Question: 

Can I put in writing who I don’t want to raise my children if something happens to me or my spouse?

Answer: 

Yes you can, by clearly designating in writing anyone you know that you would never want to care for your children if something happens to you. Of course you will want this designation to be totally private and would never be made public unless that person specifically tried to take custody of your children. 

This is an often overlooked step because it’s such a sensitive issue. But, if there’s someone in your life you know you would never want to raise your children, don’t you want to do everything you can to protect against that risk?  Remember, this is a document that never needs to be discussed or come to light unless absolutely necessary, so you don’t need to worry about hurting anyone’s feelings and can have the absolute peace of mind of knowing your children will never be raised by that one person you would never want. In our Kids Protection Plan we prepare all the forms you need to legally document who you want to care for your kids and who you don’t.

Darlynn Morgan is an attorney, speaker and Personal Family Lawyer. Darlynn makes it easy for your family to talk about and plan for tough subjects like money, death and taxes. Click here to listen to hear Darlynn’s fast and friendly presentation: “The Straight Scoop on Legal Planning for Busy Moms.”

2. Your production is lowest from 3pm-10pm so it’s not the best time to pump.

3. Milk production is highest first thing in the morning so if your baby only feeds from one breast, it’s a great time to pump the second breast. You can also pump both.

4. Once you offer your baby a bottle (around 3 weeks after breastfeeding is well-established), offer it once a day every day and do not stop. This will be especially important if mom will return to work and baby will rely on bottle-feeding for much of the day. Much to parents’ dismay, many find babies take to the bottle fine at one month old and then refuse it at 3 months when they resume bottle-feeding. Don’t make that mistake.

5. Three days seems to be the magic number of days for your body to adjust to producing more or less milk. That’s usually why growth spurts last about that long.

Here are some tips for when you store your milk in the freezer:

-label # oz and date in 2-3 oz bags (since you can’t save any that you defrost and touches baby’s mouth)

-put oldest milk in front; store new milk in back as you pump -never combine frozen milk with fresh milk -it’s fine to combine milk pumped within the same day before freezing -once defrosted, use milk that same day-within a few hours is best -slight discoloring and change in taste is normal if you are going to use freshly pumped milk within 5-6 hours you don’t need to refrigerate it at all. it might separate but it’s fine to just shake it up before feeding.  Don’t use the microwave to defrost—use hot tap water in a cup.

Happy feeding!

Answer: Children are amazing. Most of the time, they know much more than we give them credit for. They also understand things sooner and in deeper ways than we usually know. Starting for children as young as a few months old, I recommend talking to them about everything: explaining why you are doing things, how things work in the world, and what is acceptable and not acceptable to do. It doesn’t have to be very complicated. Something as simple as saying, “Oh, lamps are not for touching. But, this is okay to touch,” can begin communicating consistent limits in gentle but firm ways. A great place to begin to set limits is the high chair. Food goes in the mouth, not the hair. Things like that. You’d be amazed at how even the smallest child can rise to high expectations in this area.