Get Fit Tips after Baby

January Newsletter Article; Getting in shape was hard before the baby, what can I expect now?

Fitness Recommendations for New Moms
By Kim Gustavson

Many people start the New Year off with resolutions aimed at getting back
into shape and losing weight. New mothers are no exception. However, after
giving birth, women need to be cautious before resuming vigorous exercise,
since many joints are still loose and prone to injury.

Guidelines for New Mom

At your six week postpartum check up, your obstetrical health care provider can give you the okay to resume exercising. Before that time, walking is an excellent form of exercise and your baby will enjoy the fresh air as well.

Set realistic expectations- your body took nine months to get ready for birth so be patient if it takes several months to return to your pre-pregnancy weight.

Eat a light snack or meal an hour before exercising.

Stay well hydrated when you exercise, especially if you are breastfeeding

For comfort, nurse your baby before exercising and wear a supportive sports bra.

Begin exercising slowly to prevent injury. Don't try and jump right back into your old fitness routine.

If you experience pain, stop the exercise and ask the instructor or trainer for help. If you are working out on your own, stop the exercise and try it again in a few days.

Babies love walks in the stroller and the fresh air is good for you both.

Double-check the instructions on jogging strollers and bike carriers as each one is different and some can be used at four months, others not until a year (for a bike carrier). Slings and front carriers are great as well.

Babies love it when their parents exercise! Dance, use stretch bands, play

anyway the spirit moves you. Your baby will be thoroughly entertained watching you. In addition, you are a great role model of the importance of exercise.

Sing when working out with your baby. Your baby will love it and you'll be

sure to breath properly and use your abdominal muscles correctly.

Mom and Baby fitness classes, like those offered at DayOne, are an ideal
way to spend time with your baby while stretching and strengthening your
body. Check DayOne’s website for current locations and schedules.

Kim Gustavson MA, Instructor

Kim has a Master's Degree in Education from San Jose State, a CA Teaching Credential from Fairleigh Dickinson University, a BA in Psychology from Ithaca College, an AFAA Advanced Personal Trainer Certification and she is an ACE Certified Personal Trainer/ AFAA Aerobic Instructor. She spcializes in Pre/Post Natal Fitness for people of all ages and fitness levels. She teaches mom and baby postnatal strength training at DayOne.

Tips for Reading to Your Baby

December Newsletter Article; Do you have any tips for reading to your baby?

Tips for Reading to Your Baby

By Nancy Held RN, MS, IBCLC, Vice President of Clinical & Educational Services

When should I begin reading to my baby?
It’s never too early to begin reading to your baby. Research has demonstrated the value of early and frequent reading aloud to babies and increased verbal and reading skills in kindergarten and beyond.

How do I keep my baby’s attention when reading aloud?
Since your face is your baby’s favorite toy, it is helpful to position your baby to be able to see both your face and the book at the same time. By turning the baby so her body is at a 45 degree angle on your lap, you encourage her to see both your face and the book while you read, allowing the her to see your expressions and what your mouth looks like when you make different sounds.
What kind of books do young infants enjoy?
Babies enjoy board books with simple drawings, and high contrast colors (black, white and red are easiest for babies to see).
According to Mem Fox, author of Reading Magic, Why Reading Aloud to Our Children Will Change their Lives Forever, books with rhythm, rhyme, and repetition with capture your baby’s interest and promote a life long love of reading.
Babies enjoy listening to your voice, so whether it is a board book, nursery rhymes, a magazine, the newspaper or a book of poems that you choose to read, your baby will be captivated if you use expressions and excitement in your voice. Read slowly, with pauses, so your baby’s excitement builds in anticipation of the next page.
Should I read to our baby at bedtime?
Absolutely! It can be very helpful as part of a bedtime routine to consistently read a few short books before bedtime. Babies love repetition, so if you read the same books at bedtime, they can become a part of your ritual. However, anytime is a good time to read a book aloud to a baby, so keep books throughout your apartment or house, in your diaper bag and in your car.


What are some of DayOne’s favorite books for babies?
White on Black (Tana Hoban)
Goodnight San Francisco (Adam Gamble)
Hug (Jez Alborough)
Moo Baa La La La (Sandra Boynton)
Each Peach Pear Plum (Janet & Allan Ahlberg)
Urban Babies Wear Black (Michelle Sinclair Colman)
Are You My Mother? (P.D. Eastman)
Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? (Bill Martin)
Yum Yum Dim Sum (Amy Wilson Singer)
Owl Babies (Martin Waddell)
Where’s Spot? (Eric Hill)
Maisy’s Favorite Things (Lucy Cousins)
Dr. Seuss’s ABCs (Dr. Seuss)
Olivia Counts (Ian Falconer)
My Toys, Mi Juguetes (Rebecca Emberley)
Bread and Jam for Frances (Russell Hoban)
Ten Little Fingers Ten Little Toes (Mem Fox)



Recommended Reading for Parents
Reading Magic, Why Reading Aloud to Our Children Will Change Their Lives Forever, revised edition, by Mem Fox. 2008. NY: Harcourt Press.

Choosing Toys For Your Child

November Newsletter Article;

Make your baby thankful by giving them a jump start at learning. Does your baby seem to pick up everything in sight, peer at it, turn it around, shake it, and taste it? Babies are like little scientists constantly experimenting on the world around them to learn how it works. Learn how your choices can help stimulate your little scientist, and how to choose the best toys and books for your holiday budget.

Choosing Toys For Your Child

It is through play that children learn and develop their skills. Choose toys that encourage play.

Questions to ask when selecting toys:

What can the child do with the toy?

Does it invite active doing and thinking or simple passive watching?

Is it safe for the age and development of the child?

Is it well designed and esthetically pleasing to the senses?

What materials is it made of? (Consider what the child will do with the toy, put it in the mouth, play with it in water, sleep next to it, and bang it about?)

Does the toy “fit” the developmental needs, interests and skills of the child?

Will the toy stimulate the child’s development?

What message does the toy give the child?. (E.g., does the product reflect old sexual or racial stereotypes that limit children’s views of themselves?)

What can the child learn from the toy?

Will the toy engage the child?

Does the toy encourage fantasy play?

Does the toy or game encourage parent participation?







Written by

Sara Duskin, IBCLC, Lactation Consultant and Instructor

Sara is a British trained nurse and has worked in the maternal child health field for the past 15 years. She trained as a lactation educator through UCLA and is an Internationally Certified Lactation Consultant. Sara has organized pre-schools and child development programs locally. She has worked at DayOne since its inception and gives her "common sense" support and counsel to new parents, whom, she believes, know more than they think they know. She is married with three children, three stepchildren and five grandchildren.

Bilingual Babies and Households

October Newsletter Article;

Bilingual Babies and Households

Do you have a multicultural family? Trying to give your child a leg up? Learn about benefits, strategies, and tips



By Nancy Held, RN, MS, IBCLC



There are many reasons parents choose to raise their children as bilingual. Research has demonstrated bilingual children have advantages over children who speak one language with increased creativity, flexibility, and awareness that language is a system that can be played with and analyzed. In addition, bilingualism increases the understanding of other cultures and connections between generations.
Newborns can pick up any language very easily until ten months of age, at which time this ability begins to fade. So, now may be a great time to begin teaching your baby a second language.
The best way to help children learn new languages is for them to be surrounded by people speaking other languages in a spontaneous and friendly way. Language learning happens in every day conversations with parents and/or caretakers. In addition, other small children make excellent instructors so multilingual playgroups are ideal.
There are two common strategies for bringing up bilingual babies in mixed language families. The first is the gold standard and is called One-Parent-One Language where each parent speaks a different language to the baby (the language they are most proficient in), so that babies spend equal amounts of time hearing both languages. The second strategy is called the Hot-House Approach which involves speaking 80% of the minority language in the home to counter the fact that the baby hears much more of the dominant language outside the home. The goal is to nurture the child’s confidence in the minority language to be able to withstand the intensive dominant language when they go outside the home.
Both parents do not need to know the second language but it can become a fun learning experience for partners with their babies as they both learn the new language. Spending time reading bilingual books and singing songs to the baby helps the monolingual partner bond and learn with the baby.
Research shows that with very young children, even one hour a week of interaction with a foreign language can be helpful. However, this interaction must be with humans, not DVDs or electronic toys as this research proved that babies do not learn languages through television. Ideal interactions are for parents to read bilingual books to their babies and listen to music together. Putamayo music CDs are ideal.
The most important thing parents can do to help their babies become bilingual is to speak to them in the language they want their baby to learn.

Recommended Reading

The Bilingual Edge: Why, When and How to Teach your Child a Second Language by Kendall King and Alison Mackey, 2007, NY: Harper Collins Publishers.

The Bilingual Family, A Handbook for Parents by Edith Harding-Esch and Philip Riley, 2005, Cambridge: University Press.

Growing Up With Two Languages, 2nd edition, by Staff Andersson. 2004, NY: Routledge.

DayOne Product Picks

Expose your child to music from Africa, Asia, Latin America and more through our Putumayo CD collection. Teach a foreign language through our baby language CD's and books in French, Chinese, and Spanish.

Research shows that teaching your baby Sign Language will help prevent toddler tantrums, speed language development, and help your child communicate at an earlier age. DayOne supports your study of American Sign Language through an extensive offering of books and Signing Time DVD's for sale or on loan from our member library, an all level drop-in practice group, a beginners workshop, and an intermediate 6 week series.