Tammy Pescatelli — TV Star, Comedienne, and “Good-Enough” Mom Extraordinaire

I’ve been doing some serious writing now for several months, so it was refreshing to have a fun conversation with Tammy Pescatelli recently. She’s mom to a preschooler, star (and producer) of her own TV show, and hardworking stand-up comedienne. With credits like Leno, Carson Daly, and Last Comic Standing to her name, plus winner more »

How To Handle A “Nursing Strike” By Your Baby

The flip side of the baby on a “Bottle Strike” is the very common “Nursing Strike”. Babies can switch from one distressing habit to the other, often without warning, leaving sitters and parents in a bind. Moms worry — Will the baby finally nurse today? Will I lose my milk? Will I be stuck to more »

How To Handle A “Bottle Strike” By Your Baby — A Pint-Sized Parenting Tip

A common parenting problem: The Baby Refuses a Bottle — And Mom Works (or otherwise can’t always be with the baby). Here are some tips: Prevention and Practice. If you expect her to take a bottle intermittently, you’ve got to keep up the practice. Have her take a bottle at least every 1-2 days — more »

What To Do When Your Baby Bites You — A Pint Sized Parenting Tip

Our 10-month-old is teething. ON ME. She wants to gnaw, chomp, and tear at my skin — my arm, neck, or of course the worst target, MY NIPPLE. And man, it hurts! These aren’t little love nibbles. These are deep, powerful bites that leave marks. Sound familiar? Today, I’ll give you some quick info on more »

My First Time in a National Parenting Mag — Pregnancy Magazine

When I heard from Lisa Fields, a writer for Pregnancy magazine doing a story on “Nursing Must-Haves”, I was afraid that we were about to see yet another story on how blissful it is for everyone to breastfeed their babies. As I’ve said here before, it’s surprisingly difficult for many moms to nurse their babies more »

Being a good mom and NOT breastfeeding

So I’m still huge, and not yet in labor. Luckily the doctor has caved and agreed to schedule an induction for 10/19, if I haven’t delivered by then. But in the meantime I’m looking for anything to take my mind off the discomforts and anxieties of imminent labor. Reader Lisa made my day with this more »

In Praise of Attachment Parenting (Sort Of)

Every week, I buy groceries at our grungy, local health-food store. My daughter affectionately dubbed it “The Stinky Market” — partly because of that characteristic “health-food store” smell, but also because of the bodily odors emanating from some of the motley group of customers frequenting the place — a weird combination of surfers, hippies, homeless more »

Is “Attachment Parenting” Bad for the Child?

Dear Dr. Heather, Does breastfeeding past 2 years of age encourage dependency? I know a child who is still breastfeeding and has become very whiny and attached to her mother. The mother is making no effort to wean the child. Is this type of emotional attachment healthy for the child? She still wakes up to more »

How Do I Wean My Toddler? I’m Tired of Breastfeeding!

Hi BabyShrink! I’m struggling with weaning my 20-month old daughter. I was determined to ‘do it right’, even though my baby was colicky. I was willing to do ANYTHING to stop the screaming. Hence I became her pacifier. I’m continually bombarded with conflicting advice that ranges from ‘It’s wrong to wean a child before they’re more »

The “Good-Enough Mother”: Are Breasts Required?

Dear BabyShrink, I fully intended on breastfeeding my first baby. But after trying hard for six weeks, we had to give up. We had 3 lactation specialists, moms, friends, and my doctor helping. But my baby was not gaining weight and crying all the time. I just never made more than a half-ounce of milk more »