Tori Smith
QUICK TIP: HOW TO NAVIGATE THE UNSOLICITED ADVICE
How does one discern which pieces of advice to heed and which to dismiss? For starters, trust your instincts. Your intuition is your most...
Search
Tori Smith
- 4 min
THINGS THEY DON'T TELL YOU ABOUT BABIES
The baby’s very first feces will be a substance called meconium. Meconium is a thick, sticky, black-ish substance and it is completely...
Tori Smith
- 2 min
PORN PERPETUATES CHILD ABUSE
Though it might not seem obvious, child sexual abuse is most definitely linked to pornography. For starters, the popular aesthetic of a...
Tori Smith
- 4 min
SPECIAL NEEDS AWARENESS
Though it isn’t directly related to parenting, interacting with people who are different from us is related to being a kind human being...
Tori Smith
- 3 min
POSTPARTUM 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 Smith
- 4 min
ASTROLOGY APPLIED TO FAMILY DYNAMICS
Astrology holds different meaning for different folks. Some think it’s total cuckoo-voodoo-wacky-quacky-witchy-hooey nonsense. For some,...
Tori Smith
- 6 min
THE CASE FOR CLOTH DIAPERS
I 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 Smith
- 3 min
BABY COMMUNICATION TOOLS
As they grow, babies become pretty resourceful when it comes to communicating their wants and needs. There are some tools you can learn...
Tori Smith
- 3 min
ALL 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 Smith
- 2 min
BETTER YET, ADOPTION
Adoption is not something that I have direct personal experience with, but it is something my partner and I are strongly considering for...
Tori Smith
- 3 min
THE EMOTIONAL LABOUR IS REAL
Mental 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 Smith
- 5 min
FOOD INTRODUCTION + BABY-LED WEANING
Introducing 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 Smith
- 5 min
CO-SLEEPING CONUNDRUM
Co-sleeping, or bed-sharing, with your child is culturally informed. In many places around the world, it is commonplace. In North...
Tori Smith
- 4 min
SCREEN TIME
For 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 Smith
- 5 min
THE VILLAGE IS OVER
They 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 Smith
- 6 min
WHY OUR MOTHERS GIVE US BAD ADVICE
Prepare yourself. The unsolicited, outdated advice and the dire warnings are coming! Some are more questionable than others. Some are...
Tori Smith
- 2 min
DAY ONE EARTHSIDE
You 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 Smith
- 6 min
V*CCINE HESITANCY
I couldn’t talk about unpopular practices without broaching the most unpopular view on the most controversial subject in parenting –...
Tori Smith
- 4 min
CIRCUMCISION DECISION
Before 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 Smith
- 5 min
PREVENTING CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE
Alright, let’s just say the uncomfortable thing right out loud. Child sexual abuse is common and it is rampant. It’s not openly talked...