Skinship

My spring/summer reading list

Industruial childbirth- an essay on modern chilbirth

If you are ever to give birth or assist one or if you did already, this essay from Adbusters is a must read...

"...how blinded we can be by the guise of protection, how crippled we can be made by fear."

Is there anything such as the best stroller?

If you are the first time parent you probably got caught into a trap of "buying the right stroller"...the offer is so wide that it can really drive parents-to-be crazy. Lightweight vs. travel system, easy to fold vs. comfortable for kids, for city use vs. off-road use, basinet or fully reclining seat, not to mention all the designs and colors.

We bought a Mutsy stroller for our first son and the "balance sheet" would look something like that...

- we hardly used the stroller for the first 6 months, because Jun hated being anywhere away from mommy or daddy (so instead we used Aprica Zucco bed sling and than switched to Sutemi gear and Beco carrier)

- we went travelling when he was 7 months old so we bought a cheap lightweight stroller that we fell in love with, so we used it all the time and even our friends borrowed it for their long distance trips. So that stroller has more miles than most frequent fliers :-)

- when Jun got taller sleeping in the lightweight stroller got uncomfortable, so we switched back to Mutsy, which is probably one of the most comfortable strollers for kids (wide and super soft seat, fully reclinable to a flat position- including the footrest (which is not the case in most Quinny strollers and Bogaboo stroller), so the child can really comfortably sleep in it

- then we somehow managed to break the wheels on our Mutsy (we had an old model, that they soon stopped producing- probably we were not the first ones having problems with tiny back wheels) and we switched back to the lightweight stroller, which received some more frequent flier miles on our trips back and forth to California

- but lately I started missing the big comfortable stroller that can accommodate an almost 3-year old while napping outside or for those very long walks, which are too long and tiring for even the most energetic boy.

- and with a new baby on the way, we would need a new stroller anyway.

...so today and went and bought the new frame for our Mutsy. We already have the basinet, the traveller and the seat + all the accessories that smart salespeople sale to soon-to-be parents with no experience...so we have footmuff, rain cover, sun protector, diaper bag, etc.

I can not wait to try it. I have decided for Mutsy 4rider light and I will soon post how it works for us.

Preparing older siblings for homebirth

Great book by Crissy Butler, Australian author and doula, that will help your family prepare for the birth of a new member. We have read the book several times with our son Jun before his little brother was born and we all loved it. The illustrations are amazing.

"My Brother Jimi Jazz begins with a family preparing for the home birth of Jimi Jazz, told from the perspective of his sister. The family work together to wash the cloth nappies, cook meals for the baby moon and ready the family bed.

Once the scene is set in glorious imagery painted both by the authors words and her amazing artwork, we experience the birth of Jimi Jazz. The birth is assisted by a lovely full moon, an active Mum, a doting Dad and the care of two midwives."

You can order it online here.

The future of education

Today I have spent a wonderful day at Stanford d.school and I am more than convinced that this is how the future classroom should look like...from kindergarten on.

Here is a recent article from Forbes The classroom in 2020.