boobie tuesday! kellymom.com - breastfeeding and parenting support

www.kellymom.com

did you know they have breastfeeding classes? until i was pregnant, neither did i. but at 8 months pregnant, i dragged my husband to day one and made him sit in on a breastfeeding class with me. think it's intuitive? i've got news for you: it's not.

when i had questions and couldn't get a hold of the ten million people i called (lactation consultant, obgyn, my son's pedatrician, new mom friends, anyone with a pulse) i would resolve myself to looking up information online. and that's when i found kellymom.com.

kellymom was founded by kelly bonyata, an international board certified lactation consultant and member of the international lactation consultant association. she has been helping mothers and babies breastfeed for over ten years and keeps up-to-date with the latest research and studies so that you have as much information as possible.

website sections cover basics from getting started to common breastfeeding concerns to nursing a preemie to supply and let-down issues. kellymom also touches on everyone's favorite "is this safe when breastfeeding?" so that you can figure out everything from caffeine to alcohol to (finally) dyeing your hair.

there's even additional information on mom & baby nutrition, parenting, postpartum depression, starting solids, fussy babies and finding local breastfeeding support.

kellymom.com is a "must" for new moms who now have help only a click away. there's a reason they've been around for ten years! tell a friend - kellymom will become your new favorite site. make that second favorite.

the petit appetit cookbook - organic recipes for little ones

www.petitappetit.com
www.amazon.com: The Petit Appetit Cookbook: Easy, Organic Recipes to Nurture Your Baby and Toddler

when i was younger and visiting family in savannah for the summer, my parents would send my cousin and me to the local day camp to keep us busy. we'd flop around in the pool and beat the crap out of each other in dodgeball and then, come afternoon, it was snack time.

i remember clearly that first day - we were presented red, ripe, juicy slices of watermelon at snack time. "sweet!" i remember thinking. "watermelon is AWESOME! this camp rules."

day two: snack time again. and what did we get? watermelon... again! could i be any luckier?

day three: snack time once more. "guess what we're getting?" smiled my counselors with the utmost sincerity, "watermelon! hooray!"

wait a minute. this was not what i signed up for.

and neither did my son. however, like my poor misguided camp counselors, i find myself feeding him the same things every single day. bananas are easy! you love bananas! waffle? yes, please! how about for every meal? it's time to change up my repertoire.

from my trusted mommy friend nicole comes the petit appetit cookbook. mother of 3 1/2 year old brayden, she has had her experience with picky eaters and knows of what she speaks. so i'll let her tell you:

"the petit appetit cookbook is by far the best organic cookbook for kids that i have ever found, intended for children four months and up. i didn't discover it until brayden was about a year old, and it was just about the time we were both getting bored with the same old purees and finger foods.

we have tried most of the recipes in the last couple of years and have found them simple, flavorful, wholesome and interesting enough for parents, too. the book lists all nutritional information on the sidebar of each page, along with reference icons for no-sugar added, vegan, wheat-free, gluten-free and vegetarian recipes. some of brayden's favorites include "heart-y yogurt pancakes," "mom's meatloaf with red pepper puree," "baby ginger carrots," and "baked chicken bites." (all healthier versions of foods we normally eat - although actually this is one of the few meatloaf recipes i will tolerate! the author also calls refers to the meatloaf recipe as "beef cakes" since meatloaf has such an old-fashioned and slightly gross connotation).

we made the "celebration cupcakes" for brayden's first birthday (a recipe adapted from the children wtih diabetes website that uses half the sugar of most other cupcake recipes), and we still make the "mini apple banana bran muffins" regularly. the recipes are divided up by age-appropriateness and the book also includes multiple appendixes in the back for handy notes, like a food introduction record and toddler food diary.

there are no pictures or frills in this book, but in my opinion its attractive cover and clean layout make it a nice gift for new parents. "

so there you have it! go pick up your copy of the petit appetit cookbook today.

*thanks to niki for the suggestion and write up!

the girlfriends' guide to pregnancy by vicki iovine

www.amazon.com: The Girlfriends' Guide to Pregnancy

now that i have not 1, not 2, but 4!! friends who are expecting (congrats, ladies! welcome to the club!), i think it's time we showed them a little love around here.

as i've mentioned, my pregnancy was, shall we say, "challenging." i feel bad complaining when i had friends who were on bed rest for weeks (ugh - you are champions!), but barfing well into my sixth month of pregnancy was really not my idea of a good time.

fortunately for me, i a) had girlfriends who were going through the same thing and b) was reading vicki iovine's "the girlfriends' guide to pregnancy." my friend lisa loaned me this book and after reading the first chapter, i went out and bought my own copy so i could loan it to my friends.

now i have to warn you, this book may not be for everyone. if you don't appreciate sarcasm, then you're probably not only going to hate "the girlfriends' guide," but you most likely think i'm a smart-ass to boot. if you think pregnancy is something sacred and joyous and not to be made fun of, again, this isn't the book for you. however, if you think pregnancy is great but also laugh at chapter titles like "pregnancy insanity," "labor begins (finally)" and also excerpts including "attention husbands of pregnant women! do not take it personally if your pregnant wife would rather sleep than sleep with you!" then you're my target audience.

think the phrase "morning sickness" should really be "all day and all night and possibly for months sickness"? excited to be a mom but secretly terrified you're going to leave your baby on the car roof when you drive somewhere? wonder why your pregnancy brain means you can't remember anything, ever, anymore? and most importantly, want to read a book about pregnancy by a mom who not only had 4 kids in 6 years (no twins!) but was a phi beta kappa and a playboy centerfold? yes! you are really going to enjoy "the girlfriends' guide to pregnancy."

boobie tuesday! the nursing mother's companion

http://www.amazon.com/

another boobie tuesday = more nursing help for you!

today's help comes from kathleen huggins, registered nurse, certified lactation consultant and early childhood care specialist. "the nursing mother's companion" is a great resource for the new mom since, as kathleen huggins says, "breastfeeding may be natural, but it's not always instinctive."

truer words were never spoken!

since not everyone has a lactation consultant they can keep on call, "the nursing mother's companion" provides indispensable help for new moms who need a little advice on nursing. huggins provides tips at every stage of the game to help you out, for example, "what do i do when my child starts teething?" ouch.

one of the most useful parts is the unique drug index in the back of the book, helping advise you as to what drugs are safe to take while you're nursing. (here's a hint: tylenol is okay. crack cocaine is not.)

overall, "the nursing mother's companion" is a great gift for new moms and a good refresher for moms nursing the second time around.

babycenter

www.babycenter.com

my son is ten months old today! wow, that went fast. the last few months have been filled with so many milestones (crawling, teething, pulling up to stand, waving) that i have no idea what to expect next.

good thing there's babycenter. babycenter is a wealth of resources for moms and moms-to-be, with advice from getting pregnant all the way up to taking care of your "big kid." there are tons of articles by doctors and q&a sections on everything from breastfeeding to discipline.

my favorite part of babycenter is the timeline they provide for you and your growing baby. whether you're pregnant and want to know how your baby's developing in utero or a proud parent curious to know what to prepare for next, the babycenter timeline is both cool and helpful.

a simple sign-up with either your due date or child's birthday will automatically tell you what to expect from your little one in the upcoming weeks. example: i logged in this morning to the message, "cole is 10 months week 1: this week, watch out for flying sippy cups!" babycenter can send weekly emails for the first two years about baby’s development, and then periodically as baby reaches bigger milestones.

as my friend lisa says, "It was great to have as a working mom – with less time to read. This helped me look for cues around key developmental stages (i.e., ready for a cup, to use a fork, how to deal with stranger anxiety, sleep problems, you name it)."

well, i'm off to read about developing good speech patterns while dodging sippy cups. wish me luck.

*thanks to lisa for the heads-up!

bookplates from bookplate ink

www.bookplateink.com

my mother studied early childhood education, and as a result always gives books as baby presents at showers and birthday parties. now, naturally, so do i.

but as babies get older and amass a larger library, it's nice to personalize things either for your own collection or to help keep track of "library loans" to friends.

bookplate ink makes custom bookplates to put on the inside of your little one's books (or yours!). many of their black and white designs may look familiar - they use classic, hard-to-find 1930s designs from the Antioch Bookplate Company. bookplate ink also carries whimsical color bookplates in many different styles. we love the japanese woodblock inspired waves (shown) for something cool and a little different.

bookplate ink will also make custom bookplates exactly to your liking - that's right, you can submit your own artwork and work with their designers to get exactly what you want. if you're looking for a unique shower gift or something to give your future academic, personalized bookplates are the way to go.

porn for new moms

www.amazon.com

do you ever wish your husband would tell you how sexy you look in your sweatpants?

what if he said something like, "don't worry, honey. your mother and i will take wonderful care of the baby while you and your girlfriends are at the spa."

either you've stepped into a parallel universe or you're reading "porn for new moms." at least three of my girlfriends have told me about this book and i wish i'd come up with the idea myself!

if you don't find this book entertaining, you obviously don't have children. because otherwise there's no way you wouldn't appreciate it. pages of good looking men smiling and holding babies and writing thank-you notes and folding laundry. *sigh*

maybe you're imaging your shirtless spouse drawing a warm bubble bath for you and offering a glass of wine while murmuring, "I poured your bath, and here's a glass of Chardonnay. And don't worry - even if it gets into the breastmilk, it'll just help him fall asleep later."

yeah, you're definitely in a parallel universe.

"what to expect the first year"

www.amazon.com

i was so excited when i found out i was pregnant. i couldn't wait to start reading about pregnancy and looking online to find out what my baby was doing. so i dragged my husband to my first doctor's appointment and breathlessly asked my doctor what books i should be reading.

"there really aren't that many great books," she said.

"oh," i said. "well, what about websites?"

"yeah," she replied, "...stay away from the internet."

which is the best piece of pregnancy advice i've ever gotten. seriously.

how does this tie in? everyone i know had been given "what to expect when you're expecting" and EVERY SINGLE ONE of those people told me to never, ever, ever read it. (it's too alarmist, it gives you too many things to worry about, etc. etc. etc....)

on the flip side, however, "what to expect the first year" is a great book. yes, some of the timelines seem to enforce nervous parenting (the helpful "your baby should be doing this, your baby might be doing this" guidelines will make you crazy) but overall, there's lots of useful information about baby's developmental changes, sleep habits, how to bathe your child, introducing a bottle, immunizations, games to play with baby and FAQ's for every month covering just about anything you can think of and far far far too many to list here.