The Inquisitr » babies

Would you spend $30 on an app to decode your baby’s cries?

Kim LaCapria — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 16:46:49 +0000

This kind of seems like one of those things that sounds crucial when you’re expecting a baby, but after five minutes with an actual baby, you realize it’s probably totally pointless.

If you’ve ever dealt with more than one baby, you know some babies will sob rather calmly regardless of need while some will shriek like they’re being murdered when they want to be held or when they’ve got a half-teaspoon of moisture in their diapers. But Biloop Technologic claims that science supports their new “Cry Translator” iPhone app- from their website, a blurb about the studies that lead the the “96% accuracy” rate:

Dr. Antonio Portugal Ramírez, M.D. and Chief of Operations of Pediatric Services at Clinic Hospital Juaneda Menorca, Spain conducted a clinical study of the Cry Translator between December 15, 2008 and January 6, 2009. The objective of the study was to validate the diagnostic capability of the Cry Translator.

A total of 140 children from 0 to 2 years of age participated with a random sample of 104 children used in the analysis. Of those included in the test group:

> 54% of participants were male; 46% female
> 72% originated from Europe, 4% Sub-Saharan, 4% Orientals and 8% Latino Americans
> 77 % of the tests were conducted with children who visited the Clinic
> 33 % of the tests were conducted with children hospitalized in the Clinic

Is “Orientals” an acceptable clinical term? In any event, a reported “96% of the babies ceased crying after following the suggestions indicated on the symptom chart,” which does leave an average of 4% wailing babies even if you buy the app. Interestingly, one of the bigger health/science stories yesterday was that babies have just been shown to cry “in their native languages.” Not to worry- the Cry Translator maintains a high 96% accuracy rate for babies of all language backgrounds – even Orientals!

The “Cry Translator” is available for a steep $29.99 after 11/11, on sale for $9.99 before that date in the app store.

Dante’s Inferno in hot water over baby-killing Achievement

Chris Greenhough — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 02:37:59 +0000

If there’s one thing people have been talking about in the build-up to Dante’s Inferno … it’s not Dante’s Inferno.

Whether it’s the Twittersphere venting about EA’s “objectification” of women, or EA mailing replica severed hands to the press, the focus has kind of been away from the merits of the game. This post is sort of about the game, but still probably not what EA’s PR department had in mind.

The story so far: last week, Dante’s Inferno Executive Producer Jonathan Knight revealed that the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions would award a “Bad Nanny” Achievement/trophy to players who slaughter a certain number of unbaptized infants. Surprisingly, some people found this idea of killing babies offensive.

Today, the International Nanny Association (INA) stepped in and sent EA to the naughty step, saying that the Achievement was “created out of poor taste and bad judgment.” Here’s the INA’s official take on things:

“INA is opposed to video games that promote and encourage players to “kill” babies, even in fantasy play. It is our opinion that this type of play may promote violence towards children. The name of the trophy or achievement, “Bad Nanny,” is offensive to our association in that we strive to promote and educate the public regarding the selfless work nannies do to support families by providing quality in-home child care.”

While the claim that this will somehow discredit real nannies is tosh, I will say it all seems like a deeply unnecessary inclusion, not to mention a bit tasteless. Then again, if you’re sending out detached human appendages to people, I suppose taste is taking a back seat already.

[Via GamePolitics]

Plum Organics Carrots & Apples, now with added botulism!

Kim LaCapria — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 16:41:11 +0000

Soy humpers, please check your baby food supply.

Plum Organics baby food in carrot & apple flavor is being recalled due to botulism fears. While the apple & carrot variety is free of pesticides and growth hormones, the travel packets may be contaminated with the potentially lethal Clostridium botulinum. During routine testing the FDA found the product to have insufficient acidity levels, leading to the recall.

The affected variety was sold at Toys-R-Us and Babies-R-Us locations across America. All have a “best before” date of May 21, 2010, and the UPC 890180001221. Founder Gigi Lee Chang posted the following letter on the Plum Organics website regarding the recall:

Dear Parents:

I wanted to let you know that, today, Plum Organics voluntarily recalled a small portion of our Apple & Carrot Baby Food in Portable Pouches after a routine test determined the formulation was incorrect. Plum Organics immediately investigated the matter and confirmed that a mixing error was to blame which resulted in an improper blend of carrots and apples.

We have recalled all Apple & Carrot Baby Food in Portable Pouches with the best by date of May 21, 2010 and marked with the following number “890180001221” located at the bottom of the package.

No illnesses have been reported in connection with this product. We conducted extensive testing of samples of every Plum Organic product manufactured before and after this batch and all samples were found to be within the standard guidelines.

Consumers can return any Plum Organics Apple & Carrot pouch-based baby food with the above “best by” date and UPC code to Toys-R-Us or Babies-R-Us for a full reimbursement.

Please accept my deepest apologies for this inconvenience. If you have any further questions, please contact Plum Organics at .

[Plum Organics Website]

Chicago anchor Judy Hsu becomes story by giving birth on roadside

Kim LaCapria — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 17:20:47 +0000

ABC 7 in Chicago news anchor Judy Hsu’s tenure came in handy when she ended up having her baby in the car on the side of the road.

Hsu went into labor around 3am Tuesday, waking husband Tracy to take her to nearby Northwestern Hospital. But the baby wasn’t feeling very patient, and the couple pulled over on the side of the road at the Cicero exit of the Eisenhower Expressway. Judy Hsu remembered doing a segment on a similar childbirth situation and how the parents had tied off the umbilical cord with shoelaces. Husband Tracy tried it, and it worked.

Paramedics soon arrived and transported Judy Hsu and the baby to Northwestern Hospital, where both are reportedly doing fine. The baby boy, named Alexander James, has been nicknamed “Ike” due to his unusual birthplace. He is the couple’s 4th child.

[Source: Chicago Sun Times]

Gisele Bundchen Expecting a Baby Boy

Bang — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 17:35:20 +0000

Gisele Bundchen is reportedly expecting a boy. The 29-year-old supermodel is due to give birth to her first child with husband Tom Brady, 32, in December and the couple is planning to call the infant Gabriel.

A source told National Enquirer magazine, “One of Gisele’s five sisters is named Gabriela, and she always thought it is a beautiful name.

“Gisele was brought up a Roman Catholic, and Gabriel is an archangel, a messenger from God, in the New Testament.

“She’s also friends with Brazilian singer-songwriter Gabriel Guerra. They met in Rio de Janeiro last year, and he wrote the song ‘Tribute to Gisele’ for her. She liked it so much she put it on her website.”

The couple is reportedly delighted by the news, and Gisele “can’t stop” talking about the new addition to her family.

The source added, “Tom and Gisele didn’t care if they had a boy or a girl, just as long as everything is OK with the child.

“But now that Gisele knows it’s a boy, she’s so excited, she can’t stop telling people.”

Tom – who has a two-year-old son, John, with actress Bridget Moynahan – recently spoke of his excitement of becoming a father, insisting it will be easier than his American football training.

He joked, “It couldn’t be harder than this training camp, so I’ll be prepared.”

Another stranger smacks another two-year-old

Kim LaCapria — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 20:35:12 +0000

Remember the scary man from earlier this month who slapped a stranger’s two-year-old girl in a Walmart?

Maybe it’s a movement. 44-year-old Gloria Ballard is accused of approaching a woman in a Cincinnati Salvation Army and critiquing her parenting. Okay, it’s happened to many parents at one time or another. But then Ballard crossed over into crazytown, grabbing the strange baby, putting him over her knee and smacking him three times. Danny Jones, the mother of two-year-old Sean Goode, described the rogue spanking:

“She was basically telling me what to do with my son,” said Jones. Jones said she responded to Ballard by saying, “Lady, you don’t know me. I handle my business. I’m doing right to take care of my son.”

That’s when Jones said Ballard grabbed her son, 2-year-old Sean Goode, from her.

“She took him (off) my lap, bent him over her legs and spanked him like three or four times. He started crying,” said Jones.

“She was basically telling me what to do with my son,” said Jones. Jones said she responded to Ballard by saying, “Lady, you don’t know me. I handle my business. I’m doing right to take care of my son.”

That’s when Jones said Ballard grabbed her son, 2-year-old Sean Goode, from her.

“She took him (off) my lap, bent him over her legs and spanked him like three or four times. He started crying,” said Jones.

Ballard was arraigned today on assault charges. She denies spanking the child and claims she “showed him affection.”

[Image: Local 12]

Man slaps a stranger’s screaming baby in Wal-Mart

Kim LaCapria — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 20:17:14 +0000

Anyone who’s had to shop at Wal-Mart knows that a cacophony of screeching babies is part of the tapestry of America’s most gigantic retailer.

A South Carolina man decided he wasn’t going to stand by quietly and allow the child to persist in ruining his otherwise pleasant Wal-Mart shopping experience. After threatening the child’s mother, he slapped the 2-year-old girl “four or five times” across the face.

Sonya Mathews, the mother of the 2-year-old child, told police that both were walking in the aisles of the Rockbridge Road store when Roger Stephens, 61, approached and said “if you don’t shut that baby up, I will shut her up for you,” according to a police report.

A few moments later, in another aisle, Stephens grabbed the 2-year-old and slapped her across the face four or five times, according to the report.

Stephens then told Mathews, “See, I told you I would shut her up,” according to the report.

According to reports, Mathews was detained by a bystander until police arrived. When questioned, the 61-year-old man explained that while he had indeed slapped a strange baby across the face, he apologized to her mother afterwards. He was still booked for felony cruelty to children.

Potty Training is more of a learning experience than you thought

Paul Short — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 00:45:17 +0000

Looks like potty training can be more of a learning experience than you thought.

Cheeky Aussie baby shirts turn heads on the playground

Kim LaCapria — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 19:10:51 +0000

The condom broke. I’m a tits man. I’m living proof my mum is easy.

A new line of cotton t-shirts are drawing criticism in Australia due to some decidedly un-childlike slogans. Shirts for babies bearing the provocative slogans have hit shops and while titty-jokes on baby shirts are hardly news, concerned citizen nanny-state types are not getting the joke.

Although babies and toddlers generally can’t read, it hasn’t stopped concern that the snowflakes will be somehow harmed by the big, bad and naughty words on their tops. One shop owner railed against the t-shirts- which she apparently purchased anyway?- to an Aussie news outlet:

She said research had linked premature sexualisation to eating disorders, depression, and self harm. It was a shame that a normally responsible company had “lowered the tone” of its product.

“I reckon there should be a penalty and there needs to be an awareness campaign with retailers about what’s appropriate and what’s actually harmful,” she said.

“They don’t get that it’s … harmful. It’s all part of a continuum of sexualisation of kids. It’s about the mental health of our children.”

The company behind the raunchy rugrat gear admitted there are “sporadic complaints,” but that the line isn’t going anywhere. Personally, I think they’re funny and adorable. Would you let your kid wear one?

[Source: News.com.au]

Wii Baby Gut Laugh

Duncan Riley — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 21:00:48 +0000

A baby who sounds like a chain smoker impartial to scotch…meet Wii Baby.

Nicole Richie Ready for Baby No. 2

Meieli Sawyer — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 20:50:16 +0000

Nicole Richie is supposedly gearing up for baby no. 2, according to Star magazine. Their January 12th issue (shown below) reports that Nicole in full-throttle baby mode, “taking vitamins, eating healthy and designing trendy maternity wear in preparation for her second pregnancy.”

A source spoke to Star and said that Joel Madden was “overwhelmed” by the plans, but warmed up to it over time: “Nicole simply told Joel that she wants another baby —right away. He was a little overwhelmed at first, but now he’s with her 100 percent. They’re both thrilled about adding to their family.”

It sounds like Nicole and Joel are in baby bliss, except for one small detail– Star says that Nicole’s been planning on baby no. 2 to “double their commitment” after hitting a “rough patch.” Sounds risky, no?

Let’s take all of this with a grain of salt, considering the Tara Reid debacle from which Star recently emerged.

Madonna: Malawi says No! and then blames her for divorce!

Samantha DeWitt — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 21:36:55 +0000

Madoona with David Banda in Malawi

Madonna’s nasty and expensive divorce form Guy Ritchie is going to cost her more than millions. The Malawi Child Services Director has said that Madonna’s divorce will mean she will not be able to adopt Mercy James, the orphan she has had her eye on since 2006.

Madoona has already one infamously adopted child from Malawi, David Banda.

Malawian official Penston Kilembe says the split with Guy, 40, means the adoption cannot be approved.
‘One fundamental condition in scrutinising adoptions is the connectedness of a family,’ he says.

Via Now

The Child Services Director then goes on to suggest that Madonna could be responsible for the divorce? On Guy Ritchie’s payroll perhaps?

‘We can’t approve a child to go into a broken family because the divorce could be the result of the behaviour of the party trying to adopt. Madonna should forget this one.’

We at the Inquisitr agree, every child should have access to a pie and sauce; its a fundamental human right.

So the innocent victim in all of this wrangling is Mercy James. Where are Madonna’s pals when you need them? We are looking at you Gwyneth Paltrow. Your brood is not very multicultural.

Halloween or not this could be damn scary – nightmare warning

Steven Hodson — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 02:07:30 +0000

I got an PR email earlier today from Crispin Porter + Bogosky that could be responsible for birthing a whole new wave of nightmares that could reach well beyond Halloween. For those of you who might not recognize the PR firm name they are the hot shot cool public relations company who are known for their off kilter ad campaigns and was hired by Microsoft to help rescue the brand. One of their other clients is Volkswagon who hired CP+P to handle the PR around the company’s new Routan vehicle.

Well part of their campaign has been having actress Brooke Shields as some very strange woman talking to people looking to buy a new Routan. Anyway this email pointed me to their new RoutanBabymaker 3000 site which allows you to add a picture for a mother and a father at which point the magic will happen and you will be the proud owner of a Routan Baby Model 3000 digital baby which apparently you can export out as a widget to add to your social site(s) of choice.

So without any further ado and the legal disclaimer that neither the author of this post nor The Inquisitr can be held responsible ofr any nightmares that you might bring upon yourself and others – the RoutanBabymaker 3000

Oh and by the way … the eyes and head follow what what you are doing on your desktop.