Archive: Babies
A Look at the First Year of Life
For the first time in more than a decade, the U.S. has taken a hard look at how -- practically speaking -- we're feeding our infants and putting them to sleep. The study, which looks at singleton babies, comes courtesy of the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for...
By Stacey Garfinkle | October 7, 2008; 07:00 AM ET | Comments (50)
Nursing in Public -- Again?
Reading The Consumerist earlier this week was a little too much like deja vu. A Consumerist blog reader -- Addie -- wrote in that she was told not to breastfeed while trying out a glider at a Babies R Us store in California: "I went to this Babies R Us...
By Stacey Garfinkle | September 19, 2008; 07:00 AM ET | Comments (155)
TV, the French and Common Sense
By Rebeldad Brian Reid The latest shot in the war over TV and tots was fired last month in France, where the government there decided to ban all marketing of TV shows to kids under 3. Those who would broadcast such fare would be require to slap the following warning...
By Brian Reid | September 5, 2008; 07:00 AM ET | Comments (84)
Cord Blood Banking and the Selling of Safety
By Rebeldad Brian Reid Two weeks ago, the Boston Globe ran a couple of pieces on a local event touted as the "Ultimate Baby Shower," which turned out to be a corporate event designed to push the idea of cord blood banking. The Globe's initial front-page article played the story...
By Brian Reid | August 14, 2008; 07:00 AM ET | Comments (87)
Some Facts on Adoption
By Rebeldad Brian Reid Maybe I've been too hooked into the Brangelina news to get good perspective on the topic, but a new data-heavy report out of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention this morning is forcing me to reconsider a lot of what I assumed about adoption. I...
By Brian Reid | August 7, 2008; 10:00 AM ET | Comments (126)
The Cost of Child Care
Links: Child/Staff Care Center Ratios Allowed by State: http://www.nccic.org/pubs/cclicensingreq/ratios.pdf Google/NYT Story: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/05/business/05nocera.html?pagewanted=1&ei=5124&en=77aa1e331c0119e3&ex=1372996800&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink Definition: Family Licensed Child Care Homes http://www.nccic.org/pubs/cclicensingreq/definition-fcc.html
By Stacey Garfinkle | July 21, 2008; 07:00 AM ET | Comments (160)
Skin Protection 101
Ah, July. The weather in D.C. alternates between hot and sweltering. And about the only relief is to: a) stay indoors or b) swim All that time at pools and playing in water fountains means the kids get lathered with sunscreens, some of which contain ingredients I can't possibly pronounce....
By Stacey Garfinkle | July 9, 2008; 07:00 AM ET | Comments (62)
Smiles, Crocs and Cholesterol
The news is filled with lots of tidbits this week. So, for today, put your hand in the grab bag and pull a few out: First, the good news. Baby's first smiles are great for mom. Now, I'm fairly certain that most moms could've told you this without a study,...
By Stacey Garfinkle | July 8, 2008; 07:00 AM ET | Comments (0)
Raising Lefties
Before becoming mom, I made certain, shall we say, presumptions about my future children. They'd need glasses early, just like their dad and mom. They'd be adventurous eaters, not unlike mom and dad. And they'd be right-handed, again like mom and dad. Turns out I couldn't have been more wrong...
By Stacey Garfinkle | July 7, 2008; 07:20 AM ET | Comments (95)
Flight Attendant vs. Baby
Just in time for summer travel comes another story of a flight attendant frustrated by a traveling child. In fact, it was about a year ago that a D.C. mom had a tiff with TSA officials over water in a sippy cup. And it was last July when a Continental...
By Stacey Garfinkle | June 18, 2008; 07:00 AM ET | Comments (0)
The Ultimate Birth Story
Earlier this week, a baby girl made quite the untimely entrance into the world. The weather was nearly constant rain -- and typical of traffic conditions in bad weather in D.C. -- mom, dad and arriving baby got stuck in traffic on the Beltway on the way to the hospital....
By Stacey Garfinkle | May 14, 2008; 07:00 AM ET | Comments (35)
Plastics -- Again
Earlier this month, Canada became the first country to ban bisphenol A, widely known as BPA. In its fact sheet about the decision, the government issued the following information: "Our focus now is on the health of newborns and infants under 18 months. Science tells us that exposure levels are...
By Stacey Garfinkle | April 30, 2008; 07:00 AM ET | Comments (0)
Along for the Ride
Welcome to On Parenting's occasional guest blog feature, where we welcome parenting bloggers from around the Web. If you'd like to join the guest blogging party here at On Parenting, please e-mail parenting@washingtonpost.com. By Amy Bowman Preparing for the arrival of your first child is one of the most exhilarating...
By Stacey Garfinkle | April 29, 2008; 07:00 AM ET | Comments (0)
Bunching Up Babies
Welcome to On Parenting's occasional guest blog feature, where we welcome parenting bloggers from around the Web. If you'd like to join the guest blogging party here at On Parenting, please e-mail parenting@washingtonpost.com. By Linda Kerr A friend -- who recently had her second baby just 19 months after her...
By Stacey Garfinkle | April 21, 2008; 07:15 AM ET | Comments (61)
Breastfeeding Is No Excuse
A few weeks ago, I narrowly escaped landing on a jury that would have taken me out of commission for a week. Yes, I know that jury duty is an honor, a right and a privilege. But let's face it -- I've got realities that would have to be adjusted....
By Stacey Garfinkle | April 16, 2008; 07:00 AM ET | Comments (43)
Boy Power or Girls Rule?
How much is the "right" gendered child worth? In England, mom Wendy Bowen thinks it's important enough to try for baby No. 9. Bowen and her husband's first child was a girl. The fetus died when Bowen was 8 months pregnant. And since then, she's had boys -- eight of...
By Stacey Garfinkle | April 7, 2008; 07:00 AM ET | Comments (51)
An Adoption Story
Meredith Nahra became a mother the way thousands of others do: Through adoption. She and her husband first considered adopting siblings domestically before deciding to adopt internationally. From beginning to end, the adoption process took about nine months. About three-fourths of the way through that time, the couple learned that...
By Stacey Garfinkle | March 24, 2008; 07:00 AM ET | Comments (0)
Would You Tell?
When I first started looking for my nanny years ago, my first stop was the park. Sure, I wanted to be out and about and let the baby play outdoors anyway. But how better to look for someone good than to meet other nannies whose approach I liked? My intent...
By Stacey Garfinkle | March 19, 2008; 07:00 AM ET | Comments (0)
If Only I Knew Now ...
Hundreds of dollars for the "right" stroller. Hundreds -- even thousands -- more for experts from everything from sleeping to potty training to child-proofing. These are costs that some parents gladly pay for peace of mind or help getting a family on track. Remember those first days with your newborn?...
By Stacey Garfinkle | March 10, 2008; 07:15 AM ET | Comments (43)
The Things People Say
"Twin Time." That's what mom Colleen Fisher says she and other twin moms have to factor into any trip they take outside the house, and it's not because of all the extra gear and difficulty of corralling two small children. What Fisher and moms Meredith Nahra and Randi Tercyak describe...
By Stacey Garfinkle | March 5, 2008; 07:00 AM ET | Comments (100)
Multiples -- The Early Days
The Bureau of Labor Statistics pins the percent of twin births at about 3 percent of all live births as of 2005. But, really, doesn't it seem like twins are everywhere these days? The next door neighbor. Friends. In the classroom. Cousins. Co-workers. Jennifer Lopez and husband Marc Anthony. I,...
By Stacey Garfinkle | February 25, 2008; 07:00 AM ET | Comments (40)
Point, Shoot, Then What?
Neighbors with new babies recently shared photos of the little ones via Flickr. That got me thinking -- again -- about my online photo service allegiance. Over the past six years, I've had good and bad experiences with photo sharing sites. First there was Kodak EasyShare Gallery. The site was...
By Stacey Garfinkle | February 19, 2008; 07:00 AM ET | Comments (0)
Chemical Leaches From Baby Bottles
The jury's officially out on whether and exactly how a commonly used chemical called bisphenol A is hazardous for our health. The chemical, known as BPA, is used in polycarbonate plastics. These plastics are used in many products in our lives including baby bottles and sippy cups. While the chemical...
By Stacey Garfinkle | February 8, 2008; 07:00 AM ET | Comments (60)
The Languages We Speak
Forget music and gymnastics. The big "is-my-kid-keeping-up" trend these days is all about language; that is, how many languages your child is learning. The New York Times jumped on the trend in an article earlier this week: "If It's Tuesday, It Must Be Spanish." While no one knows how much...
By Stacey Garfinkle | February 7, 2008; 07:00 AM ET | Comments (40)
Sibling Love and War
Before son No. 2 was born, husband and I spent a great deal of time planning to help his older brother welcome the new addition to the family. We talked with him about babies. We combed the library for sibling arrival books, eventually settling on and loving "Talk, Baby" by...
By Stacey Garfinkle | January 4, 2008; 07:00 AM ET | Comments (21)
Recording Memories
Ever since we became parents, people have asked whether we've shot video of fun childhood moments. Not just first roll, first steps, first words. But the kind of moments our kids might never believe. Like 6-year-old talking about his career plans to run Legoland and charge everyone $1 -- or...
By Stacey Garfinkle | December 14, 2007; 07:00 AM ET | Comments (8)
Pay Up; I Just Gave Birth
For a significant portion of women, the "push" doesn't just mean popping the baby out. The New York Times writes that more than a third of women receive "push presents" for giving birth. And about 55 percent of women expect rewards for having a baby, according to BabyCenter.com "It's a...
By Stacey Garfinkle | December 10, 2007; 07:00 AM ET | Comments (109)
Lost Loves
There's little in life that I can imagine as worse than losing a child. And so, two articles recently, have brought me to tears and made me thankful for the generally healthy boys in my life. First, the L.A. Times featured photographer Sandy Puc' just before Thanksgiving. Puc' runs a...
By Stacey Garfinkle | November 30, 2007; 07:00 AM ET | Comments (0)
Kids Don't Come Cheap
A couple of days ago, many of you discussed issues that keep you up at night. Sarah started it off: I'm kept up at night wishing I could afford to stay at home with my kids instead of working, and still afford a roof over the head, to repay the...
By Stacey Garfinkle | November 16, 2007; 07:15 AM ET | Comments (74)
'Bringing Up Baby'
Imagine six families all with parenting coaches. And they're trying three very different parenting styles from different eras. There's the "Dr. Spock trust-your-instincts" approach. There's the "get the baby on a strict schedule" tack. And there's the "attachment parent." Now, put the families and their coaches on TV. What you...
By Stacey Garfinkle | October 10, 2007; 07:20 AM ET | Comments (0)
Eat Fish. It's Good For You
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/10/02/AR2007100201972.html
By Stacey Garfinkle | October 4, 2007; 08:50 AM ET | Comments (26)
Goodbye Pre-Boarding
Starting today, Southwest Airlines will no longer pre-board families. The change is part of a larger restructuring of the airline's "cattle call" boarding process. Here's the exact wording from Southwest's Web site: Beginning October 2, 2007, an adult traveling with a child four years old or younger will board between...
By Stacey Garfinkle | October 2, 2007; 08:00 AM ET | Comments (61)
Brush 'Em, Brush 'Em, Brush 'Em
When it comes to our toddlers' mouths, many parents are falling down on the job. At least that's the word from a National Center for Health Statistics report on oral health, which reports that nearly 28 percent of children ages 2 to 5 had at least one cavity. While I've...
By Stacey Garfinkle | September 28, 2007; 07:00 AM ET | Comments (0)
'Breast-Feeding Is Obscene'
Thirty-nine states currently have laws that specifically allow women to breast-feed in any public or private location. Apparently, that doesn't apply to nursing over the Internet. Australia's Sydney Morning Herald last week reported a story on Facebook's anti-breast-feeding stance. The social networking site that recently opened its doors to grown-ups...
By Stacey Garfinkle | September 10, 2007; 07:00 AM ET | Comments (126)
Mom to Mom; Dad to Dad
Isolation, exhaustion and depression. That's how two older moms described their first weeks of motherhood to me years ago. Both of these women had their children before the age of the Internet. And they hadn't a clue about how to find other new moms. One described a neighbor knocking on...
By Stacey Garfinkle | August 30, 2007; 07:45 AM ET | Comments (24)
Stop! Don't You Know That's Bad for Your Kid?
The FDA and some consumer groups have been on a run of cautions lately: Don't give your under-2 toddler cough or cold medicines. Apparently, there have been hundreds of overdoses that have resulted in some deaths. If you're nursing and take codeine, watch out for signs of an overdose in...
By Stacey Garfinkle | August 20, 2007; 09:00 AM ET | Comments (49)
Name That Child
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/08/13/earlyshow/leisure/books/main3160651.shtml
By Stacey Garfinkle | August 17, 2007; 06:58 AM ET | Comments (180)
Lessons From a Three-Year-Old
It's beginning to feel a lot like hospital roulette these days. Looking back on our vacations over the past two years, it's hard to remember one in which younger son didn't have to either go to a doctor or hospital. First, it was Primary Children's Medical Center in Salt Lake...
By Stacey Garfinkle | August 14, 2007; 07:49 AM ET | Comments (15)
A Soundtrack for Parenthood
It's been a pleasure filling in for Stacey this week. Since this is my last day, I figured I should go out with a nice musical number. A couple of weeks ago I hosted a discussion on washingtonpost.com about "The Simpsons," which prompted one chatter to confess to singing "Who...
By Jen Chaney | August 10, 2007; 07:51 AM ET | Comments (33)
Baby Einstein = Baby Dumbed-Down?
Apparently Baby Einstein is making our kids dumber. Sort of. According to a University of Washington/Seattle Children's Hospital Institute study that's been covered in Newsweek and numerous other publications, DVDs of the Baby Einstein and Brainy Baby variety don't make infants smarter. In fact, children between the ages of 8...
By Jen Chaney | August 9, 2007; 06:36 AM ET | Comments (0)
When the Onesies Won't Stop Coming
As mentioned in yesterday's post, I am filling in this week as On Parenting blogger during Stacey's well-deserved vacation. Because I am a new mom -- I have six months of experience under the old belt -- I am still discovering the elation and frustrations of parenting. Hopefully that will...
By Jen Chaney | August 7, 2007; 08:15 AM ET | Comments (68)
Birthing Plans
For 38 weeks of my life, I was consumed with pregnancy and methods of giving birth. I read all the "must-reads" at the time obsessively: "The Girlfriend's Guide to Pregnancy" and "What to Expect When You're Expecting." I read about moms using doulas, moms using midwives, moms giving birth in...
By Stacey Garfinkle | August 1, 2007; 07:10 AM ET | Comments (0)
Milestones Gone By the Wayside
For several months now, we've been a diaper-free house. In January, we gave the changing table to a new teen mom in need. In April, our three-year-old started wearing "special nighttime underwear" that he has successfully kept dry during all but a handful of nights. No swim diapers at the...
By Stacey Garfinkle | July 11, 2007; 07:20 AM ET | Comments (56)
Food Fear
Apparently, it's not just me who's noticed: More kids these days are being diagnosed with food allergies. According to Sally Squires's Lean Plate Club column today, 8 percent of kids aged 2 and younger have a food allergy. Some will outgrow them, some won't. In 2003, a leading allergy specialist,...
By Stacey Garfinkle | July 10, 2007; 08:00 AM ET | Comments (108)
Trust Your Instincts
Weeks after having son number 1, a nurse hosting a group of new moms gave us a piece of advice that has stuck with me since: You are your child's main advocate. If you're ever uncomfortable about something involving your baby, trust your instincts and say something. Through the years,...
By Stacey Garfinkle | June 25, 2007; 09:53 PM ET | Comments (39)
The Sippy Cup Tale
It all started on June 11, when Monica Emmerson posted her tale of traveling through security at Reagan National Airport on DC Urban Moms, a widely distributed listserv. Emmerson's story, posted online by blogger Bill Adler after he received her permission, details mistreatment by security screeners who wouldn't allow her...
By Stacey Garfinkle | June 19, 2007; 06:25 AM ET | Comments (0)
Missing Madeleine
Madeleine McCann was three when she disappeared from her bed in a Portuguese resort on May 3. Her parents were dining at a restaurant near their vacation rental and checked on Madeleine and younger twin siblings every half hour. Madeleine, whose fourth birthday was this past weekend, has not been...
By Stacey Garfinkle | May 15, 2007; 07:30 AM ET | Comments (185)
Baby Products We Can Live Without
Since when did having a baby mean spending a fortune on useless or semi-useless STUFF? Sam Apple, a writer at one of my favorite off-beat parenting sites, babble.com, notes that the $50 Zaky -- it's really listed for $34.95 at ThePregnancy Store -- is flying off the shelves. According to...
By Stacey Garfinkle | May 9, 2007; 07:00 AM ET | Comments (117)
There's No Miracle Cure for Obesity
"Breastfed infants grow exactly the way they should. They tend to gain less unnecessary weight and to be leaner. This may result in being less overweight later in life." So says the Department of Health and Human Services on its women's health Web site. A new Harvard study says nope...
By Stacey Garfinkle | April 26, 2007; 09:00 AM ET | Comments (0)
One Room or Two?
About 2 a.m. the other night, after oldest son came in whining for milk, followed by younger son whining for the same, I started to wonder if our decision to have our boys share a bedroom was a smart move. We have enough room for each to have their own...
By Stacey Garfinkle | April 12, 2007; 07:30 AM ET | Comments (0)
What's So Wrong With Formula?
A colleague with a new baby e-mailed this week lamenting the difficulties of breastfeeding. Governments and researchers drill the point home that breast is best with such fervor that many pregnant moms I know cringe at the thought of giving their babies formula. But breastfeeding is not an art learned...
By Stacey Garfinkle | March 27, 2007; 07:24 AM ET | Comments (0)
Baby Bounceback
Five hours after giving birth to 6-pound 14-ounce Isaac Sorensen, University of Nebraska at Kearney women's basketball coach Carol Russell helped lead her team from the bench. Now that's commitment! Let's see. What was I doing five hours after giving birth? Learning to breastfeed? Sleeping? Recovering from the pain? Changing...
By Stacey Garfinkle | March 15, 2007; 10:00 AM ET | Comments (0)
Nighty-Night. Now Sleep There!
You've had a long day. You're exhausted. Your child is sick. He had a nightmare. And in the middle of the night, he climbs into your bed, wraps his arms around you, steals your pillow and falls asleep. Do you: A) Fall back asleep B) Move to his bed C)...
By Stacey Garfinkle | March 6, 2007; 07:00 AM ET | Comments (0)
Happy Birthday, Dr. Seuss
Fifty years ago yesterday, "The Cat in the Hat" was born. It turned its author Theodor Seuss Geisel into a legend and it transformed children's books. In case you don't know the story of "The Cat in the Hat" (and no, I don't mean "The sun did not shine. it...
By Stacey Garfinkle | March 2, 2007; 06:45 AM ET | Comments (0)
Television for Geniuses or Dummies?
Baby Einstein, Brainy Baby, Baby TV, BabyFirst TV, Sesame Beginnings. The shows aim to make parents of the under-2 set think that their children will learn, be geniuses even, by watching. Yet, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends no screen time for children younger than 2 (and has for eight...
By Stacey Garfinkle | February 26, 2007; 06:45 AM ET | Comments (74)
A True Miracle
Baby Amillia Sonja Taylor is a double miracle. Conceived via in vitro fertilization, she was born on Oct. 24, less than 22 weeks into her mother's pregnancy, weighing less than 10 ounces and measuring 9½ inches long. "We weren't too optimistic," Dr. William Smalling told the Associated Press. "But she...
By Stacey Garfinkle | February 21, 2007; 07:00 AM ET | Comments (103)
