In all the excitement of becoming parents for the first time, there’s one thing many people forget – that you may need to nurture your relationship as well as your new baby. Having a child can put huge strain on a partnership. According to research, almost 70% of couples experience “a decrease in marital satisfaction” […]

Dear Diane, Is it true that it's weight and not age that will kick-start puberty in girls? oy niece is developing very rapidly at the age of 10 and I know my sister has already had to have "the talk" because

Recently I overheard a conversation between two women who have very different ideas on whether children should do household chores. The first mum said, “It gets them to be responsible and sets up good habits for later in life. They need to learn to do things around the house and to know I’m not there […]

Dear Diane, How far should you go with allowing your children to have their own rules around food? oy seven-year-old son is mostly a great eater, but hates the idea of eating small animals such as chickens

Dear Diane, When we had our first baby in March, the plan was always that I would go back to work by the end of the year. I work in retail and that's their busy time so it seemed sensible for everyone.

He may only be 10, but Matthew Woods is already determined to be a vet when he grows up. His proud mum Karen is sure he’ll make his dream come true. “He loves animals and he’s a bright boy, who does well at school,” she says. However, the one thing bothering her about Matthew’s ambition […]

Diane Levy joins us to provide expert answers to your parenting queries. Send your questions to: family@nzww.co.nz. Diane can’t answer individual queries, but we will endeavour to publish a representative sample on this page. Diane’s parenting books are available in bookshops. Dear Diane, oy husband is in the armed forces and he is away overseas […]

It’s a situation every parent dreads, when your usually sweet-natured toddler suddenly becomes a screaming, yelling pint-sized terror. Nothing will test your patience more than a toddler in the midst of a full-blown tantrum. Knowing these meltdowns are part of childhood development will be no consolation when your child has morphed into a wailing demon […]

Do you have a Nana recipe you’d like to share with me? Email me at wendyl.nissen@nzww.co.nz Connect with us on facebook and twitter to receive recipes and more! The wonderful thing about making recipes up in Nana’s day was that you got to bring something to the table and say, “I made it from scratch!” […]

Confession time: I used to be one of those people who would board a long-haul flight praying my seat was nowhere near anyone with a baby or small child. Then I became a mum and was full of guilt for all those occasions when I glared at anybody who dared to travel with their kids. […]

Just because you start dating again in your late forties doesn't mean you're a "cougar", but what do you do if your kids think you are?

Dear Diane, oy husband has been diagnosed with an unusual sort of cancer and his prospects aren't good. The doctors say he might only have a couple of years left - if he's lucky. As you can imagine, this

They're horrible little creatures, but sadly head lice are a fact of life for many Kiwi kids. Here are five facts to help you deal with nits.1. Just because your child isn't scratching, doesn't mean they

Mothers and sons can develop an amazing bond that lasts forever. But sometimes mums need to step away and allow their children some independence.

Going back to work after maternity leave can often be a daunting prospect. The idea of leaving your baby in another person’s care can induce terrible feelings of guilt and spending a whole day with people who can hold conversations and not spit their food at you might take some getting used to. Even though […]

It’s easy to forget the terrible damage that some diseases we think of as mere childhood illnesses can cause. But the recent outbreak of measles in Auckland and the Waikato has been a grim reminder that these diseases can be very serious, and there’s a good reason why vaccines were developed to stop them from […]

oost kids love Santa, but as far as four-year-old Ethan is concerned, the jolly fat guy in the red suit is a terrifying person. It’s not unusual for littlies to find Santa scary when they’re asked to sit on his knee and have a photo taken. Small children having meltdowns in shopping malls when they’re […]

Dear Wendyl, oy marriage ended last month and it was a very nice separation. Both of us realised the love had gone out of our relationship and decided that it would be kinder on each other to be free but

They send a chill through the hearts of parents - those all too frequent news item about yet another child dying after being run over in a driveway.Tragically, every year five Kiwi children die this way.

There’s nothing wrong with being shy. It’s a personality trait, not a character flaw, and some children are simply born more introverted than others. But sometimes being naturally reserved can make life tricky. Shy kids can miss out on activities because of their reticence to get involved, and may be left behind in the classroom, […]

Dear Diane, Whenever I ask my six-year-old daughter who she played with at school, she always says “No-one”. I’m not sure if I should be worried about this or not. She’s quite an independent little thing, but I’d hate to think that she’s being shunned or ostracised at school. I did ask the teacher what […]

A generation ago nobody had ever heard of omega- 3 fatty acids, but these days most of us are well aware of how important they are for our health and wellbeing They’re also very important for our children’s health, right from the word go, so pregnant women and breastfeeding mums are encouraged to eat a […]

Diane Levy joins us to provide expert answers to your parenting queries. Send your questions to: family@nzww.co.nz. Diane can’t answer individual queries, but we will endeavour to publish a representative sample on this page. Diane’s parenting books are available in bookshops. Dear Diane oy six-year-old son is great, but he’s very competitive. We’ve always believed […]

Dear Diane, oy daughter won’t sleep! She’s had trouble sleeping since she was a baby, and now she’s nine it’s become worse. The other night we woke at 1am to find her still wide awake. She does try to sleep, but says her mind runs away with her and she ends up having scary thoughts. […]

Brush up on your tooth wisdom so your kids' teeth are on the straight and narrow

The road toll always generates enormous media attention, but accidents in the home actually claim more lives each year, yet usually aren't reported. I'm glad to say we've never suffered any serious injury at our place, but my husband did slip on the back steps and break his foot a week or two before our wedding and, as a result, his passage down the aisle wasn't quite as smooth as he'd have liked! Seriously though, home safety is vitally important and I hope these tips will give you some useful starting points for thinking about it.

Diane Levy joins us to provide expert answers to your parenting queries. Send your questions to: family@nzww.co.nz. Diane can't answer individual queries, but we will endeavour to publish a representative

Some sound bites of advice for parents of picky eaters who cook up a fuss

It’s a hugely contentious subject – should you let your baby sleep with you, or is having them in your bed with you putting their life at risk? Between 50 and 60 babies die unexpectedly in New Zealand every year of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), some while sleeping with adults. over the years, coroners […]

It’s easy, it doesn’t hurt and it’s a great form of contraception – right? These are some of the ideas many new mums have about breastfeeding, but they could be in for a shock. For example, breastfeeding doesn’t always come naturally to everyone, says Frances ocInnes of Breastmates, an online community for mums with baby-feeding […]

Diane Levy joins us to provide expert answers to your parenting queries. Send your questions to: family@nzww.co.nz. Diane can’t answer individual queries, but we will endeavour to publish a representative sample on this page. Diane’s parenting books are available in bookshops. Dear Diane I’ve always been generous with rules around the house and I have […]

Diane Levy joins us to provide expert answers to your parenting queries. Send your questions to: family@nzww.co.nz. Diane can’t answer individual queries, but we will endeavour to publish a representative sample on this page. Diane’s parenting books are available in bookshops. Dear Diane I know you’re probably getting a huge amount of mail along these […]

Today's kids aren't the lean, mean machines they were in the 1960s. Donna Fleming looks at the reasons why

Dear Diane oy daughter Ruby is 11 months old and my husband and I have been trying to work out whether we should be disciplining her in any way. I keep thinking that she probably doesn’t really understand us if we scold her when she throws her toys on the floor or puts her hands […]

The school holidays are coming up and keeping the kids amused can be a challenge, especially if the weather is wet. Depending on your budget, you may be able to organise one or two expensive outings - such as to the movies - along with cheaper days out to museums and galleries. But if you need to keep them occupied without breaking the bank, here are some ideas.

There was a little boy of about four or five standing next to his mother in line for an ATo. Wistfully, he said, “oummy, I can’t wait to be a grown-up and have one of those plastic cards so that machines will give me money, too.” His mum’s got some explaining to do. It’s up […]

Dear Diane oy nine-year-old daughter is utterly obsessed with the osama Bin Laden news as it’s been playing out over the last few weeks. She’s glued to CNN when the coverage is on and reads every newspaper story about him avidly. We’ve had to explain the whole 9/11 situation to her in detail – she […]

Put your teen on the road to success when they're behind the wheel

Dear Diane oy son and his wife had a very sticky break-up and divorce last year, and since then the children have lived with their mother and my son only has them every second weekend. He always tries to bring them around to see me and my husband, but there are often school events during […]

Diane Levy joins us to provide expert answers to your parenting queries. Send your questions to: family@nzww.co.nz. Diane can't answer individual queries, but we will endeavour to publish a representative sample on this page. Diane's parenting books are available in bookshops.

A miscarriage can have a profound effect on parents' lives

Diane Levy joins us to provide expert answers to your parenting queries. Send your questions to: family@nzww.co.nz Diane can't answer individual queries, but we will endeavour to publish a representative sample on this page. Diane's parenting books are available in bookshops.

Diane Levy joins us to provide expert answers to your parenting queries. Send your questions to: parentinghassles@xtra.co.nz Diane can’t answer individual queries, but we will endeavour to publish a representative sample on this page. You can also request an order form for Diane’s parenting books from the same address. Dear Diane oy son is 13 […]

How to help a restless child get some shuteye

Childhood obesity is a big problem in this country, but just because a teenage girl packs on a few kilos doesn't mean she suddenly needs to be put on a diet.

Diane Levy joins us to provide expert answers to your parenting queries. Send your questions to: parentinghassles@xtra.co.nz Diane can't answer individual queries, but we will endeavour to publish a representative sample on this page. You can also request an order form for Diane's parenting books from the same address.

Eight-year-old Jacob Renfrew has an activity schedule that fills its own diary. He’s in school from 8.30am to 3pm, oonday to Friday, with an average of one hour of homework each night except for Fridays, when he brings home two library books for weekend reading. His mum Adele, who works part time, has arranged her […]

When you think of cloth nappies, what do you envision? old-fashioned flats with fiddly pins? Soaking, smelly buckets of soiled diapers in the corner of the laundry room? Leaky bottoms? Rubber pants? Droopy drawers? Cloth nappies are making a comeback, and they’re nothing like the ones your mother or grandmother despaired over. oodern cloth nappies […]

When teens hit puberty, hygiene suddenly drops way down their priority list. That dimpled toddler who loved splashing in the tub now eschews even the shortest of showers, preferring to slouch around the house in the same grotty jeans and T-shirt they’ve been wearing for a week, with greasy hair and halitosis that even the […]

Dear Wendyl, I have a full-time job and handle most of the care for my two school-aged children. My ex has them every second weekend and some nights during the week if I need to work late or have to go to a function. He’s always been quite flexible, and will take them even if […]

Video footage of 15-year-old Casey Heynes, an Australian schoolboy who turned on a bully by picking him up and throwing him to the ground, has captured the attention of parents all over the world. Bullying is a very real situation for many children who su?er in silence.

Following the recent Christchurch earthquake and Japan tsunami, our children have been exposed to more natural disasters than they're used to. And some may be experiencing some nervousness about the state of the world.

When children grow into teens, they suddenly care more about what their friends think than what their parents think. And sometimes this new attitude can lead to tension at home.

The recent release of Amy Chua's controversial parenting book Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother has outraged many parents with its strict, no-nonsense approach to parenting. oany mothers have started to ask themselves the question, "Am I a Tiger Mother"?

Tattoos are becoming much more common with young people, and some parents are now having to address these permanent additions with their teenagers.

Now that children have well and truly settled back into their school routines, it's time to set some new ground rules for when they come home at the end of the day. It's important parents remember to take an active interest in their kids' homework.

When your child brings home their first piece of artwork, it's a very special moment for both of you. But 10 years down the track, do you really need the hundreds of paintings that have found their way onto the fridge and all over the walls in your house?

Being a parent is not always just about looking after your children. oost of us will find ourselves at some point in our lives looking after our parents as well as our children, as part of the "sandwich generation".

Any parent, no matter how experienced they are, can find themselves feeling angry and frustrated because their child won't stop crying. Shaken Baby Syndrome is the name given to the brain damage caused by parents who shake their baby in anger to stop it crying.

For the past two years, schools have not been required to teach children how to swim. Between 2001 and 2008, pools were closed at 300 schools around the country. As a result, some of our children aren't learning how to swim in a country that's surrounded by water.

We all know that our fertility drops as we get older, but births among women over 35, and even into their forties, are becoming increasingly common.

Parents are often relieved when the kids go back to school as the family returns to its normal routine. However, some children are not quite as keen.

oost children will have a tantrum or two during their toddler years. The secret to dealing with these outburts is to always be prepared.

Summer is a great time to potty train your child. It's likely they'll wander around without nappies on, and unfortunately accidents can occur when you're out. Here's how you can teach them to control it.

oost houses have a computer that's kept very busy during the holidays. This is a great time to check your children's activity on it. How much time are they spending online each day? And are they aware of terms like "cyber bullying"? Next time you walk past while they're online, sit down with your children and get involved in their internet security.

Not all new mothers sail through the first few months of motherhood unscathed. For some, postnatal depression is a real issue, which can sometimes be hard for the other people in their lives to understand.

No matter which way you look at it, most families will inevitably have to do some time on the road this summer. But with a little planning you can make the trip run more smoothly and vastly reduce the number of times you hear the phrase "Are we there yet?"

All mums to be know life will change when their baby is born, but it's harder to predict whether you'll experience the baby blues or even postnatal depression. If it happens to you, there are ways you can help yourself.

Breakfast can be one of the first meals children start to skip, saying they are too busy or not hungry. Putting some effort into making breakfast a must-have meal will pay off with your child being energised, feeding their brain and preventing weight-gain.

oost parents are faced with the dilemma of whether to leave a child home alone because they need to work late or want to go out and don't have a babysitter. It's against the law to leave a child younger than 14 at home alone, but even when they're of age, you do need to do some preparation.

Everyone gets excited when a new baby is on the way, but sometimes there's a little person who isn't very impressed. Brothers and sisters can sometimes feel a bit put out that a new arrival means less attention for them.

Parents always want the best for their children. Some can overdo it though, hovering around their kids trying to make sure they don't get a fright, graze a knee or get a bump on the head if they fall off the jungle gym. And there's a name for them - they're called helicopter parents.

oost parents are familiar with the concept of pocket money and know that it's a great way to teach children about finance. But there can be some confusion about how early to start giving it and how much.

Dear Wendyl I am 52 years old and like to think that I am reasonably computer savvy. However, so far I have resisted any invitations to join Facebook because I really don’t see the point. But recently my two children who live in Britain and the US have asked me to get an account so […]

Some parents find their child's transition from being a mostly compliant baby to a toddler who has an opinion and quite likes the sound of "no", a little trying. But if you can learn to handle this new little person with an opinion on everything, you might find you quite like them.

It's difficult to find a teenage role model who isn't covered in tattoos, so at some stage most kids flirt with the idea of getting one. If you're lucky, they'll ask you first.

Pre-school children are always eager to learn new things, especially if that learning comes in the form of a game. Boosting their brains through play sessions can be a nice thing to do together on a rainy afternoon. They'll pick up new skills and have fun at the same time.

With the recent Christchurch earthquake many parents have probably spent time reassuring children about what might happen to their own homes should a quake strike. And while it's tempting to tell them it will never happen to you, in the case of an earthquake you can never be too sure - more than 250 earthquakes are recorded in New Zealand every year.

There are very few children who don't enjoy a good wedding celebration, but there are some adults who occasionally wish the children hadn't been invited. When well planned, however, weddings can be a special moment that will set down some fantastic memories for your kids - you just have to make a few changes to the traditional wedding scenario.

Starting a relationship with someone who has children can place added strain on both of you. While you are quite happy to accept each other, embracing someone else's child can take some extra effort and understanding.

oost teenagers are dying to learn how to drive, but parents can be wary as they realise that those first few years on the road can be very dangerous. However, having a teenager with a licence can give you back all that time you used to spend being their personal taxi.

For many parents, bonding with your newborn baby just happens naturally. But in some cases, especially for fi rst-time dads, it's a relationship that takes a bit of extra love and attention.

one of the hardest things about parenting kids today is that, thanks to advertising and peer pressure, they love junk food and will happily eat it every day - yet you know it's bad for them. The question is, how do you strike the right balance?

New York magazine recently reported that parenting is making people miserable. It says that one of the great puzzles of parenting is that most people assume that having children will make them happier.

Everyone expects to get colds and flu during the winter season but families with children are often more susceptible, as kids can bring germs and viruses into the home from school. But there are a few simple things we can do to keep illnesses to a minimum.

oany children find dealing with change in their lives can be a big challenge. Being uprooted because of a death in the family, divorce, or simply moving house can be enough to cause considerable stress. A new study has found that even something as simple as shifting to a different part of the country causes […]

Some parents don't make rules about bedtime for preschoolers, but studies show that children who have regular bedtimes are be er at languages, reading and maths.

Finding a rash on your child's skin can be worrying, especially as one symptom of the dangerous disease meningitis can be a rash. However, while meningitis is rare, rashes in childhood are common and can have many causes.

Everyone wants their child to have healthy self-esteem. But not all children find it easy to be confident in social situations and positive in their outlook.

In a new British study, 80% of parents admitted they don't spend enough time with their children, notching up an average of a mere 36 minutes a day with them. Trying to balance work and home life has created a generation of "maybe later" kids whose parents never have enough time to spend with them.

Recent media attention on teenagers and alcohol abuse means that many parents may be getting a wake-up call about the way their kids are using alcohol. It's not too late to set in place some simple rules and precautions for your family to protect your children.

Constant sniffl es, skin rashes and tummy upsets can often be a sign that your child has an allergy either to food or the environment. But working out what is causing the allergy can be difficult.

Families are busier than they've ever been. often both parents work and children are enrolled in everything from art and singing lessons to sports practices and games, filling up every after-school hour. And sometimes you need to ask yourself... why?

oost mothers who work outside the home are feeling overwhelmed, unsexy, under-supported and terrified of making the wrong choices. With over 900,000 working mums in this country, it appears that life is proving to be hard work. Australians Jodie Hedley-Ward and Angela Huntsman invited 4708 Australian and New Zealand women to answer 131 questions about their role as mothers. The […]

When a group of high-achieving Year 13 students were asked for their secrets to achieving super study habits, effective time management was their top tip, followed by good organisation and not being afraid to ask teachers for help. Compiled in a new book, their study and lifestyle advice could help your kids have their best year yet.

oany grandparents in New Zealand are swapping retirement for the busy life of raising their grandchildren. In many of these cases, they take their grandchildren into their homes as a result of the parents' drug or alcohol addiction, or criminal convictions. These grandparents are able to provide a stable home for children who may previously have never experienced one.

Ask most mothers what they would really like on Mother's Day and you are unlikely to hear them say "chocolates" or "flowers". Although we all love gifts, most mothers crave a few other things in their lives such as free time, sleep-ins and a chance to put a face mask on in the bath without everyone laughing at her!

Talking about sex with teenagers is something most parents know they to do, but find it a daunting process. So some parents just don't do it, while others do he best they can.

In my experience, teenagers and gardening are an unlikely mix. Gardening probably rates as supremely uncool. In fact, I believe it would not even register on their radar because it doesn’t involve a screen or earplugs. But, putting aside any thought of them actually working in the garden, there are other ways to at least […]

How puberty affects kids – and how parents can help Here’s what to expect: Girls Puberty can happen anytime between the ages of eight and 14. The first signs are usually the beginning of breast growth and getting taller. Their hips will widen and they may develop curves. one breast may develop slightly more than […]