Author Archive

JUSTIN BIEBER-PROOF YOUR BABY

Fear the day your child will listen to the likes of Justin Bieber? Start shaping his or her preference for good music early—really early

Posted by Anne Taulane on 12/16/2010 at 11:08AM | No Comments

No pregnant woman wants to draw more attention to her belly, but I’d make an exception with the Nuvo Ritmo Advanced Sound System. The device is essentially a speaker system for your growing bundle of joy, allowing the baby to listen along to the tunes playing on your iPod.

I took the Ritmo out for a test drive when I was pregnant with my daughter Nora. Basically, you strap a stretchy, lightweight belt with four speakers embedded in it across your belly. Each of the speakers sits over a different quadrant of your tummy with the Ritmo control and your iPod stashed in pockets on either side. You control the volume for yourself on your iPod, and Ritmo’s Safe & Sound Technology adjusts the volume on the speaker so it’s not blowing out your baby’s delicate, newly formed eardrums. READ MORE

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NATURAL GRAPE SODA AND FRESH FRUIT POPSICLES

Our resident mom just found a great use for all that past-its-prime summer produce going to waste in your fridge

Posted by Anne Taulane on 7/30/2010 at 10:21AM | 1 Comment

Fresh strawberry popcicles

Before I begin this post, I would just like to issue the following disclaimer: I am not now, nor will I ever be, a Martha Stewart protégé. In fact, on my third date with my now husband, I proudly proclaimed, “I am not domestic, and I’ll probably never be.” And for the most part, I’ve held true to that statement. On the rare night that I “cook” it usually involves heating up a bag of frozen gnocchi from Trader Joe’s.

It should come as no surprise that my husband burst into laughter when I informed him that I was going to make grape soda. While I may not be Holly Homemaker, I am cheap, and it bugged me to no avail that we had a full bag of grapes that was past its peak of freshness and fruit would once again go to waste in our house. I love going to the grocery store in the spring and summer and filling my cart with fresh berries, peaches, mangoes and more, but by the week’s end, half of it invariably winds up in the trash. Maybe it’s the pregnancy hormones, but I decided to get creative with fruit and put an end to the waste. READ MORE

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THE DAIRY DILEMMA

Can a diet free of cheese, yogurt and milk help ease your child’s eczema?

Posted by Anne Taulane on 6/15/2010 at 1:06PM | 3 Comments

When my son was first born, I used to marvel at how soft and smooth his skin was. I carefully moisturized him post bath to keep it silky, and I found myself sniffing his little head every now and then for a whiff of that indescribable scent that only babies have (kind of like that “new car smell,” only it’s a “new kid smell”).

But around three or four months all of that faded. Jack developed dry, flaky patches all over his face and chin, and he perpetually sported a red, slapped-cheek look. At first I thought it was dry skin—the rashes started as soon as the temperatures began to drop—but no amount of Aquafor could return his skin to its former glory. (I’m ashamed to admit this, but like a Vogue photo editor, I even air brushed our Christmas card so his complexion would appear a little clearer.) READ MORE

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TOTAL RECALL

Does using recalled baby items make you a bad mom?

Posted by Anne Taulane on 5/26/2010 at 9:30AM | 3 Comments

Perhaps it’s just on my radar now that I’m a new mom, but doesn’t it seem like every day another product is recalled because it threatens to maim, sicken, or kill our children? Tylenol, baby slings, strollers—I mean, what’s next? Cribs. Yup, them too. At this point, I’m considering padding my 10-month-old son in bubble wrap and tucking him away in a hygienically sealed room until he’s 18.

It’s the crib controversy that has me most concerned— public enemy No. 1, in particular: the drop-side crib. The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has recalled more than 7 million drop-side cribs from 11 brands in the past five years—the most recent culprits Golden Baby, Sorelle and C&T International, Graco and Simplicity. And now the government group is saying it plans to ban them altogether by the end of the year. (If you want a list of the latest product recalls, check out the CPSC website .) READ MORE

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