Child

Use a laundry marker to make a matching symbol or number on each pair of white socks in the wash so that they’re easy to match at putting away time.

Help your baby to sit by putting a blow-up swim ring around her waist instead of propping her up with pillows. It will save a lot of toppling over and bruising.

When children are inclined to compete over portions and are reluctant to share, allow one to cut the “share” and the other to choose.

Make a photo album with snaps of close family or friends who live interstate or overseas and give it to your children. This way, they’ll know them by sight and, when visits are made, less “warm-up’ time should be needed.

Here’s a tip for the new mum. When you are bathing your very young baby, wear a cotton glove on the hand you use to support your baby. This enables you to keep a firm hold on the slippery little body.

Toys with many small parts can be kept in transparent hosiery wash bags, which cost a few dollars in supermarkets. Children can see what’s inside without having to tip all the parts out onto the floor.

To disguise ballpoint pen scribbles on wallpaper, use correction fluid. Lightly tint it with a colour from a child’s paint set that matches the wallpaper, and the marks will be practically invisible.

To entertain children indoors, put a tennis ball inside an old stocking, hang it from a hook in the ceiling and give them room to hit the ball with tennis racquets. They’ll have fun for hours. And for a night-light that won’t keep your toddler awake, try using a 25-watt blue globe in the overhead […]

Stick a bunch of lollypops into an orange to make an attractive centrepiece for a birthday party table. Attach a balloon with the child’s name written on it to the back of each chair so they can find their places.

When kids are playing at the end of the day, set a timer bell to remind them that teatime or bedtime is near. When the bell rings, they know they have 10 minutes to finish their activity and pack up. A 15-minute buzzer may better suit older children.

Take the sting out of sandfly bites by rubbing them with Vegemite. The vitamin B content stops the itch, so the child is less likely to scratch and infect the bite. It’s especially good for small children.

Occupy children on a rainy day by having them cut out large coloured letters from headings in magazines. When new schoolbooks need covering, glue the letters onto plain covers to form their name, grade and subject in an individual and easily recognised way.

Paint your children’s names on their school lunch boxes and drink containers with vividly coloured nail polish. It will stay on through countless washes and can be touched up easily when it chips or wears off.

Put a wading pool under the rotary clothes hoist, then peg a bed sheet over the lines to protect children from the sun while they play.

Keep children’s paintings in a large, two-ring binder when you run out of space on the fridge. Name and on them as they get older.

Coloured popcorn sprinkled over or around plain icing on a child’s birthday cake looks pretty and doesn’t cost much.

A mother’s scathing blog post about a raunchy TV advertisement that aired at 8am has gone viral. Florida woman Rebeca Seitz was watching Good Morning America with her two young children when a commercial came on that nearly caused her to choke on her cornflakes. The ad, for new ABC drama Betrayal, showed a completely […]

The Weekly’s associate editor Michael Sheather spent his weekend pretending to be a robot because he wants to be involved in his children’s lives. I love my kids a lot: I must, otherwise I’d never have dressed as a robot. That’s a sentence I never thought I’d ever write. But it’s also the truth. I […]

Julius is four years old, he has Down syndrome, and he is featuring in his second advertising campaign. Here, his mum Catia Malaquias tells us what makes him unique, and what makes him just like any other kid. “So, what is different about Julius?” I asked my 5 year-old daughter Laura, trying hard to sound […]

Dearest Disney, I am writing to thank you for such a wonderful production of Disney On Ice: Princesses and Heroes. I took my 4 year old, along with six of her closest friends and their mothers and it truly was a splendid day out. From the moment the lights dimmed – the audience hushed – […]

Children from wealthy families may do better at school than their poorer classmates because of superior genetic “inherited abilities”, according to a new Federal Government report. The controversial claim is made in a Productivity Commission research paper, published today, that examines the reasons behind the cycle of disadvantage in Australia. Parental brain power and inherited […]

Exposure to traffic fumes and air pollution can double a mother’s risk of giving birth to a child with autism, a new study has found. Researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health found that contaminants in the air, particularly diesel and mercury, dramatically affect the chance of a child being born with an autism […]

Australian parents have abandoned table manners, allowing their kids to eat however they want as long as they finish their food. A new survey found 57 per cent of parents have given up trying to enforce good table etiquette letting children play video games, watch TV in their rooms, burp and talk with their mouths […]

A Spanish charity has unveiled an innovative new anti-child abuse poster that only kids can see. The Anar Foundation image uses a special printing technique more commonly seen on novelty postcards to ensure its important message is only visible to children. A child looking at the poster would see a bruised kid with the message […]

Seven-year-old Jack Woog loves dancing, Taylor Swift and wearing dresses. His mum, Kayte Woog, of Sydney, reveals her journey from niggling unease, to total acceptance of his flamboyance. The day before my son, Jack, started Big School, I went to him with my nail polish remover. I told him that I had to remove his […]

It was meant to be two weeks of blissful relaxation in the sun but as Zoe Arnold quickly discovered, holidays are never the same once you have kids. I always love those articles with celebrity mamas-to-be, where they gush about their pregnancy, proclaiming, “MY lifestyle’s not going to change, the baby will have to fit […]

With a quarter of Aussie kids now overweight or obese and thousands of others battling eating disorders, mum-of-two Zoe Arnold asks if it’s possible to raise kids with no body image hang-ups. Fat kids are becoming normal, just like fat adults. Visit any suburban mall and overweight families appear to outnumber average-sized people. But what […]

Parents are concerned that kids are growing up too quickly with influences like constant engagement with technology, social media, and pressure to be “macho” or “sexy” cutting childhood short. A UK survey found that 90 per cent of parents think modern children are growing up faster than ever, and body image is their biggest concern. […]

Hugh Grant has welcomed his second child, a son, Felix Chang.

Hellish flights next to screaming babies could soon be a thing of the past, with an increasing number of airlines introducing 'child-free zones'.

Julius is like any three-year-old, energetic and curious. He is also a child model, which his mum, Catia Malaquias, hopes will challenge the negative stereotypes that come with his Down syndrome. “Julius is going to be a model for eeni meeni miini moh, a children’s fashion brand, and the photo shoot is in Brisbane,” I […]

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD, is well known to trouble children and teens in their school years, but it’s also likely to affect sufferers’ careers and relationships later in life. A US study has shown young people diagnosed with ADHD are less likely to gain or sustain employment as adults, and if they are […]

Children diagnosed with autism at a young age can “grow out of it”, a new study has found. The controversial research funded by the US National Institutes of Health challenges the long-held view that the condition is a permanent disorder that cannot be cured. A team of psychologists identified 34 children and young adults aged […]

A Darwin school has ended the age-old tradition of spreading Christmas cheer by handing out candy canes in class, banning the distribution of festive sweets in the playground. The Northern Territory Education Department denies intent to crush the Christmas spirit, saying the ban complies with the school’s policy of not sharing food to promote healthy […]

When news that a 48-year-old Melbourne mother of 12 was in hospital awaiting the arrival of five more precious babies last month, the story raced around the globe, and strangers unleashed abuse describing the mother as disgraceful, irresponsible, selfish and greedy. The tiny bubs were even called “potential dole bludgers.” With 12 children and 13 […]

Over 40 years ago, Kevin and Shirley Orr defied doctors and kept their baby with Down syndrome. Now, the caring roles have reversed and the real dilemma is this — what happens when Mum and Dad die? Kevin Orr remembers well the joy running through the house the first day he brought his newborn son, […]

Xitclalli “Chilli” Vasquez is nine years old. She lives in Texas, loves her family, enjoys school, and hopes to one day become a doctor. Last year, Chilli’s hopes were all but dashed when a young drunk driver hit her mother’s car as they were driving from the local shopping mall where she had her hair […]

Jaylen Arnold is just 12 years old but he’s already suffered years of abuse at the hands of school bullies. Jaylen, from Lakeland in Florida, has Tourette’s Syndrome, a neurological condition that causes him to have uncontrollable movements and outbursts, which his tormenters mock and mimic. Related: Mother’s tribute to baby born without eyes But […]

Bronwyn and Scott McNamara, a Sunshine Coast couple were all set to become Mum and Dad to an adopted Ethiopian child, but in June it was announced that the Ethiopia Program, which has facilitated the adoption of more than 600 Ethiopian children over 20 years, would close. “This has been a tough decision, but a […]

As scientists may have found an explanation for autism spectrum disorders, their robot counterparts are being trained up to help kids who are affected. Max and Ben, two knee-high robots, have been dancing, interacting and playing games with students at a Birmingham primary school since March and have had great success in developing the communication […]

Five-year-olds might seem socially clueless, but they’re already busily manipulating their reputations so they seem like nicer people than they are, a new study has found. Researchers from Yale University found that kindergarteners were more generous when they knew their actions would be seen. Related: Man sues wife over ‘ugly’ baby “Much like the patterns […]

Kids who were popular in high school earn more money as adults, a new study has found. US researchers from the National Bureau of Economic research found that teenagers from “cool groups” earned 10 percent more than “social rejects” and two percent more than classmates with the average number of friends. Related: Does Facebook cause […]

Australia’s first public sex offenders register has gone live in Western Australia. State authorities have created a website that provides the public with photographs and information on the state’s worst sexual offenders, and Queensland may follow suit. Related: What every parent needs to know about online safety The initiative has been touted as legislation that […]

Adele is reported to be 'ecstatic' following the birth of her first child.

Already one of the most common chronic disorder affecting young girls, eating disorders are starting to strike at a younger age with children as young as seven being admitted to hospital for treatment. Data from the UK shows that more than 50 under ten-year-olds were admitted to hospital with eating disorders in the past year, […]

Don’t text and drive — we know this much. But has anyone considered the dangers of mobile-distraction while supervising children? The answer is yes, doctors have, and they’re concerned. The perils of texting while parenting have been uncovered in data released by the US-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, suggesting that a 12 percent […]

Elizabeth Hurley has been accused of sexualising young girls through her summer swimwear line, which will include skimpy bikini designs for children. The actress-turned-designer has faced criticism over images on her swimwear label’s website featuring young girls wearing provocative bikinis while striking poses more suited to adult models. Related: Babies in bikinis – Cute or […]

When Veronika Davie was still in the womb, she suffered a massive stroke that should have killed her. Miraculously, she survived but her birth a few days later brought more problems. She had Down syndrome and cerebral palsy – doctors said that if she lived, she would never walk. Four years later, Veronika has proved […]

Four years after doctors said she probably wouldn’t live, let alone walk, Veronika Davie took her first independent steps. Here, her mother Kylee shares her story. Veronika’s struggle to stay alive began before she was even born. Sometime during her last few days in the womb, Veronika suffered a massive stroke, so severe it would […]

Prince Harry appeared “joking and relaxed” at a charity event, his first public appearance since naked photos of him in Las Vegas surfaced two weeks ago. In his speech Harry jokingly alluded to the incident, saying he was “never one to be shy coming forward,” as the audience burst into laughter. Harry joked with a […]

Popular video games, TV shows, films and even comic books are making our children violent and aggressive, a new study has found. The International Society for Research on Aggression (ISRA) conducted a major study into the link between television, films, illustrated books and video games and anti-social behaviour. They concluded that people who consume violent […]

Why is the number of children with autism doubling every five years? For Louise Milligan, the quest for an answer is deeply personal. There is no other way to describe the feeling, except to say I felt I had been shot. We were sitting in a psychologist’s office, being told that our son, our delicious […]

Since she was a shy six-year-old, teased for her weight at school in Mount Isa, Deborah Mailman has struggled to learn to love herself. Australia started falling in love with Deborah when she began her acting career 20 years ago, and she has finally fallen in line, accepting herself as well. Related: Georgie Gardner’s traumatic […]

Thousands of angry parents have called on Target to stop selling children’s clothing that makes young girls look like “tramps”. The retailer’s Facebook page has been flooded with more than 2500 comments complaining its clothing line for girls aged 7 to 14 is “age-inappropriate” and designed for “little hookers”. Related: Why girls are having sex […]

As the cost of living skyrockets, more Australian families are relying on grandparents instead of formal childcare. But how do the grandparents feel about their new roles as caregivers? Yvonne Coombes, 78, lives in a granny flat at the back of her son’s family home. She has been retired for many years, but now works […]

A UK schoolboy who raped a five-year-old girl he was babysitting has escaped jail after a judge ruled he had been “corrupted” by pornography. The 14-year-old boy — who cannot be named for legal reasons — blindfolded the girl before forcing her to perform an indecent act on him last December. The boy appeared in […]

Elizabeth Hurley and Shane Warne have four children between them so it's perhaps not surprising they aren't planning any more.

Most of us swear we'll never talk to our ex again but former supermodel Christie Brinkley has made it official, signing a contract banning her former husband from speaking to her.

Suri Cruise has been wearing high heels since her fourth birthday and thanks to fashion designer Michael Kors, other little girls can now follow in her tiny footsteps. Kors has unveiled a new range of heels, marketed at six- to 10-year-olds. The sparkly gold style feature a two-inch heel and sell for $66, while the […]

A seven-year-old girl has woken from a coma after listening to her favourite Adele song on the radio, just minutes after doctors told her parents to say goodbye to their daughter. Charlotte Neve suffered a brain haemorrhage in her sleep in April. She was taken to Leeds Hospital in the UK where she underwent surgery […]

“Sexting” is a new and worrying trend among teenagers – sending nude pictures of themselves via their mobile phones. Here’s what all parents should know about this phenomenon. Kissing behind the bike shed at school and passing love letters in class are so passé. These days, teens are engaging in “sexting” — sending naked texts […]

Journalist Tracey Spicer recalls the terrifying day her three-month-old son fell headfirst onto her hardwood floor. It’s the most wonderful time of your life. But it can also be the most fearful. Caring for a baby is equal parts exhilaration and trepidation. Am I doing the right thing? What if something happens? Where’s the rule […]

Like the mother on the cover of last week’s controversial Time magazine cover, our beauty and health director Kelly Baker breastfed her son until he was three. Here, she defends her decision and urges other new mothers to ignore “expert advice” and go with their gut. I breastfed my first-born son until he was 15 […]

First-born? Piggy in the middle? Or always the baby? Clinical psychologist Linda Blair reveals how birth order in the family can affect every aspect of your life. From the moment you first draw breath, a number of factors are at work to shape your character. Unravelling all of them would be a major undertaking. However, […]

Babies aren’t born racist, but a new study has found that they start discriminating against other races by the time they are nine months old. Researchers at the University of Massachusetts studied 48 Caucasian babies and found that as they got older, they found it easier to interact with white adults than adults from other […]

On the surface, Georgie Gardner appears to have a perfect life. She has a loving husband, two healthy children and a fulfilling career as a news reader on Channel Nine’s Today — but underneath the flawless facade lurks a traumatic childhood that has made her what she is today. Georgie was one of four children […]

Cindy Crawford is one of the world’s most beautiful women, but she would rather look like her 10-year-old daughter. In a sad reflection of the world’s obsession with youth, Cindy, 46, says she would swap her womanly curves for her daughter Kaia’s childish figure in an instant. “I look at my daughter and I’m like, […]

This video shows the shocking moment a group of girls — the youngest being just eight years old — are asked to dress in ‘nude’ bikinis and perform a provocative burlesque routine. The promo clip is from the latest episode of US reality show Dance Moms and shows choreographer Abby Lee Miller informing her young […]

There’s no sign of “double trouble” from this adorable pair… they’re inseparable, and they even have their own private language. As three-year-old Vivienne Jolie-Pitt stepped into the luxury Beverly Hills children’s boutique, she grabbed the hand of her leather jacket-clad twin brother, Knox, and squeezed it tight with excitement. Her eyes widened as a pastel-pink […]

Childhood bullies don’t get a lot of sympathy but a new study has found they are just as likely to consider suicide as their victims. Research from the University of Warwick found that children involved in bullying — either as bully or victim — are three times more likely to have suicidal thoughts by the […]

Kathy Lette talks for the first time about the painful day she was told her son, Julius, had Asperger’s and how she’s coped with his eccentric view of life and his dark days. Kathy Lette sat in stunned silence in a London doctor’s office as he told her that her son, Julius Robertson, then just […]

According to psychologist Dr Michael Carr-Gregg of the National Centre Against Bullying, there are five types of bullying: physical bullying; verbal bullying — eg: racist or homophobic remarks; social (covert) bullying — including a child being excluded from groups, or having lies or rumours about them spread; psychological bullying — where someone is stalked, threatened […]

Here are our favourite safe and easy home remedies, tips and techniques for the bumps, bruises, scratches and sniffles that come with childhood. Chickenpox: Ease the itch by letting your child soak in a lukewarm bath for 15 minutes. Add 1/2 cup of bicarbonate of soda or colloidal oatmeal (such as Aveeno, from pharmacies) to […]

From TV brats to natural born serial killers, prospective parents have been given stark warnings about the dark side of child-rearing. So, asks Bettina Arndt, are the naysayers about parenthood right? It’s a mesmerising image. The gaunt mother stands stock still surrounded by road workers, clutching her baby pram right next to the booming rat-a-tat-tat […]

The internet can be a dangerous place for children — here’s how you can make it safer. Julia was a trusting girl. She trusted her school friend when she suggested that they make a video together after school. Julia trusted that it was like a game. And Julia trusted that, when asked to wear garish […]

As children head back to school, parents breathe a collective sigh of relief — but that relief may be short-lived as the bills start to pile up. Get an 'A' in budgeting wih these handy tips.

Cindy Crawford’s daughter is Versace’s newest fashion model – at the tender age of 10. No one was surprised to discover Kaia Crawford had inherited her mother’s supermodel looks, but her early entrance into the world of modelling has sparked debate around the world. Child modelling is becoming increasingly common, with French Vogue running a […]

Vegetables can be a battleground when it comes to children — from adopting an “all white” diet, to refusing to eat all things green, to “it tastes yucky”. Fussy eating is one of the first ways children can assert their independence, but it can make dinnertime highly stressful. So how can you get children eating […]

Parents who claim they love all their children equally are lying, a new book has sensationally claimed. Author and father of two Jeffrey Kluger’s new book The Sibling Effect: What Bonds Among Brothers and Sisters Reveal About Us claims that all parents have a favourite child, no matter how much they deny it. “Ninety-five percent […]

Little girls may be sugar and spice, but they are anything but nice when friends let them down. A new study conducted by Duke University has proved that movies like Mean Girls are not as exaggerated as people might think. While previous research suggested young girls were better at forming and maintaining friendships than young […]

Suri Cruise is only five years old but she’s already showing the paparazzi what she thinks of them. Suri was out with mum Katie Holmes in New York last week when photographers started taking pictures. Suri was quickly fed-up with the attention and decided to vent her frustrations by pulling a series of funny faces […]

As we get lost in the hustle bustle of life it can be difficult to get together as a family to eat meals, especially as children get older and have activities that keep them busy. But the importance of family meal time should not be underestimated, with studies showing that regularly eating meals at the […]

For as far back as I can remember, I’ve known I want to adopt children rather than have my own. I’ve always been careful to mention this to boyfriends, rather than hiding it from them. Before I married my husband I tried on several occasions to warn him about this, but he always cut me […]

It’s far easier to be a rubbish parent than a good one, the struggle to parent effectively without falling out with your kids can sometimes just feel too hard. The older they get the more you have to worry about and it sometimes seems much easier just to let them run riot, horrible though the […]

Abandoned as a toddler on the streets of Calcutta, Irani’s future was bleak until an Australian couple decided to adopt her. Jordan Baker charts the bureaucratic nightmare that almost destroyed a little girl’s chance of a new life. Irani Bate’s first years on earth will forever remain a mystery. No one knows anything of her […]

As most parents know, kids can sometimes do the cutest things! Take this little girl, who took it upon herself to clean up after her fellow flower girl who is dropping flower petals down the aisle. To the enjoyment of guests and the wedding party, the adorable little girl makes sure she picks up every […]

Each morning, a large number of Australian children are leaving the house without having eaten. Of more concern is that one-quarter go on to have soft drinks and one in 10 eat chocolate, ice-cream or potato chips as their first meal of the day. Nutritionally, they are loading up on foods high in salt, sugar […]

Some of our children’s favourite cartoons are damaging their ability to concentrate, a new study has claimed. Psychologists in the US found that four-year-olds shown clips of modern fast-paced animations, such as the popular Spongebob Squarepants, performed significantly worse in memory, attention and logic tests than those who spent their time drawing instead. Related: Overprotective […]

There’s a shocking black market in Australian schools, with the ADHD drug Ritalin changing hands for up to $20 a pill, reports Jordan Baker. With his HSC looming, the teenager was buckling under the pressure. Nerves and too much coffee left him sleepless, anxious and distracted. By the first exam, he was so strung out, […]

Twin brothers Bradley and Daniel Morcombe shared everything. They rode their bikes together, cared for their horses together and took turns in opening their presents on their joint birthday.

A UK couple are giving a whole new meaning to interactive toys by opening a “doll boutique” where young girls can purchase dolls that look like them and dress them in the same clothes. The UK’s Daily Mail reported department store My London Girl will open in London’s Westfield Shopping Centre this month offering young […]

Overprotective parents are raising a generation of anti-social, obese and excessively cautious children, experts have claimed. Two parenting experts discussed the impact of ‘hovering helicopter parents’ in an article in the American Journal of Play. The claim that today’s children have virtually no opportunity for unsupervised ‘free play’, leaving them prone to obesity, poor physical […]

Placing children in the care of the teenager next door or a trusted young relative has long been a preferred alternative to hiring expensive agency-provided babysitters, both by money-conscious parents and teens looking to pocket some extra cash. But nanny agencies are calling for the NSW government to enforce a minimum age for child minders, […]

Testosterone has been getting teenage boys in trouble for centuries, but modern teens are in more danger than those in the past. A new study has found that today’s young men reach sexual maturity at 18 years old, four years earlier than males of 1800. But while their bodies are all grown up, modern teens’ […]

Teenagers have been nearly impossible to drag out of bed on school mornings for decades — and now it appears there might be method in their madness. A new study conducted by the University of California has shown that students learn better if classes start later in the morning. Related: Parents fed up with breastfeeding […]

Glenn McGrath’s new wife Sara Leonardi has discussed the challenges of parenting step-kids in her new food blog. Sara — who married former cricketer Glenn last year — started ‘The McGrath’s Kitchen’ blog yesterday. Related: Glenn McGrath marries Sara Leonardi again In her first post, she talked about the difficulties of parenting and how cooking […]

Starting school can be scary, but Princess Mary’s son Christian couldn’t stop smiling when he commenced his first term on Friday. The five-year-old prince started his education at Copenhagen’s Tranegaardsskolen last week. On the morning of his first day, Christian made a brief public appearance outside the palace with his parents Mary and Crown Prince […]

A child that prefers broccoli to ice cream might seem like a biological impossibility but scientists think it could be as simple as getting pregnant women to eat more vegetables themselves. A new study published in Pediatrics found that babies can develop a taste for healthy foods in the womb. Researchers from Philadelphia’s Monell Chemical […]

A toy that allows children to simulate breastfeeding is causing controversy ahead of its US launch this week. The Breast Milk Baby, manufactured by Spanish toy company Berjuan, was originally called Bebe Gloton which translates to “greedy baby.” Aimed at little girls, the baby doll is programmed to make sucking sounds and motions when it […]

Getting your family to eat enough fruit and vegetables can be a challenge. Here are some tips to ensure everyone in your household gets their recommended intake of two servings of fruit and five servings of vegetables every day. Swap the bacon and eggs at your weekend breakfast for baked beans or grilled mushrooms and […]