Want to know about nutrition for babies, toddlers and yourself?

Check out these offerings from Virginia Watkins.

* Supporting Your Picky Eater While Staying Sane:

A Workshop for Parents of Toddlers & Preschoolers

Wednesday, January 28, 6:30-8pm at Birthways, 1600 Shattuck Ave, ste 122, Berkeley

Wednesday, February 4, 10-11:30am at Then Comes Baby, 3657 Grand Ave, Oakland

Cost: $40, Email virginia@vwnutrition.com to sign up.

Ideal for parents of children ages 1½ – 5 years. This workshop is for adults.

Learn which foods are most nourishing for young children. We will discuss the important role that parents play in setting an example for their children when it comes to good nutrition.

Topics covered include:

  • Which nutrients are most important for young growing bodies
  • 15 tips for supporting your picky eater
  • “Show and Tell Bag” of food samples you can buy or make
  • Healthy fats and their importance for growing children, and for adults
  • Pantry Makeover – which foods to limit or throw out
  • The importance of family mealtimes
  • Simple recipes and meal ideas the entire family can enjoy

* Introducing Solids: Baby’s First Foods and Raising a Healthy Eater

Friday, February 6, 12:30-2pm at Birthways, 1600 Shattuck Ave, ste 122, Berkeley

Wednesday, February 11, 10:30-12noon at Awaken Chiropractic, 3515 Grand Ave, Oakland

Cost: $40, Email virginia@vwnutrition.com to sign up for the East Bay classes.

And, Tuesday, February 10, 11am-12:30pm at Natural Resources on Valencia Street in San Francisco. Sign up here at Natural Resources’ website.

Ideal for parents of babies 3-6 months. Babies are welcome!

This class will take all of the guesswork out of giving your baby the best nutrition and a healthy relationship with food right from the start.

Topics covered include:

  • Understanding when your child is ready for solid food and why
  • Safe first foods, looking beyond rice cereal and across the globe
  • Foods to avoid
  • How much food to give your child
  • Food texture and choking hazards, how to progress
  • Recommended “tool kit” for first feedings – no fancy gadgets involved
  • The importance of family mealtime
  • Recommended resources on healthy eating for you and your growing child
  • “Show and Tell Bag” of food samples you can buy or make

* Making Homemade Baby Food

Friday, January 30 , 12-1:45pm at Carmel Blue, 1418 Grant Ave, San Francisco. Sign up here at Carmel Blue’s website.

Ideal for parents of babies 3-8 months. Babies are welcome!

Fresh Baby Bites joins Virginia Watkins to lead an educational and lively class on making your own baby food. Participants will learn several foundational recipes, taste and take home samples.

Topics covered include:

  • 6 key time-saving tips, such as, “Cook the same foods for baby as you cook for yourself”
  • Recommended safe first foods
  • Foods to avoid
  • Herbs and spices
  • Raising a healthy eater and avoiding the picky-eating stage
  • Progressing to finger foods
  • Freezing and thawing

* Postpartum Nutrition

Wednesday, February 25, 6-9pm at Natural Resources, 1367 Valencia St. in San Francisco. Sign up here at the Natural Resources’ website.

This class is beneficial to postpartum doulas and moms who are interested in learning how to best care for themselves during the postpartum period.

Participants in this class will learn the following:

  • Which foods are best for mom during the postpartum period
  • Particular nutrients mom needs in her diet to optimize breast milk quality and production
  • How to identify specific nutrition-related health issues that may affect mom or baby and ways to respond

In addition, participants will leave with:

  • Nourishing recipes for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks
  • A postpartum shopping list for stocking the fridge and pantry
  • A summary of the information covered

Then Comes Baby Grand Opening in Oakland!!

If you haven’t heard, there are amazing things happening on Grand Ave. in Oakland. A new center dedicated to supporting families through pregnancy, birth and early childhood development. You MUST see the offerings!

Grand opening details:

“Hello everyone!

We’re taking off the training wheels! We’ve been working hard to create a center for pregnancy, breastfeeding support, and early parenting that fulfills our mission: Supporting Strong Families, Empowering Parents, and Fostering Community Connections. It’s been an excellent soft launch and we’ve learned so much.

Now it’s time to celebrate at our GRAND OPENING PARTY — Saturday, January 31st, 11am – 2pm (please click to RSVP).  Come check out our beautiful center and offerings, stay for the FREE mini-massage sessions (first come / first serve), to get silly in the photo booth, or to have your little one create craft masterpieces. There will be snacks, drinks, and maybe even a little bubbly! The first 20 visitors will get FREE tickets to Boobie-Palooza where you’ll have the chance to see Dr. Bob Sears, Dr. Jay Gordon and other experts.

Also, my sincere thanks for the outpouring of support — it’s a testament to how much a pregnancy and early parenting “hub” in the Oakland community has been wanted and needed. In the words of one client this week: “As a first-time mom, I had been looking for resources that were aligned with my approach to pregnancy and birth: realistic, honest, not too intense/type A, and that gray space between ‘hippie dippie’ and ‘I believe everything my hospital tells me.’ There is so much information and misinformation out there and having one local, central resource was surprisingly missing from the East Bay.”

Our team will be working hard to support families in down-to-earth, realistic, and evidence-based ways.

Tell new and expectant families about us and we hope to see you there!

Sincerely,
Sabrina

———————————————–
Sabrina Freidenfelds, MPH, IBCLC
Founder & Director, Then Comes Baby
510.817.BABY (2229)
http://then-comes-baby.com/

Elimination Communication upcoming classes

Simona Fino is hosting an Elimination Communication / Infant Potty Training class in February. Interested? Here are the details:

Introduction to Infant Potty Training
Saturday, February 7, 10am-12
$45/per family, babies welcome
To register call 510-282-0623

http://simonafino.com/elimination-communication/

50% of the world’s babies are potty trained by 1 year of age! In this introductory class you will learn what parents around the world have been doing for centuries. Teaching your baby to pee/poop in a potty instead of their diaper is easier than you think! This class will give you the tools to practice pottying your baby easily and without stress.

Learn how and you’ll save money and the environment (it takes 500 years for one disposable to decompose). Babies appreciate not sitting in their own waste and you’ll love not changing so many diapers!

Berkeley New Moms Group Starting

Tuesdays 1:30-3pm, January 6th-February 10th 2015

This is a facilitated support group for new moms and their babies -(*usually
babies rage in age from 2 weeks to 4 months*). We will gather at the
BirthWays space to share the intensity and joys of new motherhood with
other moms.

This 6 week series will cover such topics as: sharing birth stories,
finding time to heal your body and mind, feeding your baby, adjusting to
your new identity as a parent, trusting yourself enough to know when not to
listen to another piece of “good” advice, navigating changing relationships
with partners and friends, going out with your baby, preparing to go back
to work or stay home with baby, sleep… what sleep? And most importantly,
realizing that you are not alone in this journey.

For a lot of moms this is an opportunity to practice getting out of the
house and feeding and caring for your babies in public in a safe space.

Facilitated by:

Stacia Biltekoff ~Postpartum Doula, Co- Founder of Bun & Bundle and Mama

Cost: $175 per 6 week session

For more info and to sign up go to:

www.BirthWays.org/classes