If you have a child who suffers from wheat, dairy, and egg allergies, Halloween can be an especially tough time. Here's a delicious, special Halloween treat that you can whip up for your child without wheat, butter, and milk. Pumpkin, chocolate chips, and cinnamon glaze come together for the perfect Halloween combination that will satisfy any sweet tooth.

Use fun, Halloween-colored cupcake liners to make the treat extra festive. If your kid doesn't like chocolate or cinnamon, no problem. This recipe is equally delicious as a pumpkin cupcake with vanilla glaze!

See recipe for pumpkin chocolate chip cupcakes.

Looking for a beautiful table decoration for Thanksgiving or a treat our kids can enjoy? Make these leaf cutout cookies, dipped in a marbled royal icing, which not only taste yummy but also look beautiful adorning a holiday table. The cookies are semisweet, flaky, and buttery like a shortbread. I used vegetable-based food coloring for the icing, and the colors still came out vividly. Royal icing dries hard and shiny, so these cookies won't stain the faces and hands of your kids as they gobble them up.

Get the original recipe here.

While some older siblings might be thrilled by the news of your pregnancy, children often will react negatively. Some might even break down into tears, like in this sad but relatable home video of a mom's pregnancy announcement.

The news of a new sibling can be devastating to a child, because it means that he might receive less of your time and attention and will have to share his toys and your affection. Especially if you are already dividing your time between two or more siblings, the arrival of another baby can be threatening. To help prepare your child (or children) for a new sibling, here are a few steps to take while you are still pregnant.

1. Nurture children during the grieving period: News of the new arrival might be the greatest heartbreak of your child's little life thus far. Take the time to hold and comfort them, which will help them feel secure and less apprehensive about splitting your attention with the baby. Reassure them that you love them, that you recognize they are sad, and that you are here when they need attention and affection.
2. Set aside some daily alone time: Every child needs a little special attention from mom and dad, even if it's breakfast in the morning, a special note in the lunch box, or a book to read in bed. Kids tend to misbehave when they don't feel recognized or listened to, so it's important to make an effort to give them some undivided attention every day.
3. Make your child feel like a hero: Repeatedly tell your child how important his role as an older sibling will be. Talk about his unique qualities and contributions to the family, whether it's his exuberant storytelling, willingness to help out, or great listening skills.

Check out four more ways to prep for baby.

Celebrities like Beyoncé, Mariah Carey, Hilary Duff, and Alicia Keys (clockwise from top left) have tweeted or posted photos of their babies' hands and feet. It's an adorable way to share something precious and personal with your friends, family, and followers, especially if you haven't published photos of your lil one's face yet. Here are a few tips on getting a great shot of those tiny feet and hands to share on social media.

• Photograph in natural lighting: Flash photographs are usually too harsh for hands and feet photos. Opt to take the photos during the day, using natural lighting.
• Adjust the focal point: The most recent phone cameras, like the iPhone 4S, enable you to focus on one subject while blurring the background. This is a simple trick to give your photo composition and added interest. On your phone, before you take the photo, tap and hold the area of focus on your screen, wait for the lens to readjust, then snap the photo.
• Add mom or dad's hands: To give viewers some perspective as to just how tiny your tot's fingers and toes are, bring mom or dad's hands in the photo.
• Insert funny captions: Sweeten up the photo by ad-libbing your baby's gesture or teasing the moment you just captured.
• Play with Instagram filters: Experiment with all of Instagram's features. The app enables you to edit a picture's focal point, add borders, and give your photo a vintage, timeless look.

Source: Life + Times, Twitter User MariahCarey, Instagram User hilaryduff, and Twitter User aliciakeys

Cooking with your kids can teach them all kinds of lessons, from timing and measuring skills to cutting and cooking techniques, and it gives them a greater appreciation for the food that is served at the table. As an added bonus, kids are usually more willing to try new and healthier foods if they are part of the cooking process. These seven websites inspire kids of all ages to cook with mom or dad, so check them out, try a recipe together, and let us know which site is your family's favorite resource.

1. Fit For a Feast is designed to teach kids how prepare delicious, kid-friendly recipes with safety and precaution. The website offers instructional food videos with colorful graphics, nutritional info for kids, knife safety tips, and advice on how to prep and store food.
2. Cooking With My Kid is a photo-filled site with nutritious snack and meal ideas that you can prepare together as a family. Simple and totally enjoyable, this guide offers step-by-step instructions for recipes like giant chocolate-covered raisins and sweet potato and lentil stew.
3. Hey Kids, Let's Cook includes instructional videos for multicultural, kid-friendly cuisine, especially good if you are unsure about how to get your kids involved in the kitchen. The host Kathy clearly demonstrates engaging, fun techniques for her kid cooking assistants, like using a melon baller to create beautiful shapes in a fruit salad. The video section also includes mini table-etiquette tips, taught by one of the kid cooks.

Click here for more kid recipe sites.

Picky, picky, picky! Any parent that's ever dealt with a picky eater knows how frustrating it can be. It's a constant battle to force the kids to finish the broccoli on the plate or even eat a few bites of the meal mama preciously prepared. Marta De Wulf, a nutritionist, mother, and cofounder of a nutrition iPad app for parents and kids called Smash Your Food ($3), offers up these tried-and-true tips to help parents learn more about their children's food preferences so the food wars can end once and for all.

• Stop the name-calling: Avoid labeling or calling your child as a "picky eater." It only gives your child permission to push food away. Instead teach them discernment or discuss why they choose a particular food over another, which is a healthy behavior.
• Start a conversation: Children are very sensorial and they often judge what they see first. Introduce new foods (or foods your child has previously rejected) and have a conversation about it. Start by saying to your child, "I don't mind if you like this or not, what I want to know is what do you see? Describe it to me? Do you like or dislike the color? Smell? Texture?"

Keep reading to see more about Marta's tasting method.

• Skills at which stay-at-home moms truly excel — The Stir
• Celebrity parents attend Golden Globes — Celebrity Baby Scoop
• January Jones: Life with Xander is "getting really fun" — Celebrity Baby Blog
• Tell me what to eat — FitPregnancy
• Famous people with ADHD — Parenting
• Katherine Heigl always knew she was going to adopt — The Bump
• Why dumb down Winnie the Pooh? — Momformation
• 5 toys your kids won't forget about in a week — TLC
• 12-year-old girl catches burglar through webcam — Yahoo! Shine

Source: Flickr User DaveBleasdale

Between afternoon pickup, after-school activities, and homework, it's hard to pull together an interesting, delicious dinner that both you and the kids will enjoy. Slow cookers are making a comeback, and they are a great investment to make. Chop up all the ingredients in the morning and let the cooker do its magic while you take care of your busy schedule. Here are a few essential recipes (beyond the usual stews) that you should try out in a slow cooker.

• BBQ meat: Especially great on the weekends, slow cook chicken, beef, or pork to throw on sandwiches. Try BBQ pork for sandwiches, which has only three ingredients and takes just 15 minutes to prepare.
• Lasagna: All types of lasagna can be made in a slow cooker: beef, cheese, or spinach. For a Mexican twist, try crockpot Mexican tortilla lasagna.
• Mac and cheese: The ultimate kids' favorite can be made in a slow cooker. The result is a super cheesy, creamy variety that will put the blue box stuff to shame. Paula Deen makes a crockpot macaroni and cheese that uses cheddar cheese soup in the sauce.

See more slow-cooker recipes.

Kids tend to make toys out of the most amazing and unconventional items. One man's trash, is another kid's toy, so don't be so quick to throw out your empty boxes and containers these days. Box Play For Kids created a line of 100 percent recycled stickers ($4-$12) to fit over milk cartons, toilet paper rolls, and egg cartons, so lil ones can bring new life to what otherwise would be thrown away. Make bracelets or army binoculars out of toilet paper rolls. An old box can turn into a sushi bento box or a turntable. Like Rolobox — the wheels that convert empty cardboard boxes into vehicles — through an afternoon of play, these stickers subtly teach tots that recycling can mean more than placing garbage in a blue bin in the garage.

• Loving the husband more than the kids is key to a good life — The Stir
• Jessica Simpson: "I'll be delivering in these heels!" — Celebrity Baby Scoop
• Smucker's recalls peanut butter, possible salmonella — Parenting
• Learning to cook helps kids learn way more — Huffington Post Parents
• Hugh Jackman faces tough critic in daughter Ava — Celebrity Baby Blog
• A bump in the road: how to treat emotional illnesses when pregnant — FitPregnancy
• Family dinner secrets from star chefs – Health
• Tips for traveling while pregnant — Momformation
• Are you ready for the Twilight birth scene? — The Bump
• Mom and dad need a secret code when kids get sick — TLC
• 6 Thanksgiving table setting ideas for the kids' table — Child Mode