Caring for toddler

Vanishing acts

You can be an incredibly attentive parent and still experience the stress of a child disappearing.

What makes a good mum?

Are you concerned about being seen to do the right thing, or do you define parenting in simpler terms?

It's hard to walk in nappies

Learning to walk would be so much easier if toddlers didn't have a big heavy bag of warm pee between their legs.

In praise of daycare staff

Even though we haven’t started daycare yet, all around me are friends and acquaintances whose children love it.

Calling in the babysitters

My husband and I went out on Friday night. To a pub. With a group of friends. It was the first time we'd done it in 16 months.

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My dream day

When you’re six-and-a-half-months pregnant and have a 16-month-old at home, you have good days and terrible days.

Dropping the day sleep

Like all good things, daytime naps won't last forever. One day your toddler just won't want to go to sleep. Here's how to cope.

Child abuse allegations

Two staff at a Tokoroa education facility have been stood down while an investigation into child mistreatment claims is carried out.

Reining kids in

What's your stance on child harnesses or leads? Would you use them to restrain your energetic toddler?

Outdoor play

Toddlers want to be outdoors, but in freezing cold London it's a little difficult for Kiran Chug to keep up with her weather brave 15-month-old.

Harmless fun?

Would you take photos of your child having a meltdown and put them on the internet? One dad did and he has become an internet sensation.

Kids left out in the cold

NZ parents who use pre-paid electricity meters are battling to keep up with payments and their children are suffering, research by the University of Otago has shown.

Leaving the Day Job

Matt Calman says some of the dad's in his Dad's Coffee Group feel a societal pressure that being a stay at home dad makes them less manly.

My aim as a parent mirrored my aim as a housewife. How quickly can I get all this boring stuff done so I can do what I want? Read the paper, a book, watch a movie, pour a drink, have an adult conversation.

Car seats save lives

Child restraints have again been hailed as life savers after a boy and a baby girl suffered moderate injuries in a serious crash.

Keeping kids safe

Every two weeks a child is hospitalised with serious injuries after being run over on a private driveway.

Back to basics

Those tiny domestic planes were not designed for mothers travelling with mobile babies on their knees.

Be a neglectful parent

Tracy Grant's New Year's resolution of being a better parent was broken before the end of the first week of 2013. She now advocates for doing just the opposite.

In defence of hovering

Mother of two little girls, Jessica Rowe fesses up to being a helicopter parent. But she refuses to feel guilty about it.

Sunscreen matters

It can never be said enough, sunscreen is a vital protector when it comes to skin cancer and especially important for young skins.

Preschool gift ideas

With three weeks to go until Christmas, the pressure is on to get sorted with gifts. Essential Mums has scoured a range of gift ideas for you, in case you needed some inspiration.