Most people picture doulas in the delivery room — rubbing a mother’s back, holding her hand, whispering encouragement. And yes, we do that. But the truth is, birth is only the starting line.

In this article, we’ll share frequently used items that became lifelines during our first year of parenthood, including sleep solutions, diaper bag organization, and soothing aids. These essentials made the early days of parenting a bit easier.

The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry reports that, on average, children ages 8-12 spend four to six hours a day watching TV or using screens, while teens can spend up to nine hours a day watching a screen.

Congratulations on completing your first year of parenting! As my own daughter just turned one, I’ve been able to reflect on the challenges, joys, and learning opportunities that I’ve encountered in the last 12 months.

Sleep is not something we just have to hope, pray, and wait to get. There are things you can do tonight to encourage longer stretches (or full nights!) of sleep for your little one.  

I’m Susan Frazier, a Certified Pediatric Sleep Consultant and owner of Dream Again Sleep Consulting.  I am a Wisconsin girl (GO PACKERS!) and a lover of all things sleep, DIY, and summer.  

It soon dawned on me, however, that with all my trial-and-error methods of putting her to bed, my daughter was lacking the one thing that could help her the most: a routine.

As we are getting ready to send our kids back to school after a wonderful summer break, I wanted to share a few things that we will do to support them and set them up for success this school year.

Becoming a mother is a wonderful, life-changing event. It’s exciting and it can be a lot of fun. But there are a lot of questions that come with caring for baby – this is true whether you’re a first-time mom or it’s been a few years since you last cared for an infant.

We all know about the three “Trimesters” of pregnancy. But have you heard of the “fourth trimester?” It is a term coined by Dr. Harvey Karp for the first three months of your baby’s life.