You’ve probably thought about introducing your favorite childhood toys to your own children. My children have been playing with their wooden pinball game this week. It has a wooden plunger, pins (nails), metal balls, shoots for the balls to fall into. I’m sure it is not safe for children under 3 years old, so I’m…Read the full article.

Have the wish lists started pouring in? Count the brand names and advertising-driven items. When I asked about something on my daughter’s list, “Where did you hear about that?” she told me she heard it from friends. Heard from friends translated easily into Want It. Advertising to children looks like the marketing gift that keeps…Read the full article.

Harvest time is the perfect time to ask yourself about your local in-season abundance. How Local Is Local? How far does your food travel to reach your table? On average, 1,500-2,500 miles. Food miles are certainly not the only consideration, but this is one more factor you can use to consider the environmental impact of…Read the full article.

For the last couple of weeks, I’ve asked you to think of questions to ask your grandmother and other older relatives over the holidays, questions about how they diapered babies and how they moved their babies around. This week, I want you to think of questions about food. Find out what your grandma knows about…Read the full article.

Black Friday is coming. I know you’ve seen or heard advertisements about it from companies large and small. Why Black Friday? Because this coming Friday is the day in the calendar year when most retailers go into the black financially—all because so many people brave the danger to rush out to drive themselves crazy and…Read the full article.

Do you know how your mother carried you around? How about your grandmother? How did she carry your mother? Did she just balance baby on the hip all of the time? Last week I suggested you ask your grandmother, or any woman older than you, how she diapered her babies. This week, I’m added another…Read the full article.

As a season of family gatherings approaches, especially if you are a new mother, you may be wondering how best to breastfeed your baby while balancing the dynamics of your particular family. I tend to be of the whip-it-out militant breastfeeding crowd, but I understand that not everyone is comfortable baring their breasts to strangers—worse…Read the full article.

Vinyl. It’s good, right? It’s the way music should be listened to, after all. But, what is good for your turntable is not so good for your baby. You have probably heard that you should avoid vinyl toys. Why you should avoid softened plastic toys is a horror story of 20th-century wonder chemicals gone wrong.…Read the full article.

What kind of diapers did your grandmother use on your parents? With the holidays coming up, I’m going to ask you a favor. When you are sitting around in a quiet moment with your older relatives this year, consider asking them about what they did as parents. Ask your grandmother about diapers and see what…Read the full article.

Last week, I wrote about how a breastfeeding support group, any local group that brings experienced mothers together with new mothers, can help you find success in breastfeeding. The best-known breastfeeding support group internationally is La Leche League International (LLLI). The experience of most mothers with La Leche League is through local meetings or through…Read the full article.