One thing that Mommy WOM does so much better than other WOM movements is that deviants are STRONGLY discouraged. Here in SC, epidurals are common-place. Our hospital claims that over 95% of their deliveries are done with epidurals, a national high. So when my wife proclaimed that she wanted to try natural childbirth, she was (and still is) bombarded with literature, phone calls, and askance looks by the Epidural Evangelists.

We value and cherish everyone’s advice. And about 99% of it, we are taking and running with. That’s the other thing about Mommy WOM…all of it is genuine. A sincere interest in helping your “neighbor” through a difficult time. Sleep schedules. Pediatrician recommendations. To breastfeed or not to breastfeed. Everyone remembers “just trying to get by” in the first few weeks (months, in my mom’s case…okay, years), and everyone remembers the joy of that first full night’s sleep, and that first smile. Why on earth wouldn’t you want to share that joy? To me, that’s what is really at the heart of all Word Of Mouth.

And actually… that ‘at’ was okay.

And I miss Veedub… and I am very sorry I haven’t been by to meet Fletcher yet!

AND… as a non-Mommy with LOTS of new Mommy friends, I have been absolutely floored by all the Mommy WOM. From the overlapping gift registries to immediate conversations about anything from birth to naptime to college savings for goodness’ sake. There’s nothing quite like babies to get people talking. And why not?

Certainly, no product or brand can replicate the excitement over one’s first child (ask my little brothers… the next two aren’t really all that exciting)… but tapping into those milestones, those events, those real needs and discoveries… that’s where the conversations happen!

Even if that conversation happens to be about the best baby booger sucker on the market.

When I was a new dad, a fifth major factor came into play—desperation. One of our friends had recommended a book called “The Baby Whisperer.” At first I thought… just another book recommendation.

A few weeks later I’d come home in the late afternoon to find a son who would be in a really bad mood, and that usually translated into a night without much sleep. We had ruled out the usual stuff–he wasn’t hungry, had a clean diaper, etc.

That’s when we pulled the book out and learned that naps tend to be really important, even though little ones might not fall asleep right away. Soon after, we got him on a good nap schedule and life was good.

Congrats again!

By the way, I act on the recommendations I receive from people I respect and people who are successful at the things I long to be great at (like not ending sentences with ‘at’).

Hello, Jennifer.

That is all.