• Last updated 8/29/10 by Mothering Editorial

Welcome to the flat and prefold section of Mothering.com's special how-to video resource on cloth diapering. Following are videos from Mothering advertisers with helpful information and demonstrations on how to properly use the diapers they sell. This video resource is a web exclusive addition to the feature article "The Diaper Dilemma" in the May/June 2010 issue of Mothering magazine. To read the article, and accompanying resources, order a digital subscription or a copy of the May/June issue. What is a prefold diaper? A prefold is a rectangular piece of fabric... read more

• Last updated 4/15/10 by Mothering Editorial

March 24, 2010 On March 12, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) issued a warning regarding the risk of certain baby slings that can restrict the breathing of infants and cause death. In light of that alert and the concern the ensuing media reports raised for parents, Mothering responded with the press release Babywearing is Safe and followed up with a Mothering Radio broadcasted special report Safe Babywearing reviewing the concerns raised and explaining safe babywearing practices. Today, over one million Infantino baby slings were recalled in the United... read more

• Last updated 3/19/10 by Mothering Editorial

March 19, 2010PRESS CONTACT: Elizabeth Carovillano 505.984.6289 | Office 505.690.0040 | Cell elizabethc@mothering.com | E-mailSANTA FE, NM (March 18, 2010) — On March 12, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), a Federal Agency, issued a warning in regard to the use of baby slings. The CPSC asserts that there is a risk of slings suffocating infants who are younger than four months old, and that caution should be used when carrying babies of this age group in slings.Mothering puts the CPSC warning in perspective: Babywearing is safe, but some slings and positions... read more

• Last updated 3/14/10 by Mothering Editorial

March 14, 2010 From Babywearing International: "In light of the recent advisory by Consumer Product Safety Commission regarding baby sling safety, Babywearing International would like to remind caregivers that wearing an infant in a well-constructed carrier and using proper babywearing techniques are of utmost importance. When done properly, babywearing is a very safe and beneficial parenting tool. When caregivers learn to use their carriers properly while keeping safety and common sense in mind, babywearing can be just as safe, or safer, as carrying a baby in-arms.... read more

• Last updated 3/14/10 by Mothering Editorial

I have concerns with the vapor emitted from plastic toys. When I removed a new toy from the trunk of the car on a warm day the smell was very intense. Should I be concerned about toxification from plastic toys?You are right to be concerned, as chemicals more readily escape from plastics when heated. A very common plastic used in toys, including teethers and other "mouth toys," is PVC (#3). Bad stuff, its production is a source of carcinogenic dioxin in the environment. Soft PVC toys are made flexible with phthalates, chemicals that have caused reproductive system harm... read more

• Last updated 8/12/10 by Mothering Editorial

March 12, 2010 Sling type baby carriers have been growing in popularity in the US for years, and while their use has often been associated with the growing subset of parents practicing attachment style parenting, the media is beginning to recognize the diverse array of families who make the choice to sling their children. In a Fashion & Style piece released on March 10, the New York Times revealed the breadth of this trend and reported that "..."wearing" one’s baby has taken on a certain cachet, with celebrities like Brad Pitt and Keri Russell pictured in star-gazing... read more

• Last updated 6/9/10 by Mothering Editorial

It may be hard to find time to take care of yourself, but here’s a simple treatment for your tired eyes. Steep one chamomile tea bag in 1 cup boiling water in a large mug for 5 minutes. Remove the teabag and allow the tea to cool. Add 1 cup rose water to tea. Chill in refrigerator. Soak two cotton pads in the mixture. Place them on your eyelids and leave on for 5 minutes. Try this anytime of the day you get a few minutes or at bedtime. You can purchase rose water in any grocery store. read more

• Last updated 3/14/13 by mamazee

By Jeremy Adam Smith Deborah Moore is the founder and director of the Green Schools Initiative, and she helps schools around California to become more sustainable. She mostly ends up working with moms on forming committees and organizing events, "but it’s not only moms," says Deborah. "Dads are involved with facility projects, bike-to-school day, planting school gardens." In other words, dads seem to like to do stuff-- to get their hands dirty, nail wood together, ride their bikes. That's pretty consistent with everyone's comfortable gender stereotypes, but... read more

• Last updated 3/10/10 by Mothering Editorial

March 10, 2010 A Message from Susan Linn and Josh Golin of the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood (CCFC). -- After ten incredibly successful years, the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood has been forced to leave Judge Baker Children's Center (JBCC), a Harvard-affiliated children's mental health center in Boston.  CCFC now has a wonderful new home at Third Sector New England, an organization devoted to promoting a more just and democratic society.    We're pleased to have landed in such a great place. But we feel that it is important for you to know why... read more

• Last updated 2/23/11 by Mothering Editorial

by Sarah J Buckley MD Web Exclusive Excerpted from Gentle Birth, Gentle Mothering: The wisdom and science of gentle choices in pregnancy, birth, and parenting by Sarah J Buckley MD www.sarahjbuckley.com Is it really possible to raise a baby without diapers? Can our babies actually communicate their elimination needs? Well, how do you know when your baby needs to breastfeed? Perhaps you recognise a certain gesture or cry. Perhaps your baby is restless, fist or finger sucking, or has a newborn's blind rooting behaviour. Maybe you also consider when your baby last fed,... read more