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Motherhood

The Best Online Resources For Parents

Written by James Kicinski-McCoy

Photography by Photographed by James Kicinski-McCoy

Let’s be honest—becoming a parent for the first time (or second, or third) can be, well, scary. You may already have an amazing and dependable support system of family and friends, but even those with school-aged kids know that there are times when you just need a little bit more help and advice along this trip down parenthood road. Luckily, there are a plethora of resources available today both in your community and online that can be extremely helpful when the going gets tough. From planning and pregnancy to postpartum and raising young adults, there’s an entire world of support out there waiting for you, and we’re sharing some of the best right here, because it really does take a village.

La Leche League. This trusted internationally beloved site offers helpful, in-depth, professional mother-to-mother education, support, encouragement, and information on breastfeeding for nursing moms. La Leche League helps moms find information on everything from lactation support and health care providers to helpful links and publications.

Kelly Mom. This is another incredible online resource dedicated to lending useful advice and tackling tough topics for pregnancy and beyond. Kelly Mom focuses first and foremost on breastfeeding and education along with gentle support on health and nutrition.

Heathy Children. For all things health, nutrition, and safety, turn to HealthyChildren.org. This is the only website backed by the American Academy of Pediatrics, a.k.a. 66,000 pediatricians committed to the well-being of children and young adults. You’ll find professional advice and information on topics like family life and healthy living, which are sorted by the age and stage of development of your child.

Common Sense Media. This incredibly useful site helps parents make smart media choices for their families. Common Sense Media offers the largest catalog of trusted ratings and reviews of TV shows, movies, games, apps, websites, books, and music, and helps us navigate through this digital age and make screen time safer.

Consumer Product Safety Commission. If you’re a new parent, you will want to bookmark this page and get to know it. The CPSC reviews and rates baby products, as well as providing up-to-date information on product recalls, kid safety, regulations, research, and statistics.

Reddit. Yes, even Reddit has a section for worried parents. For non-Reddit users, this forum provides honest, real, sometimes hilarious questions and advice for and from parents everywhere.

Local Mommy And Me Groups. Turn to your local community. Many cities have organized groups that you can join and get together with regularly. Asking friends abut these types of groups is a great start, but you can also look in local parenting publications, check MeetUp, ask local childcare cooperatives, universities, libraries, churches, or other community organizations like your local YMCA.

Infertility. This is the home of Resolve: The National Infertility Association, which happens to be one of the largest non-profit organizations dedicated to dealing with infertility. The site provides an abundance of support and information, from access to helpful support groups to infertility treatments and research.

Care.com. Many of us are blessed to have relatives in town to help watch the kids now and then for that much needed date night out, while some of us live far from family. Whether you’re looking for an occasional sitter, part-time helper, or full-time nanny Care.com is a great place to seek out good, experienced care for your children, all background-checked and CPR certified.

Weelicious. For those who want a quick way to find nutritious meals for baby and family, Weelicious is here to help. The site has a plethora of healthy, delicious puree recipes for baby, yummy toddler and school age meals, and delicious recipes for the whole family. There’s also a weekly meal plan option to help ease the headache of figuring out “what’s for dinner?”

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