Kids

Yes, their costumes might appear half-assed, and sure, they may arrive a bit on the late side, but I say give the teens their candy. Here’s why. The candles in our jack-o-lanterns had already flickered out by the time the knock came at the door. I quickly checked the time—9:30 p.m.—before peeling myself off the

“Geez, they’re just kids, let them wear what they want!” isn’t really a thing anymore. Answer these 10 questions to see if your kid’s costume is respectful. It’s not unusual for schools to have rules about kids’ Halloween costumes, but they often start and stop at “No weapons.” But it seems times are changing. Some

When now 13 year-old Manuel Firkus first got sick with COVID-19 in March of 2020, his only symptoms were constant burping and about three days of diarrhea. In fact, his family, who lived in B.C. at the time, would have thought nothing of his brief illness if it weren’t for his sister’s high fever and

As we wait for vaccines to be approved, some provinces are falling short in protecting kids from COVID. “How are the kids doing?” is a question whose answer depends on where one lives. In British Columbia, before classrooms reopened, the rate of infection for those under 10 years of age stayed below that of older residents, though

They may be healthy-eating experts, but they aren’t buzzkills. Three dietitian moms weigh in on the best ways to dole out Halloween candy. Halloween is fast approaching, and I’m already cringing at the thought of the candy that’s going to rain down from my kids’ trick-or-treat bags and onto my living room floor. It’s hard

If you have a school-aged child, it’s almost their turn for a COVID-19 vaccination, and you may have questions. Here are the answers. When the COVID-19 vaccine became available to teenagers in Canada back in May of 2021, many parents rejoiced. After all, being vaccinated is highly protective against the nasty virus, which has now

COVID vaccines for kids in the 5 to 11 age group are on the horizon, with Health Canada currently reviewing study data from Pfizer and provinces getting ready to start getting shots into younger arms. Officials in Ontario have said plans are underway for rolling out the vaccine once it’s approved and in British Columbia,

Getting a Type 1 diabetes diagnosis can be incredibly hard on both the child and their family. Here’s how to manage the stress and keep your mental health on track. Created in partnership with   Melissa Zimmermann will never forget the day her 15-month-old son, Carter, was air-lifted by ambulance—unresponsive and not breathing well—from a regional

When being short is normal Take a peek into a preschool class and you’ll see a wide range of heights, but chances are, most children are perfectly within normal range. “When you look at a growth curve, the 50th percentile means if you have 100 kids, 50 kids would be taller than that line and

According to swim experts, puddle jumpers teach unsafe swim habits and can contribute to drowning. Puddle jumpers are practically a toddler and preschooler uniform at the beach or pool and it’s easy to see why these flotation devices—which also go by names like life vest and swim aid and are similar to a pair of

More than half of kids surveyed between the ages of 8 and 12 had clinically significant depressive symptoms during the second wave. Throughout the past year and a half, parents have been worried about if and how the pandemic will affect their kids long-term.  Is all the extra screen time going to have adverse effects?

Kids home and no time to browse online? We got you. It’s hard to believe it, but another pandemic summer is upon us. And with many kids once again home all day, finding time to browse the internet for your summer essentials is basically impossible. So, we’ve done the work for you. Here are some

On May 5, Health Canada approved a COVID-19 vaccine for use in children aged 12-15 years. The United States Food and Drug Administration quickly followed suit, and other countries are likely to do the same. Similar approvals for younger children are on the horizon. This is very welcome news. It will not be possible to

Lyme disease is scary, and kids are particularly at risk. We talked to an expert about how to keep kids safe from tick bites. Last July, a day after a family outing to the zoo, Crystal Cochrane of Edmonton was pulling five-year-old Mikayla’s hair into a ponytail when she felt a small sesame-seed-sized bump at

The pandemic changed everything—including how our kids got hurt. Here’s a look at what went up and what went down. The COVID-19 pandemic has had a ripple effect on just about everything, and that includes how, why and where kids get hurt. Rates of some paediatric injuries have gone up and others have gone down,

CEO Katherine Hay breaks down the surge in demand for support during the pandemic. Katherine Hay is the president and CEO of Kids Help Phone, which provides mental health support to youth across Canada. During the pandemic, her organization has seen a huge spike in calls, texts and online messages. Hay spoke to Toronto Life

Dressing your kid in vibrant colours makes them easier to spot in a crowd—and under water, too. Summer is just around the corner, and with it comes days by the pool, trips to the beach and weekends at the cottage. While all these outings can be tons of fun for the family, it’s important to

We’re so used to stay-at-home orders, lax schedules, no activities, and nowhere to be, that when things open up again, it’s going to be weird—especially for our kids. Are your kids refusing to sign up for their usual sports teams, group activities or day camps, even if restrictions soon lift and they’re deemed safe again

Concern for kids’ pandemic well-being prevails as the school year winds down for the second year in a row. In Ontario, after parents spent the end of May wondering if and when children could be sent to in-person learning, they finally heard schools won’t re-open this school year. After announcing home learning would continue to

It was a lousy school year for Canada’s elementary and high school students, as well as its teachers. As COVID waves crested and fell, schools opened and shut, then opened and shut again. Ontario’s nearly two million elementary and high school students received the least amount of in-person learning of students across the country: Most