July 2018

“You need to sleep when they’re sleeping… Get the baby onto your schedule as soon as possible… No peanuts until after 3… If you introduce peanuts early, there’s less chance of an allergy… Have you tried coconut oil for that?” Nobody receives more unsolicited advice than a tired parent who is slogging their way through the grocery store, fingers crossed that their baby stays content long enough for the essential parts of the shopping list to be checked off. My babies are 6 and 12 now and it feels like a lifetime ago that I was apologizing to my New Seasons people while abandoning my cart and fleeing to feed or change a little person in the back seat of the car. Between social media and well-meaning family, friends and strangers, goodness knows there’s no shortage of advice for new parents. This issue features two articles that focus on postpartum health and support. Maybe you are in this period of your life, or perhaps you have a friend or family member who is. We hope that the resource guides here are helpful, but NW Kids will never tell you how to parent. We know you get enough of that. Maybe we can be the friend who holds the baby or entertains the toddler while you take a shower instead.

Cheers!

Mary