Parenting Helpful Links

Being a parent can be a joy, but it’s also a hard job.  Here are some resources to help.

Positive Parenting Tips Parents can help their child grow and learn during each stage of development. Click on your child’s age group to find positive parenting, safety and health tips.

Little Kids, Big Questions  This series of 12 podcasts addresses some of the most common issues facing parents of babies and toddlers.

Text4Baby  Health and safety tips arrive as free text messages in English or Spanish three times a week throughout your pregnancy and until your baby is 1 year old.

Essentials for Parenting Toddlers and Preschoolers  Parenting is hard work, but it can be fun and rewarding. Find ideas to help handle common parenting challenges, so you can be more confident as a parent.

Baby to Big Kid  Sign up for monthly e-letters with science-based information about how children learn and grow each month from birth to age 3. 

Apps for your mobile devices

The Parent Toolkit App  Browse through academic, social-emotional, or health and wellness benchmarks and tips.

The free Vroom app sends tips to help turn mealtime, bath time and more into brain-building moments for your child.

Let’s Play! Parenting App  Let’s Play! gives parents and grandparents fun ideas to keep babies and toddlers entertained while they’re learning, especially during daily routines like commuting, doing chores, bedtime and bath-time, mealtime and shopping. All of the activities reflect children’s typical skills at each age and are designed to support development in the context of play and family routines.

Babies on the Homefront: Free Mobile App for Military Families  This free app gives parents access to a variety of play-time activities to engage their babies and toddlers in learning. (In English and Spanish.)

Keeping Them Safe

The Safe Nursery Guide  Be aware of potential hazards in your baby’s or child’s environment that can come from using products incorrectly or using products that are not designed well for their purpose. This Consumer Product Safety Commission booklet has selected safety hints to help you buy and use nursery products, keep them in good repair and dispose of them properly if they become a hazard.

Child Safety Toolkit Learn how to protect your child from hazards in and around your home. It includes activities where children need to wear helmets, preventing TV and furniture tip-overs, magnet safety and home playground safety.

Myths and Facts about SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome)  Learn the difference between the facts and the myths about SIDS and safe infant sleep in the National Institute of Health’s Safe to Sleep Campaign.

Choking Prevention
 
Learn how to protect your child from choking hazards in the home and from foods that may choke babies and toddlers.

Where’s Baby? Look Before You Lock  Heatstroke is the number one killer of children, outside of car crashes. It can happen even when it’s not sunny.

Safety Tips for Parents  Find resources for families with children from birth to 19. This has alerts and risks for you to consider from car seat safety to fireworks.

Childproofing Your Home: 12 Safety Devices to Protect Your Child  Learn how to reduce or prevent injuries by using child-safety devices and reminding older children to re-secure safety devices in the house after using them.