latest news
BabyShrink Needs Your Questions – AND Your Advice!
I had planned to write one more post about Weird Pregnancy Dreams, but there’s just so much going on behind the scenes here, I just had to tell you about it.
Here is a quick rundown -
**New BabyShrink website design in progress
**BabyShrink PODCASTING…what would you like to hear?
**Great new interviews to post soon
**And finally, I need your questions!
BabyShrink Site Redesign
It’s hard to believe BabyShrink was launched March 7….of
THIS YEAR. In 10 weeks, over 20,000
page views have been logged. 20,000! That’s due in no small part to my chief
booster and whip-cracking editor, Danny Evans at DadGoneMad. But lots of you
have decided to stick around, ask questions, participate in the discussion, and
read my articles. I couldn’t be happier. And so, it’s time to upgrade the site
to be cleaner, easier to navigate, and to use my radical new logo, designed by
my Grammy-nominated friend and tireless supporter, Glenn Sakamoto. All this
week I’m meeting with web designers. But I’m a shrink, not a "tekkie". I need
your advice and suggestions about making BabyShrink as useful and appealing as
possible.
BabyShrink’s Parenting Podcasts
My friend Ilima is a new mom, and since she’s ten years
younger than I am, she’s wayyy cooler. Which means she knows how to use her
iPod. And she loads it with all sorts of great programs, and listens in the
middle of the night, when she’s up nursing her baby. But she wants Parenting
Podcasts…a la BabyShrink. And since she’s a journalist, I take her advice
seriously. So I ask you, dear readers, what kinds of podcasts do you want to hear
from me?
Great New BabyShrink Interviews
Remember when I told you about the fantastic book
“Babyproofing Your Marriage”? I had the opportunity to interview Stacie
Cockrell recently; she’s one of it’s authors. I can’t wait to post the
interview, and I do highly recommend you check out the book. Just look at
the reviews on amazon.com to give you a sense of what an important (and hilarious) book this
is.
My series on Sensory Integration was very well-received, and
Lindsey Biel and Nancy Peske have generously offered to post my complete
three-part series on their website, SensorySmarts.com. I’ll let you know when
that’s up on their site.
I also was thrilled to hear back from an Israeli researcher
who’s done studies on pregnancy and dreams. You won’t want to miss the
fascinating new findings on Weird Pregnancy Dreams. Since my Israeli Professor
is on vacation, we’ll wait on the final post in that series until I can give
you all the interesting new findings.
I Need Your Questions!
Not only do I want to hear your feedback and
suggestions about new features to integrate into the BabyShrink site upgrade, I
also want to hear your parenting questions. As they say in radio, “Now’s a great
time to get through to me.” We go on vacation in a few weeks, so get your
parenting dilemmas and questions in to me now!
Wow, I can be cool and taken seriously? Where were you when I needed you in high school, BabyShrink???
Here’s an idea for an odd but fun topic: how can I experiment on my baby? Seriously, I loved the Baby Human series. Is there any way I can recreate some of those cool tests they have the babies do that illustrate the more interesting milestones of development?
Also, you know that video of the baby laughing hysterically while he’s ripping up papers? I want to know why he thinks that’s so funny. What’s he thinking? Can you explain babies’ sense of humor and what that means in terms of their development?
My third seemingly silly question is: why does my baby get bored of developmental toys with all the bells and whistles after 5 minuts, but can play with an empty piece of tupperware for hours? Is there even any reason to buy those “educational” toys?
Keep up the good work.
I second the “is there a reason to buy developmental toys” question, and build on it with this one: how can I keep up developmentally with my toddler’s toys? I don’t have the money (or space!) to keep buying age appropriate toys, even if I knew what would be age appropriate and- important!- enjoyed by my daughter. Any thoughts on how to manage this?
Second thought- all your interviews would make GREAT podcasts- better than written entries, I think, if you could get the folks on the phone.
AWESOME! I don’t listen to podcasts as much as I should - I’m kind of like you in the “tekkie” department! But, I think it’s a great idea because I know they are a great way to get your articles and ideas out there.
As for questions, are you kidding me? I have maybe 4 or 5 THOUSAND! I’d love it if you just followed me around all day so I could ask away…
My most critical question, or the one that keeps me up at night isn’t really so much about the baby part (I’m not sure how far into childhood you want to cover), but it has to do with raising girls in today’s world. I am TERRIFIED of all the things my daughter will have to deal with that I did not. Girls are sexualized so early, and they are maturing so much faster (a friend recently told me her daughter got her period in 5th grade???). With everything from body image to self respect to manners, dating, sex, drugs, compassion, career, etc. it becomes overwhelming!
How do we raise our kids (mainly girls) to be well-adjusted and successful while simultaneously shielding them from the really bad stuff, BUT not overprotecting them so they are naive and sheltered? I know… I always ask the easy questions…
SO GLAD everything is going so well. Can’t wait to see the new design!!!
Aloha!
Oooh, I’m excited to see the new look.
** I third the question about toys.
** Also, my 18 mth old will rarely play by herself. She will quietly entertain herself with books for a few minutes but shows very little interest in other toys. I turn to TV for help at times when I need to cook or shower but like to keep this to a minimum. What else can I do to increase her independence in this area? I know with time it will come but still, I wonder whether there is something more I should be doing to foster this development toward independent play.
** My daughter has mutliple food allergies that make feeding a real challenge. She will begin daycare/preschool in the fall. I am very worried about how she will manage given that her diet is very restricted and she can’t eat much of what other kids eat. Apart from talking to her about it and getting her ready that way, what else can I do to help her?
**My duaghter sucks her thumb. I don’t have a problem with it because she is a baby. Actually, as a nursing mama I was thrilled when she found her thumb because she wouldn’t take a pacifier and so wanted to nurse all the live long day. But the problem is that her daytime caregivers make an issue of the thumb sucking. I’ve told them that I’m not worried about it but they won’t let it go. It’s come up so often that I’m starting to second guess myself. Should I be more concerned about her thumb sucking at this age?
ILIMA:
Ever the journalist, huh? Great questions.
Duly noted. I promise to write up something for you about this stuff. One quick note about the baby laughing video: At that age (what was he, about a year old?) babies are learning cause and effect. He loves it that he can pull on the paper — and make it rip. HE figured out how to do it, and HE CAN DO IT HIMSELF. (and it makes a great sound, too, which he loves!) PLUS it’s something unexpected; usually, paper does not rip. HE NOW KNOWS THAT. SO when it does, it catches him by surprise….and surprise is a key element in humor, right?
It’s a great way to entertain a baby this age or older; do unexpected things. (But be prepared for some of your attempts to be taken the wrong way; sometimes the unexpected — even if it’s innocuous — can be disturbing!)
Have fun! (And hey; when you were uncool in high school, I was already wayyyy uncool as a dorky grad student! So I couldn’t have helped you then!)
I don’t have a *baby* as of yet–I’m just 15 weeks 4 days in. But I am wondering…
1-Do you have any advice for moms-to-be who, like me, are in that weird 2nd trimester place where they don’t have horrid first trimester symptoms, but the baby’s not kicking yet and they’re freaking out? I am perhaps especially paranoid because I miscarried last time and I’m constantly terrified that something might go wrong again.
2-Can you talk about newborns some more? I really appreciated your post “How do you play with a newborn anyways” and sent it to my husband. Because this will be our first live birth, I don’t even know what questions to ask. Sure I babysat, but I have no idea how to really *prepare* for the real, live, in-living-color baby. Anything you want to talk about in terms of newborns would be welcome advice.
This is all great news! Can’t wait to see more posts and info. I’d love to see advice on helping siblings create good relationships. I’ve got two daughters now, a four year old and a 2 month old. I didn’t have a good relationship with my sibling (a younger brother). What can I do (if anything) to help them bond?
PATRICIA, KATIE KAT, LORI, CRYSTAL and FWMAMA:
With readers like you, how can I go wrong? What great questions! And thank you all so much for your suggestions. Now, I have my work cut out for me. I’d better get cracking on some answers! I’ll be sure to let each of you know when I anticipate posting your question (with my answer).
I am wondering what impact baby sign language has on a child’s development? I have signed extensively with my 2-year-old daughter since she was 5.5 months. Now, she know around 400 signs and is a great speaker. She also know her ABCs and attempts to spell some words. She can also read some words in books. I believe sign language is responsible for her developing these abilities.
But, she also seems more in-tune with the needs and emotions of others than other children her age. Could sign language have increase her ability to empathize with others?