Mommybites Chit-Chat: Conversations with luminaries, entrepreneurs and influencers in the parenting world
Background
Coming from a theatre background and then moving into the child care field, I spent my formative NYC years co-creating one of the first Montessori-based early drop off programs in TriBeCa. I was afforded the opportunity to work with incredible parents, kids and babies, and fostered relationships with inspiring NYC locals, mamas and little ones alike.
Along with fellow mama, artist and entrepreneur Marlene Veloso, I founded Curated Care – an online platform connecting families with artists and teachers for activity-based childcare – in your home and on your schedule.
Who inspires you?
I am inspired by a host of people: my parents (total smarties without an ounce of pessimism), my friends (able to seamlessly pair constant hustle without missing a single happy hour), my bulldog (she is so clearly hideous and yet so clearly full of herself), and my one-year-old Keira (who is the weirdest and coolest person I know).
Best piece of parenting advice
When things go nuts (constant breastfeeding, your kid won’t stay asleep, your baby rejects the bottle), there is something to be said to finding a solution, but sometimes there is more to be said for just letting go, riding the wave and not trying to fix everything. Babies ebb and flow. It’s exhausting enough dealing with a sleepless baby – don’t cripple your brain by also spending that time googling solutions at 3 am. Everything will be fine. This too shall pass.
Worst piece of parenting advice
Everything I said above. We totally botched sleep time. Really should have googled some solutions there…
What are you most commonly asked about?
I am most commonly asked about introducing new people to little ones, in a sitter and drop-off capacity. Per my experience, the greatest gift you can give your child is independence and time away from you. They grow oodles during this time and forge new ideas, bonds and memories. This time let’s them live a little and grow a lot.
Favorite TV show/book/food
Quasi real answer: House of Cards, Franny and Zooey (Salinger), Peanut Butter
Totally real answer: Any Real Housewives, American Psycho (Ellis), Sancerre
Favorite parenting books
I read very few parenting books as I had the luxury of witnessing first hand in my work with little ones that every kid is different, every parent is different, every circumstance is different, and you are better off assessing and addressing things based on the very specific personality and circumstance in front of you than coming up with a game plan. That being said, Bringing up Bebe is delightful and was almost as joyful as a crisp glass of French white wine when I was knee deep in pregnancy.
Favorite parenting products
Per the wee dimensions of our apartment, we kept parenting products to minimum. One gratuitous piece of equipment was our bottle warmer. It seemed almost dumb to have one taking up valuable real estate on the counter when we could simply warm the bottle under the faucet, but anything that saves you a minute of time and utilizes a hair less brain power at 2 am during those early months is worth its weight in gold.
If you could be anyone for a day
If I could, I would absolutely be Oprah for a day. Actually I’d be Gayle. All the perks of being Oprah (by proxy and friendship) and far less responsibility.
What’s up next professionally?
Up next professionally is continuing to grow Curated Care, saturating NYC, and then branching out to new cities and communities. We spent the last year in beta and held our official launch in April. We have hundreds and hundreds of cool, creative families on the site and a host of incredible Kid Experts – Alvin Alley dancers, Broadway actors, Julliard trained musicians, skilled teachers and just generally great, positive influencers. It’s inspiring to be at the forefront of this unique community, and everyone from the parents to the Kid Experts to the kiddos benefit.
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The views and opinions expressed on this blog are purely the blog contributor’s. Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer or provider. Writers may have conflicts of interest, and their opinions are their own.
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