The COVID-19 pandemic is the greatest public health threat that people around the world are facing right now. It calls for decisive, actionable plans on a broad scale…
In the new world of navigating COVID-19, we’ve seen a surge in online healthcare and it’s certainly been welcomed by many. Kiwis across the country can see the…
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 What is eczema article, Kiwi Families reached out to our wonderful Facebook community for advice. We had such a great…
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…
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,…
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…
There’s an old chant many parents will remember: “Nobody loves me, everybody hates me; I’m going down the garden to eat some worms.” Challenging behaviour from small children…
Hey dads, you make a big difference! By teaching your sons how to respect women you prevent violence. Simple.
As first time parents, or any time parents really, we may sometimes find ourselves sitting in front of ‘professionals’ vigorously nodding our heads in agreement with what they’re…
We took the Nestlé Choose Wellness quiz and were a bit shocked at the results. I thought we lived pretty well. But what we’re discovering is that living…
Like most families, we’re always in search of health and wellness for ourselves and our children. Sometimes it feels like we’re searching for the holy grail though; we’re…
Children who refuse to eat certain things (or in some cases, most things) can be extremely frustrating for parents who want to ensure their little ones are getting…
The title sounds like the starting point for an article on how to explore the Amazon while avoiding piranha, or maybe eating puffer fish in Japan without suffering terminal…
In this busy modern world, cities are expanding and backyards are shrinking. Yet the desire to grow food is more pressing in the face of rising food costs and…
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…
That never-ending hunt for happiness. Do a Google search and there are countless blogs and websites on finding your true happiness and inner meaning. It’s the meaning behind…
Dreams help us to decide which actions to take next, which attitudes to shift, which people to spend time with. Dreams ebb, flow and transform over time and…
Winter is high season for colds, viral infections, asthma exacerbations and the flu, but you can reduce the risk of getting sick by making sure that you and…
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.
It’s a well known principle that including 5+ vegetable and fruit servings a day is a great foundation for your daily eating habits. 5 would be an absolute…
I was at a conference recently and one of the speakers was talking about how she was doing this science experiment with her kids that involved planting a…
What are mealtimes like at your place? Do you have family ways of serving, eating or talking together? Would you like some fresh ideas to make the most…
Firstly congratulations on your pregnancy. What an exciting time lies ahead. There are many wonderful exercise opportunities for you to explore while you are pregnant.
As we head into winter, the usual ailments start to raise their heads and we dread the onset of the coughs, runny noses and aches and pains attached…
Mothers and daughters who run together – have fun together… Well … mostly 🙂
Do you ever feel worn out and tired and grumpy and the kids are fighting and you feel like you just have no reserve left? You don’t need…
When we had baby #2, hubby and I fell into the pattern of ‘tagging in and out’ with the kids to GTD (get things done) or have some…
Healthy families can mean many things, physical health, mental/emotional health or spiritual health, all equally important to the over-all wellbeing of the human species.
Does jumping on a trampoline or playing in the sand pit help our children to read and write? Often when we think of teaching children reading and writing…
Somewhere along the line, recently, my son started liking carrots again. After what seems a couple years of unhealthy eating, he’s returned to form and can’t get enough…
It might seem like a long way away but now is a great time to decide what you want to eat during those lazy hazy days of summer.
Modern life, for many families, can be a bit like living in the fast lane. We simultaneously pursue careers, raise children and continue our personal or professional development…
Some couples say having a baby strengthens their relationship and brings them closer together. Yet many parents struggle with maintaining healthy relationships after having children. Here are some thoughts…
I still consider myself relatively new to “doing the mum thing”. Like most mums (and dads, I suspect), ever since our little Thomas arrived, I’ve been obsessed with…
Harlow was not a happy baby. She rarely smiled. Of the more than 150 babies I have looked after, she was the most uncomfortable I had ever met. …
“I am no supermum”. I tell myself this each day as I try to attain a happy healthy balanced life for my family and for myself. I remind…
The typical story goes… you meet the love of your life, you get married, and you have kids. You work hard, and raise your children to be strong…
What is healthy eating? Does it mean something different to you than it does to the person next to you? Chances are it does. We all know that…
There are several reasons why New Zealanders have a higher risk for developing skin cancers – including a high proportion of the population with fair skin, our low ozone…
It’s probably fair to say that family is where most people lay down the foundations for all later interactions in their lives – one of those interactions being…
We all know that eating healthy food and getting regular exercise helps us maintain good health, prolonged life expectancy, gives us more energy, and makes us feel happier. …
One of the best ways to grow a strong, happy, connected family is to take care of your health and well-being.
The autumn sun is still caressing us with its warming rays but the chill in the early mornings and the nights lets us know that winter is on…
Staying healthy is something that is really important to me. However I am not a big fan of dieting. In fact I think I have never lasted longer…
I’m sure that this is not news to you, but health comes in all kinds of ways including environmental, social and physical … all aspects of our lives…
I will always remember being invited to a party when I was probably 8 or 9 and to my horror they served up only healthy food. I probably…
What I really recall most about my early parenting years with four young boys, is that I wanted to be the very best parent to my kids. Maybe…
How did I get here? My journey to physical health transformed me from a firm believer that the only way for babies was the rigid way of the…
As a nutritionist who is passionate about food, I believe the joy of food, and a healthy relationship with food, is something all children should experience. Teaching kids…
Head lice, or nits, are an age old problem – they have always existed in human communities and they can only be tackled by a community approach of…
Lots of us parents get to a stage where we’re not coping well, struggling to stay afloat, physically and emotionally. You may even feel at breaking point some days. It used…
We all know that teenagers can be difficult to feed – one day they’re starving and nearly eat you out of house and home, and the next they…