Parenting

The Baby Registry – 5 Years Later

| Mary Stoffel, MOT, OTR/L

It’s incredible how much can change in just five years! When Patti and I first stepped into parenthood, the landscape of baby essentials looked entirely different. The must-have items evolved. Mamaroos became less of a must-have while baby slings took center stage. Even the reigning travel system brands, Britax and Baby Jogger, have made way for newer favorites like Doona and UPPAbaby. Also, an RIP moment for our beloved (and recalled) Fisher Price Rock and Play sleeper.

Yet, despite the shifting trends, one truth remains: babies need stuff. But what exactly do they need, and how much of it is truly essential? The answer is often subjective and changes if you get to your second or third pregnancy. That’s why for this post, we’re doing a refresh—what baby items proved indispensable, what turned out to be unnecessary, and the unexpected game-changers that saved the day.

Continue reading →

Cry Baby: Baby Cries and Language Development

| Mary Stoffel, MOT, OTR/L

Babies cry. Period.

For those first few months, newborns sound the alarm every time they feel slightly off kilter. As a new parent, it can be rough trying to decipher what your baby needs. Regardless of how many parenting books you may read, decoding cries doesn’t necessarily come with textbook instructions

Crying is the first and most important form of communication infants have with their parents and caregivers. Their entire survival depends on it. The first two months of life, their cries intensify, peaking between 6 to 8 weeks before significantly decreasing by 3 to 4 months of age. This decline aligns with key developmental milestones, such the emergence of self-soothing behaviors (sucking fingers to turning head away when overstimulated), vocalizations (cooing and babbling), and motor skills (reaching, grasping, pushing up onto elbows and forearms during tummy time).

Although it can be tough to handle your baby’s cries, especially in the moment, there’s always a rhyme and reason behind them. Every cry is a way of communicating a need.

Continue reading →

Our Rage Room Mom date

| Patti Webb

Yay! New blog feature.

We’ve written extensively on PPD and how important it is for moms to take time for themselves. This recharges our social battery and keeps us balanced, so our entire lives aren’t completely ruled by our kids.

Looking forward, I came across a teen parenting account that said that one of the reasons teens stop looking to their parents for advice and quality time is because their parents aren’t fun. During high school, my parents never really had friends. They would work, make dinner, and watch something on the couch…every…damn…night. I love an introverted bed rot, but seriously no other people anywhere in the radar? Not even a best friend that I’ve ever heard of?

I feel like most of the parents I appreciated growing up were those that had their own social lives; they played more roles than just being a parent or an employee. They had interests and hobbies and would go out for girls nights. Their personal schedules were just as involved as their kids’. Overall, I feel like their homes were just lighter; and consequently, their villages were bigger.

So, Mary and I would like to propose a trade. We will exchange two playdate reviews, for two Mom date reviews. We love doing fun stuff with our kids, but we’d also like to try out some fun, new things that are a little more age-appropriate for us.

  • Screenshot
  • Screenshot
Continue reading →

Child(ish) Reads: Raising A Socially Successful Child, Pt. II

| Patti Webb

When we say “socially successful”, we mean making friends. Yes, how our child conducts themselves in public spaces in a way that is socially acceptable is one thing. Manners and etiquette are explicitly taught.

However, making friends is not exactly easy for most. Confidence, self-esteem, temperament; these all factor into the process personally. But then there is the reciprocation, the two-way street. Does this person like me back?

In Raising a Socially Successful Child, Dr. Stephen Nowicki explains the Friendship process; the different stages of how we start and maintain relationships.

Continue reading →