Magazine Bites: Parents, January 2009

where I put my journalism degree to work and devour the latest parenting magazines so you don’t have to!

Parents magazine, January 2009, $3.50

Rating: 3 pacifers out of four

Cover: Cute enough kid, but why is it I feel like there’s never any diversity on any covers? It is always a smiling little blue -eyed blonde kid with clothes that probably cost more than mine. Cover lines seem promising enough, “Raise A Nice Kid,” “Save Money on Groceries,” “Child Vs. Bedtime,” etc. Let’s hope they follow through.

Useful advice:

• On page 17, they suggest towel origami (you know, folding and tucking towels into fun animal shapes) as a way to get reluctant kids into the tub. www.wikihow.com
• Research shows that honey is better than cough medicine for relieving coughs. (Only give it to kids over 1-year-old though.)
• Cute onesies highlighted on pg. 94. I should have bought Baby A the one for a fussy baby:
  

  "I Don't Do Quiet" onesie, $14.99

 Worthwhile articles:

• Cold-Season Survival Guide (pg.29) – How to make your sick child feel better. Nuff said.
• I Heart Your Husband (pg. 58)- A single moms essay about how she WISHES she had a husband to complain about, while she’s stuck doing everything herself. Made me take a second look at how much my husband actually does around here.
• Two Kids Under 2 (pg. 97) – Helpful advice, some of which I learned the hard way over the past 4 months. If I had read this last year, I probably would’ve been more prepared.

Skip it

• Your Passport to Fun (pg. 44) – A good concept (teaching kids about other cultures) just left a bad taste in my mouth when the only major holiday they could  trot out for black folks was Kwanzaa! Ugh. But some of the other holidays (St. Patrick’s Day, Earth Day, etc.) were just as trite. Come on, can we get something new?
• Save Money on Groceries (pg.67) – I had such high hopes for this one. Maybe I could find a few more tips to share with you all. But…not really. If you’re just starting to save because you looked up last week and realized, “Holy crap, we’re in a recession,” then this article might be helpful to you. But if you already clip coupons and comparison shop, then you’ll be better off skipping this.  

All told, it’s not a bad issue. Are young moms represented? No, but that’s why you’re here, visiting me! So their loss is my gain.

Do you have this issue? Agree with my review? Disagree? Let me know in the comments!