Parents

editor’s note

Our Marathon Moment Is Now “HOW ARE YOU holding up?” Lately, my mom friends and I have been texting those five words to one another every few days. Often we lack the time or energy to respond with anything other than a quick “Hanging in there” or “Same old.” Piles of laundry, spilled DUPLO bins, emotional kids, and staggering work assignments crowd out our ability to say much more. But when the little ones are sleeping or watching a movie, one of us may take a deep breath and unload. We’ll share a piece of news that has brought us to tears, a fresh uncertainty keeping us up at night, or a worry about the future that’s almost too big to put into words. Then we pick ourselves up. We crack a…

let’s get real

SO TRUE! Tell Us About It We asked some of our fave parents: What’s a no-fail way to make your kid laugh? “Fart noises never fail. Nothing is funnier to a trio of boys than to hear what they think is a butt quacking.”—actor Devale Ellis, father of three, Zac on BET‘s Tyler Perry’s Sistas, and himself on YouTube’s The Ellises“Pillow fights. Chicken-crossing-the-road jokes. Absolutely any reference to the word butt.”—TV host Daphne Oz, mother of four, judge on MasterChef Junior season 8, out this fall“All four of my kids love the game where one of their feet is stinky and the other smells really good. Even Carmen, who is 6, still laughs.”—author Hilaria Baldwin, mother of four and expecting her fifth, host of the Mom Brain podcast“I just yell ‘Boobies!’ and the…

your monthly dose of what’s new, novel, and nice to know

Take a break from your kid’s potty humor with Mike Birbiglia’s (@birbigs) Tip Your Waitstaff series, under his IGTV icon, for riffs from his famously amusing friends. In one, Whitney Cummings and Birbiglia poke fun at parents worried about screen time. Cummings: “When I was little, I played with matches!” Birbiglia: “I’d ride my bike off a ramp and land in a pool.” Okay, just don’t give the kids any ideas! IT WORKED FOR ME! While pregnant, Parents staffer Katie Arnold-Ratliff had a literal pain in her neck. A gazillion specialty pillows later, it still hurt. But after one night on a $4 (!) Target Room Essentials Pillow (target.com), Arnold-Ratliff awoke refreshed. The pillow conforms to the neck and head, ideal for side sleepers. Dream come true. Kids will want to reapply sunscreen…

games that boost brainpower

Practice Math. Count aloud by twos or fives (called skip counting, the foundation for multiplication) as you and your child throw a ball back and forth. See how far you can get before dropping the ball. For younger kids who are still learning numbers, you can simply count by starting at one. For older kids, up the challenge by counting by fours or sixes. Another option: Start at a high number (like 20) and count backward as you try to reach one. If you have more than a few family members playing, throw in a second ball. Strengthen Language. Create a “learn to read” hopscotch by writing words your child is currently getting to know in each of the boxes. As he lands in a square, have him yell out and spell each…

treat their skin right

SOOTHING CREAMS BEST BODY MOISTURIZER Ideal for kids of any age and even adults with chafed or dry skin, the fragrance-free, hypoallergenic Aveeno Baby Soothing Relief Moisturizing Cream softens without causing irritation. (Oatmeal is a star ingredient.) Says one mom, “It’s the bomb. I started using it on my daughter when she was a baby, and I still use it four years later because it always works and never bothers her.” $7 for 5 oz.; drugstores BEST BABY FACE CREAM Mustela Hydra Bébé Facial Cream is a rich formula with plant-based glycerin that lives up to its promise to keep baby skin hydrated for a solid 24 hours. One mom’s routine: “I use a pea-size drop after the bath, and it absorbs right in.” $11.50 for 1.35 oz.; mustelausa.com BEST ECZEMA CARE A dollop of Baby…

what our kids need now

What does it mean if a child never talks about the virus—or constantly frets about it? A lot of kids don’t use words to express their worries and may be responding to this crisis with behavioral changes, such as moodiness or trouble sleeping, so be on the lookout for these types of nonverbal cues. “If your child isn’t acting any different and isn’t talking about the crisis, there’s a good chance he is actually doing fine,” says psychologist Rebecca Hershberg, Ph.D., author of The Tantrum Survival Guide. It’s also possible he’s waiting to make sure that his feelings and questions are normal. When you do raise the issue, choose a low-key moment, like when you’re making dinner or coloring together. You might casually say, “I was just reading an article about COVID-19,…