Newborns & Toddlers
New Moms: How much help will you need and how much is too much?
Sure, you can do it all, but you shouldn’t – you need to rest and heal during baby’s first weeks. Here’s how to get others to lend a hand. When I was pregnant with twins, my husband and I were trying to figure out what help we’d need when our babies came home. Other moms [...]
Smarter baby monitors
The cry has been heard: After 20 years with little change to baby monitoring devices, new designs premiered in January at the Consumer Electronics Show promising Wi-Fi connectivity and high-definition video that streams live to a smartphone. Some new monitors will have two-way audio, allowing parents to whisper comforting words in their baby’s ear without [...]
Child Sense: Toilet training
Toilet training is one of the major life skills we all master in order to lead a normal life. Approaching this lesson with patience, compassion and understanding will go a long way with helping your child master this skill. By understanding how your child’s dominant sense affects their mastery of toilet training, you will be [...]
Nurturing the nursing mother: Mom-to-mom support gives at-risk babies a better chance
Erica McLeod, a mother of three, holds up what looks like a string of wooden beads, each one just a little bigger than the previous one. She uses it to teach Rachel Trader, 22, an expectant mother who stopped breastfeeding her first child because she thought she wasn’t producing enough milk. “I don’t want to [...]
Early birth deepens bond for adoptive couple, birth mom
The adoption counselor caught Rebecca Bennett on her cellphone and delivered an urgent message from the birth mother: “The baby is coming early. You have permission to be at the hospital. Go quickly. Go now!” It was the day last June when Bennett and her husband, Joshua, were scheduled to have their second meeting with [...]
Social media changes the way pregnancy information is shared
You’re in labor. Is there an app for that? There ought to be, based on the information gleaned through a new survey of more than 1,000 pregnant women conducted by American Baby magazine and Good Books, publisher of the “Mayo Clinic Guide to a Healthy Pregnancy.” Fifty-one percent of respondents planned to record the birth [...]
Sometimes you just have to help yourself
Dear Mr. Dad: I have postpartum depression pretty bad, and I feel like my husband thinks I’m faking it. How can I help him understand that I seriously need his help? A: Brava to you – most women who have post partum depression don’t get the help they need, often because they’re embarrassed to ask [...]
Explain it to grandma
It’s the moment you’ve been both waiting for and dreading: Introducing the baby to grandma your grandma. Sure, she’s going to be thrilled to meet her new great-grandchild, delighted to discover that the infant has her late husband’s dimpled chin and her own dark eyes. The potential for dread comes in when you reveal the [...]
Preemies face test of survival
MIAMI – Sixteen years ago, Megan McDonald and Jim Vernon of Key West, Fla., were frightened new parents. Their daughter arrived way too early, at 28 weeks, and way too small, at 3 pounds, 5 ounces. McDonald, now 56, still shakes when she talks about the three long and scary months that tiny Anna spent [...]
Help Susi With Her Baby Library
I giggled when I got the invitation. A three-dimensional baby in a crib popped up in my hand when I opened it! It’s a baby shower, my favorite kind of party. A new mommy is about to be born -– and everytime I look at her beautiful belly, I think of the song from “Legally [...]
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