When Boston-based attorney Leslie Pearlson left the hospital with her son for the first time, her doctor literally gave her an Isis Parenting Center pamphlet and said, “if you have other questions, go here.” Just a week later, the popular Boston-based prenatal and early parenting resource center closed its doors. Leslie dubbed it, “the great Isis crisis of 2014.”
To help fill the void, Leslie started compiling lists of quality resources for new parents in the Boston area. After sending volumes of exhaustive emails to friends also struggling to find their way post-baby, she decided it was time to put everything she’d curated online. And voila, BplusBoston was born.
Not only does BplusBoston provide great resources and insights for new parents in the Boston area (and beyond!), it also reinforces an important message for new parents: You don’t need to seek perfection. Says Pearlson:
BplusBoston’s Top 5 A+ New Parent Resources
Being a parent is hard…and no one is perfect and anyone who pretends to be – on facebook or otherwise – is clearly lying.
How beautifully said!
Given Leslie’s aptitude for awesome lists, we challenged her to create the mother of all lists. We wanted to know, if she could choose just 5 essential resources for new parents in the Boston area, what would they be? It was no easy task, but without further ado:
Top 5 A+ New Parent Resources in the Boston Area
- GardenMoms: With over 11,000 active parents, it’s the biggest listserv for Boston-area parents to ask questions, buy and sell used stuff, and look for resources.
- Your Neighborhood Parenting Center: Most neighborhoods have different smaller/local listservs. These are more personal and can help you connect to your neighbors, since it really does take a village. Leslie has compiled a list of them on her website here.
- Baby Sleep Science: Founded by a local mother/Harvard sleep doctor (who also has a great Mamajamas list), this is one of the most helpful sleep resources on the web.
- Milk Zip: A great compilation of all the lactation resources in the Boston area.
- BostonCentral: A perfect resource for things to do in Boston, and a site Leslie loved even before she had kids.
These resources are not the only ones in a helpful list that Leslie has created. Do not miss her amazing list of baby gear that she grades with a B+ (or better)!
What’s her favorite piece of gear that folks may not realize they will need? A Rock N’ Play like this one. And her suggestion for gear to skip? Don’t invest in newborn clothes. Start with 0-3 month old clothes, and let them start out a little big.
A final piece of advice from Leslie that sums up her thoughts on both gear and parenting is, just try not to stress too much!
If your kid is fed (even if half of their lunch is on their shirt), clothed (even if their clothes are mismatched and dirty), and loved (even if they simultaneously are driving you nuts), you’re doing a perfect job of parenting.
mamajamas mom 