Sunday, July 24, 2011

Sunday Surf: Alloparents & who cares about the WHO Code

Welcome to the Sunday Surf! Here are some of the best links I've read this past week.

preschooler boy at chupacabra restaurant m4yo
No real reason for this picture. I just liked it.
Mikko was enjoying himself during lunch at a local Mexican restaurant.


via www.blogher.com on 7/24/11
Lauren:
I really appreciated this article about "circumstantial infertility" — people who want to have kids but have no partner or are in other situations where it's impossible. I have several loved ones in the thick of this, and I hope they can find either a family at last, or a way through their grief. I've been thinking a lot about how such people are very definitely alloparents to us, helping us raise our sons even though they're not the biological parents.

via www.theparentvortex.com on 7/24/11
Lauren:
Glad to hear the experience of another mama nursing past the two-year mark, as well as the reasonable limits she's now set. It's helpful to see that gradual and gentle weaning doesn't have to be exclusively child-led or parent-led but can be a gracious mix of the two.
I never thought I’d be breastfeeding a two year old. And yet, here we are two years later, and Claire is still nursing. As Lauren says, it just kind of creeps up on you and one day your nursling isn’t

Lauren:
Another (parent) company fails to support the WHO Code. So discouraging that enough companies flout the code that it penalizes the remaining companies and makes it hard for anyone to care about upholding it. Further reading from a retailer: "Victim Of Circumstance???" from Mommy News & Views

via mommynewsblog.com on 7/21/11
Lauren:
How the WHO Code supports mothers and babies by protecting breastfeeding

via realchilddevelopment.com on 7/20/11
Lauren:
Yesterday we went to the library & I realized the summer reading program was on. And then immediately started getting frustrated that Mikko lately won't sit still for an entire book. Good reminder for me to value the process & the fun of reading!
My answer is that if the interruption doesn’t happen, it is very likely that learning isn’t happening. We need to translate interruption as the child’s entering the process.

aunt-ring-sling-16week12

Functionality of the babywearing nanny

I'm so happy to have such a lovely guest post from Amber of Birth Routes about how necessary babywearing is for a nanny — particularly one with multiple young children to care for.

On Thursday, as I was ECing (elimination communication) the 8-month-old in a public washroom, with the 12-month-old flipped on my back in my ring sling — I burst into laughter. I am that woman — arms full of love, attending needs wherever we are. Both smiley happy babies. My thighs likely becoming toned, as I peek over my left shoulder and see little pearly teeth and bright eyes smiling at me as I chant "pee pee, pee pee," then "that's it!"

Also? I would so love to hire Amber! We're fortunate to have my attachment-minded sister-in-law (also a fabulous nanny and the babywearer in the photo there) to alloparent along with us, but the world could always use more like them, yes? (Along with that wish, I wish more of us could afford such blessed help!)

But back to the article — go check it out, my fellow babywearing fans, and give Amber some comment love for the beauty in it.

Carnival round-up

I've created a linky page for blog carnivals of relevance to natural parents: Natural parenting blog carnivals

You can enter upcoming carnivals to the list, or take note of the submission deadlines so you can write in community with likeminded parents.

Submissions to the linky are moderated (to make sure carnivals are relevant) and will be removed as the live dates pass so it will keep (mostly) up to date. I'll leave carnivals up at least a bit past the live date so you have time to surf on over, as I've been enjoying doing.

Visit Natural Parents Network

From Natural Parents Network in a really interesting week on Family Structure


Giveaways!

I've created a new ongoing linky for natural parenting giveaways to draw attention to relevant giveaways. Instead of being lost in the bigger giveaway linky lists, jumbled in with products that don't speak to our lifestyles or values, your giveaways can shine in this list tailored to attachment parents interested in a natural lifestyle. It will also help highlight the "little-guy" prizes: products from WAHMs and Etsy shops, self-published books, and unique and niche offerings.

If you're a natural parenting blogger and are hosting a giveaway, enter it in the linky! Please note that entries are moderated, so it will take time for your submission to appear.

And if you're a natural parent, go check out the full list of giveaways to see what you can win!

There's also a Facebook page for giveaways by parenting bloggers created by Jennifer of Hybrid Rasta Mama. If you "like" the page, you can promote your own giveaways there as well or find out about new ones.

Here are the current giveaways round these parts:

You can find more shared items during the week at my public Google Reader recommendations feed.

Check out Authentic Parenting, Baby Dust Diaries, Navelgazing, Momma Jorje, I Thought I Knew Mama, Enjoy Birth, A Domesticated Woman's Adventures (various), Fabulous Mama Chronicles, Kelly Hogaboom (Fridays), The Parent Vortex (weekends), Ichigo Means Strawberry, TouchstoneZ, Hippie Housewife (Saturdays), Multiple Musings, Motherhood Moments, Mama and Baby Love, and A Little Bit of All of It for more Sunday Surfing! (If you also participate in a regular link list, whether on Sunday or not, let me know and I'll add your link.)

Feel free to add your recommendations in the comments. Happy reading!

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