THE CIRCUMCISION DECISION

By Lauren Jenks

Is circumcision normal? Does circumcision confer health benefits? Will our sons care if they “look like dad” or “like their friends?” While expecting her first child, a son, Lauren Jenks searched for answers and discovered some surprising information. Here she unpacks the myths of circumcision and explains why she choose to keep her son intact.

INTO THE GREAT UNKNOWN: HIKING WITH YOUR KIDS

By Jen McKinnon

As a child I grew up in the mountains of Las Vegas and Utah and then the Cascade mountains of the Pacific Northwest as a teenager. As an adult I moved to Calgary and explored the Rocky Mountains. I have hiked Egypt Lake as a newlywed and camped in Waterton with a six week old. Over the years I have fallen in love with the beauty that surrounds us. It’s a marvel to me how entire communities can lie tucked inside the arms of the surrounding nature.

Last summer my husband and I made a promise to the kids that we would take them to the mountains every single weekend. I don’t think we quite made it every weekend but we did our best. Spending so much time near the mountains afforded us the opportunity to discover new trails, family friendly places to eat and we learned how to make it easier to hike with a family of six. We hiked through parts of Cochrane, Canmore, Banff, and Kananaskis.

Winter Car Seat Safety – What You Need to Know

By:  Trudy Slaght

Have you ever done something that you knew wasn’t the safest, but you felt you had no choice?

When my daughter was a baby, I used a thick cuddle bag in her infant seat. I knew that it wasn’t recommended, but living in Alberta, I felt there was no other possible way to keep her warm in the winter. I had done my research on car seats. I had read my car seat manual. I was careful to keep the harness properly tight on her, and I knew that it was safest to keep her rear-facing as long as she fit the seat she was using – but I felt there was simply no way to avoid using a cuddle bag and still keep her warm.

Babywearing: How to do it Right

Andrea Salcedo

In reality, babywearing begins at conception. For nine months we carry our new baby with us everywhere. It is supported, caressed, touched, with every step its mother takes. As women, we instinctively put our hands on our bellies in a loving, protective manor. Our baby hears everything, our breathing, swallowing, even our heart beating. Our baby feels everything, a brush against a counter, a toddler's raspberry on the growing belly, a father's loving hands massaging, and it feels a mother's emotions. So, why do we stop at birth?

Homemade with love

by Karen D. Crowdis

Walk up the baby food aisle in any city grocery store and you are inundated with choices. There are rows and rows of tiny jars filled with a mushy array of foods that promise to tempt baby’s taste buds. There are organic or non-organic veggies, fruit, meat, rice and grain cereals. Many packages show happy cherub faces to reinforce the yum factor of the contents. Many a mom has stressed over the selection and agonized over ingredients, not realizing that she could skip the baby food aisle completely by making her own at home.

Hello Baby!

By Jenni Overend

Book Review By: Jen McKinnon, CD(DONA)

One of my favourite experiences as a mom is to listen to the stories that my kids tell. Being able to see from a child’s perspective is like seeing into a world that I orbit but can't enter. I get glimpses of that world and the curiosity of a child through this book. Hello Baby is the story of a birth through the eyes of Jack, a 5 year old boy. Jack takes us on a tour of a birth experience from laying out a bed in front of the fire, folding baby clothes with his Mum to watching Mum take a walk outside through a windy storm. In the story, Jack thinks to himself that, “If I was a baby listening to that wind, I'd want to stay inside Mum, floating in the warm water.”

Why Mothers Kiss Their Babies

BY: Judie Rall

After a baby is born, it is natural to see the mother kissing the baby. One would think this is simply because of the emotional bond that has formed between mother and child. While this is true, there are also other very compelling biochemical reasons why it occurs.  These reasons reinforce the understanding that our bodies have inner wisdom which we seldom recognize or trust. Just as our bodies know how to give birth even if we don’t have intellectual knowledge of the process, our bodies’ biological systems also have reasons for the complex social interplay between mother and baby. It just goes to show that, more than ever, we should trust our mothering instincts.

Starting Solids

By Jennifer House, MSc, RD

As a parent you want to give your baby the best start possible in life. Part of this includes the food they will eat. Starting solids is an exciting time for you and your baby, but often comes with many questions. The following information will help you decide what is best for you and your baby.

Safe sun fun

By: Karen D. Crowdis

Warmer weather draws us all out doors in the pursuit of fun. Children especially love to be outside and find it most difficult to come inside even for food. The warmer weather is not without risk for children of all ages. Direct exposure to the sun can have serious consequences for infants and toddlers in particular.

Full womb, empty wallet

How the tax system treats moms
by Beverley Smith

Women who have been on the fast-track, getting an education and high-powered career are often shocked to discover how antiquated our social network is about parenting.

It is possibly the ultimate irony that women have made such great inroads into the traditionally male paid labour force, yet they still run up against a brick wall if they choose to play a traditionally female role. Embarking on motherhood is penalized by tax departments in most of the western world.

Cloth diapering tips and tricks

Facing Fatigue

by Karen D. Crowdis

Becoming a new mom creates many changes in the household. The one change we hear about most often is lack of sleep. You probably didn’t expect to be this tired. Welcome to new parent fatigue.