Category: Lifestyle

Parenting definitely isn’t easy, and each stage of your child’s life will come with its own individual challenges. Don’t let it get you down, though. There are plenty of hacks that’ll help you lead your children through some of life’s most difficult times.

Teething

No matter who you are, it’s a guarantee that your baby will begin to teethe at some point in time, and your chances for having an easy experience are slim. It’s not only a slow and painful process for them, but it can also be frustrating and heartbreaking to find something that’ll give your babe the relief they need. However, you can always try the following.

Rub their gums. Putting pressure on a baby’s gums while teething might seem counterintuitive, but the light pressure can actually help with the discomfort. You can either do this using clean fingers, or a cotton or gauze pad that’s been soaked in water.

Try hard foods. Giving your baby something to gnaw on is a great idea if they’re at an age where they can eat solids. Try giving them a chunk of cucumber or carrot straight from the fridge, but make sure it’s big enough that they can’t attempt to swallow it whole. You could also try using frozen yogurt tubes, which will melt as they eat.

Ditch the drool. Drooling is obviously just a natural part of the teething process, but did you know it can be super irritating for your baby’s skin? When drool sits on the skin long enough, it can actually irritate it, adding to your baby’s discomfort and pain. Make sure you wipe up any leaks as you see them happening, and try applying a moisturizer to their chin to act as a barrier.

Picky Eating

Most kids will inevitably go through a stage where they complain about at least one thing on their dinner plates, and they sometimes won’t eat anything other than a few select items. It can be a frustrating experience, but there are a few things that can help.

Have fun. Your kids won’t want to try anything new if they’re picking up from you that it won’t be a good experience for them. To make it a little more exciting, try cutting foods into fun shapes, using foods that are brightly colored, and serving things with tasty dips or sauces.

Let them help. Obviously, you can’t let your kid do the grocery shopping for you—it’s likely that you’d just come back with cookies, cereal, and fruit snacks. What you can do, however, is let them help you pick things out. When you’re looking at veggies, try asking them what looks good that they might want to try.

Get sneaky. When all else fails, why not sneak veggies into dishes where you kids probably won’t notice them? You can add chopped up spinach to spaghetti sauce, or put pureed fruit into their yogurt.

Check out a few of our favorite recipes chock full of hidden veggies:

Like these sneaky veggie pizza spirals.

And this creamy mac n’ cheese with vegetables in the sauce.

Potty Training

Potty training seems to be something that’s both anticipated and dreaded by parents everywhere, and for good reason. Don’t make it harder than it has to be, though.

Go naked. Yeah, it sounds weird, but one reason why kids have trouble with potty training is because it requires some coordination to get their clothes off. Encourage them to try using the potty both before and after their bath when they don’t have clothes on, as it might seem a little easier to them. Once they master that, then start trying it with clothes on.

Stick it to ‘em. Some parents use sticker rewards for good behavior—why not for potty training? Each time they go on the potty instead of in their pants, give them a sticker as a fun and cheap reward.

Bribes help. If you’re at your wits’ end, throw your kid a nice bribe and see if that helps. Offer them a small piece of candy for going on the potty, two pieces of candy if they’ll wipe up themselves, and a cookie if they do everything on their own.

Pacifier Weaning

Taking away a child’s paci is something that tends to go either really well or completely terrible. Here’s what you can do to make the separation a little easier.

Don’t ask. No kid will want to give up their pacifier on their own, and asking them if they’re alright with it won’t make them change their mind. When it comes time to ditch it, tell them; don’t seek permission.

Ruin it for them. You know how parents use awful tasting but non-toxic substances to get kids to stop sucking their thumbs? Look into buying something similar for your child’s binky.

Recruit outside help. Kids always want to know the reasons behind things, so you might need to give them one. Take a note from other parents and tell them that someone like Santa or the Tooth Fairy collect binkies from kids who don’t need them so they can pass them along to kids who do.

Sleeping Alone

Lots of kids get used to sleeping in their parents bed, but the adults in this equation know it’s one that can’t go on forever. So, how do you get them back in their own beds permanently?

Talk about fears. Young kids have real fears about sleeping in their own bed and room, and it’s important not to downplay them—take the time to really listen to them and reassure them. Do what you can to eliminate their fears with things like night lights or sound machines.

Plan ahead. If you try to kick your child out of your bed in the middle of the night, it won’t go over well. Make sure they know the change is coming so you can talk it out ahead of time.

Give rewards. For every night your child sleeps in their own bed, you can give out something small like a sticker, and then give them something bigger like a new pair of pajamas after a certain number of days.

Listening

We all know that kids have a way of tuning out anything they don’t want to hear, but that can’t and shouldn’t fly. Did you know there are ways you can teach them to listen, even when they don’t want to?

Be consistent. If you tell your child that there is a consequence for ignoring you or acting a certain way, follow through. If you don’t, they won’t learn that your words are to be taken seriously.

Give choices. Kids often get upset when they don’t get their way, but that’s because it’s easy to just blurt out a “no” and go on our way. Next time, take the time to compromise—”we can’t go to the park now, but what about after lunch?”

Be specific. Instead of telling your child what not to do, tell them specifically what you’d like them to do. Instead of “stop running,” tell them, “please walk in the house.”

Sharing

Some kids take to sharing quickly, while others hold onto their toys like they’re the last toys on Earth. If your little one falls into the latter category, you may be able to make sharing a little less painful.

Don’t force it. When you make your kid share with others, they won’t truly learn anything because it wasn’t their decision. Start by talking to them about what they feel comfortable sharing, and then go from there.

Get a timer. If you have to, use a timer to prove to your kid that sharing doesn’t mean they lose a toy for good. Let each kid who’s playing have some time with the toy, and tell them there’s no arguing when their time is up.

Ask them to help. If you have an older child who has trouble sharing, turn it around by asking them to help you teach their younger sibling about sharing. They’ll take pride in helping and won’t think as much about giving up a toy.

Chores

Most parents can’t wait for the day that their kids are old enough to start helping with chores—if only they’d be as eager to help. Give these tricks a try, and we bet they’ll be a little more willing.

Play games. Adults don’t even like to do most chores, so you can’t really expect your kids to take to something so tedious and dull. Next time, try having fun with it— try pretending to be robots while you and your kids load the dishwasher or put clothes in the washer.

Make it challenging. Kids get bored with monotony, too, and a challenge here or there can help spice up their chore routine. See if they can do one particular chore faster, or add on another task that’s a little harder than what they normally do.

Switch things up. If you have more than one child, make sure you switch up chores so each of them have the chance to do something they might enjoy. For example, let one child help plan dinner one week, and then switch to the other child the next.

There are a lot of things we learn throughout the course of life that we hold to be true. As it turns out, despite being widely believed, a lot of these so-called facts are anything but. Here are some “facts” you were probably told over and over, and the reality behind them.

Myth: You Should Choose Fresh Over Frozen

Despite what intuition might tell you, eating what you consider to be “fresh” produce over frozen doesn’t necessarily make a difference. In fact, they’re not mutually exclusive.

According to Dariush Mozaffarian from Tufts University’s Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, “You can have something that’s fresh and processed and something that’s fresh and not processed.”

The FDA backs this up with their qualification of “fresh,” which can be found here. Sometimes, it’s the lesser of two evils, so to speak.

One instance is if the fruit you want to eat is no longer in season and you can choose between a frozen version or a version that was grown far enough away that it was “then put in a refrigerated system and then put on a ship … [and] grown four months ago,” explains chef Hugh Acheson. It seems like a pretty obvious choice at that point then, doesn’t it?

Myth: Carbs = Weight Gain

First of all, it should be noted that not all carbohydrates are the same—complex vs. simple, for instance, makes a huge difference.

According to Sian Porter, a dietitian, the word itself covers so many things that you can’t distinguish one from the other by just using the word carbohydrates. “It is the type, quality and quantity of carbohydrate in our diet that is important,” Porter explains.

In fact, Porter says that meals should ideally be centered on the starchier variety of carbohydrates; the less processed, the better it is for you. This is where the whole grain vs. white flour issue comes into play.

In case you don’t know what exactly carbohydrates are, they’re a macronutrient, which just means they make up a significant portion of our diets. Carbohydrates come in three versions: starch, fiber, and sugar. Energy, an increased risk of disease, and the amount of calories you should be consuming are all reasons that you should not think before cutting out carbohydrates, and, in fact, not cut them out at all.

Myth: Digesting Gum Is Hard on Your Body

Fooled again! Chances are that you and everyone you know have probably heard—more than once—that you should never swallow chewing gum for the sole reason that it takes a whopping seven years to fully digest.

Well, it just so happens that gum lovers have been misled all this time. In fact, it actually takes the majority of people a mere half-hour to two hours to digest their food, whichincludes the ever-mysterious gum.

According to Nancy McGreal, M.D., a gastroenterologist from Duke University, “The gum base is insoluble, just like the fiber base of raw vegetables, corn, popcorn kernels, and seeds.” Despite its qualification as an indigestible substance, you needn’t worry that inadvertently swallowing some gum will cause any significant harm, at least not to the digestive system.

You definitely don’t want to swallow it on purpose or in excess though, because it can cause some less than pleasant side effects, such as headaches.

Myth: Bathroom Doors Lead to Germs

Sure, just about every commercial promoting anything to do with cleansing or sanitizing will note how both your bathroom doorknob and kitchen counter are hotbeds for germs. This is a bit of an overreaction, to put it mildly.

According to Englewood Hospital’s chief of infectious diseases, Steven Weisholtz, M.D. , finding any and ever
y way to dodge touching your doorknobs is somewhat effective when it comes to keeping yourself healthy, but not nearly as much as you might think.

He says that “viruses can stay alive on objects for a period of hours, or even longer in moist environments,” but that’s not the only place you can find them. Just take into consideration how liable you are to catch a cold following a long trip on a crowded bus or train.

The viruses present in people’s sneezes and coughs and on their hands “become aerosolized, and you breathe them in,” says Weisholtz. This doesn’t discount the fact that you should keep your hands as clean as possible and take other precautions, such as keeping your flu shots up to date and avoiding sharing germs unnecessarily.

Myth: Wet Hair Outside Will Lead to a Cold

According to Jack Gwaltney Jr., M.D., whether or not you spend time outside with a head full of wet hair is irrelevant as to whether you’ll come away with a cold. Viruses are to blame instead.

What might come as a shock is that rhinovirus, Gwaltney says, happens to stick around during times of high humidity. “But in the mild weather, we aren’t crowded together indoors, making exposure less likely.”

Rather than washing your hands with soap and water though, it turns out that hand sanitizers are actually a better option when it comes to trying to beat rhinovirus. Sadly though, research from the University of Virginia notes that this won’t necessarily prevent you from catching it to begin with.

Ronald Turner, M.D. says, “Conversely, airborne transfer may be more important than previously recognized.” Whether that means we should start investing in masks to keep viruses at bay or just be sitting ducks is another story.

Myth: Humans Have Five Senses

Despite most of us having been led to believe that we only possess a mere five senses—sight, smell, touch, hearing, and taste—that isn’t necessarily the case, according to neurologists, as well as some Harvard Medical School researchers.

In fact, plenty acknowledge that we might have more senses than we’ve even considered.

Have you ever heard of something called equilibrioception or maybe proprioception? No, they aren’t sequels to Inception, but the “sense” of balance and “the awareness of where your body parts are,” respectively.

In fact, these other “senses” all seem to be things we take for granted, but abilities of our bodies that we do become aware of once we really break them down, one by one. Another one which actually seems pretty obvious when you think about it, is that of our ability to distinguish between cold and hot temperatures, which is known as Thermoception.

Myth: We Only Use 10 Percent of Our Brains

Though it’s a common belief that we humans use a mere 10 percent of our brain at any given time, back in 2007, doctors Aaron E. Carroll and Rachel C. Vreeman of the Indiana University School of Medicine decided they don’t agree.

Though this is just one of numerous myths that doctors in general have taken to heart, Dr. Carroll and Dr. Vreeman studied myths “which either aren’t true or lack scientific evidence to support them.”

It turns out that people have believed this particular one since at least 1907, if not earlier, though references, the doctors found, were “often repeated by people advocating the power of self-improvement.” (Think along the lines of The Secret.)

On the contrary though, evidence showed Carroll and Vreeman that humans use significantly more than the measly 10 percent we’re told about. They wrote, “‘Numerous types of brain imaging studies show that no area of the brain is completely silent or inactive.”

Myth: Everyone Should Drink Eight Glasses a Day

Another shocking myth Carroll and Vreeman researched was the theory that you should be sure to drink a minimum of 64 ounces—or eight glasses—of water each and every day.

They weren’t able to locate any scientific evidence, despite the fact that the media, health professionals, and workout fiends continually promote it.

The culprit, it seems, could very well be an article from 1945, in which it was said “that a ‘suitable allowance’ of water for adults is 2.5 liters a day, although the last sentence noted that much of it is already contained in the food we eat.”

Well that sounds like a bit more than an oversight, doesn’t it? In fact, the doctors made it clear that there are studies which have focused more on how much fluid we should be having, as opposed to how much water exclusively.

Being a parent is hard. Fortunately, the internet is full of hacks and tips that can help parents deal with all the craziness. Some of them save time, others save space, and some could even save a life!

1. Safety Bracelet

Losing a child is a terrifying and very real possibility for every parent.

2. Pool Noodles for Bedtime Security

Worried that your child will roll off the bed? Put a pool noodle beneath the fitted sheets to prevent that from happening.

3. DIY Slipper Grips

Apply hot glue dots to the bottom of your child’s slippers or socks to keep them from falling on slippery floors.

4. Toilet Paper Guide

Worried your kids are using way too much toilet paper? Leave a marker on the wall for them to measure.

5. Shoe Stickers

Are your kids having a hard time deciphering which shoe goes on which foot? Cut a sticker in half and put each section in one of your kid’s shoes.

6. Lint Roller for Glitter

Kids love glitter, but it can be an absolute nightmare to clean up. Many times, it can be almost impossible. But it turns out, running a lint roller over the affected area will pick most of it up.

7. Lock-Safe Rubber Bands

Worried your kids will get themselves locked in a room?

8. Fitted Sheet Awning

Want to take your kid outside but worried about sunlight and bugs?

9. Just Enough Lotion

Keep the kids from using too much lotion or soap by wrapping a rubber band around the pump.

10. Clean Pacifiers

Keeping pacifiers clean can be a constant struggle.

11. Sink Helper

For little ones who have trouble reaching the sink, use an empty lotion bottle to create an easy-to-reach spout.

12. Monster Spray

If your child is afraid to go to sleep because of “monsters,” make them a special spray to help them fight those evil guys! It will make them feel much safer and help them sleep at night!

13. No-Mess Straws

Worried your kids will make a mess with their straws?

14. Babysitter Info

Finding a babysitter is difficult enough, not to mention having to relay the same information over and over. Use a template like this and just fill it out accordingly, the babysitter will thank you!

15. Pool Noodles…Again

Use a bit of pool noodle to keep kids from slamming their fingers in the door.

16. Tooth Fairy Fun

Add a little “fairy dust” to the money hidden under your child’s pillow to make the tooth fairy extra magical.

17. Kid-Friendly Hammock

Help your child relax by creating a small hammock with just a table and a blanket!

18. Folded Shoulders

This one isn’t even a hack. In fact, you should already know it.

19. Juice Box Helper

Those little triangles on the juice boxes actually serve a purpose…they are to make it easier for little kids to lift.

20. Diaper Wetness

You can actually tell if your child’s diaper is wet without opening their diaper.

21. Toilet Target

If your little man has trouble keeping it in the pot, try giving him something to aim for!

22. Untangle a doll’s hair.

Fill a small bottle with 2 tablespoons of fabric softener and water to detangle doll hair.

23. Cool off hot seatbelts.

In the summertime, seatbelts can get red hot and potentially burn your little ones. Keep a spray bottle handy to cool off the buckles.

24. No-mess Creativity

Let your baby create beautiful (clean) designs by adding dollops of paint to ziplock bags.

25. No More Brown Apples

Apple slices make a delicious snack but if they’re not eaten immediately, they tend to get brown.

26. Remove crayon with WD-40.

If your little Picasso gets creative on on the walls or floor, spray some WD-40 on the marks and wipe with a clean rag.

27. Keep kids close.

To prevent your kids from wandering off in the parking lot, invest in a couple of Parking Pal magnets to make safety fun.

28. No-Drip Snacks

To prevent sticky fingers, put a cupcake liner on a popsicle stick to keep it from dripping.

29. Crayons to Go

Don’t get stuck at a restaurant or doctor’s office without an activity for your child.

30. Handy Ice Pack

Use a frozen sponge in a ziplock bag as a makeshift icepack for lunches or boo-boos.

The first few months aren’t easy for parents of preterm babies.

When babies are born before 37 weeks gestation, they face a number of challenges before they even leave the hospital. Respiratory issues are common, so doctors often monitor preterm births for weeks, and while many premature babies grow up without any lasting health effects, their parents face an emotionally draining experience.
The challenges don’t end when the baby comes home. Premature babies are typically very small, and finding appropriate products for infant care can be difficult. Fortunately, several companies are trying to change that.

Recently, Huggies introduced a line of extra-small diapers designed for preemies.

Called the “Huggies Little Snugglers Nano Preemie Diapers,” they’re specially designed for newborns weighing two pounds or less. The new diapers are part of a program called No Baby Unhugged, and they feature a special design with an extra-soft liner to protect premature babies’ sensitive skin from irritation.

No Baby Unhugged also provides grants for volunteers at hospitals across Canada.

The name is literal; volunteers hold and hug babies shortly after birth, giving them a human touch when their moms can’t be there.
Human touch is incredibly important for infants and can even affect development. Scientists believe that this is because touch (especially hugs) calm babies, allowing them to sleep and fostering brain development. While some hospitals have made efforts to create artificial machines to comfort babies in the same manner, no technology seems to compare to the touch of an actual human.

The Huggies program recognizes some of the challenges that premature babies face.

Of course, the new diapers also address the needs of a large audience. In the United States alone, about 15 million premature babies are born every year, according to data from the World Health Organization.

One of Huggies’ competitors introduced a similar product in late 2016.

Pampers’ Swaddlers Preemie diapers are a size P-3, small enough for babies weighing only one pound. That product also packs in a number of advanced features, some of which are fairly groundbreaking.
The brand claims to have invested in 10,000 hours of research, which resulted in a “narrow core” design that helps with sleeping and positioning. The idea is to allow the baby’s hips to rest naturally, rather than forcing them apart, as is common with larger diapers.
The Huggies design also includes an umbilical cord cutout, which allows the baby’s belly button to heal, and an absorbent liner.

The diapers are marketed directly to hospitals, and much of the marketing language targets nurses.

They’re potentially beneficial for positioning babies during routine medical care, according to both Huggies and Pampers.
However, the diapers are also available commercially; at time of writing, a 30-pack of Huggies Little Snugglers Preemie diapers retailed for about $7.

In recent years, several companies have introduced car seats made specifically for preemies.

High-end preemie car seats can range up to $300, but there are plenty of perfectly functional models available for under $100.

No matter what size your baby is, car seat straps should sit at or just below your infant’s shoulders when they are rear-facing.

A preterm infant will be smaller than average, so most car seats provide inadequate protection. They can also be uncomfortable.

Every parent of a preterm infant has heard about kangaroo care.

It’s the practice of maintaining skin-to-skin contact with your baby, as constantly as possible. Some moms even figure out ways to keep their babies snuggled against their skin 24 hours a day!

This stretchy length of soft fabric binds a preterm infant tightly to the caregiver’s body.

It’s thin enough to provide a feather-light touch, but tough enough to keep babies tightly bound to their adult caregivers.

Of course, most of us simply can’t maintain kangaroo care 24/7.

For those moments when you have to put your baby down, only one thing can keep them feeling safe and warm. Swaddling blankets wrap a baby tightly, giving them a sense of womb-like comfort.

As your baby grows, you’ll want to upgrade your swaddling blanket.

These products are available in a variety of sizes to fit your baby like a glove. If you can’t hold your infant against your own skin, a swaddling blanket is the next best thing.

When you give birth to a preemie, you can’t just use any old bottle nipple.

Preterm babies have much smaller mouths than your typical newborn. Choose a baby bottle nipple that’s designed for an infant with low birth weight. These are softer, smaller, and easier to pull on than other designs.
Preemie nipples also let less air into your hungry baby’s stomach. That helps to prevent gas and acid reflux, which are woefully common among preterm babies.

No matter what sort of bottles and nipples you get, make sure they’re all free of the chemical bisphenol A, usually known as BPA.

For years, manufacturers used BPA in plastic products like baby bottles. When studies showed a link between BPA and certain problems in the endocrine system, though, many manufacturers discontinued use of the chemical.

When it’s time to give your preemie a bath, not just any bath tub will do.

You need a tub that’s soft enough to avoid irritating your baby’s delicate skin. Easy clean-up sure doesn’t hurt, either.

When the bath is over, simply dump the bathwater down the sink and hang your Puj Tub up to dry.

It never grows mold or mildew, and its flat-hanging design means you can store it just about anywhere.

Your doctor has given you a prescription. Now, you’re at the pharmacy.

You’re told that you can choose between the name-brand medication and its generic equivalent. If you’ve got insurance, there’s only a small price difference; if you don’t have insurance, the prices are a bit farther apart.
How much farther apart, exactly? The FDA says that, on average, generic drugs are 80 to 85 percent less expensive than their name-brand counterparts. Viagra, one of the most popular name-brand drugs, costs about $25 per 50-milligram tablet. Sildenafil, a generic alternative, costs less than $4 per 20-milligram tablet (recommended dosages vary between the two medications).

Contrary to popular belief, generic drugs don’t use different active ingredients.

The FDA requires generic medications to have the same active ingredients, strength, route of administration, and dosage as name-brand medicines. While the administration allows some small variances in purity, these are carefully controlled.
Generic drug manufacturers are allowed to have different inactive ingredients. Of course, inactive ingredients are just that—inactive. They are only present to hold the medication together while it does its job.

There is one important caveat to consider.

While the FDA requires drugs to be “biologically equivalent,” it allows some room for interpretation. The agency has a “bioequivalence range” of 80 to 125 percent.
Does this mean that generic drugs meet FDA requirements if they’re only 80 percent as effective as the alternatives? No, not quite. As the FDA says on its website, “There will always be a slight, but not medically important, level of natural variability—just as there is for one batch of brand name drug compared to the next batch of brand name product.”
In theory, generic drugs could be more than 80 percent dissimilar, but they would still have to contain the same active ingredients and present the same results in patients. Thanks to rigorous monitoring from the FDA, ineffective drugs don’t make it to market. Some generics may even work better than branded drugs for some patients.
Still, that’s what the FDA says. What about what patients say?

Some patients claim that name-brand drugs are more effective, but the science doesn’t back that up.

Numerous studies show that generic drugs are just as effective as branded drugs. A survey of 2,070 studies from 1996 to 2007 showed an average difference in absorption of less than 3.5 percent.
This wasn’t always in favor of branded drugs, as some generics were absorbed more readily. However, the small degree of difference is what’s most important; the FDA notes that the differences “would be expected and acceptable, whether for one batch of brand-name drug tested against another batch of the same brand, or for a generic tested against a name-brand drug.”

So, why do some patients claim that certain branded drugs are more effective?

In some cases, they are more effective—for those patients, anyway. The minor differences in inactive ingredients might prompt a significant metabolic change for the individual. Once again, this is highly unlikely, but it does occur on occasion.
Even so, the more likely answer is the placebo effect. Changing from a purple pill to a dull blue pill could convince some patients that they’re getting a less effective drug. Doctors are often careful to point out the identical active ingredients, but even so, the placebo effect is a powerful thing.

Even if your insurance makes the price difference negligible, there’s a reason to go generic.

Let’s assume that your insurance provider covers most of the cost of your prescription. In fact, we’ll even assume that you’d pay the same co-pay, regardless of whether your drug is generic or brand name.
Generally, you should still choose generic. You’re only seeing part of the price, and the rest of the expense is passed on to your insurance provider. If you receive medicine at a hospital, the hospital may also cover some of the cost. In either case, you’re helping to drive up the cost of health care, and your insurance provider will likely pass on the expense to other customers.
This is part of the reason that insurance premiums have soared over the past several decades. Of course, that doesn’t make you a bad person if you opt for brand-name prescriptions, but remember: They contain the exact same active ingredients.

The bad news: some drugs don’t have generic alternatives, mainly due to patent protections.

Patents protect drugs for 20 years, and they’re awarded to the original drug manufacturer. They protect against generics that offer the same mechanism of action, and brand-name manufacturers can essentially charge whatever they’d like.
Because drugs take a tremendous amount of money to develop, drug companies keep their prices high, and generic manufacturers are forced to sit on the sidelines waiting for their turn to sell drugs to consumers. The tradeoff is that generic drugs can drastically undercut their competitors when they finally make it to the market.
You can find out whether your prescription drug has an approved generic alternative by checking out the Orange Book, which is maintained by the FDA.
There are also downloadable apps on the Apple App Store and on the Google Play store, although the simplest course of action is to simply ask your pharmacist.

Ultimately, you should talk to your doctor before switching from any medication.

Generic drugs are less expensive, and purchasing them can help to drive down costs in health care. If you’re picking up a new medication and you’ve got a choice, they’re almost always a smarter purchase. The FDA agrees, even if some pharmaceutical companies disagree.
But there’s one thing that doctors, drug manufacturers, and the FDA all agree on: Don’t trust the internet as your sole source of medical information. While generic drugs are usually a much better choice, your physician and pharmacist can help you determine whether you should switch medications.

The Hack: Keep your unused batteries in the refrigerator. They’ll last longer that way!

The Flaw: First of all, it’s just bunk science. If anything, cold temperatures will actually damage your batteries. The cold air can cause condensation to form on contacts, which leads to corrosion, which leads to a ruined, leaky battery. Next to your food.

The Hack: Fill an old ketchup bottle with pancake batter to pour perfect flapjacks every time!

The Flaw: First of all, there’s the intense scrubbing you’ll have to give these bottles to keep your pancakes from tasting like ketchup. Then there’s the fact that you have to somehow get your pancake batter through the quarter-sized mouth of the ketchup bottle, which always ends in a horrible mess. We’ll pass, thanks.

The Hack: Put your toaster on its side to make a great, effortless grilled-cheese sandwich.

The Flaw: Two words: fire hazard. A 66-year-old woman named Suzanne Dale recently figured this one out the hard way. She tried the grilled-cheese life hack and her toaster burst into flames. What about oily cheese and enclosed heating elements aren’t people getting?

The Hack: Drill a few holes in the bottom of your kitchen trash can to prevent the suction that makes it hard to pull out the bag.

The Flaw: Garbage water is the flaw, and it’s the flaw to end all flaws. Picture a reeking stream of filth flowing through your kitchen, then reconsider this “life hack.”

The Hack: Use a bunch of tension rods to make a DIY baby gate!

The Flaw: First of all, who has that many tension rods lying around? The whole point of a “life hack” is that you don’t have to go buy a bunch of products designed to make your life more convenient. Secondly, babies are often stronger than a tension rod’s hold. Watch what happens when little Joey uses one of those things to practice his standing. Just make sure you have your ear plugs in, because that kid is going to scream.

The Hack: Throw a cup of water into the microwave when you heat up day-old pizza. It will make the crust crisper!

The Flaw: In a word, science. The argument behind this hack is that the cup of water will somehow absorb moist air, leaving only “dry” air to heat your pizza. Neither physics nor microwaves work like that.

The Hack: Use an old CD spindle to store your lunch bagel.

The Flaw: CD spindles aren’t air tight. Save a bagel sandwich for lunch in one of those, and it’ll be stale by noon. Besides, bagel holes are inconsistent. There’s no guarantee you’ll even be able to fit your chosen bagel around that plastic spindle.

The Hack: If you get stung by a jellyfish, pee on the wound for quick relief.

The Flaw: First of all, gross. Secondly, jellyfish stings deposit angry little venom-delivery structures called nematocysts into your skin. When the salt concentration surrounding the nematocysts changes, they release even more venom. Is the salt content of your pee always identical to that of ocean water? Nope.

The Hack: Lay a wooden spoon across the top of pot to prevent water from boiling over.

The Flaw: Proponents of this patently false life hack (we’ve tried it; doesn’t work) say that the spoon pops bubbles on the surface of the water before they can spread. That might work if bubbles only formed in a straight line beneath the spoon, but unfortunately, they rise up all over the surface of the boiling water.

The Hack: Fill your stinky shoes with tea bags to get rid of the odor.

The Flaw: Tea bags aren’t any better at absorbing the bacteria that cause foul smells than a handful of fallen leaves. Plus, jeez, what a waste of perfectly good tea.

The Hack: Boost the volume on your keyboard speakers with a plastic cup cut in half!

The Flaw: For this to work, you would have to reflect sound waves outwards, toward your ears. Half of a plastic cup will actually just send the volume straight back down into your computer. If anything, the sound will end up a bit more muffled.

The Hack: Serve condiments in a muffin tin at your next barbecue. It’s clean, organized, and easy to wash later!

The Flaw: If you’ve ever seen a spoon-based condiment station, you know that it always leaves a mess. Besides, there’s a much easier way to limit post-barbecue dishwashing duty.

The Hack: The slot on your pot handle doubles as a holder for your cooking spoon!

The Flaw: Wooden spoons come in a wide variety of designs, so there’s no guarantee that yours will fit into the slot on your pot handle. Those slots are there so you can hang up your cookware, not to hold your utensils.

The Hack: Cut up to 10 cherry tomatoes at once by sandwiching them between two Tupperware lids.

The Flaw: Where to start? First of all, your knife will have to be sharpened to a monomolecular edge to keep from pushing the tomatoes around while you “slice.” Secondly, cherry tomatoes come in all shapes and sizes, and leaving your cuts sloppy and uneven. Finally, it’s not much faster than simply slicing each tomato individually.

The Hack: Store your towels on a wine rack. Who doesn’t have a spare wine rack laying around?

The Flaw: If you are a wine-rack-owner, you probably use it to store wine. If you own more than one wine-rack, you can probably also afford a towel rack. So, you know.

The Hack: Use a shoe organizer to organize cleaning supplies! Or packaged foods! Or anything besides shoes!

The Flaw: To be fair, maybe this is our flaw, not the hack’s, but we had never heard of a “shoe organizer” before the internet came up with umpteen million ways to use them. Who’s hoarding all these shoe organizers?