Dr. Lucie Hemmen made this TikTok video that’s going to comfort a lot of parents of teens, because, in it, she explains that teen rudeness serves an important developmental purpose.

@dr.luciehemmen

#parenting #parentingteengirls #parentingtips

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“If your teenager is hurting your feelings a lot these days, this one’s for you,” she says in the video. “There’s actually a developmental purpose for some of their mean behavior. Being a teenager is the road to adulthood, and one of their developmental tasks at that age is to create an independent identity. In order to do that, they’re often brutal in their methods of separating from you.”

Dr. Hemmen points out that this dynamic can be “especially intense” for moms and daughters, but that it’s “heartbreaking” for parents of all teens at some point during those years.

She continues, “How do you handle it? Well, remember this is a chapter in the book. It’s not your eternal relationship. It will get better. And when they cross the line, you can be short and to the point: ‘Hey, you just crossed the line.'”

And an important teaching moment for teens, she says, is helping them build awareness of how their jabs land because whether they’re funny or hurtful can depend on the mood of the person on the receiving end, and the teen years are a great time to start learning to pick up on those social cues.

Did you know that the average 18-month-old knows around 50 words? The toddler years are an absolutely crucial time for developing language skills and picking up new vocabulary. But that doesn’t mean you should stress about it! There are tons of easy (and fun) ways you can help your tiny human learn new words without going out of your way—just take it from this pediatric speech therapist on TikTok.

@_missmichael shared five tips for parents to help their toddlers pick up more words just while going about their everyday tasks, and you’re going to want to try ’em out ASAP.

@_missmichael

Help build your toddlers vocabulary #toddlerlife #speechtherapy #receptivelanguage #childdevelopment #milestones

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Tip No. 1? You can probably guess it: Read to your little.

“Books, books, books, books,” @_missmichael says. “Read to your babies. You can start at birth.”

She continues, “No. 2: Narrate or sportscast. This doesn’t require you to take any time out of your day. While you’re doing a thing, you’re just talking about it.”

She gives an example: “Let’s go change your diaper. Lift up your legs. I see your toes! Here comes a cold wipe.”

Tip No. 3 is another simple one: “Following directions by helping you find things and giving you things.” For example, when you’re looking for something around your house, ask your toddler where it is and have them join in the search. Or, when you’re clearing off the table, involve them by asking, “Can I have your spoon?” and pointing to it.

Tip No. 4 is related to that one: “Use gestures and visuals.” As @_missmichael explains, “Point to what you’re talking about. Hold up what you’re talking about. Use sign language or do actions with songs.”

And finally, tip No. 5 is simply to have fun helping your baby learn. Smile and laugh, because, “If they’re laughing, they’re learning.”

All of these suggestions can be incorporated into a parent’s day-to-day routine—and best of all, they’ll make language development both easy and stress-free.

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Hannah Sylcox, COTA shared the tips on her Instagram page, where they quickly went viral.

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A post shared by Hannah Sylcox | Pediatric Occupational Therapy Assistant (@sensoryplay.allday)

Tip number one is a burrito role, and it’s just what it sounds like: rolling your kiddo up tightly in a blanket like a burrito.

“This provides deep proprioceptive input into the child’s body,” Sylcox wrote. “This is calming and organizing to their sensory systems.”

Tip number two is one you can actually do while your kids are rolled up in their blanket burritos: pillow squishes. Just grab a pillow and use it to apply gentle pressure all over your kid’s body while they lie on the floor. According to Sylcox, “This activity provides deep pressure which brings your nervous systems into more of a balanced response/balanced state of arousal. This calms and organizes the sensory systems as well.”

For tip number three, you’ll need an exercise ball. Exercise before bed may seem like a no-go, but Sylcox advises parents to gently rock their kids back and forth on the ball, saying the “repetitive, rhythmic rocking and swaying provides calming vestibular input to the nervous system, helping children relax.”

And finally, tip number four is a simple one: throw your child’s blanket in the dryer to get it nice and cozy and warm just before bed.

“The warmth from their sleeping blankets signals bedtime to them and puts their minds in a calm and relaxed state,” Sylcox wrote.

Is it really that easy? Next bedtime, try these tips out, and see how much they calm down your kids.

Dr. Alicia Jeffrey-Thomas made the video as a stitch with another TikToker who argued that you should always pee when you have the chance, because in life (at least, in the U.S., where public bathrooms can be hard to come by), you don’t always know when the next opportunity will come along.

“Pelvic floor physical therapist here, and I work with a lot of people with overactive bladders, stress incontinence, urge incontinence, the whole nine yards,” Dr. Jeffrey-Thomas explains in her clip. “And here’s why you shouldn’t go ‘just in case.'”

@thepelvicdancefloor

#stitch with @sidneyraz I know it sounds counterintuitive and goes against everything your momma taught you – just out here trying to save your bladder

♬ original sound – The Pelvic Dance Floor

Dr. Jeffrey-Thomas explains that there are actually three levels of needing to pee.

“The first one is just an awareness level that tells you that there’s some urine in the bladder,” she says. “The second one is the one that tells you to make a plan to use the toilet, and the third is kind of the panic button that says, ‘Get me there right now, I’m about to overflow.'”

When we go before our bladders are actually full, she explains, it teaches our bodies to send those “panic button” signals early, meaning we have pee-mergencies when there isn’t actually enough urine in our bladders to fill them up. It makes sense when you think about it. But learning that none of us are peeing correctly is a little bit of a bummer.

“TikTok is basically just a bunch of videos telling me I’m doing life wrong,” one commenter wrote on Dr. Jeffrey-Thomas’ video. “Like Jesus, really? I’m peeing wrong?”

Yep. You are. But the good news is you can retrain your bladder to send signals at the right times. You’re just gonna have to hold it sometimes.

Mom Kelse, who goes by @Kelsewhatelse on Instagram, went viral with her painter’s tape hacks.

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A post shared by Kelsey Pomeroy (@kelsewhatelse)

“I never pack for a trip traveling with children without packing painter’s tape! And I have never been on a trip where I packed the painter’s tape where I haven’t used the painter’s tape!” she wrote in the caption. “It’s a miracle item that helps us sleep better, play better, and live safer while we’re on the go!”

In the video, she holds up a roll of tape and explains, “This is the miracle travel-with-kids item. Let me show you why.”

Kelse continues, “First, painter’s tape plus black trash bags? Reusable, cheap blackout curtains.”

For anyone who’s ever had littles wake up at the very crack of dawn due to practically transparent blinds in the Airbnb, this tip alone will be life-changing. But there’s more.

“Baby and plugs? Painter’s tape,” Kelse says, laying a strip of tape over an exposed outlet. “Sharp corners your toddler can’t see? Painter’s tape.” As she explains, she sticks a piece of bright blue tape on the sharp corner of a coffee table.

“Lost your luggage tag? Painter’s tape. Need to label something? Painter’s tape. Quick fix on a toy? Painter’s tape.”

Kelse even shows how tape can be an entertaining toy on a flight—she sticks a piece to the back of the seat in front of her and challenges her kids to pull it off using only certain fingers.

Is there anything this magical item can’t do? Apparently not.

Once Scotch got wind of her video, the company sent over a few more roles so she could work even more magic. And that’s where this follow-up comes in:

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A post shared by Kelsey Pomeroy (@kelsewhatelse)

From tying up strangulation cords on your rental’s blinds and covering the toilet’s sensor flush (that terrifies your toddler) to a makeshift lint roller and chip clip, the possibilities are truly endless.

We hope you’re officially inspired. Happy travels this summer—with your painter’s tape in hand!

Related: Mistakes Parents Make When Starting Solids

Miss Michael is all business as she starts her video: “These are the top eight choking hazards for children under 4. Let’s go.”

@_missmichael

I know you love sharing popcorn with your kids, but is it worth the risk? Can your shared enjoyment wait? #chokinghazard #toddlersafety #babyledweaning #feedingtherapy #speechtherapy #popcorn #hotdogs #halloween #preschool

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Hot dogs: The first one, she notes, shouldn’t surprise parents. “Your throat is a circle,” she says. “When you cut hot dogs into rounds, they can get stuck. At the very least, cut them lengthwise. Even better? Cut them into quarters.”

Whole grapes: The second choking risk for toddlers is grapes, for the same reason: They’re also circular. They should also be cut into quarters.

Hard candies: Number three is candies like M&Ms and Skittles. Again, they’re circular—there’s a theme here.

Popcorn: Number four? Popcorn. “Every piece of the popcorn,” Miss Michael says. “It is easily inhaled. Don’t even try it if your kid is congested.” Rice cakes or puffed corn cakes are a much better option for the toddler set.

Chips: Chips are just too sharp for little mouths to handle, and if a shard gets caught in their throats they can choke. They’re better off snacking on puffs, cheddar crackers, or animal crackers.

Related: The Best First Foods for Baby (And Ones to Avoid)

Nuts: Hard nuts should be avoided entirely since they’re difficult for toddlers to chew and can become sharp in their mouths. But this doesn’t mean they have to miss out on the tasty flavor of nuts (especially given how important it is to expose young kids to allergens). Blend nut butter into smoothies, stir into yogurt, or spread some on toast soldiers.

Marshmallows: Number seven is marshmallows, because “if they get lodged, they are going to expand,” she says. “Not good.”

Cheese cubes: Finally, the last choking risk she warns about is cubed cheese. “Grate it or thinly slice it instead,” she suggests.

So parents, there you have it. Pretty much any round food? A no-go for toddlers. And as many experts have pointed out, when they’re young and still learning how to chew and swallow, sticking to softer foods and smaller pieces is generally the safer choice.

Miss Michael ends her video with some sage advice: “Happy snacking. Don’t die.”

“If you have a toddler between the ages of 12 and 24 months and you’re wondering why they aren’t saying many words yet, you might be making one of these common mistakes,” Moira, an SLP with Rooted in Language, explains in her video. “Did you know that as parents, our natural instincts when talking to our kiddos are often actually hampering their ability to quickly learn lots of words?”

@rooted.in.language

Toddler not saying many words?? This may be why #rootedinlanguage #talkingtips #toddlertalkingtips #speechtherapy #speechdelay #speechdelaytoddler #parenting #parentingtips #gentleparenting #raisingtoddlers #toddlertalking #slptips #languagedevelopment #languagedevelopmentinyoungchildren #languagedevelopmentbabies #babytalk #babytalking #firstwords #speechpathology

♬ original sound – RootedinLanguage

News to us! On to the common mistakes.

The first mistake, Moira explains, is repeatedly telling your toddler, “Say Mama” or “Say Dada.”

“Talk about dialing up the pressure,” she says. “Your child is much less likely to say a word when you’re demanding it of them.”

Instead, she says, you should regularly and consistently model the word you want your toddler to use. “Mama loves you,” “Mama’s gonna change your shirt.”

The second mistake to correct: no more baby talk. As Moira explains, research shows this is bad for toddlers learning about language. But it’s important to note that there’s a difference between baby talk—”the purposeful misarticulation of sounds to sound like you’re a small child”—and child-directed speech—”that sing-songy voice with lots of rise and fall in your intonation, like Miss Rachel.” Child-directed speech is good and helps kids learn to talk. Baby talk is not.

And finally, the third mistake: repeating single words your toddler says.

“Your baby says ‘truck’ and you say ‘truck.’ Boom. Done. You’ve ended the conversation,” Moira explains. “What are they supposed to say now? The interaction is over, and they haven’t learned any new words, because all you did was repeat a word they already knew.”

Instead, you should build on the conversation: “Yes, truck. Blue truck. That’s a big, blue truck! Beep beep! Bye-bye, truck!”

As Moira explains, “Apply these three tips consistently and watch your toddler’s language explode.”

Hannah, a mom on TikTok, shared this hack in a viral video, explaining how the practice “saved” her mental health.

@hannahsandsmusic

100/10 would do this mum hack again, especially around the 5 month mark where life is just ramping up and theyre developing so much and you are just SO TIRED. Postpartum is HARD, and we’re just doing our best as new mums but this seriously saved my mental health in motherhood some days! #newmumtips #mumhack #motherhoodhack #momhack #mumsoftiktok #motherhood #firsttimemum #mummentalhealth

♬ original sound – Hannah Sands

“This was way before I was willing to send my son to daycare—as a first-time mom that just terrified me—but we were out of the newborn bubble, and I was just f*cking exhausted,” she explained. “I just needed a break sometimes, like an hour.”

If that isn’t relatable to postpartum moms, I don’t know what is.

Hannah continued, “I had never even heard of a creche—first-time mom things.”

Now, Hannah is clearly not from the U.S., and you may not have heard of a creche either, since that’s not a super common term here. But basically, it’s free or low-cost childcare at places like schools, churches, or stores. Or, in Hannah’s case, at the gym.

“I found a gym right near our house that was beautiful. It had a pool, a sauna, and a creche,” she said. “Now, this isn’t another story about exercising and postpartum and bouncing back, because we are not about that. We signed up on a trial, and I can take my baby there every day for up to two hours… and I wouldn’t even work out. Sometimes I would just go sit at the coffee shop and have a coffee and stare into the abyss. Sometimes I could swim or have a sauna. Sometimes I’d walk on the treadmill. Sometimes I would work out.”

The important thing, Hannah pointed out, was that she got two hours per day to herself while her baby was being cared for. She could do whatever self-care felt right during that time. And the kicker? The creche cost her $8 per week.

In the U.S., you may not find a “creche” per se, but you can still find gyms that offer childcare to their members. And while you’ll still need to pay the cost of the gym membership, if it has the right amenities for the self-care you need during your postpartum journey, it’s probably worth it.

As we all know, in a long-term relationship, the passion tends to fade a bit over time—especially when you add things like jobs, kids, money struggles, and other life factors to the equation. If you and your spouse don’t want to jump each other’s bones like you did at the beginning of your relationship, that’s perfectly normal! But you might want to try out this nightly rule that therapist Vanessa Marin shared in a viral TikTok.

“Here’s how it usually goes in long-term relationships. When you first start dating each other, it’s like you can’t keep your hands off each other, right? You’re always touching, always kissing,” Marin begins, after introducing herself as “a licensed psychotherapist specializing in sex.”

@vanessaandxander

Comment if you want to hear more about what we do in our relationship to to keep intimacy a priority! #forcouples #couplestherapy #relationshiptok #intimacy #grwm #marriedlife Get Ready With Me Advice For Couples Relationship Tips Relationship Therapist

♬ original sound – Vanessa + Xander Marin

She continues, “But the pattern for most people is that once they get into a long-term relationship, they really stop touching and kissing so much, and eventually it gets to the point where the only time that you’re like really kissing each other is when you’re trying to initiate sex.”

No lie detected. Anyone who’s been in a long-term relationship can likely relate to this so far.

But when this can become a problem is when you develop what Marin calls the “bristle reaction.”

“What happens for a lot of people, especially if you’re the lower sex drive partner, is that you start becoming avoidant of any sort of touch or kissing,” she explains. “This can even lead to what I call the bristle reaction, which is when you become so hyper-vigilant to your partner’s touch or kisses that you actually can feel yourself bristle.”

She and her husband have developed a simple way to combat this: nightly makeout sessions.

“We wanted to give ourselves lots of experiences when we were making out and it wasn’t leading to sex,” she said. “So our rule is that we have to make out every single night and there has to be some tongue contact.”

If the comments are any indication, Marin’s message is resonating.

“Literally been feeling this ‘bristle reaction’ I thought was the ‘ick’ so nice to know so many women have this,” one commenter wrote. Another added, “Yess. 5 years in my relationship and Everything you said is so true! I’m going to try this w/ my partner. Thank you! ”

So if your relationship could use some more intimacy, maybe try making out. You know, for science.

The whole scene is utterly devastating, and if you’re feeling helpless and trying to find ways to do your part, we’ve gathered a list of organizations that are collecting money to help out those in need, including families with children and pets, by supplying necessities like clothing, food, diapers, and formula.

How to help families affected by the fires

Baby2Baby:

 

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The LA-based nonprofit has already handed out 1.5 million emergency supplies to vulnerable families and children, including diapers, food, formula, water, clothing, blankets, and hygiene products. They will be working for weeks and months to come to help families who have been displaced.
Donate here.

Save the Children

 

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In addition to offering essential supplies for kids affected by the California wildfires, Save the Children is working with local partners to help protect the mental health and psychosocial well-being of children throughout Los Angeles County and try to get them back to learning as soon as possible.
Donate here.

Bobbie

 

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Bobbie for Change, the formula company’s social impact and policy arm, has rallied hard in the midst of the fires to get cans of their organic formula to parents in need. They’ve already donated 1,000 cans to relief efforts and are offering the option to donate a can of formula for $25.
Donate here.

Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation

 

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The non-profit focuses on projects that help support firefighters’ health, safety, and wellness; expand the resources needed to protect lives, homes, and the environment; and help secure equipment safety programs essential for LA’s firefighters. Your donation will go towards emergency fire shelters, hydration backpacks, and wildland brush tools.
Donate here.

World Central Kitchen

 

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World Central Kitchen’s Relief Team moves quickly to be on the ground following disasters, offering food to people in need. In Southern California, Chef José Andrés’ organization is supporting first responders and families impacted by wildfires at meal distribution sites and with the help of partner restaurants and food trucks.
Donate here.

Wildlife Recovery Fund

 

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The Wildlife Recovery Fund was started by the California Community Foundation in 2003 to support the recovery of communities ravaged by California wildfires. While the immediate needs of individuals are important, the fund also focuses on mid-term and long-term projects that help to rebuild.
Donate here.

Los Angeles Regional Food Bank

 

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The Los Angeles Regional Food Bank aims to source and acquire healthy nutrition for individuals and families experiencing food insecurity. Your donation will go towards non-food items like toothpaste, deodorant, phone chargers, socks, and blankets, and non-perishable items like peanut butter, protein-based snacks, trail mix, crackers, water, pop-top tuna, fruit snacks, and more.
Donate here. 

SPCALA

 

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This animal non-profit has taken in hundreds of pets displaced by the LA wildfires. They are asking for pet food donations (especially wet dog food), gently used blankets and towels, perishables like hot dogs, cream cheese, and string cheese, as well as monetary donations to get these animals the care they need.
Donate here. 

GoFundMe

 

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The popular crowdfunding platform is raising funds to provide emergency grants of $1,000 for people who have lost their homes to the Palisades, Eaton, and Hurst wildfires.
Donate here.

Pasadena Humane Society

 

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The local animal resource center and shelter has been on the front lines trying to rescue displaced pets as well as sheltering them until they’re fostered or reunited with their families.
Donate here.

Seconds Market

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Seconds Market is a swap meet of sorts, where people can buy, swap, or sell their clothing without the hassle of a middleman. They are asking for anyone with spare clothes lying around to sign up to be matched with victims of the LA wildfires. Whether you have a full box or just a few items, it can make a huge difference to people who have lost all their belongings.
Sign up to donate here.

American Red Cross

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The American Red Cross was on the ground in LA early and has provided over 33,000 meals and snacks since wildfires broke out. They have also set up numerous shelters around the impacted areas where evacuees can have hot meals, charge devices, take showers, obtain mental health services, and more. All the shelters are pet-friendly, too!
Donate here.

The Salvation Army

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As of yesterday, eight Salvation Army shelters have been set up to help wildfire victims in Los Angeles County and have been providing disaster relief to hundreds of people. They have necessities like hygiene kits, food, sleeping cots, and more. 100% of your donation will help those impacted by fires.
Donate here.