Adventures of a one armed baby (or one way to wean from a swaddle)

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Adventures of a one armed baby (or one way to wean from a swaddle)

A while back I collaborated with Heidi Holvoet on a “why and how to” swaddle article. Heidi is a sleep consultant, author and owner of Baby Sleep Advice. In the article, I wrote that swaddling is one of the best tools new parents have for calming newborns and helping them to sleep better. I explained how swaddling prevents the startle reflex from waking newborns and creates a comforting, womb-like sensation.

Eventually though, even the best tools get thrown out of the toolbox. ...

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Are your sleep habits healthy ones?

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Are your sleep habits healthy ones?

Q: There is so much talk about the importance of sleep and healthy sleep habits for our babies and children. How do I know if we have healthy sleep habits in our home?

A: It’s true: We know so much about the importance of sleep nowadays, maybe because so many of us are sleep-deprived. But we can’t deny the science that shows us how important healthy sleep is for our children’s growth and development.

Growth requires several hormones to stimulate various biological events in the blood, organs, muscles and bones. The production of human growth hormone (HGH) is affected by nutrition, stress and exercise. But in young children, the most important factor affecting its production is sleep. The most intense period of HGH release in children is shortly after the beginning of deep sleep. Without adequate sleep, growth problems can result. A lack of sleep at night can also...

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What to hand a hungry toddler

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What to hand a hungry toddler

My kids are great eaters. Foodies, you might say. We raised them that way from the get go. Instead of chicken nuggets and french fries, we offered miso soup loaded with tofu as an early staple. Now 23 and 19, I could have paid for their college education with all the sushi they’ve eaten over the years. 

My daughter makes French macarons to die for. My son has a whole science project going on in his kitchen with all kinds of homemade fermenting vegetables, kimchi and kombucha. He even got me making my own sauerkraut and it's delicious. But I digress. ...

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12 doula tips when visiting new parents

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12 doula tips when visiting new parents

Do you have the perfect family and friends who know (or knew) just how to support you after your birth? They realize that recovering from childbirth, whether natural or otherwise, takes time, and that the new baby (or babies) need time to adjust to the world and bond with their new family. They understand how to nurture the new or growing family with food, household help and space. 

Oh, that’s not how it was/is for you? Then we can help. It’s called Tips From the Doula and was written by our own doula extraordinaire, Erica Aday. It works well posted in plain view or distributed to well-meaning friends and family in advance of visits. Here’s how it goes:  ...

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Books for your babies

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Books for your babies

As postpartum doulas and baby experts with close to a quarter of a century experience (for some of us) working with babies and young children, we have opinions about STUFF. You know, the stuff that takes over your home and changes it from DINK digs to something resembling an indoor playground. 

Let me quickly add, when it comes to stuff, we think less is more. More stuff does not make parenting easier or better. It doesn’t make children smarter or happier. In fact, too much stuff can overwhelm a baby, toddler or young child. (If you already have too many toys and books, learn about how to manage them and make playtime more fun here.) 

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Spring cleaning? Remember to clean the air, too!

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Spring cleaning? Remember to clean the air, too!

Breathing. Something most of us take for granted and yet, without it we perish. Many of us spend quite a bit of time thinking about the quality of the food and water we put into our bodies in order to achieve and support good health, but how often do we think about the quality of our air? Unlike some countries whose pollution levels force the citizens to think about it, our air quality isn’t something we typically need to consider. 

Until we have to. 

That’s what happened to us. Oh sure, I had dabbled in so-called air purifiers because of my seasonal allergies and the fact that we have pets indoors. But it wasn’t until my husband was hit with a debilitating sinus issue that we got serious about it. In fact, his ENT told him to get a high quality air purifier and use it. ...

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Parents of triplets share how they survived the early months with 3 babies

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A new baby is a big change. Imagine 3 new babies, all at the same time. This family learned quickly to accept and ask for help. We were honored to be a part of their support team.

It takes a village! Let us be part of yours.

Read to your baby

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What a precious photo from one of my clients. Look at the hands!I suspect your baby got a lot of toys and books for holiday gifts. Don't wait on bringing out the books. It's never too early to read to your little ones.And if you're overrun with toys…

What a precious photo from one of my clients. Look at the hands!

I suspect your baby got a lot of toys and books for holiday gifts. Don't wait on bringing out the books. It's never too early to read to your little ones.

And if you're overrun with toys, be sure to listen to Kara's podcast with Preschool and Beyond on taming the toys (using toy rotation to enhance play and learning). You can read about toy rotation here on our blog.