Is America Returning to Normal? The Proof Is in the Pudding

by Karly WoodMay 6, 2021

With a return to normal slowly becoming a reality, American’s shopping patterns are telling a unique story. It’s no secret that over the past year, everyone’s shopping habits changed drastically, but the biggest indicator that we are turning a corner comes from one place: pudding.

Instacart’s Pudding Pack Index is “an index for normalcy through the lens of groceries.” Apparently, typical lunchbox items that include pudding, fruit snacks and granola bars and how often they are being purchased serves as an indicator of just how “normal” things are. Keep reading to see how.

Instacart has broken the pandemic down into categories and compares how the sales of certain items coincided with normalcy.

April 2020: Sales for items in the index dropped 48% lower than pre-pandemic base levels.
Jun. 2020-Feb. 2021: Sales climbed to 20% below the pre-pandemic baseline
Mar.-Apr. 2021: The index climbed to the highest rate since the start of the pandemic.
May 2021: Index is just over 9% below the “normal” pre-pandemic rate.

The Pudding Pack Index serves as a barometer a return of normal, and we well on our way. “Parent or not — you should pay attention to the Pudding Pack Index,” says Laurentia Romaniuk, Instacart’s Trends Expert and Senior Product Manager. “When parents are adding pudding packs to their cart, it means they’re also starting to head back to the office, drop their kids off at school, and take vacations. Parents represent a cross-section of American culture on every level and when life is normal for parents, it’s normal for almost everyone else, too.”

Pudding, anyone?

––Karly Wood

Feature photo: ToscaWhi via iStock

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Grow Your Child’s Cognitive Skills through Gardening

By Michelle Worth

Tinybeans Voices Contributor

April 26, 2021

Photo: Shutterstock

We’ve had a year of shifting academics and social interaction to a virtual platform due to the Coronavirus pandemic. Gardening is an easy, screen-free activity that can provide your child with numerous benefits.

Designing and digging a garden can be the perfect outdoor parent-child bonding activity. Not only is it fun and rewarding for kids, but studies have shown interacting with plants has benefits ranging from reducing stress to promoting healthy eating habits. Another reason to grab your garden gloves? Working with your child to plan, organize, and plant can help develop their executive functioning skills. And that could improve your child’s ability to complete academic and daily life tasks. How exactly can you boost your child’s developmental skills through gardening? Let’s dig in!

Step 1: Plan the Plot
Start by letting your child choose what plants to grow. A few ideas:

Pizza Garden. Include veggies you can use to top your family’s next homemade pizza, like mushrooms, spinach, and broccoli.
Salsa Garden. Are chips & salsa a favorite snack in your household? Cilantro, tomatoes, and onions it is!
Rainbow Garden. Think cucumbers, bell peppers, strawberries, and other colorful fruits and veggies.
Salad Garden. Plant lettuce and any favorites to make the perfect side salad at your next dinner!

Browse through a gardening magazine or website to order the seeds. Ask open-ended questions about what plants your child thinks you should choose and why. That can help develop cognitive skills like organization and reasoning.

Do some research with your child on the items you plan to include in your garden. Challenge your child to put their planning skills to work by gathering information on the stages of growth they can expect to see from their plants and what tools or materials they’ll need.

Step 2: Map It Out
Now it’s time for you and your gardening buddy to map out the location of the plants in your garden! Help your child draw a picture of where each plant should go or use an online tool like this one.

Asking cause and effect questions can help your child use critical thinking skills. Do certain plants need to get more or less sun? Will some veggies need more room to grow than others? How will that affect where you choose to plant your seeds? Help your child see the different options available when thinking about how to plan their garden. As they start to see that they can go about completing a task in multiple different ways, their cognitive flexibility skills can strengthen. That can help them tackle all kinds of to-dos in their daily life.

Step 3: Dig In!
Time to let your green thumb shine and plant the seeds. This part helps your child develop their ability to execute a plan. Before you get started, talk about what steps you’ll need to follow: weed, dig, plant, add soil, water. Through this, their sequencing skills can soar! Focusing on following each step can develop your child’s inhibitory control. They’ll need to control their behavior, attention, and thoughts to each task at hand in order to get their garden growing. And even more good news! Outdoor activities like gardening have been proven by the American Journal of Public Health to improve children’s attention skills.

Step 4: Let Your Garden Grow
Your child can’t bite into a juicy watermelon from their garden just yet! Give them some responsibilities for caring for their garden, like these:

Watering
Weeding
Watching for the plants to reach each stage of growth

Maintaining the garden through these tasks can help work your child’s memory skills each day. Getting up and working on the garden can also encourage their ability to initiate tasks. Finally, let your child enjoy the fruits (and veggies) of their labor. Watching their plants grow, picking, and eating from their garden can boost self-confidence and provide positive reinforcement for all of that hard work.

If you have concerns about your child’s ability to complete aspects of tasks such as organization, maintaining attention, planning, or reasoning, consider consulting an expert. TherapyWorks is a company that provides speech therapy services with licensed professionals that can evaluate your child and, if needed, provide ongoing therapy services.

Michelle Worth

Tinybeans Voices Contributor

I'm a mom entrepreneur and Co-Founder of TherapyWorks, a pediatric therapy company that provides services via telehealth. I recognized the need to make high-quality pediatric therapy more convenient after one of my own children needed therapy and launched TherapyWorks with my Co-Founder, an experienced speech language-pathologist, with that in mind.

5 Ways Moms Can Help Balance Work & Family Time

By Rae Steinbach

Tinybeans Voices Contributor

April 23, 2021

As a working mom, there’s always the sense you can be doing more, whether it’s with your family or your career. At least, it can feel that way. The trick is to find a sense of balance that works for you. It’s a very individualized process and experience. One way of doing things doesn’t work for everyone.

Maybe if you work from home, on some days, you put the baby in the swing and do office hours that way. Then, once your baby is up from her nap, you let your clients or boss know that your office hours are over. For some moms, balance might be more about completely disconnecting from technology when they’re with their family.

The following are specific tips to keep in mind to have a sense of balance in your life as a working mom.

1. Talk to Your Boss about Your Schedule
If you aren’t already working from home some or all of the time, and your job would be something you could do remotely, speak to your boss. A lot of employers are more willing than ever before to go with flexible scheduling. Then, you can cut out some of the unnecessary elements of your day, like your commute, giving you more time to dedicate to the things that are important to you.

2. Organize Your Schedule
When you’re busy, and you feel like you’re juggling a lot, staying organized can help relieve some of the stress that might occur as a result. Create a family schedule and a work schedule, and post them both where the entire family can see them easily.That way, everyone knows what to expect and when.

3. Share the Housework & Outsource What You Can
Everyone in your family should be sharing in the housework. You don’t have to do it alone. Assign everyone in the house their weekly chores. Start teaching your kids how to do chores from an early age, so it becomes part of their routine. And if you can afford to, outsource some of these things as well, to give yourself a bit of time to relax when you are at home, rather than trying to get it all done. For example, maybe have a cleaner come a couple of times a month.

4. Stop Multi-Tasking
We’re trained to think multi-tasking is the most efficient way to do things, and the reality is that it’s not. When you’re trying to do multiple things at once, your attention levels are pulled in these different directions, and you’re going to end up being less productive.

Instead, focus on one thing at a time and give it all of your attention when you’re doing it, whether that’s related to work or your family.

5. Aim to Have Weekends That Are Completely Free
Finally, your weekends should be a time of solace. Try your hardest during the week to get all of your work done, and also try to eliminate the number of chores and errands you have to do that are related to the household. That way, you can block out a period of time at the end of every week where you really can focus on being with your family. You can return to work on Monday, recharged and refreshed. Don’t let work or an overwhelming shuffle of errands and activities take over your weekends.

Rae Steinbach

Tinybeans Voices Contributor

"Rae is a graduate of Tufts University with a combined International Relations and Chinese degree. After spending time living and working abroad in China, she returned to NYC to pursue her career and continue curating quality content. Rae is passionate about travel, food, and writing (of course)."

11 Phrases to Try When Your Kids Won’t Listen

by Leah R. SingerApril 1, 2021

If there’s one thing parents learn rather quickly, it’s that the words “kid” and “listen” are not always compatible. It’s easy to become frustrated when you think your little one isn’t paying attention to your words, but remember, sometimes active listening takes a little bit of practice. Here are 11 positive parenting solutions to help you stop yelling at your kiddos and get them listening.

1. "I don't like it when you do that."

Amy Morin, LCSW, author of 13 Things Mentally Strong Parents Don't Do, encourages parents to stay as calm as possible when reacting to their kiddos, even if the frustration level is high because they're not listening to you. Instead of getting angry and saying, "You're not listening to me," respond with saying you don't like it when they're not listening, and explain why and how it makes you feel. That also helps kids understand how their behavior affects others.

2. "What do you need to remember?"

Like many adults, kids sometimes tune out when they hear the same phrases, even if they're important ones. So instead of constantly reminding your kiddo, "Don't forget to wash your hands before lunch," try asking them what they need to remember before eating lunch. This will help them to express it back to you and take ownership of that important pre-eating task. Remember, mentally strong kids have parents who do these 13 things.

3. "Do you want to leave now or in 10 minutes?"

Sometimes there's nothing more frustrating than when your little ones refuse to listen when you need to leave the house. Instead of raising your voice so they'll listen, try giving them some control of the situation by enabling them to choose when you leave. Asking if they want to leave now or in 10 minutes means you're leaving, but they get to control when it happens.

4. "Show me."

Sometimes we assume our kids aren't listening because they're not responding in the way we think they should. Lauren Tamm, the author of The Military Wife and Mom, suggests asking your kiddo to show you they understand or demonstrate what they may not be able to articulate verbally.

5. "Can you help me with this task over here?"

Do you feel like you're constantly telling your kiddo to stop doing something, and they don't ever listen? Next time that happens, try a new approach. Instead of telling them to stop, divert their attention by asking them to focus on a new task.

6. "Take a breath, and ask me what you want."

Sometimes getting your kiddos to listen when they're in the midst of a tantrum can be an Olympic sport in itself. Instead of continuing to repeat the same things to your kids and them not responding, try changing the dynamic of the situation. Get them to focus on calming themselves by taking a breath, and encourage them to ask you what they want.

7. "You realized you got hurt when you jumped off the chair landed on the ground."

Kids often do things they shouldn't, like jumping off chairs, that could risk them getting injured. And no matter how many times you tell them to stop, they just don't want to listen to your warnings. Dr. Brenna Hicks, a child psychologist, suggests that the next time this happens and they do get hurt, use a phrase such as the one above so it acknowledges they figured out the problem and is also showing some empathy.

8. "Do you need to have a few minutes to yourself?"

When your little one is not listening or throwing a tantrum, saying something like this is a somewhat more positive way of communicating the consequences of not listening. You're also giving them the choice to control their behavior, and therefore, giving them some control over the situation.

9. "Your actions tell me you're too tired to play today."

Be sure to take cues from your kiddo's body language to learn why they may not be listening to you. Maybe your child isn't listening because they are tired or hit a mental breaking point for the day, and the only way they can communicate is through not listening to you. Show them you understand by commenting on their actions, not the fact that they're not listening.

10. Say their name, and give a pause.

When a person hears their name, it provokes a different response. So the next time your little one is not listening to your instructions, change the dynamic a bit, and use their name when you speak. Follow their name with a short pause so they have time to respond.

11. "It's okay to cry."

Positive Parenting Coach Wendy Snyder says it's important to validate kids' feelings. They have big emotions but might have the tools to control them quite yet. By letting them express themselves, you're offering support, which leads to a calmer home environment.

—Leah R. Singer

Featured image: iStock

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New Research Sheds Light on Bilingual Baby Talk

by Erica LoopMarch 25, 2021

Is your baby bilingual? Whether they learn one language or two, new research shows babies prefer infant-direct speech (a.k.a. baby talk) over mature adult communications.

Research from UCLA’s Language Acquisition Lab and 16 other global speech labs looked at infants’ interest levels when they were exposed to two different languages. The study, published in the journal Advances in Methods and Practices in Psychological Science, took place across four continents and included 333 bilingual and 384 monolingual babies ages six to nine months and 12 to 15 months.

photo: Filipe Leme via Pexels

Megha Sundara, a UCLA linguistics professor and director of the Language Acquisition Lab said, “Crucially for parents, we found that development of learning and attention is similar in infants, whether they’re learning one or two languages.” Sundara added, “And, of course, learning a language earlier helps you learn it better, so bilingualism is a win-win.”

The researchers asked the parent participants to hold their babies as infant-direct speech (baby talk) or adult-directed speech was played from speakers coming from either the right or left direction. To assess interest, the researchers measured the length of time the infant looked toward the direction of the sound. As it turns out, both bilingual and monolingual babies prefer baby talk to parent-speech.

Victoria Mateu, a UCLA assistant professor of Spanish and Portuguese, said of the results, “The longer they looked, the stronger their preference.” Mateu continued, “Babies tend to pay more attention to the exaggerated sounds of infant-directed speech.”

If you’re wondering why both bilingual and monolingual infants might prefer baby talk, Mateu said, “Baby talk has a slower rate of speech across all languages, with more variable pitch, and it’s more animated and happy.”

—Erica Loop

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“Space Jam: A New Legacy” Toy Line Is a Nostalgic Slam Dunk

by Erica LoopMarch 25, 2021

Warner Bros. Pictures’ Space Jam: A New Legacy hits theaters this summer—but fans won’t have to wait to get in on the Looney Tunes fun. Moose Toys recently announced the launch of a new line of Space Jam products.

The toys will feature fave characters, such as Bugs Bunny, Lola Bunny, Marvin the Martian and Tazmanian Devil, along with figurines featuring their human co-star, LeBron James.

Ronnie Frankowski, chief marketing officer, Moose Toys shared in a press release, “To put our excitement about this partnership with Warner Bros. Consumer Products into basketball terms, it’s like shooting a nothing-but-net-three-point-buzzer-beater to win the game.”

Frankowski added, “Working closely with Warner Bros., every attention to detail was paid to make sure our toys bring that big screen action into the hands of the fans. Our toys deliver awesome replicas of the stars of the movie, along with fresh new ways to play. We cannot wait for fans to bring their favorite characters home.”

The new line of Space Jam: A New Legacy toys includes figures, plushes, collectibles, play sets and more. Score one (or all) of the toys in retailers across the nation, starting Apr. 18, 2021.

—Erica Loop

Photos courtesy of Moose Toys

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Got a Crying Baby? This Book May Help

by Erica LoopFebruary 23, 2021

One of Japan’s top baby books is coming to America! Author and scientist Dr. Kazuo Hiraki created a colorful book that will grab your kiddo’s attention and may even settle your crying baby!

Moimoi features bold designs that are scientifically proven to hold baby’s attention nearly twice as long other other shapes. The University of Tokyo Baby Lab studied infant eye motions and brain activity. The result was a colorful children’s board book, featuring shapes, sounds, and more.

photo courtesy of The Experiment

What is moimoi? Moi, pronounced like koi, is a nonsense word that will quickly become one of your baby’s fave sounds. Not only will the bullseye-like colorful shapes completely engage your child’s attention, Moimoi may soothe them too.

This high-contrast children’s book has already sold over 500,000 copies in Japan. Moimoi—Look at Me! (written by Kazuo Hiraki and illustrated by Jun Ichihara) makes its American debut Mar. 30, 2021. The board book for babies retails for $7.95. Visit The Experiment Publishing for more information on the Moimoi series and pre-orders or visit Amazon.

If your littles enjoy Moimoi—Look at Me!, Moimoi, Where Are You? will make its grand debut Spring of 2022.

—Erica Loop

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Cruella de Vil’s Origin Story Has Arrived in Disney’s Newest Trailer

by Karly WoodFebruary 19, 2021

The last few years have seen a slew of live-action reboots of fave Disney classics, and this time Disney has turned to one of the most villainous in its newest film. Get ready to get evil!

Cruella documents the early days of the 101 Dalmatians foe in all her fashionable glory. Set in 1970’s London, viewers get to see first hand how this young grifter came to be the fur-loving villain we all know and loathe.

As we see in the trailer, Cruella actually starts out as Estella, a creative woman who is determined to make a name for herself. She ends up becoming friends with a few young thieves and one day catches the attention of Baroness von Hellman, played by Emma Thompson.

In the ensuing scenes, Cruella who was born “brilliant, bad and a little bit mad” shows off her crazy side (including her driving) in epic proportions.

You can catch the full film, and all those evil laughs, when the movie premieres on May 28, 2021.

––Karly Wood

Feature image: Walt Disney Studios via YouTube

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It’s Not Delivery, It’s Free DiGiorno Pizza During the Super Bowl!

by Karly WoodJanuary 20, 2021

Last year, DiGiorno pumped up pizza fans everywhere with its Super Bowl giveaway. Now, the pizza purveyor is back with a 2021 freebie!

In honor of game day, DiGiorno is giving away free pizza if the Super Bowl score hits 3-14 or 14-3 at any point during the game. So how do you snag the free pizza pie?

photo: Courtesy of Digiorno

If the score hits the magic numbers, DiGiorno will tweet a link where fans can enter for a chance to win a free pizza! Click on the link, then register for the coupon that will help you bring home free pizza.

Make sure you pay attention though––the tweet only stays live while the score is 3-14 or 14-3. Once it changes, you’re out of luck!

Free pizza is only available while supplies last.

––Karly Wood

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Is a Video Game the Key to Identifying ADHD in Kids? This Study Says Yes

by Erin LemDecember 30, 2020

A new study by researchers from the Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (UC3M) and the Complutense University of Madrid (UCM, in its Spanish acronym) say they have developed a video game that allows the identification and evaluation of the degree of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children and adolescents. Read on to learn more about this potential new rapid test that will provide for early diagnosis.

How is ADHD currently diagnosed?
According to Science Daily, ADHD is a neurodevelopmental disorder with an estimated prevalence of 7.2% in children and adolescents. Currently, Science Daily reports that ADHD is clinically diagnosed, meaning the symptoms are identified by health care professionals using the child’s medical history, often supported by scales completed by caregivers and/or teachers. There is currently no diagnostic tests to identify ADHD.

What to know about the study
The study was carried out in collaboration with a group of 32 children, between the ages of 8 and 16, diagnosed with ADHD by the Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Unit in the Psychiatry Department at the Jiménez Díaz Foundation University Hospital. When the children took the test, they were observed by trained professionals, and caregivers filled out a behavior classification scale, which helps evaluate the severity of ADHD symptoms. Each test only takes seven minutes to complete.

What’s the Game?
In the game a raccoon has to jump over 180 holes that are grouped into 18 blocks. “We hypothesize that children diagnosed with ADHD inattentive subtype will make more mistakes by omission and will jump closer to the hole as a result of the symptoms of inattention,” says Inmaculada Peñuelas Calvo, another author of the study, psychiatrist at the Jiménez Díaz Foundation University Hospital and professor at the UCM’s Department of Personality, Evaluation and Clinical Psychology.

What did the study conclude?
The study states: “Our results suggest that the number of times the avatar does not jump, as well as the median and interquartile range of the jump distances, show a significant correlation with the severity of patients’ inattention. In addition, this correlation tends to be greater when the time between stimuli increases. This could be explained because when the time between stimuli is short, the patient is immersed in the game, whereas whenever this time is longer, ADHD patients have difficulty maintaining the attention.” In short, this new study opens the door to exploring whether a 7 minute video game can be used as a diagnostic tool to help identify the severity of ADHD in children. And, since it’s an actual video game, the possibility of conducting tests like these remotely may be possible in the future.

Learn more here and read the full study here.

—Erin Lem

photo: Pixabay

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ML Interest Tag: attention

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11 Phrases to Try When Your Kids Won’t Listen

1. "I don't like it when you do that."

2. "What do you need to remember?"

3. "Do you want to leave now or in 10 minutes?"

4. "Show me."

5. "Can you help me with this task over here?"

6. "Take a breath, and ask me what you want."

7. "You realized you got hurt when you jumped off the chair landed on the ground."

8. "Do you need to have a few minutes to yourself?"

9. "Your actions tell me you're too tired to play today."

10. Say their name, and give a pause.

11. "It's okay to cry."

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