This is the first in a series that I have had percolating for a while: the stuff that women need to know about breastfeeding because no one else does. If maternal and infant health was really a priority and breastfeeding was really the norm, these posts wouldn’t be necessary because you’d either already know this stuff or wouldn’t need it to begin with. But neither is true (for now!), so settle in for a little anatomy lesson. Back in July 2007, I attended a session [...]

Triclosan is a commonly used anti-bacterial agent – it shows up in things like hand-soap, deodorant… and even toothpaste. Bacteria is germs and germs make you sick – so killing them (especially in a household overrun with those little Petri dishes called children) sounds like a good plan. For years, I was the anti-bacterial queen. During the SARS scare (remember that one?), I had a hand sanitizer in every pocket…. and a spray for every surface. Many billions have no doubt been made on that [...]

My latest moral dilemma – giving my baby chicken pox. Or not. Am I a chicken?

Yet another trip to the Sick Kids’ ER, this time for a broken bone. Lessons on how stoic those little people can be – plus you get to see an actual real life picture of Tom’s insides.

I thought I was done with this series, but my mom of all people came out with a great one a few weeks ago and I needed to share. Thomas has been constipated for much of the last two months – not painfully so, but worrisome to us because he had some early trouble in that department that landed him in the Sick Kids NICU (fabulous people, give them money). Mom suggests that the old-fashioned cure for this is to stimulate baby’s anus. This makes [...]

Babies bond through smell, so mom should avoid scented products and deodorant when you have a new baby. Unlike some of the other weird advice, this is one that sounds weird and crazy, but it’s actually good advice. Baby’s sensory systems are brand new and adapting to a whole avalanche of new stimuli. Researchers have shown what mama knows instinctively – babies are soothed by the mere presence of her scent. And animal studies suggest that that repeated exposure is critical to bonding and brain [...]

To keep your baby from rolling off the bed, use a diaper pin to pin their sleeper to the sheets. I first heard this advice second-hand before I had children and, I admit, it actually sounded like a good idea at the time. But it isn’t. For one thing, it’s demeaning (we restrain animals, not people) and probably uncomfortable. For another, it has the potential to be unsafe: the pin could undo and injure the baby or the baby could become entangled in the bedding [...]

To get boogers out of your newborns nose, put pepper under their nostrils and it will make them sneeze it out. Hand to God, this advice was given to me. In defence, the giver was a childless aunt who was well-intended and quite concerned about the baby having a cold and being stuffed up. Here’s the thing: newborn babies were, just days prior, in a liquid environment and there’s a lot of junk to get out as well as getting the hang of breathing air [...]

If your baby won’t take a bottle, just put chocolate milk in it. Variation: If your baby won’t take a pacifier, dip it in honey. Ah, the old bait and switch. Both these pieces of advice were actually dispensed to me in the doctor’s office (by fellow patients). Do not try this at home, folks. Seriously, these are both very bad ideas even if your baby still doesn’t have any teeth to rot. First, babies usually don’t need bottles or pacifiers – in fact, introducing [...]

These aren’t mine – they came across from Isabelle’s school this evening, but since they were simple, low-tech and made lots of sense, I figured out I would pass along:The only portals of entry are the nostrils and mouth/throat. In a global epidemic of this nature, it’s almost impossible to avoid coming into contact with H1N1 in spite of all precautions. Contact with H1N1 is not so much of a problem as proliferation is. While you are still healthy and not showing any symptoms of [...]