Parents make mistakes, writes Cher McGillivray. So, what does ‘good enough parenting’ look like? There is a huge amount of pressure on parents today – from feeding babies the “best organic purees” to making sure older children get all the developmental opportunities they could possibly need...
Nearly 500,000 Australian kids go to after-school care. Researchers Alyssa Clare Milton, Ian Hickie, Karen Thorpe and Tom McClean report that it needs to be more than a babysitting service. Outside school hours care – also known as “school-aged care”, “OOSH”, or “afters” – is booming. As of 2020,...
What if you could entice your children to eat balanced lunches every day? Originating in Japan, Bento is a home-packed meal in a box-shaped container that holds rice and meats with pickled or cooked vegetables in sectioned compartments. They always look amazing, and if you can get...
Feeling controlled by the chaos in your home? Maintaining a tidy home is a never-ending challenge, write Jamal Abarashi and Taghreed Hikmet And tidiness goes beyond aesthetics – it contributes to a person’s mental wellbeing. So what are the best strategies for creating and maintaining order? A growing...
Baby’s first pet: what pets are best for kids? One of the most rewarding bonds your child can make is with an animal. A pet not only provides warmth and companionship but also teaches life lessons such as responsibility around feeding, cleaning, and walking a pet...
Every parent should be concerned about the well-being of all children, especially those in state care. New Victoria Legal Aid (VLA) data shows that criminal charges are laid against at least two out of every five of their clients placed in residential care within 12 months...
From counterfeit ingredients to misleading labels, the world of food can sometimes be a realm of deception. Food fraud, a concerning issue, involves selling counterfeit or misleading food products to consumers. Surprisingly, even staples like honey can fall victim to this hidden menace. In a marketplace where...
How do men feel when they become fathers? A new podcast about dads, families, and work explores how our policies and organisations could (and should) change to support working fathers and their families. By Daniel Halliday, Dr Melissa Wheeler and Professor Cordelia FineWhen we spoke...
Increasing the rate of paid maternity leave, so it is tied to prior earnings, rather than just increasing the time off work, could lead to better and fairer outcomes for Australian families, reports researcher Esther Mirjam Girsberger It could also help the country by supporting women’s...
Research hints children under 5 can easily confuse dog emotions, Melissa Starling finds. To most of us, a dog showing its teeth is a pretty clear signal of a threat. In 1872, Charles Darwin first suggested animals showed emotions similar to ours in their body language,...
