Strollerderby

February 2008 - Posts

• Gee-Whiz and Why

  Posted by Adrienne Martini

  Pricey products pitched to parents that seem to have limited benefit are a particular peeve of mine. Don't get me wrong -- I'm all for investing in, say, a decent carseat or crib. But it's all of the stuff pitched to overachieving parents who want to make their baby "brighter" that chafes my behind. Read More... + DIGG + STUMBLE Posted Feb 24 2008, 07:00 PM with no comments

• Pre-eclampsia Linked With Herpes

  Posted by Madeline Holler

  In today's continuing coverage of STDs, this next report should raise plenty of eyebrows from now on whenever a new mom discusses preterm birth or high blood pressure during her pregnancy. Researchers in Australia have linked exposure to viral infection -- especially the herpes type -- to both.   Read More... + DIGG + STUMBLE Posted Feb 24 2008, 04:09 PM with 2 comment(s) Filed under: research study, preterm labor, premature babies, high blood pressure, pre-eclampsia, STDs, herpes, preterm birth

• Babies Don't Need Shoes

  Posted by Karen Murphy

  Baby Nikes. Cute, but unnecessary. Classic (ugly-as-hell) white orthopedic-looking baby shoes? Also don't really do a damn thing. Nope, if it wasn't for the cold and the rocks and sticks and dirt and stuff outside, babies wouldn't need shoes at all. Wanna know what we've been wrong about when it comes to babies and shoes? Read More... + DIGG + STUMBLE Posted Feb 24 2008, 11:09 AM with 7 comment(s) Filed under: robeez, soft star shoes, baby shoes, footwear, baby foot development

• Cervical Cancer Vaccine for Boys

  Posted by Madeline Holler

  Mother of two girls, here, so maybe I'm just being a boy-hater when I say, yes, yes, as long as we're vaccinating girls with Gardasil let's go ahead and do the boys too. Gardasil is the newish vaccine that guards against four types of HPV. Two of the HPV viruses are found in 70 percent of all cervical cancer cases and the other two are found in 90 percent of genital warts cases for both boys and girls. Because of the possible dramatic reduction in cervical cancers, some states tried to mandate the expensive three-rounds shot for all girls. Next year, the vaccine may be ... Read More... + DIGG + STUMBLE Posted Feb 24 2008, 09:12 AM with 6 comment(s) Filed under: vaccinations, Gardasil, immunizations, NYTimes, hpv vaccine, mandate

• Prank Calls, 21st-Century Style

  Posted by Amy S.F. Lutz

  Ah, the prank phone call.  A rite of passage, some would argue.  Even my mom remembers making prank calls when she was a kid.  She and her friends would call local stationery stores to inquire about a particular brand of tobacco:  "Do you have 'Prince Edward' in a can?" they would ask.  When the clerk would answer in the affirmative, they would scream, "Then let him out!"  Too bad my mom didn't have the technology available today . . .   Read More... + DIGG + STUMBLE Posted Feb 24 2008, 12:08 AM with 1 comment(s) Filed under: Freeland, itellas, harassment, prank calls

• 10 Things I Am Doing to Get Ready to Watch the Oscars

  Posted by Karen Murphy

  I don't have much time, and neither do you! Uh, you do want to look and feel your very best when you turn on the TV tomorrow to vicariously suck in your stomach and march down that red carpet, right? I mean, millions of people will be watching you maybe one or two random kids may pay you attention beyond "I'm hungry" or "come wipe meeee!" Never mind that. I know you want tomorrow's Oscars to be your best ever. And there's still time! Read More... + DIGG + STUMBLE Posted Feb 23 2008, 04:31 PM with no comments Filed under: liposuction, Botox, mink lashes, jimmy choo, one stitch facelift, hair weave

• Strollerderby Finishline: The It's a Boy! Tiki Edition

  Posted by Karen Murphy

  Why yes, the antibiotics have taken hold and I'm feeling much better, thanks! It seems, though, that one of us here at Strollerderby stole the damned tiki and until it gets hurled back into the volcano we're still gonna be dropping like flies. Still, those who weren't throwing up or recovering from various other mysterious maladies or getting deep in new-mortgage debt or exceedingly pregnant managed to do a nice bit of writing. Oh! And we were joined by NewGuy Cole Gamble, and also ExtraMysteriousNewGuy Brett Singer. Yay! So we have plenty to cover this week, not the least of which was the timely birth of SD's newest blogger, Amy Kuras' new son William: Read More... + DIGG + STUMBLE Posted Feb 23 2008, 03:07 PM with no comments Filed under: Strollerderby Finishline

• Empty Nest Syndrome Strikes Some Parents Early

  Posted by Rachael Brownell (Redsy)

  Sarah Ebner experienced Empty Nest Syndrome when her son was only 2 1/2.  According to some experts it is possible to experience some version of Empty Nest Syndrome (the experience of loss and grief after a child leaves home) at previously unrecognized phases of development such as your youngest leaving for preschool, or beginning Kindergarten...   Read More... + DIGG + STUMBLE Posted Feb 23 2008, 02:00 PM with no comments Filed under: grief, empty nest, kindergart, empty nest syndrome, loss

• Gamer Risks Life for Nephew

  Posted by Rachael Brownell (Redsy)

  Despite all media impressions to the contrary, all gamers aren't violet anti-social layabouts who care nothing for the lives of babies...   Some even risk their lives selflessly, and not just for their own children.  Jeff Shoemaker saved the life of his year-old nephew just last year... After his young nephew's liver failed and his brother-in-law didn't want to risk widowing his wife, good old Uncle Jeff stepped in to save the day.  Despite the risks (many of liver donors die or suffer serious complications), he donated a portion of his liver and saved little Aiden. Goes to show that heroism can come from any quarter.    Read More... + DIGG + STUMBLE Posted Feb 23 2008, 12:32 PM with 1 comment(s)

• Sex on Screen: Girl Stereotypes in Kid's Media

  Posted by Karen Murphy

  My daughter claims she's a ninja, and I believe her. She also has an older brother deep into some semi-imagined ninja culture. Coincidence? Hardly. Today, though, she put her ninja mask aside and is dressed provocatively as Padme Amidala in her homemade version of the outfit at right. At 8, does she know it's sexually provocative? I hope not. But my kid, along with yours and everyone else's is constantly assaulted by a barrage of sexually-stereotypical images in kid's film and TV. Here are the numbers: Read More... + DIGG + STUMBLE Posted Feb 23 2008, 11:39 AM with no comments Filed under: tv, media, films, star wars, children's media, female stereotypes

• 16-Year-Old Girl Gives Birth To Triplets...Um, Again

  Posted by Kelly Mills

  Plenty of people get upset about teen pregnancy, and this one makes Jamie Lynn Spears seem relatively chaste by comparison. A 16-year-old in Argentina just gave birth to triplets. Oh, and the mom and babies are doing well, thanks for asking. So why has this caused such a kerfuffle, touching off debates and criticism all over Argentina. Well, um, it isn't her first set of triplets. She had her first baby at age 14... Read More... + DIGG + STUMBLE Posted Feb 23 2008, 09:32 AM with 6 comment(s) Filed under: Large families, triplets, multiple births, argentina, birth control, teen pregnancy, multiples, family planning, jamie lynn spears, teen mothers

• Maybe We Should Switch To Sporks

  Posted by Brett Singer

  Much like playing "The Name Game" with someone named "Chuck" ("Chuck chuck, bo buck, banana fana fo fu... oops!"), it is not a good idea to have a two year old say "fork and spoon" in polite company. Why not? (Fork - r = Fok) + (In - n = n) + Spoon = Fokkin' Spoon Say it out loud. But not while Phyllis Schlafly is listening.   + DIGG + STUMBLE Posted Feb 22 2008, 09:15 PM with 7 comment(s) Filed under: food, eating, toddlers, two year olds, stuff kids say, utensils

• Science Finally Explains Why the Terrible Two's Are Terrible

  Posted by Karen Murphy

  If kids could skip an entire year and go from one to three, that would be just fine with me. My younger son is in the throes of the Two's about now (even though he's four, just doing things on his own timetable), and it is like living with the Toddler From Hell.  At that point they are all action and will, but little direction. So guess who bears the brunt of their frustration that Life Isn't What They Thought It Would be? That's right, you and me. And this is why: Read More... + DIGG + STUMBLE Posted Feb 22 2008, 06:10 PM with 7 comment(s) Filed under: toddlers, frustration, terrible twos, development, two-year-olds

• No Day Like a Snow Day

  Posted by Brett Singer

  6am, Friday February 22. The weather outside is frightful, blah blah blah. Like all good New Yorkers I turned on 1010 WINS to see what schools will be closed. And….neither kid got the day off (which is good, because I actually had work to do). What's the point here, weatherman? Well, I don't think my boys have ever experienced a snow day.   Read More... + DIGG + STUMBLE Posted Feb 22 2008, 06:02 PM with 6 comment(s) Filed under: snowstorm, weather, snow day, snow

• Elmo Doll Makes Death Threats

  Posted by Kelly Mills

  This is a strange turn of events. After all, I imagine many talking Elmo dolls have had to listen to muttered death threats from parents weary of that cloying little giggle, that high-pitched voice with the mechanized edge. In fact, I sort of imagine the Elmo dolls sneak out at night and meet at a bar somewhere to drown their sorrows and share stories of the creepy things parents say to them when the kid leaves them wedged between the couch cushions and the parent accidentally sits on Elmo, causing Elmo to say "Elmo loves you" and the parent to say...well, stuff we can't reprint here. But clearly one Elmo has had enough, and fully lost it. A mom is reporting that her son's Elmo Knows Your Name doll says in a sing-song voice, "Kill James." Raise... Read More... + DIGG + STUMBLE Posted Feb 22 2008, 05:33 PM with 1 comment(s) Filed under: toys, elmo, mothers, recall, moms, violence, names, children and divorce, dolls, elmo knows your name doll, death threats

• Does A Cell Phone Zap Sperm?

  Posted by Adrienne Martini

  Well's Tara Parker-Pope tackles a question that I hadn't even thought to ask: will carrying a cell phone in a pants' pocket have a negative impact on a man's fertility. Read More... + DIGG + STUMBLE Posted Feb 22 2008, 04:30 PM with no comments Filed under: cell phones, sperm, fertility, Tara Parker-Pope, pants

• The Best of FameCrawler: Week of Feb. 22

  Posted by Whit Honea

  BREAKING NEWS: Jennifer Lopez Gives Birth to Twins Gene Simmons Sex Tape Heath Ledger's Death Taking A Toll On Jake Gyllenhaal Miley Cyrus: Grounded Until Menopause Naked Lindsay Lohan Channels Marilyn Monroe - And Nicole Kidman? Playboy Hot List Which Movie Star Just Miscarried? Genesseret.com: Is Gene Simmons' Sex Tape a Tool of the Devil? All Eyes Are On a Pregnant Nicole Kidman - In a See-Through Dress Steve Zahn, You Could Have Had the Large Popcorn for Only a Quarter More!   + DIGG + STUMBLE Posted Feb 22 2008, 04:20 PM with no comments Filed under: birth, twins, lawsuit, gene simmons, Nicole Kidman, Jennifer Lopez, lindsay lohan, heath ledger, famecrawler, Jesus, miley cyrus, Marc Anthony, Steve Zahn, jake gyllenhall, j. lo, marilyn monroe, baby on blog

• Older Moms Do It Better

  Posted by Kelly Mills

  If you follow this sort of thing, you know that older moms have been lambasted in the media lately because of the drop in fertility and the fact that they have a higher risk of birth defects and miscarriage, blah blah blah. There's been some members of the medical community and a couple of female columnists exhorting women to stop waiting so long to have kids, saying ladies should maybe settle for a less-than-great mate in order to spawn early and safely or risk being alone and childless. Those wicked older moms. Why, a group of mothers hasn't been this villified since...um, single moms? Lowri Turner is mad and she isn't gonna take this crap anymore. She argues... Read More... + DIGG + STUMBLE Posted Feb 22 2008, 03:31 PM with 2 comment(s) Filed under: fertility, men, sexism, divorce attorneys, single moms, daily mail, older moms, middle age, career, teen mothers, selfish, lowri turner

• McDonalds Wants to Sell Your Kids Hamburgers and Sex

  Posted by Cole Gamble

  You don’t need me to tell you McDonald’s is marketing to your kids.  They want to snag your juniors early and mold them into lifetime users.  In America, McDonald’s ropes tikes in with Playlands, toys in meals and easy going clown/nightmare fodder Ronald McDonald.  Japanese McDonald’s, however, know what your kids really want: sex. Jump ahead to watch the sexiest Ronald McDonald you will ever see. Read More... + DIGG + STUMBLE Posted Feb 22 2008, 11:49 AM with 3 comment(s) Filed under: mcdonald's, Japan, advertisements, clowns, hamburger

• Crafty: Here Fishy, Fishy, Fishy

  Posted by Adrienne Martini

  Quick -- before you get snowed in! Angarad at Whip Up tells you how to make your own fish soap. Not only will it keep hands occupied in the making of it, the fish soap will also keep those hands clean. It's a win for everyone.   Read More... + DIGG + STUMBLE Posted Feb 22 2008, 02:30 PM with no comments Filed under: fish, kid activities, crafty, plastic bags, soap

• Recipes that Rock: Avery Lane Experience Does Chicken Tagine

  Posted by Rachael Brownell (Redsy)

  Do you know what a "tagine" is? Never fear.  It's only a rich tasty stew.  Paige at the Avery Lane Experience provides a gentle guide through the often intimidating world of good cooking.  If you are a bit underperforming in this realm, or if you're looking for some new recipes, Paige is your girl. Here is her easy and delicious adaptation of Nigella Lawson's Chicken Tagine:   Read More... + DIGG + STUMBLE Posted Feb 22 2008, 12:59 PM with 1 comment(s) Filed under: Avery Lane Experience, recipes that rock

• Pediatrician Poll: Circumcision

  Posted by editors

  "We always tell parents there is no medical reason to circumcise, but we respect cultural obligations." — Kim Gush MD, FAAP. Chapel Hill, NC. "I am for circumcision. New evidence shows less transmission of AIDS in circumcised men. This is a world-wide issue." — Eugenia Marcus, MD, FAAP. Newton, MA. "In my opinion, this is more of a social/religious decision than it is a medical one. I discuss the pros/cons with parents and let them decide." — John W. Waidner, MD, FAAP. Jacksonville, FL. To obtain these results, Babble randomly called 300 AAP-approved pediatricians in 50 states, then tallied the answers of the 20 who called back. Pediatrician Poll appears in Strollerderby every Friday. + DIGG + STUMBLE Posted Feb 22 2008, 12:00 PM with 9 comment(s) Filed under: circumcision, pediatrician poll

• The Slutty Bride

  Posted by Amy S.F. Lutz

  I have three daughters, and although the oldest isn't quite seven years old, I've on occasion let myself imagine their wedding days:  the songs they'll dance to with their father ("Tradition" from Fiddler On The Roof?  "Isn't She Lovely," by Stevie Wonder?), the choice of locale (elegant, urban hotel or outdoor historic estate?), and of course, the gowns - which, if trends continue, will be less virginal Madonna and more Madonna in "Like A Virgin." Read More... + DIGG + STUMBLE Posted Feb 22 2008, 11:34 AM with 1 comment(s) Filed under: Carolina Herrera, bridal gowns, Monique Lhullier, Oscar de la Renta, Vera Wang

• Toddler Artist Works in Ketchup

  Posted by Rachael Brownell (Redsy)

  Freddy Linsky is an acclaimed artist whose works have sold for successfully at various galleries in England.  Freddy is two years old. His mother, who is a teacher at an art school, posted his work on a lark, one which eventually many art collectors took quite seriously.   Read More... + DIGG + STUMBLE Posted Feb 22 2008, 11:06 AM with 1 comment(s) Filed under: art, youth workshops, working in ketchup, artists

• Free MP3! from Baby Loves Jazz

  Posted by editors

  The Baby Loves Jazz Band consists of six animal musicians, including Ella Elephant and Charlie Bird. But behind those animal facades are six supremely accomplished jazz musicians, who give some swing to classic children’s songs on Baby Loves Jazz: Greatest Hits. Don’t get us wrong – this is pure old-school kids’ music: “Wheels on the Bus”, “Old MacDonald” and “Itsy Bitsy Spider” all make appearances. But with the jazz band at the helm, mixing these standards with originals and instrumental jams, the old stand-bys start to feel new. Jazz-loving parents can consider this a painless indoctrination (assuming your kids aren’t yet ready for Bitches Brew). Download the sketch/song “Hello Green” after the jump! Read More... + DIGG + STUMBLE Posted Feb 22 2008, 10:15 AM with 1 comment(s) Filed under: music, children's music, babble mix tape, free mp3, baby loves jazz, jazz