties galore and a new baby to boot. Sound familiar? Then maximize your energy level by tweaking your daily habits. This hour-by-hour guide can help you power up your holiday prep so you can multitask more efficiently and feel peppier while you’re at it.

Whether you’re road tripping it to Grandpa and Grandma’s this holiday season, getting your passports stamped—or something in between–traveling with a little one is always a big adventure. With their love of a set schedule and the familiar, plus loads of gear, babies are natural homebodies. Still, they can be surprisingly adaptable and getting out and about (and outta the house!) can be loads of fun for everyone. The trick is to be prepared so that you can enjoy the journey—and the destination.

These expert traveler tips can help–no matter where you’re headed with your baby this holiday season or how you’re getting there.

A cold? Bah humbug. That stuffy itchy nose and nagging cough you always get this time of year could be an allergy, brought on by dusty tree ornaments, a moldy Christmas tree shirt, the scent or the sap of your tree and green wreaths and garlands—or even your favorite holiday foods.

This piece provides tactics to keep seasonal allergies from spoiling your fun.

This piece discusses how to eat, drink and not gain an ounce during the holiday season.

This piece discusses how to create a party strategy that keeps your portions—and your appetite—under control. It includes a side bar on the calories of typical holiday beverages.

This piece discusses how the holidays can be a dangerous time of year. According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, about 12,000 are treated in hospital emergency departments nationwide due to holiday-related decorating incidents. My article covers the most common holiday safety mistakes we typically make and small ways to fix them to safeguard your home and your family.

It’s almost time for your annual family Thanksgiving dinner, and you’ve been dreaming about your mom’s amazing apple pies. Go ahead and dig in – there’s no reason to deprive yourself of any food you really love, especially during this special time of the year. The key is putting together an eating & celebrating strategy that keeps your portions – and your appetite under control. Here, four important tricks to psych out your stomach before the big feast.

This piece discusses why midlife is becoming a most popular time for joint replacement and the nuts and bolts of total knee, total hip and total shoulder replacement.

This piece discusses fibromyalgia—the potential cause of this mysterious disorder, what it is and what you can do to feel better fast. Although anyone can get fibromyalgia, including children, it’s most common in midlife women. 

You’re exercising like you always have and eating basically the same diet. So why are you finding it harder than ever to zip your jeans? And why do clothes you’ve worn for years suddenly seem snug? If you’ve reached perimenopause, the transitional years prior to menopause when estrogen and other hormone levels start to wane, or menopause itself, take heed.

According to the Women’s Healthy Lifestyle Project, a five-year, randomized clinical trial published in Circulation, post-menopausal women have higher levels of body fat and central (abdominal) fat than other women the same age. This piece focuses on how to avoid gaining weight in menopause.

This piece debunks five common misconceptions about sex and menopause, such as estrogen replacement is dangerous (not necessarily).

This piece discusses hair loss in women—why it might happen and what to do about it, with tips from leading dermatologists.

We don’t need less sleep as we age. But getting a goodnight’s sleep can get harder as we get older. In this piece, I discuss the connection between health and the night shift and what midlife women can do to help themselves sleep better.

 From a car seat and crib to diapers and daycare, little ones come with big expenses. In fact, American parents spend an average of $14,000 on their baby’s first year. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed in the baby superstore and fill up your cart with products you may not need or use. But these money-saving strategies can help you buy the best for your baby and gear up for less. 

If you plan to go back to work full-time after your baby is born and continue breastfeeding, a double electric breast pump can help you get the job done fast and efficiently and help maintain your milk supply. But the price tag—as much as $500 for a decked-out Medela—can be a budget buster, especially when you’re busy stocking up on other big-ticket baby items, like a crib, car seat and stroller. Fortunately, there are smart ways to save on this mommy must-have.  

Here’s the best advice on the little ways that can make your job as a parent faster, cheaper and easier from efficiency and money-saving experts—including parents like you. 

This piece discusses how you can healthy up your family’s eating habits and save money by shopping and cooking strategically.

This piece profiles three inspiring women who endured unusual medical issues during their pregnancies and the life lessons they learned from the experience.

Many of today’s parents rely on their parents’ support for childcare and to pick up the tab for necessities. It’s a big help.  Still, the increased parental involvement lends itself to questions, such as: If Grandma is paying, does she get to call the shots? Does Grandma get to make the rules if she’s the babysitter? This piece aims to give today’s parents guidelines for managing their parent’s support in their lives so that everyone is happy.

This personal essay is my infertility success story—how I finally got pregnant after nearly three years of trying/medical intervention/then back to trying again.

In this piece, I cover a list of 14 foods women with children should try to get in every week to help them boost their energy levels and prevent disease. While moms are busy taking care of everyone else, their own diet habits can suffer. By developing their meals around these basic foods, they’ll know they have their bases covered.

This piece discusses how homemade meals can help you eat healthier and provides cooking tips from chefs, registered dietitians, bloggers and foodies from around the country. 

This piece discusses practical ways to add fruits, veggies, and whole grains to your diet to improve your health.

This piece discusses couples cooking together and how it can be fun way to spend some quality time with your spouse and your family.

This piece covers the specific foods/nutrients to include in your diet to sharpen your brain power and enhance memory.

Studies show that consuming certain foods regularly can help you and your family put up a powerful food fight against heart disease. You’re never too old or too young to start fighting off the nation’s number-one killer. Here’s a guide of the key components of a heart-smart diet. Building your diet around these nutrients can help keep your ticker in top shape.

This piece discusses how snacks can help fill nutrient gaps in your diet, fuel your exercise routine and keep you energized all day. It includes an optional chart with healthy snacking suggestions.

This piece offers nine worldly ways to help make your meals healthy and adventurous while maximizing your diet’s disease-fighting potential.

To help your kids eat right and stay in shape now and for the long haul, this piece focuses on five health habits you should be sure to practice yourself to set the tone from the top down.

This piece offers food for thought on seven super foods that can help you put up a food fight against cancer.

This piece answers 12 of your most burning diet questions to help you eat healthier such as “How can I control my cravings?” “What are the worst fast foods?” “Which five vegetables pack the biggest nutritional punch?” and “If I don’t have high blood pressure, do I have to worry about sodium intake?”

Three servings of dairy a day does more than build strong bones. This piece discusses the latest research, which shows that calcium can combat cancer, weight gain, PMS, and more.

That’s how much we’re drinking, on average, per year. This piece discusses what’s fueling our soda habit and what to do about it.

This piece addresses the superfoods that can help fight colds, PMS, cancer and more.

You may not be eating enough between meals. In this guide to low-fat snacks, you’ll learn how snacking can help fuel your workouts, improve your health and keep you energized all day.

Whether you’re curled up with a book or sprinting for a bus, your heart works hard for you—a healthy one beats 100,000 times and pumps about 2,000 gallons of blood daily. To help it do its job–and prevent heart disease—take stock of your diet. What you eat and how you prepare food can strongly affect your blood cholesterol, your blood pressure and the propensity for plaque to build up in your arteries over the long run.

Considering that plenty of not-so-good-for-you foods are just a drive-thru away, read on for the key nutrition rules that will help you eat to beat heart disease.

This piece discusses the health benefits of fish as well as how to cook it and choose the freshest fish at the supermarket.

How to use a food diary or app to help you lose weight.

This piece features good-mood foods and how the nutrients they contain works to nourish your mind and improve your mood.

This piece discusses specific nutrients in the diet that are “heart helpers,” where to find them and how much you need to keep your ticker in top shape.

This guide can help you know if the meat you’re eating is safe and learn how to “steer“clear of meat-related illnesses such as foot-and-mouth disease, salmonella, and E. coli.

You’ve probably mastered the widespread principle that chicken and turkey are leaner than pork, beef and lamb. But guess what? It’s not always true. This piece dispels meat myths and covers how to reduce the fat from meat meals across the board by 20 percent or more.

  This piece discusses the foods to load up on when you go grocery shopping to meet your dietary needs.

This piece offers six sneaky ways to work more greens into your diet. The average American woman eats less than half of what experts say we need to stay healthy.

This piece is an eating plan that can help you get the lowdown on the nutrients you need (and what to avoid) to live a longer, healthier life.

Discusses how what you eat and affect your mood.

Discusses seven nutrients to include in your diet that can give you a mental edge and the foods that contain them.

In this piece, I discuss what trans fatty acids are and how you can avoid them.

This piece discusses why having kids help out around the house is good for them, what they learn from household chores and how to get your child’s cooperation.

When you’re starting your family, there are several reasons why you might be considering getting a puppy too, such as:

1. Your baby and your puppy can grow up together. Aw…
2. You got a puppy when you yourself were little and everything turned out okay.
3. Your spouse/partner/boy or girlfriend is pushing for a puppy.

I asked two dog owner/experts for their take on the puppy question, especially when you have an infant or toddler in the house. Should you just go for it—and get a puppy? Spoiler alert: Both experts said “No.” Here’s why.

Eating together as a family may not seem like a big deal. But it can make a big difference for your kids’ self-image, sense of security and happiness, and self-esteem. It’s no wonder that family meals are associated with lower teenage pregnancy rates and fewer eating disorders, higher grade point averages, and a lower risk of depression. Moreover, the psychological benefits go both ways. A recent telephone survey of 2,008 U.S. parents sponsored by Barilla found that adults who eat with their kids regularly with few distractions (no TV or phone) report higher overall life satisfaction.

To keep everyone coming back from more, up the fun factor. Need ideas? We asked moms to share the ways they make family meals festive. Here’s what they said.

The clean-plate club is long gone. Still, this piece discusses the sneaky messages moms may still be unwittingly sending their kids about food that can set them up for unhealthy eating habits, such as: “You better eat now. Otherwise, you’re going to be hungry later,” which sends the message: “It’s okay to eat when you’re not hungry.”

This piece discusses bedwetting—who it typically affects, when to worry and what parents can do to help their child deal with this common problem.

Playing with your baby may not seem like much more than a fun fest, when, say, he coos at his rattle or tries his hand at stacking ‘donuts.’ But make no mistake. What looks like downtime to us is work to little ones–and toys are the tools for getting the job done. Read on to find out what your baby actually learns from classic play time activities from newborn to age 2–and what you can do to play up their important lessons.

Instead of spanking, there’s plenty you can do to manage behavior problems–and that’s the difficult part (as if parenting wasn’t hard enough). The downside to the whole approach of not spanking is that it’s more complex. It requires greater imagination and effort, but the rewards are greater, too. This piece covers a spank-free approach to discipline that’s a win-win for both parent and child.

 Discipline issues change as kids get older. How do you know what’s okay because it’s “just a stage” and what’s not? This piece helps readers decide when appropriate behavior crosses over into inappropriate misbehavior and how to handle typical child antics–and stop nightmare behavior.

This piece offers advice from four parent coaches on solving common discipline dilemmas (such as getting “the gimmes” in stores, temper tantrums, and sibling fighting).

This piece offers expert advice for four families on how to work together to solve their discipline dilemmas, which pertain to timeouts, getting kids to pick up after themselves, spanking (or not), and how to make discipline a team effort.

For most parents, the choice of where to have a baby is easy: the hospital. That’s where 99 percent of births take place, according to the National Center for Health Statistics. But some couples—a small but steadily growing number—choose to deliver their babies at home instead.

Why do these parents opt for a home birth—which is still somewhat risky? And what is the experience like? To find out, we meet up with Kristin Brooks, 36, a nurse midwife, and her husband, Glenn Meyer, 30, an executive for the National Football League. This piece is an hour-by-hour diary of the birth of Griffin, who came into the world in the warmth and comfort of his parents’ home one luminous October day.

This piece profiles four moms whose birth plans took a detour. They ended up giving under usual circumstances—on the kitchen floor, in the living room with the whole family helping, in a fire station parking lot and in a moving taxi. It includes a sidebar, “The Art of the DIY Delivery,” on how to give birth without medical assistance if you have to.

With genetic screening procedures like amniocentesis—a diagnostic test in which a small amount of amniotic fluid is taken from the uterus with the help of ultrasound as a guide—many chromosomal abnormalities or birth defects can be detected well before your baby is born. But what should you do if a genetic test finds an abnormality?

Cord blood is a valuable natural resource that could potentially be used to save someone’s life. But 90 percent of the time, it’s tossed in the hospital trash as medical waste. This piece profiles how cord blood helped one little girl recover from a stroke and why banking your baby’s cord blood is at least worth considering if you’re expecting.

This piece discusses six different positions to consider during active labor that can ease pain, even speed the process. The piece also includes a side bar on the different stages of labor.

This piece profiles five women who gave birth under unusual circumstances, such as in a car dealer parking lot enroute to the hospital—or at home, unexpectedly, a breech birth.

As a new parent, you need a lot—as in the gift of time to catch up on your sleep. A free and reliable baby sitter (“Uh, Mom, can you fly in to watch the baby on Friday night?”) so you can have an afternoon or a night out to yourself couldn’t hurt either. Spa gift cards, a cleaning person and a meal delivery service couldn’t hurt either, right? But if you’re looking for even more hints to drop, we’ve got just the thing.

Whether you’re giving or getting, these unique and practical gift ideas, geared for new parents like you, can make life with a new baby even better.

This piece discusses five of the most common birthmarks that affect as many as one in 10 babies: hemangioma, port-wine stain, Mongolian spot, congenital pigmented nevi and café-au-lait spots. Here, I cover the essential facts about what each is and when to worry, plus the latest treatments.

 This piece answers questions women often have about C-sections, such as: What are the most common reasons that I’d need a C-section? and Is vaginal birth after C-section safe?

The piece discusses the simple steps women can take at every age to make the most of pregnancy and motherhood.

The piece discusses how to manage work and secondary infertility—the inability to conceive and deliver a baby after having had one or more children. I discuss whether you should tell your boss, how to handle nosy colleagues, how to handle the heartbreak of office baby showers and why it’s important to nurture yourself during this process.

The piece discusses the benefits of having a doula by your side during childbirth, plus how to find a qualified doula in your area and what to expect from this labor coach.

After your baby is born, but before being discharged from the hospital, her hearing will be checked. She’ll also undergo a quick heel stick screening that can detect at least 25 rare congenital conditions with just a few drops of blood. But there’s another important disorder your baby should be screened for: Critical congenital heart disease (CCHD), a heart defect that poses a significant risk of death or disability if it isn’t diagnosed soon after birth and treated within the first year of life.

CCHD is often treatable with medication or corrective surgery if it’s detected early, with a simple screening test called Pulse oximetry. This piece covers the key question: “What do I need to do to make sure this test is done on my baby?

No one wants to arrive at the hospital too early or risk giving birth in the car. Here’s how to tell the difference between false labor and the real thing.

Discusses how a growing number of hospitals are developing programs to provide disabled women with better prenatal and obstetrical care.

This piece addresses what really happens during childbirth, such as you throw up, your teeth chatter, you pass gas, you act like a lunatic, your mind goes blank, you don’t necessarily love your baby at first sight, and the biological basis behind each, so moms-to-be can really be prepared.

 This piece discusses common questions new and expectant parents have about baby products that often don’t get answered—until now, such as, “Is it okay to borrow my best friend’s breast pump or buy a preowned one?

The piece discusses essential toddler-proofing tactics for all around the house.

This piece features a checklist for every room in your home to help protect you from fire.

This room-by-room safety guide discusses how to make your home safer for your grandchildren and yourself.

Would your child know what to do in an emergency? In this piece, I cover the stories of five heroes under age 10 who acted fast to save someone else’s life. Includes side bar on what your child should know to help during an emergency.

This piece has parents take a quiz to help them find out whether they’re doing enough to protect their child from the sun’s rays.

 This piece covers common safety mistakes parents tend to make in the summer, and how to avoid them. Summer is an especially dangerous time for kids. According to SafeKids Worldwide, for example, there’s an 89 percent increase in children drowning in the summer months and a 45 percent surge in bike-riding deaths. 

 Among all the duties you have as a parent–Dr. Mom/Dad, chief potty trainer, chauffeur, meal and snack maven, homework helper, squabble referee, play date scheduler, and bread winner–you’re the safety police, too. How do you measure up? This room-by-room quiz can help you find out if you’re doing enough to protect your kids from accidents and injury.

This piece discusses different strategies to consider to help your kids sleep through the night, using four families as real-life examples and comments from leading sleep experts.

We don’t need less sleep as we age. But getting a goodnight’s sleep can get harder as we get older. In this piece, I discuss the connection between health and the night shift and what midlife women can do to help themselves sleep better.

The importance of a good night’s sleep is often underestimated. Studies have linked chronic sleep deprivation to an increased risk of type 2 diabetes, plus memory and attention problems. Many think that a declining quality of sleep is an inevitable consequence of getting older, but that’s not the case. In this piece, which is in a Q & A format, Joyce Walsleben, Ph.D., coauthor of A Woman’s Guide to Sleep dispels common myths and reveals the secrets to getting more shut-eye, especially after 40.

This better-sleep guide is geared for mid-lifers.

This piece offers expert suggestions for helping kids become more resilient to the stress of school, technology, social media and their jam-packed schedules. 

 This piece discusses how to become more of a risk taker–and get more satisfaction out of life. 

 This piece discusses why judgment from other parents is more common these days and how it can undermine your confidence as a parent. It includes expert tips on how to politely stand up for yourself. 

From crawling, walking and babbling to the angst and rebellion of the tween and teen years, children go through a predictable set of developmental stages. But stages aren’t just a kid thing. They’re life long and guess what? You’re in one now.

In fact, every decade poses its own predictable set of normative tasks–psychology speak for adult milestones. But this isn’t your mother’s straight-forward life track. In the past, you got married and had all your kids by your late 20s, spent your 30s raising them, then began seeing them off to college by the time you hit your 40s, which paved the way for the “empty nest.” Now, it’s more of a zigzag. You may be spending your 20s and 30s laying the groundwork for your career and not getting married and starting a family until your mid-30s and 40s or even later. That timing can shift your personal course of development and the life issues you’re dealing with. So can divorce, the fact we’re living longer, and the economy.

Whatever your situation, are you on track to living your life to the fullest? Take charge of your fate with this decade-by-decade guide to maximizing your personal sense of fulfillment. 

This piece discusses the concept that stress reduction is highly individual and that many of us fall into four basic stress types: monitors, distracters, the spiritually included and fidgeters. You learn how to personalize your stress-busting routine, based on your stress type, to make it more effective.

The piece discusses how the current mental healthcare system is failing children and what parents can do to be their children’s advocate to help them get the help they may need.

This piece discusses how you can get emotionally fit to conquer pressure-packed projects easier and faster.

Anger is as legitimate an emotion as joy or sadness and it’s the most common way children express feelings of frustration. But anger can get backed up in the pipes. Children who don’t learn to express their anger properly can develop an attitude of perceived unfairness. This mindset can linger into adulthood and contribute to social maladies such as road rage, violence, and the syndrome in which grown men and women act like 4-year-olds when the going gets tough.

To manage their anger constructively, children need their parents’ help. This piece provides temper-taming tactics that can help your kids learn to handle this powerful emotion—and help you keep your sanity.

Research shows that many of us abandon our New Year’s resolutions by mid-February. How can you avoid among them? The piece provides three methodical and sequential stages. Follow them and you’ll greatly increase your chances of New Year’s resolution success.

In this Q&A, Adrian Ridner, the co-founder of Study.com, discusses on how teens can earn college credit over the summer and during the school year on their smartphone. The gist: Study.com offers 60 college-level general education (100 and 200 level) courses that high school students can take now for college credit at a fraction of what it would cost if they waited to take these core courses in college.

Teens have been known to experiment with drugs and alcohol. In this piece, I discuss healthy ways parents can handle it, such as having specific discussions about drug use, not glorifying your own substance use when you were a teen and taking a prevention approach. 

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1 in 5 high school students in the U.S. has taken a prescription drug, such as OxyContin, Vicodin, Adderall, Ritalin, or Xanax without a doctor’s prescription. All told, 15.4 million teens reported misusing prescription drugs at least once in 2007 (the most recent stats), according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (www.drugabuse.gov). Abusing over-the-counter drugs, such as cough medicine recreationally, is also a widespread problem, especially among U.S. 8^th to 12^th graders, NIDA says. Here’s a round-up of the most commonly misused meds among teens and what parents can do to prevent drug misuse. 

  This piece discusses the worrisome trend of teens without ADHD using Adderall or Ritalin to give themselves an academic edge, and the consequences they may face as a result.

It’s estimated that 22.5 million people age 12 and older have used an inhalant to get high at least once and every year more than 750,000 use inhalants for the first time. Abusing inhalants involves breathing the noxious fumes from a commercial product from its container (“sniffing,” “snorting” or “dusting”), placing a rag soaked in the substance over the mouth or nose and inhaling (“huffing”), or pouring it into a plastic bag and breathing the fumes (“bagging”). This piece discusses the dangers of huffing and what parents of teens can do to discourage it.

This piece discusses how teenage drinking affects brain development and other health consequences, and offers expert advice on how parents of teens can handle the drinking issue.

This discusses the ages and stages kids typically go through from kindergarten through high school and what parents can do to help support their child’s success, academically and otherwise.

Whether you’re traveling by train, plane, boat or car this holiday season, it’s best to be prepared. “In my bag, I always have earplugs, an eye mask, ear buds and music and noise canceling headphones,” says John DiScala, a.k.a. “Johnny Jet,” a travel blogger who has ventured to over 100 countries. When you’re venturing out with little ones, your gear, of course, can multiple. But it’s not so bad. Tons of products are available that go the extra mile to help head off potential problems. Which gear goes the distance? This piece covers products that can help make getting there with kids–and back again–less of a stresscapade.

This travel piece discusses the “famed” food of seven vacation destination cities in the U.S., and how to eat healthier when you’re traveling and cooking these regional favorites at home.

Whether you’re road tripping it to Grandpa and Grandma’s, getting your passports stamped—or something in between–traveling with a little one is always a big adventure. With their love of a set schedule and the familiar, plus loads of gear, babies are natural homebodies. Still, they can be surprisingly adaptable and getting out and about (and outta the house!) can be loads of fun for everyone. The trick is to be prepared so that you can enjoy the journey—and the destination.

These expert traveler tips can help–no matter where you’re headed with your baby or how you’re getting there.

This piece discusses common diet self-deceptions, such as “I’m not losing weight because my metabolism is slow,” and offers realistic solutions for reaching your diet and health goals.

You’ve been hitting the gym regularly, skipping the office donuts and deskinning your chicken. Still, like millions of us, you’ve got pounds that won’t budge. What’s the problem? It could be hidden habits or mental mistakes you’re making that sabotage your efforts. To help you gain clarity, we reveal eight common diet and exercise traps that may be keeping you from losing—and what you can do to get on the right track.

Little daily adjustments to help you achieve a winning weight-loss plan.

Fall and Old Man winter may actually help you burn more calories. Find out why, and learn some other helpful hints for preventing unwanted pounds this winter.

When it comes to food and body image, Moms are powerful role models. This piece discusses how what Moms can do to help their kids develop a healthy body image and relationship with food.

 How your home, your office, even the world at large—are conspiring to make you put on pounds. Here, the six triggers to watch out for—and how to beat them.

When Diana Morales Taylor decided to lose the stubborn pounds she’d gained after her first pregnancy, she tried hCG, a popular weight-loss method first developed in 1954 by Dr. Albert T.W. Simeons of the Salvatore Mundi International Hospital in Rome. It involved giving herself almost daily injections of human chorionic gonadotropin, a hormone the chiropractor provided that’s produced by the placenta during pregnancy and found in the urine of pregnant women. Morales Taylor was told the hCG would reset her metabolism and help her body burn fat.

The result? “It’s the first time I’ve been successful with weight loss,” says the financial consultant, who shed 40 pounds during the six weeks she followed the regimen.

When you read success stories like Morales Taylor’s, it’s tempting to want to try hCG too, to shed extra pounds in a hurry. But not so fast. Read on before you resort to this quick diet fix for the weight of the evidence.

The piece discusses how to lose the pounds you may have gained over the holidays before they become an even bigger issue.

This piece discusses how to avoid diet and fitness traps that keep us from reaching our health goals.

 This piece offers simple strategies readers can use to reduce the urge to overeat and keep their weight in check. The expert advice it offers is based on the latest nutrition studies.

Introverts and extroverts approach weight loss differently. This piece discusses how to tailor your weight-loss plan based on your personality, to reach your goals.

This piece discusses six common things dieters do or say to themselves that can sabotage their weight-loss success and their health, with input from registered dietitians.

Your mother pushes food. Your kids scream for McDonald’s. Here’s how to get your family and friends to support—not sabotage—your diet.

Wouldn’t it be nice if, whenever you went on a diet, everything in your life would change to make losing weight easy? In this fantasy, your husband and kids might suddenly realize that they like steamed vegetables better than hot dogs and ice cream, or a gourmet salad bar would open across the street from you at work, or the company that makes your favorite kind of candy might vanish from the face of the Earth. Unfortunately, in the real world, it seems like you’re always facing temptation, and need smart and easy ways to stay on track. Here are tips from top nutrition experts on how to stick to your diet even when the following scenarios of everyday life get in the way:

Your husband and kids love nothing but meat and dessert.
You’re at home taking care of the kids or working.
You’re going on vacation.
You have fast-food lunches delivered to your desk at work because you’re too busy to leave.
Your co-workers keep a goodie jar stocked with candy and throw a lot of office parties.
You and your partner are used to eating treats together.
Your work schedule is irregular.

Here, 10 supposed superfoods whose powers you may be overestimating — and 10 that aren’t getting the credit they deserve.

Some stay-slim strategies are definitely more effective than others. In this piece, top experts in the field of weight management give their best advice for keeping it off.

Tired of diet failure? The mental makeover this piece provides will help you tame your diet demons and keep the weight off—for good.

This piece offers proven rule-breaking tips to weight-loss that fight deprivation and help you lose weight, such as “Give yourself permission to eat cookies and ice cream.”

This piece offers a delicious seven-day spa diet and recipes to help you get ready for swimsuit season.

This piece helps you craft coping strategies that can help you through the three basic psychological stages of weight loss.

This piece discusses sneaky diet habits that can keep new moms from losing post-pregnancy pounds.

Whether it’s a weekend barbecue, a happy hour or a dinner with friends, many of us like to relax with an occasional glass of beer, wine or other alcoholic beverage. But can drinking be part of a healthy lifestyle—especially if you’re trying to lose weight? This piece tackles all of your burning questions about alcohol so that you can drink (if you choose) with confidence.

This piece offers a diet plan for peeling off post-holiday pounds.

This piece shows you how to tweak your weight-loss strategies to suit your personality. Four weight-loss personality types are discussed.

This piece offers strategies for weight-loss success when everyday life gets in the way.

This piece reveals the pitfalls that may be keeping you from losing.

Kickstart your weight-loss plan with these new and improved strategies from top diet docs.

This piece discusses five common diet traps new moms can fall into that can cause pregnancy pounds to linger such as eating when you’re tired, adopting a kiddie food diet, multitasking meals, not eating all day because you’re too busy, and having some just because it’s there, like the treats someone brings to your playgroup.

Because of the obesity epidemic, researchers now know so much more about weight-loss and weight maintenance than they did even five years ago. In this piece, I cover 10 new proven weight-loss principles that are based on the latest research, including why it’s to be mentally prepared and set modest goals to set yourself up for success, why should focus on what you can eat, not the foods you need to limit, why you need “treats,” the role of exercise and why it’s important to weigh yourself regularly.

This portion size story includes to help you size up your portions. Two tablespoons of peanut butter, for example, looks like one Oreo.

This weight-loss piece addresses how the people in your life who can sabotage your diet, including your coworkers and your boss, your mom, your husband/boyfriend, your kids and your friends, and how to turn any negativity they may unwittingly offer into positive support.

This piece discusses lipoprotein lipase (LPL), a special enzyme whose job it is to store fat in your body—and how to outsmart it.

Take charge of your weight fate with this decade-by-decade guide to staying fit.

Doing hundreds of leg lifts won’t make your thighs thinner. Here’s why.

This piece offers practical can-do solutions to 9 common weight-loss dilemmas, such as “I wish I could lose weight without giving up my favorite foods,” and “I wish I could eat a healthy, tasty lunch even though I’m chained to my desk.”

In this Q&A, I interview Jessica Shortall, the author of Work. Pump. Repeat. The New Mom’s Survival Guide to Breastfeeding and Going Back to Work.

After having her first baby, her son, Otis, while working for TOMS Shoes as the director of giving, Shortall circumnavigated the globe with a breast pump in tow. “Closets, airplanes, trains, busses, cars, you name it, I did it,” she says. In this piece, Shortall provides tips and pointers that can help new moms can reach their breast-feeding goals if they’ll be going back to work outside the home.

Having a supportive workplace helps make pumping at work easier. But that’s only the beginning. This piece provides tricks of the trade from moms who’ve been there and other experts that can prime you for pumping success.

This piece discusses couples cooking together and how it can be fun way to spend some quality time with your spouse and your family.

Many of today’s parents rely on their parents’ support for childcare and to pick up the tab for necessities. It’s a big help. Still, the increased (grand)parental involvement lends itself to questions, such as: If Grandma is paying, does she get to call the shots? Does Grandma get to make the rules if she’s the babysitter? This piece aims to give today’s parents guidelines for managing their parent’s support in their lives so that everyone is happy.

 This personal essay covers how to protect yourself from ransomware, which is malware that’s infecting computers across the country and worldwide. Ransomware encrypts data, rendering your documents, PDFs and family photos inaccessible, until you pay a ransom. And even then, there’s no guarantee you’ll get your files back. I personally had no idea ransomware even existed until I was hacked. 

This piece discusses how working moms can better balance the demands of career and family, with tips from work/life balance experts.