It’s not always easy to find advice beyond the first pregnancy – Laura shares what she’s learned about making that 9 months easier when you’re dealing with more than one child.  Read More…

6 Comments | Posted in Balance, Family Structure, Pregnancy, Preparing for Parenting

Much like the story about the man and his Zen Master, Karen found that if you put things in order one thing at a time, in the end everything will be in its rightful place.  Read More…

4 Comments | Posted in Attachment Parenting, Balance, Belief, Body Image, Family Structure, Healthy Eating, Healthy Living, Keeping Active, Parenting Philosophies

Treasure your breastfeeding journey while you can. I’ve been breastfeeding for most of the last four and a half years, and my journey is full of ups and downs and unexpected turns, and it didn’t start out easy. Breastfeeding Babe #1 Due to complications after my son’s birth, he was almost 24 hrs old the first time I attempted to …  Read More…

11 Comments | Posted in Activism, Balance, Breastfeeding, Breastfeeding Alternatives, Breastfeeding Past Infancy, Family Structure, Feeding With Love, Lactivism

It’s time to look at preschools. For many parents, it can be a daunting task. For Natural Parents, it can be even more challenging. A naturally-parented child has typically been loved and cared for a loving, attached caregiver who is in tune with their needs. It can be overwhelming and emotional for their parents to “turn them over” to a teacher to function in a group for the first time. However, there are many things you can to do make the task a bit easier:  Read More…

2 Comments | Posted in Alternative Caregivers, Balance, Consistent Care, Family Structure, Holistic Health, Special Needs

Many parents describe their NICU experience as a rollercoaster. The highs are really high and the lows can be especially low. The wild ride can be very draining on parents, who often put their needs last as they focus on helping their new baby get well. As they juggle the needs of their hospitalized baby, jobs, the household and perhaps …  Read More…

8 Comments | Posted in Alternative Caregivers, Balance, Cleaning and Organizing, Consistent Care, Family Structure, Healthy Living, Practical Home Help, Work and Family

Today is a world of demands- our time, our energy, our focus, our money.  If we focus on all the “need to do’s, there is never time left to just be! Life shouldn’t be about making sure the dishes are done and the lunches are made. Most parents want to find more time to be present with their children. While …  Read More…

3 Comments | Posted in Attachment Parenting, Balance, Family Structure, Parenting Philosophies, Work and Family

I practice attachment parenting and I co-slept with both my boys, now aged 2 and 8 months. I loved the closeness of it, the ease with breastfeeding it gave me, and the restfulness that came with it. So I was shocked when it wasn’t working anymore. I was waking in the morning grumpy, groggy, and frustrated, and it lasted all …  Read More…

37 Comments | Posted in Balance, Consensual Living, Family Structure, Gentle Discipline, Nighttime Parenting, Parenting Philosophies, Responding With Sensitivity, Safe Sleep, Work and Family

Throughout my pregnancy I had this vision of a baby sleeping peacefully all snuggled in a bassinet. I had no idea that some babies didn’t just stay asleep when you put them down. I also had no idea that newborns had a Moro reflex or even what a Moro reflex was! We never intended to bedshare, but our family bed has …  Read More…

4 Comments | Posted in Balance, Breastfeeding, Cosleeping, Family Structure, Feeding With Love, Nighttime Parenting, Safe Sleep

This past year has been the most difficult parenting year yet for me. My son turned three in March, and by September he was deep into a power struggle phase that has lasted us, to some degree, through the year. Suddenly, I was looking not at a sweet toddler that I knew how to parent easily, I was looking at …  Read More…

2 Comments | Posted in Attachment Parenting, Balance, Consistent Care, Family Structure, General, Parenting Philosophies, Responding With Sensitivity, Routines and Schedules

An NPN reader asks our natural parenting mentors: I have a 9 1/2 year old daughter who was raised in the more traditional sense: warnings, time-outs, consequences, etc. My Husband is her stepfather, and the relationship between him and my daughter is very strained. He tries to be authoritarian1, and (of course) she doesn’t like it. He has been in …  Read More…

Leave a comment | Posted in Ask an NP Mentor, Attachment Parenting, Balance, Consensual Living, Family Structure, Gentle Discipline, Parenting Philosophies, Responding With Sensitivity