tummy tub is second best to being in the womb.

have you seen these?  they are a simply designed phthalate, bpa-free plastic bucket-looking bath, called a tummy tub, that originated in the netherlands.  you may be familiar with french obstetrician frederick leboyer's practices of immersing newborns into a small tub of warm water to soothe them after birth.  makes sense right?--since they just spent the last nine months in amniotic fluid.

check out tummy tub's site for cute newborns loving their baths. babies only need baths 2-3 times a week when they are first born---and soap is almost never necessary in the beginning.

we used a tummy tub four days after our son was born, and he loved it.  he was so chill in it (that's him at one month old in the pic above). the tub can accommodate a 2-year-old/35 lbs.  we only ended up using ours for a few months, since our son was very comfortable in a full bath tub with dad pretty early on.  i'd recommend buying it without the stool/stand (as shown below) at first, and see if you feel comfortable.

alternative vaccine schedule : and it starts at age 2

this is a very informative article written by cardiac surgeon donald w. miller, jr, md about vaccinations.  it isn't brand-spanking new, as it was written at end of 2004, but still absolutely rings true.   there is strong evidence for waiting until after your child turns 2 to start immunizing. also, dr. miller lists the order and time frame of the few vaccinations to get if you do choose to wait until age 2.  an excerpt :

"In humans, the most rapid period of brain development begins in the third trimester and continues over the first two years of extra uterine life. (By then brain development is 80 percent complete.) Until randomized controlled trials demonstrate the safety of giving vaccines during this time of life, it would be prudent not to give any vaccinations to children until they are two years old."

photo via here.

co-sleeping questions answered : teleseminar with dr. james mckenna and api

on monday june 28th at 9pm est, attachment parenting international will be hosting a teleseminar called "settling the cosleeping controversy" with co-sleeping guru dr. james mckenna.

check out the list of some of the great planned questions and register here.  price is $19 for non-members.

if you're pregnant or a new parent, i highly recommend that you check this teleseminar out or read more on mckenna's studies here.  you may also want to review my co-sleeping and bed-sharing category.

photo via here.

holy genius! : traveling toddler car seat stroller

don't you love when a $15 item solves all of your travel problems? well, traveling toddler makes this simple little strap that safely attaches your toddler car seat to a rolling piece of carry-on luggage.

i am here to say that i have used it, and it works!!!  and it's easy--wahoo!

i attached it curbside at the airport while glancing at the instructions in about 20 seconds.  your LATCH clips clip right onto it.

if you're going on vacation and want to bring your car seat, you have to buy this!  if you need a stroller for your destination, maybe just buy a really lightweight one like this or this.   believe me, carrying a small umbrella stroller over your shoulder through a terminal is much easier than a bulky car seat....

then, just check the car seat and stroller at the gate!  if you're worried about them getting messed up under the plane, get a couple of these for $13 each.

best baby gates

geez, there are so many baby gates on the market.  where do you start?  well, fortunately, you have my ocd ass over here pouring over them all....

for basic doorways : these (photo above) are awesome...you can be hands-free by just stepping on a pedal ($54)!  and no screws involved.

for large doorways or archways, try a combo of these ($89+) :

for odd-shaped spaces...we use one around the fireplace, try these ($129+):

when cancer leads to abrupt weaning....

ready to feel really extremely grateful and compassionate?  read this incredibly moving post about mothers that are forced to cut breast feeding short because of cancer treatments.  the post is on an awesome blog called blacktating (my new favorite blog name)--breast feeding news and views from a mom of color.

photo via here.

soapbox : please don't buy bp gas

please...i'm begging you.  yes, they have more money than god, and it's hard to punish them immediately, but we have to start somewhere. what they have done, and been doing, is not ok.  imagine if this was happening in your backyard.

osha statistics show bp ran up 760 "egregious, willful" safety violations in the last few years.

sunoco had 8.

conoco-phillips had 8.

citgo had 2.

exxon had 1.

photos via here.

you too can be a walking billboard.

best $24 bucks i've spent lately.  they even have organic tees.

click here for all boycott bp tees in adult, baby, toddler, and dog sizes.

is someone you know addicted to their computer/email/iphone/internet?

a friend (thanks, heather!) sent a link to today's nyt article about the price we pay for being hooked on gadgets.  they follow a family that is struggling with unplugging and staying present.  there is also some great info on studies that have been done on how our brains may be evolving to accommodate all of the daily info that we take in from multiple sources at once (talking on the phone while instant messaging on your laptop with the t.v. on).  really interesting--

and i don't know about you, but i feel like i have to be really conscious about the choices i make as a parent, even with a toddler, regarding my child's interaction with technology.  i would love for my son to enjoy cracking open a book vs. powering up a kindle and building a fort in the yard vs. socially networking on facebook.  dare to dream...

photo via here.

it's that time of year...what the heck kind of sunscreen is safe for my child?

by now, you know that i am not cool with loading up on chemicals whether it is what goes into my mouth or onto my body---or my child's for that matter.  last year, i went into ocd-research mode about sunscreen when we first took our then 3-month-old on a beach vacation.  well, after hours of reading, purchasing, etc, i was on the beach about to apply a little bit of the lotion to the only part of my son's skin that could see the light of day (i put the poor kid in a full swim "spacesuit") and read on the bottle that you should not put sunscreen on babies under 1-year-old.  ok, well so there's that.

basically, i vote to cover the kid up in a full body suit, swim socks, and a hat and stay in the shade when possible.  yes, i know i'm a nutter.  you see, i am not uber anti-sun, since it's good for producing vitamin d in our bodies,  but i AM somewhat anti-sunscreen.  i just don't trust what's in most sunscreens.

but, of course, you HAVE to put some sunscreen on exposed delicate body parts, so for that the best i have found is mercola's because it has 2 main natural mineral ingredients : titanium dioxide and zinc oxide.  the additional ingredients are also from nature.  mercola makes a spf 15, 30, and 50, plus he has some good combo offers with natural bug repellants.

photo via here.

a little more groovy art...i can't resist.

the above and below art by paulofnavarone on the uk etsy site made me giggle like i haven't in quite some time.  leave it to the brits.  and ok, so maybe the one below isn't quite appropriate for a kid's room, but come on....

and these cut paper print maps below by famillesummerbelle on the french etsy site are soooo lovely.  be sure to bust one out on a street corner and ask a local for directions.  her very visual blog is fantastic too!

groovy art for kids' rooms

man, these prints by nyc artist ida pearle are just so great looking.   you can have her do a custom one ($98) of your child's name with his specified hair and skin tone.  or you can buy a set of the alphabet letter cards for $44.  love em!

i keep coming across articles about foods kids choke on...

...so i feel like i need to share.  warning labels are being considered for certain packaged foods that kids can choke on like popcorn (apparently, some kids inhale it into their bronchial pipes).  my son is 18 months and got his molars around 3 months ago, so i sometimes feel like he can chew up most foods.  but, i just learned that children do not develop proper chewing up and swallowing skills until 3 or 4 years old.  also, a toddler's throat decreases to the size of a straw in a certain area---SCARY!!

so please be cautious and cut up choke-able foods for toddlers like apples, raw carrots, etc. into pea-size pieces.  see two recent articles here and here.

for info on heimlich (to be used on kids over 1-year-old) and infant hemlich read this recent post.

photo via here.

has your kid dropped your ipod into the toilet?

or, like me, have you maybe possibly leaned over and your phone just swan-dived right out of your shirt pocket into the dogs' water bowl? aww crap.  well, you may want to invest in one of these genius bheestie bags ($20).  it draws water out of electronics, so you don't have to just chuck your wet, malfunctioning phone.  of course, it's recommended that you buy the bag before you actually have the accidental run-in with the water, since the first 24 hours are crucial in reviving a small electronic device.

you'll probably have the inclination to whip out a hairdryer if you drop your phone into water (was it just me?), but DO NOT use it.  there are some great DIY tips listed here that worked for removing the water yourself immediately.