Babble.com Highly Recommended

As we have discussed throughout this blog, becoming a new parent can be and usually is stressful! When it comes to babies, there are so many unknowns and unpredictable events that make it hard for new parents to completely prepare themselves. I, like many parents, read several parenting and baby books and took classes while I was pregnant. Once my son was born, I had a lot of questions that my books and classes hadn’t answered. So, where can new parents go (other than this blog, of course!) to find answers to their many questions and concerns? I recommend the blog Babble.com.

New parents need answers, research, and to hear of others’ experiences. This is what Babble.com has to offer. I was very impressed with the variety of topics that have been written about and discussed on this blog, as well as additional features offered that many other blogs do not. Parents who are expecting can sign up for a week-by-week newsletter that sends updated images, professional advice, weekly to-do lists, and nutritious recipes to their email. Parents can also sign up for the “Daily Babble” which sends daily parenting news, recipes, and celebrity mom and baby news. The blog even offers a fertility tracker app for those who are trying to become pregnant. My favorite part of this blog is the “Dad” section. I feel that dads often get neglected in the blogging world and I love that babble.com offers a section specifically for them that has posts and discussions of topics unique to dads. Since the blog discusses so many different topics, some readers may be overwhelmed by the abundance of posts, but I believe this is needed to try to answer all possible questions and to meet the needs of all parents.  

Many of the posts do not reference specific research. Some of the posts I read that were written by professionals, used the writers’ education and professional experience to support their claims. One post I read about co-sleeping did not use research, but what was said did align with current studies. The article “To Co-Sleep or Not?” (Turgeon, 2012) gave both reasons to co-sleep and reasons not to co-sleep. One reason that was given to co-sleep was to bond through touch and time together. Burns found that “Co-sleeping is common and seen as a healthy bonding experience in many cultures worldwide; warmth, protection, and a sense of well-being are factors suspected as being incentives to co-sleep (Sobralske & Gruber, 2009)”. One of the reasons given not to co-sleep was because of safety. The American Academy of Pediatrics does not recommend bed-sharing because they have found that having your baby sleep in his or her own bed decreases the risk of SIDS (Task Force on Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, 2011). Although not a lot of research is referenced in the blog posts, it does appear that the information shared is accurate and current.

The posts and information provided on this blog are very applicable for new and experienced parents. There are general topics such as feeding and sleeping, as well as more specific topics such as diaper rash, anti-depressants and diaper pails. I searched several topics that I have not been able to find on other blogs and was excited when my search came back with several posts for each topic. One of my favorite posts that I read was “Baby Colds: Symptoms, Treatment, and When to Call the Doctor (Capewell, 2011)”. As a fairly new mother, I found this post to be very applicable for parents. I find it stressful trying to decide whether or not to take my son to the doctor and this post will help me to better make that decision in the future.

Many writers contribute posts to this blog. Some of the writers have Ph.D.’s while others are stay-at-home moms. All of the posts that I read were well written and easy to understand. I was able to see the writers’ personalities in their posts and this helped me to be able to relate to them and to enjoy reading their posts.

Overall, I found babble.com to be an extremely helpful blog to parents and I highly recommend it!

-Bergen

Capewell, J. (2011, February 15). Baby colds: Symptoms, treatment, and when to call the doctor. Retrieved from http://www.babble.com/baby/baby-health-safety/baby-cold-symptoms-fevers-coughing-tips/

Task Force on Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. (2011). SIDS and other sleep-related infant deaths: Expansion of recommendations for a safe infant sleeping environment. Pediatrics, 128(5), 1341-1367. Retrieved from http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/128/5/e1341.full

Sobralske, M. H., & Gruber, M. E. (2009). Risks and benefits of parent/child bed sharing. Journal of the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners, 21(9), 474-479. Retrieved from http://web.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.lib.utah.edu/ehost/detail?sid=862755dc-52b6-4f6e-be6c-4176216bdf5f@sessionmgr13&vid=6&hid=17&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ

Turgeon, H. (2012, March 28). To Co-sleep or Not?: Finding the right sleep strategy for baby. Retrieved from http://www.babble.com/baby/baby-sleep-solutions/choosing-co-sleeping/