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Tools for the busy parent

January 08, 2009

I don't know about you, but I am often left wondering what to do when a new situation arises with my kids. I have enough parenting time under my belt to wing it, but what do you do when something really odd happens or if you are a new parent without that terribly heavy toolbelt to carry around? Well, you go out and get some new tools, that's what! I know that there are many parenting books with tips, tricks, and tools for you to use with your children. If you want a good list of parenting books that might work for you, check out the BeingSavvy post for today. I do migrate toward books in most cases, but with parenting information, especially if it's something for which I need an answer NOW, I turn to the Web. It gives me a quick answer, and I can usually find 101 opinions and options, which allows me to tailor the solution to fit our lives.

Here are some of my favorite Internet haunts for parenting tips and tools:

The Savvy Source

If you are parenting a preschooler, this site will give you a nice collection of information. Check out the various city sites for more takes on the issue (the posts are not always city-centric).

Baby Center

There are a number of Web sites with a similar format and content range, but Baby Center worked well for me. I have used it for tips on health, behavior, development, and other questions as they arose.

Ask Moxie

If you haven't been to this parenting blog yet, go check it out right now. While Moxie provides some tips from her own experience, she also has a large readership contributing comments to most posts, giving you even more insight on the dilemma. Read it all, or use the search feature to find out if a particular topic has been covered. If not, e-mail her and maybe your dilemma will be the next post.

Online Parenting Groups

Because I work a lot, I felt very disconnected from the general parenting community around Pittsburgh. I ended up joining the local Pittsburgh Moms Yahoo group (sorry dads, this one's just for moms) and I have enjoyed "meeting" other moms through that forum. It is quite common for a mom to post a question about her child, and at least one other mom (or a dozen) will have some feedback ranging from, "I went through that, too," to, "haven't dealt with that, but here for support anyway." There are tons of online groups with a similar format--find one that fits your needs and join. Knowing that you are not alone can sometimes be enough.

Ask Friends and Family

It's like the parenting group but with IRL people. Don't be scared. They won't bite. Ask and they might just know.