Last week, while my SUV was in the shop, I headed down to the car rental agency to pick up my mid-sized coupe.

There seems to be a relatively new problem, with a unique theme, in my household: a Yo Gabba! Gabba! craze. It started about a year ago when our 1-year-old discovered television. This was primarily a result of my wife and I looking for ways to sooth her when she was upset or not feeling well.

Perhaps this was an error in judgment. We are well aware that television is not recommended for the under-2 crowd. But when a child is sick and despondent and the whole family is exhausted and miserable, then you just try to make things as comfortable as possible.

I’m not crafty. I wish I was, but I’m not.

Our pediatrician is a master at prepping parents for the year ahead. So after hearing what he had to say about 4-year-olds, I am bracing myself.

Kids this age are independent, willful, determined and dogged. All of these would be qualities I’d prize highly … if they weren’t already being employed in getting a cupcake for breakfast or two more games on the Wii or an extension on bedtime.

We love to interact with our readers on Facebook. If you're not a follower on our Facebook page yet, now is a great time to join us. We periodically conduct giveaways to great St. Louis family attractions directly from our Facebook page, and this week, we're giving away four tickets to see Nick's Storytime LIVE at the Fox Theatre on July 16. You can view and like our Facebook page here.

This week's contest is called BRING IT. The Facebook friend that brings the highest number of followers to our page by Friday at 3 p.m. wins the tickets. It's that simple. And they're great seats!

In previous Facebook contests, we've given away tickets to Cardinals games, kids CDs, and more.

I’ve been hearing a lot of buzz about sunscreens among my friends. Turns out some contain ingredients that may disrupt the way hormones work in our bodies or actually do more harm than good when it comes to skin cancer.

With all the unknowns around increasing rates of everything from autism to type 2 diabetes in kids, a lot of parents are nervous about everything that goes onto and into their children. A few years ago, I was hearing similar “what-if” stories from the eco-parent types who were avoiding plastic drinking cups and bottles due to concerns about bisphenol A (which the government’s National Toxicology Program puts in the “some concern” category for developmental toxicity). Back when they first started talking about BPA, few of us knew what it was – and now, of course, BPA is pretty much a household term among families with infants and toddlers.  I suspect things could go the same way for oxybenzone in sunscreens.