How Much Does the Tooth Fairy Give These Days?

How much does the tooth fairy leave for kids?

App Shows How Much Tooth Fairy Leaves Under Kids’ Pillows

Tooth Fairy spending skyrocketed in 2013 and shows no signs of slowing down.  A survey by Visa shows that American children are receiving an average of $3.70 per lost tooth this year, which is a dramatic increase of 23% over the $3.00 per tooth left in 2012 and 42% over the $2.60 left in 2011. Based on this rate of return, a child would net a substantive $74 for a full set of 20 baby teeth.

How Does Screen Time Affect Kids Sleep?

Screen Time and Our Kids

How does Screen Time and the Use of Technology Affect our Children’s Sleep and Health?

Screens are ubiquitous in our lives and our kids’ lives.  They are abundant and we use gadgets without realizing that some of them even have screens.  In my house we have 2 TV’s, 2 tablets, an e-book reader, 2 cell phones, 2 iPods, 2 laptops and 2 monitors for our desktop.  That’s a total of 13 screens for just a 3 person household!!

Our children, from the time they are born, are surrounded by screens, despite our best efforts to curb their use and interaction with them until they are at an appropriate age.  As they get older, they start collecting their own set of devices – hand held video games, computer games etc.  So how does screen time affect our children’s well-being? How does it affect their health and mental well-being?

Transitioning Your Toddler from a Crib to a Bed

Transitioning Toddler from Crib to Bed

How and When to Transition Your Toddler from a Crib to a Bed

by Visa Shanmugam

It’s that time and you can’t believe it’s here.  How did your baby grow up so quickly?  How can they be ready to move out of their crib into a toddler or twin bed?  Or are they?

Most parents tend to jump the gun when it comes to transitioning their toddler from a crib to a bed.  If your child hasn’t learned to sleep well on their own in their crib or if you are still facing bed and night time challenges then they are most likely not ready.  Changing them to a big boy/girl bed, in the hopes that they will start to enjoy sleeping on their own, is probably not a good idea.  You will have a toddler who has a new game to play – leaving their bed and room to come find mom and dad.