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It’s an exciting milestone when baby is old enough to start transitioning from breast milk or formula to cow’s milk, but it’s important not to rush into it. You want to make sure baby is getting all the important nutrients, but introducing milk too early can actually do more harm than good. So when can babies have milk—and what type of milk can they have? Read on to learn when and how to go about transitioning to milk to ensure a healthy diet for your child....

You’ve probably been told to avoid nail polish with the chemicals dibutyl phthalate (DBP), toluene, and formaldehyde while you’re pregnant, to avoid exposing baby to the chemicals. Should be as simple as checking the bottle before you get a mani, right? Well, not exactly. The California Environmental Protection Agency’s Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) recently did a study of nail products for sale in the San Francisco Bay Area and tested them for DBP, which can cause hormone production problems in a fetus; toluene, which can cause reproductive issues, headaches, itchy eyes and more; and formaldehyde, which can cause breathing problems and could cause cancer (all scary!...

“My son destroys every room on every floor of my house, so I definitely never appreciated a clean house. Now, I have given up on the idea of actually keeping it clean.” — Danyielle K. “I didn’t appreciate not having to know where everything is in my house at all times and also not being asked a hundred questions every morning before nine.” — _Kimberley M. _ “I never appreciated how amazing life is, seeing my daughter experience the world for the first time makes me stop and look at things in a way I’ve never seen them before....

Things have certainly changed since I first became a mom 10 years ago. Sure, that isn’t all that long ago, but I can tell you back then, no one was shopping for pink or blue much before 20 weeks of pregnancy, when the anatomy scan could reveal baby’s sex. Now? First trimester genetic screening tests like NIPT can tell you if you’re having a boy or girl with near 100 percent certainty as early as 10 weeks....

There’s lots to love about Halloween, including dressing up little ones in costumes, taking them trick-or-treating and finding candy in the leftover stash. But one of the best parts of the holiday is watching tiny tots show off their creativity and imagination with Halloween arts and crafts. We’ve scoured the internet for some of the best Halloween crafts for toddlers and preschoolers. Ready to have a bewitchingly good time? Whether your child’s mastered the scissors or is still learning how to finger paint, you’ll find spook-tacular Halloween craft ideas below that’ll have you both under a creative spell....

From having too much sex to not having sex often enough, we asked experts to spill some of the most common mistakes their patients make when first trying to conceive a baby. Are you guilty of any of these? Find out—and learn some easy fixes that could help get you back on track for trying to conceive. Not Knowing When You Really Ovulate If you can remember back to 5th grade sex ed, many women have a 28-day cycle, which means for them, ovulation generally happens on day 14....

Baby skin is super sensitive and can easily be irritated by anything: a wet diaper, too many baths, a change in seasons, fabric and even detergent. That’s why we are excited about Cetaphil’s baby skincare line. The brand already has a loyal customer base of women who know that their products clean without drying and contain the gentlest of ingredients. The experts at Cetaphil crafted a line with baby in mind; all of their baby products contain a secret ingredient (organic extracts derived from the marigold flower!...

Dorel Consumer Group and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recently recalled almost 800,000 infant, convertible and booster child-restraint systems made between May 1, 2008, and April 30, 2009. The recall comes in response to reports that the harness loosens as the child moves, increasing the risk of injury in the event of a car crash. Some of the recalled brands include Cosco, Maxi-Cosi and Safety First. Dorel will provide all registered owners with nontoxic lubricant to secure the locking mechanism on the car seats....

What could possibly be worse than a notice from your child’s principal about naughty behavior or less-than-stellar grades? A letter informing you that your child has lice, of course. Unfortunately, it’s quite a common problem. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), head lice are especially prevalent in day cares, preschools and elementary schools: An estimated 6 to 12 million infestations occur every year in the US among children ages 3 to 11....

The holidays are not just about opening presents—it’s about family traditions that make this time of year even more special. Establishing annual customs with your kids creates an experience that’s special to your household and provides an opportunity to bond. Ready to start celebrating? Here are a few fun ways to expand your family’s holiday repertoire. Image: Courtesy of Kid In Me Creations/Etsy Kwanzaa • Opt for a felt kinara. A real kinara isn’t exactly kid-friendly, so let little ones get in on the action with this soft, pint-sized version that lets them mark the seven days....

Jessica Shortall is a working mom with a career dedicated to the intersection of business and doing good. As the former Director of Giving for TOMS Shoes, she literally circumnavigated the globe with a breast pump, and now she’s here to give you advice for dealing with the challenges of being a working and pumping mom. Order her new book from Abrams, Work. Pump. Repeat.: The New Mom’s Survival Guide to Breastfeeding and Going Back to Work, available now!...

Being a new mom, my thoughts turn to who my son will be in the future. I think of the great scientists of the past — Albert Einstein, Isaac Newton, Leonardo daVinci, Isaac Newton — and I wonder how their moms might have shaped their lives. Did she let him conduct experiments in the home? Read scientific magazines of the day? Make certain he was in the best schools, surrounded by the best possible mentors?...

Like most moms, Paige Chenault has birthday parties down to a science. (Activities? Check. Decorations? Got ’em. Party favors? On it.) But unlike most moms, she throws several hundred a year. As the founder of the Dallas-based nonprofit The Birthday Party Project, Chenault and an army of volunteers host monthly parties for children living in homeless shelters. “These are kids who know only trauma and crisis in transition. What we do is actually provide a sense of normalcy for them....

And the Winner Is: Solly Baby Loop Carrier Babies like to be held. All. The Time. Baby wearing allows you to snuggle up close with your new arrival while freeing up your hands. It also promotes parent-child bonding and can help curb crying episodes—talk about a total win! If your little one likes to be carried, the Loop Carrier by Solly Baby allows you to baby wear longer. The part-wrap, part-sling design supports little ones from 15 to 45 lbs, the perfect graduate from an infant carrier....

Price: $129.99 The ultra-lite, portable play yard that weighs just 15 lbs.! Take some weight off your shoulders with a portable play yard that’s just half the weight of other popular play yards, with all the same great features, and more. It’s everything you and baby need to play, sleep, change and repeat —at home or on the go! At only 15 lbs., it’s super lightweight and easy-peasy to pop up, take down and pack away in just a few quick, simple steps....

You spend your whole pregnancy planning for baby’s arrival, arranging the nursery, gathering your gear and mentally preparing for motherhood. By the end of it, you’re tired, you’re achy and you’re focused on the finish line: Your due date. So when baby doesn’t make their big debut when expected, it can be frustrating to say the least. But (unfortunately) due dates aren’t precise schedules. A pregnancy is considered full term at 39 weeks through 40 weeks, according to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG)....

Well child visits? Information for caregiver? Interviewing a caregiver? See all newborn Q&As Baby is a brain Baby’s motor skills and senses are developing like crazy. Her hand-eye coordination is improving, she’s starting to recognize specific sounds and sights, and is getting pretty darned good at holding up her head. Also this week: It’s time for baby’s two-month checkup! Your doc will check her overall growth and development and give a round of immunizations....

“ ‘Are they natural?’ You don’t go around asking parents of singletons how they were conceived, so don’t ask a parent of multiples.” — Lilystar82 “ ‘Which one is best?’ My response was ‘at what?’” — MrsLee04 “ ‘Did you plan on having twins?’ Well, we planned on getting pregnant, so yes we did.” — Ladynikon “ ‘I have two kids 16 months apart. I think that’s harder than twins.’ I didn’t know it was a contest....

It’s easy to get carried away (and slightly overwhelmed) when you’re designing a space for your new baby. All the baby boy nursery decor and what seems like endless color scheme options can be daunting! After all, you want to create a space that’s soothing, fun and a reflection of your dreams for your growing family—no pressure, right? To help, we’ve rounded up a ton of baby boy nursery ideas to help inspire you as you create a game plan for your little man’s new room....

Photographer Ashlee Dean Wells’s 4th Trimester Bodies Project proves that stretch marks, scars and other changes don’t mar a mom’s beauty — they help tell her story. The project, which was born out of Wells’s difficult pregnancy experience, has been a labor of love. A long way from its humble beginnings as a Facebook page, the compilation is now available in book form. Here, some of the amazing women who got in front of the camera to share their honest experiences from pregnancy and labor to motherhood....