UrbanBaby Buzz

Most modern parents don’t want to give their newborn baby boy a ho-hum average name like David or Michael. They long for something different, something with snap, something that will let everyone know that little Dash or Ajax is someone to be reckoned with. But a new study claims that giving a baby boy an unusual name can cast a pall on his future.

In the professional journal Social Science Quarterly, Shippensburg University professor David Kalist says giving newborn boys unusual or “girlie” first names makes them more likely to land in jail. Kalist and his associate, Daniel Lee looked at 15,000 names given to baby boys between 1987 and 1991. The more unusual the name, the more likely that boy is to commit a crime.

In alphabetical order, the Top 10 “bad boy” names, according to Kalist, are Alec, Ernest, Garland, Ivan, Kareem, Luke, Malcolm, Preston, Tyrell and Walter.

Now, this doesn’t mean naming your child Luke automatically means he’ll end up in the clink. Why the association between weird names and crime? For one thing, prior studies have shown that the more education a set of parents have, the less likely they are to choose very unpopular names. Parents with more education also tend to have more money, and poorer people tend to commit crimes more often. There are also other corroborating studies: “a 1993 study that showed boys who have strange spellings of common first names (Patric, Geoffrey) are less likely to be upstanding and successful; a 2001 study showing that boys are judged for their moral character and masculinity by their first names; and a University of Michigan study that stated, ‘having an unusual first name leads to unfavorable reactions in others, which then leads to unfavorable evaluations of the self.’”

Be that as it may, unusual names and kreative spellings are getting more popular. Aiden, Hayden, Caden, and Jackson were all amongst the Top 10 names for newborn boys in 2008: and “John,” once top of the pack, is now a pathetic 44th most popular.

Buyer’s remorse is quite a familiar phenomenon when it comes to nursery decor. The life-size mural of Humpty Dumpty and matchy-matchy curtains seemed like a good idea at the time. Now you’re so over them. With less DI these days and an inclination toward more DIY, it’s time to opt for statement items with staying power.

Giggles & Grins Design offers handmade picture frames with flair. Cute enough for baby but not babyish for older kids, they work for all ages. The decoupage frames come in smart, modern prints in a sophisticated palette - bold colors often paired with neutrals. Especially refreshing are the Funky & Fun and Safari Chic lines. Company founder Jessica Goldman, a former ad exec, even manages to make baby announcement frames edgy.

Oh, baby, it’s a wild world.

Available at gigglesandgrinsdesign.com.

When it comes to strollers, Europe is on a roll. Bugaboo, Maclaren, Mutsy, Quinny, Peg Perego - a virtual who’s who of the baby transport world - all hail from across the pond. Later this summer, Germany’s CYBEX comes to town. We check out this newbie plus a few others, including a rising American star.

CYBEX: This popular European brand marries form and function.
It’s light and easy to push. The one-pull adjustable harness is sure to cut down on aggravation. And, with punchy hues of J. Crew-like colors - somesort of lime green, a bright eggplant and a color called “chili” - this company isn’t afraid to go bold on the fashion side of the equation.
CYBEX strollers come ashore on U.S. soil later this summer.

UPPAbaby: And then there were three. Now this is a luxury stroller for the recession, and it hails from Massachusetts. The 2009 VISTA model converts to a double stroller when you snap on UPPAbaby’s RumbleSeat. Accommodate a third (older) child by attaching a piggyBACK board. There are actually three VISTA/RumbleSeat configurations. Other pluses: a lightweight aluminum frame and an extremely generous storage basket. UPPAbaby is a real up-and-comer; and it’s refreshing that there’s no been-there-done-that feeling with this brand.

Mutsy: The Transporter is the newest stroller in this
Dutch line. On the maneuverability front, the Transporter has two front swivel wheels and a heightadjustable push bar. Mutsy’s
newest baby has an “amenity” some companies surprisingly seem to overlook: a deep, padded seat. So you won’t have to ditch this stroller once Junior blows out his first candle. Coming this August.

Maxi-Cosi: One of the Dutch brand’s latest strollers to hit the market is the Maxi-Cosi Loola. It features a one-handed umbrella fold. Sure to ramp up the coolness quotient is The Choco Mint version’s reversible seat pad - brown on one side, striped on the other.

Nice wheels.

Harry Potter is all fine and well, but it’s not nearly as easy for girls to find themselves in pages of his books. The main character’s a boy, his best friend’s a boy, most of the glory and adventures are experienced by the boys, while the main female character, Hermione, is often relegated to background and library searches. In The Worst Witch series, a set of six books written by Jill Murphy starting in 1974, the girls are at the center of the action.

Both the books and the later British TV series based on the books are set at Miss Cackle’s Academy, a girls’ boarding school in a stone castle atop a mountain where the girls learn the basics of broom-riding, spells, and transformation. The main character, Mildred Hubble, is a good-hearted but clumsy young witch-in-training who makes many missteps yet always makes things right in the end.

It’s said that The Worst Witch was the inspiration for the Potter books, and once you see the TV series you’ll find it easy to believe. The setting and costumes are similar, and the same lighthearted tone prevails. But The Worst Witch is both tamer (conflicts tend to resolve around misdeeds like stealing food for a midnight feast instead of life-and-death showdowns) and more fun. Both boys and girls will enjoy the series, but it’s tailor-made for girls aged 5 to 10, who will love the combination of magic and social interactions in a girlie microcosm.

The TV series is available on DVD in sets of about seven episodes each. Start with the first set of episodes, which introduces Mildred, her rival, snotty Ethel Hallow, and the other characters as Mildred struggles through her first day at Miss Cackle’s, hoping to become a real witch.

The Worst Witch, $28

A bill headed for the Senate that mandates the funding of postpartum depression education and research has hatched a surprising debate: Is screening for PPD a helpful measure that will bring much-needed aid to the estimated 1 in 7 women who suffer from it? Or is it just a gambit by pharmaceutical companies hoping to find new customers?

As Time reports:

“Some psychologists argue that universal PPD screening misses the point because the greatest risk factor for postpartum depression is not giving birth, in fact, but previous depression. Women develop depression at the same rate whether or not they have given birth, according to Stony Brook University psychology professor Marci Lobel. ‘Women who have been healthy all their lives, who haven’t suffered lots of anxiety and depressive symptoms, are unlikely to have problems in the postpartum period — not even close to likely,’ says Michael O’Hara, a University of Iowa professor of psychology. Further, say experts, while pregnancy hormones may impact a small subgroup of vulnerable women, they have little to do with PPD in most cases. In a study published in the American Journal of Psychiatry in 2000, researchers used drugs to mimic the postpartum decline of pregnancy hormones in 16 women, eight with histories of PPD and eight without. Five of the eight women who had previously experienced PPD developed mood symptoms. But none of the women who had never been depressed postpartum were affected.”

There’s some kind of middle ground, where women’s mental health issues are acknowledged and supported, yet natural and fleeting emotions are not medicalized. Is the Melanie Blocker-Stokes Postpartum Depression Research and Care Act, popularly known as the Mothers Act, that middle ground?

She’s in your house almost every day; she bathes your children, she eats at your table, she knows your schedule. You are far more involved than roommates. And yet you may never know what your nanny’s life is really like or what she thinks of yours. But you may be able to catch a glimpse in Just Like Family: Inside the Lives of Nannies, the Parents They Work for, and the Children They Love, a new book by Tasha Blaine.

Blaine worked as a nanny after earning her MFA, thinking it would be an easy job that would leave her with time to write. She planned to be a nanny for a year. She only lasted six months. And now, five years later, her book condenses a wealth of research and investigation on the lives of professional caregivers into the tales of three different nannies: Claudia is a Carribbean immigrant working for a wealthy NYC couple, Kim is a wannabe-mom and divorcee in Texas who takes in a live-in gig that she soon has cause to regret, and Vivian is the highest of high-class nannies in Boston. Their travails form the backbone of the book: frustration over parents who don’t value their input or pile them with menial jobs, the difficulty of staying quiet when a parent is making decisions the nannies disagree with, personal problems that hijack the energies they need on the job.

Portraits of the parents they work for emerge through the nannys’ filters, but this is no Nanny Diaries-style slag on parents. All of Blaine’s characters are flawed and real; take, for instance, the lengths to which Claudia’s employers go to help her after an ex drains her bank account and she faces eviction. On the other hand, witness Vivian’s mother-like pain over her four-year-old twin charges readying to go to school, a pain callously ignored by her discomfited employers.

Anyone who’s been on either side of the nanny-parent relationship will find Just Like Family absorbing; a good, long look at this relationship that’s so complex, so guarded, so intimate and so important all at once.

The marshmallow dates back to the time of ancient Egypt.  But our modern 2.0 version has all the elements - corn syrup, sugar, big-time carbs - to qualify for our ever-growing list of vilified foods.  This summer there’s a guilt-free way to celebrate (sort of) the beloved candy. Read on.The Marshmallow Incident by Judi Barrett and Ron Barrett
The creators of the 1978 classic Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs have given the marshmallow their zany, it’s-so-silly-it’s-brilliant treatment in the form of The Marshmallow Incident.  A town of left-handed people and a town of right-handed people live on opposite sides of a yellow line of demarcation. No one can remember why the two sides are at odds.  The Order of the Ambidextrous Knights makes sure everything remains status quo.  The marshmallows eventually figure into the tale and unite the opposing towns.  Nobody sings kumbaya, but the delicious story leaves readers wanting for s’more stories from dynamic duo Judi Barrett and Ron Barrett.

Always by Alison McGhee and Pascal Lemaitre
Sweet without being cloying or dumbed down, Always tells the story of the lengths a dog will go to protect his owner.  Alison McGhee is the New York Times best-selling author of Someday. She manages to weave in some nice vocabulary words in an unassuming way.  Less is more.  And your home is your castle.

My Mom is Trying to Ruin My Life by Kate Feiffer and Diane Goode
From the author of Double Pink comes the story of a young girl named Emma who finds that her mother has become a constant source of embarrassment with her loud talking and good-bye kisses at school.  According to Emma, her father, a stickler for rules about bedtime and homework, is equally annoying.  The sassy heroine hatches a plan to have her parents thrown in jail for “ruining” her life.  Emma engages in a little extrapolation and discovers that life sans parents is quite lonely.

You’ve cut out brie, sushi and your monthly highlights all in the name of a healthy pregnancy. Oh, the sacrifices. Yet, you still feel the need to clean up your act.New company Nine Naturals introduces Oh Baby! shampoo and conditioner, products specifically designed for pregnant women. NN nixes phthalates and other potentially dangerous chemicals typically found in shampoos. (The jury is still out, but phthalates have been linked to low birth weight, shorter gestational periods and even reproductive birth defects.) Oh Baby! is pared down to just nine ingredients (think peppermint and rosemary oils) from the typical 25. Natural moisturizers revive dry pregnancy and postpartum hair.

Soap’s on.

Available at ninenaturals.com

Despite their iconic reputation, a lot of Disney movies are too much for very little or sensitive kids. Parents are often offed, brooms transform themselves into menacing imps, and don’t even try watching Pinocchio with a kid under 7 because when the donkey-transformation scene comes on, you’re going to have one traumatized little sprout hiding behind you.

Barbie and the Diamond Castle, a direct-to-DVD 2008 film, is gentler stuff. It’s good for little ones 6 and under, but parents won’t mind watching too. The non-obnoxious plot concerns a pair of best friends who find a magic mirror and enchanted gems that lead them to a hidden castle that they must protect from an evil sorceress. There’s a dragon and a showdown, but it’s not too intense; and some songs that are actually not half bad. The story’s lesson, that loyalty and courage can triumph over evil, and that you gotta stick with your girlfriends, won’t make you gag (though it may make you smirk over the unintentional homoerotic subtext). And little girls go gaga over the princessy costumes, and femmie fantasy aspects of the story. Get this: The best friends live together in a cabin in the woods and work as flower sellers. I can hear the “Squeeee!” from here.

Barbie and the Diamond Castle, $11.49

The boards are buzzing over the harsh commentary female reporters gave Sarah Palin after her resignation speech Friday. In her weekend column in the New York Times, Gail Collins said Palin was “incoherent,” called her Sarah Barracuda, and said she hoped a scandal involving “a soul mate” of Sarah’s would break soon. Maureen Dowd says that “Caribou Barbie is one nutty puppy.”

Are female reporters more likely to harsh on Palin? Or liberals more prone to bash than conservatives? Or is all that the wrong way around? Surely there can be no review harsher than Todd Purdum’s story on Palin in the most recent Vanity Fair, which said this about the governor’s unusual and erratic behavior, and her employees’ reaction to same:

“Several told me, independently of one another that they had consulted the definition of ‘narcissistic personality disorder’ in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders –’a pervasive pattern of grandiosity (in fantasy or behavior), need for admiration, and lack of empathy’– and thought it fit her perfectly,” Purdum writes.

Ouch.