Your toddler doesn’t need a huge wardrobe to get by, just a handful of mix and match items that are comfortable, washable and fit well. Choose stretchy fabrics that allow for lots of movement without binding and will be easy for him to put on and take off. Go for shirts or dresses with snaps or button-necks in the front or on the shoulders, and steer clear of turtlenecks and tiny fasteners.

Roomy overalls that snap open at the crotch and have adjustable, wide straps are great for diaper wearers since they don’t bind in the waist and can work for multiple seasons. When it’s potty training time, select pants that that will stay up without constricting your toddler’s pudgy little belly.

Instead of pants with snaps and zippers, think pint-sized yoga pants or sweatpants with stretchy waistbands, especially when it’s potty training time. Don’t buy sizes that are too large. Even if you roll up the cuffs, too-long legs have a way of becoming unrolled and getting underfoot, causing tripping.

Thick, colored leggings and bloomers will let your little girl to wear cute dresses while protecting her legs and bottom — plus, you won’t have to spend time hunting down matching socks. Bright colors and patterns for toddler clothes are fun, but if you want your child’s clothes to coordinate keep in mind that the more neutral the colors and patterns, the less effort it will take to pull outfits together in a hurry.

• Be realistic. Rather than inundating your toddler with too many changes all at once, choose just one skill to work on at a time. Expect a learning curve, a “one-step-forward, two-steps-backward” progression for learning new skills. 
• Move in close.  Come in close, and touch him on shoulder when what you’ve got to say is important.
•  Speak his name. No other word has quite the pulling strength of his own name for getting his attention.
• Get face time. He may not understand the command “Listen to me!” Try squatting down and asking him to look at you, instead: (With gestures) “Look at my eyes.”
• Speak softly. Your toddler’s hearing is likely superior to yours. No need to yell: A low, calm voice, almost a whisper, will do.
• Keep it short and simple. Use the most concrete and fewest words for making your point: “Here’s what I want you to try. Can you do this? Model what you want:  “Watch me.” Invite him to join in: “Now you try it.
• Make it fun. When delivering a lesson, convey enthusiasm as though you are presenting an exciting new game, and he’ll likely go for the bait.
• Back down. If he appears uninterested, distracted, or doesn’t respond when you’re trying to teach him something, don’t be tempted to lock horns. Just back away and try again later.
• Time it right. Keep an eye on his energy curve. The best time to try new things is when he’s most likely to be cooperative, alert, and playful. Cut slack during the hours you know he’s most likely to be fretful, tired, irritable, or hungry.
• Make directions positive. Rather than always telling him NOT to do things, express the behaviors you’re hoping for as simple, positive commands: “Walk slowly.” “Zip lips.” “Sit  here.
• Don’t “overparent.” Rather than showering him with effusive praise or interrupting him when he is trying to concentrate, simply sit back, relax and observe what he’s doing, and then describe what you’re seeing when there’s a pause. “You’re helping Mommy put the toys away, aren’t you?” He can handle that.
• Help with transitions. Don’t upset him by abruptly shifting from one activity to another. Instead, prepare him first with a gentle warning: “You can play for 5 more minutes, but then we going inside for lunch.” Then: “Okay, it’s time to go inside.” Or offer him two simple options that make him feel he’s got some decision power: “Do you want to go inside now, or in 5 minutes?”

If you’ve been exclusively breastfeeding for the first five months, it might take your daughter a few days to get the hang of the whole bottle thing, because babies need to use different mouth motions to get milk from a bottle. Here are some tips: first, plan to introduce the bottle a little bit earlier than your baby’s usual feeding time, so she’s hungry but not so ravenous that she’ll get frustrated and frantic if she can’t get the hang of the bottle right away. Then, have someone else offer her the bottle for the first few feedings, preferably when you’re out of the house. Babies can smell mom’s milk from 20 feet away, and that can distract and confuse them. So hand your baby and a bottle of pumped milk to your partner or a sitter, and run an errand or take a walk! If your baby still rejects the bottle after a few tries, try experimenting with different nipple styles and shapes—your baby may prefer latex over silicone, or have an easier time with an orthodontic shape.

Researchers theorized that pickiness peaks in the first trimester to help protect the fetus from poisons at the most sensitive stage of development, then preferences change to encourage a balanced diet closer to delivery. Pretty interesting!

The Institute of Medicine and the National Research Council today released a report recommending new guidelines for weight gain during pregnancy. The report updates guidelines that were last set in 1990 and takes into account changing US demographics, particularly the increase in the numbers of women of childbearing age who are overweight and obese.

The new guidelines are available on the Institute of Medicine’s Web site.

“The earlier guidelines recommended weight gain that would be optimal for the baby. These new guidelines take into account the well-being of the mother as well. This is a fundamental and important change,” Kathleen M. Rasmussen, ScD, professor of nutrition at Cornell University and chair of the guidelines committee, said at a press briefing where the new recommendations were announced.

The 2009 guidelines also differ from those issued 2 decades ago in 2 other ways. They are based on World Health Organization cutoff points for body mass index (BMI) categories, unlike the earlier guidelines, which were based on weight categories taken from the Metropolitan Life Insurance tables. They also recommend a more narrow range of weight gain for obese women.

The recommended weight gain for each category of prepregnancy BMI is as follows:

• Underweight (< 18.5 kg/m2); total weight gain range: 28 to 40 pounds

• Normal weight (18.5 – 24.9 kg/m2); total weight gain range: 25 to 35 pounds

• Overweight (25.0 – 29.9 kg/m2); total weight gain range: 15 to 25 pounds

• Obese (≥ 30.0 kg/m2); total weight gain range: 11 to 20 pounds

An article by Sandy Jones, published by JPMA

A New Jersey reviewer of GEPreg: “Pregnancy Books that Won’t Scare You”

Slideshare.com presentation on childbirth education

Offered as a freebie to pregnant enrollees in the U of Montana healthcare system

This site, whyquit.com, also has lots of “good” information about the effects of smoking during pregnancy and breastfeeding.

The study found that even those postmenopausal women who had breast-fed for just one month had lower rates of diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol”

Wow!

Also interesting from the NYT: In India, motherhood is powerful!

Also interesting on the dad front: a guy’s genes may favor producing more girls than boys (or vice versa).

“Patients with UTI had significantly higher rates of intra-uterine growth restriction (IUGR), pre-eclampsia, caesarean deliveries (CD) and pre-term deliveries (either before 34 weeks or 37 weeks of gestation).”

On a related note: WebMD’s “pelvis Queen” says thongs may not cause UTIs after all.

Good Start Supreme Infant Formula with iron, made by Nestle … Trace amounts of cyanuric acid were found in Infant Formula Powder, Enfamil LIPIL with Iron, from Mead Johnson Nutritionals, a subsidiary of Bristol-Myers Squibb.