ParentMap - Laurie Ann Thompson

Ask the experts

Laurie Thompson — Fri, 28 Oct 2005 03:16:00 +0000

This was an easy one — not much writing or interviewing. I just found a bunch of parenting experts and asked each one the same question, “What’s the most important thing for new parents to know?” Here’s what they said.

“Expert education tips for new parents”, ParentMap, October 2005

Decisions, decisions

Laurie Thompson — Fri, 28 Oct 2005 03:09:00 +0000

BabyMap runs a regular column called Decision Digest, where they summarize all sides of important issues that expectant and new parents face. In this issue, I tackled two questions: whether to bank cord blood for personal use, and using cloth diapers versus disposables.

“Decision digest — Private cord blood banking and diapers”, BabyMap, Fall/Winter 2005–2006

Keeping love alive after baby arrives

Laurie Thompson — Thu, 29 Sep 2005 20:24:00 +0000

Here’s one where I have some hands-on experience — maintaining a healthy marriage after kids join the family. My extraordinary husband and I will celebrate our 10th anniversary this year. We make time to care for each other and our relationship, as well as for our two young children.

“Keeping love alive after baby arrives”, ParentMap, September 2005, pages 13–14

Jogging? Ugh.

Laurie Thompson — Mon, 27 Jun 2005 05:15:00 +0000

I love hiking, but my bike has been parked for years and jogging has never been my thing. To look at me is to clearly see that I am not a great authority on fitness. Nevertheless, I accepted an assignment for an article on exercising outdoors with a child under two. Yes, I actually got out the sneakers and went jogging for this one, all in the name of research. I broke a sweat but had a good time. If you look closely, you can see I also took the photo.

“Get out and get fit — with your baby”, ParentMap, July 2005, page 13

A little stretch

Laurie Thompson — Mon, 30 May 2005 01:00:00 +0000

All of the articles I’ve written before this one have been on topics that I already knew something about or have had some firsthand experience with. Not this one! It was really fun to do, though. Most of the research came from interviews, so at first I was a little nervous. Everybody I talked to was so helpful and inspiring, however, that now I look forward to interviewing.

“Young teens need practice managing money”, ParentMap, June 2005, pages 19–20

Tiny article, but extremely important

Laurie Thompson — Sun, 15 May 2005 21:53:00 +0000

Here is a very short article about a topic I am quite passionate about, umbilical cord blood. Several major hospitals in our area have teamed with the blood bank to collect and store the stem-cell rich cord blood and donate it to individuals in need through a national registry. Now something that is typically discarded can instead save lives — magnificent.

“Donate cord blood and save a life”, BabyMap, Spring/Summer 2005, page 4

[Note: Because this ran in the Postings section, it was not archived on the ParentMap web site, so there is no link to an online version. Sorry!]

Early language delays can hamper learning

Laurie Thompson — Tue, 02 Nov 2004 00:59:00 +0000

This article is about diagnosing and treating language delays before children enter school in order to prevent learning difficulties later. My daughter, as well as the children of several of my friends, are fortunate to have received speech therapy as preschoolers.

“Early language delays can hamper learning”, ParentMap, November 2004, page 13