Babble

You know how when you read something that you’ve been thinking about for a long time, and you thought perhaps you were the only one who was realizing this, and thinking obsessively about these things? Uh-huh, me too, and the Babble interview with Katha Pollitt just might have you nodding your head in agreement while having your own a-ha! ...

Kathi Alexander implores parents to put down the ice cream and pick up the (metaphorical) belt in her essay, The War on ‘No’. Alexander warns that too much negotiating and giving in with our children in the place of stern boundaries will yield a generation of spoiled brats. But I have to ask, is this a new phenomenon? I certainly ...

I struggled with the, ‘Do I really want to put my daughter in the kitchen?’ thing for about five seconds before wrapping her up in this tiny apron from Zebi Baby and heading to cookie town. I, of course, was already wearing mine. The Mom & Me aprons are retro curvy and the mod patterns do recall a simpler, sexist time. But if you can get ...

Miriam Axel Lute’s personal essay about being a third of a triple is certainly going to cause a collective sharp sucking in of breath. I’ll admit to an instantaneous ‘Whaaaat?’ when I started reading And Baby Makes Four, Axel Lute’s story of bringing a baby into a marriage of two women and one man. Waiting for an explanation to make me ...

 Pop up books never stop being fun and when you have a paper engineer on the job, expect nothing less than a minor miracle in book architecture, or bookitecture as we like to call it here at Babble.  How Many? Spectacular Paper Sculptures (Random House, 2007) by Ron Van Der Meer is not only a visual delight, but the questions posed ...

Putting the Lilly Gold Nap-Sac through the ringer made me realize how awesome it would be if someone carried around a bed, snacks and a fresh outfit for me for a change. In the absence of a super strong butler, we’re going to have to settle for making a little one’s life more luxurious, yet again, at the schlepper’s expense. The Lilly ...

 You can blame Gwynne when after you read her exposé on the Swedish Embassy you find yourself booking one-way tickets to the middle finger of Scandinavia, family in tow. In addition to a Baby Björn fashion show, Gwynne was treated to a traditional Ikea Swedish meal and tour of the Washington DC home of the Swedes - and was quite ...

 My first thought when I spot a single mom is, ‘Thank god that’s not me.’ Because this whole baby raising thing - it’s freaking hard. Jean Railla explores the issue in Fatherless Brooklyn, an essay about single, middle-class women making the choice to have a child without the benefit of a partner. Differentiating between women who make ...

Todd Parr’s children’s books have always promoted a message of love and acceptance of the non-traditional among us, while celebrating the strange and wonderful things that make each child, animal and adult special. Parr’s newest book, We Belong Together: A Book About Adoption and Families (Little, Brown, 2007) exemplifies his mission. ...

 The birthday party debate is coming full circle! Instead of the previous (now demonized) competitions of high-end gift bags and exotic party locales, it is now all the rage to see who can be the most selfless by making your baby’s birthday about charitable giving and/or anti-consumerism. Amy Lutz takes on the ‘no gifts please’ movement ...