Tandem feeding is when a nursing parent is breastfeeding two or more babies, often twins, simultaneously. Some parents will feed both babies at the same time, or they may take turns and alternate feedings throughout the day.

The exact origin of push presents or baby baubles is hard to pinpoint. Some believe this tradition hails back to several hundred years ago, stemming from places such as the UK, India, and Egypt, symbolizing fertility, strength, and the preciousness of new life. Jewelry is thought to have been the most customary gift. These lovely gestures of appreciation were given to the birthing parent to acknowledge and commemorate the effort that went into such a momentous occasion.

Spring has finally sprung in New England, and summer is coming in hot on its heels. As we crawl out of our winter hibernation, it’s time to shed our layers and prepare to enjoy the warmer season!

While most of us can’t wait to get outside, it’s worth noting that the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends keeping infants under the age of 6 months old out of direct sunlight. They also state that for babies over the age of 6 months, a few minutes of exposure a day is usually enough to ensure they get the right amount of Vitamin D.

Growth spurts can happen at any point during your baby’s first year of development, but tend to be most common around 2-3 weeks, 6 weeks, 3 months, and 6 months.

Attachment parenting is a parenting philosophy that emphasizes the importance of forming a strong emotional bond between parent and child and maintaining that bond for as long as possible. This approach involves practices such as co-sleeping, baby-wearing, and feeding on demand, often well into childhood.

GBS is a colonization of bacteria that lives in up to one-third of pregnant people’s intestinal tracts, and can be completely normal and without any impact on the pregnant person at all. However, if pregnant, this group of bacteria can have some pretty serious complications for baby.

The 5-5-5 Postpartum rule is a guideline to follow during the postpartum period, which can help new birthing parents take care of themselves in a way that allows their body to heal while promoting and supporting crucial bonding time with their new baby.

In today’s hi-tech world, helping your baby develop sensory awareness is as easy as popping them in front of a sensory show once or twice a day, but for those who don’t want their babies exposed to too much (or any!) screentime, there are options that have worked for years before the tech takeover.

Right around the 13-22 week mark, you might notice that your precious bundle of joy who was only waking up once during the night for a quick feeding is suddenly wide awake well past what you thought was their bedtime. Or, perhaps you finally got your baby to sleep, had a successful transition to their own crib or bassinet, and within the hour they’re up and crying. Screaming. Hyperventilating. This, my friends, is the 4 month sleep regression in action…

Many medical professionals recommend taking some sort of birthing class during your pregnancy. There are a number of medical, social, and emotional reasons to work a class like this into your pre-baby plans!

There might be nothing worse to experience than a baby who’s teething. The low grade fever, bright pink cheeks, and perpetual discomfort is enough to drive your baby into a screaming, crying frenzy if left unchecked…

Specifically, Witching Hour refers to the stretch of time at the end of the day, roughly 1-1.5 hours before mealtime, where everyone is transitioning from their day into evening.

While cold and flu season can certainly put a damper on your winter day to day, know that as long as you are careful and keep an eye on symptoms, this too shall pass. If you need support throughout pregnancy or the fourth trimester with tips and tricks for safe and healthy pregnancies and births, discuss strategy with your doula! We’re happy to talk about ways to help keep you and your family safe and comfortable this cold and flu season!

With winter creeping up on us here in the Northern Hemisphere, our little ones are at the most risk when exposed to the cold. If you live in an area like New England, the Midwest, or Canada, cold temperatures are part of life in the winter. Even if you aren’t in parts of the country where there’s feet of snow and below zero temperatures, the days get crisper and the nights can drop to below freezing, and you and your family need to be prepared.

A cause and effect that may become more apparent over time as we adjust to this new lifestyle of remote work is the malpositioning of babies due to less lifestyle movement overall. Sure, getting up and down to grab something off the copier a few times a day may not seem like much, but when you’re brewing a baby in your belly, every movement counts!

Here at Beautiful Births and Beyond, we believe that a fed baby is a happy baby, and we understand that most likely all babies will utilize a bottle at some point in time. Whether you formula feed or pump to bottle feed, one of the techniques that can help mimic nursing and is proven to have multiple benefits for your baby is Paced Bottle Feeding.

Today, there are many different options for children’s books that are inclusive of race, sexuality, gender, and ability. While classics like Strega Nona and The Hungry, Hungry Caterpillar are timeless stories for anyone’s shelf, we’ve got some suggestions if you want to bring your baby’s story time to a more contemporary place.

Let's be clear - being a parent is one of, if not the hardest job out there. A stay at home parent doesn’t need to work in order to be validated or valuable within society. However, if it makes financial sense for someone in your family to stay home with your baby instead of paying for child care, sometimes that parent feels like they wish they could contribute to the family in a different way. If you’re one of those stay at home parents wishing there was a way to contribute financially, communally, or intellectually to your family, this list is for you!

However cute and sweet baby showers may be, one thing is for certain: bringing the perfect gift can be a challenge. Of course, most folks nowadays register their wishlist with something like Amazon or Zola, so choosing a gift doesn’t have to always be a headache.