Note: other titles (with different duties) for the household staff include: Au Pair, Governor/Tutor, Nanny, &c. We are looking (again) for someone to perform the duties of Au Pair. Unfortunately there are two aspects we've been getting wrong: - An Au Pair is not usually expected to do general cleaning, and - An Au Pair ... Read more
Shichida, Heguru and other so-called "right-brain" learning methods, to put it plainly, have no evidence for their efficacy, and in large part the theoretical statements they make about how the brain and learning works are largely discredited by current learning and brain development research. These kinds of so-called "schools" should be considered scams for the ... Read more
A site called Living Montessori is a prime example of the kind of nonsense that goes by the name of Montessori Inspired. This site is particularly pernicious because the author claims legitimacy by having been a Montessori teacher and school director. The fact that the Montessori training was in the UK, which only recently has ... Read more
Babies do many things in the womb, including hiccup, urinate, and even masturbate.
What is Montessori? I am a great fan of Maria Montessori and her ideas about education. That said, she is long-dead and the Montessori we have is not her ideas (though we do have her books) but rather a set of institutions, schools, and teachers. We must look closer to see clearly. Because Montessori is ... Read more
I've run across a variety of advice from know-nothings who can't evaluate the accuracy of statements, and use terms that they are unable to define. It is quite ridiculous, especially among the mommy-blogger set. Examples: Eating peanuts while nursing an infant is fine (no, peanuts actually do pass into breastmilk) Make a citrus enzyme for ... Read more
Note: See also Soaps, Cleaners, and Detergents The main issue with cloth diapers (as well as cold water washing machines and line drying), is the need to have clean, smell-free, non-irritating/toxic system for cleaning that works and is cost effective. In this regard the following system seems to be effective: - Spray clean all soiled ... Read more
Especially the first year for a child, there is an enormous amount of growth and development for a child. Parents of course will worry obsessively, and breast-feeding mothers will become anxious and paranoid about feeding. Here are a few guidelines to help. - WHO and CDC growth charts, use WHO for the first two years. ... Read more
Disposable diapers are a blight on the planet and the pocketbook of parents everywhere. They are made out of plastic and go into landfills. Soiled diapers are toxic waste but they are hardly ever treated as such. Even when the cost of diapers are around 10 THB (~$0.30 USD), with upwards of 4,000 diapers in ... Read more
My son at 10.5 months has six teeth, four up and two down. He's had them for a while now. He is very fussy around his mouth, because his mother has consistently forced a washcloth into his mouth to clean his teeth and gums. This means he avoids any cloth around his mouth (napkins, etc.) ... Read more