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...
BLOG POSTS
Tori Smith
BOOK PRE SALE and SNEAK PEEK
BIG NEWS! My book, my creative baby that I've been working on over the last couple of years, my message that I have to share with the...
Tori Smith
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
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
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
PREPARING FOR FATHERHOOD (OR SECONDARY PARENTING)
As the person in the partnership who is not carrying the child, you are usually referred to as the “secondary caregiver”. But that does...
Tori Smith
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
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
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
SUPPORT PEOPLE & WITNESSES
Other than your medical or midwife team and possibly a doula, who do you want to have in your birthing space? It is for you to decide. It...
Tori Smith
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
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
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
ADDING A SECOND CHILD
The decision to grow your family and add additional children is a decision you and your partner will make, much like the first. Like the...
Tori Smith
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
CHOOSE THE RIGHT PARTNER (PRE-PREGNANCY, IF POSSIBLE)
Choosing the right partner is intrinsically important to every aspect of pregnancy, birth and parenting so try not to get pregnant with a...
Tori Smith
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
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
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
PRACTICAL TIPS FOR THE BIRTH PARTNER - 4 WAYS TO PROVIDE SUPPORT IN LABOUR
You’ll probably hear, over and over, that your role is to support the mother in labour. But it’s not always clear exactly how to provide...
Tori Smith
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
THINGS THEY DON'T TELL YOU ABOUT PREGNANCY AND BIRTH
Miscarriages are surprisingly common. Likely, many women you know have experienced one or more. And not talking about it doesn’t make it...
Tori Smith
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
NAVIGATING LABOUR
Birth is an instinctual thing. As labour progresses, let your mind and body naturally focus inward. It won’t serve you to distract...
Tori Smith
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
NOURISHMENT IN PREGNANCY
As a self-proclaimed professor of unpopular opinion, I’m about to say two of the most unpopular things I could utter to a pregnant woman:...
Tori Smith
BUT, WHAT IF SOMETHING GOES WRONG? (IN HOME BIRTH)
If your preference is for home birth but you worry about possible dangers, rest assured that midwives will advise against it if they have...
Tori Smith
LONG LIVE THE MIDWIFE
Once you become pregnant, you will initially be under the care of your family doctor. If you have certain risk factors, you will likely...
Tori Smith
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
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...