I think it’s never to early to ask your kids to help you with chores around the house. When my daughter turned two, I would get her to help me pick up toys at night, even if she only put a few in the toy basket. Now that she’s almost three, she picks up her own toys and if she throws food on the floor, I’ll ask her to pick it up instead of doing it myself.

At night when I’m getting her brother ready for bed, I’ll get her to do a few things for me like putting things back where they belong, or throw her brother’s dirty clothes in the laundry basket.

Some other things you can get your toddler to do are making their bed, feeding a pet, or even helping prepare meals. Even if it’s something as little as pouring a cup of water into a mixing bowl, it’s a great experience for them at this young age. It gives them a sense of pride an accomplishment, while also teaching them some responsibilities.

If you have children we don’t have to tell you what a nightmare road trips can be. But don’t worry, help is on the way…

MomsMinivan.com has more than 101 ideas for fun things that kids can do in the car. Including travel tips, kids travel games and printable car games and activities.

Best of all, activities are organized by age group so you can quickly find ones that are just right for your family.

Some of our favorite ideas are:

- Travel Tickets: Use some colored construction paper to cut out some “tickets” for your trip. Give your child a pre-counted baggie full of tickets. Every half hour (or every 30 miles) they can turn in one ticket to you. When their tickets are gone, the trip has ended! This really helps young children get an idea of how much time is left on the journey.

- Mystery Writing: One child holds out his hand and closes his eyes while the other child “writes” on his hand with her finger. The first child has to guess what the second person is writing. Start with just letters, andd if it gets too easy, play with 2 or 3 letter words, pausing between letters. There’s no winner or loser with this game. It can just go on continuously!

- Aluminum Foil Modeling: Give everyone a sheet of aluminum foil. Have them mold it into anything they want: animal shapes, Frisbees, balls, jewelry, crowns, headband, necklaces. Be creative.

Checkout MomsMinivan.com for more great ideas on how to travel with kids!

With these handy online calculators you can now assess and track his or her growth quickly and easily.

Infant’s Body Measurement Percentiles Calculator

Children’s Body Measurement Percentiles Calculator

Children’s Body Mass Index Percentiles Calculator

Children’s Adult Height Prediction Calculator

Research shows that taking fish oil each day dramatically improves children’s schoolwork and concentration. But which kind should they take?

Patrick Holford, author of Optimum Nutrition for the Mind, says: “There are two main kinds of omega-3: DHA, which is vital in pregnancy and early infancy to help build the brain, and EPA which has proven more effective in children with dyslexia and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. These are only found in fish oils.

“The brain and body also need omega-6 fats. The most powerful kind is called GLA, in which evening primrose oil and starflower oil are rich. An ideal brain-friendly formula should provide at least 100mg of DHA, slightly more EPA and 50mg of GLA. The optimum intake is probably double this.”

There is a mass of research demonstrating the benefits of fish oil on brains, hearts, joints and even skin. In the latest trial, Dr Madeleine Portwood, an educational psychologist at Durham local education authority, put 65 children aged 18-30 months on omega-3 fish oil and omega-6 evening primrose oil.

At the beginning, almost half were said to have “poor” or “very poor” behaviour. After taking the supplements, 90 per cent had improved - ranging from “moderate” to “good” behaviour. Concentration also improved.

Another Durham trial, in association with Oxford University, showed a 40 per cent improvement in reading and spelling skills within three months in older children. Studies from Middlesbrough and Cardiff found similar improvements in older children. Research at Manchester University in the summer also showed that fish oil can protect skin from the sun.

If you’re considering supplementing your child’s diet please consult a doctor first.

Pacifiers can be excellent soothing devices for babies, but what happens when you want to wean your child off using one? That can be easier said than done!

Here are some great tips from other Moms on what worked for them:

1. Cut the tip off of all of your child’s pacifiers. When he tries to suck on them they won’t give the same satisifaction and many children will wean themselves. If your little one complains simply explain that they must have all broke because he is too big for a pacifier now.

2. Wean them off slowly. When you put your child to bed, don’t give her the pacifier for 1 minute. The next night it is 2 minutes and so on until she falls asleep without it.

3. Have a ceremony to say good-bye to the pacifiers. If your child is a little bit older, have a ceremony in which you throw away the pacifiers together to signify that he has grown up and doesn’t need them anymore.

4. Make it taste different. Dip the pacifier in vegetable juice so it doesn’t taste as appealing. This is a good option for younger babies, but a smart 2 year old will quickly catch on that the vegetable juice taste is only temporary!

5. Leave them for the “pacifier fairy”. Have your child put all of her pacifiers under their pillow before bedtime so that the “pacifier fairy” can come and take them to new babies who need them. In the morning have a special toy waiting for your little one in exchange.

6. Have an outside source tell your child it’s time to give up the pacifier. Try having your dentist or doctor tell your child that it’s time to give up the pacifier. Sometimes it carries more weight coming from someone other than Mom or Dad.