Resources

Resources

I plan on adding to this list regularly, but here's a start on some good things out there:

Fun Pre-Natal Workouts:  Pre/Post Yoga with Fredda Spirka, for pregnant mamas-to-be and new mamas - babies in arms welcome - free through SB Adult Ed.;  Pre-Natal Aerobics with Tracy Schmidt at SBYMCA

Fun Post-Natal Workouts:  Fredda's Pre/Post Yoga; Tracy's Post-Partum Aerobics at SBYMCA (Tracy also leads a stroller fitness class in SB); and my personal fave, Emma Moore's Mama, Papa, Baby Yoga at Santa Barbara Yoga Center

Good Music:  The Magic Garden by Kidz4Kidz; Come Follow Me! by Lorraine Nelson Wolf; Dance for the Sun: Yoga for Kids, by Kira Willey;  Any Putomayo CD -  especially Kids' Animal Playground

Good Reads: Mothering Magazine; Organic Baby: Simple Steps for Healthy Living, by Kimberly Rider; The Baby Book, by Dr. Sears (also The Vaccine Book and The Baby Sleep Book); Green Babies, Sage Moms: The Ultimate Guide to Raising Your Organic Baby, by Lynda Fassa; The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding

Good Movies: The Business of Being Born

Good Kid Movies: Ponyo, My Neighbor Totoro

Good Sites: (for toys and gear) inhabitots.com, palumba.com, novanatural.com, michaelolaf.com, satara-inc.com, birdiesroom.com, babysteals.com.  (for diapers) thebabylane.com, buywahm.com, borntolove.com, jamtots.com, tinytush.com, greenmountainbaby.com, and my favorite: babybunz.com.  (for natural cleaning products) punkinbutt.com (for non-toxic cosmetics) allnaturalcosmetics.com.

Good Local Stores: Summer for Kids (summerforkids.com), on Coast Village Road in Montecito, is the only local store in SB whose entire stock consists of natural and organic clothing, toys, and gear.  Amelia Jane in Summerland has awesome style.  Chicken Little on State Street has a growing selection of natural toys and organic clothing, and you can find items for your organic nursery at LivinGreen on Coast Village Road.  

Good Pre-natal Vitamins: ***I took/take Rainbow Light, but of course check with your doctor or midwife***
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Good Schools:  Waldorf of Santa Barbara, Wild Roots, Seasons, Little Woods, Harmony Pre-School, The Oak Grove School, Lou Grant, Star King


New-Mom Groups / Circles in Santa Barbara

As far as I know, there are two main new-mom circles in Santa Barbara: PEP, andMamatoto.  I joined both, although I no longer meet with my PEP group.  They are so different, and I have friends in both circles, but Mamatoto was the one for me.  PEP (postpartum education for parents) is open to both moms and dads, and all styles of parenting.  Mamatoto is a Swahili word for the mother-baby unit, and is an attachment parenting group.  (I'll have a post up about attachment parenting soon, but you can read a little about it here).  

My Mamatoto group has been meeting since last September, and we have become a close-knit group.  We meet twice a week for a play group / support group / chat, once for swim class with the babies, once for a morning beach walk followed by mom and baby yoga at SBYC with Emma and Olivia (see earlier post), and once for music class.  We have other random meetings as well for mamas-only happy hour or baby birthday parties.  Of course not everyone makes it to everything.  There are 30 of us in the group and usually between 5 and 15 make it to each gathering.

To give an idea of the feel, most of us use cloth diapers, at least part time, co-sleep (either crib in the same room, or share a family bed), baby-wear (we love our ergos!), hold our babies a lot, try to eat organic, locally-grown food, use homeopathic and /or non-toxic products on our babies, care about the environment, and respect our babies and their needs.  Some of us chose to vaccinate; others didn't.  Most of us selectively vaccinated; we all made our decisions after much thought and processing of information.  We are all different from one another, but the common thread in theMamatoto group is that we all believe in and are practicing attachment parenting.  

Regardless of your parenting style, I suggest checking out both groups.  I still would be meeting with my PEP group every week if I had time, and it was really helpful when Isla was a newborn, just to get out of the house and connect with other new moms.