Santa Monica Pump Station
Tuesday June 16th at 7:00pm
$25 per class*, per person
310-998-1981
*Sign up with your partner/spouse/friend and receive
a free Swaddle Blanket ($12.95 retail value)
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Happiest Baby on the Block – NEW CLASS!
Tuesday June 16th at 7:00pm
$25 per class*, per person
*Sign up with your partner/spouse/friend and receive
a free Swaddle Blanket ($12.95 retail value)
Advance Ticket Access to KOOZA in Southern California
Advance Ticket Access to KOOZA in Southern California
Move to the front on the line and get exclusive access to tickets to see KOOZA in Santa Monica and Irvine before they go on sale to the general public on June 16.
KOOZA by Cirque du Soleil
Opens October 16, 2009
Under the Grand Chapiteau at the Santa Monica Pier
Opens January 8, 2010
Under the Grand Chapiteau at the Orange County Great Park
www.cirquedusoleil.com/PresaleAccess
KOOZA brings Cirque du Soleil back to the source, taking audiences on a thrilling journey through incredible acrobatics and raucous clowning. The show will wow you with acts that challenge the senses and keep your pulse pounding. And it will move you to laughter and reverie with the story of The Innocent, a melancholy loner in search of human connection.
Enter KOOZA, an electric and exotic kingdom ruled by a clown king - and experience the wonder of human performance in all its ferocious energy, splendor and fragility.
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Smart Potty Training - NEW! Hot Topics
Santa Monica: Tuesday June 2nd at 6:30pm
Hollywood: Thursday June 4th at 6:30pm
310-998-1981
Smart Potty Training
Why all the chatter about toilet training lately? It seemed like this was one thing everyone agreed on, all the books said pretty much the same thing, and most people were doing it. You were supposed to look for signs your child is ready, introduce a system of positive feedback or rewards, and happily go on with your life.Now you see headlines all the time about “Infant Training”, “Diaper-Free Babies”, “don’t use too much pressure but don’t wait too long”……….Ugh. Another parenting dilemma, and it feels like just another chance to mess things up before your kid even hits preschool.
The good news, to start with, is that you are not going to mess up your child psychologically based on when you toilet train them. In fact, ALL of the many excellent studies that have been done over the years to establish some sort of a relationship between toilet training methods and the personality development of the child have failed to show any link. Obviously, we are talking in the context of some baseline good parenting. But the specific question of will your child have some sort of psychosexual trauma as a result of the age that you toilet train them has been asked and answered. And, happily, the answer is no.
The first question that you probably have is why have I heard so many people say otherwise? Many fantastic psychologists and Pediatricians (including me!) have been trained that too-early or “pressured” toilet training will lead to refusal, later regression (going back to having accidents), constipation, or even general resentment. The idea seems to make intuitive sense, and of course if you’re talking about traumatizing a child we all want to avoid that. The problem is that this type of thinking was very theoretical when first introduced, and is now being applied literally and generally. Why is it called “pressure” for a toddler to wear cotton instead of a disposable diaper? It’s not, of course, and so there are some important distinctions about what we are talking about and the vocabulary we use.
Before the widespread use of disposables, most kids were trained in the first year of life. Then, throughout the 1950s and 60s in this country, people started waiting until the second year of life, with the general idea that children were trained when they turned two. Dr. Brazelton introduced the idea of “readiness”, and he originally argued that once a child is walking well (around 18 months), they are ready to be trained. That was considered a pretty radical delay at that time (1960s), when toilet training was done much earlier. And it really just caught on as a general idea. Many parents today are being advised to wait until their child has the verbal and motor skills more common in a three year old before they even think about it.
Meanwhile, the rest of the (underdeveloped) world has gone on happily training their babies without disposables and without any undue pressure, punishing, or other psychological ills in the first two years of life (unless you think all of China, India and Africa are doing something wrong here). It is just part of baby care, really just part of life with another little human being, and perhaps that is a little closer to how it should be. When you consider that throughout history, all over the world, in every culture without disposable diapers, children have been and still are trained much earlier, you have to question what is natural, and what is best. Added to this is a huge increase in the number of children with constipation problems and recurrent urinary tract infections that are widely believed by medical experts (including urologists and gastroenterologists) to be DUE to the delayed training.
Another complicating factor is that now there are disposable products available that are so absorbent that kids and parents are really not aware of what is going on with regard to toileting needs. Those gel liners that are capable of holding incredible amounts of fluid have only been around since the 90’s. Before then, even kids who were in disposables could feel when they were wet, and their diapers would leak if not changed regularly. Today’s disposables can easily hold a day’s worth or urine without leaking or even getting too bulky, all held in a petrochemical-based gel matrix right next to your baby’s skin! I’m not totally sure that is a good idea, and the truth is that neither is anyone else! Whenever I hear parents talk about how inconvenient toilet training is (and, of course, it is not convenient!), I think how tough it must be for kids who haven’t even seen the adults that care for them figure out a way to get them dry after they wet. How are they supposed to, just because they happen to turn three?
Finally, it is essential in the world we live in to consider the environmental impact of our decisions. There are materials that are unhealthy and even toxic in many diapering products. The effects on our babies and our planet of how we toilet train in an important part of the discussion.
I know from my practice and experience that it is possible to live in our culture, to have the same sense of cleanliness and hygiene that most Americans share, and to manage to get everyone to school and work and piano and hockey and baseball and church……..without leaving children in diapers until they are three or four. You don’t have to swear off all of your disposables, or let your children pee all over your sofa. It is so much easier than all that, and there is lots of room for compromise. And I think it is totally, completely worth the effort.
Jill Lekovic, MD
For more information on Jill Lekovic's class at The Pump Station & Nurtury click here.
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Mom’s Nite Out - Why Mommies Need Time Off
Featuring Corky Harvey MS, RN, IBCLC & Wendy Haldeman MN, RN, IBCLC Co-Founders of the Pump Station & Nurtury with Kimberley Clayton Blane The Go To Mom
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Second Annual Pacific Palisades Love Walk on Sunday, the 17th of May !
Join the Dr. Susan Love Research Foundation on May 17, 2009 in the beautiful
Check-in and registration will start at 8:00 am, and the Walk will begin promptly at 9am. The walk is open to men and women of all ages, and we love having kids there, too! We may even organize special stroller brigade and Baby Bjorn contingents!
You can learn more about the Foundation’s research and register for the Love Walk on their website: http://www.dslrf.org/.
Also, don’t forget to sign up and be part of the Love/Avon Army of Women, an innovative breast cancer initiative with the goal of recruiting one million healthy women nationwide to take part in breast cancer research. You can learn more about it on their website: http://www.armyofwomen.org/.
We look forward to meeting you and your babies at the Second Annual Love Walk!
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Pamper Mom this Mothers Day with Great Values on Gifts she'll Love!
25% OFF
New! Great for Mom & Baby!
Offer good while supplies last - sale ends Tuesday May 12th - no rainchecks
Milk and Cookies - Lactation Boosting Cookies
By Corky Harvey, Co-Founder of the Pump Station & Nurtury and MS, RN, IBCLCLast week a mom in my Breastfeeding Support Group brought a big plate of delicious cookies to share with everyone. She was struggling a bit with her milk supply and had found a recipe on line for Lactation Cookies (see recipe below). Who knows if it will help, but the moms sure enjoyed them. They all admitted to needing a little something special—like some chocolate or a cookie (or two), in the late afternoon when they are especially tired and the baby is at the fussiest time of day. The cookies brought on a fun discussion about Galactogogues (things that help a woman make more milk) and cultural beliefs about increasing milk supply. Although most women make plenty of milk if they breastfeed often in response to their babies requests, increasing one’s milk supply is a common topic of discussion in our daily interaction with our clients. Many moms know about the herbal remedies (Fenugreek, Fennel seeds, Blessed Thistle, Goats Rue, and Nettle) that are thought to increase milk supply and are easily available in the form of capsules, teas and tinctures. Although there is very little scientific evidence to demonstrate that these herbs really work, the anecdotal reports from many moms are that they can help a lot.
So, what are some cultural beliefs about increasing your milk supply through diet? Here are a few ideas to ponder.
Women in El Salvador are told to drink lots of Hot Chocolate. Mexican women are also told to have chocolate and to have a warm drink called Atole de Maizena. It is a mixture of milk, water, corn starch and cinnamon. If you add rice and serve it cold, it is now called Atolede Arroz. Another choice in Mexico is watery oatmeal with cinnamon called Avenol. The theme here seems to be cinnamon.
Korean women eat cheddar cheese, Algae soup (Myok-Guk) and lean beef or beef broth. They are encouraged to eat a lot more calories.
Some Asian cultures eat seaweed soup, fish soup, and chicken-feet soup.
Some cultures encourage stewed meats and root vegetables.
My own mother thought Brewer’s yeast was a great idea to help almost anything (it is one of the ingredients in the lactation cookies—she’d have loved that). I’m going to Germany next week to see my 8 month old grandson Diego. I’ll find out what moms are taught in Deutschland, but I’ll bet it includes beer.
I think it would be fun to collect many more cultural beliefs about how to increase milk supply. Ask your mothers, aunts and friends and send us a message. It seems to me that most of the above foods have nutritional value and maybe that is the real deal: eat well, have good nutrition, nurse a lot and make lots of milk.
Enjoy the cookies.
Housepoet's Famous Lactation Boosting Cookies
1 c butterPreheat oven to 375. Mix together flaxseed meal and water and set aside for 3-5 minutes. Cream margarine and sugar. Add eggs one at a time. Stir flaxseed mixture and add with vanilla to butter mixture.
1 c sugar
1 c brown sugar
4 tbsp water
2 tbsp flaxseed
meal
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 c flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp
salt
3 c oats (thick cut is better)
1 c or more chocolate chips (or
raisins)
2 tbsp Brewer's yeast (be generous)
Beat until blended. Sift dry ingredients together, except oats and chips. Add to butter mixture. Stir in oats then chips. Scoop onto a baking sheet and bake 8-12 minutes.
6 dozen cookies.
Monday, May 4, 2009
Parents as Educators Workshop June 6, 2009 in Downtown Los Angeles
Parents as Educators WorkshopJune 6, 2009
in Downtown Los Angeles
“Emotion Coaching” For Your Toddlers and
Preschoolers
This one-day workshop focuses on the Emotional life of a Child: How to Emotion Coach Toddlers and Preschool Children.
This workshop is presented by Kimberley Clayton Blaine, MA, MFT, licensed child and family therapist, author and founder of TheToGoMom.TV
"Emotion Coaching" for Your Toddlers and Preschool Children
Education 806.2 0.6 CEU Fee: $65
Learn to analyze your child's feelings and teach them to handle conflict. This one-day course helps parents hone their coaching skills to better empathize with children and help them handle turbulent feelings that may otherwise overwhelm them. A toddler's life is tough. One minute your child feels in a fantasyland; the next he/she is crying in rage and tossing toys across the room. Like many parents, you may find it hard to cope with outbursts of anger and frustration, but these occasions actually provide the best opportunities to teach a young child how to manage strong feelings and calm him/herself down. These skills foster the "emotional intelligence" your child needs to create good relationships with adults and other children. Learn how to recognize your child's emotions, look at negative emotions as opportunities for intimacy and teaching, listen carefully and with empathy and then mirror back what the child says, help children find words to express their emotions and encourage them to use words instead of body language, and set limits while teaching problem solving.
Reg# U7900B
Downtown Los Angeles: Figueroa Courtyard, Room 107A,
261 S. Figueroa St.
Saturday, 9am-3pm
June 6, 1 mtg.
Enrollment deadline: June 1.
Kimberley Clayton Blaine, MA, MFT, licensed child and family therapist;
founder, TheGoToMom.TV; author, Mommy Confidence: 8 Easy Steps
to Reclaiming Balance, Motivation, and Your Inner Diva
Website: www.uclaextension.edu/teachers
Email: education@uclaextension.edu
Phone: (310) 825-2960
Sunday, May 3, 2009
Join Dr. Susan Love & The Pump Station to Help Stomp Out Breast Cancer!
Greetings Breastfeeding Moms!Congratulations on choosing to breastfeed your baby! Not only is it great for your baby, it’s also one of the few things that we know women can do to reduce their risk of getting breast cancer. Also, as a Mom—my daughter is now 20!—I know firsthand how fast kids grow, and how you will cherish forever your breastfeeding memories.
I also want to let you know how happy it makes me that The Pump Station is again a sponsor of the Annual Pacific Palisades Love Walk, and I want to personally invite you to join us at the event, which will take place on Sunday, May 17, at 9am in Pacific Palisades.
The Pacific Palisades Junior Women’s Club hosts the 5K Love Walk, and I’m in awe of all the work they put into and enthusiasm they have for this fundraiser! Last year, we had over 500 supporters join us at the event, which generated more than $50,000, and we expect even more supporters to join us this year!
All of the proceeds from the event will benefit the Dr. Susan Love Research Foundation and the work that we do to move us beyond a cure to eradicating breast cancer once and for all. We must find new answers to the continuing epidemic of breast cancer, and by supporting the Foundation’s research you will be helping to move the research that will end this disease forward.
Check-in and registration will start at 8:00 am, and the Walk will begin promptly at 9am. The walk is open to men and women of all ages, and we love having kids there, too! We may even organize special stroller brigade and Baby Bjorn contingents!
You can learn more about the Foundation’s research and register for the Love Walk on our website: http://www.dslrf.org/.
Also, don’t forget to sign up and be part of the Love/Avon Army of Women, an innovative breast cancer initiative with the goal of recruiting one million healthy women nationwide to take part in breast cancer research. You can learn more about it on our website: http://www.armyofwomen.org/.
I look forward to meeting you and your babies at the Second Annual Love Walk!
Dr. Susan Love
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