Our Co-sleeping Set-up
According to the BBC World News, the Foundation for the Study of Infant Deaths (FSID) just released a study that says co-sleeping or bed sharing with your child, has been implicated in about half of SIDS cases. According to this study, the risk is greatest if either parent smokes, has been drinking, has taken sedatives or is “very tired,” and that small babies, such as preemies are particularly at risk.
According to Dr. Sears, attachment parenting guru who has written two books on the topic and done extensive research on the risks of SIDS when co-sleeping, there is nothing to worry about. In fact, he believes that co-sleeping can actually reduce the risk of SIDS.
The best advice is to do as you would with all things parenting and follow your instincts. As for my husband and I, we knew we wanted to co-sleep, but did not think we would be comfortable with a baby in bed with us. Read more »
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Tags: Add new tag, baby, BBC, bed, child, co-sleeping, Dr. Sears, motherhood, parenting, SIDS, sleep, sleeping
In Related News, Physical Health | admin April 30, 2009 | 
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Primoff Mug Shot
First of all, I would like to know, what’s the big deal? Child endagerment? They were in White Plains for goodness sake. What were her kids in danger of, honing their luxury vehicle identification skills, getting their toes stuck in freshly aerated lawns? The answer, apparently, is that they were in danger of being treated to ice cream by a friendly neighbor. And, worst of all, seeing their mom handcuffed and thrown into jail. Read more »
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Tags: car, child, children, criminal, curb, endangerment, kicking out, kids, mad, Madlyn Primoff, mom, parenting
In Related News | admin April 26, 2009 | Comments (0)
I know it’s cruel, but I taught my daughter to say, “coo, coo” after, “da, da.” It’s hilarious of course. My husband pretends to not like it, but I think, secretly, he appreciates it for the good joke that it is, even at his expense. The best thing about it is that my daughter and I have an inside joke. Even at the small age of 18 months, we already can share in some private humor. Plus, she is learning to apply the new vocab to other situations. Today the neighbor dog, Ginger, who she calls, “Nay, Nay” was rolling in the grass. My daughter pointed and said, “Nay Nay, Coo Coo.”
“Yep,” I said, “Nay Nay, Coo Coo.”
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Every new mom needs one of these, an instructional guide on what the hell to do with that brand new creature only days in the oxygen. From bathing to dressing to nursing to sleeping, there is so much you want to get right. As you may know, I don’t exactly believe in a “right” way. We all have to just do our best and follow our values, but there is a way to do it so that you don’t drown or suffocate your child. I rely on
The Baby Book by Dr. Sears.
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I try my best (as in, most of the time, whenever possible) to feed my daughter organic food, provide her with non-toxic toys and clean my house with natural ingredients, so it would be reasonable that I would also make sure that all her soaps and shampoos and lotions were also safe. Many years back, my good friend, Rachel, told me not to put anything on my skin that I wouldn’t eat. This made instant sense to me as our skin is our biggest organ, and everything on it eventually enters the bloodstream and other vital organs. However, I always thought it was enough to buy my products at natural food stores and never took the time to check the labels. You can imagine my shock when I read the April 2009 issue of Taste For Life; you know, the free magazine that they put in your grocery bag at the co-op., and learned how many chemical are in my favorite “natural” products. Read more »
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Tags: alert, baby, beauty, lotion, natural, organic, parenting, products, safe, shampoo, soap, toiletries, toxins
Physical Health | admin April 6, 2009 | Comments (1)
modernretro
Growing up as a kid in the 70′s, I experienced some of the most carefree and fun times of my life. I loved being with my family. My dad fixed up old VW bugs and grew vegetables. My mom canned tomatoes and made sauce and pasta from scratch. When the weather permitted, we always ate outside on the deck we built, and sometimes we would grill meat from the rabbits that my dad raised. My mom made some of our clothes. My dad built her a studio where she could paint. As for me, I don’t remember much of what I did except for riding on the back of my mom’s bike when we went on family bike rides and climbing the old apple tree in our yard.
I believe that the good memories of the 70′s that I collected are the reason I love the 70′s so much now. Read more »
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Learning to Cook with Mom
At a mama brunch recently, another mom raised an interesting point about the way we were brought up by our parents. Generally, they threw us outside and told us to be back for dinner. There was very little hands-on parenting like there is today. Did you ever wonder why you never learned to cook from your mother? When I asked my mom why she didn’t teach me how to cook or sew clothes, she responded, “You weren’t interested.” Well, what kid is interested in doing things other than playing or watching TV? Perhaps, a child ingrained with better sense than me, but that, most likely, is taught by the parents as well. What I surmise from her response is that her parenting technique was mainly to let me do whatever I wanted, while she did her part as a parent. Some may describe this as, “letting kids be kids.” Read more »
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Bread and Puppet Circus
Before I had a child, for entertainment, my husband and I liked to go to bars, rock concerts, the occasional karaoke night, action thriller movies and parties. When I became pregnant, it was clear to me that none of the things we liked to do involved children. I grew concerned that my lifestyle would have to change drastically and I wasn’t sure I was ready for it. I was still of the mindset that “family fun” was dorky. But, no longer. Read more »
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Tags: baby, change, children, entertainment, family, fun, life, parenting, puppets, zoo
Day in the Life | admin April 3, 2009 | Comments (0)
lost in pounding of
mama’s belly pulse—
first echo of life,
thin vibrato, distant
giggles, tiny chimes,
bouncy balls between
two fused grins,
the wonder of a system
that keeps this sound
safe in unanimously
known and new-found
recesses of body doubling,
body unfurling and
taking what it needs,
filling up,
pumping fuel from
and bringing light to
secrets under skins—
speeding engine, fisted battery,
paper lantern.
by Johanna DeBiase
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Sorry George
While I love books, I don’t love all books. In general, I do not like books that have any form of branding involved, like books with characters from T.V. shows or popular movies. Curious George was a key part of children’s literature before it was ever a popular movie, so I can forgive the trendy commercialization of the curious little monkey, but I still do not understand how this book has become so popular. My husband hates when I say this, but, “I don’t get it.” Read more »
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