When you’re pregnant, it can be overwhelming just thinking about all the stuff you’ll have to buy and get ready — but thankfully, parents can find plenty of ways to save money on baby gear. Before you run out to start your registry at a baby gear superstore like Babies “R” Us or Buy Buy Baby — or … Read More about How to Save Money on Baby Gear
Does it feel like your kids have too many toys? What have you done about it, if anything? Do you rotate toys so that everything’s not out at once? Yes, it’s a First World Problem, to be sure (too many toys! oh, the humanity!), but if you’ve got kids with too many toys, you know the drill: Stuff … Read More about The Best Gifts for Kids with Too Many Toys
Several weeks ago, we were on a plane and had a toddler poop emergency — and I had packed the extra wipes somewhere “clever,” which is Casa Griffin code for “no idea where.” YEP, super smart. I found myself wishing desperately I had this odd little compressed/condensed towel that I’d found years ago at one … Read More about Finally Friday: Compressed Towels (aka Emergency Wipes)
Ladies, let’s talk potty training! What’s your best potty training advice — particularly if you’ve already been through it with a child? For my own $.02, I will admit it: I royally screwed up potty training with my eldest son, J. Things we did wrong, in no particular order: We “waited until he was ready.” … Read More about How I Royally Screwed Up Potty Training (And What to Do Instead)
WOW: there are a TON of new products to help when your baby has a cold. I remember being amazed at how TINY my boys’ little noses were, and how bad I felt if they got so stuffy they couldn’t sleep. At the same time, MAN did they hate the sprays, the Snotsucker, the Boogie wipes … Read More about Postpartum Tuesday: Oogiebear Ear and Nose Cleaner
Now that fall has begun, it’s not just Halloween and Thanksgiving that are quickly approaching: Parent/teacher conferences are also on the horizon. Are you looking forward to your parent/teacher conference — or are you feeling a bit trepidatious about it? If you know or suspect that you child is having trouble in school, are you doing anything special … Read More about Open Thread: When Your Kid Is Having Trouble in School
I still remember the big day in 6th grade that we got to choose the foreign language that we’d start learning: Spanish, French, or German. (I picked Spanish.) Many schools in the U.S. still don’t begin to teach kids a new language until middle school, while most European countries, for example, start instruction of a second language when kids are six to nine years … Read More about 3 Ways to Teach Kids a New Language
These years go quickly, don’t they? They’re filled with so much fun and wonder — some of it captured by photos, some of it captured by videos. But there’s more than just the pictures, and I’m such a sentimentalist I want to memorialize and remember all of it: the quotes, the daily schedule, the obsessions of the moment, … Read More about A Mom’s Guide to Remembering the Little Things
My eldest is in that phase where none of his food can touch (and he also eats about a third of the foods he used to eat when he was an adventurous toddler), and I’ve just kind of decided to lean in rather than wringing my hands over it too much. I bought some beautiful … Read More about Feeding Tuesday: Dishwasher Safe Divided Plate
Welcome to installment six of our registry for working moms: essential books for new moms. So far in the registry series, we’ve rounded up the best carseats and strollers, cribs and sleeping gear, baby clothes, baby carriers, and big toys and gear — stay tuned for more! We’ve talked about my favorite pregnancy books for working moms, as well … Read More about Registry: Essential Books for New Moms
2017 update: We still stand by the advice below, but you may also want to check out our discussion on what to wear to work after maternity leave! What are some of your best tips for adjusting upon returning to work after maternity leave? What do you wish you’d known, or what did you come to realize? … Read More about Open Thread: Work After Maternity Leave
If you’re like me, I’m guessing books were huge to you growing up — I proudly considered myself a bookworm for years. (I’m trying to get back to it, but I read more articles than books at this point in my life!) For my boys, I’ve always tried to encourage reading, sometimes by adding in … Read More about Which Are Your Child’s Favorite Books — And How Do You Find Them?
