79. Want a Happier Baby? Give Them a Schedule
Parenthood Prep
Do you ever look at your baby and think, “What do you need right now? Because I truly cannot tell”? If so, welcome. This episode is for you. Schedules get a bad rap thanks to people who treat them like boot camp: rigid feeding times, no flexibility, crying because “the clock said so.” That is not what we’re doing here. Listen in this week as I walk you through how a simple daily schedule can transform your life with a baby - not by controlling every minute, but by creating predictability so you’re not constantly playing detective with a fussy infant. Whether you’ve...
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78. Your Newborn Is an Alien (And Other Delightful Truths No One Told You)
Parenthood Prep
If you’ve never been around a newborn and you’re picturing a chubby, cooing, bright-eyed baby straight from a diaper commercial… oh honey. That’s not what’s arriving on birth day. Not even close. This week, I’m walking you through exactly what to expect in those first minutes, hours, and weeks with your baby - the wrinkly skin, the bug limbs, the “why does this look like a grumpy old man?” phase - and how to make that entire newborn period easier, sweeter, and actually enjoyable. Tune in today as we talk kangaroo pouches, the surprisingly controversial world of swaddling, why...
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77. Inside the Surrogacy Industry: Protect Yourself and Your Baby with Susan Baldomar
Parenthood Prep
Have you ever wondered what really goes on behind the scenes in the surrogacy world? The truth is, surrogacy can be an incredible gift, but it’s also an industry where families often have little protection between a doctor’s diagnosis and an agency selling them services. When things go wrong - and they do more often than you might think - it can turn a dream into something deeply painful. In this episode, I’m joined by Susan Baldomar, CEO and Founder of Chelsea Surrogacy Advisors, who helps families navigate the surrogacy process safely and confidently. Susan built her business...
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76. Your Toddler’s Defiance Decoded with Devon Kuntzman
Parenthood Prep
Honestly, the stuff that makes you want to climb the nearest wall: the hitting, the five-star, opera-worthy tantrums, and those delightfully defiant "NO!"s? Yeah, that’s your toddler doing exactly what they're programmed to do. This week, I’m chatting with Devon Kuntzman, the author behind Transforming Toddlerhood. She founded Transforming Toddlerhood with the mission to dispel the myth that toddlerhood is terrible, and after working with countless kids in every family structure imaginable, she learned that there’s no magic, one-size-fits-all parenting pill. But there are some...
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75. How Patriarchy Shows Up in Parenting (And What to Do About It) with Margaret Mason Tate
Parenthood Prep
The patriarchy isn't just a buzzword thrown around by feminists. It’s a system of assumptions that shows up in your daily life, especially once you become a parent. From the moment a baby arrives, fathers get praised for basic caregiving while mothers face relentless scrutiny and impossible standards. These patterns affect everyone, including the men who feel pressure to be instantly competent or worry that caring for their own children is somehow unmanly. Tune in this week as I’m joined by my part-time co-host, Margaret Mason Tate, to unpack how these ingrained patterns...
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74. Newborn Monitoring: How Much Is Too Much?
Parenthood Prep
If you’re drowning in a sea of baby apps, video monitors, and spreadsheets of diaper logs, this episode is your lifeline. Join me this week as I break down newborn monitoring in a way that actually makes sense. From those first few days when keeping an eye on wet diapers matters, to later months when timing every nursing session becomes overkill, you’ll learn how to find a balance between useful monitoring and obsessive tracking. I share strategies for using apps and monitors as tools - not sources of stress - so you can stay present, enjoy your baby, and not let the data...
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73. How to Parent Without Losing Yourself with Jacqueline Gates
Parenthood Prep
Trying to snap back to your pre-baby self while also transforming into a completely different version of you is… exhausting. Society tells you to be exactly who you were before kids, but also to revolve entirely around your children. The result? Many parents feel lost in the push and pull of identity, wondering if “them” even still exists under all the diapers, feedings, and middle-of-the-night chaos. This week, I’m joined by Jacqueline Gates, coach and stage performer extraordinaire, who spent 25 years in theater while raising two children. She shares how treating parenthood...
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72. Parenthood Is Basically Burning Man
Parenthood Prep
If you’re listening to this episode now, it’s a little throwback, but the lessons still hit just as hard. I’m revisiting one of my favorite analogies from Parenthood Prep: how having a baby is a lot like going to Burning Man. Yep, you read that right. At first, it sounds absurd, but hear me out. Both come with mountains of advice (some useful, some ridiculous), and both will leave you questioning why you even signed up… but also laughing, amazed, and totally in awe of the little victories along the way. In this replay, I share the story of my first Burning Man experience...
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71. “Can I Sleep Train My Baby If?”: The Reflux Edition
Parenthood Prep
Reflux. Just hearing the word makes parents brace for months of sleepless nights, endless feedings, and a life spent holding your baby upright. It feels like exhaustion is just part of the package. But here’s the thing: a lot of the conventional wisdom about reflux is actually making it harder for both you and your baby. This week, I’m breaking down why reflux doesn’t have to derail your baby's sleep, and surprisingly, how better sleep can actually reduce reflux symptoms. And spoiler alert: that “reflux meltdown” might actually be a baby who’s overtired, not just...
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70. Sleep Training: Separating Fact from Fiction and Why You Can Start Now
Parenthood Prep
Sleep training. It's probably one of the most misunderstood topics in parenting, right? You get bombarded with conflicting advice on when to start, what methods to use, and whether it’s even okay to sleep train at all. Parents end up exhausted, waiting months longer than they need to, all because of the myths and confusion surrounding the topic. This week, I’m here to set the record straight. Tune in as I walk you through what to do at every stage: from the early weeks, when you’re just trying to extend time between feeds, all the way through the 4-month mark, when your baby...
info_outlineDo you ever look at your baby and think, “What do you need right now? Because I truly cannot tell”? If so, welcome. This episode is for you.
Schedules get a bad rap thanks to people who treat them like boot camp: rigid feeding times, no flexibility, crying because “the clock said so.” That is not what we’re doing here.
Listen in this week as I walk you through how a simple daily schedule can transform your life with a baby - not by controlling every minute, but by creating predictability so you’re not constantly playing detective with a fussy infant. Whether you’ve been scared of “being that parent” who lives by a schedule or you’ve convinced yourself your baby is too unpredictable for one, this episode will show you how routine can make your days smoother, calmer, and so much easier.
Get full show notes, transcript, and more information here: https://happyfamilyafter.com/79
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