Author Archives: llpitlwp

What Real Power Looks Like

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mother holding child

A beautiful letter…written by a mom, who realizes what “real” power means. I could not say it better than she has.

Please use the link to read her entire post it is lovely.

 

Dear Daughter,

I hold you close. Lithe little toddler body squirming against me as you try and settle. Small human child. One day you will be big and tall and strong. A grown woman, not the little girl I hold now in my arms as you try to relax and sleep. Not the little kid whose body is frantic to move and bursting with energy that even a whole day of play can’t consume.

I see many things in you.

via Being a Powerful Parent and Raising You With Empathy | Nurshable.

Keeping the Choice-Formula vs. Breast

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Bottle Feeding

 

All I can say about Amy’s story, below, is THIS. THIS is why breastfeeding support must be secondary to supporting moms, full stop. THIS is why the medical community and the breastfeeding advocacy machine is failing us. THIS is why there are “defensive formula feeders” peppering message boards, attempting to share their truths, and being accused of making up stories and scaring other women out of nursing. THIS is why women are getting angry and fighting back. THIS is why people are starting to think the pendulum has swung so far and so hard that it’s bonked us all in the head and made us stupid. This. This. And THIS.

via FFF Friday: “I didn’t have the confidence or the mental clarity to stand up for myself.” – Fearless Formula Feeder.

 

With the present increased incidence of breast-feeding, clinicians need to be prepared to identify and manage problems in lactation. Most problems are related to insufficient knowledge, inappropriate routines, and lack of confidence and are easily managed or prevented by prenatal education, anticipatory guidance, and adequate support. Increasing evidence exists that primary causes of lactation failure also occur and can preclude successful lactation, even among highly motivated women.

via Lactation Failure Due to Insufficient Glandular Development of the Breast.

It seems that the pendulum has indeed swung too far in the direction of breastfeeding and made it very uncomfortable for moms to choose formula if they do not want to breastfeed their baby for whatever reason.

The Fearless Formula Feeder has posted Amy’s story which speaks to moms who have insufficient glandular tissue. This is a condition that poses problems for moms, who are trying to breast feed.

As a clinician, it is so important to listen to your client and really try to understand the whole picture…a non-judgmental attitude is the key to helping anyone. If you find yourself making judgements, then you should refer your client to someone else…you are not the right helper. This goes for lactation consultants as well as well meaning friends.

I know that there is much more knowledge available since I had my own children but in the 70’s and 80’s there really was more understanding and acceptance of mom’s feeding choices. We may not have been that accepting of breastfeeding in public but that was a minor problem compared to the “bullying” situation we are currently experiencing.

It is not abusive to formula feed your baby and although breastfeeding may be best it is not necessarily the right choice in all cases.

Let’s try to support moms…please!

What to Say to a Five Year-Old When a Grandparent Dies

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heart drops

I love Sleepy Planet and their work with parents regarding healthy sleep habits for children.

Jill and Jen offer advice about many other parenting issues as well.

I only wish I lived in Los Angeles so I could meet them in person.

Here is a post from their Facebook page which deals with the sensitive time when a young child loses a grandparent.

Please visit Sleepy Planet sometime soon.

via Sleepy Planet’s Facebook page:

Talked today with a dad whose mom just passed after a long illness, and he shared the conversation he had with his son, age 5, to tell him the news.

 

Dad: Hey Sam, I have something to tell you. Grandma went to heaven last night.

 

Sam: Oh! I wasn’t expecting you to say THAT.

 

Dad: Yeah. Remember we talked about how her body was slowing down, and that pretty soon it would stop working?

 

Sam: Yup.

 

Dad: And that even when her body stopped working, her body would die but her spirit would go to heaven?

 

Sam: Yeah, I can see her in heaven.

 

Dad: You can?

 

Sam: Yeah, cause whenever I want to talk to her, I can just think of her in my heart.

 

Dad: That’s so true. That’s really nice.

 

Sam doesn’t seem upset so far, though mom and dad know that his feelings may change, and they’ll offer whatever support he needs.

“Food Glorious Food”-Children in the Kitchen,Kid’s Snacks,The Obesity Challenge

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IMG_4848I loved cooking since I can remember.

Admittedly,over the years my style has changed, given what we now know about foods, GMO’s, saturated fats and so much more.

What has not changed is my desire to involve my family in what I choose to serve them.

Now with a grandchild to consider, I am enjoying the time that I can include her in my cooking.

How do you include your family in the kitchen…is the kitchen the center of your home?

What have you done to get your children more involved in the kitchen?

via Home-Cooked Challenge: Kids in the Kitchen – NYTimes.com.

 

For me snacks are an absolute dilemma, I love to snack, but choose to munch protein bars when I am on the go…they give me the energy I need in between my breakfast, small lunch and dinner.

However, when it comes to children and grandchildren, I sometimes find myself at a loss and turn to graham crackers, fishy crackers, or cereal in a bag as a quick fix…along with some fresh fruit or carrots…yogurt is always a go to in our house as well.

I was particularly interested in this post at Toddler Approved…it is sponsored post. I was tempted to try the subscription that is offered at $7/month to have tasty snacks delivered to my door, but reconsidered this choice since then they do not allow for food allergies.

What do you do when it comes to snacks for your kids and grandkids?

Toddler Approved!: Trying New Snacks With Your Kids.

 

Some of my tips include…

1. Have kids go on a rainbow grocery shopping hunt with me and help them select a few foods for us to buy for snacks and meals. Choosing the snack themselves means the likelihood that they will eat it again is much higher.

2. Have kids make the snacks and create something fun. Last week we made an ant snack with carrots and apples and peanut butter. Even though my son hates carrots, he was more willing to try a bite because it looked cool. We also made the strawberry mice featured above at our VBC Summer Camp. The kids usually won’t try nuts or string cheese, but they totally did because it was silly to eat when it was a mouse.

3. Spy on other kids and see what they are eating. When I work at preschool or go to the park I love seeing what other moms bring their kids for snack. I always take mental notes (especially if my kids ask to try a taste of a friend’s snack and like something).

What are your tips?

via Toddler Approved!: Trying New Snacks With Your Kids.

 

This week “obesity” was defined as a disease…

As a nurse, I find this an interesting discussion and wonder what others are thinking.

Is this a good definition and will it help with this crisis?

Defining Obesity as a Disease May Do More Harm Than Good | TIME.com.

Parents, Will You Vaccinate Your Child Against “Cancer Causing” HPV?

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vaccinations

New research strongly suggests that the HPV vaccine works.

 

The prevalence of dangerous strains of the human papillomavirus — the most common sexually transmitted infection in the United States and a principal cause of cervical cancer — has dropped by half among teenage girls in the last decade, a striking measure of success for a vaccine that was introduced only in 2006, federal health officials said on Wednesday.

 

“These are striking results,” Thomas R. Frieden, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told The Times’s Sabrina Tavernise. “They should be a wake-up call that we need to increase vaccination rates. The bottom line is this: It is possible to protect the next generation from cancer, and we need to do it.”

 

But unless these numbers change a significant number of minds, many parents won’t.

via Will Parents Still Turn Down an ‘Anti-Cancer Vaccine?’ – NYTimes.com.

 

Are you willing to have your child vaccinated to prevent cancer from a sexually transmitted disease? If I had children whose ages fell within this category I would choose to vaccinate.

After all, if my mother had not allowed me to be vaccinated in the 1950’s I might have developed polio and died or become permanently disabled.

During those years prior to the polio vaccine, I lost a friend to polio… literally overnight…he died while his parents were rushing to be by his side at an Adirondack’s hospital near where he was enrolled in summer camp. He was in an “iron lung” machine, which was all too common in those years but he died before his parents arrived.

Something for parents to think about…

the HPV vaccine is proving to be effective.

What will you do?

Accept it or deny it for your child?

How will you explain your decision to your child?

Do Your Kids Eat Everything?…Tell theTruth!

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IMG_4193Cooking for kids…always a challenge

I love to cook…but over the years my “go to meals” have changed…

and

become somewhat boring…

enter

Jennie Perillo, InJenniesKitchen and her book Homemade with Love.

I was losing my edge especially now…

that I very often am cooking for three generations in one house.

This morning, I read this piece from Jennie’s recipes in Relish Magazine

and

I  smiled…as I adore pesto…

I have decided to try using parsley instead of my usual basil, omit the pistachios since….

there is a “nut allergy” in our family

I will add cheese to liven up the flavor.

 

I’ll be the first to admit that when I think about cooking for kids, pesto isn’t the first recipe that comes to mind. Yes, there are adventurous eaters out there, you know, those kids whose parents’ claim they eat everything. To that, I say spill the beans. No one likes everything, including myself, a professional food writer and recipe developer—and that’s okay. This is perhaps the most important tidbit of advice to remember when you approach feeding your children.

via

Relish Blogs – Fresh Homemade Summer Pesto.

Who Do You Trust When It Comes to Car Seats and Baby Gear?

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carseat

“Do not try this at home”

A baby car seat is, in my opinion, the most important purchase a parent makes…

Do your homework when making your decision.

You definitely want to consult “The Car Seat Lady”

If you are a Facebook user, then her page is also a must

Another person to involve in your baby gear decisions is,

“The Baby Guy NYC“, Jamie Grayson…

Jamie is also on Facebook…

So, if you or anyone you know are about to purchase a car seat or baby gear of any sort…

Run to your computer and check out these two …

They have done all the work for you!

THE BABY GUY

and

THE CAR SEAT LADY

Disclosure: This is not a sponsored post.

Six Months Since Sandy Hook

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SandyHook

 

I Promise to honor the 26 lives lost at Sandy Hook Elementary School.

I Promise to do everything I can to encourage and support common sense solutions that make my community and our country safer from similar acts of violence.

 http://www.sandyhookpromise.org

Today is six months since 26 people were brutally murdered at Sandy Hook School. Twenty of those who died were small children.

We must not forget them.

sandy-hook-victims

Please take a moment to read about Sandy Hook Promise and do what you can to remember all these victims and their forever grieving families.

Noah Posner, a little boy who died in his classroom that day is honored by his grandmother in her heartfelt writing on her blog….Farine.

Go there if you can and share his grandmother’s painful moments.