Mums are the most giving and selfless people we know and should be celebrated daily. However, one day a year is the time to make it special for them. If you’re a busy mum and struggle to find time and energy to treat yourself this Mother’s Day, we have compiled several great suggestions for various budgets and time constraints that can hopefully help you to find something you can treat yourself to and finally enjoy your ‘me’ time.

Many know about carbohydrates but may not fully understand their role in our health, especially in kids’ growing bodies. There are simple and complex carbohydrates found in foods. Simple carbs are also known as simple sugars. Those are found in foods like white sugar. If your child eats candy, they eat simple carbohydrates, which aren’t healthy, but if your child has milk or fruit, they consume nutritious carbs.

The 2021 New Zealand Health Survey found that around 1 in 3 adults (aged 15 years and over) were classified as obese, which is staggering! It’s evident that the obesity issue is significant and something parents must be aware of while raising their children who are New Zealand’s future population.

Magnesium is one of the most essential minerals in our bodies. It aids us with mood, sleep, concentration and energy levels, teeth and bone health, immune system, and absorption of other nutrients like vitamin D and calcium.

If your child is deficient in magnesium, you will notice low energy levels, poor sleep and concentration or constipation.

Many parents experience the struggle of their kids not falling or staying asleep easily. There are numerous reasons, from anxiety to changes in their daily life to other more severe disorders.

Additionally, the recent pandemic has also had a negative impact on many kids as well as adults.

When you become a parent, you imagine enjoying the first special moments with your baby. While it is a reality for many, it can also be challenging for some parents, especially when the baby has colic.

Parenting is challenging no matter what age your children are. With so much parenting information and advice out there, it’s hard to understand the best way to parent your children, where you help them develop a strong personality but at the same time not let them make their own rules. It’s certainly a tricky balance!

Not many people understand what foliate and folic acid are and what their purpose may be. This topic certainly doesn’t get as much attention as it should, considering how serious the effects are if your child is deficient in these nutrients. Children require folate from before birth, through their early development, and into adulthood.

Sinus infections are widespread amongst adults and kids, but it's certainly hard to watch your child struggle with one. When kids experience a blocked nose, they get very upset and become irritated, so it's hard to watch your child go through this sickness.

Sore throats in kids are very common and often can be a sign of another illness coming on from a common cold to a more severe illness like a strep throat infection. However, there are ways to soothe your child's sore throat and help them recover faster.

Busy family life, junk food commercials and peer pressure can make feeding kids healthy food much harder. In addition, many families have a limited time for cooking, so dinners often become convenient rather than made from scratch at home and healthy.

Knowing what to do around devices and screen time is one of the main headaches parents are dealing with these days. With devices gaining popularity only in the last decade, parents in this day and age are finding themselves bringing up ‘digital kids’ and not knowing how to tackle the issue of excessive screen time.

Many people talk about catching a common cold from being in cold weather, while others disagree that it’s possible to catch a cold from being cold. While the cold weather is not the reason someone can get sick, there are several reasons why it is easier to become ill in cold weather.

Many kids are affected by allergies, and it’s undoubtedly common among many households. An allergy occurs as a result of your child’s immune system’s response to something that irritated them. Some experience mild symptoms like sneezing, coughing or sore throat, and others can have life-threatening reactions like anaphylaxis.

During the past couple of years, we've seen an increased amount of people focusing on their immune systems. As a result, parents have started looking at ways to boost their children's immune systems holistically.

With January in full swing and many people already either starting or ticking off their New Year resolutions, we thought it would be timely to talk about the importance of setting goals for kids as well.

The time leading up to the Christmas holidays can be overwhelming, and some don’t feel festive or struggle to get into the holiday spirit. This year has also been challenging with the recent New Zealand lockdown and restrictions. As a result, many people have not seen their loved ones in a while. This can be even more overwhelming for some families.

Vitamin B complex is often overlooked, as it comes across as very confusing with all the variations of this vitamin. However, it's no less important for children growing and developing and here's why.

With the recent Covid outbreak in New Zealand, everyone now understands that life in our country will be somewhat different. While other countries experienced this drastic change a year ago, we managed to prolong it till now.

Covid-19 lockdowns worldwide have been somewhat a part of our life for the last couple of years. But, unfortunately, with that comes the risk of mental health problems for both adults and kids. Many parents are more concerned about their children’s mental health than the fact they are missing school (or falling behind in their education).