Category Archives: ACA Blog

Summer’s finally here! With school out, you no longer have to worry about schedules, homework, early-morning madness, and tests. It’s the perfect time for you and your children to laze around in a hammock or frolic at a beach with a favorite author’s latest novel. But what if the last thing they want to do, […]

Are you eating right? Are your kids eating right? It’s hard to know the truth when even nutritionists debate among themselves about the composition of a nutritious diet. One rule that rings true is to keep sugary snacks to a minimum. However, even the seemingly healthiest foods contain large doses of sugar, most especially fruit. […]

(Photo from freefuninaustin.com) School’s out for the summer, and that means the kids are home! Long, hot days stretch out before you, blissfully free of projects, homework, and the usual frantic daily schedule. But what do you do when your kids get bored with their toys, their friends are off to camp, or they’re spending […]

Putting your child to bed (and to sleep!)is one of the many challenges of raising active children. It’s hard to blame your little bundle of energy for not wanting to stop playing, especially when they’re wearing superhero pajamas and both mommy and daddy are home. Yet a good night’s sleep is vital. If a consistent, […]

The plain truth is that children are not born knowing how to share. Generosity is something they must learn. As a developmental milestone, true empathy for the feelings of others, a necessary precursor for honest, self-directed sharing, doesn’t really happen until about six years of age. Until that point, children have to be taught to […]

As a parent, you may welcome summer as a respite from the whirlwind of homework, sports events, test-stress, and carpool shuttling, or you may dread the dragging days of whining and boredom. Either way, there’s one truth that cannot be avoided: All those idle hours add up to a calculable step back in academic skills […]

Spring is finally here! Birds are chirping, flowers are blooming, and the weather is just fine. Time to get out of the house, take a walk, visit a park, and embrace the great outdoors. Enjoy this time with your kids with these five fun spring activities. Plant A Garden This time of year, even the […]

Babies love to suck—literally. While some babies only like to suck during feedings, most babies seek the comfort of the sucking motion all day long by gumming their knuckles, the edge of a blanket, or whatever toy they can nudge toward their mouths. The activity is a natural reflex and it makes babies feel calm […]

Kids love juice. It’s sweet, quenches thirst, and tastes great. Chock full of vitamins and nutrients, fruit juices are certainly a better alternative to sugary sodas, but is it really healthy for your child? Here’s what you need to know about what’s in that sippy cup. Fructose Is Sugar, Too Real fruit juices do contain […]

Go to any parent-of-a-toddler forum, and you’ll quickly see that potty training is one of the hottest topics under discussion. While some kids potty train quickly, others take a lot longer, and may require some stop-and-starting before the job’s done. It’s a matter of debate as to whether the equipment you use can make a […]