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• Baby Born Drunk

  I, like anyone else, enjoy a drink now and then. But I usually wait until after 5p.m. or until, you know, after I've been born. Clearly one infant girl couldn't wait to tie one on because she came into the world totally smashed. How drunk was this newborn? Try three times the legal limit (provided she came out of the womb driving an El Camino). A Polish baby girl recently came in to the world with a .29 blood alcohol level. To put that in perspective, that level would be like you drinking 2 and 1/3 bottles of wine... Read More... Posted Jun 13 2008, 09:00 AM by Cole Gamble with | with 15 comment(s) Filed under: pregnancy, infant, baby, alcohol, fetal alcohol syndrome, drunk, booze, poland, hooch

• Pregcellent: Are Breastfeeding Extremists Endangering Babies?

  The Daily Mail has this typically hysterical and annoying headline for a recent story: "No, breast ISN'T always best for baby...whatever the extremists tell you". Ba ba buuuum. That's right, lactation consultants pose major threats to infant health and welfare! Talk about selling a story. But then the article goes on to cover the views of Clare Byam-Cook, a retired midwife who has helped loads of people (including Kate Winslet and Helena Bonham-Carter--celebrity nipple alert!) learn to breastfeed. And frankly, I think she has some good things to say. Byam-Cook says some midwives are so dogmatic that they simply push breastfeeding, meaning moms with problems... Read More... Posted May 28 2008, 05:03 PM by Kelly Mills with | with 23 comment(s) Filed under: health, infant, newborn, midwives, breastfeeding, nursing, lactivism, bottles, breasts, formula, controversy, pregcellent, lactation, daily mail

• Maternity Ward Nightmare, Part Two: Baby Napper Pretended to Be Pregnant

  I posted an item on Saturday about a woman in Sanford, Fla., who managed to disguise herself as a nurse and successfully walk out of a hospital with a newborn infant in a tote bag. The infant was recovered a short time later and the alleged babynapper, 39-year-old Jennifer Latham, was arrested. But that was only the beginning of this story. It gets even freakier. Read More... Posted Mar 31 2008, 06:10 PM by Jen Chaney with | with 5 comment(s) Filed under: infant, baby, kidnapping, florida, maternity ward, Jennifer Latham, Sanford

• Dad Puts Baby In Microwave

  Apparently because he was mad about his loveless marriage, a Texas man placed his infant daughter in a microwave and turned it on.    A Jury has handed the 20-year-old man a 25 year prison sentence... Read More... Posted Mar 31 2008, 09:00 AM by Cole Gamble with | with 6 comment(s) Filed under: infant, father, texas, burns, microwave, Bad Parent, MSN

• Easter Bunny Cracks, Injures Kid

  Ever since I read "Santaland Diaries" by David Sedaris (highly recommended for being utterly hilarious,) I've been sort of fascinated by those folks who dress up in costume and pose for photos with the kids around the holidays. Think about it: What gets you into that line of work? Perhaps some people are so into the spirit of various holidays that they clear their calendars to become Santa and the Easter Bunny, but I imagine it's circumstance that brings most people into the job. And while Santa has some dignity, being a grown adult in a giant bunny costume and dealing with legions of sobbing children... Well, it's ripe for a "Falling Down" moment.  Not that I'm justifying the actions of this Bunny gone bad, mind you. Apparently frustrated...   Read More... Posted Mar 24 2008, 04:46 PM by Kelly Mills with | with no comments Filed under: infant, babies, holidays, crime, stress, child abuse, easter, photos, jobs, arrest, mall, crying

• You're Doing It Wrong

  The soothing powers of turning your baby into a non-edible pig-in-a-blanket has got to be one of the best discoveries in all of the annals of human history. It's up there with the wheel and fire and Doritos, in my opinion, and has saved many a baby from being abandoned on a neighbor's doorstep because it won't stop crying. Swaddling rocks.  How hard can it be to wrap a baby in a blanket? It seems easy enough: find blanket, add baby, wrap. The biggest issue seems like it should be making sure the baby's head isn't covered, too. The parenting experts would like you to know that -- like everything else you've ever done as a parent -- you're probably doing it wrong.   Read More... Posted Jan 15 2008, 12:30 PM by Adrienne Martini with | with 2 comment(s) Filed under: infant, experts, swaddling, Doritos, hip dysplasia

• Baby Skeleton In Trunk and Mom Secrets

  This story has been fascinating me for a couple days: Some grown siblings were cleaning out their mother's house after she died in early December. Under the bed they found an old suitcase, and in the suitcase they found some of their mother's clothes and, oh, a baby skeleton. The infant was determined to have been born at 35 weeks gestation, was dressed in a smock, and curled in the fetal position. There were no signs of trauma to the infant, but there's an ongoing police investigation.  The siblings who found the skeleton say they didn't recognize the suitcase, but... Read More... Posted Jan 03 2008, 10:31 AM by Kelly Mills with | with 1 comment(s) Filed under: infant, Sex, parents, moms, secrets, police investigation, family secrets, suitcase, remains, experimentation, skeleton

• Things Fall Apart: Disney "Baby Einstein" Footed Jammies Recalled

  Speaking of the darker side of Disney, they've instituted a voluntary recall, along with the Consumer Product Safety Commission, of Baby Einstein children's footed pajamas. The good news is, only about 200 of these are being recalled, so chances are you're not an unlucky owner, but the bad news is that they don't meet flammability requirements, and that could be very bad indeed. The affected sleepwear is either green with blue sleeves with a caterpillar on the front, or yellow with orange sleeves sporting a duck on the front and the words, "quack quack". The words "Baby Einstein" (are you aware of how much it pains me even to type "Baby Einstein"?) are printed on the back, and there's a tag inside that reads (this had to be there somewhere) "Disney Store". Lest you worry unnecessarily, it's good to know also that the recall is ONLY for the 12 and18 month sizes, and identical sleepwear in sizes 3, 6, and 9 months are not affected. You can of course return your kid's jammies to The Disney Store for a complete refund. Plus gas money for the drive, and something extra for the snacks you had to buy your kid for the trip. (I wish. Sorry, I'm kidding about that last part, but seriously, shouldn't they? To schlep all the way to the mall or whatever to return something that was defective and not your fault to begin with, shouldn't companies give you an incentive, something besides, "At least your kid didn't get hurt by our shoddy product"?) Posted Apr 18 2007, 08:51 AM by Karen Murphy with | with 2 comment(s) Filed under: infant, disney, recall, safety, baby einstein, things fall apart, sleepwear, Disney Store

• Travel "Tips" to Avoid Getting Ejected from Plane

  I'm beginning to feel for the Kulesza family -- or those people, as they will evermore be known. Those people who got kicked off a plane. Those people who couldn't control their daughter. Those people who destroyed countless travel plans delayed others for a whole 15 minutes. Those people who just can't seem to escape the glare of national headlines. This weekend, Yahoo's front page offered "helpful tips" for families across the country with a taunting headline: "How to avoid becoming the family that got kicked off an airplane after their 3-year-old threw a tantrum." The subtext? They suck. And they deserve another round of bashing disguised as a self help travel tips article. Read More... Posted Jan 29 2007, 03:07 PM by Mike Adamick (Cry It Out!) with | with 3 comment(s) Filed under: parenting, travel, infant, child, travelling with kids, parenting advice, airlines, AirTran

• "Bubble Boy" Disease Test 30 Years in the Making

  Every year between 40 and 100 babies are born with what is known as "severe combined immunodeficiency disease" -- though doctors believe many more babies might have died due to undiagnosed complications. It sounds scary enough, but it gets worse. John Travolta made a movie about it -- "The Boy in the Plastic Bubble." In all seriousness, the movie was made in 1976. It's been 30 years since that catastrophe and doctors are just now working on an early screening test for newborns? What gives? It turns out that the disease has been too complicated to detect in the early, blood droplet screenings given to newborns. Until now. Wisconsin is set to become the nation's first state to screen for the disease, potentially followed by other states if a pilot program works. People, get on it. Early testing is key to fighting the disease, because if an infant becomes too sick too soon, surgery becomes more and more risky. That doesn't even take into account the hundreds of thousands of dollars it costs to cure if the disease is detected later -- or the sad prospect of forcing a child to live in a bubble. (I mean besides those created every day by pushy albeit deluded parents.) All I'm saying is I just hope it doesn't take another 30 years. Or another John Travolta movie. Posted Jan 16 2007, 04:00 PM by Mike Adamick (Cry It Out!) with | with no comments Filed under: health, news, infant, newborn, hospitals, medicine, babies, health and well-being of children.

• Another Case For Breastfeeding, and So Much More

  The ease of having someone else feed the baby besides the mom aside, physicians agree that breastmilk is best for babies as "long as mutually desired by mother and child."  But I'm not here to debate that, nor am I here to pass judgment on parents who choose to feed their baby formula. I realize there is a whole host of reasons that make up a parent's choice in important aspects of parenting such as the decision to breastfeed or not to. But this story brings up a number of issues.  Three-week-old D'Angelo Johnson, son of 17-year-old LaToya Johnson, was airlifted to a St. Lous-area hospital due to head injuries sustained when the "children attempting to feed the baby a bottle grew frustrated when he refused to take it", and, children being children, naurally whacked him on the head with the bottle in their frustration. Which leads to a lot of questions: 1.  The mom is 17.  Where is her support? 2.  Children watching children?  Three-week-old children?  Again: no support. 3.  And, if I didn't make this clear:  where was the support here?  Who informed LaToya about choices in feeding infants, about caring for her new baby?  Did someone hand her a brochure which she likely didn't read and then call it a day? How many heads of babies like D'Angelo will be crushed beyond recognition because no one bothered to give proper support to the family?  How many other families are in similar situations, making poor choices because they've never heard of any alternatives and don't have any role models?  I know money is being spent in what to me was useless hospital education, because I've been the recipient of it, but somehow, parents like LaToya and children like D/Angelo are still falling through the cracks. Posted Jan 09 2007, 07:02 AM by Karen Murphy with | with 3 comment(s) Filed under: infant, bottle feeding, postpartum support

• Ben Affleck Doesn't Want to Embarass Daughter. Oops, Too Late!

  “I’ve never been very judicious about my own behavior or choices, until they had an impact on someone other than me,” says actor Ben Affleck, dad to 1-year-old Violet.  “… my daughter, who has my last name.  I don’t want her to mutter it over a drink.  I want her to be proud of her old man.” Lucky for Ben, there’s so much quality film footage that he could show his daughter each time she pulls one of those teenage laments about how her parents are such douchebags.  “I understand how you feel, honey,” he could say.  “Why, I used to be embarrassed that my Mom was a school teacher.  What a peon!  Wanna watch my 'Jenny from The Block' video again?” Isn’t it funny how every new parent aspires to avoid the unforgivable sins their own parents committed: the sins of being not being “cool,” not “understanding,” not “getting it”?  But we all know it’s unavoidable.  I mean, just the fact that most of us are at least 25 years older than our kids means that we’re not going to “get it.”  And why would we want to?  When was the last time you identified with someone 25 years younger than you?  All the 5-year-olds I know are jerks. As the parent of a 4-year-old and a 19-month-old, I’m not quite there yet.  I still kinda think I can pull it off, this “cool” parent thing.  Why not?  I’ve got tattoos!  I've had piercings!  When my older daughter Hazel’s 15, I'll be able to say, 'Honey, go ahead and get that eyelid piercing you've been talking about.  I totally understand and support the idea of you putting permanent holes in your face.  You go, girl!'  When my younger girl Violet wants to go to the movies alone with her seventh grade boyfriend (or girlfriend – I’m cool with that!), I’ll pretend to think it over, before nudging her in the ribs with my elbow and saying 'You and I both know that ‘going to the movies’ is code for ‘dry humping,’ dude.  Just make sure you buy tickets to that new Ben Affleck movie, so you know you aren’t missing much!' I like to think that I’ll be able to relate to my girls when they’re older – or at least not completely mortify them.  I guess Mr. Affleck and I have that in common (boy, there’s something I never thought I’d say).  Hey, we also have a daughter named Violet in common!  And we both totally regret rubbing suntan lotion all over Jennifer Lopez’s ass in that goddamn video.  Oh wait, I guess that’s just him. Posted Dec 12 2006, 04:10 PM by Alisyn with | with no comments Filed under: celebrity, Ben Affleck, Embarassing Your Kids, infant, newborn, baby

• Crowded Out: Where are City Moms Supposed to Go For Playdates?

  After my daughter was born, I lucked into finding out that my neighborhood had a parents group for babies under six months that met weekly at a local cafe.  During those first few shell shocked months of trying to figure out what the hell I had done to my life this group was a lifesaver.  Once a week about ten of us would cram into a corner of the cafe, babies in slings or infant car seats, and discuss our cracked nipples and sex lives (or lack thereof) with women who had previously been strangers.  Needless to say, we are now friends. But the babies have begun to grow and are no longer satiated by staring at the ceiling fan in the cafe for an hour.  And the cafe feels more and more crowded, and crawling and screaming babies don't seem exactly welcome.  It's time for us to find somewhere else to go. The question is where.  We all have teeny-tiny apartments that are hard-pressed to hold ten adults and ten children.  We don't have playrooms or, in some cases, even bedrooms for the babies.  We aren't exactly the types to hang out a Gymboree.  And with the weather getting colder, we can't always do the playground.  Plus, you can't drink wine there, so what's the fun in that? So where do urban mamas and their babies go to hang out?  Certainly others out there have faced this dilema and there's got to be some creative solutions when space is an issue. Posted Dec 09 2006, 03:00 PM by Posthipchick with | with 1 comment(s) Filed under: parenting, toddler, infant, moms group