Baby 101

“Push,” says the nurse.
“Wah,” says the baby.
“Here’s your newborn complete with instruction manual,” says the doctor.

If only.

While there’s no formula to being a successful mom, one Calgary author has made it her prerogative to make the journey a bit easier for us.

A Baby Guide to Calgary: Making the Most of Your Parental Leave, Second Edition (hereafter known as A Baby Guide) launches this weekend and is a what-to-do-where-when-and-how manual for Calgary’s baby boom moms and dads on parental leave.

Recognizing many first time moms go straight from work to the hospital with little time to spare, A Baby Guide details those important first steps such as how to get baby in the system right away so you can start collecting EI, obtain medical services and invest in an RESP.

Sleep-deprived moms will also soon learn that your appetite increases instead of slackening off postpartum. You will want to have food brought to you. Grocery delivery, concierge services and full meal prep companies have been sourced and referenced on your behalf.

Don’t be discouraged by the title if you’re beyond that inaugural first birthday. A Baby Guide to Calgary is a helpful resource for all moms with preschool kids at home too. After all, for many families, parental leave extends beyond the first year (with or without that return to work to qualify for the second mat leave).

While impossible to detail all of the services available to Calgary moms, this book saves time by providing excellent nuggets of information such as which ski hills take babies in the nursery or where you can work out and drop off baby without having a full blown membership.

Author Paula McGarrigle is busy. Working full time and parenting two children on top of authoring a local bestseller, Paula co-authored the first edition while on maternity leave. The second edition has been updated and expanded to include Cochrane, Airdrie, Chestermere and Okotoks as well as providing more info on finding toys, preschools and a special section aptly named Just for You.

The book retails for $24.95 and is available online or at bookstores across the city. The choices are endless, the learning curve steep. Skip the research and trust the experts. Your time and energy is better spent on baby.

Tested by Heather J., Calgary