There are hosts of checklists out there for what to pack in your diaper bag. Most of these lists are so elaborate that we’d honestly like to see the bag that is supposed to hold it all (not to mention we definitely wouldn’t want to be the ones who had to heft that bag. Yet we all could use a few good hints, so here’s a well-pruned checklist for packing the perfect diaper bag based on our real-life mom experience.

We’ve broken our perfect diaper bag contents down into three main categories: For the Bottom, For the Kid, For the Mom. Next we divided items between the essentials and a few optional extras that you may need only some of the time. read more

As a mother, it’s not like you need one more thing to stress about, but the raging identity theft epidemic is just too scary to ignore. Basically nonexistent a decade ago, identity theft has quickly become the most common crime in America — you’re twice as likely to be a victim of ID theft than you are of being in a car accident.

The entire U.S. population is just under 300 million, but more then 100 million people have already become victims of identity theft. That’s one in every three. Those are great odds in Vegas, but when you’re gambling with your credit score and bank account info… yikes!

It isn’t just adults who are victims. Who’d have thought that little Lola’s credit score was at risk? According to the Federal Trade Commission, five to seven percent of identity theft victims are under the age of 18. However, many industry experts agree that this number is significantly low because most child victims don’t even know they’re victims yet — they won’t find out their credit is ruined until they are applying for their first credit card or a driver’s license. read more

It’s that time of year — for reflection, resolve and renewal. If one of your goals this year is to (finally corral the clutter in your house, pull up the left side of your brain and take note. Here are some tips to help you tame all those wayward whoosie-whatsies that pile up before you know it. read more

If you grew up with a brother or sister, then you surely have your fair share of stories about battling with them. My husband, the youngest in a house full of boys, spent approximately a year of his childhood hanging by his belt loop from a hook on the closet door. In my house the stories go back for generations. A family favorite features my mild-mannered Aunt Judy chasing her then-twelve-year-old younger sister (equally sweet and gentle Aunt Nancy around the house with a knife. No one seems to remember the offense that sparked this passionate fit of rage between sisters, but you can be sure it had something to do with, well, being sisters.

Sibling rivalry is as old as the hills, and from the parents of Cain and Abel, right on up to Dr. Phil, we’ve been trying to figure out just what makes this relationship so fraught with conflict. My own experience tells me it’s a juicy compote of personality type, competition for resources (namely the Light of the Parental Gaze, and differing developmental clocks. But whatever the causes, what experts seem to agree on is that the only sensible parental response to inter-sibling bickering is no response at all. (Unless, of course, one of them is chasing the other around the house with a knife. read more

You’ve made it — your fussy newborn has morphed into a chubby, smiley, sleep-through-the-night bundle of joy. You marvel at your parenting prowess and feel capable of taking on a whole houseful of babies, you’ve got this so down pat.

Then as fast as you can say, “Cootchie, cootchie, coo,” everything unravels right before your eyes. Junior starts waking up seven times a night, and is crabby all day — inconsolable 24/7 unless he’s got a breast/bottle/pacifier sucked firmly to his palate. Copious amounts of drool pool around his toys and soak his adorable outfits. He’s feverish, diarrhea-ish, and won’t eat a bite.

That’s when you know it’s time for teeth. read more

This is it. The Holy Grail of Toddlerhood. A milestone so momentous all others pale in comparison (OK, maybe not that first step. Or the first word. But the first emission into a potty comes in a very, very close third.

After two or three years of diapers, the thought of your child doing her business in the tidy confines of the potty might very well make your heart race with anticipation. But pace yourself Petunia — this one is a marathon, not a sprint. Sure, we’ve all heard about that mythical toddler who toilet trained himself in a weekend between breaks from watching Baby Einstein. But I’m here to tell you that if this creature exists, that weekend was preceded by many good long months, if not a year or more, of quiet preparation. While Mom and Dad were not looking, our potty prodigy was studying them, or older siblings, or preschoolmates, carefully taking mental notes and learning the rhythms of his body. Then, only when all of his groundwork had been carefully laid, did he pull it all together and pull off the Pull-Ups for good. For the vast majority of toddlers however, the process is much more overt, drawn-out, and fraught with error. read more

Q: How can I best prepare my child for beginning preschool?

The Mommy Panel’s Advice:

Beginning preschool or day care are major steps for every child, and each of us worries that our child may be the one facing a rocky transition. I have been there, seen this scenario first hand. When my daughter Kyle started her first year of preschool, the three 20-year veteran teachers Rita, Kay, and Irene assured us parents that they had the transition down pat. They ushered us into a separate classroom, welcomed us to hot coffee and donuts, and asked us to stay and chat for a half hour to get to know each other. They reassured us that over the past decade they never have had to come up and get a parent. That was, never until that morning. Kay popped her head into the parent coffee klatch well underway and asked in a soft voice, “Is Kyle’s Mom here?” read more

When I was about 8 months pregnant with my first child, I was sitting in traffic one day and witnessed something that sent a shiver of cold dread through me. A tween-aged boy was skateboarding on the sloped carport roof of a nearby bank (yes, the roof!). I looked down at my swollen belly and pleaded with the little person inside to please, please, please be a girl. A few weeks later, in my child’s first act of defiance, he turned out to be, well, a he. A boy who, now four, wants a skateboard so badly it sends him into contortions of begging every time he sees someone gliding along on one…

Whether or not your kid is a kamikaze in the making, there are times as parents when we’re going to be called on to be the first responder to some childhood mishap. Below is a guide for some of the more common ouchies you’re likely to encounter. Of course, this list is no substitute for taking a good CPR and First Aid course, which you can find in your area by calling your local hospital or chapter of the Red Cross. (If you took one when your child was a baby, take a refresher!) The Red Cross has recently updated many of its CPR recommendations. read more