By Lauren Halperin, Baby Lifestyles Executive Editor

Today the entire staff of Baby Lifestyles went on a group date to see the documentary movie Babies. Being in the business of the first few years of a child’s life (and months leading up to it’s birth), we were excited to test the concept that all babies really come into the world as being the same. They want milk. They poop. They cry. They sleep. Repeat. Watching a documentary about the first year of life of baby in ‘our’ society (San Francisco) and seeing if it would be different if they were born in a similar city-situation albeit completely different society (Tokyo) as well as completely different societies (Namibia and Mongolia) peaked our interest. The first year of life of four babies from the four corners of the world.

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By Lauren Halperin, Baby Lifestyles Executive Editor

Today the entire staff of Baby Lifestyles went on a group date to see the documentary movie Babies. Being in the business of the first few years of a child’s life (and months leading up to it’s birth), we were excited to test the concept that all babies really come into the world as being the same. They want milk. They poop. They cry. They sleep. Repeat. Watching a documentary about the first year of life of baby in ‘our’ society (San Francisco) and seeing if it would be different if they were born in a similar city-situation albeit completely different society (Tokyo) as well as completely different societies (Namibia and Mongolia) peaked our interest. The first year of life of four babies from the four corners of the world.

In strictly a movie review sense, director Thomas Balmès creates a film which is slow, very slow at times. There is very little dialogue beyond the cooing of the parents. You are not provided any information beyond the names of places. And in case you are fluent in Japanese, Hinda or Mongolian, you are not provided subtitles for what the adults are conversing about. In a lot of ways, it is a compilation of short clips you could string together on YouTube and picturesque images of infants even Anne Geddes would be envious to capture. If I were a movie reviewer, I would say this is a movie perfect for a new mother to take their newborn child to and that you probably couldn’t pay a man to sit through it without falling asleep after fifteen minutes. As for relating to the parents, your man won’t even see a male to contrast to in the Namibian tribe.

Our stars here are Ponijao from Namibia, Mari in Tokyo, Hattie from San Francisco and Bayarjargal, the only boy in the bunch, from Mongolia. We meet them at birth or soon after with Hattie’s short hospital stay. With the exception of Hattie’s hookup to modern medicine machines, this is the only mark on the clean slate that is the lives of these babies. We see ‘normal’ or ‘everyday perfect’ lives of these infants, meaning there’s no trace of diaper rash, or some cases, diapers at all much less dirty ones. A completely different movie would be a look at the lives of babies with disabilities or sickness. Whew, deep sigh of relief because minus the beginning of Hattie’s life, you won’t see any of it here.

As a movie reviewer, I’d give it a B- and definite rent it status. But that is a movie review.

As the Executive Editor of Baby Lifestyles, it was a lesson in child rearing and child indulgence. While it is my job to report on baby products like playpens, the differences between them, and the latest innovations in them, seeing what they look like around the world was eye-opening. What does a playpen look like in Mongolia? It’s a rope, with one end looped around a bedpost and the other end tied around the baby’s waist.

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To answer the question of are all babies relatively the same, the short answer is: yes. They need their poop cleaned up and they cry…a lot. If a baby falls down, whether in a yurt on the Asian steppes or in a Japanese apartment, they will cry. They will carry on until someone picks them up. If they have siblings they will be both loved and harassed. If there are animals around be it cat, dog or goat, there will be inquisitive interaction. But without a doubt, they are irresistibly, adorable when exploring their surroundings, regardless if it is a pristinely tiled floor or a vastness of a dirt desert. They absolutely do the darndest things which evoke the awe and wonder and miracle that every parent sees in their own child. And that doesn’t matter where your geographical location is.

Being from a world where I write daily about cute frilly dresses and baby shower favors and decorations, the mere idea of strapping Bayar papoose style for a motorcycle trip mere hours after he is born seems absolutely ludicrous to me. The scare tactic-riddled paranoia possessed by affluent society (San Francisco and Tokyo) parents was the biggest ‘aha’ moment the BL staff could all agree on while discussing it afterwards. And, granted, I know that I am a perpetuating this psychosis. In our society we are obsessed with not touching things for the sake of germs, with having must-have and must-need products, with ‘the right’ educational development toys, with hot technology to make baby’s life perfect. Seeing the stark contrast of Bayar and Ponijao, whose lives are essentially not disturbed by anything modern be it conveniences, medicine, or parents constantly bombarded by the latest and greatest parenting method, was the fundamental message we came away with.

Perhaps it is not a cause for a massive freak out if your baby crawls across the carpeted floor of your home if you haven’t vacuumed it in a week. Clearly a baby can crawl across the ground that a herd of cows—cows!—is on and the parents barely batted an eye. Is it necessary to constantly stimulate a baby with the gadgetry of videos, toys, noise makers, and other colorful objects that might dangle over them be it the mobile in their crib or arch over their playmat? Definitely not, as this film shows that one infant is just as enamored by staring at the clouds in the sky.

The most difficult moment I had personally in watching the movie was with the Japanese baby Mari. She cried and cried and cried and in a very Ferber method type way and the parents let her. Was this actually the Ferber method on screen or is this simply the custom in Japan? I have no idea, subtitles would have really led to insight into this. It’s disturbing for me to watch a baby cry, for whatever reason and not have that maternal instinct to coo and calm and cuddle into submission rather than let the baby scream it’s head off until it wears itself out.

These infants were delightful to watch grow and prove that all babies regardless of status, ethnicity or religion, are tiny, curious, innocent, and in this case photogenic creatures. Much like how Oprah does her ‘Day in the Life of a 30-Year-Old Woman Around the World’ type shows, I would love to watch a sequel with only third world country babies or vastly ones different cultures (Polynesia, Yemen, and Bolivia come to mind) or contrast them with a different modern society like maybe London.

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Singer Lily Allen has said she wants to have a baby as she plans to retire from music. The ‘Not Fair’ singer – who recently announced plans to take an indefinite break from music to pursue her interests in fashion – let slip that she and boyfriend Sam Cooper’s desire to start a family is the real reason for her planned hiatus.

While appearing at Australia’s Big Day Out festival in Brisbane she told fans, “I’m not saying I’m pregnant now. Shut up, Lily. That’s the sort of stuff that gets me into trouble I suppose.”

Lily – who was left devastated after suffering a miscarriage with then-boyfriend Ed Simons’ baby in January 2008 – recently spoke about her desire to settle down outside of London and live a quiet life with her builder boyfriend, who she started dating last summer.

This is not the first time the Smile star has said she wants to become a mom. “I just want to have babies and live in the countryside, that’s my goal really,” she previously said. “I’m not a careerist. What I really want is to be a mom. I am driven, but that drive goes as far as keeping a roof over my head and having a routine.’

Despite their intentions, Lily recently denied speculation she and Sam are engaged.

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Husband and wife Katherine Heigl and Josh Kelley opened their home to a baby they adopted from Korea. But they opened their hearts when they learned that their future daughter had had a whole in hers.

Days after the adoption, Kelley revealed that their applications had been fast-tracked because their baby had special needs. At only two months old, the couple’s adopted daughter underwent life-saving surgery to repair a hole in her heart. The adoption process is usually a lenghty one, often including a 40-page questionnaire on everything from personal backgrounds to parenting philosophies, classes, home studies and references from friends.

Heigl explained, “They wanted to get her to us as quickly as possible.”

Katherine Heigl’s decision to adopt a special needs child rather than endure an ever-lengthening wait for a healthy child “made the adoption process much quicker,” as she explained on Ellen DeGeneres’ show.

“We’ve seen a lot more interest in special needs babies,” says Nancy Dykstra-Powers, director of Bethany Christian Services, which she says is the largest adoption agency in the country. “I used to have a really hard time placing babies with disabilities but there’s a real demand for them now.”

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Many Hollywood stars have adopted babies, but “Grey’s Anatomy” star Katherine Heigl might be the only one with first-hand experience. “My sister (Meg) is Korean,” she said in a previous interview. “My parents adopted her in the ‘70s. I just grew up that way and she’s one of my bestest friends and she’s my sister, too, and I just felt like I kind of want that in my family, too.”

This experience definitely influenced Heigl’s plans to adopt. “I’m done with the whole idea of having my own children,” Heigl once told USA Today. “[It] doesn’t seem like any fun. I don’t think it’s necessary to go through all of that.”

Now it is being reported that Heigl and husband Josh Kelley are “working on” an adoption of a 10-month-old Korean baby girl. The baby’s name is Nayleigh and they will nickname her Leigh.

“We’re working on [the adoption],” Heigl said earlier in the summer. “It’s just we are super crazed… Neither one of us want to give up our careers, neither one of us want to, you know, just be parents, but you have to slow down a little bit in order to devote the time that’s needed.”

Calls and e-mails from Heigl’s publicist have not been returned yet. Somewhere in there is a funny joke about the “Knocked Up” star not wanting to get knocked up.

Heigl plays Dr. Izzie Stevens on ABC’s “Grey’s Anatomy.” Kelley is a singer-songwriter. The couple have been married since 2007.

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Let your baby ride in luxury with Bebe Chic’s stylish Stroller Liners. Dress up your baby’s daily stroller ride with these padded, reversible liners give you variety in your stroller options, making your baby the talk of the town. An essential for babies and their moms who are on the go. These trendy designs are compatible with most stroller brands.

Imagine not having to worry about baby spit ups or accidents because these stroller liners are machine washable. You can change the look and feel of your stroller any day you’d like to update with you or your baby’s outift. It can even double as a changing pad or a bassinet pad too!

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It took all day, but the Sex and the City star and her Broadway husband have announced the names of their twin daughters:

“Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick are delighted to announce the healthy arrival of their two daughters at 3:58 pm on June 22 in Ohio. Marion Loretta Elwell Broderick weighed 5 pounds, 11 ounces and Tabitha Hodge Broderick weighed 6 pounds. Both Hodge and Elwell are family names on Parker’s side. The babies are doing beautifully and the entire family is over the moon.”

The babies, delivered via surrogate, join their older brother, 6-year-old James Wilkie Broderick.

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Summer is officially here, which means its time to get out the sunscreen and pump up that SPF. Babies have highly sensitive skin which burns much easier than adults. This puts them more at risk for sun damage. Leading experts are finding that if parents can protect their child’s skin while they are still young, it can reduce the risk of deadly skin cancers like melanoma as well as prevent aging later on in life. Here are our best baby sunscreen tips:

1. Don’t apply sunscreen when you’re outside, apply it 30 minutes before you go out, allowing it time to work. Then reapply it ever 2 hours that you are outside. Try to use an SPF of at least 25 on your baby. Don’t forget that when it’s slightly overcast out, the sun can still peek through the clouds and babies can still get burned. Use sunscreen even on a cloudy day.

2. The sun is strongest in the afternoon (between 11am and 2pm) so try to plan your outdoor activities before or after those times. Even though you might be tempted, eat your lunch indoors so your baby can avoid the strongest of sun rays.

3. When out for a daytime walk, use a visor or parasol for your stroller to help keep your baby in the shade. The best kinds are the ones that you can move around to block out the sun. As an alternative, try to find a place where you can stroll inside, especially at the hottest of hours.

4. When protecting your baby from the sun, don’t forget crucial baby parts. The bottoms of feet and under the chin are routinely neglected by parents when applying sunscreen. Also, don’t forget a hat to protect baby’s sensitive scalp, as many newborns aren’t born with enough hair to protect them from the sun. Luckily there’s a great supply of cute hats that can also shield your baby’s face as well.

5. Baby apparel has caught up with the styles and needs of concerned parents. Not only is there a variety of swim options available in infant sizes, but several brands also offer extra UV protection in the fabrics. If not on the beach, dress your baby in cotton to keep them cool and protected.

6. If your baby does get a sunburn, apply a soothing aloe vera gel to their skin, just make sure they can’t get their mouth on it. If you ever see a blister appear on your baby’s skin from a sunburn, call the doctor immediately.

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Baby fever never seems to fade in Hollywood, but Sandra Bullock is having none of that – she’s happy with her life with husband Monster Garage and Celebrity Apprentice star Jesse James just as it is. “You don’t have to give birth to someone to have a family. I’m not going to spend two seconds of my life wishing I had something I don’t. It’s hard to do it your way when you hear everyone else telling you to do it their way. I just want people to admit that there’s no one way to live your life,” she tells Harper’s Bazaar in their June issue.

Sandra is the first to admit, though, that a baby could be in her future, saying, “Of course, I don’t know what’s going to happen. I could go home today and go, I haven’t started my period.”

Either way, hubby Jesse will be there to support her, something she’s still getting used to. “I’ve had to learn a hard lesson in that I’m not allowed to open car doors anymore. It was so hard for me to allow someone to take care of me,” she confesses. “It’s not because I can’t take care of myself. But Jesse was like, ‘Just let me do this.’ “

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Last week, a 31-year-old mother in Ghent, Belgium gave birth to twin boys. She then allegedly sold the babies for $13,300 and all in the name of vanity. Sonia Ringoir has been charged with ‘degrading treatment’ of her twin babies, said the Sunday Times of London. She was arrested after her estranged husband tipped off the police.

Ringoir allegedly sold the twins to a ‘friend’ of hers to pay for liposuction and then decided to be fitted with a gastric band to reduce her appetite, The Times reported. She also has five other children between the ages of 3 and 13 and told police she gave the twins to a friend who couldn’t bare children. She also faces charges of defrauding a Dutch couple who allegedly paid her to become pregnant through artificial insemination but never received a baby, The Times said.

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