Interestingly enough, although I don’t really use it now besides as a hobby and keeping up on scientific news, I have a science undergraduate degree. My hubs has an engineering one. You can guess that the combination of those two means that we read and researched A LOT during pregnancy and even now. Honestly, it’s a bit overwhelming, what’s available out there. I thought I’d do a quick post of resources from “official” organizations/sites that I never knew about but fell upon.
The American Academy of Pediatrics has HealthyChildren.org. You can sign up for their website, and they’re also on social media. What I find interesting is that they have articles on things such as how to talk to your child about racism and such, which is something that I’ve always wondered about. My parents never talked about that stuff with me, but I think it’s important that we have that discussion with our kids. I can’t help but worry that my mixed race baby will face issues that others won’t.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has an Milestones Tracker app, which gives you social, language, movement, and cognitive milestones to look for. I’ve found that they are related to a lot of the questions that my pediatrician asks when we go in for our well checkups. What I love is that they also give tips and activities to do at various ages. They have it for 2, 4, 6,9, 12, 18 months, then 2, 3, 4, 5 years.
The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry has The Mouth Monsters site for information on oral health for kids, including babies. Did you know that you’re supposed to start brushing baby’s teeth from the first tooth?
For mothers, there are two sites I’ve liked. Postpartum Support International has a ton of information and resources. They also have a support group on Facebook, which has been amazingly helpful for me, which I’ve mentioned before. Lastly, I found out that first time moms may have a hard time breastfeeding. La Leche League International is another great resource that will link you with local lactation consultants.
Miuzing 