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The world of sleep changed for SuperBoy as soon as he could crawl, sit up by himself, and (eeeek) stand up in his crib. So at 9 months we faced teething-related night waking, sitting-up-crying while-asleep, and many sleepless nights. A few thoughts on toddler night sleep problems & potential solutions. 1) Be forgiving. To yourself, for moments of frustration, and to your baby, for his inability to express what’s preventing sleep. Be realistic that no solution is a one-size fits all. Be realistic that your own child may respond differently to the same night parenting technique. Be realistic that anyone who says their child sleeps perfectly is probably deluding themselves or embarrassed to admit to normalcy. 2) Reasons for awakening. Try process of elimination: a)…
READ MOREThe short list. If you aren’t a big reader, but want the basic coverage: 1) Labor & Delivery. a) The Big Book of Birth, Erica Lyon; (an overview of labor and delivery options) b) The Birth Partner, Penny Simkin; (preparing your partner) and c) Husband-Coached Childbirth, Dr. Bradley (partner as coach). 2) From birth onward. a) The Baby Book, Dr. Sears; (the Bible of babycare) and b) HappyBaby: the Organic Guide to Baby’s First 24 Months, Dr. Bob Sears (scientific specifics about “green” babycare). _____________________________________________________________ The long list, which includes all of the above, offers greater depth on various subjects: 3) Pregnancy and Prenatal Care. a) Pregnancy, Childbirth, and the Newborn, Penny Simkin et al; b) Mayo Clinic’s Complete Book of Pregnancy and Baby’s First Year, The Mayo Docs; and c) Healthy Eating for Pregnancy, Amanda Grant. 4) Natural Childbirth, Educated Decisions on Medical Interventions. a) Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth, Ina May…
READ MORETo many parents of a newborn boy circumcision seems like the thing to do (aside from religiously motivated parents). Why? Oh, because . . . it’s more hygienic (not true), it’s more common among little boys (not necessarily true), everyone else did it in the family (is this ever a valid reason?). Up until the week prior to J’s birth, we were set on circumcising him. Not for religious reasons, but for most of the other reasons parents come up with. It’s easier to clean, we don’t want him made fun of in the locker room, etc. Our doula suggested that we do a little reading and thinking about the reasons against circumcision. We begrudgingly did so. To our surprise, we discovered a whole lot…
READ MOREYou don’t die from pain in childbirth; you die from hemorrhaging. After much consideration, reading, consulting with other parents, and thought on the subject, my husband and I were determined to shoot for a natural labor. Were we crazy? Maybe. Did it work out? Yes. Would we go through it again without medical intervention or pain meds, in particular the beloved epideral? YES. This page is based on my experience. Unexpected things happen in labor and this is no criticism of mothers who do not end up going “med-free.” Rather, it’s an encouragement for all mothers to TRY to go “med-free.” 1) Why unmedicated? I thought you got pregnant, got bigger over 9 months, and then went to the hospital to delivery the baby. I…
READ MOREPhoto credits: Emily Rumsey Photography The world of cloth diapering is overwhelming! So many options and brands. Diapers are kinda like jeans–what fits you perfectly might not fit your sister. For all three of our kids, my elder two pictured above at various stages, we (have) or (do) use prefolds, as stated. However, we’ve purchased many other, newer, more exciting, more new-agey options that I’ll discuss here. They’ve worked on different occasions, and to varying degrees of satisfaction. 1) Prefolds. Got a good look? That’s not your grandma’s diaper pin. It’s a Snappi. Love ’em. a) Pros: easy to wash, fits any shape/size/thigh/bum, and inexpensive. b) Cons: takes 8-10 seconds to put on, unlike a fitted. Not many cons in my mind. 2) Covers. We use Babeegreens wool…
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