Boston Mamas: BPA & Baby Bottles Get the lowdown on Bisphenol A (BPA), and which baby bottles are or are not BPA-free

Car & Caboodle: Lost in Austin with Dadlabs’s Clay Nichols Clay shares his worst car moment and more

Coochicoos: Y Water – Drink, Design & Toy Designer Yves Behar designs bottle for new kid’s drink called Y Water

Healthy Bump: Affordable, Trendy Maternity Tees If you are looking for a comfortable yet trendy maternity tee then you need to take a look at the adorable tees at Baby & Momma.

Moms Buzz: Parenting Style 101 – What’s Your Parenting Style? Promoting self-discipline and self-esteem of one’s children often requires an emotional juggling act by parents. It is not easy to be firm and demanding one minute, then warm and affectionate the next. What’ Your Parenting Style?

Taia Hair Clips: Taia hair clips are simply adorable and designed to stay put in even the finest of hair! They are so sweet and have just a touch of bling! A girl’s’ gotta have bling! Lots of cute styles to choose from, your little girl will be a dazzling diva in her Taia clips! Also, Swanky Moms’ readers receive 15% off their first order with coupon code “swankymoms”.

Parent Blog Roundup Giveaways:

Classy Mommy: Win 4 Board Books from the Good Night Our World Series
3 Winners will be chosen! Prep for bed as you read about your very own city, favorite vacation spot, or a future destination you are planning to visit. Classy Mommy loves this series! Almost every major city in the US is featured (along with AMERICA) and new cities are being added frequently. They also have books with more generic destinations like The Beach and The Zoo.

MomFinds: Win a Haute Kiley Bag from HMR by Christine Price Didn’t get what you wanted for Valentine’s Day? Tell us how you spent V-Day for a chance to win this fabulous bag.

One Chic Mama: Be Our Valentine “Beauty Bag” Giveaway We’re giving away a Gold Heart Envelope from Dante Beatrix packed full of beauty products you’re gonna love!

Disney Dream Vacation Giveaway from Modern Mom We’re on-location at Walt Disney World all week to kick off our Dream Vacation Giveaway! Read our blog + watch our videos for your chance to win!

Celebrity Moms Share Their Holiday Plans Christa Miller, Brooke Burke, Lisa Rinna and more share their holiday plans. Plus, the inside scoop on Jamie Lynn Spears’ pregnancy (from ModernMom).

The Perfect Holiday Maternity Top If you are still looking for the perfect maternity top for the holidays then you need to read our review of To The Nines Maternity (from Healthy Bump).

Laundry Tips from the Experts With our busy agendas, many of us do not pay close attention to our laundry labels or give the proper care to our clothers. Here are some laundry tips from www.TheLaundress.com, experts on laundry home products and more, that will help us in taking better care of clothes, delicate or not (from Moms Buzz).

Strategies for Clothing Battles. Are you the parent of a young daughter and are dreading – or already are deeply entrenched in – arguments over questionable clothing choices? Check out these guidelines and additional resources for strategies and talking points on this tough topic (on Boston Mamas).

Win a $50 Gifts.com Gift Card Done with all your holiday shopping? Treat yourself to a $50 gift card and use it for dining out, a pampering spa treatment or stylish new shoes (from MomFinds).

The BusyBody Book Enter to win a package of two BusyBodyBook personal organizers along with a Fridge Pad to keep you and your family organized in 2008. Deadline is midnight tonight (from One Chic Mama)!

Lauren Kiyomi (Japanese for Pure Beauty) is a maternity line launched by entrepreneur Willie Udagawa (the line is launched under her daughter’s name)
and is also one of the most talked about maternity labels in the market today.

From the embroidered cotton voile collection, to the best fitting maternity jeans, to the softest knit tops and dresses that can also serve as breast feeding pieces, Lauren Kiyomi is not only practical but also fashionable.

Lauren Kiyomi is also a favorite of celebrities too. The super-soft french terry loungewear in “Avalon” is a favorite of Marcia Cross and Tori Spelling. In fact, Tori is frequently photographed wearing Lauren Kiyomi clothing as you can see in this scan from Life & Style! Dayna Devon wore the Lacy Mommy Top on the set of Extra!

Find out more about the line on the website, www.laurenkiyomi.com.

SOURCE: Life & Style Magazine; March 12, 2007; page 68

Check out the hottest posts of the week from these great parent blogs. Including (from Celebrity Baby Blog): Steal pregnant Bridget Moynahan’s style (and save some money).

Boston Mamas: Potty Peace of Mind. An impressively compact and affordable travel potty that provides peace of mind in germy public restrooms

Celebrity Baby Blog Reviews: Do you hear the buzzing of the new spring Bumble Bags? Already a popular brand with celebrity moms, Bumble Bags introduces their Toddler Changing Kit and new patterns for spring.

Celebrity Baby Blog: Stealing Bridget Moynahan’s Look, Forty Weeks Style Pregnant Bridget Moynahan glowed on the Martha Stewart Show, wearing a Diane Von Furstenberg sleeveless wrap dress. Here’s how you can steal Bridget’s style (and save some money)!

Celebrity Moms: Tobey Maguire Talks About the Lessons of His Childhood Tobey Maguire opens up about his turbulent childhood and the lessons it taught him as a father

Classy Mommy Reviews “Momzillas” Bring on the Mom Lit! Classy Mommy previews Momzillas – written by Jill Kargman, best-selling co-author of “The Right Address”. This book is fabulous! You will not be disappointed.

MamaPop: Fergie PWND Alanis Morrisette’s hilarious cover of the Black Eyed Peas singer’s hit

One Chic Mama: High Style for Medical ID tags Fashionable Medical ID Bracelets & Necklaces

SheFindsMom April Showers Week Stylish raingear for the entire family

The trend towards low-rise pants and skirts that is fun for non-pregnant women to follow becomes more challenging with an ever expanding pregnant belly. The need to constantly yank up waistbands as cute maternity pants and skirts inch their way lower and lower on hips tends to take away from the stylish look preggies work so hard to put together.

Belly Ups to the rescue! The brainchild of Laura Kronen, Belly Ups are like sock garters for your low rise pants and skirts. Belly Ups attach to the lower part of your bra and to the waistband of your bottoms (on each side), eliminating worries about flashing a little of that rounded skin. Plus, Belly Ups are undetectable, they won’t harm your clothes and they’re comfortable to wear.

At $13 a pop, Belly Ups are a no-brainer. Pick yours up at www.babyisastar.com/bu.htm

The first thing that grabs you about this cool child, mom, dad boutique is the non-baby design. Love the red and chocolate brown, the poppies and the hot mama on the home page. Clever Parents caught up with Christie, owner of Simple Me and mom three boys living with her family in Idaho to discover a few of her favorite picks.

* Christie loves these Travel Blankets “because they are so compact and they easily fit into a diaper bag if needed. They aren’t big and bulky when your trying to use them in the car seat. I’m all about simple and easy when it comes to taking the kids out! And the fabrics are also really different from most baby blankets.”

* Jinwood Shoes make the list, too. As one of the only online retailers of this brand, Christie loves the shoes because “they are so different (than) the average stretch soft sole baby shoe that’s out there right now. They look like a athletic shoe!” She also loves that they are so soft and there is an extra bottom layer that absorbs shock. Another big reason? They actually stay on!

* Ellie Bellie kids also makes the list because the products “are so fun, they make me want to be a kid again! Especially the Tutu’s and capes!”

* Last, but not least, these stretch rings are perfect for when your expecting. “I love that they stretch and can be worn through out your whole pregnancy. I wish I would of had one when I was pregnant!”

Have fun exploring Simple Me at www.simplemeboutique.com/

Recently, we at Lena’s Notebook (with much help) completed a project which was truly wonderful and exciting! We put together a “baby shower in a box” for a few military families. The mothers in these families have recently had babies while the fathers are deployed in Iraq for a year. The fathers have not yet been able to hold the babies and the mothers and babies are certainly missing their husbands and fathers. We can only imagine how hard this must be!

We decided to do something to let the families know that we appreciate the sacrifices they are making while our country is at war and that we care and believe their babies are blessings to be celebrated. And, celebrate we did! With the help of many friends and four wonderful companies (sofiabean.com; tinysprouts.com; karinalexis.com and citysprouts.com), we sent a custom “baby shower-in-a-box” (see example, lined in pink and yellow tissue paper, above right) to four deserving mothers and their new baby girls. We hope they love the surprise!

We thought we would share with you some of the terrific items included in the boxes. Perhaps this will give you some ideas for your next baby shower gifts (in or out of a box).

Herer are the wonderful items donated by four of our favorite companies — with our special thanks :

Click here to see some equally wonderful items donated by some very generous and kind persons:

Aveda Calmant and Energizer Revlon ColorStay -Wild	Hand and Feet Kit	Carter’s Blankets
The Lollipop Tree – American Songs for Little Children sung by Carol Kaplan-Lyss	Diaper Duck dispenser	Fishy Fascination Baby Bath Turtles

Our next goal is to partner with Clever Parents to host a unit-wide baby shower in North Carolina. We would love to hear from you if you are interested in helping us celebrate these women and families!

Tired of hitting ten in a dozen shops only to find the same toys and gear? Try Chloe in Style, where you can pick up everything from beautiful announcements, stationery and journals, to children’s gear and toys and even maternity wear. With just a few options in each of the store’s sections, you can easily get a sense of everything they carry without being overwhelmed.

A few of our faves include:

* Fun and flirty aprons for hot mama cookin’ in the kitchen. Added bonus: the matching kids versions in the girls apparel section.

* A fabulous bird mask made on recylclable cardboard with an elastic band for tying.

* Handmade ponchos with adorable pom-pom trim.

Shop away at www.chloeinstyle.com

As a teenager growing up in Eastern Europe, Maki Temesvary grew up having facials. She loved that experience and with the help of her mother and grandmother, Maki started making her own homemade concotions with fruits and herbs from their garden. When Maki moved to the US, her skin suffered from the stress of new foods and a different lifestyle. “Everything here was new to me and along the way I forgot what I had learned back home,” says Maki. “My skin was getting worse and I developed cystic acne. Doctors prescribed a variety of drugs, but nothing seemed to really help.” Her own experience led her to years of studies in cosmetic chemistry, nutrition and aromatherapy. Maki has worked with skincare specialists from around the world and today Maki trains estheticians from around the world and performs facials on some of Hollywood’s top celebrities.

The Mi Ámore Skincare line of includes three primary products: Moisture Me After Shower Body Oil, OH Baby! Baby Butter and Natural Glow Face Complex. All are made with hand-selected ingredients from South Africa, Northern Italy, the Far East and Tahiti. “Using these rare and unique botanical oils and butters, our single goal is to provide expecting mothers with the absolute highest quality skin care products. No gimmicks, no additives and no chemicals.”

Not only do these products smell fabulous and feel great on your skin, they really do the job. One mom of twins used the Oh Baby! baby butter every day during pregnancy and not only loved that the products are all natural and the silky feel and how well it hydrated her skin all day, but “I’m happy to say, that even after twins I am stretch mark free.”

According to Mi Ámore founders Andy and Maki Temesvary, the biggest factors affecting complexion are sun exposure, smoking, genetics, stress and lifestyle (e.g. food, exercise and daily skin care ritual). What tips can they share for people in search of a beautiful complexion? “As a general thought, less is more. A glowing complexion comes from the following basic daily skin care practices: cleanse, exfoliate, moisturize and protect with daily SPF sunscreen. In addition, we need to keep in mind that what we put on and in our bodies affects how we look and feel. Maintaining a healthy lifestyle is key to having beautiful skin, but the real secret to glowing skin is to know your skin type and care for in accordingly. Too many people treat their skin with the wrong products. Instead of improving the condition of their skin they worsen it by overdoing it.”

“The biggest complaint and problem pregnant woman come to Mi Ámore for help with is a change in their skin condition, especially the face. Some skin becomes more oily or more dry than usual. Woman that never have acne usually break out and those who usually have acne see an improvement in their skin condition. This usually happens all within the first trimester. The first three months of the pregnancy affect the skin the most due to the shift in hormone levels. Mi Ámore’s Natural Glow face complex was created to help balance, hydrate and calm the skin with antioxidants, essential fatty acids and flavonoids. Stretch marks also are a major concern with the expansion of a woman’s belly. As the breasts and abdomen grow, most women develop stretch marks across the belly and breasts. These small, depressed streaks of differently textured skin can be pink, reddish-brown or dark brown, depending on the woman’s skin color. It will help if you gain only the recommended amount of weight (usually 25-35 pounds), and do so slowly. Moisturize your body to reduce itchiness and dry skin. Mi Ámore’s Oh Baby! Belly Butter! and Moisture Me after shower body oil were formulated to help prevent stretch marks and relieve itchiness and dryness of the skin. “Pregnancy Mask” is another top complaint woman write to us about. Some women experience a brownish darkening of the facial skin. This change is called the “mask of pregnancy”. It is more common in women with dark hair and pale skin. The woman usually has brownish, uneven marks on the forehead, temples and middle of her face, around the eyes or over the nose. The darkened areas may get even darker when exposed to sunlight. Most of these marks usually fade after delivery.”

“A woman’s skin (and body) goes through many changes over the course of the pregnancy, some temporary. Overall, keep it simple. Treat your skin as it is after pregnancy not as it was before. Though you are now extremely busy with your new bundle of joy, don’t neglect your face and body. Take a few moments to cleanse and moisturize before going to bed, allowing your skin to rejuvenate itself.”

Learn more about the Mi Ámore line and purchase products at www.miamoreskincare.com. Also, look for new products coming soon: Mi Ámore’s Moroccan Mommy Mask and C-Section Scar Therapy as well as a new, natural and organic line of baby care products.

First and foremost, Happy New Year! After a nice break over the holidays, we are back and ready to bring you the best swaps for 2007. Be sure to keep an eye out because you never know what specials may arise!

This week’s swap comes in from Cumming, Georgia and is featuring two items for the expectant mom. The first is a stylish, knee-length, stretch denim skirt from Old Navy (size large) that features a full belly panel with an adjustable waistline. It is a must-have for your pregnancy wardrobe in any season. And next, to complete the outfit, is a neutral colored, sheer blouse with a pink, blue, and light brown floral pattern. It is beautiful blouse that will complete any of your work outfits. It also has a cream colored camisole attached underneath.

These two items are listed separately, and are offered at $10 and $15, respectively. Be sure to stop by BabySwap.NET to view all of the most recent listings!

Happy Swapping and Best Wishes to you all in 2007!

It’s hard enough picking out the perfect outfit to wear to a fancy party. Imagine what it’s like when you’re pregnant. The bump, the hormones, the swelling. Yikes! But don’t worry. You’ve got that pregnancy glow and the power to get anything you want, including a brand new dress to ring in the New Year in high style.

Looking for a little black dress? We found two! There’s the devastatingly chic Childish Maternity Dress that’s cut just right to reveal your sexy décolletage (you can also redefine the LBD and get it in red or eggplant). But if a halter is more your style, try the gorgeous Liz Lange with a flattering empire waist. Either dress will make you the highlight of the party, and in the famous words of RuPaul (whatever happened to him?), you better work!

If you can’t bear to leave your arms bare, or if it’s too cold where you are, this red jersey wrap dress by Momzee with a side tie is as sexy as it is elegant, and so is Diane von Furstenberg’s black dress with Johnny collar. Wear them with knee-high boots and you’ll be a yummy mummy.

Finally, for a Christmas or New Year’s Day luncheon, try this Chiarakruza dress. A good friend of mine wore this to her baby shower recently, and she looked A-MA-ZING in it. The cut, the print, the puff sleeves, the burgundy trim…all came together beautifully. Plus, it photographs well!

Important Shipping Info: If you need the dress for Christmas, order before noon on 12/22 and select Next Business Day.

Forget about the stresses of mountainous holiday baking, visiting in-laws, and frenetic gift shopping, pregnant women at the holidays have much more to bemoan about – what to wear to the holiday parties! Whether you’re in your first trimester and barely bulging, or you’re due any minute and bursting at the seam, you can still look spectacular at holiday office parties, formal dinners and family gatherings. Being pregnant at holiday time is a magnificent reason to celebrate and the guidelines below will help you to choose the most flattering holiday dress for your pregnancy stage and body type:

• Barely protruding first and second trimester – If you’re looking to show off your growing belly and stave off those ‘chubby’ rumors, choose a dress style that maximizes rather than minimizes your growing belly with a tight-fitting style, high waistline and plunging neckline. If you’re looking to minimize your growing belly for as long as possible, choose a slim fitting A-line dress that will unobtrusively drape over your belly without appearing tent-like.
• Baby weight is all in front – If you look like you’ve just eaten a basketball, the most flattering holiday dress style for you is a calve-length, slimming dress with plenty of extra fabric in the front. For those lucky women that have escaped excess baby weight in their thighs and legs and ankles, a shorter, mid-thigh length dress style is sexy and elegant for holiday gatherings. A busy pattern will distract from the roundness of your belly.
• Baby weight is in front, sides, hips and thighs – For the woman whose body has distributed the baby weight throughout her middle regions, the most flattering style of holiday dress is a mid-length two-piece ensemble. Choose a dark color for a slimming look. Another option is a spaghetti strap or halter-top style that cinches directly under the bust, accentuating the bustline and leaving the rest of the dress to flow over the body.

What better time to celebrate your pregnancy than the holidays so stop stressing about the perfect dress and celebrate!

So I recently received a tee from Lucky Lou that reads, “Does this baby make me look fat?” and I just love it! I wore it to a kids birthday party last weekend and received numerous amused comments about it.Not to mention that it’s a great size tee as “one size fits all.” (My latest grievance is aimed at these high-end maternity shirts that are no way long enough for a person in their third trimester – NOT the case with the Lucky Lou tee which covered my belly just nicely, even at this point.)Check their tees out on ShopLuckyLou.com. They have several amusing maternity tee choices, as well as non-maternity tees, gifts and items for baby.

Use coupon code “Lucky me” for 10% off.

This week’s swap comes out of Orlando, Florida. It is an array of cute, gently used maternity camisoles and tops for the stylish and budget conscious mother to be.Shirts like this purple lace camisole you can dress up with a skirt or pair with your fave maternity jeans are priced from $3 to $8 each!

See more on the Baby Swap site.

‘When are you due? Have you picked out a name? Is it a boy or a girl?’ And the even more daring… ‘Was this an accident?’ and ‘How much weight have you gained?’If you’ve ever been pregnant, you’ve no doubt been at times accosted by well meaning, but – well – not so polite questions by colleagues, friends, family and pure strangers.
Thanks to the team at Due and Sprout, pregnant women everywhere can reply to those nosy questions without even saying a word. ‘No Name Yet,’ ‘Not Finding Out’ and ‘Yes, I’m Pregnant’ are some of the 14 clever ‘answers’ printed on 100% combed cotton, fitted maternity tanks and tees.

Clever Parents caught up with Due and Sprout co-founder Pamela Hillman (pictured with co-founder, Marlo Hall Stern, right) to talk about business, cherishing family time, and what not to ask a pregnant woman.

Clever Parents: Tell us about your business. What inspired you to start Due and Sprout?
Pamela Hillman: Marlo and I had been consulting on our own for years. Me- PR, marketing and events, Her – graphic design. We were both interested in starting something new, changing direction but still using our business and creative interests. We had seen a few cute maternity tees around with random, disconnected messages. We started throwing out ideas about what we would like to say on shirts and kept coming back to the endless questions confronting pregnant women everyday. We had both been pregnant, experienced this first hand, and decided to make a list of the top five answers we would like to see on a line of tees. It just kept evolving from there. We developed the concept and name, designed the logo and overall look, produced ten samples and starting setting up appointments with buyers. By the middle of our first year, our collection of 7 answers had expanded to 14, our web site was in development and we hit our 100th store.
CP: How did you and Marlo meet / how long have you known each other?
PH: Marlo and I were introduced by a mutual friend – my sister in law actually, who knew both our backgrounds and interests, and thought we would compliment each other. We met for coffee, started brainstorming, talking about our lives, kids. The rest is history. We have known each other as long as Due and Sprout has been alive, since the summer of 2004. I have said many times that it works so well for us because we were not friends first. We came together as professionals, focused only on developing the business. From there, the friendship and the respect grew, but the foundation — the common thread — was and always will be Due and Sprout.

CP: What do you like most about owning / running your own business?
PH: Quality control. The ability to conceptualize something, discuss it with one other person who thinks the exact same way, and make it happen. No red tape, no committee approval. Full creative and operational control. Flexibility to make our days what we want them to be, even if it involves carpooling between conference calls.
CP: What do you find most challenging about running your own business?
PH: For us, one of the biggest challenges is operating from two different cities. Marlo is in Philadelphia and runs our manufacturing, warehouse and overall operations. She is also our creative director. I live in the DC area and run our wholesale, retail, sales and marketing. It’s hard sometimes not to walk down the hall and share good news, handle issues face to face on a whim. But we make it work. And when we do have meetings in person, there’s so much to say!

CP: How do you package your tees?
PH: Our packaging emulates the clean, fresh look of our brand. Each tee is nestled in a clear, vinyl cube with silver seams and a removable lid (see photo – right). It has become a great impulse buy for husbands, friends, grandmothers-to-be looking for a baby shower gift, a special way to help celebrate the news, or pamper a brand new mom. The packaging is most popular in gift boutiques, baby and children’s stores. The cube could hold pacifiers or small nursery items, bows, recipes, etc. later on.
CP: What are your favorite ‘answers’ at the moment?
PH: We love them all. Each one has its own personality and is near to our hearts. My personal favorite du jour is the newest addition – Foot Tush Head. It speaks to the topic of feeling movement, baby’s position inside mom’s tummy. I think it’s adorable, playful, simple and sweet. And I don’t see anything like it on the market. We love Ask, then Touch for obvious reasons, and Just Delivered — the only answer made for brand new moms. As a new mom, is there anything worse than hearing those dreaded words, “when are you due?”.
CP: What is the worst question someone can ask a pregnant woman?
PH: There are a lot of questions that fall into the “pregnancy etiquette” category. The first and foremost is “how much weight have you gained?” Steer clear of any reference to changing facial features, swollen ankles, hunger. Don’t ask if she’s ready to pop or if she’s having twins. On the flipside, don’t ask “Are you in your first trimester?- ‘cause you’re carrying so small.”
CP: What is the worst question someone has asked you?
PH: Well, my boys are seven years apart. Needless to say, I got a lot of “Was this an accident?” and “How long were you trying?” People just automatically assumed my second pregnancy was not planned, and the result of years of IVF.

CP: How do you balance work and family?
PH: Sometimes it’s much harder than others. We make time for what really matters, and recognize that some things just might be pushed aside. If postponing the laundry for a day means catching a movie with our kids, helping my middle schooler study, or baking a cake with my five year old, it was well worth the sacrifice. In a way it forces you to simplify, and cherish family time.

CP: What is next for Due and Sprout?
PH: We have plans in the pipeline. Expanding the current line and developing additional products under the Due and Sprout brand is something we are very serious about. For now though, the flagship collection of tanks and tees is still growing more each day. It’s keeping us very busy, and very satisfied.

We think your customers will be very satisfied, too. Buy tanks and tees online at www.dueandsprout.com. (You can also find them at bellablumaternity.com, missfitzinc.com, nordstrom.com, poshtots.com and shopohbaby.com as well as retail maternity boutiques listed on their site.)

- Pamela Hillman is mom to Matthew, 12, and Charlie, 5; Marlo Hall Stern is mom to Alec, 4.

See CleverParents-tv Vidcast #1 featuring Due & Sprout.