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.
|
|
Read more...
|
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.
|
|
Read more...
|
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.
|
|
Read more...
|
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?
|
|
Read more...
|
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.
|
|
Read more...
|
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.”
|
|
Read more...
|
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.
|
|
Read more...
|
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.
|
|
Read more...
|
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.
|
|
Read more...
|
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.
|
|
Read more...
|
Cloth diapering tips and tricks
by Parenting By Nature
Let’s face it; we all know cloth diapers are better for the environment. In our disposable society anything that can be reused again and again is a clear winner. We are also a society that strongly appreciates 'value' and 'convenience'. Cloth diapers come out on top for these requirements, but did you know there are many reasons why more and more parents are choosing cloth diapers today (yes, in the year 2009)? Here are some of the top reasons why cloth diapers are being considered by parents worldwide for their babies. Once you actually give cloth diapers a try, you will discover many more.
|
|
Read more...
|
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.
|
|
Read more...
|
|
Babywearing All Winter Long
By Arie Brentnall-Compton Photos by Timeless Edge Photography
It’s relatively easy to get outside with your kids when the weather is fine. Here in Alberta that’s only a few months of the year, so we need to find ways to adapt our babywearing skills so we can get outside year round! As a babywearing educator one of the questions I’m most often asked is “What about winter?”
|
|
Read more...
|
Elimination Communication (EC) – A Primer
by Lee-Ann Grenier
Typically the best time to start getting ready to practice elimination communication (EC) is during pregnancy. Read a few good books on EC and join a local support group. Watch a video or two as well. Like learning to breastfeed, it really helps to see the mechanics of EC before you try it yourself. Notice how the caregivers respond to the baby and the different ways they may hold the baby at different stages. Ask lots of questions.
|
|
Read more...
|
Sleeping like a baby
 Sleeping (or not) is one of the most confusing aspects of parenting a child. Whether they are one week old or four years old (not to mention the teen years) our cultural expectations of children and their sleep patterns rarely match up with the reality of our own children.
|
|
Read more...
|
Co-sleeping resources
Here are some great resources to start your co-sleeping information and facts search:
|
|
Read more...
|
Life as a Student Mom
By: Bonnie Way
When I returned to university in September, my daughters were two and a half years and four months old. With both parents in school, it was a major challenge. Besides finding my classes and buying books, I also had to figure out childcare and get homework done while meeting the needs of two young children. Here’s how the school year went for me.
|
|
Read more...
|
Cloth Diapering Basics
By: Jen McKinnon
Cloth diapering often conjures up images of babies poked by pins and messy, leaky bottoms. The new generation of cloth diapers boasts more functionality, ease of use and being more convenient than before. They are as cost effective as 20 years ago. Here is the basic information you will need to know when considering how you will diaper your baby.
|
|
Read more...
|
Child Abuse and Child Sexual Abuse Prevention
Where to go for help
Contact your local Child Abuse and Crisis Hotlines if you suspect or know a child is being abused and is in danger.
|
|
Read more...
|
Understanding education options for preschoolers
by July Arnall
By the time a child reaches the preschool age of three to five, they have changed in so many ways. Many children are ready to expand their world outside of home and interact more with peers, teachers and other parents.
|
|
Read more...
|
Baby-wearing photo search
Birthing Magazine wants your face. Well, a photo of it anyway. Along with your baby or toddler in tow.
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
your favourite photo of you wearing your baby along with the story behind it.
|
|
Read more...
|
Cribs recalled
by Karen D. Crowdis
Stork Craft Manufacturing of Richmond, BC has recalled 2.1 million of its drop side cribs due to safety concerns. Cribs were sold across Canada and the United States.
|
|
Read more...
|
3 Great reasons to choose cloth diapers
by Parenting By Nature
Let’s face it; we all know cloth diapers are better for the environment. In our disposable society anything that can be reused again and again is a clear winner. We are also a society that strongly appreciates 'value' and 'convenience'. Cloth diapers come out on top for these requirements, but did you know there are many reasons why more and more parents are choosing cloth diapers today (yes, in the year 2009)? Here are some of the top reasons why cloth diapers are being considered by parents worldwide for their babies. Once you actually give cloth diapers a try, you will discover many more.
|
|
Read more...
|
Organic on the cheap! 10 strategies
by phdinparenting
I hear a lot of people say that they couldn’t possibly buy organic food for their family because it is too expensive. I agree that if you want fresh strawberries and mangoes in January in Canada or want to pick up individually wrapped fresh boneless skinless chicken breasts, then it is unaffordable. However, using some of these strategies, I think a lot of families could afford to put more organic food into their diet.
|
|
Read more...
|
|