Features

Nothing humanizes a celebrity quite like parenthood, and nothing humbles a parent quite like a diaper change. After all, it’s hard to feel glamorous or sexy when reaching for the wipes and butt balm at 3 a.m. — even if you happen to be the sexiest man alive. These are some of our favorite quotes from celebrity moms and dads about diaper duty, potty training and just about everything in between.

Chris Martin, dad to 4-year-old Apple Blythe Alison and 2-year-old Moses Bruce Anthony, on finding the joy in a dirty diaper:

Men should always change diapers. It’s a very rewarding experience. It’s mentally cleansing. It’s like washing dishes, but imagine if the dishes were your kids, so you really love the dishes.

Jason Bateman, dad to 20 ½-month-old Francesca, on the mystery of a colorful diaper change:

I don’t know where they get the color of the [poop] on these kids, because I monitor everything she eats and I’ve never fed her anything purple. But I guess it’s kind of kiddie art.

Ryan Sutter, dad to Maxwell ‘Max’ Alston, turning 1-year-old later this month, on confirming what moms have long suspected when it comes to dads and diaper changes:

Sometimes we ‘don’t realize’ they have poopy diapers and let you discover it.

Click ‘continue reading’ for more, including quotes from Tina Fey, Mark Wahlberg and others!

Click to continue reading »

It seems more and more lately that the first question asked of us at CBB following a celebrity baby birth is when the baby will be introduced to the world via the cover of a magazine.  At the moment, we’re fielding a lot of ‘Where’s Nahla?’ emails from readers and the easy answer is that she’s at home with her mom, actress Halle Berry. 

But as for why Halle has not yet sat for a photoshoot or given any in-depth interviews about new motherhood and the birth of her 11 ½-week-old daughter, we have no easy answer — for we know no more about her decision-making process than anyone else.  If history is any guide there could be several reasons why we still haven’t been ‘officially’ introduced to Nahla and other celebrity babies like her, including Courtney Thorne Smith’s son Jacob ‘Jake’ Emerson and Toni Collette’s daughter Sage Florence, both of whom turn 5-months-old next week.

Click to continue reading »

There are plenty of familiar faces at CBB who are about to navigate the unchartered territory of ‘mom and dad to two.’  Gwen Stefani and Gavin Rossdale, parents to Kingston, who turns 2-years-old next week, expect a delivery surprise this summer, Fred Savage and wife Jennifer Stone Savage, parents to 21-month-old Oliver, expect a delivery surprise of their own at any time, while Adam Sandler just announced that his wife Jackie is 3 ½-months pregnant with their second child.

If you are expecting your second child right now, you probably have been warned repeatedly about how much more complicated your life is about to become.  "Oh, you thought one was difficult, just wait until you have two!" has probably become a familiar, and perhaps unwelcome, refrain.  Hopefully you’ve also encountered at least a few friends along the way who found going from no kids to one a harder leap to make than going from one to two — or from four to six, if you’re the Jolie-Pitts! 

Either way, we at CBB have found ourselves wondering lately which transition is the easier of the two.  And should Gwen and Gavin or Fred and Jennifer find themselves feeling apprehensive about their upcoming arrivals, wondering what it means for their families on the whole, at least they can turn to their fellow celebrity parents for words of wisdom.

Click ‘continue reading’ for more, including a poll where you can let us know what your experience was.

Click to continue reading »

If packing your child’s Easter basket with chocolate and sugar isn’t your "thing," then you’ll get a kick out of these picks. We’ve got a list full of great products to stuff their baskets with and not one of them will induce a sugar high! And if you can’t do an Easter basket without the chocolate, then use these alternatives to help you cut back.

Click continue reading to see what we think would be a great addition to your child’s Easter basket.

Click to continue reading »

Don’t forget that March 17 is St. Patrick’s Day and your little one should make sure to wear some green to avoid getting pinched — though we can’t promise his/her little cheeks won’t get pinched anyway. There is rarely a shortage of green clothing, but we wanted to help you find the perfect green accessory for your little leprechaun this St. Patty’s Day. And let us mention that you don’t need to be Irish to celebrate this fun holiday. While the holiday is held to honor St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, the spirit is all about learning a little something about Irish culture and/or wearing something green on March 17.

Click continue reading to see our picks for St. Patrick’s Day style.

Click to continue reading »

Last time we focused on clothes to get your little one properly dressed for Easter, now we’ll take a look at the shoes that complete the outfit. Easter is usually a great introduction to spring –even though the weather may not always indicate it! So it’s no surprisethat most of the cutest Easter ensembles feature pastel colors and lotsof white. Though some may argue that white shoes shouldn’t debut untilafter Memorial Day, we’re here to tell you that they are perfectly acceptable on Easter Sunday.

Click continue reading to see our picks for most stylish Easter shoes.

Click to continue reading »

Easter, for those who celebrate it, is typically one of the dressiest holidays of the year. It’s the one time of the year when patent leather Mary Janes and frilly skirts, collide with sweater vests and khakis in perfect harmony. This level of fanciness doesn’t have to break the bank and it also doesn’t have to be a pain to shop for. We’ve got some great outfit options for this Easter, or any spring holiday that requires dressing up!

Click "continue reading" below to see our picks for dressy Easter attire.

Click to continue reading »

Moms were a hot commodity on the red carpet at the 80th Annual Academy Awards. And most of them did the red carpet right, there was no shortage of color and the bumps were wrapped beautifully! Check out who we think had the right idea at this year’s Oscars.

Click Continue Reading for our 2008 Oscar Red Carpet fashion analysis.

Click to continue reading »

Becoming a mom can make you lose sight of the simple pleasures and luxuries in life. You have a new heightened sense of love for family but sometimes your love for self hits an all-time low. Let Valentine’s Day be your reason to reconnect with the part of you that requires a little attention! We recently spoke with Skye Hoppus, author of Rock Star Momma, creator of Childish Clothing and wife of +44’s Mark Hoppus (formerly of Blink-182), and she offered up some great V-Day prep tips.

Update: The winners of the 9 Month Set Candles from Childish Clothing Contest are:

• Dawn, from Kingston, NY, who said, "I’m a single mom toa 10 week old baby, so for Valentine’s Day I plan on putting baby inher bouncy seat on the floor next to the bathtub, and taking a bath!"
• Posy, from Savage, MN, who said, "My special thing for ME on Feb. 14th will be working out at the gym followed up with a pedicure."
• Angelica from Gardena, CA, who said, "Hubby and I both have class, but I am hoping for a long bath that night!"

Click continue reading below to read Skye’s tips.

Click to continue reading »

Magazines about pregnancy were once a rare thing, but now there are so many it can be confusing picking which ones to subscribe to or buy at the newsstand.  We got the scoop from Julia Beck, of Forty Weeks, who gave us an insider’s look behind the velvet rope of these titles that can guide and entertain you throughout your pregnancy.

Pregnancy Magazine (Curtis Circulation and IPO) – Fashion-forward in focus, this monthly publication dedicates its editorial pages to fashion, gear, and lifestyle for pregnancy and beyond. Look for familiar celebrity faces on the cover such as Elisabeth Hasselbeck, Gabrielle Reece and Garcelle Beauvais-Nilon.

Pregnancy & Newborn Magazine (Halcyon Media LLC) offers up great user-friendly information in a beautifully laid out format. Their editorial team includes fashionistas, moms, and gear experts who dish out the real dirt. Fashion coverage tends to be interesting and more importantly, simple to pull off yourself.  Look for an equal balance between maternity and non-maternity brands (think realistic). Tori Spelling and Samantha Harris have been featured in the past.

Fit Pregnancy (Weider Publications, Inc.) is both honest and very realistic of the pregnancy and new mother experience.  Focus on fitness, nutrition, fashion, breastfeeding.  More of a service than a lifestyle magazine- lots of how-to’s.  Really focused on the important tasks, giving women useful hands-on tools on how to navigate through pregnancy.  Gives women the nurturing, care and feeding. Editor-in-chief Peg Moline who’s been at the helm since its conception 15 years ago makes sure her magazine serves her reader well. It’s truly a labor of love. They do a stellar job with their annual report on best cities to have a baby (you go Portland, OR!).  Their website is the best place to find the most hands-on information including the Best City Finder (looks like I need to move to Portland). (Courtney Thorne-Smith was a recent cover model, as was Brooke Burke with her last pregnancy.)

American Baby (Meredith, which also publishes Parents and Family Circle) has the highest circulation of any of the pregnancy magazines. Edited by Judy Nolte, the magazine and its companion website offer easy to use informative help.  Regular sections such as Crib Notes feature the best of the best of all that’s new in maternity and baby. They do an excellent job of communicating the basics and especially conversant in gear.  Their website has the most going on in terms of interactive information. 

Plum Magazine(Groundbreak Publishing, Inc.) Plum is written specifically for the 35+ mom-to-be.  It covers both lifestyle and practical topics, including celebrity features and interviews.  Beautiful art direction and design make it an easy compelling read. (Jeri Ryan was a recent cover model, as was Jenna Elfman.)

Mothering Magazine(independently published) is the crunchy earth mama alternative.  If you’reinterested in attachment parenting, breastfeeding, and naturalchildbirth, this is the best magazine for you because they focus on allof these things and more. Despite their natural approach, the magazineis well-written and beautifully laid out. (The current issue features Ricki Lake and her new documentary about childbirth, The Business of Being Born.)

Conceive Magazine (Intellectual Capital Productions, Inc.) is written for those starting to think about conceiving and those with fertility issues.  This magazine is very honest, candid, and frank, and offers a candid glimpse into fertility.

The Bump is a regionally based resource guide for expectant women. It’s not really a magazine but Julia felt it was a publication we needed to include. Expect great local information, combined with an impressive national panel of experts. Their website is the best for figuring out what’s available in your neck of the woods.

Other magazines that cover prenatal care, but not exclusively, include:

Babytalk (Bonnier)
Cookie Magazine (Conde Nast)
Parenting (Bonnier Corp.)
Parents (Meredith)
Kiwi (May Media Group)
Wondertime (Disney)

Women’s magazines have also been covering the maternity beat (believe it or not) such as Cosmopolitan, Self, Vogue, Lucky.

What is/was your favorite pregnancy magazine and why? Do you read any that we didn’t list?