Simple Parenting

My favorite items and tips to make parenting simple. Bring it back to the old days in the shade. Our houses weren't overrun with artificially dyed foods and toys, plastics and microwaves, and we were better off for it. I feel that our children can benefit from that lifestyle and it also helps ease the second-to-second rush that rule our lives. These are a few of my favorite products for baby #2.

1. Read more. Of course there are some parenting styles or practices even in the best books, that just won't gel with yours. So pick the ones that work, and leave the rest. Never feel that there is one "right" way to do anything, let alone parent a child. It is a constant journey of self discovery and trial-and-error, but just the fact that you are seeking ways to improve on parenting, shows how much you care about the development and well-being of your child. Kudos! Some great books on simple parenting: Trees Make the Best Mobiles and The Happiest Baby on the Block

2. Learn what your baby needs: A great system for this is the Dunstan Baby Language System. It teaches how to understand the five cries your baby uses to tell you what they need. This is the most amazing discovery EVER and it truly helps eliminate frustration especially in those early months when you and baby are still getting to know one another.

Dunstan Baby Language -- Learn the universal language of newborn babies

3. Music-Rockabye Baby: I was thoughtfully given this as a gift when we first found out we were pregnant, by one of our really good couple-friends. MY husband is in a band (The Mission Veo) so it goes without mention that we are rather interested in music. This lovely couple purchased the compilation CD of instrumental versions of favorite rock songs. It is beautifully orchestrated so that baby will be soothed into slumber, and also fun for adults to try and guess which band is being covered. There are many of these CD's where each one is devoted entirely to the songs of one band, and thus your baby can jam out to the gentle tunes of Nirvana, U2, Pink Floyd, or my favorite- The Cure. Nobody wants a baby with poor music taste, so let your kids get ahead of the peer group.

Rockabye Baby! Good Day, Goodnight: The 5 Year Anniversary Compilation



4. Moby Baby Wrap/ Baby K'tan: Wearing your baby has more benefits than one would think.
 According to Dr. Sears, babies who are  "worn" are smarter, more attached, less fussy and learn human interactions better than those who are not.
While baby-wearing has gained popularity in Western cultures recently, it is an age old tradition in many areas of the world. I grew up in South Africa, where it is customary for the black women to strap their babies onto their back whilst they work or go about their business. We had a cleaning lady/nanny who was like a second mom to me, and I remember being very young and being strapped to her back, abd how soothing it was to hear her singing and the vibrations her voice made. I would fall asleep to the constant rocking motion.  Some more information on baby-wearing around the world: (Courtesy of www.slingbabies.co.nz)

• For instance Mexican people use the Rebozo, which is a square of woven cloth tied over one shoulder with baby usually on the back- sometimes called a Chal, depending on the length.
• Peruvians have a Manta which sits over both shoulders like a cape, and baby sits high on mother's back. 
• Guatemalans use Parraje- similar to a Rebozo.
• European mothers used a mixture of pouches, wraps and short cloth carriers.
  
• Alaskan/Canadian people have the Amauti which is a very thick arctic jacket with a baby 'pocket' in the back, baby even fits under the over-sized hood!
• Papua New Guinea mothers use a Bilum- a net bag held at the forehead with baby hanging at the back (very strong necks!) 
• Indonesian mothers use a Selendang which is a long ornate wrap.
• Aboriginal mothers used to keep their babies in carriers made of bark, similar to the cradleboards used by Native Americans but without the cloth covering. 
• Asian mothers use a variety of carriers including Mei-tai /Hmong/ Bei(China), Onbuhimo (Japan), Podaegi (Korea) plus many use a 'carrier' of long straps which go under baby's armpits and thighs for back carries. 
• African mothers use a 'Khanga' which is a short-ish piece of cloth tied around the torso, so baby sits low on the back.  

My two favorite baby wearing slings are: The Moby wrap
   

Moby Wrap Original 100% Cotton Solid Baby Carrier, Chocolate

And the K'tan: $49.99-59.99.

Baby K'tan Original Baby Carrier, Black, Small

I would love to hear what your favorite baby products are, so send me an email, or post a comment.
And keep your parenting as simple as possible!


Love and lightness,
Kerry, the Momster

With Thanks

After my shower, I ran out of thank you cards (I know I'm blessed with so many people who love our baby). So I got out my craft supplies, surfed the web for inspiration, and came across these cute gems on a blog. Mine aren't as clean cut and beautiful as the originals, but they still turned out pretty well :)

To make your own, here is the tutorial.

Love and thanks,

Kerry the Momster

   

Anti-consumerism: Part 2

The thrill of something shiny, the new car smell, the crisp clean pages of a new book, lusted after purses in your hand and sparkling new jewels around your neck. There is something about buying, spending, having that feuls an invisible need within us. As Marilyn Monroe once said, "Where's a man that can ease the heart like a satin gown?" illustrates that even she filled those voids with spending.

So it doesn't surprise me that we are a consumer-driven society- we like new toys! They bring new possibilities, visions of the person we would like to be, a stepping stone towards the life we think we want. But where do we get this idea from? How do we get these visions of these lives? Media, of course!

Don't get caught in their trap.

There is a marketing ploy named the "Rule of Three" that says it takes a person seeing something, or hearing it three times in different venues to create a want for said thing or idea. So if you subscribe to three different magazines and they all say purple is the color of the season or show splash pages of purple items, when you go shopping, you will find yourself drawn to purple, and quite possibly will think it is your own desire for purple, because you are "really feeling" that color right now.


So it makes you wonder, how much of our own taste or likes are really our own?
See if you can abstain from media for a while, and watch and see what happens to your spending habits. You most likely won't even realize all the things you usually "need".

I continue my buy-nothing month, but I must admit it is quite difficult at times. Even though I'm not looking at magazines, I mostly find myself wanting to buy fabrics and craft supplies to create things. At least I feel this is a more noble greed than the usual purses, shoes and clothes I lust after.

Love and lustlessness,
Kerry, the Momster

Simple, but so smart

From this blog I read called Zen habits, this is a culmination list of all the important lessons the author has learned. By subtraction of nonsense in our lives, we of course end up with more time for the "real", nurturing stuff that really fulfills. Here is his guide:

the brief guide

less TV, more reading
less shopping, more outdoors
less clutter, more space
less rush, more slowness
less consuming, more creating
less junk, more real food
less busywork, more impact
less driving, more walking
less noise, more solitude
less focus on the future, more on the present
less work, more play
less worry, more smiles
breathe


And Some fantastic books to read to children about the art of Zen, by one of my favorite children's authors Jon J. Muth:
 Zen Shorts

and Zen Ties

Love and zen,
Kerry , the Momster
 

Probiotics for Babies

I have seen at least three articles this week about probiotic drops for babies, or everything from acid reflux to colic or diarrhea. Here is some info on the matter from Pollywog. They also have a link to buy a product but these drops are available in Whole Foods too. I will be using this instead of gas drops with Baba Dos!

Another great brand of probitics, Flora( and a little cheaper).  Available on Amazon $19.95

Love and happy babies,
Kerry, the Momster

Bluffed with stuff

This is a very inspiring article. Makes me want to get on the living simply band wagon. Yes I think I might...

Read This

Love and simplicity,
Kerry, the Momster