Beyonce Gives Birth to Baby, Blue Ivy Carter
It’s one of the most awaited celebrity births of the past year, if not decade: Beyonce Knowles delivered her and Jay-Z’s baby, Blue Ivy Carter, on Saturday. Yet, by Monday, reports of their seemingly extravagant demands surfaced in gossip rags. But, how much accuracy can you trust to an anonymous source in Us Weekly?
Us, like other magazines of its sort, described the extreme security around Beyonce’s birth at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York. One witness, again anonymous, called their approach “insane,” but can you blame the couple and their families? Considering the cost of celebrity photos, the paparazzi would have been swarming the hospital if some security measures hadn’t been put into place. Supposedly, Jay-Z paid $1.3 million to reserve a full floor of the building, but a hospital spokesperson stated that such reports are exaggerated; rather, they only had reserved a sixth floor suite.
Nevertheless, one parent sharing the space said about the security: “They just used the hospital like it was their own and nobody else mattered. […] They locked us into the NICU and would say, ‘You can’t come out to the hallway for the next 20 minutes.’ When I finally was able to go back out, I went to the waiting room and they’d ushered my family downstairs!”
Most babies get birth announcements, sent out to friends and family. Blue Ivy, on the other hand, gets a statement from Beyonce and Jay-Z’s publicist and a song. Called “Glory,” the track is already released and features samples of the baby’s first cries. The couple’s publicist also put out the following statement:
Hello Hello Baby Blue!
We are happy to announce the arrival of our beautiful daughter, Blue Ivy Carter, born on Saturday, January 7, 2012. Her birth was emotional and extremely peaceful, we are in heaven. She was delivered naturally at a healthy 7 lbs and it was the best experience of both of our lives. We are thankful to everyone for all your prayers, well wishes, love and support. Beyoncé & JAY Z
Can You Train Babies to Focus?
The results of studies show claims by Your Baby Can Read and Baby Einstein programs and video are false, but does that mean that educational software for children is simply bogus and a waste of time? Not entirely. A recent study by the University of London Birkbeck, showed that some computer software can be helpful for getting babies to focus, which in turn allows them to better pick up skills and language.
The Telegraph describes 42 babies being placed into five groups and being shown cartoons or telling them to track a moving target on a computer screen. After being shown the cartoon or using the software, the babies were asked to focus on images or play with toys without getting distracted. Those who had used the computer program were able to focus more.
Concentration comes from the frontal part of the brain, which is not fully developed in babies; as a result, they are easily distracted but get better with age. At the same time, learning some new skills, such as language, is easier at a young age. To the Telegraph, Researcher Sam Wass, from Birkbeck’s Centre for Brain and Cognitive Sciences, said:
“We know the brain is more plastic early on, so an impact at this stage could potentially make a big difference to a child’s abilities later on. We already know that the early years of school are very important; what we have shown for the first time is that it is possible that difference can be made at an even younger age.”
While Baby Einstein’s and Your Baby Can Read’s approaches have been shown to not increase a child’s vocabulary, rely too much on visual recognition, or do not appropriately communicate to a baby, getting a child in the mindset to learn through focusing may be one step toward truly expanding his or her ability to learn language quicker.
More Disproving Baby Einstein
So, in addition to interacting with your baby or young child to help with language skills, you think that using Baby Einstein – or My Baby Can Read, or a similar DVD series – that claims to enhance your child’s language skills simply by watching. But, does this actually help? Although we’ve seen studies disproving this notion, a recent article published in Time Magazine details why such language-enhancing DVDs don’t actually do anything. While many educational toys for infants – even those red, black, and white ones – are designed to enhance physical skills, the issue with language DVDs is overstimulation – even to the point of paralysis.
Like past studied to determine the value of Baby Einstein videos, University of California at Riverside took another look at this subject recently, as mentioned in Time. They used the Baby Wordsworth DVD from the series and tested children between 12 and 24 months old. They were to watch it each day for six weeks and then the children were tested for their language skills at the end of the period. Predictably, none of the children’s language skills improved during that period.
Instead, this study – and similar ones before it – found that the best way for a child to develop language skills is through a live speaker, particularly one who is repetitive with certain words. Although why a live speaker is better than an video hasn’t fully been studied, some claim that the parent-ese – or baby talk used – is easier for a child to understand and respond to. As a result, the best way for a child to acquire new words is through interaction. Whether going outside, playing together, or reading, you and your child can learn new words, particularly is certain ones are repeated over and over. Over time, this interaction and repetitive approach will cause your child to pick up on language skills.
What is the Best Time to Have a Baby?
While plenty of articles discuss women’s fertility in relation to the ideal age to have children, being at the most fertile – early 20s, according to the linked article from the Washington Post — doesn’t correlate with being emotionally and financially secure enough to have children. As the 20s are now considered an extension of the teenage years in terms of finding one’s self and becoming settled with a career, the 30s are a period with more emotionally stability. As a result, more career women and their husbands end up having children in their early 30s because of this stability. Why bring a child into the world at 22 when you can barely support yourself a few months out of college?
A survey recently done by The Bump and Forbes.com tried to find the ideal age for having a baby. Their study, however, didn’t entirely some up with an exact answer and, instead, perspective makes up the bulk of the results. Some of the findings include:
• Mothers between 30 and 34 wish they had their first child younger, from 25 to 29 instead.
• Older women above 39 wish they had their first child between 30 and 34.
• Those who had children between 25 and 29 were somewhat content with this period.
• A significant percentage – nearly two-thirds – thought that having a child negatively impacts their careers. This was found to be an assumption for both working and stay-at-home mothers. Mothers who went back to work, however, often had negative feelings, particularly guilt and not caring, upon returning to their jobs.
So, based upon these results, is there any time in which both emotional and financial security and fertility meet? Probably within the 25 to 29 years of age period. But, nevertheless, the “right” time is all about perspective. If you’re not emotionally or financially ready, even at 30, having a child then might not be the ideal time.
Giving Aid to Babies and Children in Haitian Earthquake Aftermath
Although the news has been a-buzz with stories of American missionaries taking Haitian children and celebrities ranging from Anderson Cooper to Tila Tequila planning, supposedly, to adopt babies from Haiti, the most significant and pending effort concerning children in Haiti isn’t adopting them to American parents but helping those in the country. Most children won’t be adopted or enter the United States by immigration, and those parents with children in Haiti need adequate supplies to help their children. As adults don’t have enough food and water or adequate shelter, how will they be able to protect any young children and babies they need to take care of until Haiti rebuilds itself?
One organization, the First Congregational United Church of Christ in Dickinson and New England has been preparing care packages or kits to send to Haiti for this purpose. This includes baby-specific kits, as well as those for schools and general cleanup. According to the linked article above, the kits for babies include six cloth diapers, two shirts, wash cloths, two sleepers, two diaper pins, a sweater or sweatshirt, and blankets. As 54 percent of the population in Haiti is children, such kits are needed for parents needing to take care of their children in the aftermath.
This group of churches has been donating such supplies to make these kits. If you don’t belong to the group of churches or live in the area, other relief efforts concerning children in Haiti can be found on national and international levels. UNICEF, for example, is trying to stop the proliferation of increase of selling and trafficking children in Haiti, while smaller organizations, even aid efforts through your local middle school may be raising funds specifically to aid children in Haiti.
Celebrity Baby Week: Kourtney Kardashian, Michelle Duggar, Giselle Bundchen, and Kendra Wilkinson Give Birth the Same Week
It appears to be a week for celebrity babies. While the “bump watch” for celebrities is a fairly recent addition to pop culture magazines and blogs, the celebrities, regardless if anyone notices, eventually have their children. This past week, Michelle Duggar, Kourtney Kardashian, Giselle Bundchen, and Kendra Wilkinson have all had children. All except for Bundchen have been reality TV stars at some point, but, regardless, they’ve all been on a celebrity baby watch for several months. All, except Duggar, had boys.
Reality TV stars Kourtney Kardashian, Kendra Wilkinson, and Michelle Duggar have all had their pregnancies watched by viewers, in addition to magazines and blogs. While actresses on television who have been pregnant have needed to cover up their condition, it’s far more acceptable on reality TV. In fact, it often seems better for the plot and viewership. But that doesn’t mean these women are free from criticism, however. Articles on such celebrity news sites often criticize the Duggars for having too many children (now 19 and counting) and the recent birth of Josie Brooklyn Duggar might prove to be more ammunition for those that think the reality TV family should stop reproducing.
Josie Brooklyn was born by C-section and is the Duggar’s nineteenth child. She was born with preeclampsia, a condition which affects five to eight percent of babies. As she’s the Duggar’s nineteenth child, such a percentage for this condition in their family makes sense mathematically.
Another issue with celebrity births are the names the parents give their new offspring. While few go down the “Apple,” “Rumer,” or “Moon Unit” route, a possibility for such a unique name exists. These celebrities didn’t go for anything particularly unique (Bundchen and Tom Brady haven’t even picked a name yet), with Kardashian naming her child “Dash” after the family’s boutique. Although Mason Dash doesn’t have his mother’s last name, the name itself isn’t anything extremely unusual.
Using a Baby Sling
One debate among parents is the issue between using strollers and carrying your baby. Strollers, on one hand, offer more convenience, as you don’t have to hold the baby with all of the other things you’re carrying. Holding the baby, although said to be somewhat developmentally better, often involves holding it with other items and getting tired from holding it all the time. One solution to this problem has been to use a baby sling, which allows the baby to be close to you, like holding, and allows your arms to be free. Slings, in addition, allow you to position the baby on your hip or back in more comfortable positions.
Aside from the physical aspect, the main reason for using a baby sling is the developmental reason. Some consider that using a stroller pushes the baby – both literally and figuratively – away from the parent and, as a result, the child can develop loss and loneliness during childhood and might not be as independent later in life. Using a baby sling, on the other hand, positions a child close to its mother and no pushing – or pushing away – motion is involved. While the closeness to the mother is said to develop a child’s independence sooner, a child supposedly cries less when carried often in a sling.
Where do you find a baby sling? Although many brick-and-mortar baby stores might not carry a sling, they can be found online. Organic baby products retailer Natural Baby Network, for example, carries their version of a baby sling made out of organic cotton, which is adjustable for various sized babies and toddlers up to 40 pounds. Similar versions are available from retailers that sell more than organic and natural baby products.
How Effective Are Educational Baby Videos?
One trend over the past ten years has been baby educational videos, such as Baby Einstein and Brainy Baby. These videos are designed to improve a baby’s vocabulary but, in recent years, these videos – as well as educational television programs – have been under scrutiny for not having much, if any, educational value. While many of these videos are geared toward both babies and toddlers, having babies watch them is in question, as some studies have indicated that babies watching these videos aren’t picking up words any faster. Should you have your baby watch these educational videos or should you wait until her or she has reached the toddler years?
One study indicates that babies, from eight to sixteen months old, who watched these videos didn’t pick up on new words quicker than those babies who didn’t watch the videos. But, according to this article, one questionable aspect about these videos is that the babies who watched them picked up on fewer words than those who didn’t.
One explanation for this is how the videos are presented. One theory for who these videos weren’t helpful for babies is that the material and new words isn’t presented in “parentese” – the speech parents use with their infants – and instead in adult English. While this may be helpful for toddlers and preschool-age children, it doesn’t appear to be helpful for babies, as, according to this article, the linguistic experience isn’t the same.
If you want your baby to learn new words quickly, often the best tool is parent and child interaction. The parent can speak in a familiar tone to the infant, and the child will have an easier time learning new words. Whether you’re speaking or reading to your baby, both are forms of interaction that help a baby learn new words. If you want your baby to learn new words, incorporate them into the conversation between you and your baby.
Going Green with Your Baby
Going green is a hot topic at the moment, with various industries offering green options. Going green can be using organics over the standard brand, using a fuel-efficient vehicle, and finding ways to use solar power instead of coal or nuclear energy. While many of these may not apply to raising a baby, you can still go green – or continue to go green – with your baby. On the most basic level, supermarkets now offer organic baby foods and even organic diapers can be found if you prefer to use disposable instead of cloth diapers. But, more options exist for going green with your baby and, aside from food and diapers, this includes the mattresses, sheets, and clothing the baby will be using.
Although we posted a few weeks ago in regards to organic mattresses, we didn’t cover organic baby sheets. Organic mattresses, a variety of which can be seen on online organic retailer Natural Baby Network, come in two types: organic cotton and rubber. Both types are designed to eliminate the chemicals released into the baby’s environment by using all organic materials. Aside from mattresses, Natural Baby Network has a variety of organic sheets in various colors, also made out of 100-percent organic cotton or organic bamboo. If you think that using organics means settling for grays and off-white colors, baby sheets can be found in various bright colors, all dyed with natural dyes from plants, herbs, and fruits.
Going green can be incorporated into what your baby wears. As with 100-percent organic cotton sheets, baby clothes can be made from organic cotton and natural dyes, and other options include organic wool and bamboo. Organic clothing is becoming more affordable and, for clothing for the first year, many basics like onesies, hats, shirts, and footies can be found made from organic cloth.
Designing a Baby’s Room
What goes into designing a baby’s room? A baby’s room is now part of your home and you, as a mother, will be spending time in the room. The baby itself will be spending time in there, as a baby typically sleeps 70 percent of the time during its first year. One option many choose for the baby’s room is to decorate it and put furniture in it that will last long past the first year. While some pieces of furniture like a bassinet and crib won’t last longer than two years, the décor of the room and other pieces, such as a chair or table, may be able to last through childhood.
As a child’s tastes inevitably change, and will probably change nearly every year up until adolescence, starting off with a neutral color is one step to making sure that at least the paint color lasts the next ten years. In terms of décor, however, you want something that can change easily, and one solution is wall art. Whether it’s customized name plates, pictures, or Wall Candy – art that sticks to and can be peeled off walls – all can give character to the space and be removed, or moved around, when the child turns two and his or her tastes change. With many wall art options for boys and girls, finding one to match the color of the walls should be simple.
Baby furniture and sheets are usually the most important and lasting part of a baby’s room. For a room, you’ll always need a crib and a changing table. Other items can include a bassinet or a cradle and furniture that the child can use once he or she learns to walk, such as a toy box, a table and chairs, or stepping stool. Many of these come in basic designs but, if you’re looking for something unique and that can be passed down or used with each child for multiple children, hand painted baby furniture is available through high-end baby product retailers. In addition, baby sheets come in various options, with standard cotton and organic cotton options, as well as a myriad of patterns, available for the design of the room.