Drum Roll, Please: And the Winners Are …

Thank you so much to everyone who attended our 2010 Baby Fair & Model Search this past Saturday at Stonebriar Centre.

Two, very lucky area moms have won two very coveted prizes. Congratulations, ladies! We hope you you and your families enjoy your winnings. It’s our pleasure to award … (the envelope, please) to:

Kelley Durrant of Rowlett for winning the Bump It Up Moms-to-be Survival Kit, which includes a Britax Chaperone Stroller, a BabyBjörn organic Comfort Carrier, various Lancôme products and many other mom-to-be goodies.

And the grand prize goes to … Cathlene Glen of Plano. Congrats Cathlene. You’re sure to be the envy of your neighbors with your brand-spanking new swing set from rainbow play systems, a $4, 250.00 value.

Stay tuned in to DallasChildbaby.com for baby news and posts from the entire Lauren Publications staff and blogging very endearing confessions from a self-proclaimed “clueless new mom.” Our own Jenny Vitucci is bound to win your heart with her rookie-mommy tales. (And we think most moms will relate.)

Name That Baby!

Bruce Lansky—better known as the “Baby Name Guru”—shares his forecast of the hottest trends for baby naming in 2010:

Boys’ Names
The upcoming trends for naming a new baby boy include using various spellings of sound-alike names (Jayden, Aiden, Hayden, Caden); using Old Testament names (Eli, Isaac, Nathan, Aaron); using Irish names (Brody, Liam, Connor); and using Western “C” names (Carter, Cooper, Colton, Chase).

Girls’ Names
The upcoming trends for naming a new baby girl include using sound-alike names (Chloe, Zoey, Riley, Kylie); using faith-based names (Genesis, Nevaeh, Leah, Sarah); using “place” names (Brooklyn, Sydney); and using old-fashioned names (Madeline is most popular).

For more insight on naming a new addition, check out Bruce’s full reports on Facebook here. Or, read his book 100,000 Plus Baby Names.

BPA-Free Feeding Products

You might recall reading about the safety concerns of plastic drinking products in February’s DallasChild article, Plastic’s Not Fantastic. As the article points out, toxic chemicals — mainly Bisphenol-A (BPA) — can leach from plastic baby bottles and sippy cups, causing possible damage to immune systems and brain development (according to the National Institutes of Health).

Online shopping moms can find a wide selection of BPA-free bottles at the Modern Baby Barn — a one-stop shop for an assortment of new-age baby products, such as the Wee-Go Glass Bottle (mentioned in February’s article; see above right).

Some new additions to our list of baby- and kid-friendly feeding products (that put mom’s mind to rest!):The Green to Grow Bottle — it’s BPA and phthalate free and made from PES plastic, which gives the bottle a natural golden color.The Siliskin Glass Bottle — similar to the Wee-Go, this naturally BPA-free glass bottle is stylishly encased in colorful silicone.The Boon Fluid Sippy — a erognomic and BPA-free toddler cup fit for the son or daughter of mod parents. (Find Boon in-store at mod + mini, Dallas; The Right Start, Plano; and more.)

The Safe Sippys — another alternative to glass or plastic: non-leaching medical-grade stainless steel. These colorful sippy cups are stylish and easy to clean. (Find these in-store at Lone Star Baby & Kids, in Dallas or Frisco.)

Leak Detection

Much has been made of that shocked, soaked moment of surprise when a pregnant woman’s water breaks – a humor- and clothing-drenched moment that’s fodder for giggles in countless movies. In real life, things don’t always happen so clearly. Sometimes, it’s hard to tell if you’re actually losing amniotic fluid, or you may be experiencing wetness but it’s nowhere near time for labor and delivery.

Now, there’s a new home test that helps detect amniotic fluid. AmniScreen is a panty liner that tests for elevated pH levels, which could indicate leaking fluid. The test is suitable for pregnant women experiencing unexplained vaginal wetness and women with high-risk pregnancies, woman who’ve undergone amniocentesis and women who have experienced prior amniotic fluid leakage.

AmniScreen is available by prescription only, and results should be interpreted by a medical professional. Ask your doctor about amniotic fluid leakage and testing.

High-Stakes Births, High-Stakes Drama

Why is it so captivating to watch other women deal with the kind of pressures that exhaust us in our own lives? Deliver Me, a gritty new TV docu-series from Discovery Health, is just the ticket for escaping the daily grind at the end of a busy, blustery March day. Complex pregnancies and high-risk births are everyday occurrences for Drs. Alane Park, Yvonne Bohn and Allison Hill — best friends who became partners in a demanding Los Angeles OB/GYN practice. All three are mothers themselves, juggling the pressures and emotions of delivering their patients’ children with those of raising their own.

Settle in on the couch on Tues., March 4 at 10pm (ET/PT), as Deliver Me gives you a behind-the-curtain peek at the professional and personal lives of these doctors and the patients they treat. It’s high-stakes drama, “How does she do that?” voyeurism and sweet, fresh babies all wrapped up in a single sweep-away-the-remnants-of-the-day package. (Stop by the Deliver Me web site for pregnancy and new mom’s tips, baby games, labor facts and more.)

From Russia With Love

You don’t have to be Madonna or Angelina Jolie to add a child from a foreign country to your own family. Fort Worth’s nonprofit Gladney Center for Adoption is one of just 17 agencies in the United States that have been reaccredited by the Ministry of Education and Science in Russia to provide adoption services for Russian children.

Gladney’s Intercountry Adoption Programs have successfully placed thousands of babies and young children in homes throughout the United States. These programs offer adoption opportunities from Eastern European, African, Asian and Latin American countries.

Is adopting from abroad right for your family? Learn more at the Gladney web site.

~ Lisa