The Modern Girl's Guide to Motherhood (Mod Moms Survival Kit)

> From the author of the bestselling The Modern Girl's Guide to Life comes a must-have book for the young mom, including best-kept secrets, practical advice, and multiple solutions for problems from birth to age four > > Just when you thought you could cook (hey, one meal counts), clean (if the queen was coming), and seduce a man (well, long enough to get married), life throws you a curveball that makes all of your previous ineptitudes in life pale in comparison. With the appearance of one little extra line on a pregnancy test, you're thrown into a world of covering up leaks on shirts and taking a pacifier away from a two-year-old who has the grip of a pit bull. In this funny, smart, and honest book, Jane Buckingham cuts through the clutter to give you simple information and practical advice for navigating the different stages of motherhood. From how to get your child to sleep and how to wean, to how to get him off the pacifier and how to stop his tantrums, this book will help moms feel in the know and in control! Some of Buckingham's favorite tips: * If your baby has a hard time feeding because of a stuffy nose, turn on the shower to steam up the bathroom and feed her there. * Put your children's paints in an empty egg carton -- it's the perfect size, and there's no mess to clean up when you're done. Use an old raincoat with the arms cut off as a smock. * You should buy a new car seat, rather than borrowing a friend's old car seat, as there are constant safety upgrades. Also, be sure you are the person registered to that car seat (send in that registration card!) so that you'll be notified in case of a recall. * Keep the three-day rule in mind: Almost any bad habit can be broken in three days. Granted, they may be tough, torturous days, but you can do it! The Modern Girl's Guide to Motherhood helps modern moms do it all with love, style, and flair! Cover Image 1 Title Page 3 Dedication Page 4 Contents 5 Introduction 13 Chapter One: The Mother of All Shopping Sprees 17 The Nursery 18 Beyond the Bedroom 32 Heading Out the Door 37 The Home Medicine Cabinet 45 Creating a Layette 47 Chapter Two: Experts, Epidurals, and Everything Else Before Baby 55 Choosing a Pediatrician 56 Bracing for Delivery Day 57 While You Still Have Some Time on Your Hands 62 Eight Unpleasant Things You Need to Know About 75 Deciding About Cord Blood Banking 83 Help Is on the Way! 86 Chapter Three: The Babymoon: The First Few Weeks Home from the Hospital 90 Introducing Your Bundle of Joy (and Screams) 91 Dealing with Wanted (and Unwanted) Visitors 96 Babyproofing 100 Reality Check: Everything Has Changed, but Your Life Will Come Back 102 Chapter Four: Food for Thought (and Little Tummies) 104 Your New Bosom Buddy 105 Hitting the Bottle 116 Burping, Colic, and Crying 119 Everybody Stay Calm! Making the Most of Pacifiers 123 Introducing Solid Foods 125 One Year and Beyond 135 Family Dinners: You Mean Carryout Doesn’t Count? 141 Dining Out with Kids in Tow 143 Chapter Five: Wake Up! We Need to Talk About Sleep 146 Birth to Three Months: From A to Zzz’s 148 Three to Nine Months: Sleep Is on the Way 157 Nine to Twelve Months: Too Good to Be True 160 One-Year-Old Sleep Patterns 161 Big Boy/Girl Beds 163 Terrible Twos at Night 165 What the Experts Say 168 Chapter Six: Baby Care 101 (Because Dressing Them in Cute Outfits Isn't Enough) 172 Bath Time 172 Caring for Those Other 1001 Small Parts 178 Teething 184 That Doesn’t Look/Feel/Sound Right! 186 Vaccinations 199 Many Mini-Milestones 205 Chapter Seven: Teach Your Children Well ...Or Else It’s Hell 218 Hi, My Name Is Mommy, and You Are ...? 219 Communicating with Your Child 222 Discipline 226 The Bad and the Ugly: Dealing With . . . 231 Mind Your Manners 237 Dealing with the Hard Stuff 244 Ask the Experts 247 Chapter Eight: Breaking Up* Is Hard to Do (*With Old Habits, That Is) 253 Breaking Old Habits 253 Have a Seat: The Fine Art of Potty Training 266 Chapter Nine: The Play Dating Game and Beyond 273 Best Toys and Activities at Any Age 274 Play: Is It All It’s Cracked Up to Be? 287 Birthday Parties 293 Picking a Preschool 301 Bibliography 307 Acknowledgments 310 Index 315 About the Author 333 Also by Jane Buckingham 334 Credits 335 Copyright Notice 336 About the Publisher 337 Offers young mothers practical advice, hard-won wisdom, and helpful information on the art of parenting, from pregnancy to age five, explaining how to negotiate successfully the different stages of motherhood. Face it, half the reason you got pregnant was the too-cute comforters and the to-die-for diaper cozies you saw at your girlfriend's house and needed a reason to buy. Jane Buckingham With Jen Furmaniak. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 295-297) And Index.