You Plus 2 & Beyond The Basics

Trying to wean your little one off a comfort item (paci, lovey, stuffie?)-at least out in public? Take a read for some thoughts about how to help ease the transition and teach new coping skills. "When the time comes that we have to limit access, we need to think about replacing the item by teaching our child a new coping skill. A new strategy or idea or plan that the child can turn to in the absence of Lovey."

Recently my younger son noticed that an elderly woman in a motorized cart got in line behind us at the grocery store. When he saw that she was having to work hard to unload her groceries onto the conveyer belt he stepped in to ask if he could help her...and my heart just about exploded. Teaching kindness has been such an important goal for us as parents, and it started young in our family. It reminded me of this post I wrote about how we use "Heart Talk" to keep our boys centered and focus on empathy and kindness. Goodness knows the world needs it more today than ever!

Happy New Year! I'm curious to know what parenting issues you'd like to tackle this year? I'll be doing more writing, taking parenting questions and getting back to posting more this year (now that I've made it through the infant phase of baby #3!) Where do you need support? What are you curious to learn? Where do you feel like you are struggling? I can help but I'd like YOUR input! Looking forward to hearing from you!

Does your child struggle a bit through hellos & goodbyes? Does he shy away at the idea of having to give a hug or kiss to a relative or friend? With the holidays approaching, the pressure for your kids to "perform" properly and graciously through these expectations runs high! Here are some ideas to make these social interactions go a bit more smoothly for your child. http://wp.me/p19WsC-hz

I was honored to be interviewed by Debra Flashenberg, founder of NYC's Prenatal Yoga Center for her podcast "Yoga, Birth, Babies" this summer while we were in the city. Our time focused on sibling preparation. Here are some of the topics we cover: *What is Sibling Prep is and why it’s important. *When is a good time to get started with prepping your child(ren) and how to begin. *What to do if your child asks for more details about how the baby was made or how the baby c...omes out and you’re not ready for a birds & bees conversation? *Tools for the mother to create a new routine once the new child arrives. *What to do your child says he/she doesn’t want a new sibling. *Why play is integral to sibling prep. *How you can introduce the new baby to the older sibling(s). *How you can address your child’s feelings once you are all home and back together again. If you or someone you know is expecting another baby, take a listen to the podcast and let us know what you think! Do you have any great prep tips to share?