My friend Jill thought she was finally in the clear. Her infant son had started sleeping through the night, and she was feeling somewhat rested for the first time in months. As luck would have it though, soon she was back to being woken up two or three times a night- and sometimes more. But it wasn’t her newborn son that was getting up, it was his 3-year-old brother Nathan. Trips to the bathroom, nightmares, glasses of water, and visits to “cuddle in bed” were among the many new reasons Nathan found for his nightly visits. Weeks went by and the whole family was exhausted, but begging Nathan …

Ah, sleep. If you’re the parent of a newborn or older baby, chances are it seems like the days when you used to get a full-nights rest ar just a distant memory. Although the majority of parents-to-be are under the impression that they have a good idea of what tired feels like, nothing quite prepares them for the sleepless nights they will face when their baby arrives. As a night nanny and newborn specialist, the most popular questions I get from new parents are, “When can we expect to sleep again?” and “What’s normal for this age?” Below are some basic baby sleep guidelines by age and what to…

Every parent has the sentimental favorites that grace their kid’s book shelves. It starts with classics like Goodnight Moon, Guess How Much I Love You, and Big Red Barn. Our library grew to include titles like Goodnight Gorilla, I Know a Rhino and The Very Hungry Caterpillar.  Now that my oldest is starting to read on her own, we have a wealth of fairy stories (we singlehandedly have kept Daisy Meadows in business, and anything involving Tinkerbell and her fairy friends' adventures are a huge hit these days). For my younger two, Cars-related tales and Fancy Nancy are the current favorites. …

Think you’ve been seeing double around town the past few years? No, you don’t need to have your eyes checked. Marblehead is a town with “multiple blessings,” and twins seem to be everywhere. I should know: my husband and I contributed a set ourselves 4 years ago (that’s my pair in the photo above, son Tucker and daughter Campbell, a month after they arrived to join big sister Piper). Shortly after my duo was born, I began noticing there seemed to be an awful lot of double strollers like mine at the park. Still in a decidedly sleep-deprived state, I figured that I was only noticing so many …

Good help is hard to find, or so the saying goes. And for moms looking for quality childcare,whether it’s full-time for the working mother or just a few hours to get out to dinner with your partner some Friday night, it can be especially challenging. In a vibrant community like Marblehead, finding the right sitter, nanny or child care center is sometimes as easy as asking the family next door. But if you need a few other options, read ahead for a roundup of local resources that will leave you little one(s) in good hands! Day time childcare centers: Not just for full-time working parents, …

Are you a marooned mommy in Marblehead? Wondering where to meet other new mothers during this long, cold winter? If you have a newborn in Marblehead, chances are you’ve been staying at home during much of the artic weather we’ve had this winter. And for first-time mothers, the massive snows and frigid temps we’ve been experiencing can make getting out with your infant seem especially daunting and make meeting other “new moms” seem like a task harder than labor! You don’t have to wait until spring to make new friends at Devereux Beach or Seaside Park, though. Here are a few of the favorite …