Why You Should Read the Cereal Box, Run a 4 p.m. Bath and Embrace Your Family’s Weirdness

Surprise! We’ve got a little something extra for you this week. With back-to-class shopping well underway, first-day outfits ready and waiting and every child everywhere mourning the end of summer, it feels like the perfect time for a special Back-to-School edition of 7 Things.

What's up this week:

• What’s really in your kid’s favourite breakfast cereal

• The school tech actually worth spending money on

• Why an after-school bath might be the reset your kid needs

• The question to stop asking after school this year

• Why sharing doesn’t have to mean sharing everything

• The secret of the 20-minute weekend

• Why every family needs an inside joke

Also known as getting back into the groove — one bowl of cereal, bath bomb and deeply weird family joke at a time.

Editor, ParentsCanada

The Truth About Sugar in Kids’ Cereal

Cereal is the longstanding hero of hectic mornings: It doesn’t get much easier than pour, add milk and grab a spoon. But a new Canadian study of 103 cereals marketed to kids found that children’s cereals averaged 30 percent of their calories from sugar, and 96 percent would be classified as “high in sugar” according to Health Canada. At the same time, nearly nine in 10 boxes featured health or nutrition claims designed to appeal to parents (and you thought the cartoon character on the box was the biggest consumer trap!).

Now, we’re not saying that you should banish cereal from the pantry. We know how important easy meal solutions are for busy families. But we are suggesting that you flip the box around to compare sugar between similar cereals, and that you look at the whole nutritional picture—rather than relying on claims like “whole grain” or “source of fibre.” You can also mix a sweeter favourite with a lower-sugar cereal to gradually shift the ratio without causing a breakfast-table revolt.

👉 Want to know what’s really hiding in that colourful box? Dr. Charlene Elliot from the University of Calgary helps us break down the latest research on sugar in kids’ cereals and what parents should know before the next grocery run.

The Back-to-School Tech Check

By the time your kids reach middle school, back-to-school shopping isn't just about pencils, notebooks and indoor shoes anymore. By grade six, kids may need access to laptops, headphones, printers and other tech to get their work done. But before you start shopping for this type of gear, you might want to find out what your child's school actually requires and what it provides. A kid who mostly needs to write assignments, browse the web and check email doesn't need the same computer as one doing animation, video production or other more involved work.

It’s important to also think beyond the laptop itself. Good headphones can make studying easier in a noisy environment; an extra monitor can be useful for older students juggling research and assignments; and a reliable printer may earn its keep in a household with multiple kids. The goal isn't to have all the tech. It's to spend on the things your particular kids will actually use.

👉 Before you spend another dollar on school tech, check out our picks for gadgets that actually make the grade, plus expert advice on choosing the right computer for your kid.

The Surprising After-School Reset

September can be a lot for little kids. New routines, busy classrooms, constant transitions and the effort of keeping it together all day can mean they arrive home completely wrung out. It can be hard to know how to help your child come down from the day—especially when they can’t tell you why they feel so overwhelmed—but we’ve actually learned a secret over the years: When in doubt, just add water. And by that we mean move bath time earlier.

Instead of saving bath time for after dinner, try doing it shortly after your kiddo comes in the door. It creates a natural break between school and evening and gives kids a chance to play and unwind. Keep it easy: You just need warm water, their favourite bath toys and no agenda beyond slowing things down.

And if you want to fuel that reset even more, Boogie Bath Bombs add fizzy fun along with aloe and eucalyptus and peppermint essential oils (which means they’ll also be great to have on hand when cold and flu season hits and every kid everywhere has a runny nose). They're dermatologist-tested, hypoallergenic and suggested for kids ages two and up.

👉 We’ve got the goods on Boogie Bath Bombs. Tap through to read more (and consider adding some bathtime fizz to your back-to-school toolkit!).

In partnership with

Why You Should Stop Asking “How Was Your Day?” This Year

This is a scene that plays out in households around the world: You’re waiting for your kid to come home. They walk through the door, you ask, “How was your day?” They deliver the thoughtful, detailed response of children everywhere: “Fine.” You try to push a little more, to see if you can tease out some detail, they get annoyed and you get frustrated. Rinse, repeat.

But the problem isn't necessarily that kids don't want to talk. It’s just that “How was your day?” is a surprisingly big question—especially when they've just spent six hours doing approximately 400 different things. Instead try specific questions give their brains somewhere to start.

• What made you laugh today?

• Who did you spend the most time with?

• What was the weirdest thing that happened?

• What was easier than you thought it would be?

• What are you hoping happens tomorrow?

By the way, don't feel you need to use these conversation starters at pickup, or when they come barrelling into the house. Some kids need a snack, movement and a little breathing room before they're ready to chat. Often, the best school stories appear later.

👉 If you want to keep the after-school convos going, we’ve got more smart ways to get kids talking—and keep those lines of communication open.

When Sharing Isn’t Always Caring

“You have to share” is practically part of the soundtrack of early childhood, but what this really means is evolving. In generations past, kids were expected to be endlessly generous, but we are now understanding that boundaries are okay too. Kids are allowed to have belongings that feel special to them, just as adults don't automatically surrender their favourite things because a friend admires them.

So, with this in mind, before your child’s next playdate, let them put away a few treasured things they don't want other kids touching. Of course this can’t mean every single toy they own, but allow them to choose a few personal items. Anything left in the shared play area, meanwhile, is available for everyone to use, with taking turns as needed. It gives kids some control over their belongings while still teaching them how to be considerate to their friends.

👉 Giving little kids a bit more control over their environment can go beyond what they share, too. Find out how to create a “yes space” where your kids have the freedom to play, explore and make choices—even if you don't have a dedicated playroom.

The Secret of the 20-Minute Weekend

Family time has somehow acquired a reputation for needing to be over the top. If social media is to be believed, you need reservations, a healthy budget and half the contents of your house packed into a tote bag to have any fun.

Step away from your phone. We’re here to tell you that’s absolutely not true.

Our new favourite idea for spending quality time together is called “the 20-minute weekend.” Give each person in the family 20 minutes to choose something everyone does together. Nothing needs to be complicated. Think things like walking to get a treat, playing a card game, baking cookies or having have a kitchen dance party. The only rules are that it has to be doable in 20 minutes and everyone else has to play along.

The genius is that nobody has to plan an entire day of activities and everyone gets some say in how you spend your time together. The 20 minutes is just a loose guideline, too. If everyone is having the best time when the timer goes off, keep going.

👉 Looking for more easy ways to squeeze some fun into family life? Check out our list of old-school, screen-free activities to do with your brood.

Why Your Family Needs an Inside Joke (or Two!)

Maybe it's the ridiculous nickname nobody remembers inventing, or the line from a movie that gets repeated whenever someone burns dinner. Whatever it is, having an inside joke with your family does way more than just make everyone chuckle. They're tiny reminders that you’re a team and you share a life. Even siblings who are often at each other’s throats can laugh together with the right “you had to be there” moment.

You can't really manufacture an inside joke (and that's sort of the point), but you can make room for family silliness and pay attention to what gets a reaction. Let ridiculous nicknames stick and retell that funny vacation story for the hundredth time. Write down the truly great kid quotes so you can bust them out again for instant connection.

The hope is that one day, your kids will be grown and still need only a handful of words or a physical gesture to make everyone at the Thanksgiving table completely lose it. It’s the kind of family history that never fades.

We want to know…are inside jokes alive and well in your household? Weigh in below!