How To Get Your Baby To Sleep ?

This article How To Get A Baby To Sleep aims at extending expert advice on the initial stages of parenthood and getting your baby a peaceful night sleep. Now you do not need books or parenting magazines to learn tips about how to get your baby to sleep! With the help of this article, you will be able to understand what exactly a new born baby requires for a perfect sleep and how you should go about it as a parent. We understand that it is every parent’s nightmare to get the little one to sleep, especially during the initial three to four months and this article will help you overcome this nightmare. Not just one or two, check out this complete list of seven important tips or mantras on how to get your baby to sleep at night without getting hassled. This will surely help you get rid of the stress related to parenting during early development stages of your child.

Choking hazards...

August 17, 2004

Choking hazards...

A tragic story from New York where a 3-year-old boy choked to death while eating a piece of popcorn. The family was watching a movie (Alien v. Predator...I'll get to that later), sharing a tub of popcorn, when the parents noticed their little one was choking.
It serves as a terrifying reminder...just because your child is a no longer a toddler and easily eats solid foods, it doesn't mean you should toss aside the safety guidance used when first introducing food to kids...
Check out the following link on what to avoid. It's a small step with huge benefits, like saving your kid's life.
On a separate riff, why the hell were these parents taking a 3-year old to see the movie "Alien v. Predator" ? All you need to do is take one look at the movie's web site to see it's clearly inappropriate for a young child. Not exactly G-rated content.

Crazed Parent

The pain of the "new" dad..

August 16, 2004

The pain of the "new" dad...

TIME Magazine just ran a story "Stress and the Superdad" with the sub-head "Like the supermoms before them, today's fathers are struggling to balance work and home."
I beg to differ that it's today's fathers....I remember my dad struggling with the balance. He'd come home from his gig as a commercial contractor, having been up since 5 am. The man would just want a few minutes to watch a ballgame on TV. But he took me to the park, out fishing, or just for a walk. We'd have dinner, and then he'd go about doing work around the house. And he didn't say a peep about it.
So what's the difference with today's dads?
They are willing to talk about this new-found "challenge." They'll tell you they face the same time battles as their wives, trying to figure out how to find the time to fulfill work and home obligations and then just be dad (forget superdad -- these guys just want quality time with their families).
I remember a conversation I had with a good friend about her husband's work schedule. She's a part-time attorney and stays home with her two boys (one and four-years old) several days during the week. Her husband leaves the house by 9am and is usually home by 7pm. They have dinner together, and he helps with the boys. After they go to bed, he usually turns on his laptop and works til the wee hours - and that is the compromise they make so that he can be home and have family time.
Compromise is no stranger to a mom, no less a working mom. Compromise is her middle name. So when she reads a story about dads finally experiencing feel the same anguish, expect a sly smile to appear on her face. It's a smile that sighs "finally."
It's about time dads feel the gut-wrenching guilt and stress typical of a working mom. What's annoying is that for some inane reason when men experience it, it suddently becomes valid.
Go figure.

Mom? Me?

August 14, 2004

Mom? Me?

Becoming a mom was an exciting and scary prospect. I was thrilled to finally welcome this new little being who would someday refer to me as mommy, yet completely frightened at the same time. How would I juggle being a mom and being "me." Can it actually be possible to be a mom and have your own sense of individuality? Your average "expert" would a resounding "YES!" But I mean, here, in reality, on planet earth. Could it happen? And how?
The truth actually is yes. What it requires is the ability to accept your new life.
Once my son was born the fear subsided. I quickly learned being a mom and being me is one and the same. It's just a new me. I do all the things I used to do, just with a new flavor.

A verse from the poem "Years" by W.S. Merwin captures it perfectly...

"Like thread through a needle. Everything I do is stiched with its color."

The "it" is my son, and everything I do on my own is laced with a wonderful, vibrant new color thanks to him. I'm talking jibberish, aren't I.
It's makes sense to me. And probably to any other parent who's experienced the same feelings.
For new moms looking for some help on how to meld the old with the new, check out the class described in today's Ashland Daily Tidings. Your local mother's group is also a good place to start.

New moms programs to assist in life adjustment

August 14, 2004
New moms programs to assist in life adjustment

By Amanda Bolsinger
Tidings Correspondent
Motherhood is one of the most demanding jobs a woman can have. Michelle Jensen has made motherhood her labor of love, sharing her wisdom, knowledge and insight with other soon to be moms through a new program called First Time Moms.
Jensen has a master's degree in counseling humanistic psychology, and more than 25 years experience as a businesswoman. She also is mom to a teenage son.
"I have a passion for parenting," Jensen said. "In graduate school last year I saw the need for a program that bridges the gap between healthy and unhealthy parenting."
Jensen built the bridge as the First Time Moms program. The program is designed for women who are considering motherhood, or are about to become moms. It covers topics like emotional readiness, fantasies and expectations of motherhood, lifestyle changes, relationships, and child development from zero to two.
Jensen developed the program as an extension of her graduate school thesis with the help of Kim Oveson. Oveson has her master's of science degree in clinical psychology specializing in addiction and parent education. The two women hosted a pilot group of the program with five women that were entering motherhood.
"This is my thesis," Jensen said. "I put it into practice with the focus group. The women were fascinated and found it very educational as well as fun. Women are hopeful and joyful about being good moms."
Jensen also based much of the program from her own personal experiences with parenting and with observing other parents.
"I paid close attention to what things my child had to teach me. I learned what worked and what didn't," Jensen said. "I also saw that many didn't know what being a parent meant, or were actually afraid of their kids, or too afraid to discipline them consistently and properly."
Jensen disagrees with the sentiment that there is no formula for raising children. She feels that there are four broad categories that can make parenting much easier.
The first category is prevention. Learning to recognize, and handle potential problems before they arise. The second category is that parents need to learn to be conscious and aware of themselves as people before parenting another person. The third category is knowledge. Knowledge of child development both emotionally and physically as well as knowledge of what to expect from yourself and others. The fourth category is instinct. While instinct can't be taught, First Time Moms is designed to teach and explore different aspects of the parenting process and help build parenting instincts.
The first of the First Time Mom programs will begin on Sept. 25 and 28. Each program is a 5-week, 12-hour long program.
"Its not about diapers and bottle-feeding," Jensen said. "Its about themselves, their relationships, and the dynamics of this new third person."
First Time Moms is a part of a new Parent Resource Center. The Parent Resource Center is in its building phase but will eventually encompass other programs and resources such as First Time Dads and relationship workshops. Many professionals are working in conjunction with the Parent Resource Center to offer a wide variety of parents of all aged children.
"We want to change the views of generationally passed down poor parenting habits," Jensen said. "Parenting is an on-going learning process and most parents could improve upon their parenting skills." 

Source:Ashland Daily Tidings.

A Good Laugh...

August 13, 2004

A good laugh...

The comic strip Baby Blues by Rick Kirkman and Jerry Scott is my all-time favorite. I read it religiously every morning, sometimes forcing my husband, who is, ahem, too mature for comic strips, to read it simply because it often mirrors some insane moment in our parenting lives. It's always good for morning cackle, especially when your son is tearing through the house screaming at 6 am.
To find out how the strip came to be, check out article in The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.

Parenting woes translate into laughs for 'Baby Blues' creators

By William Loeffler
TRIBUNE-REVIEW Friday, August 13, 2004

Artist Rick Kirkman and writer Jerry Scott were banging their heads against the wall, trying to come up with an idea for a comic strip.
Kirkman eventually realized that the best idea was lying a crib in the next room, screaming her head off.
"Baby Blues" was born not long after Kirkman's baby daughter. The comic strip follows harried parents Darryl and Wanda MacPherson as they try to raise three young children, Zoe, Hamish and 6-month-old Wren. The MacPherson family has moved in this week to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review comics neighborhood.
"Originally, the strip started when my wife and I had our second child, who was really a huge handful," Kirkman says, when reached by phone in Arizona. "She was very colicky. She didn't even sleep through he night until she was 3 1/2 years old."

They call those babies "mother killers," he says.
"Pretty much the strip evolved as a catharsis kind of thing," Kirkman says. "Jerry and I were trying to come up with an idea for a comic strip. Every time we got together, the conversation degenerated into me spilling my guts about what was going on at home with the baby."
Other parents now spill their guts to Kirkman and Scott, relating baby stories that they think the duo could use as ideas in "Baby Blues." But Kirkman says he and Scott rarely use them.
"Usually those sort of things, you just kind of have to be there," he says. "You have to be in the family and know everyone in the family to know what made it funny. That context doesn't translate to everybody else. If I was in your home and you had something going on with your kid or your baby and we happened to see it, that might spark an idea for a gag. It's the stuff that we see while nobody's paying attention that provides the germ for gags."

Nevertheless, visitors to the "Baby Blues" Web site are encouraged to submit baby pictures and "horror stories from the parenting front."
Kirkman's two children are grown now. But Scott obligingly became a parent himself.
"He'll do anything for a gag," Kirkman says.
Some children come along at the most unexpected times.
Tony Cochran was a respected painter who exhibited in the Columbus Museum of Art in Columbus, Ohio. He also worked in an auto body shop to pay the bills. His goal was to get an exhibition of his paintings in New York.
Then came "Agnes," an inquisitive, somewhat somber 10-year-old girl who lives a penny-pinching existence in a trailer with her grandmother. Wise beyond her years, Agnes dreams of greater things. A carefree childhood this isn't.
We know you'll give Agnes a warm welcome in the Trib.
William Loeffler can be reached at wloeffler@tribweb.com or (412) 320-7986.

A vente boob and tall latte, please..

August 11, 2004

A vente boob and tall latte, please..

So some moms staged a "nurse-in" at a Maryland Starbuck's today because a breastfeeding mom was asked to cover up while nursing her daughter...or do it in the bathroom.

Now, first things first. I support breastfeeding 100%. I nursed my son for 9 months -- at 7 days I was ready to kiss the whole thing goodbye. I'm glad I stuck with it. Do it if you want, don't if it's not for you. End of conversation.

BUT...

Should you choose to breastfeed, for God's sake, cover up in public. Yes, I know, breasts are beautiful. Nursing is just nature's way of feeding our children. And hey, when else in your life will you be a 38GG?

Ladies, I beg of you, show some discretion.

Not everyone needs to see little Madison suckling your bodacious ta-ta's -- especially at your neighborhood Starbucks when they're drinking their morning espresso (men in Italy may dig this but that's another story altogether...).

So what if it makes other people uncomortable, you say, followed by, it's not a big deal. Get over it.

So fine. But I still don't need to see your boobs.

My Little Chef

August 12, 2004

My little chef...

When my son was only a few months old, I would put him in his bouncie chair, prop him on the kitchen table, and make dinner with a running monologue of every step I took. His eyes would widen as I'd chop vegetables. I'd bring over spices for him to smell. It was like a private cooking demonstration.

Now my son is 2 1/2, and he LOVES the kitchen. If he sees me getting ready to cook, he drags a chair over the the counter, asks for his mini-apron, and says "I want to help!" And he does.

He's learned every spice in the spice drawer and when I ask for one by name, he can pick it out and bring it to me. He knows all his cooking utensils and appliances. And he most assuredly knows better then to touch a hot stove or plugged in chopping tool. He makes a mean PB&J, and always makes me crack up when he asks for a "chai latte."

As a parent it's always amazing to see your child's mind develop, which brings a new understanding of how quickly they learn and desperately they want to learn.

So let them.

The kitchen is a great place to start. They can practice recognizing numbers and letters, count, learn about fruits, vegetables and nutrition. It's also a great place to reinforce listening skills when giving your kids instructions. But the best part is spending time together creating and showing your kids how their efforts paid off with an amazing result, whether it's mac & cheese, chocolate pudding or homemade pizza. The proud smile on their face is reason alone.

Can a husband and wife be friends?

According to Six, apparently not.

Overheard on the car ride home from San Francisco yesterday after a nonsensical discussion where Q. says," Who is Six? Who is Daddy? Who is Mommy?" After the latter, the husband replied, "She's my wife. She's my best friend."

Six: "No, Dad, Mommy can't be your best friend. You're not friends."

Hubs: "Sure we are. Did you know that we've been best friends for a really long time and we decided that we were such best friends that we wanted to be together forever."

SIx: "But Dad, No. Because you can't be best friends if you are living in the same house. You can be friends before you get married, but not after you get married. It's like this. If I have a friend that's a girl and we get married, then we can't be friends anymore."

Me: "Six, we all live in the same house. We're all friends, right?"

Six: "No Mommy. You're not my friend. You're my Mom."

His analysis made me giggle in that mom way, probably because I was still smiling over my husband telling Six about how we were best friends.