How to Decide Whether to Circumcise Your Baby Boy

One of our Expert Mommies, Dr. Cara Natterson, M.D. is featured in this informative video on circumcision. It’s a heated debate and each of these experts provides different opinions on the topic.

We decided to do it but were biased by religious and cultural reasons. Although I don’t regret the decision, I’m glad I don’t have to decide again!

What about you, moms of boys?

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How to Protect Your Kids from Swine Flu: Stop the Spread

Our featured Expert Mommy is Cara Natterson is a mom of two, a Board certified pediatrician and a fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics who has treated thousands of children in her private practice. Her latest book Dangerous or Safe? hits bookshelves TODAY. Cara has appeared as a pediatric and parenting expert on television shows like Today and CNN and today she is talking to us about H1N1 as well as child vaccinations.

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How to Screen for Breast Cancer

It’s an issue that most people want to sweep under the rug, like if you don’t talk about it, it won’t happen to you. But if you’re like me, you have a sister, mother, or friend who has had to fight this disease. Not only is October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month but this year marks 25 years of NBCAM.We want to do our part to promote early detection for this cancer that strikes at the core of our community of women.

Susan G. Komen for the Cure® has published Breast Self-Awareness Cards in a number of languages that are free to download here. Interestingly, they address the breast self-exam as only one part of early detection, because evident on whether or not it is actually beneficial is not certain. They recommend the self-exam as just part your breast self-awareness, along with the following: Read more

How to Handle a Child’s Injury

As a pediatrician and a mom, I understand that one of the toughest experiences of parenthood is having a child who’s been hurt. Whether it’s a deep gash, or something much more serious, it can throw parents and kids for a loop. While pediatricians know that injury prevention is the best “medicine,” the sad truth is that kids still do get hurt- lots of them- even with the most vigilant parents. In fact, 9.2 million children are treated in an emergency room for an injury each year, making it equally important for parents to know how to handle what happens after the injury.

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How to Help a Gassy/Colicy Baby

A picture says a thousand words. (I wish I had a shot of how “productive” this massage was for little Evan…but you probably don’t want to see that picture!) I am fond of saying “every baby is a gassy baby”… but if you are dealing with colic, I want you to know there IS something you can do to help.

Studies show Infant Massage leads to a 50% decrease crying with just 10-15 minutes a day. And if your baby has colic, it helps by comforting and soothing them, helping their digestion and to cope with stress.

I think there is no worse feeling than hopelessness…and if someone told me there was “nothing” I could do…that is exactly how I would feel – hopeless.

If you are dealing with colic…keep hope. If your baby had or has colic, what are some of the things besides massage that you have found help???

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How to Pick Baby Bottles

The decisions seem endless, don’t they? First, you have to decide on breast or bottle feeding and now you have to pick what kind of bottles?!

When my babies were… fresh, Avent bottles were the brand of choice. Or, for colicky or gassy babies, Dr. Brown’s.

Now, glass bottles are making a comeback! New research on polycarbonate baby bottles has found that bisphenol A migrates into the milk and parents are being advised to switch to glass. Recurring stories in the media, including this article on MSNBC share a reports from government toxicologists with “some concern” that bisphenol A can cause developmental problems in the brain and hormonal systems of infants and children.

Why take a chance? Our partners at Baby Earth have glass bottles from Born Free, Dr. Brown’s and Evenflo. Search for “glass bottles” to see their full selection.

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Practical Mommy is Ria Sharon. Click the links for Practical Mommy’s recommendations for travel car seats, affordable and fun diaper bags (skip hop bag), and the best-selling crib brand, Da Vinci Crib.

How to Tend to Baby’s Umbilical Cord

YES! Finally a parenting how to that is simple. This one doesn’t even require bullet points. Let’s sum it up into three easy to follow words: clean and dry. Keep the area clean and dry. That really is it. Want three other simple and easy to follow words on this? Less is more.

When I was a new mom we were told at great length how to swab the area 6x a day with alcohol swabs to keep it clean and dry it out. But this is no longer the sage advice from doctors and nursing. What they have found is that when left to its own devices, your babies’ umbilical cord knows what to do…much like you in conceiving, carrying and now nurturing your child when you a) trust that things can be simple b) you tell yourself you do know what you are doing and c) when you listen to your inner voice.

Some times less is more and things CAN be simple…even when it comes to being a parent. Let’s “remember the umbilical cord” the next time we are pulled to making much ado about something that really could be as easy as three little words…if we approach it that way.

 

How to Nurse Your Baby

There is a lot of information out there about latch ons, let downs, breast pumps, soreness, positioning and more…but how many articles on nursing prepare us as mothers to nurse our babies from more than a body perspective? What about readying our minds and our souls?

I was excited to nurse my baby…for the nutrition I knew it would offer…for the bonding and the closeness. I was hopeful nursing would work out without all the horror stories I had heard and read about including thrush, pain, chapped and sore nipples. My husband and I went to Bradley Method Birthing classes, held baby dolls in the cradle and the football hold…and I even attended a La Le Che League meeting or two. But when you come right down to it though, nothing I had read or heard prepared me for the absolute blessing nursing would be for me in my new life as mother.

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How to Connect to Your Baby…and Yourself

“How was your weekend?” “Fine. Thanks for asking. How about yours?” Pretty standard, right? I’ve said it. That’s just what people say on Monday. But today if you’d asked me this question over a cup of coffee, my answer would have been different. Not longer really, just different. How was it then you ask? In a word, it was “connected”.

It was one of those rare treats of a weekend. Dinner with my husband, drinks with a couple we hadn’t seen in years, a family BBQ in the backyard, complete with roasting marsh mellows (in the fire pit we bought 3 years ago that has seen about as much action as my bread maker…not much…), a “clothes swap” with 15 girl friends where we all picked through each other’s unwanted items over gooey butter cake, each leaving with an armful of free “new” clothes… and to top it off, a beautiful Sunday morning walk with my 5 year old daughter and our puppy Trixie. Sometimes “fine” just doesn’t cover it.

Sure, the laundry is insane, a tall pile of bills still sits here by my computer begging for attention and my dog isn’t quite there when it comes to being house broken (as I just discovered on the dining room rug). No, I did not fall off planet Earth into Bliss-ville. I’m still here, two feet planet firmly on the ground. But this past weekend and the sense of connection it left me with, spending time with friends, family…and myself, makes the other things feel just a little bit easier to accept today.

And so it is with our babies. How’s that for transition? You knew I was going to bring this back full circle to parenting didn’t you? But I cannot help but think that this is exactly how our babies feel when we give them our full attention. It is the thing I like best of all the many benefits infant massage…CONNECTION.

Connect Through Massage

Speaking as a mother that once tried to breastfeed and change her babies diaper at the same time, I know the need for support in slowing down to just be with our babies. Simply creating special time for massage with your little one does this. It will leave you and your baby feeling, in a word, “connected”.

If we are moving fast, sometimes we can forget how connected we really are in this life. As parents, our children help make this “A-PARENT” for us. It’s part of their job description. They help us slow down and remember. This week, I invite you to connect with your children in a very simple way through massage. I hope you enjoy this short little photo film I created to help inspire you to make massage a ritual in your family. Just click on the title that follows…“KNOW LOVE MASSAGE”.

So crank up the computer volume and get ready to feel that awesome feeling that we all want…for our children and for ourselves…connection. I’d love to hear from you if you already use massage with your children and what you and your children have gotten out of it. I hope you have a good week and that it’s better than fine!

 

 

 

 

How to Introduce Your Baby to Real Food

I realize the food you’ve been feeding your baby isn’t exactly fake, but it’s certainly not the same as the food the rest of your family is eating. The goal is to get your baby eating the same foods as the rest of the family. Right now, we’re focusing on simply introducing these foods.

Up to this point, you’ve been feeding your baby breast milk or formula, cereal, and pureed foods. We added cereal and pureed foods slowly to identify any potential allergies. We’ll do the same thing with solid foods. If you’ve determined that your baby has a food allergy, avoid that food during this process.

Good Starter Foods
These foods are relatively easy to mush up with or without teeth. They’re also less likely to cause choking than other foods.
* Toast
* Crackers
* Bananas
* Spaghetti
* Canned Fruits in Juice – The idea here is to remove the peel. If you feel like doing it yourself, go for it.
* Cooked Carrots
* Cooked Peas – Mush them up slightly with your fork.

Foods to Avoid
These foods are choking hazards. Wait to introduce these foods until your baby has more teeth and is comfortable with chewing before swallowing.
* Grapes
* Hot Dogs
* Nuts
* Popcorn

Honey – No honey for the first year. It can carry trace amounts of C. botulinum spores that won’t harm you and me, but may harm your baby.

Milk – Avoid whole milk for the first year. Then replace breast milk or formula with whole milk. After your baby turns two, you can go down to low fat or even skim milk.

Real Foods They’re Already Eating
Chances are your baby is already eating some “real” foods. If they’re not eating them now, start introducing them now.
* Yogurt
* Mashed Potatoes
* Mashed Sweet Potatoes
* Pudding
* Jello
* Ice Cream/Sorbet/Sherbet

Remember that babies need a decent amount of fat in their diet. Don’t stress about the amount of fat in their diet. Babies also have a pretty good sense of when they’ve had enough. I know it’s sometimes hard to tell the difference between the “I’m done eating” look and the “that’s gross” look. Be patient and trust your instincts on this one.

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