Did you forget? I said CONTEST people!

So far there has been little (no) response to my offer of a free copy of Elijah Cooper's book Crawling. Either non of you know how to read, or I'm asking too much. So we'll try again.



Post a comment anywhere on this blog about hipster parent things you do or do not do (some examples: my kid has a playlist on my iPod/YouTube, I read/write parent blogs and so on).



Do this by noon (EST) Monday March 19th. A winner will be chosen at random from the entrants.

What if the kid just refuses? Pacifiers and SIDS

Mounting evidence indicates that infants that take pacifiers are less likely to die from SIDS. No one really knows why. My hunch is that there may be some way in which the pacifier prevents suffocation (the major cause of non-genetic SIDS).



We tried and tried and tried and tried to get the kid to take one but he consistently and vehemently refused.



hope #2 takes one.



Science Daily:Pacifier Use May Lower Risk Of SIDS

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Philosopher Dad on the radio!

Wow. This is huge. For me anyway. Last week I was contacted by a producer from Sounds Like Canada,the national mid-morning show on CBC radio, to talk about modern parenting trends, etc. Today I am going into the studio to tape a panel discussion with two moms. I am so stoked!





Watch this space for details about when the segment will air.

Technorati Tags: philosopherdad, cbc, parenting

Population - Birthrates - The Motherhood Experiment - Idea Lab - Sharon Lerner - New York Times

Many developed nations are looking for ways to encourage families to have more kids, even as their fertility rates plunge.

Here in Canada (like in Scandinavia) we have extensive social support for families and new parents. In the ROC (rest of Canada) the plan is administered by the federal government, and is pretty generous. 1 year of leave on 55% salary (some of this time can be shared by dads). Recently, the feds have been sending families with kids under 6 $100 a month per kid to help with childcare. Here in Quebec, we have it extra nice. 1 year leave on 65% salary (some can be shared as well), up to 5 weeks paid PATERNITY leave and $7/day daycare (if you can get a spot). We get the money from the feds as well.

Now, we continue to be taxed up the wazoo, but most Canadians don't mind, as long as they feel that they are getting their money's worth.

Statistics indicate that countries that support working families do indeed have higher birthrates. In fact, here in Quebec, we do seem to be in the midst of a minor baby boom.

Population - Birthrates - The Motherhood Experiment - Idea Lab - Sharon Lerner - New York Times



Technorati Tags: parenthood, NYT, benefits

To freeze or not to freeze....

Freezing stuff and kids seem to go hand in hand. Left-overs, home made baby food, breast milk, teething toys, infants. Whatever. But not really. Some stuff (like infants) should never be frozen. The good people at the National Center for Home Food Preservation have come to our aid with a great list of what (not) to freeze.



How do I freeze? National Center for Food Preservation via Lifehacker





Technorati Tags: lifehacker, food, freezing

Yup, we (me) here at Philosopher Dad are very pleased to announce our (my) very first contest!

Last summer the great people over at Pantheon Books sent me an galley copy of Elisha Cooper's Crawling: A Father's First Year. I was stunned. At the time, I was getting like 20 hits a week here, and somebody sent me a book. For free. Well, life is busy and it took me forever and a month to read the book, which is now available in stores/online. Crawling is a mostly light, sometimes serious look at the ups and downs of a new dad's first year. Cooper has been lumped into the whole hipster parenting thing, probably because he comitted the cardinal sins of taking his daughter to nice coffee shops in San Fran. I think a lot of people commenting on this (non)phenomenon miss one of the most wonderful things about modern parents... Dads taking an active and intersted role in their children's lives and taking the time to share their experiences.

Crawling: a Father's First Year (Amazon.ca)

Crawling is a great read. Go buy it. Even better, post your best hipster parent story as a comment and a winner will be chosen at random.
UPDATE (03.05.07) I realize that this is asking a lot. Rather than a story, tell us why you are/are not a hipster parent. A winner will be chosen at random.

No Child Left Inside

As a kid, I vividly remember riding my BMX through parts of my suburb that were in the process of being developed. I had the good fortune of living near a large green space with woods, water and trials so that when the new houses came, we still had somewhere to play. I love being outside, and as spring (slowly) approaches I can't wait to get outside with the kid.

Richard Louv has a powerful essay on the importance of playing outside, and how a lot of modern suburban development has made that harder and harder. Couple that with parental anxiety and you can start to imagine legions of pasty-faced kids staring longingly out a window.....

I love being outside. Walking, biking, camping. I think that the amount of time I spent outdoors as a child has directly contributed to this and to my strong sense of environmental responsibility.

Leave No Child Inside (via Treehugger)