New Beginnings at The Nest

Tell your friends - the next session of the Nest is starting in less than 3 weeks! We will be running weekly virtual meetings along with bi-weekly park playdates with some of our favorite Nest traditions - A halloween costume party - socially distanced at a park. ... - Mini photo sessions at a park with @erinpurdyphotography - Topic-based zooms with the latest in baby research and answers to all of your burning baby questions - Not one but TWO holiday-themed footprint crafts of your baby. - Music, bubbles, and songs at the park - And a visit from @impressionsbydonna to get your baby’s clay prints taken. With special groups for 2nd/3rd time mamas, working mamas, and classes grouped by age, we have something for everyone. Spots are available in most of our groups - you can find the link to enroll in our bio or DM for more info.! See you there!

We at the Nest have been so grateful to continue to be able to provide support to families and continue to feel so blessed to be a part of your lives as parents. Our Virtual Hybrid mommy and me classes start this Monday 7/20! Reach out if you’d like to join in and please tell your new mama friends this class is not your average Zoom ! With our new Virtual Hybrid classes, we are really thinking outside of the box and working hard to ensure that you new mamas build a community and have special memories with your babies and new friends. We would love to have you. DM/email/text for more info!

I know it can be scary to talk to our kids about big things. We are afraid we will say the wrong thing, not have the answers to their questions, or that we’ll stumble and mess the whole thing up. But, today, I want to encourage you to talk at your kitchen table. Talk in the car on the way to the store. Talk when you see differences in your community and on TV. Talk when you see systemic racism or bias or injustice or unkindness. Talk when you see kindness and love and inclusi...on. Please do not be afraid to talk to your children about what is happening in our country. And then listen and listen and listen and listen. We need to be having conversations about differences, about systemic racism, about bias. You may not have all of the answers, you may stumble, you may say, I don’t know an awful lot, but that is okay. Our imperfections and vulnerabilities should never get in the way of allowing our children, our families, and our communities to grow. I believe that children are often our best teachers, and that in these difficult moments, we make our future brighter by not shielding our children, but instead allowing them to learn alongside us and listening so they may teach us. At the Nest, we are committed to gathering resources to equip families to have conversations surrounding race and differences with children. We are committed to being a safe space for all families. We are committed to supporting you in raising the next generation of children who will do better. If I can support you in your at-home conversations in any way, please reach out. I will never pretend to have all of the answers but would love to learn alongside you. I am determined to listen and learn and talk and educate my children and will always be here to support you as you do the same.

This Friday is the first of our two-part Baby Care & Breastfeeding Basics Workshop - now held virtually via Zoom - and we have a couple of spots left! Tag a pregnant friend who may want to join us! In this 2-night workshop we’ll cover: baby’s first bath , soothing your little one , how to care for the umbilical cord and diaper area , what to expect in breastfeeding , what to and not to register for, the American Academy of Pediatrics’ recommendations for baby care and sle...ep , and more! We’ll practice (yes - even in our virtual class!!) swaddling, diapering, and will practice breastfeeding positions. We have a structure and plan for class, but above all, we want you to walk out of class empowered, informed, and ready to meet your little one! So - we are here for YOU and are excited to answer your most burning questions. Class is led by Jenn Langsdale - Happiest Baby Certified Educator and Certified Lactation Educator Counselor, and Mary Scifres - Lactation Educator Counselor. More details, as well as the link to enroll, in our profile!

Reed wants me to remind all of you to anchor your furniture - dressers, furniture, bookshelves, etc. to the wall. Anchoring furniture is (in my book) one non-negotiable baby-proofing project. Now that we have some more time at home, there’s no time like the present! What are your other non-negotiable baby-proofing projects/devices?

Enrollment for virtual mommy and me and free lactation groups is now open - groups start this week! Link to enroll in profile, more details in story highlights. Can’t wait you see you there.