Looking Back

My best friend recently gave birth to a beautiful baby girl. Jordyn Akemi is a pretty pink princess in a sea of rough-and-tumble brothers. In addition, she is 10 years younger than her closet sibling, which means my friend had a ton of shopping to do prior to Jordyn’s arrival. I happily donated many of my daughter’s baby items, including containers filled with adorable outfits. However, my friend and her husband were on their own to furnish Jordyn’s nursery on a very strict budget. While they consider Jordyn’s birth a miracle, babies are not cheap. They require a crib, stroller, … Continue reading →

Chubby Babies Don’t Make Desirable Cover Models

In my opinion there’s nothing more delicious than a marshmallow-cheeked baby with Michelin Man arms and chunky monkey thighs. Unfortunately, my penchant for chubby infants is one of the reasons why I would never make it as a magazine editor in Britain. Fortunately, I would rather mother butterball babies than edit photos of them, so I’m not too broken up about my fate. However, there are plenty of parents on both sides of the Atlantic who are irate about re-touched photos of plump tots being featured on the covers of international glossies. According to reports, several British parenting magazines have … Continue reading →

India’s Solution to Excessive Baby Making: TV

Government officials in India would be much happier if parents would stop procreating, and they think they have the perfect way to get moms and dads to stop doing the dirty: TV. Lots and lots of TV. The Indian government just unveiled a new campaign to bring televisions into more homes in rural parts of the republic. Officials hope that residents there will be too busy making time to watch must-see TV that they’ll spend less time making babies. Speaking to local news reporters about the new TV measure Ghulam Nabi Azad, the Health and Family Welfare Minister, said “If … Continue reading →

Parents and Baby Names

Jeffrey Dahmer murdered, mutilated and cannibalized 17 young men and boys between 1978 and 1991, and somehow his parents were to blame. At least according to some psychologists, who claimed that Dahmer’s “disturbing behavior” was a result of a strained relationship with his parents. Frankly, I don’t buy into the whole blame-all-your-faults-on-your-parents philosophy, and I certainly don’t think Dahmer’s parents were to blame for their son’s psychotic behavior, but there is one fact of life that is the sole responsibility of mothers and fathers: baby names. When it comes to naming children, parents are the ultimate decision makers. While some … Continue reading →

What are You Feeding Your Baby?

If you’re one of the millions of parents around the world, who cheerfully watch as your precious bundles of joy suck down processed jarred baby food manufactured by the Heinz company, then you might want to consider doing otherwise. A new report out claims that you’re better off pureeing cheeseburgers and Oreo cookies than feeding your infant Heinz baby food. The report details the nutritional value (which is practically nil) contained in the popular baby food. British researcher found that Heinz’s baby biscuits contained more sugar than classic Oreo cookies, while its mini cheese biscuits, aimed at toddlers, contained more … Continue reading →

Really, They Can Feed Themselves

Recently, a mom of a nearly 2-year-old child was lamenting that she just couldn’t get her child to sit still and let her feed him–baby food! I remembered seeing a family with a child about that age in a restaurant many years ago trying to do the same thing and as I looked at my own self-sufficient toddler eaters, I rummaged my mind for reasons why a parent might still be trying to feed a toddler–control, not knowing better, wanting to avoid the mess, intolerance at the child’s imperfection, efficiency. I have a very different philosophy about young children’s eating … Continue reading →

Speech: Birth to 12 months

Babies begin by hearing other people make sounds. In the beginning the tone and pitch of the voice is most important. If your voice is calm and soothing your baby is comforted. It is important that you vary the pitch and tone of your voice so your child learns voice inflection. By about 4 months he is starting to listen to the actual sounds that you are making. At this age a child usually start to babble, trying to imitate the sounds she hears you make. When your child makes a sound listen to him and talk to him throughout … Continue reading →

Milk Spoils, Babies Do Not!

Who hasn’t heard that well-meaning criticism, “You are spoiling that baby!”. Ok, well *I* have heard it more times than I can count. There is a whole generation of adults who believe that there is a direct correlation between spoiled, demanding bratty children and parental love and affection. I’m not really sure how this got started but I wish it would go away, already! For the last time, let’s lay this myth to rest! Babies are not milk, they can not spoil. Their wants ARE their needs. They have one method of communication – crying. If we don’t answer their … Continue reading →

Is My Baby Getting Enough Milk?

New babies bring with them new concerns. For Mothers who chose to breastfeed, one of the first concerns is whether or not baby is getting enough to eat. It is a common misconception that a breastfeeding Mom needs to supplement with formula until her milk comes in or risk her baby’s health. Babies are perfectly built to survive on colostrum (pre-milk) alone until a Mother’s milk comes in. In fact, nature worked it out perfectly so that the baby will become hungrier and hungrier, wanting to nurse more and more often, which in turn will bring the milk in sooner … Continue reading →

Top 10 Ways To Get Your Baby To Sleep

Sleep is one of the elusive things that just drives parents nuts when their children are little. But babies only make us lose our sleep for a little while. Meanwhile, here are my top ten tips for making it easier on everyone! 1. Turn off all the lights. It might even take covering up the digital clock display or the LED light on the television. 2. Don’t be afraid to let your baby fall asleep in your arms but try to swaddle the baby or keep a blanket or baby carrier between your skin and the baby’s skin to increase … Continue reading →