Category — Baby News

I guess Jennifer Aniston won’t be buying herself a Peg Perego double stroller anytime soon after all.  Recent photos of a svelte looking Aniston seem to dispel the rumors that she is pregnant with twins, so it looks she won’t be joining the celebrity mom crew right away.

But while she isn’t currently shopping for baby bling or taking prenatal yoga, Aniston is definitely planning on having kids in the future, so hopefully we won’t have to wait too long before we can officially extend a Baby Blog Blog congrats to Jen.

I have been reading about a lot of newborns being named Barack recently, but the most interesting story to me was the about the twins named Barack and Michelle.  While these adorable twins might not become politcal candidates any time soon, they are perfect candidates for a Graco double stroller as they campaign on a platform of less dirty diapers.  Now that is change to believe in!

Most of my posts are about the lighter side of childhood, but today I am delving into some less pleasant territory and joining with bloggers across the globe to raise awareness for the plight of refugees, especially children.  Almost half of the world’s 35 million refugees are children, and many of them are separated from their families, which makes them extremely vulnerable to abuse and neglect.

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Star Magazine reports Jennifer Aniston is pregnant with twins after eating cassava root and undergoing fertility treatments.  Congratulations Jennifer!

I can’t wait to see what great baby gear Jennifer gets for her bundles of joy.  I am envisioning a blinged out double jogging stroller, some cashmere diapers and GPS-enabled baby monitors for the nursery.  I also wonder if she’ll negotiate a hefty paycheck for her babies’ first photos, like some other celebs have.  It should be interesting to say the least.   This is one developing story  that I definitely will be following for the next several months. 

Ok, this election is just getting downright weird.  First we have a VP candidate running just months after the birth of her special needs child.  That has never happened before.  Then we learn that this same candidate also has a 17 year old pregnant daughter.  I don’t think that has happened before, at least not in a modern election.

And now this election campaign takes an even stranger twist.  It seems a plot that may rival a Desperate Housewives story line ties these two children together in a way never before seen in American politics.  Did Sarah Palin pull a Bree and stuff a pillow in her shirt to cover up her daughter’s pregnancy?

I guess time will only tell what the truth of the matter is, but one fact remains: the Palins are people who need lots of baby gear.  So, I’d like to introduce them to today’s Stroller of the Day: the Combi Double Stroller.  Combi strollers like the Counterpart 2 double stroller have large canopies to keep all that Alaska snow off of babies’ faces and rear wheel shock absorption for smooth rides on country roads.  A great stroller to face the wilds with!

Well, we’re back to the teen pregnancy issue, and it looks like we’ll have to revisit breastfeeding, because news just broke that Jamie Lynn Spears is pregnant again, and the rumor as to why or how is that she thought she couldn’t get pregnant while breastfeeding.

Sigh.  You know what, it’s Friday and I don’t think I can unpack Jamie Lynn’s baggage right now.  I will just wish her and the family best, and name a Stroller of the Day in their honor: the Graco Double Stroller.

Graco has a ton of great double strollers, but I really think the Quattro Tour Duo Stroller is perfect for the Spears crew.  It’s called “the ultimate in comfort for enjoyable outings for two” and has one-hand fold down for easy storage, which is great for moms who are busy with two toddlers.  The Graco stroller is also sleek enough to cruise down Melrose Ave, but sturdy enough for Main Street in Kentwood, LA, so it can travel along with Mom Jamie Lynn and the kids.  Pretty convenient!

Let me start off by saying, where does Angelina Jolie get the energy to run around with all those kids and look so good all the time?  She just had twins a couple of months ago, and already she has resumed her position as the queen of magazine covers.  She looked fantastic all dolled up on the cover of Star Magazine (in spite of their tummy tuck claim), and looks just as stunning all dressed down on the cover of this month’s W magazine. It’s so unfair (*sigh*) but good for her!

Apparently, the W cover is causing a little controversy due to the fact that Angelina is breastfeeding, but I think it’s great that she’s at least helping start a conversation about public breastfeeding.  It’s inspired me to do a run-down of great breastfeeding gear:

Evenflo Elan Complete Automatic Dual Breast Pump System: This breast pump system even comes with a picture frame, so Angelina can look at a photo of her brood every time she wants to pump and store milk.

Baby Nursing Swimsuit: The nursing swimsuit will come in handy at the pool or whatever tropical beach Angelina finds herself on next week.

MoBoleez Breastfeeding Bonnets: Breastfeeding bonnets are a great alternative for moms who don’t want to lug around a nursing blanket.  I could see this bonnet being ideal for moms who travel as much as Angelina.

Wow, 2008 is really turning into the Year of the Pregnant Teen. First the girls from Gloucester, then Jamie Lynn Spears, and now Bristol Palin, daughter of Republican VIP Candidate Sarah Palin. While I think it’s great that the parents of many of these high-profile pregnant teens are supportive of their daughters, I am a bit freaked out by how these young girls seem so anxious to be mothers. I guess they weren’t paying attention to the message of The Baby Borrowers.

I have heard of people blaming the movie Juno for giving kids the idea that being pregnant at a young age is cool, but who knows if that is the singular cause of this alarming trend. It does seem like teenagers have a very glamorized image of pregnancy and motherhood and almost no information of why pregnancy is so much more dangerous and difficult for young adults. So here is a rundown of some of the issues teens parents have to face:

• Babies born to teen mothers have an increased chance of health risks. Teen dads also have babies with more health problems that babies with older dads.
• Only around 50% of teen mothers go on to graduate high school. Child poverty is closely linked to teen pregnancy because teenage high school dropouts generally have lower-income jobs.
• Children of teenage parents tend to do worse in school and on developmental tests, and are more likely to drop out of school.

So while pregnant teenage girls may be dreaming about dressing their babies up like little dolls in designer baby clothes, the reality is that most of them don’t have a Governor mom or their own show on Nickelodeon, and will barely be able to afford feeding and diapering their kid. Not a happy future.

The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy offers some tips for helping children avoid teen pregnancy, because a little prevention is better for everyone.

This is definitely the craziest thing I have heard all week: a 6-month old baby was found crawling around downtown LA by herself on Monday. I shudder to think how that even happened. I really hope this story has a happy ending; best wishes to that adorable little girl.

Celebrating it’s tenth birthday is the Baby Einstein Disney line. You may know of its hit TV series or even the tons of toys, CDs, books and DVDs they produce that center around providing fun ways to learn about music and sounds for infants. They recently began targeting toddlers and will have a new line called “Einstein Pals ™” coming out in the spring made just for them. Also coming in 2009 will be the releases of two interactive DVDs called “Grow With Me” and “Select Your Segment”. These will have a focus on world music (vs. just classical music) and different cultures.

Meanwhile you can pick up two new DVD fall releases (that were center of attention during the anniversary celebration at Disney’s Concert Hall), “Baby Mozart” and “Baby Beethoven”, which have a cute puppet show and performance by the Glendale Youth Orchestra. If you aren’t already a part of the Baby Einstein mom fan train, you might want to hop aboard. I personally enjoy the DVDs and have seen my growing son singing new songs and even identifying instruments.