Parents' Resources

While parenting can, at times, be daunting, there are numerous parents' resources available online to make the job a little easier.

The Sears family of pediatricians is well-known for their baby books and their views on attachment parenting. While the Ask Dr. Sears website does include much information for parents of infants, there is a wealth of material regarding older kids as well. The most remarkable area of the site is the childhood illnesses index, which lists common ailments-- and some not so common ones-- in alphabetical order. When you click on a title, you are taken to a comprehensive article listing symptoms, possible causes, home treatment, and when to call a doctor. In addition to illnesses such as colds, viruses, and stomach aches, the site also lists such common concerns as swallowed objects and breath holding!

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website is chalk-full of information regarding a host of childhood illnesses, injuries, and disabilities, including:

• Dog bites
• Hearing impairment
• Spinabifida
• Pinworms
• Playground injuries

The parenting section of the site is fairly bare-bones, with articles presented as a list of alphabetized links. Don't let that scare you away-- these articles are useful and informative. Many articles include fact sheets and helpful resources for additional assistance.

The U.S. Department of Education website has a special section designed specifically for parents. Here, parents find articles and advice dealing with all areas of their kids' education, from early childhood to college. The site offers helpful checklists of developmental milestones as well as reading and math readiness skills. Fun and educational activities are also offered.

In addition, the site has a comprehensive section dealing with special needs children. Topics covered include:

• Understanding and creating an Individualized Educational Program (IEP)
• Dealing with discrimination
• Finding assistance for your special needs child
• Recognizing and diagnosing ADHD
• Raising and educating the gifted child
• Caring for a deaf-blind child

While Scholastic is well-known as a publisher and distributor of children's books, they are lesser known as a parents' resource. The fact is, the website offers a large amount of helpful advice for parents and caregivers. As expected, much of the site is devoted to teaching and improving reading. Scholastic offers tips for instilling a love of books and reading at every age. For example, parents of toddlers are advised to surround the tots with photos and tactile books, such as Pat the Bunny.

The site also offers fun seasonal and holiday activities. The informative Parent Guides are among the greatest aspects of this site. These guides are designed as primers for parents and are jam-packed with all the information parents need to help their kids with a given topic. Guides offered include:

• Creative Writing
• American History
• Foreign Language
• Earth Science
• Life Science
• Geography
• Math

The guides are great parents' resources for those who need a crash course so that they can help their kids with homework. They are also excellent for homeschooling families. And the best part? They are completely free!

• Children Playing
• 10 Parenting Tips
• Halloween Trivia for Kids
• Bible Trivia for Kids
• Trivia Questions for Kids

• Disney Princess Coloring Pages
• Teen Birthday Party Ideas
• Pros and Cons of School Uniforms
• Children's Birthday Cake Ideas
• Kids' Hair Styles