Five fascinating moms: Naomi Davis

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Name: Naomi Davis Age: 26 Lives in: New York City, New York Occupation: Blogger Partner in crime: Josh Davis Website: lovetaza.com Favorite item in her closet: A vintage pink dress that makes her feel girly and pretty Strangest pregnancy craving: She

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Five fascinating moms: Carmen Matthews

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Name: Carmen Matthews Age: 33 Lives in: Leland, North Carolina Occupation: Registered nurse Partner in crime: Mike Matthews Favorite song: Too many, she just loves country music Strangest pregnancy craving: Slim Jims First thing she does in the morning: Brushes

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Five fascinating moms: Jessica Boulanger

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Name: Jessica Boulanger Age: 35 Lives in: Washington, DC Occupation: Founder and designer of More of Me Maternity, vice president of communications at the Business Roundtable Partner in crime: Todd Boulanger Website: moreofmematernity.com Favorite holiday: All of them, even Flag

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Five fascinating moms: Emma Bing

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Name: Emma Bing Age: 29 Lives in: Los Angeles Occupation: Writer Partner in crime: Russell Ali Website: whattoexpect.com Favorite movie: What to Expect When You’re Expecting Strangest pregnancy craving: Black olives First thing she does in the morning: Pees (for

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Five fascinating moms: Kerri Walsh Jennings

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Name: Kerri Walsh Jennings Age: 34 Lives in: Los Angeles Occupation: Professional beach volleyball player Partner in crime: Casey Jennings Website: kerriwalsh.com Favorite television show: Anything on Bravo Strangest pregnancy craving: Lemonade First thing she does in the morning: Procrastinates

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Going the distance

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When you’re stumbling along the path of early parenthood, life can become pretty foggy. Simple decisions—the blue shirt or the green? (for the baby, of course—you haven’t had a clean anything on your body in days)—become overwhelming. The normal tasks of adulthood like

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Small chops

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I can remember the day my son got his first tooth. I woke up that morning and elbowed my husband to get out of bed and check on our little guy. For the first time ever, he had slept the

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The bottom line

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I would consider myself to be someone with a fair amount of kid-rearing experience, but until recently, there was one arena in which I remained completely unschooled. Before my third child was born in May of last year, I had

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Cloth diapering decoded

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Cloth diapering guru and mom of three, Jaimee Gleisner, made a series of seven videos explaining  how to cloth diaper your baby. She also shares how to strip your diapers to rid them of any odors and keep them stain

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Basic instincts

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What’s happening to me? I want to lash out irrationally whenever I sense a threat to my child’s well-being, and when I tell my baby, “I could just eat you up!” I almost mean it. Have I completely lost my

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Tear-filled farewells

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In the early days, you can hand your baby over to someone else and he’ll hardly even notice. Sometime after your tot’s half-birthday, however, he may begin to wail at the mere thought of leaving your arms. While it can

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Wake-up call

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At kindergarten drop off this morning, a fellow mom stopped to show me pictures on her phone. “See, I told you my niece looks just like your daughter!” she beamed. I agreed and smiled back whole-heartedly, carefully studying her friendly

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Dealing with depression

Throughout pregnancy, you eagerly anticipated your bundle of joy, imagining days spent picknicking at the park and visiting with friends during playdates. Now that baby is here, however, you can barely drag yourself out of bed, let alone muster up

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Under wraps

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Confession: I’m not a modest person. I’ve been known to sunbathe topless in my (privacy fenced) backyard, and in college I spent many a weekend night dancing at a local club clad in only a leopard- print bra because I

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Give me a boost

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Although your baby is tiny, her brain is anything but: “Researchers have found that [the baby brain] is more complex than any machine ever made,” shares Holly Engel-Smothers, coauthor of Boosting Your Baby’s Brain Power. Baby’s thinker comes equipped with

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Your hardwired baby

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Gently press a newborn’s palm, and he’ll wrap his tiny hand around your finger—so tightly, sometimes, it feels like he’ll never let go. That sweet gesture of his is actually an instinctive response known as the palmar grasp reflex, and

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Keeping the love alive

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Becoming parents is a wonderful, life-changing experience, but it can put strain on a previously well-balanced relationship. As many moms and pops will attest, the new responsibilities and sleepless nights that come with a baby can lead to rocky times

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Calm down

As a mom, your first instinct when your baby cries is to pick her up and cover her with kisses. However, there comes a time when it’s important for your little one to learn to self-soothe, so you’re not constantly

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So long, suckers

Whether you’ve loved every minute of it, slowly come to enjoy it, or simply powered through it, at some point breastfeeding will come to an end. Knowing when and how to begin the weaning process is not necessarily intuitive, but

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The blame game

I’ll start this off with a confession: As I write this, I am suffering from a severe case of mom guilt. It involves an adorable little boy, a case of (according to him) incapacitating hiccups, and a running-late mommy without

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Beyond the belly

Holding your baby in your arms for the first time is a moment that words simply cannot describe. But what happens after those initial emotionally charged moments following labor and delivery pass? Read up on the first tasks you should

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Diagnosis: Colic

Babies cry. As a mom of three, I can attest to that fact. However, when my third baby was about 5 weeks old, my husband and I began to notice that his daily demeanor was taking a turn for the

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Finding order

I recently hit a low. Reached rock bottom. Fell face-first into a big pile of disaster—well, a big pile of laundry really. It happened on a run-of-the-mill Thursday night. I had called my family to the dinner table, placed our

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Tonic tunes

Like some of the best baby care tricks, my husband and I discovered the secret of using music as an instant baby calmer completely by accident. Even at her fussiest, there was nothing like Simon and Garfunkel’s “Cecilia” (You’re breaking

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Eco-cleaning

If cleanliness is truly next to godliness, parents everywhere are in big trouble. Whether it’s a lack of time and energy or an active tot that has you longing fora visit from the housekeeping fairy, most moms find themselves overwhelmed

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Mother lover

Mother lover

Transitioning from eager couple to tired parents can be tough on even the strongest partnerships, so don’t be surprised if your relationship takes a turn for the tumultuous when baby makes three. Not only are you trying to figure out

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The face of family

Today’s all-American family takes tradition for a ride. Gone are the days that limit the typical image of family to a husband, wife, two kids and a dog. These days, American families reflect the diversity that makes this country such

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Shifting gears: Back to work after baby

When it came to making child care arrangements for our soon-to-arrive firstborn, my husband and I spent the third trimester dutifully following the advice of every tip sheet we could put our fingers on. We interviewed, we inspected, and we

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Homegrown traditions

This year, make sure your tree isn’t the only green thing in your household. Follow these five easy tips and you’ll be well on your way to three new family traditions: reducing, reusing and recycling. Give up store-bought gifts Sure,

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A common thread

Name: Erin McKenna Occupation: Founder and owner of BabyCakes NYC Age: 35 Residence: New York City, New York Favorite holiday: Fourth of July Strangest pregnancy craving: Beer (Don’t worry: She doesn’t drink it, just craves it.) Best way to spend

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Back to class: Why parenting is like high school

It has been said that you never really leave high school, and we’ve unfortunately found that to be true. The same cliques and insecurities that plagued us in our teenage years are found all too often in playgroups and parks

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Maximize your maternity leave

Working mom

If you’re a working mama-to-be, you’re probably used to multi-tasking. But throw a new baby into the mix and you’re suddenly faced with a whole new type of balancing act. With a few strategic preparations before you leave the office

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Put a fork in it

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As soon as baby tastes that first scrumptious bite of solids, he’ll begin building a palate that will form the stepping stones to healthy eating habits later in life. If you want to give your baby the best start possible

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Rule breaker

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Babies bring a great deal of joy to your life, but also a great deal of unsolicited advice. Well-meaning friends and family members will no doubt make gentle (and not-so-gentle) suggestions as to how you should do things—and a great

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Tummy troubles

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As a first-time mom, I find myself utterly perplexed by the happenings in my little one’s stomach. At our hospital discharge meeting, I clearly remember the nurse instructing us that when it was vomit, we would know. And sure enough,

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Don’t bug me

There’s nothing worse than a sick baby, and parents everywhere should be informed of the dangers of airborne viruses. Two of the most common culprits are influenza (flu) and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). Though both are well known to (and

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Learning the ropes

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For months—and then weeks, and then days—on end, I looked eagerly at my due date, circled in bold ink on the kitchen calendar. Especially as that date drew nearer, it began to seem like the X on a treasure map,

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Sweet slumber

Though it may feel like you never see your bed (shut-eye is hard to find for new parents), your lucky little one will get to enjoy a good bit of time dreaming in his. Ensure the mattress he’s sleeping on

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Around the world in 280 days

Babies are conceived and born each day all over the world. While most of us are familiar with childbirth norms and traditions in ourown country, we often know very little about customs and practices in other countries. Within every culture,

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Bringing up a bilingual baby

It’s no secret that a bilingual education is a valuable asset in today’s global community, and because infants’ brains are particularly absorbent, they can soak up new languages with amazing speed and retention. In fact, a child who picks up

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A cultured approach to child rearing

When my son was 4 months old, I wrote myself off as a parental failure. Why? I couldn’t get that kid to sleep for anything. The only time he’d drift off was in my arms, and as soon as his

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The rookie manual

It’s inevitable—even if you’re the oldest of eight kids, started babysitting when you were 12, and have been teaching preschool for the past decade, there will be a moment after your brand-new baby is placed in your arms when it

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Play it safe

Let’s be honest: Parenthood is terrifying. Being responsible for another human being’s safety and well-being is a big job, and it scares the heck out of all new parents at one time or another. Luckily, the statistics are on our

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Sleep training basics

During pregnancy, you might have fantasized about cozy nighttime feedings and quiet snuggle sessions. But a few weeks postpartum, you likely confronted a difficult truth: Waking up every two hours all night long is exhausting. Moms agree that uninterrupted sleep

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Bye-bye, baby weight

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You did it! You brought a beautiful soul into this world and that is a feat to be commended. But after the celebration winds down and you start to settle into a routine with baby, it’s only natural that you’ll

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Au naturel

When I was 4 years old, I distinctly remember my great granny whipping up a black concoction that was thick like maple syrup with a taste that resembled a rubber tire. “You’ll be better in no time,” she assured. And

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Join the vacci-nation

  Vaccines are not perfect. “Perfect” would be a world without disease, where there would be nothing to prevent and nothing to cure. That’s not our world. Planet Earth is populated by mobile, microbe-toting individuals, who are constantly sharing what

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Roll call

Don’t be surprised if your friends list—and we’re not talking about the one on Facebook—gets a little shaken up once baby begins a-brewin’. Having a baby is a life-changing event (to put it mildly), and it’s normal to sometimes drift

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Crawl, baby, crawl

You’ve been as busy as a bee since your infant’s birth, and as soon as your little one learns to crawl, you’ll have to pick up the pace even more. Once your baby starts moving, she’ll have loads of fun

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Breastfeeding for Rookies

After months of pregnancy and hours of labor, you finally did it. You gave birth to a baby—and a hungry one at that. Luckily, you’re equipped with everything you need to feed your new little bundle of joy, with the

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