• Created on 3/13/13 by Marcy Axness

Author Ray Bradbury pointed out, chillingly, "You don't need to burn books to destroy a culture -- just get people to stop reading them." Similarly, you don't need to actually ban nursing to decrease the incidence of breastfeeding -- just make it more and more difficult to do.   The ways our culture makes breastfeeding ever more difficult range from the insidiously subtle (hospitals' goody-bag full of formula) to the outrageously overt (Bill Maher's infamous rant equating breastfeeding -- "a private thing" -- with "farting or masturbating or... read more

• Created on 12/7/10 by Cynthia Mosher

  Looking for information about cosleeping? We've got a great list here for you!    Click here for a list of Mothering Magazine on-line articles about co-sleeping, the Family Bed and related topics. Get started with this great article by Mothering's founder: Sleeping With Your Baby by Peggy O'Mara   Basic Instinct A dad can do so much more than defend the cave. New research shows that he too has the biological goods to nurture baby http://www.todaysparent.com/lifeaspa...1225399&page=1 Children Need Touching and Attention, Harvard... read more

• Created on 3/4/13 by JenniO11

brought to us by Tummy Calm   Parents are often told by their pediatricians to give their children gas drops to help relieve tummy aches, ease fussiness, alleviate painful bloating, gas pains and even excessive spitting up. But knowing which to give and when to give them can be confusing.   The information below may help you decide what is right for your family, explaining what different formulas are available, and also give you other ideas for treating your little ones’ tummy troubles.   Gas Drops Explained Gas drops are an over-the-counter... read more

• Created on 12/7/11 by Mothering Editorial

By Valerie Barrios Cagle Issue 136 - May/June 2006 I was 24 the first time I was attacked for nursing my baby in public. Waiting in line to board a cable car in Stone Mountain Park, Georgia, I absentmindedly held my daughter to my breast while I stood chatting with a friend. Seemingly from nowhere, the irate face of a woman materialized inches from my own. Loud enough for everyone on top of the mountain to hear, she shouted, “Could you please go do that somewhere else, because my husband does not need to see that!” I looked at her, aghast. I hadn’t meant anyone any... read more

• Created on 5/7/13 by Cynthia Mosher

  By Peggy O'Mara Published in Mothering, Issue 141       One of the biggest crises of confidence that new mothers face has to do with sleep. Mothers feel responsible for their babies' sleep. Others ask mothers if their babies are sleeping through the night, as if this is something the mothers can control. Mothers lie to one another about whether or not their infants sleep through the night. And everyone lies about not bringing their babies into bed with them.   We lie because our society has unrealistic expectations of babies, and therefore we have... 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 8/21/12 by Mothering Editorial

By Kyla Steinkraus Issue 144 September/October 2007 I attempted to wean my son, Caleb, at 12 months because most of the articles I'd read stated that a mother should breastfeed for six months to a year. When I hit the one-year mark, I thought I'd met my goal, but Caleb had different ideas. We had gradually weaned during the day, and only nap and bedtime nursing remained. One night, a few days after Caleb's first birthday, I refused to let him nurse at bedtime. Tears spurting down his cheeks, he turned to me with huge, wet eyes and stricken gaze, as if to say, "What... 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 5/11/12 by Kristen Tea

My version of TIME's cover: breastfeeding my son at 2-years-old.   Really, TIME Magazine?  Really??  Here are some of the sentiments you’ve inspired: “Cut the cord!” “Disgusting!” “Perverted!” “Self-righteous!” “Pedophiles!” “that kid isnt being raised in the jungle and im sure theres a mcdonalds close by..save the boobs for infants and men not toddlers!” ( Posted by: Kristen Tea Last revised by: Kristen Tea on May 15, 2012. read more

• Created on 3/6/13 by Marcy Axness

Along with a good supply of onesies, I routinely counsel expectant parents to stock up on trust. Parenting is a daunting safari into the unknown, and trust is the anxiety antidote when life outruns the reach of our techno-savvy that has us convinced we can figure out and control everything in our lives.   I define trust as “calm reliance upon processes outside of your immediate perception and control,” and it is one of the seven principles that weave through my book Parenting for Peace. For those of us weaned on the information revolution, trust is probably the... read more