Mayim Bialik blossoms : Child-Star to Natural Family Living expert!
Mayim Bialik Phd educates Lynette & Teresa on Natural Family Living, Diaper-Free babies, co-sleeping and making your own cleaning products!
We love our new holistic mom guru!
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (35.6MB)
Theresa:
Don’t discount the information in the Ferber book. Ferber has not renounced the Ferber method. He has renounced the so called “cry it out” method.
The Process outlined in the current edition works very well. It teaches the child to over time (a couple hours the first night, about an hour the next, and less than an hour the third, and by the fourth night, only a couple of minutes)
soothe themselves back to sleep by realizing that you are nearby and will come to their attention as they need it. It uses a well known technique in behavioral psychology.
If interested, begin by building your bedtime routine. Once established, do the technique where you wait progressively longer each time you check on Buster. We used 3 minutes, 5, 7, 10, 15, 15, 15… until he is sleeping. When you check on him, don’t pick him up, but we did spend a bit of time soothing him in other ways (verbally, touch, etc). Our 4 year old and 1 year old boys go to sleep on their own, sleep all night, and wake up happy. We sleep too.
I also wanted to chime in on the Ferber debate. As Jeff says, he did not recant. Instead he no longer supports the “cold turkey” cry-it-out method – that seems to be where the confusion comes into play. I followed Dr. Sear’s advise pertaining to attachment parenting too those first few months. What I ended up with were sons (twins) that were horrible sleepers – I like to call it user error. I did everything wrong that I could have done to teach my sons to sleep without help from me. They were waking up every 1 1/2 hours and multiple that by 2. We were a mess. I work full time and sleeping less than 3 hours a night wasn’t cutting it. It took 4 days to sleep train our boys. We now go about our nighttime routine and put them to bed and say night, night and they go to sleep. Before this we were ALL a cranky mess because no one was getting any sleep.
Theresa, read the books first and then think about it. Don’t give up on the Ferber method just yet. I laughed because I too own more than 5 books or more on this method (I had to have them all) – they are all pretty much the same with a bit a tweeking – but it works.
Attachment parenting? I’m not sure my boys can be anymore attached to me. Now that we all sleep at night, we are all happy campers.
I enjoy the podcast, and appreciate the presentation of multiple views on parenting.
I would suggest differentiating a Ph.D. from an M.D. when introducing guests or referring to them as “doctor.” I have both degrees, and they are not at all equivalent in terms of training or experience. This is not meant to discount Mayim Bialik’s personal experience or advice, but I believe it has the potential to cause confusion about her credentials among the audience.
Please keep up the excellent work on the podcast. I look forward to hearing more.
Quite agree doctor. Here’s degree primer.
B.S. = Bull Shit
M.S. = More Shit
PH.D. = Piled High and Deep
M.D. = Mighty Dumb
Oh, and BTW…
The typical MCAT score required by a Ph.D in Medicine program exceeds that required by a simple M.D. program.
FACT.
This is from someone who has merely an M.A. in English Literature. I gravely defend Ph.D’s. They nearly *always* know more than anti-biotic distribution agents (Medical Doctors).
Yeah, here’s the difference…
Ph.D’s are real Doctorates, experts in their field with TONS of knowledge and research.
M.D’s are … hard-working, but less-proficient practitioners.
I jest, but I seriously hope you weren’t attempting to denigrate the credentials of a Ph.D.
MD’s are less knowledgeable but make more money. Sorry. FACT.
Hi Guys,
I really enjoyed the podcast with Myiam. Would you please consider having her as a regular guest?
Thanks,
Steven
I agree!
I loved the interview with Myiam! I loved listening to her open mind about parenting, comparing “Western” philosophy to the rest of the world. Although I don’t have near the energy to attempt most of her parenting methods, it is refreshing to hear a different perspective – it clearly is proof that there is NO secret formula, and we do have to listen to ourselves and do what is best for our family.
Teresa, you sooo crack me up! I laughed out loud when you mentioned ordering a slew of Amazon books to solve your sleep issues. That is so me.
Thanks for the great podcast!
I’m pretty much a live-and-let-live kind of mom, but this interview with Mayim Bialik made me want to throw something! How can someone so intelligent and educated make decisions about childcare based on gut feelings with no scientific evidence backing them? Homeopathic remedies in place of Tylenol for fevers, even though homeopathy has been shown definitively not to work? Just because her aunt once had a seizure after taking Tylenol? How can she not understand risk vs. benefit? On listening to this podcast, what struck me was that Mayim already had a set idea of how she wanted to parent, and that she then went and cherrypicked her facts in order to fit that pre-conceived notion of what she wanted to believe. All of which would be okay, except that her beliefs are shrouded in this concept of “I went and educated myself and this is what I found.” “Education” is a very loose term for some of the belief systems Mayim subscribes to when it comes to health. Please don’t even get me started on the non-vaccination thing. I was very disappointed after listening to this podcast.
I agree….somewhat. I really don’t care how she raises her kids. She could lose the holier-than-thou attitude (which she constantly denies…) but if she wants to screw up her life to raise some hippies, go for it. I’d like to put my kids of roughly the same age next to hers in ten years and see who’s are more socially adjusted, if the smell of patchouli isn’t too overpowering.
Could not agree more Amanda. Quitting breast feeding at nearly three… Are you high “and mighty”? That is third world muslim shit and the first step to those men viewing women as food products and little better than cattle. If I saw my one year old son and his mouth full of teeth anywhere near my wife’s breasts, he definitly wouldn’t be having a sister. Love you gals and look forward to the next, but yuck to this one.
Loved this “episode”! Like you guys say “If it works for you…” I find things in common with all of you. From letting the fever ride itself out to just giving the Tylenol/Motrin so I can sleep! Thank you so much for starting The Parent Experiment. Best idea ever!!
I love listening to your podcast! I have to comment on your interview with Myiam. It is every parents choice not to vaccinate but people should remember it is because of vaccinations that children are no longer dying from diptheria, smallpox, becoming disabled from polio, etc. Not vaccinating your child puts them and others at risk. If an unvaccinated child contracts a disease and then comes in contact with a child under 6 months old who has not recieved their vaccinations, they could cause that child to die! Teresa, you did the right thing vaccinating your child.
Otherwise, great podcast. Keep it up, Please don’t make her a regular guest, my head might explode. Bless her for giving up herself to raise her child.
Just got the chance to listen to this one! She had some interesting ideas, and was not nearly as preachy as these people often are. Yet…here’s my take on it (which you can take with a grain of salt – psychology was my major in college but I’m no psychologist!) I think super-smart people like her are often very neurotic and perfectionistic. She seems to have found a parenting plan that appeals to her and is now on a trajectory to master and conquer every aspect of it. It’d be one thing if she was enjoying every minute of it…but she talks as if she is flogging herself for the greater good of humanity. Agonizingly painful breastfeeding…children who have not let her had a decent night’s sleep in 4 years…cleaning up poop messes from every surface of her home…um, is being a parent supposed to be torture? How does being miserable allow you to be the happy mom a child needs? There’s something positive to be said about attachment parenting until the child is, say, 6 or 9 months, but after that I would think that to develop properly they need to start figuring out some things on their own. She herself says that both her kids are slow developers in every way: physically and mentally. So, is her method actually helping or hindering their development? Are they too dependent on her to explore their world and learn how to do things on their own? Anyway, good show, most interesting one to listen to so far, and I think it made Teresa and Lynette seem like the “real” mommies that we can all relate to. Kids NEED that mommy that allows herself go off and enjoy a martini now and then!!
I understand your point of view, but I honestly don’t think she is miserable. She seems like she really enjoys the rewards & challenges of parenting.
Loved your interview with Myiam! Although I disagree with many of her beliefs, I respect her passion and reasoning on how she chooses to raise her family. And, I appreciate the idea that we do what works for our families, along with what’s best to keep us sane.
Two resources that helped me along the way that may offer you some kernels of sanity: The Vaccine Book and Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child. (You may have sleep-deprived ordered these on your middle of the night amazon binge already.)
I just wanted to say, that I loved the podcast with Mayim! She is so awesome, and SMART! Although I don’t have babies, I have two teenage sons and I didn’t know what the heck to do with them when they were that young. I was wondering if this show is just about younger kids, or, will you all be doing anything on teenagers?
I love this show, it has replaced Adam as my go to podcast. But Mayim, UGH. Your kid being sick is good practice for them manipulating you in public?? WTF?? Yeah, she would say whatever works for you, but in the vein of “It’s your choice to not respond to your baby’s needs”. “Feel free to poison your children with solid food before one year, that’s your choice”. I agree with previous poster who asked why you didn’t question her methods more. This show made me very stabby, I have to say.
my feeling while listening to this email was thinking “listen to what she is actually saying about how she lives”. Meaning she says she barely leaves her house, doesnt get out of her pajamas, probably has hygienic problems. imagine having that as a mom. that doesnt seem like someone who is together. although she does seem very nice and very together. I wouldnt want to sleep in the same room as my mom and dad when i was little. the bottom line is, the way kids get raised isnt broken, she wasnt raised like that, so how the hell does she even know that its going to be better for her kids? she was raised like the rest of us. We all turned out fine. god knows how her kids are going to turn out. so i think its best to stick with what works. i guess the worst she could do is having kids that either hate their mom for smothering them, or just grow up to be huge pussies.
I love the show! I am most definitely a superfan! I thought Mayim was being totally condescending when she said she was accepting of other people’s viewpoints. She said it in such a backhanded way! She reminded me of that condescending hippie mom in Away We Go. Haha.
T~ Don’t feel bad about only nursing Buster for a little while! My Grandma Donna said that if God wanted us to nurse so badly he wouldn’t have invented bottles.
I looked forward to this podcast all week and it did not disappoint! And I don’t even have kids!! I learned a lot about attachment parenting, something I only had a vague idea and rather negative impressions of before. I found Mayim to be very capable of sharing her views and methods quite intelligently without being pushy or preachy about it. I wouldn’t mind hearing her back myself.
Myiam Bialik seemed cool for being a wack job. 18 months of getting up every 90 minutes??
Though I don’t agree with everything Myiam talked about… I think it’s nice to hear what other parents and professionals are doing. It’s nice to hear other’s perspectives and choices on parenting… I don’t think I can make the right choice for my child if I don’t know all of the info./parenting styles out there.
I love listening to the show! I have an 8 month old and it’s nice to hear someone out there who is having similar problems! I can’t get this type of feed back any where else! Thanks!
I loved this episode! I want Myiam to be my mom. Only I want my own bed. and vaccines. and tylenol when I have pain. Nevermind.
I guess I loved that her attitude was so much less militant than I expected. I disagree with plenty of her parenting choices, but I appreciated that she repeatedly said “whatever works for you.”
Bring her back for more on the make-your-own household items (shampoo, etc.)
Love, love, love this episode. I am 6 1/2 months pregnant and this episode opened my eyes to many new things. Thank you.
In response to some of the recipes mayim relayed on the podcast, tea tree oil has been proven effective to treat some skin problems. . But it’s safety, especially when administered to children is largely in question . . It is a chemical that is very dangerous if swallowed, and just simple topical application to the skin has been shown to seriously affect hormone levels in men and especially young boys. . Just because it’s natural doesn’t make it safe. . She even said straight out if you can’t ingest it get it out of your house. . And them she puts tea Tree oil in all these supposedly safer products to use on her children. . When one of her boys develops gynecomastia and high estrogen and low testosterone, maybe she’ll reevaluate some of her household products.
Sincerely,
More than a little concerned
I gotta say I really enjoyed the interview with Myiam. I would not have the desire or fortitude to implement even half of what she described. Still, I appreciated her openness to other parenting choices. I kinda read it like she was aware of how kooky she came off and to be honest I found that charming.
Love the podcast and especially loved this episode. I find it incredibly interesting to hear about different parenting styles. Although many of Mayim’s techniques aren’t practical for my family I think it was absolutely fascinating to here about what works for Mayim’s family. I think Mayim made it abundantly clear that these are her opinions and she never seemed to be pushy about them. I like to hear about as many parenting styles as I can ingest than pick the pieces that work for me. EC wouldn’t work for me but it’s a revolutionary concept.
I haven’t listened to this one yet, so I’m going to guess that her stance on not vaccinating is based on the myth that is causes problems, such as ADD. At least that’s the newest theory people are going on. Keep in mind that all of us have been vaccinated, and we aren’t all staring at walls like mental patients.
Anyway, I hope I didn’t assume anything. I doubt very much she has some other weird reason to be against it. Maybe the whole “natural” thing.
Last time I checked, whooping cough was pretty natural, too.
Come on people, give her a break. Myiam is a very very smart person, if she has different parenting ideas and views than so be it. She’s not saying her way is the right way. I think it’s very immature to belittle her like you are in the comments. So what she has a very hippy-esk attitude about parenting. Her kids are healthy, happy, and alive and that’s all the matters.
I heard it from his neighbors, Adam Carolla is sexually abusing his kids! what a sicko! you have no place in this world I hope someone will kill you.
You all need to leave Mayim alone. She said many times, this works for me, just do what works for you. I commend her for her ability! I do some semi-attachment parenting. My daughter is 15 months and she sleeps with me part of the night. It works for us. And Mayim didn’t share this, but when you get “up” to breastfeed in the middle of the night, it’s really no big deal. You basically fall right back to sleep anyways. Plus the hormones that you release while you breastfeed helps you to fall asleep faster and get more rest. It really is a win win. It doesn’t work for everyone, but it works for me. I do scoff at the idea of having a baby pee and poo in a bucket. Sorry, but I would rather clean a diaper/ or green diaper than cleen out a yucky bucket!! But, all the more power to her! I love Mayim and would love to see her on again!!
“You all need to leave Mayim alone.”
“I do scoff at the idea of having a baby pee and poo in a bucket.”
Heh.
I agree Dana, everyone has to do what works for them!
I joined the Holistic Mom network and recommended checking out The Parent Experiment (because it rocks!) and to check out Myiam Bialik on your show. (because she rocks too!). Hopefully more mom’s will find their way here!