Going back to work after having a baby is not a cheap thing to do. The average cost of daycare in 2024 is higher than it's ever been, marking an expensive new chapter in the decades-long childcare crisis in the United States.
"Parents are paying exorbitant fees," says Cathy Creighton, who studies childcare costs as the director of Cornell University's ILR Buffalo Co-Lab. For many families, daycare prices are higher than in-state tuition at a public four-year college.
If you're getting ready to send your little one to daycare when parental leave is over, buckle up - here's an idea of the costs you might be looking at.
According to a January 2024 report from childcare platform Care.com, which draws from the tuition info of daycares listed on the site, the average cost to have an infant in a licensed center-based daycare is $16,692 a year, or $321 a week. Home-based daycare for an infant costs, on average, $11,960, or $230 a week.
For a toddler, the average center-based daycare is $15,236 a year ($293 a week), and a home-based daycare averages $11,388 ($219 a week).
For parents of school-age kids, meanwhile, Care.com found the average cost to get an afternoon sitter for 15 hours a week is $15,184 per year, or $292 a week.
Of course, costs can vary widely depending on where you live. For instance, the average infant daycare cost in Washington DC is $21,788, while in Arkansas, it's $6,708. Even within a state, there can be a huge difference between the fees in a major city and a rural or lower-income area.
These numbers are all higher than they were last year, varying between .4 to 13 percent more. And Sean Lacey, general manager of childcare at Care.com, says that fees are only projected to grow further this year. That's partially due to inflation, but mostly because of what's been termed "the childcare cliff": the end of the $24 billion in pandemic-era federal funding that supported 220,000 childcare providers.
The aid just expired in September 2023, so we're only starting to see the effects, according to Creighton. "You know, there's a cut, and it'll take a little while for the body to bleed out," she says. "It's going to be quite grim."
Without those government funds, daycare centers - which operate on very slim margins - have to either pass that cost along to parents or shut down. Progressive think tank The Century Foundation projects that 70,000 childcare centers will close, leaving more than three million children across the country without care.
Meanwhile, many of the daycare centers that continue to remain open are having trouble staying fully staffed, per an analysis from the Center for the Study of Child Care Employment. Classrooms are empty, and wait lists are growing. "There's just more demand than there is supply," Lacey says.
For all but the very wealthy and parents who qualify for a childcare subsidy, daycare is a major financial burden. The US Department of Health and Human Services considers childcare to be "affordable" when it costs no more than seven percent of a family's income. Yet according to Care.com's findings, parents are spending an average of 24 percent of their household income on childcare, and 23 percent of respondents anticipate spending more than $36,000 on it this year.
And it's not just their salaries they're using to pay for tuition. More than a third of parents surveyed by Care.com reported dipping into their savings to cover the cost of childcare - and a staggering 68 percent of those families said they only have six months or less until their savings are depleted.
At a certain point, parents are forced to take more drastic measures. Cornell's recent research on childcare in New York, released in March 2024, found that 42 percent of respondents who had kids said someone in their household had stopped working to take care of their children, and 76 percent of those said that decision was made because they couldn't find or afford childcare. "It was not because they felt like staying home with their kid," Creighton says.
When that happens, it doesn't just affect the family that's struggling: the community misses out on the taxes and productivity of the parent who leaves the workforce. The Cornell analysis found that an investment of $1 billion in childcare could generate $1.8 billion in increased economic activity. "And that doesn't even take into account the long-term impact on the child's well-being by being in a place where they can get quality care and education," Creighton says.
Parents of infants and toddlers aren't the only ones ready to do something about all of this. Cornell's research found that 79 percent of the New Yorkers surveyed - from all political backgrounds - support making childcare a free service like Ka12 public schools. Multiple states, both red and blue, are making investments to continue the changes that came from that pandemic-era funding. President Biden's just-released budget proposal for the 2025 fiscal year takes a cue from Canada's playbook with a $10-a-day childcare program for families earning up to $200,000 (and no cost for the lowest-income households).
Of course, a proposed budget is just a wish list and - especially in an election year - a political statement. But if it ever comes to fruition, the average cost of daycare could look far different than it does for parents today.
Jennifer Heimlich is a writer and editor with more than 15 years of experience in fitness and wellness journalism. She previously worked as the senior fitness editor for Well+Good and the editor in chief of Dance Magazine. A UESCA-certified running coach, she's written about running and fitness for publications like Shape, GQ, Runner's World, and The Atlantic.
12 Need-to-Have Pregnancy Apps For Expectant Parents
eating routine, beauty products, and physical activities. Pregnancy apps that show you 3D pics of what your baby looks like at each stage of your pregnancy. Pregnancy apps that offer up birth class videos and detailed information about all the changes you're going through. Free pregnancy apps and paid ones.
There are also pregnancy apps that help you tap into a prenatal fitness routine (and a postpartum one, too). There are even pregnancy apps that help guide you through mindfulness exercises to keep you focused and calm.
That sounds like a lot of pregnancy apps, right? To help you cut through the noise, we scoured app reviews, along with Reddit's pregnancy forums to find the apps that were recommended again and again by soon-to-be parents and new parents. This list includes 11 of the best pregnancy apps, along with users's rave reviews. Scroll through to find the pregnancy apps that best fit your needs, and get to downloading.
- Additional reporting by Mirel Zaman and Alexis Jones
"Love Is Blinda Alum Alexa Lemieux Says Mucinex Helped Her Get Pregnant - but Can It?
It took me six months to get pregnant with my third child, and it couldn't have come soon enough. I had a second-trimester miscarriage with twins beforehand, and while you can't replace what you've lost, my husband and I knew that we really wanted to expand our family. So when a friend recommended that we try Mucinex to get pregnant after months of trying, I decided to give it a go.
My friend Sarah - who swears this is how she got pregnant with her second child - explained it to me this way: you take Mucinex while you're ovulating because the medication thins out your cervical mucus and makes it easier for your partner's sperm to reach your egg. I figured it couldn't hurt (and we had some at home anyway), so I took a swig one morning when I knew I was ovulating. Two weeks later, I had a positive pregnancy test.
Apparently Sarah and I aren't the only ones who have tried this. "Love is Blind" alum, Alexa Lemieux just went viral after extolling the virtues of using Mucinex to get pregnant. In the post, Lemieux says she went through two failed rounds of IUI before giving the common cold medication a try. "During my ovulation, I took Mucinex and a few weeks later found out that I was pregnant," Lemieux says in her TikTok. She also took letrozole pills (leftover from her IUI treatment), which are commonly used for ovarian stimulation.
@mrsalexalemieux Tried to cover everything as best as I can! I dont have answers or recommendations for IVF since i never went through it or what to do if you gave PCOS or endometriosis. Please remember this is just my journey, everyone is so different! Sending baby dust d$? #ttc #ttcjourney #iui #infertility
a! original sound - Alexa Lemieux
But plenty of TikTokers have sworn by the power of Mucinex alone. TikTok user Areashia Bailey advises people to take a test to see when they're ovulating and then "start Mucinex and having sex 10-15 minutes after taking it."
She then suggests doing this for seven days in a row. "Wait 2 weeks after the 7th day to test for pregnancy," she writes.
Plenty of people in both Bailey and Lemieux's videos shared in the comments that the Mucinex hack helped them conceive. "My Mucinex baby will be here next week dY=deg," one wrote in underneath Bailey's video. "My Mucinex baby will be here next month d$?degd>>" another said, under Lemieux's. Someone else chimed in with this: "My mucinex baby is almost 2 after 8 years of trying + 3 IUIs d$?"
It seems completely random, but plenty of people swear by this fertility trick. (To be fair: I'm not sure what to think about my own experience - it's 100 percent possible it was just a total coincidence.) So is this legitimate? Can taking Mucinex when you ovulate increase your odds of getting pregnant? Doctors break it down.
What Is Mucinex?
Mucinex is a medication that's designed to help with a cough and congestion. While there are different types of Mucinex, the company's website says its products typically contain one or both of the following ingredients.
- Guaifenesin: this is an expectorant that loosens and thins excess mucus
- Dextromethorphan HBr: this ingredient helps to suppress your coughing reflex
The ingredient in question for fertility is guaifenesin, according to Jamie Alan, PhD, associate professor of pharmacology and toxicology at Michigan State University. The exact way it works on the body is "unclear," she says, adding that "it does appear to thin mucus."
Can Mucinex Help You Get Pregnant?
Let's start at the beginning: Mucinex is designed to treat cold and flu symptoms, and there's nothing in the packaging or directions that says you should take this to help you get pregnant.
"Reckitt is aware of discussions surrounding Mucinex and fertility. As a global leader in health and hygiene, we wish to clarify that Mucinex should only be used as intended and in line with usage instructions," Andrea Riepe, global head of issue and crisis management for Reckitt, Mucinex's parent company, tells POPSUGAR.
Experts say that Mucinex could help thin your cervical mucus, but there's just zero data to support it. "There are anecdotal reports that it can help you get pregnant, but the science isn't there to back it up," women's health expert Jennifer Wider, MD, says.
Mary Jane Minkin, MD, a clinical professor of obstetrics and gynecology and reproductive sciences at Yale School of Medicine, says that this is "not new," noting that some people have been trying medications with guaifenesin (which includes Robitussin) to help them get pregnant "for at least 20 years."
"It is very possible that the women who got pregnant while taking Mucinex would have gotten pregnant even if they hadn't taken the medication."
But Alex Robles, MD, a reproductive endocrinologist with Columbia University Fertility Center, says he's actually used this trick with patients experiencing infertility - just in a slightly different way. "In the reproductive world, we occasionally use Mucinex to help clear out any mucus that might be present inside the uterine lining before an embryo transfer," he says.
During an embryo transfer cycle, patients are given an ultrasound several times to ensure that the uterine lining is growing well and appears normal, Dr. Robles explains. In rare situations, some patients develop fluid or mucus in the lining. "Often, it resolves on its own with time," he says. "If it doesn't, we occasionally try Mucinex to help clear it up."
But, Dr. Robles adds, "evidence to support this approach is lacking." He also includes this important disclaimer: "It is very possible that the women who got pregnant while taking Mucinex would have gotten pregnant even if they hadn't taken the medication." Dr. Wider agrees. It's "definitely possible" that people who took Mucinex and got pregnant experienced a coincidence, she says. "If it does increase the odds of getting pregnant, the thin cervical mucus is only one step of many that result in a pregnancy," Dr. Wider adds.
Are There Risks to Taking Mucinex When You're Not Sick?
Riepe emphasizes that the most common active ingredient in Mucinex products (guaifenesin) is "indicated to help loosen phlegm (mucus) and thin bronchial secretions to rid the bronchial passageways of bothersome mucus and make coughs more productive. Taking Mucinex for infertility constitutes off-label use."
She also cautions that people should be sure take all of Mucinex's ingredients into account before engaging in off-label use. Mucinex-D, for example, contains pseudoephedrine, a nasal decongestant which should only be used for approved indications. When in doubt about the ingredients in your specific Mucinex, talk to a healthcare provider first, Riepe says.
In general, however, doctors say you're probably fine to take Mucinex when you're not sick. "There aren't many side effects," Dr. Alan points out. You'll just need to stick with the recommended dosing. "If you take too much Mucinex, you might develop side effects such as an upset stomach," Dr. Robles says, adding that "some people may also experience drowsiness, headache, or dizziness." If you experience any concerning side effects, contact your health provider.
Are There Risks to Taking Mucinex When You're Already Pregnant?
Taking Mucinex when you're already pregnant isn't advised during all trimesters. In fact, it's advised by some experts to avoid taking guaifenesin (and other ingredients in Mucinex) during pregnancy, particularly in the first trimester. So it may be beneficial to have a conversation with your provider about trying out the Mucinex hack if you are trying to get pregnant or think you might be pregnant.
What Are More Natural Ways to Help Improve Fertility?
If you want to try out the Mucinex hack, doctors say you're probably fine to do so. But if you'd rather go a more natural route, Robles recommends doing the following:
- Maintain a healthy body weight
- Exercise regularly (but not excessively)
- Eat a nutritious diet
- Reduce stress as much as possible
Using an ovulation tracker and trying to time when you have sex to when you're ovulating can also help, Dr. Wider says.
If you've been trying to conceive and you're not getting the results you'd hoped for, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) recommends checking in with your doctor for an evaluation after a year if you're under 35 and after six months if you're 35 to 39. If you're 40 and up, ACOG suggests consulting with your doctor sooner rather than later.
- Additional reporting by Alexis Jones
Korin Miller is a writer specializing in general wellness, health, and lifestyle trends. Her work has appeared in Women's Health, Self, Health, Forbes, and more. When she's not writing, you can find her chasing around her four young kids and drinking too much coffee.
Alexis Jones is the senior health editor at POPSUGAR. Her areas of expertise include women's health, mental health, racial and ethnic disparities in healthcare, diversity in wellness, and chronic conditions. Her other bylines can be found at Women's Health, Prevention, Marie Claire, and more. Alexis is currently the president of ASME Next, an organization for early-career print and digital journalists.
How to Push During Labor, According to Birthing Experts
One of the most nerve-wracking parts of pregnancy is learning about - and preparing for - labor. That's partially because there are so few accurate depictions of labor in media and pop culture. The ones that exist often skip from "Is that a contraction?" to "It's time to push!" to a healthy baby. As a result, people may have questions about when and how to push during labor, exactly.
A little helpful background: there are three main "stages" of birth. The first stage includes early and active labor, running from the time contractions begin to when the cervix becomes fully dilated. Active pushing begins in the second stage of labor through the birth. Then there's the last stage, when the placenta or "afterbirth" is delivered, per Mayo Clinic.
The second stage of labor is often the most active time for the birthing parent - and the time when you need to worry about pushing. Here, two birthing experts go into detail about what to expect, how to push during labor, different breathing techniques for labor that can help, and what to know about how to push during labor without tearing.
How to Push During Labor: When to Push
Pushing should happen after the first stage of labor is fully complete and you've entered the second stage of labor - which means the cervix (the lower end of the uterus that connects to the vagina) should be dilated 10 centimeters, says labor nurse Liesel Teen, BSN, RN and founder of Mommy Labor Nurse. That's a number you've probably heard before. Turns out, there's a very good reason it's so widely cited.
"If you push before your cervix is completely dilated, there's a chance that the pressure of baby's head could actually cause your cervix to swell, which can make it much more difficult to get baby out. If cervical swelling is significant enough it might also impact your ability to have a vaginal birth," Teen says.
What fewer people know, however, is that being fully dilated doesn't necessarily mean it's immediately time to start pushing. "Laboring down" is sometimes necessary.
How to Push During Labor: What Is Laboring Down?
Laboring down means waiting until the baby is lower down in the pelvis or birth canal before pushing. That might take place an hour or more after the cervix is fully dilated.
The best way to know when the baby is down far enough (and therefore when it's time to push) is the amount of pressure you feel, Teen says. Yes, pressure during pushing is not just expected, but a good thing! "Women without epidurals will likely feel a lot of pressure in their vagina and rectum as baby's head gets really low in their pelvis. Some women with epidurals still feel pressure, while others don't feel much," she notes.
The idea behind laboring down is to preserve the parent's energy and shorten the time and energy spent on pushing. "It wouldn't be wrong to start pushing before you feel pressure, but your pushing efforts will be more successful and productive if you're feeling pressure," Teen says. "More productive pushing ideally leads to a short pushing time!"
Teen notes that laboring down isn't appropriate for everyone, though. It also increases total labor time (though it can decrease active pushing time) and carries some risks, including an increased risk of postpartum hemorrhage, the Cleveland Clinic reports. So while it might be the right strategy in some deliveries, it's not necessarily best in all cases.
If you're interested in learning more about laboring down, consider asking your birthing team about their views on the technique before you're in labor so you can all be on the same page.
How to Push During Labor: How to Actually Push
Once your body is ready to start pushing, there are a few techniques that are used, Teen says:
- Open glottis pushing. Also referred to as "spontaneous pushing," this method allows the parent to take the lead. "Essentially, you push when you feel the urge. You will probably push for about five seconds, three to five times during each contraction," Teen says.
- Guided pushing. "During guided pushing, you'll be guided to hold your breath for six to 10 seconds, bear down like you're pooping, and push about three to four times with each contraction. You might be asked not to make any noise while you push, which helps guide all your energy towards your bottom where you're pushing," Teen says.
Teen says she especially encourages open glottis pushing for those giving birth without an epidural, but both methods are useful and depend greatly on personal preference. It's totally fine to mix and match the two as well or to just go with what your birthing team suggests in the moment.
For those with an epidural, the main difference in pushing is how the epidural restricts movements and positioning. "This does not mean that you have to push on your back with an epidural, but it does mean that you are, typically, confined to your bed," Teen says. You can, however, consider pushing from your side, hands and knees, or even semiseated.
How to Push During Labor: How Long Does It Take to Push a Baby Out?
The average push time for labor is about two hours, Teen says, though this number can vary based on the individual and how many births they've had before. Many hospitals have limits on how long pregnant people can push before a C-section is recommended; usually around three hours, says Maeva Althaus, doula, childbirth educator, and founder of Hypnodoula Maeva.
For first-time birthing parents, at least three hours should be allowed before a C-section is recommended, and at least two hours for people who've given birth before, according to The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.
How to Push During Labor: Breathing Techniques For Labor
Breathing is also a critical part of labor, Althaus says.
"It is important to take deep breaths in between pushes. The baby's heart rate usually drops when you're pushing and comes back up in between pushes, which is normal. Deep breaths in between contractions does wonders [for parent and baby]," Althaus says.
In a hospital setting where parents are using the guided pushing method, it's sometimes necessary to use an oxygen mask between contractions. For Althaus, who prefers an autonomous birthing approach, she recommends breathing however you want during pushing, as long as you are making sure to take deep breaths and are engaging the core as you breathe.
How to Push During Labor Without Tearing
Tearing during labor is a big source of anxiety for most parents (especially because it often requires stitching), but Teen says it's absolutely possible to push without tearing.
Tearing has very little to do with "proper" pushing and much more to do with external factors (some of which you can prepare for, and others not so much). "Being a first-time mom is the biggest risk factor for tearing, [and] more than four out of five first-time moms will tear during birth. Over 96 percent of these tears are more minor tears, being first- or second-degree tears," Teen says. Other risk factors for tearing include a baby that's over 8.5 pounds, prolonged pushing, a forceps delivery, and having an episiotomy (an incision made to the perineum during birth).
To prevent tearing, Teen recommends regular perineal massage in the three to four weeks leading up to birth, a warm cloth on the perineum (the area between the vaginal opening and the anus) during pushing, and avoiding a squatting position during birth.
The bottom line is, tearing can't always be avoided, and it isn't a sign that you've done something wrong during labor. The best thing you can focus on is making sure your health and safety, and the health and safety of your baby, are being cared for from start to finish.
Sara Youngblood Gregory was a contributing staff writer for POPSUGAR Wellness. She covers sex, kink, disability, pleasure, and wellness. Sara serves on the board of the lesbian literary and arts journal, Sinister Wisdom. Her work has been featured in Vice, HuffPost, Bustle, DAME, The Rumpus, Jezebel, and many others. Sara's debut nonfiction work, "The Polyamory Workbook," about navigating ethical nonmonogamy, is out now.
Baby Helmets Are Becoming More Common -A but Are They Really Necessary?
Morrison Goodwin was born in March 2018 with a head that looked a bit like a "Lego block," says his mom Georgina, a sales executive in Los Angeles. Morrison was twin baby A, packed below his sister Rae at the bottom of Goodwin's uterus. Goodwin mentioned her observation about her son's head to her pediatrician, who recommended various exercises and repositioning with the help of their physical therapist.
When Morrison's head shape didn't budge, their pediatrician suggested visiting a cranial remolding orthosis clinic. The doctors there diagnosed him with moderate plagiocephaly, suggesting it might eventually impact his sleep and bite, and recommended a baby helmet to round out his head. "We were very skeptical. It wasn't a slam dunk," Goodwin says. "This is a business. I'm guessing that they're more likely to want to give you a helmet, if that's how they make their money."
Even so, Goodwin warily gave the green light. "Our insurance paid for it. And it's very noninvasive. You're a new parent. You're like, well, I'm supposed to set this kid up for success, and I'm told to do this," she tells POPSUGAR.
Plagiocephaly and brachycephaly - two types of flat head syndromes - have recently been on the rise in the United States. In 1994, the National Institutes of Health launched its Back to Sleep campaign, after a slew of studies showed that tummy sleep is linked to an increased risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). "It worked wonderfully," says John Girotto, MD, FAAP, FACS, the section chief of pediatric plastic surgery at Helen DeVos Children's Hospital in Grand Rapids, MI, who specializes in craniofacial surgery. Rates of SIDS dropped from 130 to 78 deaths per 100,000 live births between 1990 and 1996. "But what happened is kids developed misshapen skulls," he adds.
Because babies now spend more time lying on their backs, their soft heads develop flat spots. At first, many pediatricians and surgeons were concerned about the long-term effects, Dr. Girotto says. But by the late 1990s, researchers confirmed that babies simply had "positional" molding and most didn't require surgery.
Today, however, an entire industry promises to fix babies' flat spots via "helmet therapy," also called helmet orthosis. Clinics with mottos like "reshaping children's lives" devise their own guidelines for helmet therapy and sell baby helmets, which can be personalized with Star Wars and Minnie Mouse motifs. Some have Instagram accounts with tens of thousands of followers. Got an especially photogenic baby? You can even submit a pic of your helmeted baby to your orthotic company's "calendar contest."
To be clear, these clinics probably aren't harming their patients. But the question of how often baby helmets are really necessary remains. Amy Mischnick, PT, a pediatric physical therapist at Cincinnati Children's Hospital who treats flat head syndrome, says that part of her job is to provide evidence-based recommendations to parents. This includes, she says, correcting "misinformation, especially when it is used as a scare tactic to place emotional pressure on parents to pursue helmeting not based on facts but on unfounded fear and guilt."
Why Do Babies Get Flat Heads, Anyway?
Some babies, like Morrison, are born with a flat spot (aka positional skull deformity), often due to their position in the womb. But most flat spots tend to develop gradually after birth, due to pressure from staying in the same position while sleeping and playing. The most common positional skull deformity is plagiocephaly, a flat spot on one side of the head that makes the opposite forehead prominent, which may affect nearly half of all 4-month-old babies. Brachycephaly is less common and occurs when the back of a baby's skull is very flat and wide.
Parents usually notice a flat spot within three months of birth, when a baby's skull is soft and moldable. "At that point in time, behavior modifications usually do a great job of helping the skull round out," Dr. Girotto says. For example, your doctor may recommend using a baby carrier or an "exersaucer" chair instead of a car seat or bouncer; increasing tummy time; and switching the direction baby sleeps. You should follow other safe sleep practices, though; never place head-shaping pillows or any other objects in your baby's crib.
These tactics are only effective until a baby learns to roll over, at about 6 months of age, because you have less control over their sleeping position. "By the same token, they will no longer be stuck in their flat spot while they're sleeping. They will roll over, so they're going to do their repositioning for themselves," Dr. Girotto says.
The vast majority of babies with plagiocephaly also have torticollis - a tight muscle on one side of the neck causing their head to tilt. A few physical therapy (PT) sessions with a trained practitioner can loosen the muscle and address a flat spot within a few weeks. Even if your baby doesn't have torticollis, however, one to two PT sessions may also be helpful. A therapist can assess the cause for your baby's flat spot and offer suggestions to address it - often without a helmet. "The younger an infant is when they start PT for torticollis or plagiocephaly, the faster you will see results and the more likely you are to get full resolution," Mischnick says.
Do Babies Ever Really Need a Helmet?
Dr. Girotto only recommends helmets to babies with health conditions that may reduce the effectiveness of PT and positioning changes, such as neurologic issues. Mischnick usually reserves helmets for babies with torticollis who struggle to turn their head because of severe plagiocephaly.
The key to correcting a flat spot without a helmet is to start early: talk to your doctor about techniques to address your baby's flat spot as soon as you notice it's an issue. If repositioning is started before a baby with a mild flat spot is 6 months old, or before 5 months in babies with a moderate deformity, "helmeting is not typically needed," Mischnick says. That said, moderate to severe flat spots may require a helmet, especially if parents haven't started repositioning before a baby is 4 months old, she says.
There are other cases when a helmet might make sense. If you have multiples, you might not have the bandwidth to reposition them. Some babies are more resistant to tummy time, while others snooze long stretches at night and always end up on their flat spot. If your baby is in day care, you may have little control over how often they end up in a swing or bouncy seat. Or you might simply want faster results. "In America, we don't like to wait," Dr. Girotto jokes.
Even if you do nothing, flat spots tend to go away on their own - especially if they aren't severe. "If you look at children at 4 to 5 years, barring the medically complex ones, generally their overall head shape will be the same with or without a helmet," Dr. Girotto says.
A 2017 study of 248 children with positional skull deformities found that while PT sped up the time it took for kids' heads to round out, all children with brachycephaly had a normal head shape by 5 years of age. Among kids with plagiocephaly, 80 percent had a normal head shape by 5 years old, 19 percent had mild plagiocephaly, and only one percent of kids still had a moderate to severe plagiocephaly. (None of the children in the study were given helmet therapy.)
A 2022 study on skull shape did take into account helmet therapy, but came to similar conclusions. While helmet therapy reduced the overall rates of plagiocephaly in 5-year-olds, it didn't perform much differently than other interventions, like repositioning therapy or physical therapy. A 2023 review of research concluded that helmet therapy may be beneficial for babies who are diagnosed with moderate to severe plagiocephaly after the first several months of life, or when repositioning exercises aren't helpful. However, the authors note there's a "scarcity of scientific literature," making it "difficult to determine the gold standard therapy."
Overall, experts generally say that helmet therapy isn't necessarily a slam-dunk solution.
"There's no real downside to using them, but there might not be any real upside," Dr. Girotto says.
What to Know About Baby Helmet Companies
Kendra Callari Casserly noticed a flat spot on her son Beckett's head in June 2022, about a month after his birth. Beckett's pediatrician recommended repositioning and other exercises, which Callari Casserly carefully practiced for three months. When his flat spot remained at his four-month appointment, their pediatrician suggested they consult a baby helmet company. In a free initial assessment, the clinic's staff measured Beckett's head and diagnosed him with moderate plagiocephaly and brachycephaly.
The orthotist at the clinic explained that Beckett's left eye was fiver millimeters closer to his ear than his right side and said that a flat spot "kind of interferes with everything, because if your ear canal is a couple millimeters off, you might lose hearing in that ear. Same with vision," Callari Casserly says. This made getting a helmet "a very easy decision," she says, adding that paperwork submitted to her insurance mentioned that a helmet "will reduce the risk of hearing damage, balance issues, and vision disturbances, which if left untreated may require further medical attention."
After Callari Casserly decided to move forward, the clinic shared images of what Beckett's head could potentially look like without a helmet. "Once we saw the visuals, we were like, oh my goodness," says Callari Casserly, a digital content marketer in Las Vegas. "I went into this thinking that Beckett's flat spot was my fault. I had so much guilt. So being told that you were doing everything right and that this just happens really brought me comfort I didn't know I needed."
Callari Casserly is happy she and her husband ultimately opted for a helmet: it was relatively easy to use and completely corrected Beckett's flat spot. "If there's something I could have done and to prevent it to begin with, I would have. Knowing that this wasn't at all going to hurt him, I was all in," she says. "He was also young enough, he grew pretty attached to it. He never gave us a hard time putting it on. He loved it."
Plagiocephaly may make the ears and eyes slightly misaligned, which could theoretically cause a problem. But "most of those things autocorrect over the course of five years," Dr. Girotto says. Both Mischnick and Dr. Girotto aren't aware of any research proving that misalignment can lead to permanent hearing or vision issues. Mishnick adds that it's not something the ophthalmologists, audiologists, nurse practitioners, or PTs tell families at her hospital. "It sounds like a scare tactic that is not evidence-based," she says.
Babies with plagiocephaly are also more likely to have jaw misalignment, as Goodwin's doctors suggested - although research shows helmets aren't necessary to fix this issue either, "despite what some companies may say," Mischnick says.
What to Know When Considering a Baby Helmet
Again, none of this is to say that helmets are never beneficial. They can be useful in more severe cases, in cases when repositioning may not be feasible, and in situations where parents can't or don't follow physical therapy recommendations. Helmets can also help correct a flat spot relatively quickly, without as much pressure on parents to be diligent about repositioning or physical therapy. But it's worth being aware of their study-backed uses and limitations.
Baby helmets are FDA-approved for infants 3 to 18 months of age and are typically worn for 23 hours per day for three to four months. They work as a sort of a template to guide the head's growth and work best when the brain is expanding fastest and the fontanels haven't yet closed - from about 4 to 9 months of age, says Mischnick. Any later and the benefits likely aren't worth the cost. Before 4 months, repositioning alone is often enough. Plus, the weight of the helmet may delay the milestone of lifting the head during tummy time when babies are very little and have relatively little neck control, she adds.
An orthotist at a baby helmet company will fit your baby. Just be aware if they're also measuring your baby's head and making recommendations. Helmet manufacturers often categorize positional deformities as mild, moderate, or severe - but there's no standard official classification. "It can be very misleading. Your baby's severity might be rated as moderate by one company but only mild by another, which could mean the difference between a company recommending a helmet," Mischnick says. You may want to start with measurements from a doctor, PT, or nurse practitioner who treats this issue, rather than someone affiliated with a baby helmet clinic.
For parents who do decide to use helmet therapy, there are few real risks. The main downsides of helmets are cost (expect to pay $1,500 to $3,000, which may be covered by your insurance) and time (you'll have appointments with your care provider every two to four weeks, and you have to clean the helmet every day). Your baby will likely also sweat a lot and may have skin irritation, along with sores if the helmet doesn't fit well. For kids with for torticollis, "it's not unusual for the tilt to get worse in upright for a few weeks after getting a helmet," Mischnick says.
Goodwin and Callari Casserly both say they are happy with the results. Still, if you're considering a helmet, proceed with caution. "Be hyperaware of any claims that play on your emotions and prey on parental guilt," Mischnick says. "Remember that this is purely a cosmetic issue and is never medically necessary."
The information in this article is for informational purposes only and is not intended to serve as medical advice. You should always consult your doctor regarding matters pertaining to your and your family's health.
Colleen de Bellefonds is a Paris-based journalist with two kids and a serious baguette habit. She covers science, health, parenting and French culture for US News & World Report, Well+Good, Women's Health, Self, Healthline, and more.
Here's What to Know Before Giving Your Kids Melatonin For Sleep
You know those nights when you would give up anything to have your kiddo just go to sleep, but it seems like nothing is working? You've tried all the go-to suggestions to help your little one get some much-needed shut-eye - from giving them a calming warm bath to turning on a white-noise machine - and still, they can't keep their eyes closed. That's when some families turn to alternatives, like melatonin supplements. But a March 2024 report from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that from 2019-2022, about 11,000 children landed in the emergency room after ingesting melatonin unsupervised.
So is melatonin actually safe for kids? Here's what dietitians like myself really think about the supplement, including whether or not melatonin is safe for kids, the potential side effects of melatonin, and how much melatonin to give your kids, if any.
What Is Melatonin?
Before digging into whether kids should take melatonin, it's important to understand what melatonin actually is.
Melatonin is a hormone that your brain naturally produces in response to darkness, and it helps with the timing of your circadian rhythms (24-hour internal clock) and sleep.
To get a little nerdy on you, melatonin is released from the pineal gland in the brain in the absence of light, promoting sleep and inhibiting wake-promoting signals (aka this hormone is key for falling asleep and staying asleep).
For some, an extra melatonin boost in supplement form may be helpful in the sleep department, especially if their body doesn't produce enough. Even expert associations like the American Academy of Family Physicians recommend the synthetic supplemental version of the melatonin hormone for the treatment of insomnia for older adults.
But when it comes to whether melatonin is OK for kids, it is a bit more murky.
Is Melatonin Safe For Kids?
There is some evidence showing that melatonin can shorten the time to fall asleep in certain pediatric populations. But Dallas-based pediatric dietitian Kacie Barnes, MCN, RDN, tells POPSUGAR, "There is a lack of substantial research on the effects of melatonin in kids, so we can't guarantee that it is safe." She adds, "Melatonin is sold over the counter and isn't FDA regulated," meaning claims of composition on a melatonin bottle might not be true.
In fact, a recent research letter published in The Journal of the American Medical Association showed that a whopping 88 percent of the tested melatonin gummy supplements displayed differences between quantities of melatonin that were listed on the label versus what was actually in the supplement. One of the most startling details of these findings is that some of the tested melatonin gummies had more than three times the amount of melatonin listed on the label. For little bodies, getting three times the melatonin than what was planned has the potential to be problematic.
A similar concern was raised by the March CDC report where researchers noted that the actual content of certain melatonin products is not always the same as the labeled ingredients or strength, and these discrepancies can pose a risk. What's more, melatonin products do not require child-resistant packaging.
"It seems that most experts recommend proceeding with caution or avoiding melatonin for kids," Barnes says. "We can't be sure about the exact concentration of the hormone in these products, and we don't have enough data about long-term use."
If melatonin supplements are being provided to kids, they should be taken under the guidance of a healthcare professional and likely, under the supervision of an adult. Melatonin should not be used as a long-term sleep solution, either - unless your healthcare provider tells you otherwise.
Side Effects of Melatonin on Kids
As is the case with any supplement, there are some "watch outs" to look for when giving your child melatonin. Melatonin is believed to be relatively nontoxic for adults when an appropriate dose is taken. In adults, consuming higher doses may be linked to:
- Daytime sleepiness
- Drowsiness
- Headaches
- Nausea
Despite what some people believe, it doesn't appear that people can develop a tolerance to melatonin, so that concern can be put to rest. The notion that taking melatonin can negatively affect puberty onset has also been relatively debunked, although more quality data is needed to confirm this.
Unfortunately, when it comes to how melatonin may affect kids, there isn't enough data to answer this question. Anecdotally, it may help children fall asleep, especially if their sleep routine has been affected by a vacation, a school break that doesn't require them to be on a sleep schedule, or other similar causes.
But perhaps the biggest risk associated with kid-friendly melatonin gummies is the risk of a child overdoing it and taking way too many pills at once - after all, they often resemble the regular tasty gummy treats. According to the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention, from 2012 to 2021, poison control reports associated with children ingesting melatonin gummies increased over 500 percent. More than 4,000 were hospitalized in this study, and sadly, two of those children passed away. If you do choose to keep melatonin gummies in your home, be sure to keep them out of your child's reach and store them in childproof containers.
How Much Melatonin Should You Give Kids?
According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, caregivers should start with the lowest melatonin dosage when giving it to a child. The association reports that many children can start with a dose of a half or one milligram around 30 to 90 minutes before bedtime. A dose that exceeds three milligrams of melatonin is typically not indicated.
When choosing your melatonin supplement, ensuring that it is third-party-certified will verify that your choice is labeled appropriately.
Other Ways to Help Kids Sleep Besides Melatonin
"While there's no magic answer (or magic food or magic gummy) to guarantee your kids will drift off to sleep easily and peacefully, there are things we can do to set them up for success," Barnes explains. Some suggestions include:
- Ensure that kids have eaten a satisfying dinner within two hours of bedtime. If dinner was more than two hours before bedtime or they didn't eat much, it's OK to offer a simple bedtime snack such as a piece of peanut butter toast or a banana and a glass of milk.
- Avoid caffeine in the evening, since this stimulant could affect sleep.
- Establish a consistent bedtime routine, like reading a bedtime story, taking a warm bath, or doing some light stretching, can help kids get some sleep.
- Create a sleep-friendly environment - a quiet, dark, and cool room often aids in promoting sound sleep. Limiting the use of electronic devices at least an hour before bedtime can significantly improve sleep quality, as the blue light emitted from screens can interfere with the body's natural sleep-wake cycle.
- Ensure your kids get plenty of physical activity during the day so they can sleep better at night.
Bottom line? Melatonin supplements can be helpful in certain situations, but as always it's best to consult your doctor before starting any new medication, including supplements. If your healthcare provider told you that your child will benefit from taking melatonin, be sure to stick to the recommended brand and dosage that they suggest to keep your child as safe as possible.
How Endometriosis Complicates the "Do You Want Kids?" Conversation While Dating
Last month on "The Bachelor," a contestant, Lexi Young, surprised viewers by choosing to prematurely leave the show because she and bachelor Joey Graziadei weren't on the same timeline when it came to children. Young had been open about her endometriosis diagnosis and said at the time, "Because I have endometriosis, having children is going to be a lot more difficult." It was refreshing to see endometriosis be discussed on such a large platform, because the truth of the matter is, for many dating with chronic illness, these conversations are happening all the time.
Endometriosis is a painful condition that affects one in nine people with a uterus. It can be described by tissue similar to the lining of the uterus that is found growing in other areas of the body. This condition can cause debilitating pain and infertility. Living with endometriosis can make the day-to-day difficult, not to mention dating.
From my own experience, I can say that the brutal reality of living with endo is hard to work into first-date conversations. It's hard to navigate when the right time is to bring up the ins and outs of living with endometriosis. Letting someone see you at your most vulnerable can be really nervewracking. The questions and "what ifs" can quickly become overwhelming: How will they react when I cancel plans because I'm in pain? Will they leave when I tell them sex can be painful? When should I bring up children?
I learned it was best to be transparent - early on - about my reality and how endo affects my life. Of course, that may lead to potential heartbreak, but someone who isn't willing to support and accept me fully (endo and all) isn't worth the time and tears.
Instead of pitying me, he told me I was brave.
When I went on my first date with my now-fiancA(c), I was terrified and almost canceled. I was having a bad pain day, and none of my cute clothes would fit from bloating in my stomach. I wasn't feeling confident. Luckily, I didn't cancel and instead put on my comfiest dress. He called me beautiful, and the conversation was easy. I felt comfortable with him. Comfortable enough to tell him my story - and instead of pitying me, he told me I was brave.
In navigating my illness while being in a relationship, the biggest thing I can emphasize is communication. Before I started staying over at my fiancA(c)'s house, I made him aware of what my "bad nights" can look like and how they can affect me the next day. Those days I'm so run down I can barely leave bed. My pain makes me vomit and, at times, pass out.
The first few times I let him see that side of my life, he made me feel at ease. He would comfort me and offer ways to help me, he would heat up my heat pack for me, and he would bring me water and painkillers. Being with him on those bad days that I'm usually alone made them that little bit easier to tolerate. Not once did I feel embarrassed or guilty about our days spent in bed. That was one of the moments I knew he was the boy I wanted to marry.
A year into our relationship, I underwent a second surgery for endo. These surgeries involve removing endometriosis tissue from organs and, in my case, separating organs that have been stuck together from such intense tissue growth. Sitting in the car after my specialist appointment, I looked at him and immediately burst into tears. He could tell the news I had just received wasn't good.
My endometriosis was quite advanced, and it had attached itself to most of my pelvic organs and caused some horrific damage. That day in the car that I showed him my surgery pictures, he couldn't understand what they meant, so through tears, I told him, "Kids, I might not be able to have kids. I am so sorry."
We had already spoken about kids - how we both grew up in big families and wanted that for ourselves. At that moment, I felt like I'd let him down, that it was the last straw, the final thing that would make me "too much." Instead, he held my hand and he kissed me. He told me over and over, "We've got this, I'm not going anywhere."
From that moment, we started trying for kids, and somehow, it didn't feel rushed. Sure, there was pressure from the odds that were given to us, but we still kept trying. We downloaded the ovulation apps and took it in stride. Scheduled sex can get old quickly, but we tried our best to make it fun - an adventure, a time to experiment and try new things. That was what we've become really good at: making the best of a bad situation.
I won't sugarcoat it: it was hard dealing with infertility. We spent hundreds of dollars on specialists and medications. We were in our early 20s, and while most of our friends were still clubbing and living like 20-somethings should, we were trying special diets and staying in on weekends to save money in case we needed to do IVF. For two years, we tried. It was hard on us, but it made us stronger. At times, I felt like a failure when I'd come back with a negative pregnancy test, but just like that day in the car, he would kiss me and tell me it was going to be OK.
Since then, I've undergone seven more surgeries for my endometriosis. I completed IVF, and I am now 20 weeks pregnant with a miracle baby boy.
Years ago, I couldn't have imagined any of this would be happening. I saw myself as "too much." I thought my endo made me hard to love, because it's easy to feel that way when your body is seemingly turning against you. How can you love yourself when you despise your body and the pain it causes? But no matter your diagnosis, you are worthy of love - not just from others, but most importantly, yourself.
Haylee Penfold is a 20-something writer from Australia. She is the health and sex editor for Ramona Magazine, where her focus is on chronic illness advocacy and inclusive sex education.
Attachment Parenting Can Form Close Bonds, but Experts Say It's Not Perfect
Most parents form tight bonds with their children from the moment they're born, but some styles of parenting foster that closeness more than others. Attachment parenting, for example, encourages parents to be on the same wavelength as their kids, even anticipating their needs before they happen.
Like all parenting styles, attachment parenting isn't perfect, as one might imagine. The approach has gotten its fair share of criticism for inadvertently creating overly dependent children and putting outsized demands on parents, but plenty of people, including some celebrities, swear by it. Kourtney Kardashian, for example, spoke about planning to adopt an attachment style of parenting with Rocky, her son with Travis Barker. "That's what I did for my last two kids, we didn't leave the house for the first 40 days," she told Vogue in 2023. "After, you're super-connected and I love that."
With all the chatter surrounding attachment parenting, it can be tough to know what this child-rearing style is really about. Here's the deal, according to parenting experts.
What Is Attachment Parenting?
Attachment parenting stems from attachment theory, which claims that people are born with the innate desire and need to be closely bonded to a caregiver, like a parent. Developed in 1958 by British psychologist John Bowlby, attachment theory says that attachment systems help protect vulnerable people, i.e. children, from potential threats and harm, and helps them regulate negative emotions after threatening or harmful events, per a 1992 article in the journal, Developmental Psychology.
"The basic premise of this parenting style is promoting physical connection, physical understanding, and emotional reciprocity between the parent and the baby," says Mayra Mendez, PhD, LMFT, a licensed psychotherapist at Providence Saint John's Child and Family Development Center in Santa Monica, CA. "The idea is that we are one."
This parenting style ultimately focuses on building a strong connection between parents and kids, says Robert Keder, MD, a pediatrician who specializes in developmental behavior at Connecticut Children's Medical Center.
What Does Attachment Parenting Look Like?
With attachment parenting, the parent and baby do everything together. Mendez says, "You understand each other, and mom understands what baby's cry means." When babies cry in an attachment parenting style, the parent responds immediately. "Mom understands baby's cues and baby understands that mom will respond and understands," she adds.
Attachment parenting promotes physical closeness, too, like baby wearing and co-sleeping, Keder says. It can also feature extended breastfeeding, which is usually considered breastfeeding after 12 months. When kids get older, attachment parenting can mean having constant communication, as well as parents and children regularly doing things together.
"The most important thing in attachment parenting is the child having a strong, nurturing adult that they have a relationship with," Keder says. "Kids understand that they can make mistakes in the world, but can come back to healthy adults who are there to help."
The Benefits and Drawbacks of Attachment Parenting
The main perk of attachment parenting is that it helps the baby's social and emotional development, Mendez says. "You teach the child social-emotional reciprocity," she says. "It promotes the growth of cognitive ability and language, as well as good learning and responsiveness."
Ultimately, that might lead to good stress management. "A child that is able to manage stress and is able to manage emotions in times of stress will have better outcomes in development and progress as they move on to school and relationships," Mendez says.
The challenge with attachment parenting is "how to keep the attachment, but cut the cord of support and let children develop opportunities to practice and strengthen those tools they learned," Keder explains.
Attachment parenting may also lead to over-protectiveness and over-attachment. "You run the risk of isolating the child from the social world and others," Mendez says. "You run the risk of dependency because the child isn't given enough independence."
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that babies sleep in their own crib, but attachment parenting makes a case for bed-sharing, where the baby shares a bed with the mother. (Instead, another form of co-sleeping, where parents have a crib or bassinet in their room, is encouraged by the AAP until the baby is 6 to 12 months old.)
"Bed-sharing isn't safe and attachment theorists promote it," Mendez says. Bed-sharing is discouraged by the AAP due to the risk of suffocation, strangulation, and SIDS. Sharing a bed with a baby or toddler can also be a "burden" to parents if they need to get up early to go to work, Mendez adds.
Breastfeeding is heavily promoted in attachment parenting, but not all parents can provide this, Mendez points out. "There can be a lot of guilt if mom can't breastfeed, since attachment theory promotes only breastfeeding," she says.
Overall, Keder says that having children become overly attached to their parents is the main concern with attachment parenting since that doesn't promote the independence they'll need as adults. "It's also not good to be over-focused on kids' needs without thinking about what they need to prepare for the next thing," he says. On the whole, however, Keder stresses that there "are no major cons to being attached to your child."