Mari Walker

Happy birthday, baby! Another year has passed, and it’s time to mark the occasion with a party (or at least a cake). As the years add up, the parties may get more complex, adding school friends and others into the mix for invitation consideration. With extracurricular activities , the guest list can quickly get long, including those very much tangential to everyday life. The last thing I need–and I’m guessing it’s true for you too–is more stuff, especially more toys. When a birthday comes on the heels of or just before a major gift-giving holiday, the urge to purge can be overwhelming, and the thought of an onslaught of additional toys feels like a burden rather than a gift. Read the rest on the Baton Rouge Parents magazine website .

Bella Jay Bickley loves to stay busy. The 10-year-old fourth grader at Parkview Baptist School is an active volunteer, dancer and athlete in addition to keeping up with her academic pursuits. “She loves to volunteer her time to help in the community, and that’s what makes her amazing to me,” says Brooke Bickley, Bella Jay’s mom. Bella Jay is a junior volunteer for the Bella Bowman Foundation, a local nonprofit supporting pediatric brain cancer patients, families and research. “She enjoys that more than anything in the whole world.” Read the rest on the Baton Rouge Parents magazine website .

From the whirring of drills to strange new smells and bright lights, the dentist office can provoke anxiety for anyone. Children especially may become anxious. Mild dislike can progress to dentophobia, or general fear of receiving dental care. Research shows 5-8 percent of Americans refuse dental care because of fear, and up to 20 percent will only go to the dentist when necessary due to fear. Parents and dentists can help alleviate the fear for children. Erin Smith Piper, LCSW, a Baton Rouge therapist in private practice, says parents should trust their gut when managing anxiety. “No one knows your child better than you. You have to choose your path and the way that is best for your child and stick with that.” Read the rest on the Baton Rouge Parents magazine website .

As a heart patient, Hunter Chase Henry is unable to do many of the active things other kids take for granted. But he shines as a chef, perfecting recipes and going by “Uncle Hunter” in the kitchen. The name comes from his nephew, Dustin, and nieces, Emma and Claire, whom he calls “Big Bertha” to aggravate their mother, Kacy. Uncle Hunter started cooking when he was a patient with Pediatric Cardiology Associates in Baton Rouge and his doctors put him on a low-sodium diet due to swelling. “What I did to make food kind of taste better was get a bottle of Tabasco and put it on peanut butter and jelly,” he says. He continues to experiment with spices and flavors to make tasty foods that work for his dietary restrictions. Read the rest on the Baton Rouge Parents magazine website .

As Education and Community sections editor, I wrote pages 16-26 and page 32 of the February 2020 issue of Baton Rouge Parents magazine. See the web layout on the magazine's website .