Mid-Week Links
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Childcare expert Penelope Leach says that recent brain research proves that babies who are left to cry for prolonged periods are at risk of suffering damage to their developing brains, which reduces their capacity to learn. Young babies do not have the mental equipment to “learn” to go to sleep at the right time, so leaving them to cry is pointless, she adds.
There is a science behind baby bonding: How the chemical connection a mum has with her baby within the first hour of birth sets the tone for their relationship and helps determine the future emotional and physical health of the child.
In families, parents want to be favoured just as much as the children. While this desire to be chosen—to be preferred over someone else—is normal, the negative consequences to the parent/child relationship can be profound if left unchecked. Parents’ decisions have to be driven by what is in the overall best interest of children, not by what will win them the popularity contest.
The politics of breastfeeding: An international breastfeeding advocacy group is accusing ABC News of failing to reveal that a pediatrician it quoted in a report critical of a breastfeeding study is a formula industry spokeswoman.
Nursing bonnets help you feel less exposed when breastfeeding in public—a mommy company that was founded with the vision of celebrating the nursing mother.
Experts’ advice about babies’ sleep routines can be confusing and contradictory. How to find a way that works for baby and you.
How do you handle it when you and your husband disagree on parenting issues? When did your baby move into her own room? And the debate continues.
A father recites poetry to his young children. “If my kids ever needed to turn to poetry, I wanted to start laying down the circuitry. So, on sleepless nights, I’d pull “The Norton Anthology of Poetry” from the shelf, pace, and read, preparing to hardwire my children by reciting poetry from memory to them.”
Do parenting magazines offer anything for fathers? Another dad tries to look for hints of himself in parenting magazines and fails.
