Tribeca Parenting adds courses with free trial
by Karen on 4/12/11 | 0 Comment(s)
With Tribeca Pediatric’s expansion into Fort Greene, Tribeca Parenting has been able to expand its workshops and classes. They are now offering baby wearing classes taught by the baby gear gurus (Jamie Grayson and Jennifer Link) who spoke at our Baby Expo. These baby gear experts are especially good as they offer information on baby [...]
It’s a thin line between love and hate: siblings
by Karen on 4/01/11 | 2 Comment(s)
Your three year old is hugging the new baby so sweetly, when all of a sudden the hug turns into a death grip. Your five year old is chasing his two year old sister laughing and – in a flash – he pushes her straight into the wall. Par for the course for siblings. You [...]
They’ve got 70 years: sibling relationships
by Karen on 3/11/11 | 1 Comment(s)
They’ve got 70 years: sibling relationships by Soho Parenting Can you imagine a better feeling than watching your children enjoy each other? From your preschooler making your baby erupt in giggles, or your two teenagers laughing and conspiring, to your grown boys joking and wrestling with relish. Nothing like it. Unfortunately, in addition to those [...]
When do you let your kids run errands by themselves?
by Karen on 2/28/11 | 3 Comment(s)
I love this guest post because as a parent of younger kids, I haven’t thought much about the issue of when to let my children be physically independent- like doing an errand on their own. I think more about how physically dependent they are! But I love knowing what issues are “down the road” for [...]
Sharing- should we expect our kids to do it?
by Karen on 2/17/11 | 5 Comment(s)
Parenting through Picture Books #1: Sharing with “Duck & Goose” by Alice Kaltman I have a confession to make: many books written by colleagues sit in a pile on my desk, half- or never-read. I can barely get through these well-researched, informative books, and I know the sleep-deprived, stressed out parents I work with have [...]
When you are hiring a nanny……
by Karen on 2/17/11 | 11 Comment(s)
We’ve had part-time nannies ever since our son Birch was born 4.5 years ago. The hours have varied from 11 hours a week up to 24 now (hello Brooklyn Baby Expo that is slowly killing me!) Along the way, I have learned some valuable lessons that I thought I might share. I’m sure some of [...]
Teaching kids tolerance
by Karen on 1/27/11 | 1 Comment(s)
Difference by Alice Kaltman We can teach kids what we believe is right, but we can’t always protect them from what’s wrong. That’s a sobering and scary fact especially these days. While our entire nation is reconsidering the power of intolerance in the wake of recent horrific events in Tuscon, I think how this is [...]
Parenting: which style is “you”- how to work it out
by Karen on 11/30/10 | 1 Comment(s)
Parenting Team Planning 101 by Alice Kaltman (by the way Alice has her popular talk coming up this Saturday, “To Work or Not to Work” in Boerum Hill. For full details see the bottom of the article) Achieving balance in parenting is one of the toughest aspects of family life. It’s so tough, many parents [...]
Kids regressing? Spiraling is okay
by Karen on 10/13/10 | 3 Comment(s)
Shout Out for Going Backwards!!! by Alice Kaltman As this summer ended and autumn began, my office phone rang off the hook. The perfect sleeper was suddenly up at 3 am, the previously potty-trained was back in pull-ups, the former fair sharer was biting his best friend. Each parent calling had a kid facing a new challenge. [...]
The dreaded morning drill: tips for making it easier
by Karen on 9/12/10 | 2 Comment(s)
Savvy Tips to Get out the Door (for School or Daycare) With Brooklyn gearing up for back-to-school, now is the perfect time to think about your family’s routines and schedules. Switching from summer to the fall can be super stressful, but you can smooth the ride with just a little bit of planning. Focusing your [...]
A Camp Director’s Equipment
by Carolyn on 8/08/10 | 0 Comment(s)
I take my job as mommy pretty seriously so I like to go with the Boy Scout motto of “Be Prepared!” When my kids were young, I was always overpacking the diaper bag. Now with a few years of experience under my belt, these are the things I consider essentials on our daily mommy day [...]
Pregnant? Brooklyn Moms Tell All
by Karen on 7/22/10 | 1 Comment(s)
Are you pregnant or a new parent? There’s a lot to think about: birth options: a doula, midwife, which hospital, postpartum doulas, products, daycare, nannies (how to find them), best pediatricians, lactation consultants and more. Argh- it’s enough to create a minor panic attack. So, that’s where we come in. I, Chana from babybites Brooklyn [...]
How to start a babysitting co-op
by Karen on 7/07/10 | 11 Comment(s)
You might have heard about babysitting cooperatives only recently, but they have actually been around since the 1970′s. Back then, groups of parents figured out that babysitting co-ops were beneficial: a parent would babysit for another family’s child and, in return, they could also get a free night of babysitting from any of the families [...]
EWG’s List of 9 tips to reduce environmentally-induced cancer
by Karen on 6/28/10 | 0 Comment(s)
The Environmental Working Group sent out an email this morning that I thought was really important to relay to you all: You may have heard that the President’s Cancer Panel issued a landmark report last month suggesting that public health officials have “grossly underestimated” the extent of environmentally-induced cancer among the 1.5 million Americans diagnosed [...]
Tribeca Pediatrics announces Tribeca Parenting
by Karen on 6/17/10 | 0 Comment(s)
Back in May we wrote about one of our favorite parenting resources, Realbirth,, closing. We got wind that a new entity called Tribeca Parenting was going to open up with some of the former Realbirth teachers. This week we got an email from Tribeca Pediatrics about the launch of Tribeca Parenting. Good luck and great [...]
Self-run parent camp: how to make it work for all of you
by Karen on 6/10/10 | 0 Comment(s)
Parent Camp by Alice Kaltman Ah, the lazy days of summer. No more teachers, no more books. No more lunches to pack, no more mad dash to get to pre-school or grade school on time to avoid those teachers’ dirty looks. At first it feels great to have a more relaxed schedule, to revel in [...]
iphones, blackberries? Why the parent in you should put them down
by Karen on 4/28/10 | 4 Comment(s)
Staying Present in the Era of Distraction. Turn Off and Tune In by Alice Kaltman When I get sullen, rejecting glares from my teenage daughter while my younger parent friends get unreserved affection and boundless enthusiasm from their toddlers I turn a little green with envy. But I don’t always envy today’s younger generation of [...]
I Love You No Matter What
by Karen on 4/01/10 | 6 Comment(s)
The other night I left Birch and Willow for 2 hours with a new babysitter. When I returned the babysitter told me that Birch had hit Willow three times. Three times! I was surprised to hear this. Yes, he used to take swipes at Willow, but he hadn’t done that in a month. We walked [...]
How to help your kid have healthy self esteem
by Karen on 3/25/10 | 0 Comment(s)
How to help your kid have healthy self esteem by Donna Fish What parent doesn’t want their kid to feel good about themselves? You know that commercial with the little kid batting the ball saying: “I am the best hitter in the world!” or , “I am the best pitcher in the world!”, with the [...]
Chubby Babies: too fat?
by Jill on 3/23/10 | 0 Comment(s)
In spite of today’s story in the New York Times science section, “Baby Fat May Not Be So Cute After All,” I still think chubby babies are cute…and right on target. But Roni Rabin reports that we should be actively concerned with obesity in our children from, and even before, day one. “More and more [...]
Spotted: BoCoCa this weekend
by Karen on 3/22/10 | 3 Comment(s)
Boerum Park cool This is the debut of “Spotted!”, a weekly photo digest that features kids’ and parents’ style in one neighborhood of Brooklyn. Editorial comments are mainly the photographer’s, Justine Cooper, but I stuck my 2 cents in too! Viv, JJ Byrne Park: knows how to style a headband and black sneaks (L) Will, [...]
Babies in Bars: The debate roars on
by Karen on 3/02/10 | 2 Comment(s)
This debate comes up every month or so- whether it is on a blog, parenting forum like Brooklynian or a parenting list serve. Read all of the 1127 comments (as of 10:21 pm tonight) from the CNN article about Brooklyn bars and babies and you will find a lot of mean-spirited and vitriolic comments. Sigh…so [...]
The winning books that might make your Reading List
by Karen on 2/23/10 | 0 Comment(s)
Last October I was sent the above pictured 5 books with the request that I read and evaluate all of them within 2. 5 months as a judge for the Books for a Better Life Awards. You can imagine that my holidays weren’t spent going to many holiday parties, but curled up on the couch, [...]
Playdates that go badly- new babies, toddlers and dogs
by Karen on 2/08/10 | 1 Comment(s)
I read and am grateful for all the parenting listserves that I am on in Brooklyn. You can hear advice, ask questions and even buy and sell kids’ items. On one of the yahoo listserves, a parent asked about aggression in toddlers. As a mother of a young baby, she wanted to know if a [...]
Is Overparenting “over”?
by Karen on 11/23/09 | 0 Comment(s)
There is a really good article in Time Magazine about overparenting. Is helicopter parenting “over”? “And so there is now a new revolution under way, one aimed at rolling back the almost comical overprotectiveness and overinvestment of moms and dads. The insurgency goes by many names — slow parenting, simplicity parenting, free-range parenting — but [...]
