Expectant parents are often faced with a difficult choice: staying home with their baby or going back to work and relying on childcare. Another option growing in popularity is to have a home-based business so you can make a living while taking care of your infant. If this is the path you’re planning on taking, follow these four steps to ensure the success of your new venture – written by Amanda Henderson for Real Simple Mama.
Continue readingTag: newborn (Page 1 of 6)
Breastfeeding is undoubtedly one of the most amazing things you can do for your child. There are benefits to Baby and Mama, and it can be a beautiful bonding experience. But anyone who’s been there, also knows that it makes you more than a little crazy. And your life revolves around that little one (and your boobs). I made a list of things that may or may not make you a breastfeeding mom. How many can you relate to? Continue reading
Happy fifth birthday to my son! He is such a special human being, a calm considerate gift from God. This year is also significant because my baby, my oldest child, my firstborn, is going to kindergarten in the fall. It’s a strange phase that we’re in, because in some ways my son is so obviously a big boy. But in other ways, he reminds me that he is still so little. And as his mother, I’m going through all of these “firsts” for the first time, too. I hope that you enjoy a letter to my son on his fifth birthday. Continue reading
I accidentally made up a great way to start teaching your child the ABCs before they’re even three years old. I did some random things with my firstborn that seemed to work beautifully, and now I am doing them intentionally with my second child. While it’s probably not what you’ll read about it in the official literary guides, it’s a simple set of strategies that really click with little minds! Read on to see how to teach the ABCs to your toddler – and have fun! Continue reading
Autism is a very real condition which affects so many families that you’ve probably heard of it at least once. It’s life changing and eye opening. But not enough people really understand it, or know what it’s like to have a loved one with autism.
I interviewed my friend Brienne who has a son with autism. I wanted to know what their daily life is like, what it was like to get that diagnosis, and what a mom has to say about life with autism. My hope is that we can reach more people so that they understand that having autism does not make you less capable, less lovable, less worthy of love and respect. People with autism are people too, and they deserve to be loved and respected like everyone else! So have hope and be kind, always. Continue reading
Our cloth diaper journey is coming to an end. My second child is starting to use the potty and soon I’ll be able to wash and fold our stash for the last time. It’s been a crazy adventure and one that I don’t regret! But since I’m always honest here on RSM, I thought I’d look back and tell you about the trouble with cloth diapers. Because sometimes they suck. These are the negative things about having fluff, what’s driven me crazy and what hasn’t worked for us. But don’t worry – as usual, I have tons of photos and suggestions for every complaint! Continue reading
It’s Thanksgiving week! And here at Real Simple Mama, what better way to give back to my parenting community than with free ebooks!
I’ve made all of my parenting ebooks free to download from November 20-24; that’s right, you can pick and choose one, some, or all of my ebook titles:
- Real Simple Motherhood: The Fourth Trimester (compilation of most of the other books below)
- What Do I Really Need for a Baby? A Real Simple Guide to Newborn Gear
- What Happens to my Baby After Birth? A Real Simple Guide to Newborn Medical Procedures
- Happy Healthy Baby: A Real Simple Guide to Newborn and Infant Care
- An Introduction to Healthy Baby Sleep
- What is Babywearing?
- Disposables or Cloth?
- Breastfeeding or Formula?
- Weaning Your Breastfed, Bedsharing Child
That’s nine ebooks! All for those who are expecting, or who have a baby to care for.
I don’t make any money off of my books this week, even though they’ve taken hundreds of hours to research and compile. These are the books I wish I’d had when I was first pregnant and raising my babies!
So please share this article, or the link to my amazon author page, so that together we can help as many parents as possible! My goal is to make all moms and dads feel encouraged, confident, and educated in everything from newborn care to weaning.
Thank you for your support, and Happy Thanksgiving!
Bedsharing has been a lifesaver in our house, from saving my breastmilk supply to ensuring that everyone gets a decent amount of sleep. But I don’t feel like it’s mainstreamed into society well; with that, come a lot of secret society truths about bedsharing that only fellow bedsharers would understand. Here are a few of my favorites. Continue reading
America needs to step up its game when it comes to taking care of the family. We are a world power and a first-world country, yet there are so many things about being a parent in the US which are ridiculously lacking. While I won’t get into the massive issues which need attention, I have thought of five things that all businesses should do to help parents and families. These are fairly easy to implement and can be done by most stores and restaurants. Let’s all work to make the Land of the Free and Home of the Brave a sanctuary for families, too. Continue reading
If you have a baby, it’s easy to think of them as a tiny adult: after all, they’re a human being, and they’ll be a grownup eventually. However, a young baby sees the world very differently from their parents. And now there’s an app for that.
I was approached by Appetite for Education about reviewing their new app called Baby World. When Magdalena explained the concept of the app to me, I was intrigued: essentially Baby World shows parents and caregivers the world through a newborn’s eyes. The app emphasizes the baby’s limited vision and limited color scope, and allows you to use visually appropriate flash cards with your baby. There’s even an interactive camera!
Now that I’ve gotten a sneak peek at all that Baby World has to offer, I’ve gotta tell you: you need this app if you have a baby. Continue reading
