ML Interest Tag: baby-groups

What If Breastfeeding Gear Was Actually Cool?

by Kate Cartia

It’s about time someone came up with better nursing supplies

If you’ve made the choice to breastfeed, you’ve probably experienced a moment or two (or three. or ten.) of overwhelm. For something hailed as “the most natural thing in the world” <cringe>, it’s easy to assume that nursing is, well…easy. Baby, breast, boom. Right? There’s a good chance it’s actually not that easy for you, and if it’s not, you absolutely aren’t alone. Even if you wouldn’t consider your breastfeeding experience “difficult”, it’s still a lot. And a bunch of the tools out there, while definitely not bad, are outdated, bulky, and just extremely confusing (uh, just look at this spread of supplies). Millennial moms are due for a nursing gear glow-up and Swehl, a modern breastfeeding supplies and support platform, is seriously ticking all the boxes for us (without insisting on 50 different tools).

Typical nursing supplies—Courtesy of Swehl

 

Our Bump & Baby Editor dubbed Swehl “the Glossier of breastfeeding supplies”. Why? Because this is the breastfeeding line that actually makes sense for modern motherhood. Everything they offer is multifunctional, low-impact (just reusable, BPA-free, food-grade silicone!), and just terribly cute, too, so it all fits into your day-to-day.

Swehl

 

Swehl breastfeeding supplies are made for this century. No more alienation, chaos, or confusion. Just streamlined products you’ll actually use.

The Latch Kit

Swehl

You grab-and-go breastfeeding essentials. Everything you need from Day 1, minus the hours (and hours) of research. Made from sustainable materials, aesthetically pleasing (she's cute!), and with tools that last well beyond the newborn phase. No reading required—the Latch Kit includes QR codes that drive to bite-sized video tutorials. 

What's inside:

  • Gold Rush Colostrum Bottle
  • Secret Sauce Syringe 
  • Total Catch Milk Collection Cups
  • Balm de Nips Nipple Balm
  • No Stress SNS Kit
  • Nip Slips Nipple Shield 
  • Calm de Nips Saline Spray
  • The Carry-All

The Latch Kit ($99.99)—Buy Here!

The Nips Duo

Swehl

Calm de Nips and Balm de Nips are a dynamic duo that helps alleviate common nipple pain from cracked and sore nipples. Even on your best breastfeeding day, you'll need these.

What's inside:

  • Calm de Nips
  • Balm de Nips

The Nips Duo ($22.00)—Buy Here!

Cloud 9 Nursing Sling

Swehl

Breastfeeding on the go should be easy, convenient and comfortable. Our sling is inspired by luxury sportswear, so you can nurse out in the world—and feel like you doing so. Includes storage for diapers, your cell phone and more. Bonus: remove the pillow lining and use as a sling bag long after the feeding journey.

Cloud 9 Nursing Sling ($65.00)—Buy Here!

Swehl School

Swehl

It's about time we admitted that breastfeeding can be truly challenging, and it also doesn't work for everyone. And that's okay. No matter what you're experiencing during nursing, Swehl School offers over 2 years of content for mastering breastfeeding. Bite-sized videos and helpful articles for every step of the way. Pumping, latching, postpartum depression, and more. Oh, and you won't find any judgment here. No "breast is best" rhetoric. 

Swehl Circles

Swehl

Hi. It's us. And we're here to tell you that you do not have to do this—nursing, momming, parenting—alone. Swehl Circles is a new way to baby group. They're expert-led, small group Zoom sessions with other cool people. Unrecorded, unfiltered and un-boring, every time.

All the products listed are independently & personally selected by our shopping editors.

If you buy something from the links in this article, we may earn affiliate commission or compensation. Prices and availability reflect the time of publication.

All images courtesy of retailers.

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The Newest Gathering Place for Parents & Kids

by Kelly Aiglon

It’s almost time for endless sunshine, playground romps and lots of popsicles. Be sure to add picnicking to your list. We’re talking about a trip to Picnic, Ravenswood’s new gathering place for parents and kids. Like its warm, breezy name implies, Picnic is a welcoming hub for parents that want friends, support and camaraderie. It offers prenatal and new-parent classes and support groups, plus silly-fun programming for kids. Here’s an inside look.

The Place for New Parents
Picnic was created by Sue Gottschall and Rebecca Nguyen, a mother-daughter team. Both have a Master in Education and are certified lactation consultants, so they understand the struggles and joys new parents encounter. After teaching for years, they opened Picnic to make local parents’ roller coaster rides easier and more fun. The offerings start as early as prenatal workshops and go up to music and dance classes for five-year-olds.

The three-fold prenatal curriculum includes a six-week childbirth education series, a breastfeeding your baby workshop, and a bringing baby home workshop. They touch on breathing and relaxation, nutrition and exercise, birth options and more — and with personal stories shared along the way, everyone emerges with a handful of new friends. Once baby has arrived, there are new mom and baby groups that meet weekly and are opportunities to have topical discussions and connect. While everyone chats, moms bounce their babies, nurse, and do lots of smiling and cooing.

It’s Like Your Living Room
Picnic’s homey feel is part of the appeal. At the center is a huge woven rug, where parents fan out with their kids and kick back on pillows, much like they would in their own living rooms. The ceilings are high with skylights for plenty of warm, natural light, and kids’ art is displayed on the wall. There are two rocking chairs for nursing moms and pint-sized bookshelves filled with books and small toys. Kids enjoy snuggling with huge stuffed animals or curling up in a mini arm chair for quiet time. There is nothing over-stimulating, which puts both parents and tots ease.

photo: Shalimar B Photography

Fun & Learning as They Grow
Stick around past the baby years for monthly meet-ups for toddlers themed around early literacy. There’s also a gem called Stories, Songs, and Finger Plays, at which parents and their littles practice some of the read-aloud strategies discussed in class. Especially popular are the Stomp and Shout music classes, which are mixed-age (8 months to 4 years) adventures that celebrate growing up in the city.

Everyone can gather at special events like movie nights, family dance parties and music ho-downs, and they all open with a few moments to read or play. Prices and times vary for all classes and workshops, and the website is the best place to register and see what’s coming up.

The bottom line? This picnic is indoors, but it’s definitely one that’ll leave you feeling bright and sunny.

Picnic: A Gathering Spot for Families with Young Children
3717 N. Ravenswood Ave.
Suite 219E
Ravenswood
773-259-2543
Online: chicagofamilypicnic.com

What classes and resources help you most as a parent? Let us know in the Comments!

— Kelly Aiglon

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16 Reasons To Be Thankful You’re a Portland Parent

by Kelley Gardiner

Family is at the top of the list of things we are thankful for. And closely following that is the fact that we live in this incredible city. Even though there are somewhere in the neighborhood of 101 reasons to be thankful that we’re Portland parents, here are our top 16. Feel free to add yours to the list in our Comments below.

photo: Laurelhurst Park by Scott T. via Yelp

1. Portland Parks
We have miles and miles of beautiful natural beauty and a wide range of outdoor activities – all within the city limits, including roller skating along Tom McCall Waterfront Park, hiking and biking miles of forest at Forest Park, skateboarding at Pier Park and playtime on the inner city volcano, aka Mt. Tabor.

photo: Seven Virtues Coffee by Betty F. via Yelp

2. Coffee Shops with Kids’ Areas
Many of us busy parents are thankful for coffee. Portland has plenty of delectable coffee shops, and some of them even have kids’ play areas to give us a few minutes of peaceful with our sweet, sweet caffeine. Here’s a link to our favorite coffee shops with kids’ areas around town.

photo: HUB play area by Dayana J. via Yelp

3. Kid-friendly brew pubs
We love breweries with play areas for kids, like Hopworks Urban Brewery and Laurelwood Brewing Company. It’s the best of both worlds when you can order a kid-friendly meal, along with great adult food, then sip a brew while the kids play and you wait for food. These folks get us. They really get us.

photo: McMenamins Kennedy School movie theater via Yelp

4. Mommy Matinees at Kennedy School
Ah, those McMenamin brothers and their genius ideas. You can take your baby to the movies without worrying about your little angel waking up from their nap and yowling at the top of his lungs. You can even order beer and have food delivered to your seat.

photo: Cotton Babies by Lily M. via Yelp

5. Cotton Babies
If you’ve ever tried to figure out cloth diapers, surely you’ve given up and thrown your hands over your head at least once, exasperated at all the options. Portland parents have experts just across the river in Vancouver, who will gently guide you in choosing the best pocket diapers, all-in-ones and brands that suit your family. (Whew.)

 photo: Sauvie Island berry picking by Katrina Br*?#*!@nd via flickr

6. Sauvie Island
This rural getaway to farm country is close enough for a morning excursion, and families love going berry picking, checking out fall activities at the pumpkin patches, bird-watching, and exploring the beaches. (Just steer clear of the nude beach unless you’re up for a bracing lesson in anatomy.)

photo: Slappy Cakes by Claire and Amy A. via Yelp

7. Brunch Options
We love our brunch in this town and there’s a hot spot in just about every neighborhood. One of the gems in southeast, is Slappy Cakes, where everyone, including kids can get involved cooking their cakes right at the table. Squeeze shapes from batter bottles and add your own items, like chocolate chips or blueberries, without any of the grocery shopping or cleanup. The younger set is a lot less likely to get fidgety and fussy when they’re participating in making their own meals. Another one is Helser’s on Alberta with their uber kid-friendly atmosphere and giant, fluffy German pancakes – breakfast is served all day.

photo: Farmers Market by Matt Kowel via flickr

8. Farmers Markets
We have bountiful farmers’ markets in nearly every neighborhood, and they offer so much more than just-picked, seasonal produce. They also have oodles of fresh-baked breads, sweet jams, creamy chocolate and more from local artisans, as well as live music and cooking demonstrations.

photo: Green Bean Books by Jennifer G. via Yelp

9. Independent bookstores
What better way to spend a gray and drizzly afternoon than surrounded by dozens of enticing books? Many of these bookstores, like Green Bean Books, create community hubs for their neighborhoods by featuring cool craft and story times for tots.

photo: Multnomah County Central Library by Padraic via flickr

10. Libraries
All of the libraries around town play host to story times, crafts and cultural events for all ages, every week, all over the city – all for free!

photo: Oregon Coast by Loren Kerns via flickr

11. Day trips to the beach
Packing light and heading off for a carefree day at the beach is a simple and attainable joy for most Portlanders. Head west for about 2 hours, park it and you’re set for a relaxed day filled with crashing waves, sea breezes, shell-collecting and sand-digging.

photo: Mt. Hood Territory via flickr

12. Day trips to Mt. Hood
Usually, it’s pretty safe to assume that when it’s raining in Portland, it’s snowing on Mt. Hood. Head east for about an hour and a half to do a little – or a lot – of sledding in Government Camp. Don’t forget to stop at Joe’s Donut Shop in Sandy for coffee and treats on the way.

photo: Columbia Gorge by Chris Murphy via flickr

13. Columbia Gorge
The Gorge is filled with spectacular waterfalls only about 30 miles away. Multnomah Falls is the biggest and most popular, of course, but there are plenty more waterfalls and hikes in the area. Stop at Tad’s Chicken ‘n Dumplins on the way home for gigantic dumplings to warm your little ones up after a drizzly hike.

photo: Sunday Parkways by Sam Beebe via flickr

14. Sunday Parkways
Portland is a great place to ride bikes with your kids. No time is better than over the summer at Sunday Parkways. These monthly events, in a different section of town each time, close off 7-8 miles of roads to car traffic to let mountain bikes, trailers, tall bikes, Xtracycles, unicycles and cargo bikes through.

photo: Oaks Amusement Park by Mark S. via Yelp

15. Oaks Amusement Park
So much good old-fashioned fun, you won’t know where to start! This park’s been around since 1905 and offers up kiddie rides, thrill rides and mini golf in the summer, and roller skating year-round.

photo: Jamison Square Fountain by Sam Beebe via flickr

16. Other Portland parents
With baby groups, mompreneurs, thoughtful guidance at the playground and volunteers to make cool events happen, we’re thankful to have each other.

What are you thankful for as a Portland parent? Let us know in the comments!

—Kelley Gardiner

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21 Signs You’re a New York City Mom

by Julie Seguss

Ah, New York parenting. You can hail a cab, while folding up your stroller with one hand and carrying your toddler in the other. You can recite a list of the 10 cleanest bathrooms below 14th Street. And, you can divulge exactly what train car to ride in that will leave you off right by the escalators at your stop. Read on to discover the 21 signs you’re a New York City parent and then let us know in the comment section below which signs you identify with most!

1. You spent nearly $1,000 on your baby’s set of wheels and zero on your own.

Image: Ed Yourdon via Flickr

2. Your backyard can be measured in acres – 778 acres of Central Park, 535 acres of Prospect Park and 898 acres of Flushing Meadows Corona Park.

3. Your baby group is 50 plus moms strong, and that only includes babies born in the same month, in the same neighborhood.

Image: Joe Shalbotnik via Flickr

4. You’ve figured out how to fit a week’s worth of groceries, plus a bottle of wine, in your stroller’s basket. 

Image: Tyger_Lyllie via Flickr

5. You record sounds of sirens so you can get your kids to sleep when you’re on vacation.

Image: Tony Fischer Photography via Flickr

6. You’ve never met your kid’s best friend because he only sees her on play dates with the nanny.

Image: Colored Chalk via Flickr

7. You can weave your double jogger through a crowd of tourists with a surgeon’s precision.

Image: Ed Yourdon via Flickr

8. Your child’s social calendar is busier than yours.

Image: tom@hk via Flickr

9. Your kid is on a year-long wait list … for music class … at 6 months old.

Image: Salim Virji via Flickr

10. You dread riding the subway with your toddler because she always waves happily at the strangest characters on the train.

Image: David 23 via Flickr

11. Not only have you taken your daughter to get her hair done, but you’ve also taken her doll for an up do.

Image: Jeff Sandquist via Flickr

12. There’s more than one Atticus (or Wolfgang or Sebastian) or Pearl (or Matilda or Olive) in your child’s class.

Image: USAG-Humphreys via Flickr

13. Your two year old is a regular theater-goer.

Image: The Secret Theater

14. You bring your baby to bars and you might even nurse her while you enjoy a beer.

Image: Eoghan O Lionnain via Flickr

15. Your kid learned his ABC’s and 1, 2, 3’s by riding the subway.

Image: Mike Knell via Flickr

16. You don’t blink when you see your three year old’s “school” tuition, which could’ve put you through a semester, or year, of college.

Image: Celebration Harts via Flickr

17. Your nanny sees your kids more than you do during the week, and she even comes to their birthday parties.

Image: Ed Yourdon via Flickr

18. Picking up used toys and books off the street is a total “do.” (As long as you sanitize them before you hand them over to your kid that is.)

Image: Makelessnoise via Flickr

19. You’ve convinced your kids a ride on the bus is an actual tour of the city, just so you can keep cool during the summer.

Image: faungg via Flickr

20. You order diapers online to be delivered to your apartment.

Image: Tomas Fano via Flickr

21. Your toddler interviewed for preschools before he could say, “mama.”

Image: Juhansonin via Flickr

What did we miss? Share your “only in NYC” mom-isms in the comments below.

–Julie Seguss

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