Page 26 - Blog
November 20, 2014
Thanksgiving has always been one of my favorite holidays. Without the attachment to a specific religion, it’s a day that pretty much everyone can enjoy. And if you love the flavors of the season, like me, it’s a time to celebrate everything from cranberries to root vegetables. We usually celebrate Thanksgiving at our home in Brooklyn. I start the day with a Turkey Trot in nearby Prospect Park, which helps to clear my head for the full day of cooking and socializing ahead. My mother in law and a few friends join us around 5 and we finish up by the time the kids go to sleep. This year it’s just going to be me, my husband, and our three kids at the table. Since the littlest one has yet to even have her first taste of mashed sweet potatoes, and the older two don’t really care about the big feast, we really have no pressure to make any of the traditional foods. Heck, we could grill up some burgers and everyone would be happy! Well, everyone except for me. Those Thanksgiving smells remind me
November 17, 2014
The good things about holidays include extended family, lots of rich food/drinks, and a break from the routine. The bad news is that they also include extended family, lots of rich food/drinks, and a break from the routine. With a lot of everything going on, many of us, especially new parents, may be more vulnerable to stress, anxiety and depression. Here are my top tips to prevent stress and depression during the holidays and stay balanced.
1. Take time to check in with yourself.
Amidst the chaos of full houses and family gatherings, the “noise” can make it hard to hear your own needs and feelings. Find an excuse to take 15 minutes by yourself. Practice whatever helps you clear your mind, such as deep breaths, stretching and yoga, a mindfulness meditation, a bubble bath, music, or a walk outside. With extra family around, you may have extra childcare and unprecedented opportunities for a quick break alone.
2. Take time alone with your baby.
New babies are very popular at family gatherings.
November 13, 2014
[Photo by @tophography_; mama @victoriamckaig_]
Happy fall! We're loving the rich autumn colors, adventures to the pumpkin patch and the smell of roasting vegetables for dinner. This fall, along with celebrating babywearing, we're meditating on mindful parenting, honoring adoptive families and taking the time to breathe in the joy of connecting with our families.
Just in time for the season, we're happy to give you a look at our newest carriers, Ventus Purple and Marine, as well as a new Swaddler design. To show them in action, we followed some families on their fall adventures and we'll be highlighting their stories on the blog this season. Be sure to follow along at #ergobabyeveryday.
Keeping our Original Collection fresh, we've added a touch of whimsy with the Marine Carrier, showcasing a sweet whale pattern in a beautifully soft blue shell, the perfect complement to your nautical or undersea themed nursery.
[Photo by @tophography_; mama @danihampton]
The
November 10, 2014
In the hospital you have lots of help—nurses, lactation consultants and doctors—all at your beck and call. Then comes the time to take your little one home. You’ve read the “must-have” books, subscribed to on-line baby websites and parenting blogs and spent many evenings on the phone with your own mom. Think you’re prepared? Think again. Here are a few important tips parents tell me they wish they had been told about the first few weeks at home with their newborn.
Sleep
Everyone tells you that you won’t get much sleep, but it’s worse than you imagine. Realistically, you won’t get any in the first few weeks. In addition to needing to feed every few hours, babies don’t know the difference between day and night. So no matter what time he rests, you need to take advantage and nap too. You can also try to help him get on track by keeping nighttime feeds and changing as calm as possible and wake him after 3 hours of daytime sleep to feed. But as soon as your doctor says he’s gaining weight
November 07, 2014
International Babywearing Week was October 5-11, 2014 and we definitely kicked it off with a bang; Shannon and I. The sun was blazing, it was super hot inside my house, you know the one that my dad refuses to turn on the central air in? (yeah that one), and I couldn’t have been any more relieved to hurry and rush to Gracefull Birth for their Nurture event – A Celebration of Pregnancy, Childbirth & 4th Trimester. MY KIND OF PARTY! I knew exactly what I wanted to wear and how I wanted to dress Shannon, but I struggled a bit with styling my hair. However, what I didn’t struggle with was my selection of a soft-structured baby carrier (SSC) to complement my vibe and that was my Ergobaby Organic Baby Carrier – Zen. It definitely matched the natural style event and the green lily pads printed on the hood make me happy. I mean nothing matters after that; its green lily pads! I arrived just in time to take a look inside the Babywearing & Breastfeeding Lounge hosted by Ergobaby
October 13, 2014
I love teaching Infant Massage. It's such a wonderful way to introduce new parents to the concept of mindfulness, being fully present with your baby and learning their uniqueness. Many parents don't realize until they are learning the strokes, that their infants (some as young as 4-6 weeks) have been communicating their personalities and preferences from the moment of birth! We teach parents to ask for permission before they start the massage by rubbing their hands together to warm up the oil, show the baby their hands and say "May I massage your legs and feet?" Some parents chuckle, thinking this is a little silly, that a baby can't possibly understand, but after massaging their babies for only a few days, they start to observe their baby's cues...do they look them in the eyes with interest? Give them a smile? Maybe show excitement by kicking their feet? Or do they turn away, yawn, or even pout or cry? This early respectful interchange is wiring our baby's brain for the capacity for
October 10, 2014
Baby Gear
Babywearing
Christina Soletti - October 10, 2014
To celebrate babywearing week, we reached out to our friends at Babywearing International. BWI is a non-profit group that helps all the parents wear all the babies! We love the work they do promoting babywearing as a universally accepted practice (thank you!), with benefits for both child and caregiver. They provide education and support to parents, caregivers, and educators through outreach activities (check out some activities in your area). At the heart of BWI is their network of chapters run by Volunteer Babywearing Educators serving their local communities, these educators can help you with everything from which carrier is best for you to how to do a back carry. So, when we were looking for babywearing tips to share, naturally we reached out to this amazing network to get their tips from experience! We've grouped their tips by topic, so you can easily find what you are looking for! Today's focus:
October 10, 2014
For as long as I could remember, I was a traveller. Transatlantic flights to visit grandparents bookended our summers and the romantic sound of the night train clattering through stations remains a vivid memory from my childhood. The trips of my 20’s were those I took alone, to places where I knew no one and could be anyone. It was me and my camera and conversations with locals about everything and anything. And then came motherhood and baby Henri. My husband and I didn’t have the option to stay put those first years. Our family was still everywhere in the world but here (Brooklyn) and so off we went as soon as we got the pediatrician’s green light. Henri was 3 months old. He’s now three years old and travels the globe like a seasoned business man. Little Henri has frequent flyer miles on multiple airlines, prefers a window seat, and has even been bumped to first class. We’ve built our own list of travel must-haves and routines that get us there, no matter how far the destination.
October 08, 2014
To celebrate babywearing week, we reached out to our friends at Babywearing International. BWI is a non-profit group that helps all the parents wear all the babies! We love the work they do promoting babywearing as a universally accepted practice (thank you!), with benefits for both child and caregiver. They provide education and support to parents, caregivers, and educators through outreach activities (check out some activities in your area). At the heart of BWI is their network of chapters run by Volunteer Babywearing Educators serving their local communities, these educators can help you with everything from which carrier is best for you to how to do a back carry.
So, when we were looking for babywearing tips to share, naturally we reached out to this amazing network to get their tips from experience! We've grouped their tips by topic, so you can easily find what you are looking for! Today's focus: back carry.
Babywearing Tips | Back Carry
When learning to back carry,
October 07, 2014
To celebrate babywearing week, we reached out to our friends at Babywearing International. BWI is a non-profit group that helps all the parents wear all the babies! We love the work they do promoting babywearing as a universally accepted practice (thank you!), with benefits for both child and caregiver. They provide education and support to parents, caregivers, and educators through outreach activities (check out some activities in your area). At the heart of BWI is their network of chapters run by Volunteer Babywearing Educators serving their local communities, these educators can help you with everything from which carrier is best for you to how to do a back carry.
So, when we were looking for babywearing tips to share, naturally we reached out to this amazing network to get their tips from experience! We’ve grouped their tips by topic, so you can easily find what you are looking for! Here are a few tips broken down we’ve broken down by section of most frequently asked