One of our favorite reader/researcher mamas, Joriel of Eat Your Vocabulary, compiled a list of her favorite mama resources.
We love pretty much every last thing on the list and decided it should be shared. So below you'll find her list of websites, book, radio shows, and other tidbits for dorking out on your offbeat mamahood.
General
- Mothering.com: Crunchy granola mom headquarters.
Both the magazine and the web community are great sources for information on natural parenting including natural birth, babywearing, breastfeeding, cloth diapering, safe toys, vaccine issues, and much more.
- The Compleat Mother: Even crunchier than Mothering magazine. A mixed bag of articles about earth mama hot topics like homebirth and attachment parenting.
- Askmoxie.org: Moxie is a mom of two kids who blogs about parenting and answers questions on everything from bilingual kids to sleep problems. She's very up-front about not being an expert, but her answers are thoughtful and helpful. Best of all, her enthusiastic readers flood the comments with great ideas and alternative perspectives.
- Natural Moms Talk Radio: A different guest expert each week talking about all kinds of subjects including alternative comfort measures for pregnancy, natural birthing, breastfeeding beyond the basics, alternative medicines for childhood illness, instinctive baby care, positive discipline, home schooling and much more.
- Hip Mama: Ariel Gore and Bee Lavender are "alt-parenting" goddesses who have been producing great resources for offbeat mamas for over a decade. Below is a summary clipped from the Hipmama.com About page.
The print version of Hip Mama was the brain child of Ariel Gore in 1993 as her senior project, a 500 copy publication created from a $1000 student loan. The print zine quickly gained national renown and a large audience of fans. Ariel has evolved from the welfare mom who debated Newt Gingrich on MTV to an established and sought-after expert on child rearing.
"Bee Lavender-- writer, activist, mother of two-- is definitely hot. She is the very embodiment of extreme motherhood." -Borders.com
Bee Lavender joined the project in 1997. While publishing Hipmama.com, Bee also conceived new sites like Girl-Mom, a site for teen parents, and Mamaphonic, an arts resource site (and book of the same name). She is the creative force behind the dynamic online community and many large scale collaborative events such as the historic Hip Mama Gathering.
"The reigning mother superiors of the crowd are Ariel Gore and Bee Lavender..."--Time Magazine
Bee and Ariel co-edited Breeder: Real Life Stories from a New Generation of Mothers. [I especially loved this!]
Bee is the author of a critically acclaimed memoir about danger titled Lessons in Taxidermy. She is also the co-editor of an anthology about creativity and parenting, Mamaphonic. Previously she authored the cult zine series A Beautiful Final Tribute.
Ariel is the author of The Hip Mama Survival Guide, The Mother Trip, Atlas of the Human Heart, and Whatever Mom. [I've read 3 out of 4 of these — all worthwhile]
My Mother Wears Combat Boots by Jessica Mills
From pregnancy and newborn care to dealing with gender-coding and the marketing assault on kids, Jessica Mills' well-researched book is a gift to all offbeat mamas. As a touring musician, artist, activist, writer, teacher and mother of two, she offers a highly readable and entertaining treasure trove of information on how to raise healthy, happy kids, avoid the mainstream culture parent traps, and hang on to the essence of your pre-baby self.
Be Prepared: A Practical Handbook for New Dads by Gary Greenberg and Jeannie Hayden
My babydaddy loved this. It was the only book he read cover to cover, and he had several opportunities to "save the day" with techniques he picked up from it.
Your Baby and Child by Penelope Leach (birth to age 5)
This was the one babycare book my midwife recommended. Though it's not particularly offbeat and the pictures in my copy are laughably dated, the content was much better than most of the alternatives I've seen. The author is British, so be prepared for diapers to be "nappies," but I like that she doesn't get distracted by any particular trend or philosophy. She focuses on child development, basic needs, and practical advice — encouraging parents to make choices that are right for them beyond basic health and safety.
The Baby Book by William and Martha Sears (birth to age 2)
The Sears books are all great, even if you don't swallow the attachment parenting philosophy completely. You'll definitely want to check this one out if you plan to "wear" your baby in a sling, breastfeed, co-sleep, etc.
Pregnancy & Birth
The Natural Pregnancy Book by Aviva Jill Romm, MD
If you want a safe pregnancy with minimal technological intervention, this book is the ticket. Instead of the What to Expect When You're Expecting litany of terrifying details about everything that might go wrong, this book offers gentle, wise guidance from an experienced midwife, herbalist, and doctor. Romm discusses the entire process of pregnancy from conception to birth and offers lots of good info on natural alternative treatments for common pregnancy discomforts, as well as useful guidelines for eating well and negotiating the emotional transitions of impending motherhood.
Ina May's Guide to Childbirth by Ina May Gaskin
Ina May Gaskin is one of the best known midwives in the country. If you're considering or preparing for a drug-free, midwife-guided birth experience, this book will do wonders to reassure you and help you prepare both mentally and physically. And if you love this, you can go deeper into Ina May's world with her hippie midwife classic Spiritual Midwifery, inspired by her decades delivering babies at an intentional community in Tennessee called The Farm.
Online Pregnancy Resources
I found it very difficult to find decent general information about pregnancy online. Most of what's out there is extremely mainstream, consumerist, gender normative — not to mention rife with horror stories. However, I did find some great nutrition resources back when I was trying (and ultimately failing) to stay vegan:
Vegan Pregnancy Information
Pregnancy and the Vegan Diet
I also recommend the
Online Conscious Birthing Class.
Although it tends to the woo woo, this affordable online class is really fantastic. It came just a little too late for me, but it would have saved me a ton of time to have all this great information gathered in one place. The birth videos are especially powerful. (Full disclosure - The creator of this class is a friend, and I think my own birth story may be included in there somewhere.)
Breastfeeding
Kelly Mom
Tons of resources about breastfeeding successfully
La Leche League International
Tons of resources here too, but the best thing about La Leche League is that you can usually get FREE phone or in-person help from your local chapter. They also host breastfeeding support groups and publish a great book — The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding.
The Nursing Mother's Companion by Kathleen Huggins
On a subject as important as breastfeeding, I found it useful to have two books to consult. This one was a nice complement to the La Leche League book. You can bet I checked out both the first time I got a blocked duct. Ouch!
Geeking Out
Trixie Tracker
Web and mobile app for tracking your babies feeding schedule, diapers, sleeping and more. Identify trends, understand your baby better, and save your sanity.
Sleep
The No-Cry Sleep Solution: Gentle Ways to Help Your Baby Sleep Through the Night by Elizabeth Pantley
So gentle that it wasn't enough to reform my own sleep delinquent, but it still offered a lot of great techniques and probably would have been plenty for a more easygoing baby. A very welcome alternative to the hardline cry-it-out approach.
Good Night, Sleep Tight: The Sleep Lady's Gentle Guide to Helping Your Child Go to Sleep, Stay Asleep and Wake Up Happy by Kim West with Joanne Kenen
The most important book of my parenting experience to date. Teaching my son to sleep was extremely difficult, but the techniques in this book really worked for us.
Children's Health & Nutrition
Feeding the Whole Family by Cynthia Lair
A wonderful cookbook designed specifically for babies, young children and their parents. Make one whole foods meal that works for your entire family! Also includes tons of information on how to start feeding solid foods to your baby, choosing healthy finger foods, packing a great lunchbox, and much more
Naturally Healthy Babies and Children by Aviva Jill Romm, MD
Overview of basic wellness care for babies and kids, plus details on how to deal naturally — through herbs, nutrition, and practical techniques — with all kinds of common children's health issues from runny noses to car sickness to ringworm. The author is a midwife, herbalist and medical doctor.
Raising Kids in a Complex World
Love Isn't Enough
This anti-racist parenting blog is valuable reading for every parent. It's certainly true that no child is born a racist, as the bumper stickers say, but they can pick it up pretty darn fast if we don't actively teach them otherwise.
The Gifts of Imperfect Parenting: Raising Children with Courage, Compassion and Connection by Brene Brown
Created by a social work researcher and mom, these audio CDs contain powerful guidance on how to give your kids a healthy emotional foundation. If you want your kids to love and accept themselves — especially if your life experiences haven't always made it easy for you to love and accept yourself — this is really worth a listen.
Momma Zen: Walking the Crooked Path of Motherhood by Karen Maezen Miller
You don't have to be a Buddhist to get a lot of out of this book. A great primer on getting over the inevitable anxieties of motherhood and developing a healthy perspective, so you can actually enjoy your kid.
Got resources you think we should add? Contact us!
