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Categories
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Ali's A-List
Get the inside scoop on all things giggle from our very own CEO and Founder, Ali Wing.
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9 Months
Expecting? We've got some great advice to prepare you for your pregnancy and the birth of your child.
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Nursing Know-How
Start your breastfeeding off right with helpful information from non-profit Best for Babes.
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City Mom
Learn strategies for navigating public transportation, crowded streets and small living spaces from Manhattan mom Monica Storch.
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Healthy Home
Build a healthy environment for your baby with practical and easy tips from national nonprofit Healthy Child Healthy World.
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Parent Talk
Get tips from the trenches with this information-packed blog from the authors of The Rookie Mom's Handbook and Stuff Every Mom Should Know, Heather Flett and Whitney Moss.
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Baby Style
Get fun fashion advice from blogger Nadia Carriere for the 40 weeks before and after your baby is born.
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Grab Bag
What's happening at giggle? Get the latest, learn about promotions, and read posts by some giggle friends and special guests.
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Stuff Every Mom Should Know: Win a Copy!
Ever wish that there was a cheat sheet with all of the important stuff you need to know about being a mother? Bringing their been-there-wiped-that advice that they deliver on their blog, Rookie Moms, and in their Parent Talk column here on giggleGAB, Heather Flett and Whitney Moss have compiled some of the most helpful tidbits that every new mom (and dad) need in their new book, Stuff Every Mom Should Know. Pieced out in morsel-sizes, their newest book provides precise info about things like…
- Lyrics to traditional lullabies
- Seven simple baby-food recipes
- Cheat sheet of parenting philosophies and trends
- How to stock your medicine cabinet
- How to take a baby on an airplane
- How to swaddle a baby
- Comebacks for unsolicited parenting advice (click for an excerpt!)
Pick up a copy of this pocket size book (it’s slightly larger than an iPhone) for yourself and your pregnant BFF/sister/cousin/neighbor/coworker as welcome to motherhood gifts!
We’re giving away three copies of Stuff Every Mom Should Know, post a comment with the answer to this question: “What is the biggest question you have about the first six months of parenthood?” (Contest ends Thursday, May 17.)
On Becoming My Mother (and Not Minding One Bit)
I think about my mom constantly, not just when I see ads for Mother’s Day promotions. I think about the age she was as she mothered me and how it compares to the age I am as I go through it (about ten years older). I think about how technology impacts my parenting and social life — how did she manage to breastfeed without email to read on her phone? Or crowd-source parenting advice from friends on Facebook? I think about all the things she let me do by myself as I grew up and wonder if I’ll be able to foster the same independence for my children, or if my fear of the world’s dangers will squash those opportunities.
Mostly though, I think about how much I appreciate her now that I’m a mother.
Grocery Shopping with a Baby?
I have discovered several ways to grocery shop with a baby. To be perfectly honest, I would much rather speed-shop by myself and call it “me time” than bring a little one if I have the choice. Or order nearly all my food online and forgo the outing altogether, but sometimes, you just gotta hit the supermarket together.
When you’re building your skills as a shopper with baby in tow, I propose you go to the store for just one thing to practice. Here are a few methods that I’ve used with varying degrees of success.
Sleep: Silly Things Real Parents Try
Last night, as I snuck out of my 4-year old’s room (after carefully lifting one finger off of her back every ten seconds until my palm was completely free for another count of ten, then sliding off of her bed and tip-toeing out of the room) I immediately began to worry about the sleep interruptions that might lie in wait for me that night. Would anyone wet their beds? Have bad dreams? Call out for a parent’s attention simply because he or she woke up and felt lonely?
Were there any additional measures I wanted to take before putting myself in bed to increase the odds of a good night sleep? And by the way, when did I become superstitious? Was it the day I named a pair of infant pajamas “lucky jammies” because my son slept through the night while wearing them?
I take comfort in knowing I’m not alone. Here are some sleeptime rituals some other rookie moms told us about.
Spring Fun with a Baby
Since I’ve now given birth in September, February and May, I have taken a baby through spring at various ages and stages. Baby nursing so frequently, you can hardly leave the house? I’ve been there. Baby so wiggly you MUST leave the house? Been there too!
Regardless of my baby’s age, though, I seem to be pushing a stroller and narrating the world to some little guy. Just this morning, I was pushing my five-month-old around making silly faces and talking about the light dappling through the trees. He doesn’t care what I say, but as long as I’m sharing the walk with him (rather than my omnipresent smart phone), he’s thrilled.
On Becoming a Laundress
We absorb imagery of motherhood that from television commercials and greeting cards long before we become mothers ourselves. Cooking and cleaning are high on the list of activities we learn keep mothers busy, but it seems hard to believe. While I was pregnant, my daydreams were filled with gurgling baby noises, cute bodysuits, and confidence that I would be teaching my child to read before Kindergarten. I did not see myself as a soon-to-be maven of the laundry room or kitchen.
So is this for real, this legendary laundry mountain that buries parents alive? Is a daily load of laundry in your near future?
In a word, “Probably.”
Bathing a Baby
I believe that a baby should be exposed to water early and often: showers, bath tubs, and eventually swimming pools. All good.
My first baby got a bath every other night and he pretty much still does. Meanwhile, my third child has been in the tub about 5 times in as many months. FIVE. That is not a typo. Rather than get all the supplies out for him, we prefer to bring him in the shower as needed.
Getting Ready For Solids
Moving beyond breast milk or infant formula toward a full menu of foods is quite a process. Though babies continue to get most of their nutrition and calories from milk or formula for the whole first year, learning to enjoy different tastes and textures is a foundation for a lifetime of eating. No pressure or anything, huh?
5 Reasons You Need a Bouncy Seat
A third and fourth arm that grows out of one’s body after childbirth would be handy, but it still wouldn’t help when you need to get in the shower. And all those armpits? Who has time for shaving them? That’s why I am a big fan of a bouncy seat that can be dragged all over the house.
Here are the daily routines that make having a portable baby chair worthwhile.
What to Register for: Furniture
While it’s lots of fun to open adorable bodysuits and teensie socks that look like sneakers at your shower, you know what’s really helpful? When people give you furniture.
After all, a three-pack of little leggings is about $20, and you’ll have to save a lot more Benjamins if you are hoping to change your baby’s diaper on a surface other than your bed.
I was very lucky that my grandfather insisted on buying my first baby’s crib. However, I do think there was some sticker shock involved when he discovered how much a crib cost in the 21st century.
