Four years ago, when my little one was a baby, slings were not as popular as they are today. They were still a little on the "alternative" side, as in, the people that I work with would say, "Remember when you came in to the office with your baby in that sling?" the way one might say, "Remember the time you shaved your hair into a mohawk and stretched your earlobes until you could poke a hot dog through the hole?" Like it kind of scared them, I think.

But I loved my sling so much. I had one of the first simple tube slings, just a ring of fabric, actually fleece, that you just slipped on and put the baby in. You didn't have to adjust it or anything. That sling was so great and they were so hard to find, my friend and I actually contemplated starting a business making and selling them ourselves.

Why am I such a crazy sling devotee? Let me count the ways...

I like to help out in my son's Pre-K classroom when I can. This morning some of the kids were doing a really cute little craft project that I had never seen before. Apparently if you take those potato starch packing peanuts and wet them, they dissolve just enough that they can stick together. So simple!

Kids can then use them to build anything their imagination thinks of and no fasteners are needed, which is great for toddlers and preschoolers and just plain cool for older kids.

UPDATE January 2009: The ECRIC early childhood research materials have moved to the Mid-Manhattan Library Branch, but the Family Room is still at the Hudson Branch. If you are looking for more information about the Family Room, click on the Hudson Branch link. If you are looking for more information about ECRIC, click on that link.

Right upstairs from the Hudson Park Branch Library on Leroy Street in the West village, you'll find the Early Childhood Resource and Information Center. This is a unique resource in the NYPL system, a place dedicated to serving the needs of young children (birth to age 6), their parents, caregivers, teachers, and other early childhood professionals.

The Family Room is the heart of ECRIC. The room holds a special collection of books, toys, and learning tools and includes a carpeted block area, housekeeping and dramatic play spaces, drawing easels, climbing & sliding equipment, puzzles, and other learning tools.

Apparently hugging and kissing your children is important for more than just making them feel better after getting boo boos. New science is showing that being a nurturing parent could keep them from getting serious illnesses as adults.

A most incredible NOVA episode on PBS called Ghost in Your Genes gave a huge insight into how the environmental effects of our lives, including our prenatal experience and how nurturing our mother was, can actually affect our health and even the health of our grandchildren.

I can't describe half the things that it talked about because it was so dense and informative, but here are a couple of summary thoughts:

Take your babe baby to the movies.

You may not get out for date night too often any more, but that doesn't mean you can't enjoy the quiet darkness and a big bucket of popcorn at the movies. Landmark Sunshine Rattle and Reel

Throughout January I'm going to be posting New York's best indoor activities for babies, toddlers and kids...which will come in handy if it ever gets cold again...not that I'm one of those crazy people who believes in global warming or anything.

We've recently posted about Mommy and Me Swimming Classes and Five Great Indoor Activities for Kids in NYC. You can find all our similar posts in our Indoor Activity Guide.

This week is The New York Times Arts and Leisure Week. It's not technically a kid festival, but there's plenty to take advantage of for kids and some great discounts on indoor activities to take the baby, including kid shows and circuses and lots of children's and child-friendly museums.

How often do you fantasize about escaping the rat race, moving to the country and spending your days making fresh bread and jam from the berries in your garden?

Every time I start to dream about this I have to do the ol' reality check and make sure my fantasy accurately depicts the garden that I haven't weeded in weeks, the mice that I can't ever seem to get rid of, and the pile of stinking compost on the kitchen counter; because I know myself and, even in the country, I'd be so busy doing 20 million things that all that stuff I idealized about slowing down and doing just wouldn't get done.

There's a new breed of uber-moms - they're the ones who are working their hineys off to live and raise their family in most the ultra sustainable, non-materialistic, anti-consumer, locavore way. And it ain't no picnic, folks. It's a blood sport.