Susan Smith Thompson

The very thought of homeschooling strikes terror in the hearts of some parents. Others eagerly await the time when they can begin. Who is right? Who is wrong? Well, both schools of thought are correct, as what works best for your family is what’s right. Forcing your family to fit into a mold that is not healthy for it is wrong.

How do you know if homeschooling is an option for you? Let’s start with what homeschooling is: educating your children at home as opposed to sending them to public or private schools. It means taking full responsibility that you’ll educate your child. Many homeschooled children attend classes and events specifically geared towards homeschool education, but are not educated in the traditional location of education, a school.

One of the first considerations in homeschooling is your local laws and regulations. Will you be able to satisfy them? Are you willing to take the legal risks of not meeting them?

Time is another factor. Do you have those hours in the day to devote to your child’s education?

Cost figures in as well. Purchasing materials and a curriculum costs money, money that you’re already paying in your taxes.

One homeschooling philosophy is called “unschooling”. Unschoolers don’t work with a particular curriculum and advocate that life learning is the best educational forum for the child. Reading is taught when the child is interested in reading. Math is worked into cooking sessions and everyday activities. Children are taught without being aware that they are “being schooled” and, because they are enjoying the process and it’s integrated into daily life, every activity becomes a learning experience.

A common fear among those who are not familiar with homeschooling is that the child will not be socialized, when in fact the opposite is quite true. Homeschooled children do not work in a vacuum, sitting at their desks at home never seeing other children. Many parents join a local home school group, or create their own with similarly-minded families and join forces to create sports events, museum trips, park days, and combined classes. One mom may be stronger in math and will trade off classes/lessons with another mom (or dad) for language lessons.

Is homeschooling right for you? It’s definitely worth considering and exploring. It’s nice to know the option is there.

What do you think? Potty training at six months? Can it be done? Well, many families think so and are doing it successfully. Critics say it’s just training the parents, but it’s being done all over the world and gaining an increasing number of adherents here in the United States.

Why would you want to potty train at such a young age? Money comes to mind: no more diapers (or a vastly reduced amount) to wash or dispose of. It benefits the ecology with far less disposable diapers filling up our landfills and with the reduction in laundering cloth diapers. Less diaper rash to deal with. Dad can help, too. He may not be able to help with breastfeeding, but he can certainly help with the other end!

Infant potty training is known by several names: Elimination Communication, Natural Infant Hygiene, and Elimination Timing. Proponents use timing, signals, cues and intuition to help the child use the potty. They often start the process before six months of age, though starting after six months is not uncommon.

To help the child know when it’s time to go, parents sit the child on a potty chair and use a sound (such as psst or a grunting sound). If you start using the sounds when the child is already in the process of going, they come to associate the sound and action together. Watching the child closely also helps a parent to know when it’s time to go as some children have visual (or auditory) cues. Another method is simply timing. Some children eliminate on a regular schedule, and if you can figure it out, then getting them to the potty on time works. Sometimes parents just rely on their intuition; they just know it’s time to go.

Will it work for you? It’s hard to say. Is it worth the effort? Again, it’s hard to say. You need a committed parent or two and the time to be with your baby to be aware of its actions. It can be hard work though those who do it successfully feel it’s worth every minute.

Women pump for many reasons: to relieve engorgement, to have an emergency stash of milk in the freezer, to prepare a bottle so mom can have a night out, to continue exclusively feeding with breast milk when mom returns to work or school, or if there is a situation where mom won’t be able to nurse for a few days and wants to maintain her milk supply. Even if you plan to exclusively breastfeed your baby, having a pump on hand may be a good idea.

Breast pumps come in different shapes and styles, electric and hand-powered. To determine which one to purchase (or even rent) it is important to determine what level of use you’ll require.

Manual (or hand) pumps are easily obtained at many baby and drug stores and are perfect for occasional or short-term use. It is important to look for a model that is easily cleaned so that the milk does not become contaminated through improper cleaning. There are models ranging from those that look like a bicycle horn (extremely difficult to clean properly) to ones that look like a spray bottle with a funnel attached. Pulling the handle (or cylinder, depending on the model) creates negative pressure drawing the milk into a receptacle, oftentimes the bottle itself, making it easy to just pop on a nipple and feed baby.

Electric pumps are more efficient and easier to use than manual pumps and are used when the mother needs to pump for more than the occasional use. They come in different styles and can vary in price from over one thousand dollars to several hundred dollars. It is possible to rent them, which may be more practical if you only need it for a limited time.

Covering the middle ground between manual and electric pumps are foot pedal pumps. They work just like the electric pump though instead of using electricity, the mother presses down on a foot petal to operate the pump.

Check with your pediatrician or lactation consultant for their recommendations for your personal situation. The benefits of breast milk have been well documented, and you may find it to be a rewarding experience.

You’d think one hungry baby and two milk production units would just naturally get along. Well, they might, or they might need a bit of support. Don’t ever hesitate to contact your pediatrician or lactation expert if you have any questions or concerns about the breast feeding process. Many issues can be resolved easier if they are addressed sooner rather than later.

Some babies manage to latch on immediately after birth; others can take more time to get the hang of it. Most hospitals have lactation consultants or post-partum specialists available to assist new mothers with the nursing process.

If possible, having the newborn nurse right after birth is ideal. The sucking action triggers the release of hormones that help the uterus contract and expel the placenta. Feeling cramps or “after pains” during the first few days or weeks after delivery is normal and helps the uterus return to its normal size. If you are not able to nurse in the first few hours, or even the first day or two, there should be no physical difficulties with establishing nursing.

Improper positioning and latching on are the most common culprits of nursing problems and the easiest resolved, often causing pain while nursing. Sore nipples are common in the early stages of nursing, but should resolve quickly. If it is severe, or you see fissures, cracks, swelling, contact your lactation specialist who can help you make the necessary adjustments.

Engorgement is another common issue to be dealt with by nursing mothers. The breasts become swollen with milk, creating a “full” feeling for mom (and sometimes pain) and difficultly for baby to latch on. The easiest treatment is nursing on demand or pumping/expressing the milk (save and freeze for later use).

Breast-fed babies tend to eat more frequently than their formula-fed counterparts. Newborns will nurse eight to twelve or more times during a twenty-four hour period. That’s a lot of time at the breast. Nursing baby in a sling or using a nursing privacy cover (available for purchase or just use a cloth diaper to cover yourself) will help protect mom’s privacy while out and about in public places.

Baby wearing, the practice of carrying your child next to your body in a sling made of cloth or in a front or back carrier, is gaining popularity among families. Long touted as a beneficial practice for the development of young babies by Dr. Sears, author of 30 parenting books, including The Attachment Parenting Book : A Commonsense Guide to Understanding and Nurturing Your Baby, wearing your baby is becoming mainstream and is no longer reserved for the “earth” mothers.

Baby wearing has been practiced for millennia in some cultures and, in its simplest form, is simply holding the baby close to mom using a long piece of fabric wrapped around the body. American Indians used the “papoose” to hold the baby on mom’s back while she worked. There are many benefits to wearing your baby: two free hands to attend to other needs, the baby is comforted by your closeness and the sound of your heartbeat providing a gentle transition from the womb, the stimulation of seeing the world from higher up as opposed to being in one place, and the ease of going for a walk without a stroller (toss in a diaper and a few wipes and ditch the diaper bag as well), just to name a few.

Today there are many options to choose from including wraps that you tie or slings that secure with rings, pouches and tubes, Asian-style slings, front carriers, and back packs. One is sure to be right for you.

Do a Google search of the term “baby wearing” and you’ll get over six million hits while searching on “baby slings” will net you over one million links. There are a myriad of resources in print, online, and most importantly, family and friends. When you see someone wearing their baby, stop and ask questions. Why do you do this? What type of carrier are you using? Why did you chose this one? Which don’t you like? Why? What works for one mom may not work for another.

Dr. Sears has an excellent online resource that covers baby wearing in great detail at http://www.askdrsears.com/html/5/t051100.asp. It is under the “fussy babies” section but baby wearing is for all children, not just the fussy ones.

Someone told you that baby wearing was the thing to do. How do you know which is the one for you from all the myriad of choices out there? Look no further.

Ring slings and wraps are adjustable, allowing the most flexibility and freedom in how you wear the baby. They can be easily worn by people of different heights (and widths) making it easy for dad or grandma to wear the baby too. Wrap slings are simply one panel of fabric that is wrapped around the body and tied (or tucked) creating a pouch for baby. The baby can be worn in front, in back, on the hip, facing in, facing out, or lying down. Ring slings are wrap slings that secure by threading one end of the sling through a ring, like a belt, instead of knotting. Some ring slings come with padding on the edges (also called rails) so that the baby doesn’t get red marks on their legs and to provide greater stability. The padding can make it more difficult to store and to share the sling. It is easy and discreet to nurse while wearing a ring or wrap sling though it can take a little bit practice to learn how to adjust and wear.

Pouches and tube slings have less of a learning curve. Slide it over one shoulder, slide the baby in, adjust the sling so that baby doesn’t fall out and so all the fabric isn’t bunched on your shoulder, and you’re off and running. Pouch and tube slings are not adjustable as they are one or more pieces of fabric sewn together into a single unit. Baby can still be worn in all the ways as a wrap sling, though baby may outgrow the sling before mom is ready to stop.

Asian style carriers use less fabric. The baby is supported in a rectangle of fabric and it is secured to the body with four straps: the two at the lower corners tie at the waist and support most of the baby’s weight and the two at the upper corners cross around mom’s shoulders and tie in front. Baby can be worn facing in or out and on the back, hip or front. As there is less fabric, nursing may be more problematic.

There are many choices in which type(s) of sling is right for you. Try them on at stores and see which feels comfortable to you. Ask family and friends (and anyone you see wearing a sling, for that matter) for recommendations.