• Last updated 11/14/12 by Cynthia Mosher

Consider this: Nearly everything we know about diapering comes from the companies whose sole objective is to sell us more diapers. Through constant commercials featuring peaceful sleeping babies, colorful “New Baby” sample packs, and the writing of dozens of Mommy Blogger Brand Ambassadors, disposable diaper companies aim to control how you feel about diapering.  Specifically, they attempt to create in parents the lucrative mixture of self-delusion and disgust that drives Americans to consume– in this case, to buy more diapers.  According to the disposable... read more

• Last updated 11/15/12 by Cynthia Mosher

Thank you to Ann Marie Rodgerson for submitting this information about the upcoming 2012 Babywearing Conference in Washington D.C. The conference is scheduled for June 29th-July 2nd. Post written by Kit Jenkins.  When people hear the phrase “babywearing,” they often don’t know what to think. They sometimes think of recent commercials that have shown a baby in a contraption on front of their parents while they shop for cars, houses, appliances, or any number of other things. Another vision that often comes to mind are the documentaries on NatGeo or... read more

• Last updated 2/12/12 by Hoyamum

It’s that time of the year again when everyone in my family has a cold.  Headaches, runny noses and eyes, coughs and aches and pains– no one likes it and once one person gets it, it seems inevitable that we’ll all catch it. It can be particularly hard when your breastfed baby gets a cold.  His nostrils seem so full of gunk that he can’t breathe while he nurses.  Nighttimes are particularly tricky since he’s lying down and mucussecretions can make it so hard for babies to breathe with ease.  But breastfeeding is a brilliant way to help your baby feel more comfortable and... read more

• Last updated 2/6/12 by Mothering Editorial

Breastfeeding Triplets: Advice from Successful Moms By Ellen Zagorsky-GoldbergWeb Exclusive Sheri of Port St. Lucie, Florida, nursed her first child for almost two years. Three years later, when she discovered she was pregnant again, she had no doubts about what her feeding choice would be. Then she found out that she was carrying triplets. Some of Ingalls's healthcare providers were very negative about even the possibility of nursing triplets. Ingalls, however, was determined to breastfeed, and her perinatologist put her in touch with The Triplet... read more

• Last updated 2/6/12 by Mothering Editorial

By Sarah Sansbury Web Exclusive, November 13, 2006 "Hold your breast like this." After several midwives, nurses, surgeons, anesthetists, and assistants had all seen me completely naked, somehow it never crossed my mind: the oddity of a woman I just met placing her large, rough hand around my breast. My left arm cradled Sophia as my right hand cupped my breast, guiding my nipple toward Sophia's mouth, her head bobbing around like a hungry, hungry hippo. I had heard and read numerous times about babies knowing instinctively how to nurse—the need to suckle, a guttural... read more

• Last updated 3/18/13 by Melanie Mayo

Getting Started with Cloth Diapers By Theresa Rodriguez Farrisi Want to use cloth diapers but have questions? Check out this simple Q & A. Then discover more on using cloth in the Mothering Forums.  It costs about the same to use cloth and disposables, right? No way! If you launder cloth diapers at home, you can save as much as $1,500 over the entire diapering period. This includes all your diapers, covers, and wash products. In fact, each time you use a disposable, it costs you nearly a quarter. By contrast, home washing can cost as little as five cents per... read more

• Last updated 2/6/12 by Mothering Editorial

Web Exclusive - May 30, 2008 By Amanda Dumenigo I knew that I wanted to breastfeed my baby, but I wondered if the lactation consultants, educational sites, instructional videos, La Leche league, and the rest of the somewhat overwhelming array of resources were necessary. After all, breastfeeding is ancient and totally natural. Wouldn't my body and my baby tell me what to do? This proved to be my first-time mother's enthusiastically naive perspective. After my son's birth, when the reality of the endeavour presented itself, I found myself shocked to actually need several... read more

• Last updated 1/25/12 by Hoyamum

Here in the UK many people ask new mothers, “Is he good?”  They’re referring to the baby: is the baby good, they want to know.  What they mean is: does he sleep through the night?  Does he cry?  Does he make a fuss?  Being good means being quiet and passive.  Being good means sleeping all night long even if that goes against the biological norm.  Being good means being seen and not heard. This question drives me nuts.  How does a baby’s sleep pattern relate to his moral worth?  Of course my baby is ‘good,’ but he certainly does not sleep through the night!  Of course he... read more

• Last updated 11/15/12 by Melanie Mayo

Before I gave birth to my first baby I was overwhelmed by the various babycare products I thought I would need.  A crib or cot, a moses basket or bassinette– what’s the difference?  Why would a baby need so many different places to sleep (in the end, my baby’s bassinette became our laundry basket!)?  Bouncy chairs, fancy applique bedding, matching curtains and trash cans, pumps, sterilizers, blankets, blankets and more blankets…  Looking at babycare catalogues boggled my mind as I tried to piece together a list of what we would really need for our little... read more

• Last updated 11/15/12 by Melanie Mayo

Photocredit: Wikimedia. We are learning more and more information all the time to support the idea that a good start to breastfeeding makes all the difference for meeting your long term breastfeeding goals.  Your baby needs to empty and stimulate your breasts several times a day in the early weeks to enable you to produce enough milk to meet his needs not only now but over the long term.  Many mothers find breastfeeding straightforward, but others struggle and often this can be prevented. So here are some ideas for getting breastfeeding off to... read more