Dad's Accusation: Mom Is 'Hogging' Baby

Below is a question posed to Dr. Gail Saltz, a Today Show contributor, on MSNBC.com...

"We have a new baby, our first, and I find my husband is competing with me over the baby. He accuses me of “hogging” our daughter. I work nearby, so I am able to go home for lunch. When we go out, we fight about who gets to carry the baby. When she cries, he wants to hold her, which keeps her awake. I want to let her alone, so she will fall asleep. He also interferes with how I look after the baby. He doesn’t do diapers or any of the menial jobs like bathing or cleaning up. He says he gets to spend very little quality time with the baby, but doesn’t realize I am a working mother and feel the same way. I feel that I am being robbed of motherhood. My husband is in a bad mood much of the time, so it is hard to communicate. How can I rein in my growing annoyance about this?" — Mommy Nearest

> Click here for the response.

Updates...

>> Beautiful Babies (Ace - Dallas, TX)
>> Addicts Across America (Dallas, TX)

Website Spotlight: The Khaki Patch

Kid's art by Mary Katherine Segrest of The Khaki Patch. She can match your baby bedding or design something that you have in mind to match your child's room!

Forum Milestone

We've surpassed 1000 hits on the Baby Blog Addict Forum with 14 registered users and 91 articles in just over two weeks!

Join the popular discussions below or start your own.

• Time Out
• Pacifier Weaning
• Baby Blog Addiction Stories (come clean...we'd love more stories)

Benefit of becoming a registered user - Each time you log in, you'll notice that the categories with the yellow folders contain posts that you haven't read yet.

Today's Headlines

>> Baby name optimization...
>> Baby biz coming to Restoration Hardware...
>> Parents banking umbilical cord blood...
>> Foods for a baby with diarrhea...
>> More recommended baby books...
>> Couple posts billboard in hopes of adopting baby...

The Blog Addict

I came across this illustration and just had to post it. I know I can relate and I'm sure all of you baby blog addicts can too.

Baby You're a Star

Calling all baby blog addicts to enter your baby in the Baby You're a Star contest. Babies 2 to 24 months are eligible to win. The grand prize winner gets a $10,000 college scholarship, $1,000 in Evenflo products and becomes the "face of Evenflo."

Nursery Rhyme Tease

From Nursery Rhyme Tease, here's a creative gift idea that encourages reading and looking cute! You get a nursery rhyme story book and matching tee in a unique snap vinyl case. Choose from Three Little Pigs, Wheels on the Bus, Hey Diddle Diddle, Humpty Dumpty, Itsy Bitsy Spider or, my personal favorite, Old MacDonald (E-I-E-I-O).

What a creative way to encourage reading!

Tips for Stay-at-Home Moms

Tips for keeping the sanity when transitioning from working mom to stay-at-home mom:

1) Socialize
2) Get dressed
3) Stay informed on current events
4) Get out of the house

To share your own SAHM tips, check out our forum.

Blog Tip: Add Image to Header

Learn how to add an image to your blog's header from a screencast created by a fellow blogger.

If you have any blog questions or suggestions, check out the new Blog Help category on our forum.

Pint-Sized Seating

Kid's chair is only $6.99 at The Container Store. It's stackable and comes in orange, blue, pink and translucent.

Soft Drink Dangers

New research from a British University reveals a health scare over soft drinks. A common preservative found in drinks such as Fanta and Pepsi Max has the ability to switch off vital parts of DNA. The problem - more usually associated with ageing and alcohol abuse - can eventually lead to cirrhosis of the liver and degenerative diseases such as Parkinson's. The findings will also intensify the controversy about food additives, which have been linked to hyperactivity in children.

Today's Headlines

>> Baby needs a new pair of shoes...
>> Baby care items spout big business...
>> Similac recalls some baby food...
>> Baby delivered in less than two minutes...

Baby's First 24 Hours: Adjustment Time

After months of anticipation, your baby's birthday has finally arrived. Your baby is safely in your arms. Now what? Don't expect your baby to look like the adorable babies in the magazines. Newborns are wet, tiny, and often quite grumpy about their trip through the birth canal (or birth via C-section).

Study: Heavy TV Viewing Under Age Two

About 40 percent of 3-month-olds watch television or videos for an average of 45 minutes a day, or more than five hours a week, according to the first-ever study of the viewing habits of children under the age of two. The study, by pediatric researchers at the University of Washington, also found that by age 2, 90 percent of children are watching television for an average of more than 90 minutes a day.

Adoption Resources

Baby blogs are very popular and special for families who adopt. We've had a few friends lately who have extended their families by adopting beautiful children and have shared their journeys from paperwork to the first meeting on their blogs for their friends and family to experience the joy along with them.

Here are some top resource sites listed in the June 2007 issue of Parenting:

• The Adoption Guide
• Child Welfare Information
• National Adoption Center

Here's a blog post I found on What Made You Decide to Adopt.

Let us know if you have any other good adoption resources.

Website Spotlight: babystyle

Babies Only Look Clueless

Soon after birth, infants are keen and sophisticated generalists, capable of seeing details in the world that are visible to some other animals but invisible to adults, older children and even slightly older infants.

Docs Deliver Baby on Delta Flight

Two doctors on a Delta Air Lines flight from Germany delivered a baby in the aisle of the plane and resuscitated him when he wasn't breathing.

Toddler Activities

Melissa asked a great question on the forum: "...Does anyone have any suggestions for fun activities, centered around music, that I can do with my 2 year old at home? Suggestions not related to music are welcomed as well."

Here are a few music ideas I suggested:

1) Xylophone - Fill 3 or more drinking glass with different amounts of water. Gently tap each one with a wooden spoon. Ask him if the glasses with the most water sound the highest or the lowest. Get him to make up his own song by tapping different glasses.

2) Maracas - Buy toddler size maracas or you can make them. Put raw pasta, like macaroni, or beans in a 2-liter jug, milk jug or even a sippy cup.

3) Play music and let him dance around. Tell him when the music stops, he should stop and sit down. When it starts again, he should dance around again.

Non-music activity:
Gardening - Plant sunflower seeds with kids at the beginning of the summer and watch them grow. Take their picture with the growing sunflowers each week. Maybe even have the child hold a paper with the date and week of growth. By the end of summer, the sunflowers may grow to be taller than the kids.

Chime in with your own ideas for creative toddler activities.