Stacker-Parenting & Family

Autumn is an evocative name that ranks 88th among girls’ names. More than 2,800 babies were given the name in 2025. October, on the other hand, hardly gets any attention, and only 49 babies were given the name last year. Both are seasonal names, but Social Security Administration data reveals that there is a significant

Returning to work while breastfeeding can bring up a lot of questions. How often will you need to pump? Where will you pump? Will you have enough time? What happens if a meeting conflicts with a planned pumping break? Most importantly, will you have the support you need at work to continue breastfeeding? In a

Scroll through your social media feeds, and you’ll likely come across conversations reflecting the ambivalence a lot of people are feeling about having kids in a tough economy.  Those feelings track with a recent Credit Karma survey of 629 adults ages 18 to 45. Sixty-eight percent said raising children felt financially out of reach right now,

Being a parent is an incredible and selfless gift. However, it also brings challenges that few people feel ready to carry, as family life becomes more scheduled and harder to shut off. Modern parenting now comes with pressures earlier generations did not face. In a 2024 advisory, former U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy cited social media

The skeletons go up in a neighbor’s yard in early October, and some children walk past without a second look. Others stop cold, and their parents spend the rest of the month deciding how much of the Halloween season that child can handle. Sarah Kollat, teaching professor of developmental psychology at Penn State, shares advice

Parents play a crucial role in kids’ money milestones, from starting a piggy bank to giving an allowance. Even if you know maintaining good credit is an important part of strong financial health, you might be unsure about how to build credit for your child or where to begin. Ally Financial compiled a list of

Multigenerational living became more common between the 2010 and 2020 censuses. Based on U.S. Census Bureau data from 2020, the number of households where a grandparent, adult child, and grandchild share the same roof has climbed by nearly 1 million since 2010—now making up 6 million households. These multigenerational households account for about 4.7% of all U.S.

Prospective home buyers are often experiencing transition in their personal lives. Perhaps a wedding — or divorce — is on the horizon. Maybe their kids have grown up and moved out, or their financial circumstances have changed. In many cases, though, people are looking to move because they want to start or grow their families,

Raising a child can be expensive: You could spend around $300,000 before it’s time for them to leave the nest. Whether you’re planning for kids, currently expecting or are already a parent, Ally Financial highlights how knowing and planning for their key financial milestones can set you both up for success.   The first purchase

The shift from summer to the school year can happen almost overnight. Early wake-ups, packed calendars, homework, errands and extracurriculars leave families with less downtime and more to keep track of. A new survey fielded by Morning Consult on behalf of Shipt finds that 60% of parents say the transition to fall routines feels overwhelming.

Americans love to show off their creativity when it comes to giving their children names. Rather than relying on certain classics they may love the sound of, trends show new parents are opting instead to provide their own unique spellings. Nontraditionally spelled names can give a child a special feeling of uniqueness while having a

  The baby is fed, the sun is going down, and instead of feeling relieved that the day is winding down, you feel a knot forming in your stomach. Another night is coming. How many times will the baby wake up? Will they settle after feeding? Will you be able to fall back asleep? What

  “Mom lets me use my phone at night. Why can’t I here?” If you’re co-parenting, you’ve likely heard some version of this, and it rarely leads to a simple answer. One household allows late-night scrolling. The other says phones get turned off at nine. One parent says yes to social media. The other isn’t

  Every fall brings the same rhythm: new backpacks, first-day-of-school photos, and a fresh round of expenses that seem to grow a little more each year. Whether it’s packing lunches for a kindergartner, writing tuition checks for a college freshman, or somewhere in between, the cost of raising a child in the U.S. has reached

  Although a baby’s “graduation” from the NICU is an exciting milestone, transitioning from a highly controlled newborn intensive care environment, including monitoring and 24/7 nursing care, to a home routine can feel stressful. You may be excited to finally have your baby home while also wondering how you’ll manage without the NICU team right

  A playground is more than just a place where kids come to play. It’s where they build confidence, exercise their imagination, and make friends. Playgrounds are also where communities gather and families create memories that last a lifetime. These and many more reasons establish them as a worthy addition to a community, school, or

  Lunches are packed. Someone can’t find a shoe. And then your kid appears in the doorway looking a little gray around the edges, and you have about four minutes to decide whether they can or can’t go to school. Doctronic shares tips on making the decision. Key takeaways Three questions settle most mornings: fever,

  Back-to-school shopping often starts with a familiar list: notebooks, backpacks, clothing and shoes. But for parents, the expenses do not necessarily stop once the first bell rings. Sports, clubs, field trips and other extracurricular activities can add costs throughout the school year. If you’re a parent, those expenses need to fit alongside your regular

  Welcoming a child into the world is a joyous occasion, filled with excitement and a packed to-do list. In between the diaper changes, feedings and trying to get a few precious hours of shut-eye, don’t forget one important task: considering life insurance. Why do new parents need life insurance? As a new parent, you’re

  Family researchers have spent decades taking a look at how far parents end up living from their adult children, yet very little research focuses on the relationship between siblings. Even though they are the ones typically splitting holiday hosting, dividing up a parent’s care as they age, and making calls when things go wrong,

  Common expenses tied to raising a child — including child care, food, medical care, housing and other necessities — can total tens of thousands of dollars annually. While costs are high across major metro areas, the burden varies sharply by location, with families in some places facing annual expenses more than twice as high

  As the summer season comes to a close, families with school-aged children start to think about upcoming back-to-school expenses: laptops, notebooks, clothing and shoes, water bottles, backpacks, and all of the other classics. While most families consider initial purchases, many fail to include the various other costs that usually begin a few months into

  It can be stressful when kids flat-out refuse to go to school. Your child might be complaining about stomachaches every day, begging to stay home. Or they may become increasingly emotional as the school day approaches. You may find yourself wondering: Why is this happening? What if they’re never willing to go back to

  More than half of parents and grandparents say that kids today are less financially prepared than they were growing up. A survey of 1,000 U.S. parents and grandparents finds shared cross-generational concerns about their kids’ financial preparedness. But the results also show striking differences around beliefs for how to best equip kids, including setting

  Every May, the Social Security Administration drops one of the most entertaining website updates of all: the names that gained the most in popularity out of over 1,000 common names. The 2025 top baby names, unveiled in May 2026, were full of surprises. A name meaning “fire” jumped more than 1,100 spots, another received

  Nearly one in three American children experiences parental divorce before turning 18, and decades of research show the classroom is where that disruption often shows up first. In this article, Skillern Firm Divorce & Child Custody Lawyers, a Texas family law firm, examines research on how divorce affects children’s academic performance and which factors

  It can start like this. A parent spends five chaotic minutes crafting the perfect text to their tween. It’s short. Thoughtful. Not too cringey. The reply? “kk” There’s a term for this kind of ultra-short response: dry texting. And while these responses can feel like a brush-off, researchers say they’re usually something else entirely,

  Prioritizing play offers a variety of benefits for children, from helping them grow their vocabulary to managing their big feelings with fewer behavioral problems. Play also benefits children’s cognitive and social and emotional development. But play isn’t always a focus in classrooms, even when it comes to very young children. Kelley Mayer White, professor