Parenting
Creating Your Baby's Routine
The first few weeks after a new baby comes home are filled with wonder, excitement, and joy (along with more than a few sleepless nights!). But eventually, most new parents begin to think about establishing a routine for the baby-...
How to Interview and Hire a Babysitter for Your Child
Hiring the right babysitter for your child takes patience and preparation. Not only does your child need to feel comfortable with the caregiver, but you and your spouse do, too. Whether you are hiring a sitter for occasional use ...
You're baby won't stop crying. Everybody's staring. Now what?
Your baby crying in a public place can be downright frustrating and embarrassing, especially when you can't calm your little one, and everyone is staring. Now what? If you've found yourself in a department store, the bank, or--w...
10 Things They Never Told You About Being a Mom
All the baby books and prenatal classes in the world can't prepare you for what it means to be a mom. You just have to experience it for yourself. But sometimes it helps to talk with other mothers about the daily stresses and deli...
What To Expect for Your First Thanksgiving as a Mom
What a year! You've welcomed your new little one into the world and into your heart. Each occasion and anniversary and milestone in recent weeks or months has been monumental, simply by virtue of being the very first one you've en...
10 Ways to Have Fun With Baby at Bath Time
Babies and toddlers go through phases with water. Sometimes they love it and you have to pull a shrieking pruned up baby out of the water while other times they abhor it and will sound as if you've submerged them in lava. However,...
Ten Ways to Save For Baby's College Starting Now
College tuition can run from around ten thousand a year to tens of thousands depending on the educational institution. If you only have one child, that's enough zero to set your pulse skyrocketing. However, ignoring the coming rea...
Planning Baby's First Birthday Party
How quickly those first months pass and before you realize it, it's nearly baby's first birthday. Planning a birthday party for your little one is always a big deal but the very first one is truly a momentous occasion. Many parent...
Best Dog Breeds for Baby?
Choosing a family dog is a big responsibility. A dog will become part of the family and knowing how the pet will fit in with other family members is key. While many breeds can be properly trained to live with babies and young chil...
15 Ways to Combat New Mom Stress
After nine months of preparation and waiting, your little bundle of joy has arrived. You are surrounded with lovely baby gifts, flowers and congratulatory cards. Well wishers have graced your home with regularity. But the moment c...
Pacifiers: Blessing or Curse?
Call it whatever you will - pacifier, binky, fier, nukie, num-num or sucky, pacifiers have a reputation of either being evil or gifts from heaven. The defining moments depend on the family and the child's issues with or without th...
Separation Anxiety
When a wave goodbye goes from being a giggly activity to a tearful drama, you know you've hit that common developmental stage of separation anxiety. Typically, you can expect it to kick in when your baby is about six months of age...
Putting Baby on a Schedule
Once upon a time mothers had their newborns on strict schedules. Baby had to learn to adapt to the schedule imposed by mother. When we talk about babies being on schedule nowadays, we are talking about an entirely different proces...
Questions to Ask When Choosing a Daycare for Your Baby
Returning to work and placing your infant in a daycare is a scary process. You are placing tremendous trust in a facility and the people who work there. To ease your mind a bit, prepare a thorough list of questions and visit each ...
Parenting after Divorce and Remarriage
Parents can help their children emerge as stronger and more resilient after a divorce. Admittedly, it can be a stressful and difficult time, and many children may feel anxious, frustrated, angry or sad. Fortunately, children have...
Bringing Baby Home: Socializing Siblings and Pets
Bringing baby home is a momentous occasion – you’re introducing him or her to their new home for the very first time. What’s more, you’re most likely introducing baby to any siblings or pets for the first time as well. While this ...
Saving Money in Baby's First Year
According to the USDA, in 1999 the cost to raise a child to age 18 was estimated at $ 160,140. Today that estimate is more like $ 250,000 and continues to rise. It is enough to keep expectant parents awake at night with worri...
Your Baby & Seperation Anxiety
By the time your baby is aged eight months and up, you may notice that she is like a character straight out of the story of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. One moment she is the affectionate, outgoing and full of smiles Miss Wonderfu...
Mommy Whisperer
Using simple techniques Moms can learn how easily they can whisper relaxing phrases to their babies during pregnancy, delivery, and post-partum. Dr. Linda Miles, inspires and instructs Moms, using a practical, proven effective...
Q&A: Can a Baby Be Spoiled?
Q Can a baby be spoiled? A In general, I do not feel that you can spoil a newborn up to about 4 months of age. However, around 4 months, babies are starting to develop more awareness, and can cry from boredom. Most parents come ...
Q&A: Stranger Anxiety
Q My daughter is 8 months old, and does not like strangers. My husband and I have to leave her with a babysitter in a month, and I am worried that she will scream the whole time I am gone. Is there anything I can do to make this t...
Q&A: Should I let my Baby Cry?
Q I am having difficulties with my 4 month old boy. He is very demanding. It all started when my parents came for a 3 week visit. They could not have him cry even for a minute and got him used to sleeping in his pram at daytime, r...
Q&A: Am I Spoiling My Baby?
Q I have a 11 week-old who I am nursing. It seems like every time I put him down he cries. The only thing I can do to sooth him is nurse him. Have I spoiled him already? I do pick him up when he cries, I can't stand to let him cr...
Weaning Baby From His Pacifier
# Q I am taking my son's nuks away from him because he will be starting daycare soon, and I don't want him to have them there where other kids can get them. I don't want to give it to him only at bed, because I feel that he can go...
Q&A: Nine Month Old Cries When Put Down To Sleep
Q I have a nine-month-old who just recently started crying when I put him in his crib. He still doesn't sleep all night, even though he eats 10 oz. of formula in the middle of the night. He is allergic to cows milk protein and soy...
Time Out for Moms
#btitle#Time Out for Moms#etitle##etitle# #bauthor#by #eauthor#Ann Butenas "Let's count to three, and if you aren't listening to me, we need to put you in a Time-Out!" Those words may ring all too familiar to many moms and ...
Baby's First Year The New Routine
Baby’s first year can seem full of apprehensions, questions and concerns for new parents. Is baby eating enough? Growing and developing on schedule? Getting enough sleep? Many, many other questions are constantly popping up as we...
Television: How Much is Too Much?
We all know that television can be a parents best friend when you need time to fix dinner, pay a few bills, or have just a few minutes to ourselves. But television should not be used as a permanent baby sitter. Offer alternatives ...
The New Parent's Guide to Saving Memorabilia
A few years ago, I met some ladies at a friend's baby shower and at one point they discussed the items that they had saved from the little ones early years. It was an interesting conversation, but the more I listened, I found my...
A Pain So Great
The memory is still there, haunting me. Every night there are the dreams, refreshing everything in my mind that I had tried to bury. Every detail is so vivid. Her tiny little hands lying so still on the pink blanket covering h...
The Gift
Could I have been given anything more precious? Worth more than any diamond, or fine jewel. Far more meaningful than anything paper money could buy. The most exquisite thing I could have ever dreamed of had been granted to me f...
Keep Your Child's First Birthday Simple
It's important to think about your one-year-old's needs, first and foremost. He may not remember his first birthday party years from now, but he will definitely react in the moment, amidst all the excitement. He'll know whether...
Co-Sleeping: Should You or Shouldn't You?
Many parents often wonder whether it is healthy to have their children sleep with them. I have my own opinion on this matter, but I would like to present both sides of this ever-growing debate. After reading through the provided...
Nurturing Your Baby's Unique Personality
Many people may wonder if babies really do have a personality of their own, and if so, when it can be identified. To those who don't spend regular time with your baby, his or her personality my not be evident at first. But, ...
The Diaper Dilema One Mother Decides
As I eagerly anticipated the arrival of my first-born son, I debated the merits of whether or not to use cloth diapers or disposable diapers. I recalled a conversation I once had with an attorney for whom I previously worked, a...
What Babies Need
What could a tiny, helpless newborn need in terms of material things? Food, clothes and love, right? Well, I was really amazed at all the stuff my tiny newborns needed; More stuff than anyone else in the household it seemed. ...
Baby Bliss
When you're expecting, people go on and on about how exhausted and bleary-eyed you're bound to be after many a sleepless newborn night, torment you with mental images of pacing the halls with a wailing little tyrant of a baby, ...
Mistakes New Parents Can Make
Becoming a parent is a high stress proposition. There’s no doubt about it. Having a baby means saying hello to worry. Some worry is good. It helps you keep an edge. It helps you stay alert, on two hours of oft-interrupted sle...
Keeping in Touch with Long Distance Friends and Relatives
While I was sitting up by our neighborhood pool today, watching two of my boys take swimming lessons, I noticed the woman next to me taking photos of her young son swimming in the pool. I took careful notice of the camera she was ...
Bringing Your New Baby into a Blended Family
My husband and I had never planned to have more children. It seemed we already had our fill while parenting three children under the age of seven at the time. Of course the fourth child was quite a surprise to us and we worked har...
Two Hours in Wal Mart
My list was long... "diapers, make-up, detergent, shampoo, baby wipes, swim suit, bathroom cleaner, etc." Being the efficiently minded person that I am, I had my list and corresponding coupons all made out in the order the aisles...
How Did Our Parents Manage it All?
Every so often, I ask my mother how they did it all back in the 50's, 60's, and 70's when we were small. My parents raised six children on a respectable, yet modest income. They sent us all to Catholic schools, from elementary gra...
Thanks for the Advice, But... When Strangers Interfere
I have always thought of myself as a nice, polite individual, possessing as much tolerance as possible when dealing with other people in public. However, since I have had children, some of that tolerance, along with a portion of ...
Parenting in Your Thirties
I used to think that being 30 was old. Now, I think being in my 30's means quite a bit more…especially since I'm halfway through them. It means maturity. It means stability. It means knowing who you are and what you want. It mean...
Driving in the Burbs
I now have three little boys. One would think that would be reason enough to invest in a vehicle fully-equipped to accommodate a growing family and their equally growing needs. Instead, my husband and I opt to hang on to our thr...
Benefits of the Family Bed
After the birth of our first baby, her cries of protest at being laid down in her bassinet taught us very fast that she didn't like to sleep alone. My husband and I became zombies from lack of sleep -- one of us would stay up with...
You Can Stay at Home With Your Baby
Last month, a dream became a reality for me when I quit my job to stay at home full time with my baby girl. Until recently, being a stay-at-home mom for me was just one of those things I thought I’d be sitting at my desk fantasiz...
A Mothers Intuition
Almost every mom will tell you that she has a special sense about knowing what is right for her child and family. Some believe that moms have a bond so strong with their children that they have an intuitive way of knowing when th...
How to make the SAHM Dream a Reality in Your Family
Last month, a dream became a reality for me when I quit my job to stay at home full-time with my baby girl. Until recently, being a stay-at-home mom for me was just one of those things I thought I'd be sitting at my desk fantasiz...
Saying No
If I don't say no, how can I discipline my young child? No! No! No! Do you ever feel like all you are telling your child is no? And that no is a word that he learned and started to use early on? We can't expect young children to d...
The Village vs. Personal Resposibility
Let's get this right out in the open. I believe it takes a Village to raise children. As a society, the level of importance given children's welfare rivals that of our very survival. It is a moral and biological obligation that al...
Selecting Quality Daycare
Choosing a good child care setting for your child can be one of the most important decisions you can make in your child's early years. Over the last several years, professional childcare centers have gotten some very bad publicit...
Tips to Soothe a Crying Baby
Listening to your baby cry can be one of the most difficult sounds to listen to in your lifetime. Especially when you have tried everything you can think of and still cannot quiet baby. Below you will find a few methods which oft...
Considering the Family Bed
Most families in the world share a family bed. It is only the U.S. and a few other countries that push for children to be in their own cribs. The argument is that the child needs to be independent, and our society believes you ne...
Responding to Your Baby's Clues
You need to respond to your child's every need, whether it is a diaper change, hunger, or just the desire to be picked up and loved. A child cries to fulfill a need, not to "control" or "manipulate" a parent. Our society seems to ...
Babywearing
How many times have you heard someone tell you not to hold your baby too much because he/she will be spoiled? Babywearing is an important part of bonding and getting to know your baby. It is disturbing to think that some people (...
Four Styles of Parenting
In my book "Love & Limits: Achieving a Balance in Parenting" I wrote about the four styles of parenting. Each style corresponds to a balance of love and limits. These four styles and their balance include: * Rejecting/Neglecting:...
Five Tips for Reading to Your Baby
Reading is critical to a child's success and development and we know experts advise us to start reading to babies as early as six months. But no one said it would be easy! In this article, find some tips to help offset the frustr...
Discipline is Not a Dirty Word
We have all heard people referring to undisciplined children, and it’s usually not said in a complimentary or flattering tone. Others, however, seem to call to mind visions of anger, spanking, and yelling when discussing disciplin...
Twelve Habits of a Highly Effective Mom
Over the few years that I have spent as a mother, I’ve tried hard to listen carefully to this new group of peers, in addition to reading books on the topic of good mothering. In that time, I’ve been able to identify what I feel is...
Time out for "Time-out"
National Association for the Education of Young Children The purpose of discipline for young children is to teach coping skills and discourage inappropriate behavior. "Time-out" is not a first choice, but a last resort technique f...
Feminism and the Stay at Home Mom
Well, a new year has begun, providing the impetus to look back over the previous twelve months and reflect. For me, the last year brought many changes. I turned thirty. I gave birth to our third child only a few weeks ago. And Ja...
What to do when your baby is crying
Crying babies are a source of concern for many parents. When your baby cries and you don't know why, it can bring up feelings in you of anxiety, helplessness, frustration, incompetence, and even anger and hostility. There is much ...
Daddy/Baby Bonding
It is not unusual for a father to be concerned about being left out of the picture when Mom and Baby are bonded so well through breastfeeding. Actually, it's a very good sign that you care enough about your new child that you want...
What is Attachment Parenting?
Many new parents today struggle with conflicting messages about how to care for and respond to their babies. Gone are the days when everything we knew about infant care was learned from extended family throughout our childhoods. M...
Q&A: 15 1/2 Month Old Screamer
Q Help! My 15 1/2 month old son has suddenly turned into a "screamer." We are at our wits end trying to figure out the best way to handle this behavior, which started out of the blue a few weeks ago. He is a very verbal child wit...