By Katy Killilea
Two first-time moms, adjusting to life away from their careers, got together and started a blog. This blog called Rookie Moms is geared towards getting new moms into the swing of life with a baby. And from this blog came a lovely, chunky book of ideas. Two hundred and fifty of them. Good ideas. Fun ideas. Things a new mom would actually like to do.
Take idea #8, for example: “Write a ‘Did Do’ List.” Don’t list all of the things you intend to accomplish (refill peppermill, call electrologist, buy helmets, etc.). Instead, list what you have already done. They suggest stuff like, “Changed 4 poopy diapers, 1 blow out” and “Nursed for 4 hours.” A “did do” list can help any parent see that what seems like a vaguely empty day, during which nothing really happened, was actually a day filled with worthwhile stuff and good living. And for a new parent—who has not yet acclimated to days filled with repetitive, non-linear tasks—the “did do” list is a priceless tool. Come to think of it, such a list would also make a treasured memento for one’s future self (who is unlikely to remember these nitty-gritty details).
Other ideas like, “Purge Your Crap the Easy Way,” and “Host an Ugly Baby Clothes Contest” are organized month by month, so the ideas are age appropriate. No one wants to see a one-month-old going to Target in a bike trailer (Idea #243, from the twelve-month-old section). I can imagine any new mom, feeling bored or haggard or blue, flipping through the appropriate month’s offerings, picking something, giving it a whirl, and feeling a wee bit more human.
This is a great gift for a smart first-time mom.
The Details:
The Rookie Mom’s Handbook: 250 Activities to Do with (and Without!) Your Baby
By Heather Gibbs Flett and Whitney Moss
2008, Quirk Books, Philadelphia
$14.95
The book is small, breezy, manageable, and attractive. (everything a postpartum lady wishes to be?) I agree some people might not like it–people who think ugly baby clothes are cute, for example.
Most people will like the book, but certain uptight people might not.
This is, indeed, a good book. The web site is very good too!