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Thanks to Sesame Street, the newest vaccination message is irrefutably adorable. Elmo teamed up with Surgeon General Vivek Murthy for a lesson in immunizations. The video, produced by the Daily Dot and the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, features Dr. Murthy educating Elmo on the importance of vaccines. Murthy describes how vaccines work, comparing their preventative and protective measures to an umbrella or a helmet.Elmo breaks into the chorus of “Shake it Off” to distract himself and doesn’t even realize the shot was administered....

Many people have asked me how life has settled since returning back to work three weeks ago. Most wonder if it is more difficult to leave home after having your second child and many want to know if it’s possible to be productive at work when your baby still isn’t sleeping through the night — and neither are you. (The short answer is yes, and yes.) There are many moms who feel relieved when their maternity leave has expired and excitedly wait to once again get out of the home and intellectually interact with adults....

By the time baby arrives, you’ve probably mentally prepared for the frequent wakeups you’re about to endure. Sleep deprivation as a new parent is par for the course, after all. What may come as a surprise, however, is the pure exhaustion that accompanies newborn cluster feeding. It’s one of those new parenting things you won’t truly understand until you actually experience it; but it’s totally normal and, thankfully, doesn’t last forever (though it won’t feel like much of a consolation when you’re in the thick of it)....

Once you find out you’re pregnant—and, congratulations to you!—it’s easy to become overwhelmed with questions. What supplies will I need? What should I name my little one? When should I tell my family and friends? And the list go on. But maybe the best question is about what type of books to read during pregnancy. That’s because pregnancy books can help answer many—if not all!—of the pregnancy questions you have!...

Is there any possibility you could bring your son, too? Is there anyone you can bring with you to New York to help you handle all three kids? If so, I think it might be worth it to bring him. Some babies who are exclusively breastfeed can have a hard time learning to drink from a bottle. Of course every baby is different, so if it’s important to you to go with just your daughters, you’ll have to do some preparation before leaving....

Labor is no picnic. Your body just went through a lot, and it’s normal to feel (and see) the strain. And strain, actually, is what probably caused your shiner (you were probably “pushing” with your face during delivery), as well as the achy chest (strained chest muscles, also from pushing). The exhaustion, of course, is par for the course, and you’re probably pretty much sore all over. Get as much rest as you can, and report all of your symptoms to your nurse or OB, just to be sure everything is peachy....

Each of us falls into one of four blood types: A, B, AB, or O. All of these blood types can either have a certain protein (called an antigen) on the surface of the red blood cells or not. If you do have this protein on your blood cells, you’re considered Rh-positive. If you do not have these proteins, you’re considered Rh-negative. Why is this important? Because if you’re Rh-negative, and your partner is Rh-positive, there’s a good chance your baby will now be Rh-positive, too....

Whoever said it’s about the journey and not the destination has never flown economy while pregnant. Whether you’re on vacation or a business trip, the usual indignities only get worse when you’re expecting—crowded seats feel super-cramped, and dry, recirculating air does extra damage on pregnancy-sensitive skin. Then there’s the heightened risk of blood clots and dehydration, just to name a few more inconveniences standing in the way between you and that sandy-white beach (or a drab but now appealingly expansive conference hall)....

Seating is a must-have in any nursery, and if you have the space, a recliner or glider is what you want. Between the feedings, snuggles and bedtime stories, it’s a seat you’ll spend countless hours in over the years, so you might as well be comfy. Babyletto’s Kiwi chair is a recliner and glider all in one. It boasts outstanding comfort, a modern design, a sturdy construction and an affordable price—and thanks to the built-in USB port, it lets parents “recharge” in more ways than one....

You know it’s important to play with baby—the right kind of play isn’t just fun, it’s also interesting, educational and a bonding experience. But figuring out how to interact with a scrunched-up newborn and how to happily occupy an unruly 14-month-old are their own unique challenges. That’s why we came up with this handy guide, covering activities for babies and toddlers from birth to age two. Just one thing to keep in mind before you read: Babies develop at different rates so if your baby doesn’t seem ready for a certain activity, try it again in a month or two....

This modern baby shower pairs up black-and-white zebra print with punchy color. The Invite: Set the tone of the shower with a zebra-print invitation from Paperlicious, which lets you choose from several fun ink colors. The Decor: Purchase inexpensive zebra print fabric and use it to create simple table runners. To really make the runners pop, glue fuchsia-colored satin ribbon around the edges. A diaper cake wrapped in zebra print ribbon and faux Gerbera daisies is a perfect centerpiece for the mom-to-be’s table....

Mattress sheets are actually the fun part of all the purchasing decisions you have to make. They can add personality and pops of color to baby’s nursery decor. Best of all, these Babyletto sheets are super soft and hypoallergenic, making them a safe bet for safe snoozing. WHAT WE LOVE The fabric is breathable and made from 100 percent poplin, a lightweight durable cotton weave Babyletto’s colorfast ink means those adorable patterns won’t fade after multiple washings...

Let’s face it: There’s no graceful way to check what’s in a baby’s diaper without taking the whole thing off. Sure, there’s the sniff test. Or trying to peak in the sides. But instead of sticking your nose up to a baby’s bottom or a looping a finger in the elastic waist, try the Monit diaper sensor instead—which tells you instantly if baby needs a change (and what you’ll find inside)....

Expecting baby #2? You’re no doubt excited to meet your little one, but it’s also natural to feel a little anxious about how your firstborn will adjust to the new arrival. After all, suddenly having to share their space and their parents’ attention with a wailing newborn is bound to rock their little worlds. Simone Davies and Junnifa Uzodike, coauthors of the book The Montessori Baby: A Parent’s Guide to Nurturing Your Baby with Love, Respect, and Understanding, share their top tips in the book excerpt below for preparing an older sibling to welcome a new baby and promoting a smooth transition and positive bond once your second child is born....

So, you had an ultrasound and learned that the amniotic fluid around baby is low. What does that mean? It’s an intricate answer. It depends how low the fluid volume is, how far along in pregnancy you are and what the possible cause of the low fluid may be. Amniotic fluid is essential for the normal growth, development and well-being of your baby, and identifying low amniotic fluid is an important part of prenatal care....

Yes. A baby can’t contract multiple sclerosis through breastfeeding, and breastfeeding doesn’t seem to have any negative effect on the mother’s symptoms. In fact a recent study suggested that exclusive breastfeeding can help prevent a postpartum relapse of MS. In the study, nearly two out of three women with multiple sclerosis who breastfed exclusively for at least two months didn’t experience a relapse of symptoms. Eighty-seven percent of the MS sufferers who didn’t breastfeed, or who started using baby formula in the first two months, suffered a relapse....

You don’t need me to tell you that pregnancy and stress can go hand-in-hand. Wondering if there’s a way to keep your blood pressure from skyrocketing? Your iPod might just do the trick. The link between music and mood seems pretty obvious, but scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences in Leipzig, Germany, are finding it’s especially strong during pregnancy. Researchers played 10-to-30-second music clips to female volunteers....

For women pregnant with big babies, choosing to induce labor can have big benefits, European researchers discovered in a recent study. The researchers, including Michel Boulvain, MD of Geneva University Hospital in Switzerland, wanted to see if labor induction could lessen the chance of shoulder dystocia in large babies. The condition, in which baby’s head delivers but then one or both shoulders gets stuck, is 10 times more common in oversized babies than in normal-weight babies, according to the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists....

It seems like just yesterday everyone finally stopped asking about your newborn’s Apgar score. Do they really have to get started on baby percentiles too? Could we just give the kid a break? Besides, it’s silly to compare scores. Unlike with SAT scores, a higher, say, baby height percentile doesn’t necessarily mean she’s better off than a baby with a lower one. A higher number is just a number, and a number by itself isn’t very interesting....

The truth? Most new moms will tell you that a lot of those must-have items ended up collecting dust in the attic. So, before you get too trigger happy with that registry gun, let us give you the lowdown on some things you might want to think twice about adding to your baby registry. The changing table Okay, we know what you’re thinking: no changing table? But really, with all the frantic, last-minute poop cleanups you’re about to encounter, we’re willing to bet that 90 percent of them will happen somewhere other than on that pricey changing table you registered for....