• Created on 1/19/13 by Melanie Mayo

  I remember registering for my first baby before he was born. I went to a giant baby warehouse store with a HUGE corporate list of things that I "needed" for this new little one and obediently registered.   And then he came.   The crib sat in the corner, the swing hung empty, and the tub wouldn't fit in my shower.   Sometimes I think groups of childless men sit around shining wood tables and literally make stuff up that new babies "need" for survival just so that they can make money. Seems like a good idea, but for the first time mom, I think it just... read more

• Created on 1/7/13 by JenniO11

sponsored post brought to us by Boiron Camilia   by Pam Middleton, integrative pediatric specialist   Q: What is benzocaine, and why is the FDA concerned about its use in OTC products for children?   In April 2011, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warned the public about the use of over-the-counter (OTC) products containing benzocaine. Benzocaine is a local anesthetic and is the active ingredient in many OTC products used to relieve pain in the mouth and gums from a variety of conditions such as teething, canker sores, and irritation of the mouth... read more

• Created on 12/19/12 by SKValenzuela

By S.K. Valenzuela     As parents, so much of what we do involves paddling against the current. We routinely thwart our children's wishes when it's in their best interest for us to do so, and we weather the consequences of their displeasure. We push back against influences in the culture around us--influences we perceive as harmful or negative or just plain wrong.  Often struggling to be a good parent is just that: a struggle.  But there are times when going with the flow is exactly what's required.     Taking a baby-led approach to caring for your infant... read more

• Created on 11/19/12 by Marcy Axness

For anyone who becomes a mother within nine months of a major holiday season (and, taking into account all of the holidays within every faith and cultural tradition, that means almost everybody!) I have a radical idea for you:  Simplify your idea of how the holidays will look this year. Better yet, let yourself let someone ELSE handle everything. That way, your holidays with a new baby can be marked by joy, connection and peace -- just as they're meant to be!   This doesn’t mean that I don’t think you are up to the task of balancing the needs of your infant with... read more

• Created on 11/16/12 by Beth Berry

By Beth Berry     Before you begin your holiday baking, I thought you might want to know about the existence of a product I stumbled upon a few months ago in a Mexican grocery. Passing the jellies and pancake mix on my way to the dried beans, a small glass bottle with a familiar label caught my eye. It was Karo corn syrup – the kind your grandmother uses in her pecan pie – only there was something markedly different about this particular bottle. Above the familiar Karo font was a single word that I never imagined I'd see in conjunction with a brand name of... read more

• Created on 11/2/12 by Melanie Mayo

By Paul M. Fleiss  Increasing numbers of American parents today are protecting their sons from routine circumcision at birth, but as their boys grow up, they often find themselves at odds with doctors who cling to old-fashioned opinions and hospital routines.  I often receive calls from distraught parents who say that a doctor insists that their little boy needs to be circumcised because there is something wrong. When they bring their son into my office, I almost always find that there's nothing wrong with the child's penis. Occasionally there's a slight... read more

• Created on 10/30/12 by Melanie Mayo

By Brian Leaf     Before I was a parent, I was a yoga retreat addict. You could find me at The Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health or at The Omega Institute, or certainly at a yoga class downtown. But, now, I'm happy to get ten minutes of sun salutations with my boys on a weekend.   According to Jessica Berger Gross in her Yoga Journal blog, Enlightened Motherhood, I am not alone. She writes, "Once upon a time, in a distant far off galaxy known as the time before I became a mother, I used to occasionally save up and attend personal retreats—studying yoga... read more

• Created on 10/10/12 by Melanie Mayo

The Question of Routine Swaddling By Gussie Fauntleroy Nov 09, 2011 Please see the Special Report: Swaddling Reconsidered for more information and resources on routine swaddling.  Remember the bumper sticker, “What Would Jesus Do?” Here’s a variation on that query: What would Jesus’ mommy do? We are told his mother wrapped her newborn in swaddling clothes. So if it’s good enough for baby Jesus…? Yet simply because a practice has been widespread in various cultures and time periods doesn’t mean it is best for babies. Likewise, even though routine swaddling... read more

• Created on 10/10/12 by Sarah Clark

Last week I shared a short post here on Mothering Magazine about how attachment parenting can make you crazy.   I have actually posted many times on my personal blog about my difficulties, frustrations, and yes, love of attachment parenting.  How hard this type of parenting (or really ANY type of parenting) is for me is no secret.  I am a mom and sometimes I struggle. When I share these thoughts on my frustrations with AP the response is overwhelmingly positive.  There are many, many other mothers who struggle as I do.  There are other women who are sleep deprived... read more

• Created on 10/6/12 by Melanie Mayo

What Impairs Attachment? A big pet peeve of mine is the label “attachment disorder.” This is a diagnosis given to kids who have typically experienced severe disruption in the natural order of what should have been the effortless, instinctual connection we’re designed to make from the very beginning. They were prepared at the level of their brains, their hormones and their entire sensing organism to connect, to be skin-to-skin with oxytocin flowing and weaving the powerful bonding foundations for healthy attachment. They expected to connect. Many... read more