If ever there was a best example of what it means to “learn on the job,” child-rearing has to be it. To invoke an oft-quoted ParentMap tagline: Parenting, it’s a trip! One might add, there are as many maps as there are parents; and in most key matters, the child is the chief cartographer of their family’s unique odyssey.
While the bafflements of early parenting are universal — unaccountable fussing/crying, sleeping issues, feeding concerns, to name the most obvious conundrums — every baby progresses through the same steps in growing, each at their own rate and rhythm. Intuitively finding and respecting that rhythm is what gets you to the heart of parenting.
As you embark on your new and unique journey, we hope you will discover local resources within this guide to help ease, inform and enrich your parenting experience. ParentMap is here to help you — every baby step of the way!