Advice & Tips

It’s not that uncommon to have intrusive thoughts after having a baby, but if you’re exhibiting signs of postpartum OCD, it’s time to get help. Update, March 25, 2021: A new study out of the University of British Columbia suggests postpartum OCD might be more common than previously thought. The study estimates that 17 percent of

Breastmilk is often touted as having more benefits than formula, but the biggest factor in the disparity might actually be the bottle-feeding itself, regardless of what’s on the menu—and paced bottle feeding can help close the gap. When babies feed at the breast, they easily self-regulate how much they eat, hence the expression “you can’t

Pre-kids, you knew that sleep was going to be scarce. But you might not have predicted just how much your baby’s naps and daytime sleep intervals would start to dictate your daily schedule. Overnight sleep tends to dominate the conversation—probably because that’s when grown-ups really want to sleep, too—but naps are just as crucial as

In early March of 2020, I discovered I was pregnant for the first time. I told my sister the happy news a year ago this week, in a bright neighbourhood café with warm drinks, whisper-shrieking with disbelief, trying not to disturb the half-dozen people reading, relaxing, and working on laptops around us.  That would be

Sleep consultant Alanna McGinn reveals the easy ways you can adjust your baby’s sleep schedule so spring forward is less disruptive for your family. On March 14th at 3 a.m., we move our clocks forward one hour. Mornings begin to get brighter and evenings lighter (yay!), and parents of early risers may soon be able

When your baby lets a number two slip during their evening dip, here’s how to avoid turning bathtime into a game of hot potato. The first time it happened, I’ll admit I laughed. The tiny rumble, the flurry of bubbles and, best of all, the sheepish grin as my six-month-old let out a burst of

When my husband and I brought our daughter home from the hospital, our entire condo kitchen quickly became devoted to cleaning, sterilizing and prepping our daughter’s bottles. There was no room left for us to do any meal prep for ourselves—not that we had the time or energy to cook anyway. Just as we had

Canadian paediatricians have updated their rules about how to promote early literacy and they’re a reassuring pat on the back for new parents. If you’re at home with your baby, you’re probably not hugely worried about abstract things like literacy quite yet, as you grapple with more immediate issues like feeding, crying and how to

We can’t guarantee your baby will sleep through the night (there’s a huge age range for that!), but these nine nursery tips will help set them up for a successful slumber. When you’re designing a nursery, it’s fun to focus on the aesthetics, scanning Instagram and Pinterest for just the right paint colours, decals and

Toilet training is my favourite game-changer milestone. I still get a thrill when I think about The Day the Diaper Genie Left the Building. This stage was one of the tougher (wetter and smellier) ones to get through, taking about six months longer than the three-day weekend I envisioned. But the end result was well

Dry winter months call for a bathtime routine that takes extra special care to protect your newborn’s skin barrier. Your baby’s oh-so-fresh skin is actually super delicate—it’s up to 30 percent thinner than an adult’s skin and it loses moisture quickly. This is especially true in the dry winter months when the humidity level drops

Here’s the latest research on lulling your baby to sleep with white noise and sound machines. (Also, what the heck is pink noise?) Ever since we sleep-trained our first baby, I’ve been a white noise advocate—even packing our white noise machines for both kids when we fly across the country to visit family, and making

Ever wonder why your child does certain things, as though by instinct? Here are some primitive reflexes your little one has already developed. It’s a moment captured on countless cameras: You touch your newborn baby’s tiny palm and he grasps onto your finger with surprising strength, like he intends to never let you go. Maybe

Dry winter months call for a bathtime routine that takes extra special care of your newborn’s delicate skin. Your baby’s oh-so-fresh skin is actually super delicate—it’s up to 30 percent thinner than an adult’s skin and it loses moisture quickly. This is especially true in the dry winter months when the humidity level drops and

With six weeks to go until her due date, Leah Cardin, a teacher in Burlington, Ont., was feeling confident in her birth plan. Her first labour, in 2017, had gone smoothly, and she hoped to have another positive experience with minimal interventions while delivering her second baby, who was due in April 2020. But then

Many parents and paediatricians swear by it, yet some maternity-ward nurses tell new moms and dads that it’s too dangerous to try at home. What gives? When Melissa Romain had her first baby at a Toronto hospital in 2016, the nurses demonstrated how to swaddle him and encouraged her to continue doing it at home.

Spoiler alert: things will change. When Natasha McCormick went to the doctor to check on some unusual symptoms she’d been having, she was shocked to find out she was pregnant. “When the test came back positive, my husband and I were speechless,” says the now mom of five from Wiikwemkoong Unceded Territory on Manitoulin Island,

You knew your baby needed wholesome, nutritious food to grow, but did you know that what they eat also helps their brain develop? “The first 1,000 days of life, from conception until age two, are the most important for brain development,” says Molly Schoo, clinical dietitian, NICU, Paediatrics and Obstetrics at Mississauga Hospital. After introducing

We’ve got the most genius hack to get babies to take their medicine. It’s so simple you will cry–with joy. Photo: iStock How many times have you struggled to get the medicine into your baby? The trouble is, once they catch on to what you’re trying to do, many babies refuse to take the dose.

“When you were born at 27 weeks, I was terrified. But after I held you for the first time our bodies synced, you erased all my fears and the chaos around us disappeared.” Dear Cruz, On the morning of January 11, 2015, I took a photo of my growing belly sticking out of my onesie.