• Last updated 12/6/09 by Jennifer Margulis

Baby clothes that zip are so much easier than baby clothes with a gazillion snapsIt’s hard to dress a newborn. Their necks are so floppy. They seem so fragile. And even something simple—like putting an arm in a sleeve—can be so awkward. At one month old, Leone jerks her little arms and legs like a conductor to postmodern music. At night she often soaks the cloth diapers we’re using so I like to change her at least once when she wakes up to nurse. During the day changing her diaper calms her when she feels out of sorts and since she pees all the time and poops often,... read more

• Last updated 2/1/13 by Cynthia Mosher

In much of Europe and Africa it’s common to see naked toddlers playing outside. Most Europeans aren’t as uptight about nakedness as we are in America. But when my almost 16-month-old started taking off her clothes at a recent playgroup, I worried what the other parents would think. Since we keep our house so cold, I’m often surprised at how comfortable Leone is in her birthday suit. The other parents didn’t flinch, even when Leone insisted on doffing the diaper. They seemed to think the baby, with her Buddha belly pooching over her legs, was as cute as... read more

• Last updated 4/10/13 by Melanie Mayo

By Lindsay Evans "I'll definitely give them a try." Before the birth of my daughter, that was my tentative answer to questions from friends and family about cloth diapers. In my head, I was weighing the stereotypical cloth-diaper routine of pins and plastic pants, smelly diaper pails, and red bottoms against the carefree ease of disposable diapers. I was familiar with the environmental problems caused by disposables, but did this first-time mother really want yet another hassle? In the first two months after Amelia was born, I didn't. Albeit with a slightly... read more

• Last updated 10/29/10 by Mothering Editorial

By Jennifer CoburnIssue 101, July/August 2001 Because of the strident societal and economic impact wielded by the formula industry, bottle-feeding has today become the social norm in the US. Fewer than half of all US babies are exclusively breastfed during their first day or two in the hospital.1 By the time they are six months old, only 19 percent of US babies receive any breastmilk,2 and only 2 percent of one year olds. Contrast this with the average age of weaning worldwide, which is 4.2 years. This country's societal hostility towards breastfeeding is such that... read more

• Last updated 11/9/12 by Melanie Mayo

With Real Diaper Week approaching, many cloth diaper users are considering ways to educate their communities about cloth diapers.  On Thursday, 4/19, one of the focuses will be on educating daycare providers about cloth diapers.  But how easy is it to use cloth diapers in daycare?  Read on to find out… Choosing the right daycare is one of the hardest decisions parents face when going back to work.  The desire to cloth diaper your baby does not have to add to the anxiety!  With modern cloth diapers, it’s just as easy to use cloth in daycare as... read more

• Last updated 5/25/12 by Mothering Editorial

My Life As A Nursing Mom  By Kay Bolden Issue 119, July/August 2003 My son's first birthday loomed, and I braced myself for battle. Grandparents and aunts, in-laws and cousins, neighbors and friends-all descended upon us, all demanding to know when, when, WHEN was I finally going to stop breastfeeding this child? "He'll be spoiled," I was warned. "You know, the milk goes bad after a while." It didn't help that my son was not the sedate, quiet nurser my daughter had been. No, this child was born to lead the Olympic Breastfeeding Team to the gold. The sportscasters... read more

• Last updated 11/3/12 by Cynthia Mosher

It’s the everyday decisions that can be the most difficult when it comes to being an environmentally-friendly mom/climate change activist.   Here’s one that all moms face: Should I use disposable or cloth diapers?  I’m deep into research on this question and am finding some surprising things.    For starters, here’s the answer: Use neither. You’ll waste less and save money. And as I’ll explain later, you’ll even be saving forests around the world like the Amazon rain forest.  So what should I do if I don’t use cloth or disposable diapers?... read more

• Last updated 10/27/10 by Mothering Editorial

By Marsha Walker The birth of a baby is a joyous event that everyone loves to celebrate with a gift. However, some gifts come with strings attached. Visits to the obstetrician yield a changing pad wrapped around a can of formula. Boxes and cases of formula arrive on the doorstep. Hospitals present new mothers with gift bags containing formula, while pediatricians' offices give new mothers a kit containing more formula, with instructions on how to use it to supplement a breastfed baby. Which of the above "gifts" has been shown to be such an effective marketing tactic... read more

• Last updated 9/29/10 by Jennifer Margulis

Do this mom and her baby look like a security threat? A flight attendant called Memphis police officers to escort her off the airplane because she was nursing her sleeping baby in a front pack and refused to take him outWhen Delta Airlines flight #42721 landed in Memphis, Tennessee on September 17th the passengers were asked to remain seated. Two armed Memphis police officers boarded the plane. They were coming on board to deal with a dangerous security threat. That threat was Jen Starks, a 29-old mother of two who had been discreetly nursing a fussy baby during the... read more

• Last updated 8/2/12 by chaleyannscott

To honour World Breastfeeding Week, I have include an extract from Chapter 3, The Socialisation of Mothers (The Shepherdess: A Guide to Mothering without Control) available in November 2012. It has been well-researched that close attachment  is better for us and our children. Why then is society so against us mothering this way? Why, when we mothers have perfectly good working breasts, do we use an inferior milk product, fake teats and a plastic receptacle to feed our babies? Why are we encouraged to use cots and prams and other ‘mother eplacements’ rather than hold our... read more