Hellobee Boards

1. Definitely more posts from WOHMs and how they balance (or don't balance) everything. Especially WOHMs who pump at work.

2. I also second pp's (sorry, can't remember who, and now I'm on the 2nd page and too lazy to click back) request for info from @Mrs. Jacks about baby care and what to expect from the first several pediatrician visits.

3. Posts from Dads would be great - I could forward them to Hubs!

I agree with @Grace, about the cost of a baby over the first year. I know it would vary from person to person, so maybe find a few different scenarios (Working Parents, Stay at home mom/dad, Family close by, etc.)

I also liked the idea about posts that pertain to TTC, and overcoming the emotional toll of infertility.

I think I'm just repeating what others have said, but because of where my mind is right now, I'd love to see...

Birth stories
Posts about coming home with baby and those early days/weeks, but not about the baby themselves (like sleep or anything) but more like, freezer cooking, adjusting, PPD (because I'm worried about having it), balancing duties, finding time for your partner, dealing with visitors, what to do, what not to do, etc.
Info about late prenatal stuff like stress tests, biophysical profiles, etc. because I have no clue what I'm in for
Always more DIY!
WOHM info like others have said (sleep schedules, bedtime routines and dealing with them being later in the night than you might like, how on earth your schedule works like when do you cook dinner and all that? pumping at work, etc. -- choosing daycares, too!)
Choosing pediatricians and what to expect
After-birth care for moms
I love product reviews and the registry and diaper bag posts so definitely more of those!

@regberadaisy: haha. unfortunately pics arent as great

1. I like the idea of the dad posts
2. Cloth diapering
3. How to dress a newborn
4. Fertility journey

I would be forever indebted to the blogger who writes a post on turning a picky toddler into a good eater. I'd love to see more than just the "you have to put the food on their tray at least 10 times" stuff that I've already read. Just once, I'd like to read something from someone who has actually done it and maybe has some charts or a game plan she'd like to share.

Also (and I apologize if these have been done!): introducing a new baby to a toddler sibling, at-home games and crafts, and vehicles for expanding families.

whooaaa this thread is a goldmine!

The posts I've bookmarked are:
- the ones by the Bees on parenting tricks- turning your kids into friends, working through discipline issues, things they've learned from books... the idea of researching all this and reading up on it myself seems daunting, and I LOVE that you guys do so much of the work for me. I love it when Mr. Bee points out things I'd never think about, like how to discourage competition and comparisons between your kids.
- I love the sensory development/activities posts, and other posts on the general "what should I DO with my kid" theme.
- I've really enjoyed posts by bloggers dealing with issues of special needs in their kids and how they've gone through diagnosing and dealing with them.

There have been some fantastic posts written on a variety of topics. Even though Hellobee is a relatively young site there are so many posts. Maybe we can do a throwback post (Throwback Thursday?) referencing an entry that some of us have forgotten about? When Hellobee first launched I was obsessed with reading about birthing and the first few weeks. Now I am obsessed with finding material on solids--previous posts on solids may have slipped my radar.

I would like to see posts about being done with having babies. How did people decide when they were done having kids, why they made that decision. And I would LOVE a blog on the experience of getting tubes tied and especially getting a vasectomy (since I'm trying to talk my husband into one when we're done with kids!)

@Boots McGee: i have yet to figure that out. i've been doing a lot of reading on it, and a lot of the things we consider healthy that we feed our kids can turn them into picky eaters. i'm looking into doing a complete overhaul of charlie's diet right now! mealtime is one of the most stressful times of day for me!

thanks for the ideas! Keep em coming!

This is so great! I just made a list of about 20 things to share

There have been some fantastic ideas shared already! I would love to see lots of the things others have suggested, but these would be the ones that would interest me the most -

- Birth stories of various types (planned c-sections, home births, emergency c-sections, unassisted births, birth center births, medicated hospital births, unmedicated hospital births, etc)
- Parenting abroad (permanent expats, temporarily moves, visas, traveling, schooling, etc)
- Schooling Options (public schools, private schools, Montessori, Waldorf, homeschooling, unschooling, home tutors)
- Postpartum (freezer meals, pain management, breastfeeding, sleep, PPD, supplies, etc)
- Special Needs (guest posts by parents with special needs children)
- Untraditional Families (same sex parents, divorced parents practicing co-parenting, single parents, parents with physical disabilities)
- Surrogacy (both from families using surrogates and perspectives from surrogates themselves)
- Choosing care providers (obgyns, midwives, pediatricians, doulas, nannies, therapists, etc)
- Dealing with extended family
- Parenting Styles (attachment parenting, unconditional parenting, instinctive parenting, authoritative parenting, permissive parenting, aware parenting, converted cultivation, etc)
- Pregnancy nutrition
- Prenatal testing - What to Expect and Research (genetic testing, group B strep, gestational diabetes, etc)
- Newborn testing and procedures - What to Expect and Research (eye prophylaxis, vitamin k shot, circumcision, vaccinations, etc)
- Cultural perspectives on pregnancy, birth, and parenting

definitely postpartum. some of my biggest anxiety during pregnancy has been about what's to come - dealing with visitors, tips and tricks to make postpartum recovery easier, ways to make sure dad feels involved and not alienated, etc.

also - anyone else feel guilt because everyone tells you BF is the best, but what if you don't want to do it? struggling with feeling like I have to try "because" it's free, healthy, etc.

@autumnlove: Our best friends are a SAHD/WOHD couple with a 2 year old (Lala's best friend). I'm sure I could cajole them into writing a post or two. What specifically would you like to hear from them?

@autumnlove: I'll ask today. W is currently on the radio for 2 hrs so I can't ask him until after noon.

thank you so much for this!!! these ideas are so helpful!