Why does my child lie? Learn the real reasons children lie, what it means at different ages, and how to respond without making it worse.
Best toddler lunchbox ideas for busy parents – easy, balanced, low-fuss foods toddlers will actually eat at nursery, daycare or on the go.
Learn how to handle picky eating with calm, practical strategies that reduce mealtime stress, build trust, and help children try food over time.
How to manage morning sickness at work with practical ways to eat, commute, talk to your boss, and get through the day with less stress.
A practical guide to teen digital safety with clear rules, warning signs, and scripts to help parents handle social media, gaming, sexting and scams.
Learn how to prepare for childbirth with practical steps for labour, pain relief, your birth plan, partner support and recovery after birth.
Is it normal for toddlers to hit? Learn why it happens, how to respond calmly, and when toddler hitting may need extra support or advice.
A case study reducing teen screen time, with what worked, what backfired, and how parents can set realistic limits without daily rows.
What to do if child is bullied: how to spot the signs, support your child, work with school, and know when to escalate concerns safely.
Why is my toddler not talking yet? Learn what’s typical, what can affect speech, and when to seek help without panic or delay.
Learn how to support anxious child feelings with calm routines, helpful scripts, and practical ways to build confidence at home and school.
Co sleeping vs cot sleeping safety explained clearly, with practical advice on safer sleep, key risks, and how to choose what works for your baby.
A practical guide to positive discipline for preschoolers, with calm boundaries, simple scripts, and realistic ways to handle tricky behaviour.
Looking for the top baby names 2026 will bring? See the biggest naming trends, standout picks, and how to choose a name that still feels right later.
How to calm a child quickly with age-by-age strategies, simple scripts, and practical steps that help parents reduce stress fast and safely.
A guide to toddler toilet training with signs of readiness, simple routines, setbacks, and what to say when your child is not quite there yet.
A practical guide to weaning a baby at six months, with first foods, portion tips, allergy advice, and what to do if your baby refuses solids.
Learn how to set tween phone rules that are clear, fair and easy to stick to, with scripts, boundaries and safety checks for everyday family life.
Looking for the best baby names with meanings? Here are 45 thoughtful baby name ideas, from classic to modern, with meaning and style notes.
A practical guide to supporting child with ADHD at home, with routines, scripts and calm strategies that reduce stress for parents and kids.
Learn how to talk to kids about puberty with calm, clear language, age-appropriate scripts, and practical tips for ongoing family conversations.
Baby led weaning vs purees – the real differences, safety points, and how to choose the feeding approach that works for your baby and family.
The future risks of deepfakes for teenagers include bullying, sextortion, scams and reputational harm. Here’s how parents can prepare early.
Find the best chores chart by age printable, with realistic tasks from toddlers to teens, plus scripts and tips to make the routine stick.
Practical, calm tips on how to get baby to sleep in cot, from bedtime routines to cot transfers, settling methods, and when to change your plan.
Teen social media trends parents should know, from finstas and Close Friends to AI filters, sextortion and burn accounts, plus what to say at home.
Wondering what age should kids get a phone? Use this practical guide to match maturity, safety needs and family rules to the right time.
A guide to talking about consent with kids, with age-based scripts, everyday examples, and practical ways to build boundaries, respect, and safety.
Mental load in marriage signs include being the default parent, constant planning, and invisible chores. Learn what it looks like and what to do next.
Learn how to create a family emergency plan with clear roles, meeting points, contact lists and practise steps that work for babies to teens.
Practical steps for what to do if teen is sending nudes, including how to talk calmly, protect them from sextortion, and get help fast.
Learn how to prepare for pregnancy after miscarriage, including when to try again, key health checks, and emotional support that actually helps.
A due date calculator gives you a quick pregnancy due date estimate. Learn how it works, how accurate it is, and when scans change it.
Week by week pregnancy symptoms can change fast. Here’s what to expect from weeks 1-40, what’s normal, and when to call your midwife.
Starting solids schedule by age: what to offer at 6, 7, 8-9 and 10-12 months, plus textures, portions, allergen tips and milk feeds.
How to stop toddler hitting with calm boundaries, simple scripts and follow-through. Understand why it happens and what to do in the moment.
Practical, calm steps on how to get a baby to sleep: routines, wake windows, settling methods, night wakes, and when to seek help.
Toddler tantrums how to respond: what to do in the moment, what to say, and how to reduce future blow-ups with calm, firm boundaries.
How to talk to teens about vaping: practical scripts, calm boundaries and what to do if your teen is already vaping – without lectures or panic.
It hit me when my daughter, Layla, walked into the dairy with $5 in her pocket and walked out with… a pink glitter slime she already owned in…
Let’s be honest: kids can be absolutely brutal. Especially when it comes to names. So when one mum realised her daughter might be stuck with a last name…
If you’re here because you’re worried your child could be a bully—or you’re scared they could be the target of one—you’re exactly where you need to be.Today, I…
Estate planning – it sounds like something only the super-rich need to worry about. Many people take for granted what will happen to their property and money once…
“Sleep baby, sleep!” You may find yourself saying this twenty times a day if your baby is prone to cat napping for ten minutes here and there, or…
As gift ideas go for a baby shower, a native forest isn’t usually at the top of your go-to list – but if one charity gets its way,…
Hannah Blumhardt and Liam Prince from The Rubbish Trip continue their zero waste series with everything you need to know about zero waste grocery shopping in New Zealand.
Hannah Blumhardt and Liam Prince from The Rubbish Trip stop by with some timely advice about feeding your family snacks with less waste. Snacks that are cheaper, healthier…
Having a new baby is exciting, exhausting and time consuming. It can also be a frustrating time for your older child or children.
Families face many changes over the years, but one of the biggest has to be going from being a couple to becoming parents! If you know someone soon…
We just love Easter at Kiwi Families HQ. We like to include a bunch of activities, and story-telling, in the lead up to Easter weekend. And we try to make it…
Most children can learn self-control if they’re given the right help. In this article we dive into learning self-control in the field of life.
Ah, the toddler… a fully mobile being with virtually no common sense! With the exception of their afternoon siesta, toddlers can be active all day long! Toddlers are…
When I think of ‘blended’ families, I remember what one of my counselling students said years ago. I was teaching a course on working with blended families, and she thought…
Learning about a new culture through hosting an international homestay can be a very rewarding experience, helping to enable people to understand other languages, food and customs. Find out…
Kiwi Families resident midwife expert, Kathy Fray, breaks down the textbook version of the birthing process. But she adds in a fundamental process that all expecting Mothers need…
The Department of Conservation and Toyota have teamed up to make getting into nature easy and fun with a series of Adventure and Action challenges for your kids.…
For a lot of people, the Christmas holidays actually aren’t much fun. There are lots of reasons why, but many of them relate to stress.
Sleep! We all love it, we all need it and we all thrive from it. But it’s not always easy to get when you’re a parent! I know this first…
Can you imagine, in this day and age, a kid at school getting bullied because they were blind, or deaf. Surely not right? What about a kid getting…
‘Why does the moon change’, ‘why do clouds float’, ‘why does wind blow’, ‘Why? Why? Why?!’ is repeated incessantly by children between approximately 3-5 years old, sometimes to…
Learning comes pretty naturally to small children. Which is just as well: if learning things in infancy was treated the way learning in later life often is, they’d…
As parents one of our key tasks is to help our children sleep so they can grow and flourish. In the early years, to this end we sacrifice…
I had the pleasure of being invited along to a Seminar on Nutrition Nuts & Bolts run by Robin Piggot, Active Families Preschool Coordinator. The seminar included healthy…
In response to a reader comment on our Nightmares and night terrors article, Kiwi Families reached out to our Facebook community for advice. As always, we got some amazing…
Getting your insurance sorted can feel a bit like decluttering your home; you don’t usually feel like it, but once you’ve done it, you feel a calm sense of…
We know that all Dad really wants for Father’s Day, is a lie in with a newspaper and a cuppa. It’s always nice to get Dad a little…
With real estate prices absolutely soaring, and the average house price crashing through the $600k mark, the dream of our kids one day owning their own homes is…
We were lucky enough to get some time with Dorothy Waide, sleep consultant to the stars, AKA the Baby Whisperer. Dorothy provides newborn advice for parents on everything from…
Running a family household is hard enough without having to worry about what chemicals are leaching out of your cleaning products and into your kids. Did you know…
There’s a number of physical complications that pregnancy can cause. One of these is pelvic organ prolapse. This can cause swelling, bulging, lower-back, abdomen or pelvic pain, as…
Let’s talk about SAD, Seasonal Affective Disorder. This commonly-recurring mental illness rears its ugly head seasonally, and affects 10% of the New Zealand population.
I’ve been meaning to make a DIY blackboard cloud and lightening bolt for a kid’s room for months now. I finally found the time to make this project happen.
Kiwi Families asked me to contribute reflections on wellness, coming from both my professional and personal viewpoints. I’m a family counsellor and solo Mother. Some of you may…
I’m sure you’ve heard of the Netflix show 13 Reasons Why at this point, so I won’t get into details of the show’s content. The show certainly has…
There are so many things you can do with empty toilet rolls and paper towel rolls, it’s just a case of choosing something that your kids will find…
Separation of the abdominal muscles is a common condition after pregnancy. It’s a natural part of pregnancy to allow for your growing uterus and baby. But in 2…
Why is it after a few weeks into the school term the kid’s lunch boxes seem to end up the same every day? If you’re looking to add…
If you know me, then you’ll know that I am a huge fan of epsom salts! The addition of epsom salts to a bath creates a really luxurious,…
Does the government owe you $479? We know you love paying taxes about as much as changing your 2 year old’s diaper, after a massive poonami! Or, about…
Panicking about what to do with the kids these holidays? You’re not alone. While the kids get excited because school’s out, childcare can become a parent’s nightmare. That’s…
It’s common knowledge that as a baby grows, they become more interested in their surroundings and slightly more adventurous too. As parents it can be both exciting and…
We love nothing better than a good old family road trip. Getting out on the road with a purpose makes the experience even better. Especially if we can make…
I’ll remember this conversation for the rest of my life. Some conversations are just like that. It was exactly a week after I made the brave decision to…
Mindfulness and meditation has in recent years gained popularity; so much so that a school in the US replaced detention, with a mindfulness meditation programme; they’ve had remarkable…
Christmas is a now a distant memory, you’ve rung in the New Year and relaxed yourself silly beside the beach. And now you’re home again with a month…
African savannah Home to giraffe, zebra, ostrich, meerkats, leopard tortoises and African masked lovebirds, the new African savannah brings Auckland Zoo visitors closer than ever to wildlife, in an…
The Kiwi Families team got the opportunity to interview Mister Maker for his upcoming tour. Read on to find out what he’s looking forward to when he gets…
I read an article a few weeks ago in New Zealand’s Canvas magazine, in which writer Megan Nicol Reed penned: “there is something inherently nauseating about talk of…
Common colds are something hard to avoid during the winter months. Young children may get between six to ten colds per year and once one family member has a…
Brassicas. These are all the good green favourites that as a kid you were made to eat because they were good for you, and if you were lucky…
Easter is coming early this year and there are so many ways to get crafty over Easter! It’s a great way to get your kids (and you!) in…
Many of us will have set out resolutions and goals for big new changes for the New Year. However, for our family to run smoothly, and to keep…
I look at my 3 year old lying on the couch with his iPad and have mixed thoughts. First the Mummy Guilt, that he shouldn’t spend so much time…
Getting kids outside is an uphill struggle in this technologically wired world. In their desire to build and create in Minecraft they are losing ‘Life-craft’ knowledge. Food doesn’t…
My daughter turned ONE recently and one of the dishes I created for my guests were rice paper rolls filled with prawns. This dish is beautiful to prepare…
As a young mother way back in 1969 I simply could not have done without my mum to help me in so many ways. From a baby that…
Winter is often considered the off season for fair weather gardeners, who enjoy the simple pleasures of sun warmed tomatoes and crisp salads on a hot day and…
What is play? Play is learning. Play is children’s life. Play is loving learning about life!
According to statistics from the Health Funds Association of New Zealand (HFANZ), the health insurance industry funded close to a billion dollars in health claims in 2014.
Let’s grow our concept of what ‘Growing Families’ means – I mean expand the orbit of the current paradigm of the nuclear family to include significant, influential others, such as grandmas,…