A Quick (Down and Dirty) Primer on Cloth Diapering Lingo

A Quick (Down and Dirty) Primer on Cloth Diapering Lingo

20150909_013613-1Prefolds – Your mother’s cloth diaper. These are squares or rectangles of cloth (sometimes with an extra-absorbent center) that can easily be bleached. There are many ways to fold them and you should remember that YouTube is your friend. Read more

How to Survive as an Introverted Stay-at-Home Parent

How to Survive as an Introverted Stay-at-Home Parent

20150909_013145So, after 9 months of blissful pregnancy, or hellish pregnancy, or something in-between, you find yourself with a perfect little baby. The baby is lovely and wonderful and … with you all the time. At first, it isn’t too bad. The baby is small enough that you can watch TV or read or listen to podcasts while you’re holding their adorable little sleeping form. But then they get bigger, and they need your attention … all the time. And if that wasn’t enough, you’re now trapped in your house with a baby that needs your attention all the time. Suddenly you find yourself in need of both alone time and time with other (adult) people and it’s almost impossible to determine which one you need more. So what do you do? Read more

Navigating the Nightmare of Nanny Taxes, Part 1: Staying Square with the IRS

Navigating the Nightmare of Nanny Taxes, Part 1: Staying Square with the IRS

7323033778_1a9e4ac3d4_k
Photo by Peter Moons via Flickr

So you’ve decided to hire a nanny – congratulations! Whatever the reason that you’ve chosen one-on-one care for your child or children, bringing a nanny into your home is infinitely more complicated than taking the kiddos to daycare. I hope that I can help demystify the ins and outs of legally hiring and paying your household employees. Read more

Ear Infections:  Whaddya Mean My Kid Doesn’t Need Antibiotics?

Ear Infections: Whaddya Mean My Kid Doesn’t Need Antibiotics?

Photo by Mariela M via Flickr
Photo by Mariela M via Flickr

Our Crunchy Granola Mama Doc Emily Pike takes on ear infections.

It’s 8 o’clock, and you’re itching for a moment of quiet with your partner at the end of the day. Your toddler’s had a cold for a week, and you think the river of boogers is never going to stop. (Pro tip: if he’s in daycare, it may be nearly continuous for another year … at least.) He’s whinier than you’ve ever seen him, and, though he’s normally a decent sleeper, he cries whenever he’s lying down. Read more