North York Central Library Blog

Last week I became a grandmother for the first time. Aside from the twinge of sadness at reaching another milestone on the road to old age, it's proving to be a wonderful experience. As people often point out, grandparen'ts can revisit many of the joys of paren'thood without the full-time responsibility.

I plan to spend a lot of time with my grandson. But things have changed since my paren'ting days, so I'll have to read up on the latest gear, as well as the latest theories about sleep, feeding etc.

If you're about to become a paren't or grandparen't, here are some helpful resources:

• Consumer Reports Online (sign in with your library card) has a Babies and Toddlers section with reviews and recommendations about the products new paren'ts need
• The Transport Canada Child Safety site has information about infant and child car seats and booster seats, including guidelines for installation and recall notices
• Health Canada's Consumer Product Safety site has a publication called Is Your Child Safe?: Sleep Time with information about cradles, bassinets, cribs, playpens and other baby sleep products
• Where there are safety concerns, Health Canada regulates the sale of second-hand products; if you're considering buying or selling any used baby items have a look at the Industry Guide to Second-hand Products (Including Children's Products)

 Here are some books that might interest and educate you.

 If you want to learn about caring for an infant:

 If, unlike me, you're good at making things: 

If you want to prepare healthy food for baby: