Text4Baby Gives Pregnant and New Mothers Helpful Reminders

Mamis-to-be are getting some extra help with text4baby, a free mobile information service for pregnant and new moms. This educational program sends moms who sign up for their program, free weekly text messages that give helpful reminders and tips for your pregnancy and caring for your baby through his or her first year.

So far 135,000 women have signed up for this service, which celebrates its first anniversary this month. Managed by The National Healthy Mothers, Healthy Baby Coalition, text4baby has received support from hundreds of partners in both the private and public sector. The goal of the program is to provide women with resources and the information they need to deliver and raise healthy babies.

The program is available in English and Spanish. All you have to do to sign up is send the text message BABY for English, or BEBE for Spanish to 511411. Afterwards, you will be prompted to enter some information, like your baby's birthdate, so that your weekly messages will be customized to be relevant to your stage of pregnancy or baby's age.

For more information about text4baby, you can visit their website at www.text4baby.org. The New York Times also ran a great in-depth article about the program, which I encourage you to read.

Con cariño...

Educating our Latino Children

For years, this blog has been encouraging the education of our Latino children. Exposing them new experiences, ideas and opportunities is not only our right as citizens of this amazing country, but it is our responsibility as good parents.

Our job begins at the moment of conception; our bodies are no longer our own and we owe it to our children to eat right, exercise, and get regular check-ups. When our babies are born we must be prepared to provide them with more than just love. We have to arm ourselves with the knowledge on how to care for them physically, emotionally, spiritually and mentally. We become consumed with cuddling, feeding, cleaning, doctor's visits, changing, sleeping, and much, much more. We have to become walking dictionaries, artists, nurses, coaches, nutritionists, mathematicians, scientists, fashionistas, mechanics, and audience.

For most Latinas, caring for a baby is second-nature. It's somehow programmed into our genes. Sure there are areas that many of us need to work harder at - like doctor's visits, vaccinations, and nutrition - but for the most part, we are superwomen.

But then the baby years end. And thus begins one area where Latinos are lagging just a bit behind. Latino children are the least likely to be enrolled in Pre-K or Kindergarten. That's not necessarily a bad thing in itself - provided that parents are working hard at home to prepare their children for school. The problem is that  many parents are not aware of  the myriad of ways to introduce their children to literacy, math, colors, shapes, critical thinking, and so much more. There is a growing number of web sites to introduce parents to these concepts, but few Latino parents have access to (or even knowledge of) these sites. For many, the language barrier is a major issue. So the goal of Mi Cielito Lindo for the next six months will be to share many of the resources in English and Spanish for parents seeking to raise curious, intelligent, compassionate, and logical children.

To successfully raise children who enjoy learning and commit to completing a college education, parents must be involved EVERY STEP OF THE WAY.  We are our children's support system and we must learn to encourage, help, explain, cheer and listen. Our child's success is dependent upon us. The alternative is not acceptable.

Along these lines, I am also extremely pleased to pass on that Univision has joined with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to launch Es El Momento, a national campaign to improve academic achievement among K-12 Hispanic students. Special emphasis is being placed on increasing the number of Latino high school graduates and college preparation.

In the words of Melinda French Gates, "A great education is not an honor or privilege—it’s a fundamental civil right. This partnership with Univision will not only inspire Hispanic students and their parents and community to aspire to a college education, it will give them access to the information and tools they need to make their dream a reality. Education is the best way to expand opportunity for all. We can’t think of a better partner to work with on Es El Momento than Univision, which shares this belief in the power of education."

Get the Kids Off the Couch with Outdoor Activities!

As we all know, eating healthy is just one part of combating childhood obesity. Exercise is also super important. But how do we get kids to turn off the TV and get off the couch? As parents, our job is to not give them a choice! But it does take a bit of preparation and effort on our part, in order to avoid pouting and tears. Have activities and crafts planned out ahead of time, or sit down with your kids and plan stuff together. Good practices start early, so if your kids are young, now’s the time to mold their lifestyle into a healthy one. To help you all, below is a list of some excellent web sites with outdoor activities and indoor crafts to keep your kids busy during the summer and on weekends.

First of all, my favorite site is The Magnifying Glass: An On-line Nature Journal. This blog is written by two moms, both of whom are raising 3 young boys. But even if you have niñas at home, this site is an awesome resource with descriptions of fun-tastic and educational outdoor activities for children.

OutdoorActivitiesForKids.com is another super site that is just filled with games and activities that kids can do outside. From backyard bowling to betting on bug races, to hosting a mini-Olympics, this site has some great ideas. They have even categorized activities by age (2–6 or 6-10) and number of participants (alone, group, party, etc.)

I just found the Boomerang! blog which provides a lot of ideas on ways to connect with your family over projects. They are also the founders of Boomerang! an audio program for kids ages 6 –12. In each hour-long episode, the Boomerang! kids present stories about big ideas: science, current events, history, economics, poetry, geography, jokes, mysteries and more.

KidsOffTheCouch.com offers a weekly newsletter that takes kids’ favorites - books, movies, music - and combines them with family activities to get kids off the couch and away from the TV.

Because Latin Baby is dedicated to the health of our Latino children, we have created a special section in our Book Club Shop where you can purchase books that are filled with great ideas for outdoor activities. Here are just a few titles that are listed in our shop:

• 501 Tv-free Activities for Kids by Penny Warner

• Kids Camp!: Activities for the Backyard or Wilderness by Laurie Carlson, Judith Dammel

• Green Thumbs: A Kid's Activity Guide to Indoor and Outdoor Gardening by Laurie Carlson

• Outdoor Activities for Kids: Over 100 Fun, Practical Things To Do Outside by Care Bradley

• Yoga Games for Children: Fun and Fitness with Postures, Movements and Breath by Danielle Bersma, Marjoke Visscher

• I Love Dirt!: 52 Activities to Help You and Your Kids Discover the Wonders of Nature by Jennifer Ward

The Montessori Way...

Have you been thinking about enrolling your child in a Montessori school? Or maybe just looking for a way to enhance your child's home education? Perhaps you've heard the word Montessori, but don't know anything about it. Well, Amigas, having been a Montessori child myself, I am going to focus on this topic today in a rather long post.
I would just like to say that while I do champion Montessori education, there are a few concepts that I personally do not necessarily agree with, and perhaps you might not either. But overall, the concept and design is a wonderful tool for creating independent, self-disciplined and self-confident children. I apologize if there is any incorrect information in this post and welcome you to comment or correct any mistakes you see.
First of all, the Montessori Method is a comprehensive educational approach based on the observation of children's needs in a variety of cultures all around the world. Dr. Maria Montessori developed the method based on her experiences with children in different cultures. It is based on the premise that all children naturally develop heightened sensitivities, interests and abilities at different stages of their development.
The concepts center around the "Prepared Environment" in which children can work on activities of their own choice and at their own pace, as well as the "Materials" which are arranged in an orderly manner.

There is a great Squidoo Lens called "Montessori Education" with a description of Montessori concepts and theories, resources for parents (such as where you can buy materials, ideas for snacks, songs, and books. You can find it here.

If you'd like to to buy or check out any books on this topic, I have created a comprehensive list here.

There are quite a few blogs on this subject, but my favorite is Montessori by Hand. Written by Meg McElwee, a teacher in...I think it is Chihuahua, Mexico? Somewhere close to the border. The photo above is taken from her blog, which is a beautiful mix of her life in Mexico, the crafts that she seems to create so effortlessly (and quickly), and the Montessori method. She also has an excellent children's book list for Montessori-minded parents.


If you are looking for a comprehensive web site, the North American Montessori Teachers' Association has many resources available for both teachers and parents.


And if you are looking for basic material kits that complement the different areas of study (ie, language, science, math, practical life and sensorial) the Early Learning Materials GROUP has an on-line store with a wide variety of products to help you create the right learning situations. They also offer complimentary telephone support to their customers, so if you have any questions or would like help determining what materials fit your budget, you can just pick up the phone and give them a call.


Okay. I hope you have found all this information helpful. The concepts of Montessori really are a wonderful gift that you can give your children.


¡Un abrazo a todos!

Ellaroo Rebozo Wraps Now Available!

Yippee! I am so happy to announce that our rebozo baby carriers from Ellaroo have arrived and are finally for sale at Latin Baby. We have 5 different styles and the colors are super! It is really nice to carry another line of products that supports Latino artisans. All of the Ellaroo Wraps are handwoven by a cooperative of weavers in Guatemala and are 100% cotton.

I am excited about these products for a number of reasons...

1) I so firmly believe in promoting positive, healthy parenting and as many of you know, I am a strong supporter of the practice of attachment parenting. Babywearing is an important aspect of this method of child rearing and I am happy to be able to offer our customers this new product.

2)We are really focusing this year on expanding the number of brands that we carry to make sure we are a one-stop shopping center for Latino families. We added our new layette at the beginning of the year and have now added the baby carriers, too.

3)By covering our basis and offering products for families at different stages, we have seen a jump in our gift registry, which makes me so happy that we are offering the products that you all want.

We have a lot of changes and additions coming to the company. Several projects are in the works with other companies and hopefully will see fruition this year (maybe by the end of the summer!) We are really working hard on our customer service, so please don't hesitate to contact us if you'd like to see us offer a particular product, or even just to let us know what you think of the store. Many of the products and designs we now carry are the result of customer requests. We are listening, Amigas! And we LOVE to hear from you!

If you haven't had a chance to sign up as a Preferred Member (a free subscription), hurry and do so. You can click here for a description of benefits.

Wishing you all a lovely week. ¡Un abrazo a todos!

~Monica

For Little Spanish Bloggers...

Back to the topic of raising bilingual kids...

It really amazes me what people can do when they work together. There are so many collaborative projects that make a big difference in the world, if only because of the talented force behind them. I am always excited and happy to work on a project with someone, rather than by myself, because I love the challenge and exchange of ideas.

I was recently told about this really neat blog called Los Bloguitos. It is run by a very creative group of Hispanic illustrators, poets, writers. Los Bloguitos is aimed at children who speak and read Spanish, but it is a great tool for parents who are trying to raise bilingual children. The posts are a mixture of short stories, poems, riddles, pictures and more. A super cool site that is very kid friendly and a great resource for Spanish speaking families.

One of my favorite posts is titled Haciendo un libro para niños and includes a video of the stages involved in illustrating a children's book. But there are so many other neat and wonderful contributions to this blog by a pretty big group of talented people that it is hard to choose just one.

To check out this really neat blog, click aqui.

The Benefits of Breastfeeding

Una amiga mia just had a baby. So sweet. I was surprised when I get a little email from her mamá saying that she is having trouble nursing the baby. While researching some information for her, I stumbled across an article that described how in many countries, mothers are under the impression that feeding their babies formula must be better than breastfeeding because it is more expensive.

Yak! If that is the reason for giving your baby formula over breast milk, then keep reading...

Did you know...

That human breast milk has over 300 ingredients, including interferon, whiteblood cells, antibacterial and antiviral agents, while formula has only 40 ingredients?

It also resembles blood more than milk due to the many live cells called macrophages, which kill bacteria, fungi and viruses?

Human milk has been shown to kill cancer cells in a laboratory dish and has been used in oncology?

In some parts of the world, donated organs are bathed in breastmilk for its protective factors?

In an effort to spread a little knowledge about the wonderful benefits of breastfeeding (both for your baby as well as for you!!!) here are some links worthy of your attention...

To read a wonderful list of benefits to both babies and mothers, click here.

For information on the importance of human milk, click here.

Pies Calentitas....

Few things bring back the memory of mi 'buelita faster than the sharp, clear smell from a jar of Vicks. For the last week, I have been battling The Flu. Both mis niños have been hit hard (possibly with 2 strains, I am told) as has my husband. My youngest has had it the worst with several fever spikes up to 105 degrees. Cold showers were becoming a routine for him, but finally the antibiotics and the antiviral meds have kicked in and we have not had a fever now for almost 48 hours. Hallelujah!

But now The Flu is fighting back with a severe case of coughing. Nights are the hardest. Despite various props (extra pillows, blankets under one end of the mattress, etc), my kids insist on laying flat. The first night, after an hour of non-stop coughing, I finally cracked out my 'buelita's secret weapon...an nice blue bottle of Vicks Vaporub. I can't figure out how this stuff works so well, but a little dab on the bottom of each foot followed by some nice comfy calcetines and...tada!

Buenas noches, mi'jitos!

"Gordito" Doesn't Mean Healthy...

It is no secret that the number of obese children in the U.S. has tripled in recent years. However, what alarms me (as a Latina mother) is that statistics show that Latino children are the most obese of all. I come from a family that loves to eat. In fact, mi 'buelita even opened her own restaurant in Dallas many years ago. It was a family-operated business. I think that many of us whose families originally came from areas that were not so - shall I say affluent? - have a deeply imbedded belief that a chubby baby is a well-fed one. Their mother is taking good care of them, keeping them properly nourished and lavished with love. I remember that whenever I finished a nice, big, "healthy" portion of food on my plate, my mamá would smile and say "Mi'ja está comiendo bien!" Of course, back then I would probably spend the rest of the afternoon or evening playing outside in my 'buelita's garden.

Times change. Lifestyles change. But sometimes our beliefs are a little slower to adapt.

Fortunately for us, Claudia González and Lourdes Alcañiz have a book and web site out to help us. "Gordito Doesn't Mean Healthy" gives us information, strategies and tools to prevent and manage obesity in our children. The web site has some valuable tools including a Body Mass Index Calculator to tell us if our children are overweight and a Latino Food Pyramid to help us make better food choices. The book offers healthy Latino menus for children - from newborns to adolescents.

To check out the English web site, click here.

To check out the Spanish web site, click aqui.

On a side note, I'd like to point out that, in general, breastfed babies tend to have less body fat. They are leaner, healthier and less likely to be overweight toddlers/children. Not to mention all the wonderful nutrients and immunities they get from breast milk, too. Perhaps my next few posts will be on the topic of nursing...

Losing our Culture a Little Bit at a Time?

El Paso Community College has a local history project called "Borderlands" in which English students research and write on topics of importance to the Texas-New Mexico-Mexico border. Each year, the student editors turn their research papers into feature articles and they are published in the El Paso Times. While reviewing the website and all of the articles of the past years, I stumbled upon one titled "Traditional Hispanic Children's Games Disappear" by Guadalupe G. Castillo. This is a fascinating yet sad little piece about how traditional children's games have been replaced by fancy store-bought toys.

What's happening to our imagination, People? HACK! It's being stifled by materialism.

Late at night in the dark, as I stumble over toys around my own house trying not to awaken my family as I get ready for bed, I am quickly reminded that I, too, am suffering from the "Too Many Toys" Syndrome. I think that tomorrow I will initiate a good game of bebe leche and dig out all those bottle tops in the recycling cabinet....

To read this excelente article, click here.

To find out how to order the baleros shown above, or other cultural toys, visit Leos Mexican Imports by clicking here.

Car Seat Safety

Well, it has definitely been a busy week filling orders and getting new products ready to launch. Add in a family visit with 6 kids (ages 20 months to 8 years) under one roof (mine) and it has been a little more on the crazy side! Finally getting my house back in order and have found some time to post some updates....

According to SeatCheck.org, car accidents remain the leading cause of death for children ages 3 - 14. Despite the fact that 96 percent of parents believe that their children's car seats are installed correctly, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration research shows that 7 out of 10 children are not properly restrained in a vehicle.

Enter SeatCheck - a national campaign created by Chrysler to help parents properly secure their children in motor vehicles. One of the best aspects of SeatCheck is their free child safety seat inspection locator service. The website is available in both English and Spanish and also offers valuable tips and information on car seat safety.

To visit their site in English, click here.

Para Español, clique aqui.

Avance for Parents

A wonderful program for parents, Avance's philosophy hinges on the fact that they believe parents are the first and most important teachers for their children. They teach parents to be advocates and role models for their children. Their main focus is parent education and they guide parents through the stages of emotional, physical, social and cognitive development of their children with special topics that range from the importance of reading and effective discipline to nutrition. Such a wonderful resource to help parents (especially first-time parents) be the best parents that they can.

See here for more information.

I LOVE Spanish...how about you?

Such a fantastico site - I think the interactive software for children is especially wonderful. So many kids on the computers (as young as 3! Maybe even less!!!) A completely different world than that which I grew up in. We Love Spanish has some great tools for parents and children learning to speak Spanish.
Check it out here.

Spanish Picture Puzzles

I LOVE this site! Usborne Quicklinks has a page with some really neat activities to teach children Spanish! My favorite is the Family Connections section...What can I say? As una niña pequeña, I used to love picture puzzles...I guess I never outgrew it.
To view their selection, click here.

Colorín Colorado...

Hands down, one of the best sites out there. A wonderful tool for Spanish speaking families that provides many resources for learning English while respecting and encouraging families to preserve their Spanish language. From books to video, webcasts to e-newsletters, Colorín Colorado is a comprehensive yet very user-friendly site.

To experience it first hand, see here.

Bilingual? Si!

Recently, I have found a number of on-line resources for bilingual families. Having discussed the issue of raising bilingual children with some friends and family, I am always upset to hear stories of parents who don't want their children to speak Spanish because they want them to "assimilate" - what an incredibly sad disservice they are doing! In my own family I see how with each generation, more and more Spanish is lost and I am deeply distressed.
My great-grandmother arrived from San Luis Potosi many, many years ago. She spoke very little English, but was determined to make a great life here in the states for her family and went on to establish one of the best Mexican food restaurants in Dallas (well, for as long as it lasted, anyway...) My grandmother and mother both are completely bilingual, flowing easily between the two languages. While I understand it perfectly, time, distance from my family and lack of opportunities cause me to really struggle sometimes to remember the correct conjugation of certain verbos... Sometimes, when I am talking with my papa and other family in Spain, the Spanish just flows freely and easily out of my mouth, but at othertimes it is like someone shot both my mouth and my brain full of novacaine. I worry that I do not speak enough Spanish to my children and frequently am delightfully surprised but also ashamed and angry to learn that DORA is teaching my daughter more Spanish than I am!
SO in my desire to show my support of the familia bilingüe, the next several posts will focus on resources for bilingual families. Un abrazo fuerte a todos vosotros who are dedicated (and maybe even struggling) to raise their children with a foot in both worlds...