This week the battle of the sexes moves into the realm of breastfeeding (yes, you read that right), while Education Secretary Betsy Devos faces off against her boss (and the whole rest of the country) about her plan to cut funding for the Special Olympics. UrbanSitter releases the results of its annual survey on sitter pay in the U.S., and we share some extremely cool projects for rainy springtime days.
Kidderati
What everyone on the (virtual) playground is talking about this week.
- Breast-Feeding Hacks for Moms and … Dads? :: Blogger Jazmyne Futrell schools us on the art of mammarial multitasking, while Allen Lamarr Fails Jr. shares a breastfeeding hack for dads, commenting that “whenever you care about somebody you’ll do anything to make it work, even when you don’t have the resources” — literally. And the internet goes wild.
- Hilary Duff ‘Grams Her Home Birth :: Sharing the first moments of her new baby’s life with the whole world. (We’ll see how baby Banks feels about it in 15 years.)
- A Tale of Nine Nurses :: In a Maine labor and delivery ward, 9 nurses are all pregnant at the same time. Causing some to wonder if pregnancy might be contagious.
- Texas Legalizes Kidpreneurship :: Starting with lemonade stands. Meanwhile, serial entrepreneur Pam Chmiel talks about teaching kids an entrepreneurial mindset.
- Betsy DeVos Unveils Her Plan to Defund Special Olympics :: Stating that "the federal government cannot fund every worthy program” and giving President Trump a rare opportunity to save the day.
FamTech
Cool new tech to make life easier for parents and families.
- Baby's First Bot :: A fuzzy robot version of an imaginary friend every child dreams of, Woobo can answer questions, express feelings, sing songs, and play games.
KidBits
Interesting stuff you can share with your kids -- or, if they're old enough, even have them read themselves.
- Mosquitoes Who Eat Less Bite Less :: A team at New York's Rockefeller University has come up with a unique solution to fend off the dangerous insects - filling their little bellies with diet drugs to curb their appetite for human blood. (DOGO News)
- DO Play with Your Food :: With this Rube Goldberg food contraption. (The Kid Should See This)
- Easter Egg Sudoku :: Or, for those who don't celebrate Easter, colorful-springtime-egg-themed sudoku. (Childhood 101)
Parentopia
Useful info and insights for life as a 'rent.
- Science Sides with the Toddlers :: Apparently, eating boogers is good for you. Maybe. (The Soccer Mom)
- How Much Are Parents Paying Sitters? :: UrbanSitter's new study may surprise you. (Motherly)
- Are You a "Snowplow Parent"? :: What Jeff Bezos, Mark Cuban, and Gordon Ramsay do to make sure their kids aren't resourceless, entitled jerks. (Fatherly)
Edutainment
Fun and -- shh, don't tell! -- educational things to do with kids)
- Easy Cardboard Circle Weaving for Kids :: Make a weaving loom out of cardboard and yarn. (We're definitely going to try this!) (Happy Hooligans)
- Starlite Material Experiments On Heat Transfer and Thermal Insulation :: Make a crazy heat-resistant substance with cornstarch and Elmer's glue. (STEAM Powered Family)
- Make a Nature Mobile for Kids With Gathered Materials + Air Dry Clay :: From nature to tinker to treasure. So cool! (The Artful Parent)