Why A Baby's Connection With A Parent Matters (NY Times): "What attachment provides is a secure base for a child to move away from and explore the world, and a haven of safety to move back to when the world is too stressful."

29 Adorable Photos Of Babies Who Already Love Harry Potter (Huff Post): In honor of the series’ 20th anniversary, it's never too early to pass down the fandom. 

Infant Overheats On Delayed United Flight In Colorado (CNBC): A delayed United Airlines flight on Thursday led to a four-month-old being hospitalized from overheating.

Can A Tech Start-Up Successfully Educate Children In The Developing World? (NY Times): "Bridge International Academies--a chain of inexpensive private schools--has ambitious plans to revolutionize education for poor children. But can its for-profit model work in some of the most impoverished places on Earth?"

View Post

Find out how moms are breastfeeding in France, Mongolia, Japan and 6 other countries.

Article & Photo courtesy of Well Rounded NY

Breastfeeding is one of the most natural things in the world. It is also one of the healthiest things moms can do for their babies, as breast milk provides all the nutrients they need to grow and develop. While not every mothers can or chooses to breastfeed, the World Health Organization recommends that infants be exclusively breastfed until they are 6 months old. Thereafter, continued breastfeeding with nutritious, complementary foods remains the healthier choice until they turn two. But culture heavily influences people’s views on breastfeeding; and how you do it, when you do it and for how long can vary greatly from country to country.   

To offer some perspective, we are taking you on a little breastfeeding world tour. Here’s how breastfeeding rates compare in 9 countries around the globe and how these nations’ cultural norms affect breastfeeding trends.

1. The United States, where breastfeeding is recommended for one year and beyond, has seen a steady increase in its breastfeeding rates in recent years. That’s partly due to some powerful grassroots campaigns that normalize nursing with the participation of celebrities and staged breastfeeding sit-ins. The latest CDC report card of 2015 found that 81 percent of American mothers breastfeed at birth. The biggest challenge that the country face now is to get mothers to nurse longer. Fifty-one percent of mothers make it past six month and only 30 percent keep it up until the recommended one-year mark.

2. Mongolia is possibly the most breastfeeding-friendly country...

Read more...

View Post

The 395 Kids Philando Castile Left Behind (Huff Post): Children are asking for answers their parents don’t have.

From Breastfeeding To Gender Neutrality: Unicode’s New Emojis Are Signs Of The Times (Fast Company): The new 5.0 set includes a woman breastfeeding a baby!

How To Raise A Reader (NY Times): The benefits of reading at every stage of a child's development are well documented.

Cranky Baby? Feeding May Not Be The Right Answer (NY Times): Part of the equation is whether the baby is actually hungry, or whether parents are providing food at any sign of distress.

What Do Men Do On Paternity Leave? Become Dads (Refinery29): “Society seems to still be amazed by the man who wants to be an active dad. People will say, oh it’s Mr. Mom, but they’re doing what they can and should be doing, as opposed to doing something heroic by taking on what is a female role.”

A Viral Photo Of A Calm Dad And A Screaming Toddler Holds An Important Parenting Lesson (Upworthy): The emotional health of our children is certainly worth a few weird stares from people we'll never seen again.

View Post

Clothes that both you and kiddo will love!

Article & Photos courtesy of Well Rounded NY

Do you fall into a shopping rabbit hole every time you look for kid’s clothes? Don’t worry, we do too — all the time. After all, there is a lot to think about when choosing outfits for your little ones: budget, quality, ethics and whether or not it will allow them to express their style and personality. Plus, there are so many new and original kids brands out there, that it’s hard to sift through all of them. To help you out in your search, we compiled a list of children’s clothing brands that you should have on your radar. So close your gazillion browser tabs: here are 5 kids fashion brands you need to know about.

1. Art & Eden. What’s better than a children’s clothing brand that’s playful and whimsical and that is taking a stance? Art & Eden crafts its clothes ethically with organic fabrics and fair-trade practices. It also gives back a portion of its sales to support a program that provides needed nutrition and medication to children in Central America. Plus, their prints are made in collaboration with artists around the world. How cool is that? Check it out here.

2. Rockets of Awesome. With this kids clothing subscription service, it’s like Christmas four times a year! Each season, Rockets of Awesome delivers 8 to 12 clothes to your door, and you only pay for the items that you keep. No membership fee required! Not only do you save time not shopping, the system has an algorithm that helps accommodate your little one’s ever-changing style. Plus, kids absolutely love choosing from the fun selection of clothes, and they’ll get to color the box that everything comes in.

Read more...

View Post

Losing Fat, Gaining Brain Power, On The Playground (NY Times): More broadly, the study suggests that getting children to run around won't just enhance their bodies--it might also improve their report cards. 

Wonder Woman's Director Tweeted The Best Thank-You Note From A Kindergarten Teacher (Upworthy): 11 ways the movie has already created a new culture in the classroom.

The Surprising, Controversial Story Behind Father's Day (Refinery29): And once upon a time, lots of the country's dads were opposed to it.

Working Mom Makes Awesome Edits To Daughter’s Sexist Homework (Huff Post): " I mean, what decade are we in, anyway? In this day and age, we’re going to tell kids that mothers working outside the home makes their children and families unhappy?"

Finland's New, Weird School Courses Say A Lot About How We Teach Our Kids (Upworthy): "I don't know if you've noticed this, but there is no such job as 'math.'" 

Pregnancy's Deadly Itch (Jezebel): One mom's experience with cholestasis. 

View Post

Noam Dekel gives us a glimpse at life behind the feed.

Article & Photo courtesy of Well Rounded NY

We often hear the phrase: the woman behind the man. But what about the man behind the woman? Especially when that woman is a fast growing star on the Insta-mama scene?

We’ve been wondering just that ever since we caught a glimpse of Noam Dekel on Dikla Goren (aka, Girl Plus Two)’s Instagram feed. Dikla’s handsome husband can often be spotted juggling several (or all!) of the Israeli couple’s 3 kids, and we can only imagine how much he’s wrangling behind the scenes to help make it all look so effortless…even when we know it can’t possibly be.

It turns out this Brooklyn daddy is truly as hands-on as it seems...

Read more...

View Post