New Parents - Today's Post is Mandatory

For anyone that is a new parent, or knows of someone about to become a new parent, this posting is a MUST read. Today we are honored to have Octamom guest blog for us. She's the mother of 8 children, so listen to what she has to say. She speaks from serious experience! Without further adieu...

Today's 10 Links a Day: New Parents - Here's your Guide

1. A nice list of developmental markers so that parents can monitor their baby's social, motor, and growth milestones.


2. You've decided on breast or bottle, but what happens when it's time to add things to the menu. Here's an extensive chart for determining best stages for introducing new foods to babies, along with a compilation of 'no-no' foods and homemade baby food recipes.


3. You don't want to be one of 'those parents'—you know, the kind who calls the doc every time the kid hiccups. At the same time, you don't want to overlook something important. So how do you know when it's time to call the pediatrician? This list from the Mayo clinic lays out important signs and symptoms, along with some advice for emergency situations.


4. Baby's got a fever and you're not sure how much Infant Tylenol to give? Here's a chart that spells it out.


5. Car seats, car seats—all the babies are doing it. Here's a site that not only lets you read through the correct way to install your baby's car seat, it also provides video to show you how to make sure your baby is latched in safe and secure.


6. Choosing a pediatrician can seem a little daunting. But it's so important to find someone who lines up with your philosophies and with whom you can communicate well. After all, you're going to be seeing a lot of this person in the first year of your baby's life. This is a guide to walk you through choosing a pediatrician, along with great questions to print out and ask along with a link to the Federation of State Medical Boards where you can do a little background work on the pediatricians in your area.


7. Wanting to make sure that all those great gifts from the baby shower are considered safe? Click here to check on the latest recalls.


8. It's a boy! Now what? To circumcise or not to circumcise, that is the question. Here are a list of things to consider as you make the decision.


9. So what do I do with the little critter? You've got the baby home, fed, bathed, diapered...now what? Here's a site that gives lots of great suggestions on developmental play between parent and child for each stage of development, along with lists of appropriate toys and books to supplement your playtime!


10. As if you didn't have enough to worry about! Great resource with ideas for financial health, along with some powerful tools on the left side bar for determining the costs of staying home vs. going back to work, etc.