Down the Rabbit Hole

If there is one book that I wish I have read before  I gave birth, it is this: Pamela Douglas ' Discontented Little Baby Book .  She is the founder and medical director of the Possums Clinic in Queensland. I first encountered her work when I was so desperate about getting some sleep and kept reading about infant sleep training programs that involve leaving babies alone in their cribs in their own rooms despite the babies' crying (extinction methods). There are "gentle" methods in which parents check on their baby after a few minutes to console the baby without  touching him/her. I found these "gentle" methods ineffective for my own child because once he starts bawling, he can't hear anything I say to him... in other words, these are still extinction methods but with added comforting steps for the parents. The babies aren't comforted at all.  Anyway, I found her work in an Australian parent support website called BellyBelly . At first, I was impressed...

My son is growing up fast! I never cease to be amazed at how much he has developed since he was born. As he pushes his boundaries in cognitive development, I notice that he also goes through periods of incessant fussing, irritability, and clinginess. My first bout with these difficult periods was in his sixth week, when he was just inconsolable. I even called the advice nurse multiple times just to get assurances that my son was all right. She told me that his gut was maturing around that time, which is a major adjustment; major crying bouts were expected. Okay, but still it's difficult to witness.  Not wanting to go through these maturation stages blind, I followed Biboy, Barbara, and Matty's lead: I bought a copy of Frans X. Plooij and Hetty van Rijt's book entitled "The Wonder Weeks" . The authors claim that babies go through ten predictable "leaps" of development; these are predictable because they happen like clockwork for all babies, at around the ...

Sleep. Ever elusive but a necessity for good brain and body development for babies and a requirement to keep parents level-headed and able to take care of babies. During my baby's first weeks, he slept like a champ but for 30 minutes at a time... lulling him to sleep took a much longer time! I thought that I had to find a way to encourage him to sleep longer... and this search led me down the rabbit hole of the baby sleep industry. And my impression is that it's HUGE! Bassinets and cribs As the wee one entered his third month, he was also approaching several weight and height limits. Aside from his swaddles , he was also outgrowing his bassinet (gasp!). His Graco pack 'n' play includes a bassinet, a napper, and a changing pad. I opted not to use the napper beyond a few weeks because it's not flat (flat surfaces are safest for babies when they sleep) and the bottom tends to sag with the baby's weight... also, I wanted my baby to sleep as much as possible in the ...

Disclaimer: I am neither a professional educator nor an expert in child psychology. I am only writing my opinion about schools reopening while the COVID-19 pandemic rages on. TL;DR: I am suggesting a few alternatives to conventional classroom delivery while the pandemic isn't under control because remote learning may not be the appropriate approach for certain grade levels and school situations:  (1) move classes outdoors if there is ample space on campus; (2) assign grade levels to morning or to afternoon/evening shifts to limit the number of students plying the hallways; (3) use public television as an alternative to video conferencing, particularly for children with limited access to the internet and to computers. --- In the USA, there is political pressure forcing states to reopen schools despite the established uptick in cases of COVID-19 and the potential that kids can contribute to the spread of the virus. The idea of sending children to school is definitely attractive despi...

Preparing for the arrival of my firstborn included signing up for a few childbirth and parenting classes in the hospital where I was going to give birth. The COVID-19 epidemic halted all social events, including classes so I was resigned to the thought that I was just going to read the articles that the hospital sent me and watch their lectures recorded as videos. But before I was even ready to "nest" after submitting the last of my deliverables as a consultant, I found myself in hospital already giving birth because of complications discovered during my routine check up on Week 37. No birth plan in place; was about to wing parenting from in on out. I am fortunate that my parents and siblings are present to give support during their free time because Val and I are physically separated by the Pacific Ocean and the pandemic. The first weeks of being a mom was difficult. I often only had 30–45 minutes per day to spare during the first two weeks. Should I use the bathroom, eat a...