The Great Minnesota Get-Together is upon us here in Minnesota! Like you, we know how good it feels to celebrate some of the last warm days of the season. So what are the diaper bag essentials for a jaunt to the Fair with your baby? We asked our doulas, and here is our running list of state fair (or any warm weather) favorites.

It is probably the challenge that is most common among our Better Beginnings families: How can parents truly rest well in the postpartum time? One historical term–the postpartum “lying-in”–gives us a sense of what the postpartum recovery period should look like. While society might approve of running errands at Target or responding to work emails after birth, our real focus should be on authentic rest so that we can care for ourselves well and care for our babies well. If you are wondering how you can truly rest, recover, and enjoy your baby (or babies) in your postpartum time, here are our top five strategies for a successful lying-in.

Ready or not, summer is here! But just because our Minnesota summer is bringing the heat (and humidity) it doesn’t mean you have to forego being outdoors with your little one. It does, however, mean that you might have to adapt some of your babywearing strategies to keep your baby (and yourself) cool. Read on for a few tips for safe and comfortable babywearing in warm weather:

The stressful and exciting transition of going back to work comes faster than expected for most parents. While the nights feel long, time seems to have flown by when you are on parental leave. There are lots of feelings warring for attention whenever you go back to work, be it after six weeks or six months. If that’s the case for you, you are in good company.