Teeth so clean you’d think you went to the dentist. Mounting evidence shows that brushing your teeth not only prevents cavities (and makes your breath smell better) but also contributes to longevity. Plaque build-up is actually now thought of as a factor in heart disease. Read the rest »

Well one of many of my not-so-clever moment would have to be when I was driving down the road with my son strapped into his car seat so safe n snug, when as I was going down a big hill, I applied the breaks only to see the entire car seat shuffle forward into the back of the front passenger’s seat…Apparently the night before when my husband borrowed the car seat to use in his car, he did not strap it back into my car, but rather just placed it back in it’s proper spot…so being the not-so-clever parent I strapped my son in the car seat never checking to see that the car seat was strapped into the car! I am grateful we were still on our private road and that I didn’t really have a reason to break harder which would have resulted in him flinging into the front seat rather then doing the car seat shuffle. Now I jiggle that car seat every time I put him in it, just to make sure. I hope my car seat snafu helps others feel better about theirs.

- Lindsey, Clever Parent to Weston.

Like most parents-to-be, Rachel Zinny and her husband planned to take pictures of their new little girl soon after her birth. Rachel realized that, in addition to her precious newborn, the picture with mommy would have to include the ugly, institutional gown made to fit a 600 pound linebacker and worn by a multitude of people before her. Read the rest »

Photographing kids can be tricky- they don’t sit still very long, if at all, and if you ask them to smile, they give you that cheesy grin with scrunched-up nose and no eyes in sight! So my advice is to try to capture them more naturally by following these five tips…

1. Turn off the flash. Capture your kids more naturally by first turning off the flash, using available light and photographing candid moments where they aren’t necessarily aware of you.
2. Do something unexpected. If you want them to look at the camera and smile- don’t ask them to say cheese or ask them to “smile” … do something unexpected to make them laugh, or say something silly to get a genuine smile. Read the rest »

You know that Americans don’t eat well. You know that childhood obesity and diabetes are national problems. You know that healthy eating doesn’t mean bland, boring food. You know that you want your child to be healthy and fit. But do you know what the best foods are for mental development for an 18 month old? Do you know where to keep up to date with the latest dietary research? If you answered ‘yes’ to the first four questions and ‘no’ to the last two, you’re not alone. Fortunately, though, you are not out of luck thanks to Christina Schmidt. Read the rest »

The silence should have been my warning cry.

Henry and Will had been playing together nicely all morning with the exception of the occasional screech or territorial struggle over a tower of blocks.

So I really should have noticed the silence. Read the rest »

New dads have it rough. Generally new dads have a lot less experience with babies than new moms do and they are virtually ignored by the purveyors of baby advice in the media. The result is that dad either has to figure it out by himself through trial and error (and what fun that is!) or he can read through the “pink and blue” stuff written for mom.

Sensing an untapped market, Jason Baxter decided to come up with a better method for teaching new dads. He figured that dads needed something informative, but also something catered to them. With a background in developing online educational programs, Jason also knew the power of storytelling in educating. And what better story to help educate fathers than America’s most famous ‘Family’ story, The Godfather. Developing a parody of the famous gangster epic, Jason and his team created The GoodFather, a custom-boxed CD-ROM set with hundreds of lessons, tips, information, and definitions for dads. Also included is a Baby Name Book with 15,000 names and a Baby Card Maker that allows dad to create custom baby cards from pre-built templates. Read the rest »