Tori Smith2 minQUICK TIP: HOW TO NAVIGATE THE UNSOLICITED ADVICEHow does one discern which pieces of advice to heed and which to dismiss? For starters, trust your instincts. Your intuition is your most...
Tori Smith4 minTHINGS THEY DON'T TELL YOU ABOUT BABIESThe baby’s very first feces will be a substance called meconium. Meconium is a thick, sticky, black-ish substance and it is completely...
Tori Smith2 minPORN PERPETUATES CHILD ABUSEThough it might not seem obvious, child sexual abuse is most definitely linked to pornography. For starters, the popular aesthetic of a...
Tori Smith4 minSPECIAL NEEDS AWARENESSThough it isn’t directly related to parenting, interacting with people who are different from us is related to being a kind human being...
Tori Smith3 minPOSTPARTUM IDENTITY & THE CURE FOR "MOM GUILT"Parenthood and primary caregiving changes and challenges your identity. There are times when you’ll manage it better than others, but it...
Tori Smith4 minASTROLOGY APPLIED TO FAMILY DYNAMICSAstrology holds different meaning for different folks. Some think it’s total cuckoo-voodoo-wacky-quacky-witchy-hooey nonsense. For some,...
Tori Smith6 minTHE CASE FOR CLOTH DIAPERSI don’t know what it is, exactly, about cloth diapers that terrifies people, but does it ever! I’ve actually had people call me “brave”...
Tori Smith3 minBABY COMMUNICATION TOOLSAs they grow, babies become pretty resourceful when it comes to communicating their wants and needs. There are some tools you can learn...
Tori Smith3 minALL OF THE "STUFF"Parents have a tendency to go a smidge overboard with accumulation of material things for their kids. It can happen perfectly innocently....
Tori Smith2 minBETTER YET, ADOPTIONAdoption is not something that I have direct personal experience with, but it is something my partner and I are strongly considering for...
Tori Smith3 minTHE EMOTIONAL LABOUR IS REALMental and emotional labour are the invisible but oh-so-taxing part of being a primary caregiver. It’s at the core of why so many moms...
Tori Smith5 minFOOD INTRODUCTION + BABY-LED WEANINGIntroducing solid food is a fairly flexible process. Feel free to look for signs of readiness in your own baby. If they show interest at...
Tori Smith5 minCO-SLEEPING CONUNDRUMCo-sleeping, or bed-sharing, with your child is culturally informed. In many places around the world, it is commonplace. In North...
Tori Smith4 minSCREEN TIMEFor most of us, technology is a part of daily life. Let’s start by looking at the positives. It is a source of entertainment for kids....
Tori Smith5 minTHE VILLAGE IS OVERThey say it takes a village to raise a child. It’s a nice sentiment but the fact is, most of the villagers are now urbanites. To put it...
Tori Smith6 minWHY OUR MOTHERS GIVE US BAD ADVICEPrepare yourself. The unsolicited, outdated advice and the dire warnings are coming! Some are more questionable than others. Some are...
Tori Smith2 minDAY ONE EARTHSIDEYou need to eat. Have your partner or support people make you something simple at first. Perhaps toast, or maybe you’ll have a craving...
Tori Smith6 minV*CCINE HESITANCYI couldn’t talk about unpopular practices without broaching the most unpopular view on the most controversial subject in parenting –...
Tori Smith4 minCIRCUMCISION DECISIONBefore I got pregnant, my position on circumcision was neutral. Like many, I accepted it as a normal custom in our culture. I knew that...
Tori Smith5 minPREVENTING CHILD SEXUAL ABUSEAlright, let’s just say the uncomfortable thing right out loud. Child sexual abuse is common and it is rampant. It’s not openly talked...