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Jeneba Jalloh Ghatt

MIT’s Early Childhood Lab Is Reinventing Research Collection To Be More Inclusive

Every family is different, but right now, most developmental studies look at kids from very rich, two-parent households near major universities – which is far from the “norm” in the US.

My family and I have participated in a longitudinal study that requires in lab visits so I really could appreciate learning of a new online tool of MIT’s Early Childhood Cognition Lab. The new online project called Lookit.  According to its managers, the goal of Lookit is to better understand how children think by letting families contribute to research from the comfort of their own home.

Parents and children participate by doing quick activities in a web browser on their home computer, and researchers later analyze the webcam video of the child’s responses.

The purpose of Lookit is to make research more accessible to the public. Families can participate in studies whenever and wherever, instead of having to come to a lab. That means scientists can observe more natural behavior, and all families  (not just affluent nuclear ones) can be represented.

Lookit is looking for babies for their “Baby Euclid” (6.5-7.5 months old) and “Your baby, the physicist” (4-12 months old) studies. If you have a baby that’s the perfect age for either of the studies, it would be great for him/her to participate!

In the Baby Euclid study, your child will be shown a series of triangles that magically change over time–researchers are interested in seeing which changes are the most interesting to your baby.

In the physics study, your child will be shown pairs of events – in one, something normal happens (a ball rolls off of a table and falls down) and in the other, something impossible happens (a ball rolls off of a table and falls up!). Where your baby chooses to look can help show his/her expectations of how the physical world works.

Lookit studies are quick and fun for your baby, and the information gathered through this research is incredibly helpful in advancing our understanding of how children think.

Check out the Lookit site to learn more or get started!

We’re Loving Teyana Taylor and Iman Shumpert’s New Reality TV Show (VIDEO CLIPS)

I have a new family reality TV show to watch! Your Bellyitch Bumpwatch alum, dancer, recording artist and model Teyana Taylor and her husband Cleveland Cavalier’s Iman Shumpert‘s!

Teyana and Iman  on VH1 is an intimate look into newlyweds Teyana Taylor and Iman Shumpert’s. After Taylor hit major crossover appeal following her fabulous appearance in Kanye West‘s “Fade” music video, her career has taken off in a meteoric ways, booking modeling gigs, launching companies and now this show.

INGLEWOOD, CA – AUGUST 27: (L-R) Teyana Taylor, Iman Tayla Shumpert Jr.and Iman Shumpert attends the 2017 MTV Video Music Awards at The Forum on August 27, 2017 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Christopher Polk/Getty Images)

The couple redefine the contemporary notion of the modern love story. He’s from the burbs. She’s from Harlem, NY. And on the show, you get to see Taylor do her mompreneur thing while trying to make sure her daughter Iman Jr (better known as Junie) experiences all the things Taylor didn’t as a kid, like camping.

Per the show description: ” As they take on the music, sports, and fashion worlds, the success in their careers is only rivaled by their passion for one another and their daughter Junie. Teyana & Iman features plenty of red-hot moments, playful humor, and a 360-degree view of true #RelationshipGoals.”

Here are some clips:

 

 

International Adoption Is On a Downward Trend, In Flux

The state of international adoption is in flux and has been the topic of a lot of policy discussions and decisions.

For example, just this past January, Ethiopia, the country with the highest number of adoption by Americans, made the decision to ban foreign adoptions, citing concerns about the safety of Ethiopian children.  High profile abuse cases triggered the move, including the 2011 death of an adopted Ethiopian child who died of hypothermia after being left outside in the cold.

When the nation made the decision, Ethiopia was second only to China as the most popular country for adoptions by Americans. Since then, the U.S. and Ethiopia made adoption requirements more stringent and the number of Ethiopian children adopted by Americans plummeted from 2,511 in 2010 to 133 in 2016, according to the State Department.

The determination by the US State Department to scale it back has caught the ire of adoption advocate Nathan Gwilliam – the owner of adoption.com, adoption.org,adopting.org and others who think that children are dying in orphanages while there are families here in the US who want to adopt but cannot adopt because of the State Department regulations.

It is true that international adoptions have declined by 81%,  from about 23,000 international adoptions in 2004 through the forecast numbers of 4,200 international adoptions in 2018. If this trend line continues international adoption in America may end by 2022.

Gwilliam believes that adoption should be less complex and less expensive and a Dave Thomas Foundation survey showed that 85 million Americans have considered adoption. Two of the biggest reasons why people don’t complete an adoption are the cost and the complexity.

Policy, legislation and pushback from some foreign nations are making international adoptions more and more difficult and soon may be a thing of the past.

 

Kate Middleton Gives Birth to A Baby Boy After a Short Labor

Catherine Duchess of Cambridge (née Kate Middleton) and Prince William welcomed their third child, a son today.

Kensington Palace confirmed the baby was born in the early hours of the morning,

The news came not long after it announced that the Duchess had gone into early labor.

She labored for about 7 hours which is relatively short but not atypical because she labored for 12 hours with Princess Charlotte and only 3 or so with Prince George.

“Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cambridge was safely delivered of a son at 1101hrs. The baby weighs 8lbs 7oz,” Kensington Palace announced on Twitter. “The Duke of Cambridge was present for the birth. Her Royal Highness and her child are both doing well.”

The baby, who was born at St. Mary’s Hospital in London, the same place his big brother Prince George of Cambridge, 4, and sister Princess Charlotte of Cambridge, 2, were born.

“The Queen, The Duke of Edinburgh, The Prince of Wales, The Duchess of Cornwall, Prince Harry and members of both families have been informed and are delighted with the new,” Kensington Palace further announced.

The baby automatically becomes fifth in line to the British throne, behind his granddad Prince Charles, father William and Prince George, and Princess Charlotte.

The baby leapfrogs his uncle Prince Harry in the succession.

The child’s name is set to be announced soon.

The baby birth’s comes just a few weeks ahead of Princess Charlotte’s third birthday, which is on May 2, and a few months ahead of Prince George’s fifth birthday, which is on July 22.

Study: Sugar Consumption During Pregnancy Impacts Baby’s Learning, Memory

A new study found that mothers consuming high amounts of sugar and sugar substitutes during pregnancy, or high sugar consumption during early childhood, was associated with compromised learning and memory skills in children. Alternately, high fruit consumption was found to have the opposite effect.

In a new study published online Thursday in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, researchers analyzed data from more than 1,000 pregnant women from 1999 to 2002 who participated in Project Viva, a longitudinal research study of women and children. In addition, the team also assessed the diets of the women’s subsequent offspring, and their cognition at age three and again at age seven.

Results revealed that poorer childhood cognitive skills were associated with mothers who consumed high sugar diets during their pregnancy or in children who consumed greater amounts of sugar during early life.

These cognitive deficits were most noted in non-verbal abilities to solve problems and verbal memory, as well as decreased intelligence.

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Report: Pippa Middleton Is Expecting Her First Child

It’s a Middleton sister baby boom!

As Kate Middleton prepares to give birth to her third child any moment, The Sun on Sunday reports that her younger sister Pippa Middleton, 34, is pregnant with her and 42-year-old husband James Matthews‘ first child. The family has not commented.

The newspaper said the couple, who wed 11 months ago, told their family and friends the happy news last week after Pippa had a 12-week ultrasound. Their baby is due in October.

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Happy Earth Day: 6 Ways to Reduce Food Waste

Although today is Earth Day, America has a food crisis on its hands.

While there is plenty of food at stores and in the refrigerators and pantries of most homes, the National Resource Defense Council (NRDC) says that 1 in 8 Americans cannot get enough to eat. And sadly, the NRDC reports that 40 percent of food in America is never eaten and goes to waste.

The average US household can waste anywhere between $1,365 to $2,275 worth of food every year. This epidemic of food waste is not prevalent in the US alone. Globally, 33% of food is thrown away on a yearly basis, totaling 1.3 billion tons of wasted food.

When an apple rots or leftovers are forgotten about and tossed out weeks later, these edibles are not the only resource lost. The water that was used to grow and produce the food, the energy used to transport it to market and the dollars spent marketing and retailing the products also end up wasted. The good news is that anyone can make a few simple lifestyle changes to help reduce global food waste.

1. Stop Buying in Bulk – Instead of stocking up on perishable foods in amounts that could feed a family for two weeks, just shop for what you need for the meals you have planned for the week. Otherwise you are likely to forget what you bought in the back of the fridge.

2. Plan Meals in Advance – Create a meal plan for the week for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks. Only purchase the food items you need for those particular meals. If you have a sudden craving during the week you can make a separate trip. If going to the store again sounds like too much work then you did not really need that additional food item in the first place!

3. Invest in Smart Appliances – Technology is playing a huge role now in helping reduce food waste in the home. Some new refrigerators let you look inside them to check what supplies you are out of when you are not at home. If a new fridge is a bit out of you price range, there are solutions to make your existing refrigerators ‘smarter’. The Smarter FridgeCam is a retrofit device that can keep track of your food contents wherever you are via your smartphone. FridgeCam will also alert you to upcoming expiration dates and recommend recipes so you can use up what you have. These types of devices can also help you from over-purchasing certain items that you already bought.

4. Put Your Freezer to Use – Spot check your refrigerator every few days for produce or leftovers that are getting close to spoiling. Before they reach the point of no return, if you will not eat them in the next day, put them in the freezer

5. Only Grocery Shop After a Meal and Have a List – Two sure ways to end up wasting food are to shop hungry and shop without a plan. Impulse purchases end up not creating full meals leading you to make additional trips to the store.

6. Make and Prepare Meals at Home – Many food items can easily be grown at home on a kitchen counter or a backyard garden. If a recipe calls for fresh herbs you can avoid having to toss out the extra by having your own plants. And you will be less likely to let food go to waste when you have invested your own time and effort into growing it.

About Christian Lane

CEO and founder, Christian Lane, has been the driving force behind the innovative London company Smarter. Christian realized early on that the kitchen, the heart of the home, was seriously underdeveloped when it came to connected technology and was primed for disruption. Christian’s vision is to create smart products that are practical, convenient and enhance peoples everyday lives.

HTGAWM Star Karla Souza Latest Celeb to Have a Surprise Baby

How to Get Away with Murder star Karla Souza became the latest celebrity mom to have a surprise baby.

Like Annna Kornokiva and Enrique Iglesias before her, the 32-year-old actress managed to keep her entire 40 weeks Of Pregnancy a secret.

She surprised fans Thursday night when she Instagrammed a photo of herself well into her pregnancy, writing in English and Spanish, “So I have something to share with you guys ?.”

She followed up with a photo of herself cradling her brand new baby.

Congrats!!

View this post on Instagram

God blessed us ?? Dios nos bendijo.

A post shared by KARLA SOUZA (@karlasouza) on

She welcomed a baby girl with banker husband Marshall Trenkmann, who she married in 2014.

Among others who kept it mum until giving birth are Laura Linney, Lost star Evangeline Lily who kept her pregnancy secret for close to nine months before paparazzi spotted her pregnant in Hawaii. Similarly, back in 2009, Jennifer Hudson managed to conceal her pregnancy until she was about 8 months along before a snoop with a camera spotted her with a massive pregnant.  Adele, Jennifer Lopez and several others kept it quite for 5 months or more.

25 Ways To Show Mom Gratitude For Helping Raise Her Grandchildren

With news outlets reporting that Kris Jenner has been instrumental in helping her daughter Khloe Kardashian adjust to motherhood and with Mother’s Day around the corner, it’s a good day time to think about ways to thank moms for being great grandmamas!

If you’re fortunate enough to live close to your mother, there’s a good chance that she’s looked after your own children a time or two. Watching your children for an extended period, like over the cry of “Thanks!” as you pack everyone into the car.

Here are 25 unexpected ways you can thank your mom for looking after your children after the years she spent raising you.

  1. Surprise House Cleaning – Your mom not only watches your kids, but also spent a significant chunk of her life cleaning up after you. Say thank you by springing a surprise house-cleaning on her sometime!
  2. Flowers – Whether you buy a bouquet of her favorite blooms or present a hand-picked bunch, there’s something about a gift of flowers that shows gratitude and appreciation beautifully.
  3. Homemade Cards – Get the kids together and create a handmade card to present to Grandma as a token of your collective appreciation. It’s sure to end up proudly displayed on the refrigerator.
  4. Store-Bought Greeting Cards – Sometimes a spontaneous gift is best. Snagging a “Thinking of You” card that’s not occasion-specific while you’re at the market and inscribing a message that expresses your thanks lets your mom know that you’re thinking of her and that you’re appreciative of the things she does to help you.
  5. A Special Meal – Who knows your mom’s favorite meal better than you do? Preparing her favorite dish is a great way to say thank you, especially if you modify it to meet dietary needs that are changing with age.
  6. Offer a “Free Favor” – Present your mom with a card promising one free favor, to be called in at any time in exchange for watching the kids. When you hand it over, explain that it’s a show of gratitude, and that her help makes a difference in your life.
  7. Pick Up the Tab – Your mom has been buying you dinner for decades. If you want to thank her for all the time she spends watching your children, consider taking her out to a nice place and picking up the tab.
  8. Give Her the Title of “World’s Best Grandma” – It may be a cheesy coffee mug or a hokey baseball cap, but a bit of merchandise emblazoned with your mom’s title of “World’s Best Grandma” lets everyone know just where she stands.
  9. A Meaningful Gift – There are always things that people want, but can’t justify purchasing for themselves. Listen to your mom when she talks and glean bits of information from what she says to find the perfect thank-you gift.
  10. Handle an Unpleasant Task – Whether it’s clearing a stubborn clog or cleaning the toilet, there’s always some distasteful task that needs to be completed around the house. Taking care of one such task for your mom is a practical and considerate way of thanking her for the things she does.
  11. Give Her the Gift of Quality Time – The frenetic pace of today’s world can leave you spending no more time with your mom than it takes to drop off and pick up the kids. Even if it’s just a cup of coffee before work, carve out some quality time to spend with your mom to thank her.
  12. Baked Goods – Cupcakes, cookies and other baked goods are always a welcome gift, and a great way to show your appreciation for someone you love.
  13. Video Thank You Notes – Get the family together and create a video thank you note for Grandma. Encourage little ones to sing a song or do a dance, and address the things she does that you appreciate directly.
  14. A Scrapbook – There’s nothing quite as powerful as a scrapbook filled with precious mementos and photographs. It may be a time-consuming task, but compiling a scrapbook full of memories for your mom is a great way to show that you care.
  15. Arts and Crafts Projects – Handmade gifts can be more personal and heartfelt than the store-bought variety, so consider making a few things to give to your mother in appreciation.
  16. A Handwritten Letter – Today’s high-tech world relies on emails and text messages to communicate, and the art of the handwritten letter seems to be dying. Put pen to paper and share your appreciation in a way your mom can save for posterity.
  17. Sweet Surprises – Show up to collect your kids with your mother’s favorite candy or other sweet treat. Even though it’s a simple gift, it shows your appreciation.
  18. Gift Cards – Picking up a gift card to your mother’s favorite store or restaurant is a great way to show your thanks, especially if you tuck it inside a card or letter.
  19. Poetry – If you have a flair for words, why not pen a quick poem? Whether it’s sentimental enough to be a greeting card verse or a few silly rhymes designed to bring a smile to mom’s face, the effort will certainly be appreciated.
  20. Inscribed Plants – Moms with green thumbs will be thrilled with an inscribed plant, like Magic Bean in a Can. When the plant grows, a message of your thanks is actually inscribed upon the leaves. It doesn’t get much cooler than that!
  21. Banners and Signs – Surprise your mom with a large banner or sign expressing your thanks. For particularly special occasions, you may even want to integrate party whistles and hats.
  22. Subscription to a Favorite Magazine – Print magazines haven’t quite gone the way of the dinosaur, especially for the older set. Gifting your mom with a subscription to her favorite periodical as a token of your appreciation really is the gift that keeps on giving!
  23. Public Recognition – Few things show just how proud you are of your mother and how much you appreciate the time she spends with your kids like a public recognition of her efforts. Whether it’s a speech at a party or a post on her Facebook wall, let the world know you’re grateful to your mom!
  24. A Phone Call – If the hustle and bustle of each day’s demands leaves you only enough time to call your mother for drop-off and pick-up coordination, set aside a block of time to really talk. She knows just how busy you are, and it will mean the world.
  25. Group Hugs! – An enthusiastic group hug with choruses of thank yous is an exciting and affectionate way to show your gratitude to your mom for looking after your brood.

John Stamos is a First Time Dad at Age 54

John Stamos is a dad.

The Fuller House star announced the news on Instagram, revealing he and wife Caitlin McHugh have welcomed a son. Born at 8:32 p.m., William Christopher Stamos arrived on Tuesday, April 10 in Los Angeles, PEOPLE confirmed via his birth certificate.

“From now on, the best part of me will always be my wife and my son. Welcome Billy Stamos (named after my father),” Stamos, 54, captioned a photo of the newborn nestled on his chest. “#NotJustanUncleAnymore #Overjoyed”

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