Claire McCarthy, M.D.: Confession: This Pediatrician Is a Sleep Softie. This may not be a great confession to make as a pediatrician, but when it comes to sleep and kids, I am a total softie. Our kids slept in our bed. We slept in theirs (which was very cramped in the toddler bed, and didn't do great things to the frame) -- or lay next to them as they drifted off to sleep. We sat on the floor, telling stories and singing lullabies and slowly edging out of the bedroom as their breathing got deep and regular. We went in again and again to retrieve the stuffed animal from under the bed or to investigate the scary noise or possible spider. When they woke in the middle of the night, we held them until they went back to sleep -- sometimes night after night.
Our children have always had a reasonable bedtime (even if we ignore it sometimes), we've made sure their sleep is safe, and there has never been (or will be) a TV in a bedroom. Not what a pediatrician is supposed to say. I am not going to argue for a moment that uninterrupted sleep is a good thing. Mr. Rogers Neighborhood: Watching as an adult is a freaky marvel. In the wake of PBS’ announcement of a Mr. Rogers next-generation spinoff featuring a descendant of Daniel Tiger, I set out to recall exactly who Daniel Tiger was by watching a few clips of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood on YouTube.
(Because that’s what the internet, and my work days, are for.) The show was not much like I remembered — the rhythm, dialogue, and messages seemed absolutely foreign to me. Do you ever go back and watch a children’s show after 20-25 years and it’s just completely different? I have never given Mister Rogers enough credit. The only times I was able to look slightly alive were when the methodical drones of Mr. Or maybe not! GET EW ON YOUR TABLET: Subscribe today and get instant access! “I enjoyed working on it with you.” To Daniel Tiger: “I’m so glad you brought your truck.”
To Lady Aberlin after Lady A’s rather sensual (?!?) This one is my fave and also induces the most self-loathing. Gulp! It happens. I’m learning. By the way, hi. Why French Parents Are Superior by Pamela Druckerman.
Unschooling is Not That Difficult, Folks. I just got home from some errands, sat down at my computer, and found a rollicking discussion going on on the Radical Unschooling Info page on facebook. It starts with a link to an article by Pam Sorooshian, on her blog. The article is "Unschooling is not "Child-Led Learning". " Pam makes some excellent points, and I may get to them in a minute, but mostly, I want to comment on the responses to that article. Between the time it was posted (4 hours ago) and when I first saw it (half an hour ago) there were over 50 comments. At first, as I was reading through them, there were several comments that I wanted to respond to. Then a few more. When I realized that I could probably write an entire book trying to respond to each detail, the overall feeling I had was that some people try to make unschooling SO complicated and forced.
For some reason, many, many people fight and resist understanding unschooling for a very long time. It's fascinating to observe. And that's what unschooling is. Please. How to Repair the Elastic in a Cloth Diaper. I will admit that I just could not figure out why my BumGenius Diapers were leaking last summer. I had stripped them and the fit was still okay. So I couldn’t fathom what the problem was. Turns out, the elastic was shot and they looked like this: How could I not have noticed this? Regardless of my poor observation skills, I had to figure out how to fix these diapers. And cheaply. I scoured the internet and found some help in a forum over at Diaper Swappers. So for those of you who need a tutorial in repairing cloth diapers and you don’t have the sewing skills of that talented, adorable Gussy, have no fear. Disclaimer: This looks long and laborious. What you need: 1/4” cotton elastic. 1) Your first step is to get your materials ready. – Thread your needle with about 18-24” of thread and tie a small knot in the end. – Secure a moderately-sized safety pin in the top of the elastic skein. 2) On one edge of the diaper, make a small cut on the edge of the fleece.
Starting at the bottom hole: Homebirth Ryan Gosling. Breastfeeding Beyond Infancy by Knitwise Media. The Many Faces (well, not faces) of IGT. We are all unique. No two breasts are exactly alike, and in fact, barring surgical procedures, you'd be hard pressed to find two perfectly symmetrical on the same chest.But just as there are many variations of normal, there are also variations of (and I hate to call it this) abnormal. Below, I have posted pictures of breasts that have all struggled with milk supply. A huge THANK YOU to all the brave, beautiful women who were willing to share pictures of themselves in the hope that maybe they can help another mother who is struggling with milk supply and looking for answers. IGT has many faces. Just because you don't fit the cookie cutter type 2, 3, or 4, does not mean you don't have IGT. Typical characteristics of hypoplastic (AKA under-developed AKA tubular or tuberous AKA Insufficient Glandular Tissue) breasts: Not every woman with IGT will have ALL of these characteristics, and not every woman with these characteristics will have trouble breastfeeding.
Onto the boobs! Type 2 Type 3 Type 4. 2011 Lesson #2 : Don’t Carpe Diem » Momastery. Every time I’m out with my kids – this seems to happen: An older woman stops us, puts her hand over her heart and says something like, “Oh– Enjoy every moment. This time goes by so fast.” Everywhere I go, someone is telling me to seize the moment, raise my awareness, be happy, enjoy every second, etc, etc, etc. I know that this message is right and good. But as 2011 closes, I have finally allowed myself to admit that it just doesn’t work for me.
I think parenting young children (and old ones, I’ve heard) is a little like climbing Mount Everest. And so I think that if there were people stationed, say, every thirty feet along Mount Everest yelling to the climbers – “ARE YOU ENJOYING YOURSELF!? Now. At that particular moment, Amma had swiped a bra from the cart and arranged it over her sweater, while sucking a lollipop undoubtedly found on the ground. That’s not exactly what I wanted to say, though. I love having written. That one always stings, and I don’t think it’s quite fair. Anyway. Womb to World: A Metabolic Perspective - by Suzanne Colson. © 2002 Midwifery Today, Inc. All rights reserved. [Editor's note: This article first appeared in Midwifery Today Issue 61, Spring 2002.] Postnatal transition from fetus to neonate is characterised by discontinuity.
Inevitably the neonate must change environment from the dark, warm, wet, sheltered place in the womb to the colder, dry, bright, loud conditions of the world; the umbilical cord is severed. Separation and rupture are the watchwords. Well-known changes require thermal, cardiovascular, pulmonary, vestibular, immune and metabolic adaptation. Cardiopulmonary, immune and thermal adaptations are well documented in the medical and midwifery textbooks.
Just as neonatal heart rate, respirations and colour make cardiopulmonary transition tangible for midwifery assessment, neonatal nutrition offers a window into the assessment of metabolic adaptive processes. Exclusive Breastfeeding Physiology of Metabolic Transition (A simplified version of complex processes) What is Neonatal Hypoglycemia? Dangers of “Crying It Out” Letting babies "cry it out" is an idea that has been around since at least the 1880s when the field of medicine was in a hullaballoo about germs and transmitting infection and so took to the notion that babies should rarely be touched (see Blum, 2002 , for a great review of this time period and attitudes towards childrearing). In the 20 th century, behaviorist John Watson (1928), interested in making psychology a hard science, took up the crusade against affection as president of the American Psychological Association.
He applied the mechanistic paradigm of behaviorism to child rearing, warning about the dangers of too much mother love. The 20 th century was the time when "men of science" were assumed to know better than mothers, grandmothers and families about how to raise a child. Too much kindness to a baby would result in a whiney, dependent, failed human being. Funny how "the experts" got away with this with no evidence to back it up! Don't these attitudes sound familiar? Why They Whine: How Corporations Prey on our Children. Why They Whine: How Corporations Prey on our Children By Gary RuskinWeb Exlusive Cheryl Idell knows a lot about nagging. She has written reports for major corporations with such titles as the "Nag Factor" and "The Art of Fine Whining. " She tells her clients that nagging spurs about a third of a family's trips to a fast-food restaurant, to buy children's clothing or a video.
Idell, who is chief strategic officer for Western Initiative Media Worldwide, a major market research firm, speaks with the cold precision of a physicist. "Nagging falls into two categories," she explains. Either is a good first step. Now meet George Broussard. Idell and Broussard are typical of something endemic in America today. Name something that you do not want your kids to have, and the chances are people like Cheryl Idell and George Broussard are trying to entice your kids into wanting it. What Are Children, Anyway? James U. McNeal divides the booming kiddie market into three parts. It is a discomforting image. V is For Vasectomy...
Most controversial mom blogs. Scary Mommy Why we love this blog: Many moms are sure to catch a glimpse of themselves in Jill's honesty and bold tales of her life as a Scary Mommy. Jill Smokler is the Scary Mommy to three kids and wife to a husband she claims drives her f***in' crazy. Her blog was meant to be a baby book for her children, but through her captivating stories and sharp tongue, it turned into a whole other animal, with an enormous readership.
Her harsh perspective on motherhood might be scary to some moms, but it is all-too-familiar to others. Jill's posts are a juicy blend of hilarious and controversial. From her own hysterical made-up greeting card designs for a new mom friend to using her kids' Halloween treats to make candy-flavored vodka, laughter wins almost every time.
Free-Range Kids Why we love this blog: Every post will make you think and consider your own stance on many issues about which you might have previously thought differently. Blacktating PhD in Parenting The Feminist Breeder Tell us.