BREASTFEEDING
9 Places Every Breastfeeding Mom Should Try Pumping
You have possibly read articles on suggested places to publicly breastfeed, but what about pumping? It’s pretty common to need to pump milk when away from your baby, and it is most likely that if you are away from baby, you are not in the comfort and privacy of your own home. Sure, you may not have a crying baby demanding food, but the need to pump is critical for many reasons. It affects your own comfort and health; it gives you milk storage for future uses; it helps keep your supply maintained at a normal level. Check this list for some suggested places to pump. [Read more here.]
Why This Bride Was Proud To Breastfeed Her Son At Her Wedding
Most brides-to-be have some ideas about their dream dress: lace or beading, strapless or sleeves, full or fitted. Anecia Wright was no exception, but one of the features she was looking for was unique to most other brides: she wanted it to be breastfeeding friendly.
“The day I chose my wedding dress I instantly fell in love with myself in the mirror,” she told The Huffington Post. “My mom kept asking me, ‘Is this your dress?’ I said, ‘Hold on.’ I went into the dressing room and I tested the dress out to make sure my breast would be easily accessible and it wasn’t until that moment when I knew I found my dress!”
The mom of 4-month old Jayce nursed in gown and all just shortly before her wedding ceremony began. [Read full story here.]
PREGNANCY
Pregnancy Isn’t Always Pretty
Little girls often admire pregnant mothers and moms of newborns. They will claim to want many babies of their own some day. Somehow the magical and perfect picture of pregnancy created in children lasts into adulthood so much so that even amidst experiencing the truly hard parts, moms tend to paint a perfectly pretty picture. Is there a fear you are the only one having some struggles in pregnancy? If so, this mom gets real about it and encourages other moms to do the same.
“Of course the “idea” of pregnancy is amazing. Downright miraculous. You’re creating a life inside of you and that is nothing to scoff at or take for granted. But ladies, c’mon, cut the shit. We ALL know there’s a dark side, and I’m not just referring to your areolas.”
Rachel Sobel lists nine “real” aspects of pregnancy many mothers choose not to talk about. [Read more here.]
10 Tips for Handling Visitors After Birth
You tend to be the superstar in the spotlight during pregnancy, but the moment your baby arrives, the lead is handed off. Everyone is all about baby. In some cases, a mom loves the visitors and company and is not bothered or stressed out by it. In fact, some moms enjoy having another come take care and cuddle baby while she goes about doing things she seems to never have time for any more. In other cases, a mom needs and wants things to run a certain way and visitors can be stressful if they are not aiding in the flow of life as a new mom. If that sounds more like you, this list of tips should help. [Read more here.]
MOTHERHOOD
37 Things Motherhood Demands We Do One-Handed
You gain a lot in motherhood, but you lose certain things too. Sleep is one of those things… one of your hands is another.
“As a newborn, they sleep in your arms and that hand gently holds them in place. They sleep a lot (in the day). Then they get a little bigger. Holding a toddler is trickier. They don’t keep still. Ever. You’re constantly trying to keep said toddler from doing something completely destructive like create a mural made of crayon on your dining room wall.”
You adapt, though, and figure out how to live life with a single hand. Drinking things and eating certain foods–no problem. Other things prove to be more challenging, though… Like putting on your shoes or opening a milk carton. [Read more here.]
The Best Ways to Build Strong Early Reading Skills
Read to your child. Every parent is encouraged to expose their child to books and reading even in their infancy, but what are the best ways to actually help your child become a good reader himself?
“A number of adults mistakenly assume that drill and practice techniques or memorization are the most effective ways for their young child to learn to read. Alphabet puzzles, flashcards and leveled readers are introduced and rehearsed as though children are computers that can be fed bits of information that the brain will synthesize and spit out as reading ability.”
INFANTS
7 thoughts every parent has while trapped by a sleeping baby
If you are a non-parent and you have ever judged a selfie someone takes with their sleeping baby, you were in the wrong. It is likely that parent did not want to be taking that selfie–there were a hundred other things she knew she needed to be doing. But every parent finds themselves in the situation of being trapped with a sleeping baby, terrified to make a wrong move and ruin the peaceful slumber you worked so hard to achieve.
If you have a poor napper or high-needs baby, naps do not always come easy, so when they do you hold that little bundle as these seven things tend to cross your mind. [Read more here.]
WARNING: Your Baby’s Sophie the Giraffe Toy Might Be Full of Mold
Sophie just might be the most popular giraffe of all time. The baby teething toy is always a top recommendation to mothers and found on most gift registries. It’s not often you see Sophie receiving bad P.R. but this past week was definitely one of those times.
“I decided to cut into Sophie out of curiosity and discovered a science experiment living inside,” Chianese told Goodhousekeeping.com. “Smelly, ugly mold living in my infant’s favorite chew toy!” [Read more here.]
TODDLERS
5 Ways to Cut Sugar from Your Kid’s Breakfast
There aren’t many cases where a parents wants to pour sugar into their child, especially first thing in the morning. However, typical morning breakfast options have made sugary foods some of the most readily available options for kids breakfasts.
“Kids get about 11 grams of sugar for breakfast each morning, according to a new survey by Public Health England of parents with children ages 4-10. That’s nearly three teaspoons of sugar—about half of the recommended limit of sugar for the entire day! Cereals, drinks, and spreads (like jelly or jam) contributed most of the sugar at breakfast.”
Use these five tips to decrease the amount of sugar your kids are getting to start their day. [Read more here.]
Learning About Strangers – Educating Our Children Without Scaring Them
Parents often look forward to the exciting and happy milestones in development but often overlook the milestones that mean a serious talk, lesson or change needs to take place. Sometimes it is a bad experience that makes us realize the lesson needing taught. Learning about strangers is one of those things. As infants, babies rarely leave the side of a parent. They are not independent enough to have the chance to trust a stranger. As they grow to toddlerhood parents still do their best to keep their little ones connected to them at all times in public places. But the reality is, once they are walking, talking and listening, the threat of “stranger danger” exists.
But how do you teach a child about strangers without frightening them too much or encouraging them to be walled off and shy toward everyone? This article does a great job on sharing tips for explaining the difference in “good strangers” and “bad strangers” and how to recognize a dangerous situation. [Read more here.]
