You might have thought that the unusual names for Hollywood children were fading away, at least a bit, but it seems you’re wrong. It’s been a while since Apple and Suri were in the news, but the birth of Sunday, on a Monday no less, has brought the celebrity name game back into the headlines.

Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban, the very attractive Australian power couple, delivered their first child together in the early hours of Monday, July 7. Shortly after her birth, the excited parents announced her name to the press, fans and the world. This little six pound wonder is named Sunday Rose Kidman Urban. It’s quite a moniker for such a wee little thing.

Perhaps Sunday’s name isn’t as different as it might first appear. Her middle name at least is surprisingly common in Hollywood. Children of Michelle Pfeiffer, Teri Hatcher, Ewan McGregor, Sylvester Stallone and Eric Clapton all have Rose as a middle name, and having both last names is usually a show of equality in the marriage.

Sunday’s first name is just one of the unusual names still appearing in Hollywood. Sunday might be usual to us as a name, but in Africa it was traditional to name the daughter of the family Sunday, and this might have played into the decision. Regardless of the rationale, Sunday will be well loved and not alone in the world of celebrity baby names.

There is a huge trend right now among celebrities and the rest of us to keep our babies and baby gear earth-friendly. Naturally this is a trend we should all jump on in hopes of it outlasting trendiest and heading into practicality.

More and more parents are switching to earth-friendly materials such as organic cotton and other natural fibers in clothing, baby blankets, bedding and even diaper bags. If you’re looking for some earth baby tips, try these on for size:

Go Organic – Not only is organic baby food, clothing and products better for your baby, it’s better for the environment, too.

Take a Walk – If your destination is within walking distance, why would you bother driving? Grab a stroller or backpack and take a stroll to your destination with baby. Not only will she love to be outside, you’ll love the exercise and the gas you saved.

Try Cloth Diapers – Traditional diapers don’t biodegrade very well meaning your old diapers might still be hanging out in a landfill somewhere. Using cloth diapers helps eliminate that much more waste and might also help your child potty train more quickly – what parent doesn’t want that?

Celebrity moms are getting more down to earth with their baby names and their baby gear. Sure there are still thousand dollar prams marching down the street, or in the case of the Lopez twins, two matching prams, but many celebrities are becoming more focused on what baby needs to feel comfortable – no matter the price tag. In this case, that often means the price tag is lower than you might think.

Slings and Carriers
Celebrities, like any new moms, find that carrying baby close is the easiest way to get things done and keep baby comfortable. Gently wrapping slings and carriers are being spotted more and more with young babies.

Practical Strollers
No matter the brand, more practical strollers are being seen rather than bulky prams. A well designed stroller will take a child through the toddler years and many celebrities are keeping it simple with basic designs and simple color schemes.

Diaper Bags
Designer label or not, a diaper bag is necessary with a baby of any age. Large bulky bags that hold all that baby needs in dark colors are seen everywhere. Even large purses with an extra diaper and sippy cup inside are meeting the needs of many celebrity moms.

Ah, the diaper bag. Nothing makes a bolder statement about parenthood than the giant bag slung over your shoulder stuffed with diapers, burp clothes and changes of clothing. Well, maybe the spit-up drying on your back makes a statement, too, but the diaper bag can at least be fashionable.

The Bag

There are many styles of diaper bags available, from totes to backpacks and everything in between. The style of diaper bag you select has more to do with your personality and preferences than anything else. But be sure to think about both parents when selecting the bag, and opt for something that meshes with your style as your baby could care less if her bottles are toted in a trim black tote or a giant Winnie the Pooh bag.

Backpacks or messenger bags are great for parents who are always on the go and looking for an extra hand. By wearing the bag on your back, you have both hands free, but it does complicate things for parents who wear their babies or who like to grab or drop items in the bag at any moment.

Totes have easy access which is nice for parents who like to reach in and grab the pacifier without stopping, but that easy access also means your diaper bag may spill easily. Some totes come with zippers or flaps which can solve this problem. Diaper bags with flaps, however, can be frustrating if the flap is constantly falling in the way or if items fall out of the flap compartments when it is being lifted.

The Contents

Just as every child is different, the contents of every diaper bag are different. But speaking in generalities, when you pack your diaper bag, you should include the following:

Diapers – What would a diaper bag be without them? Load up the bag so you don’t always have to think about adding more.

Wipes – Invest in a travel size wipes dispenser to keep yourself organized.

Diaper Rash Ointment – If you use it at home, you’ll want it on the road.

Burp Cloth – You know why you need it.

Light Blanket – This can double as a burp cloth or keep your baby cozy in air conditioning or cooler weather.

Emergency Rations – Carry a nonperishable snack or two in the bag and a single serving sized can of formula along with an extra bottle should you be caught unawares.

Bottle of Water – The water is great for breastfeeding moms or parents on the go, but it can also be used in your emergency bottle if your older baby needs a drink or if you’re trying to mix powdered formula.

Meals – Any meals you’ll be eating while you’re away from home can be packed neatly into the diaper bag.

Bib – Throw in a regular bib or invest in the disposable ones.

Change of Clothes – Young babies or those learning to self-feed may want more than a single change of clothes.

Pacifier – The pacifier tends to disappear out of the bag after each outing, so be sure it’s replaced so you’re not stranded without one.

Toys – A few small toys can help keep your baby busy while sitting in a waiting room or in line at the grocery store.

Those tiny Mary Janes and sneakers are adorable, but are they necessary yet? Here we help you understand when to buy and what to look for when shopping around for your baby’s first shoes.
Many parents and gift givers ask: “When to buy shoes?” Well, babies younger than 9 months don’t need them at all. Keep those little feet barefoot or in nonskid socks until your baby starts pulling up and cruising at mach 3.
Another popular question is: “Where to wear them?” Your baby doesn’t need shoes indoors — in fact, bare feet grip the floor better and help him learn to walk faster. Outside, of course, they help protect his feet. Also you probably want to look for flexible, nonskid soles which are essential, whereas ankle or arch supports aren’t yet. Make sure you visit our Spiffy shoes collection for best results.

Any woman who’s become a mother has daydreamed at least once of trying motherhood out in the celebrity style. How much easier would it be to lose those stubborn pounds if you had a personal trainer and dietician standing by?

The thought of a nanny or “manny” standing by to relieve you of a fussy baby is a dream, and how do celebrity moms always manage to look so pulled together while you barely manage to find a semi-clean pair of sweats to wear every day? Celebrity style mothering has its perks, but definitely has some drawbacks, too.

We all need to maintain a healthy diet and get plenty of exercise. In fact, one of the most critical times for good nutrition and a healthy amount of exercise is immediately following delivery. Your body is trying to get itself back to something resembling normal, and you may be nursing and need to provide the best for your baby.

Celebrity moms have it a bit easier than the rest of us on the diet front. They are able to afford personal trainers and nutritionists to help whip them back into shape. It’s always inspiring to hear how hard a particular celebrity is working to lose the weight they gained, and it does make us a little less jealous to hear of three hour work outs and highly restricted diets when we see how great a new mom looks on the red carpet.

Not only do celebrity moms need hours in the gym to recover as quickly as they do, they need childcare while they work out. The daycare down the street simply won’t do for a high profile baby, so nannies and the male version, mannies, are probably more a necessity than a luxury. Most of these celebs are famous for a reason, and to maintain their careers, they must work like the rest of us. Their childcare options are just slimmer than ours.

Of course, as much as we want to lose the weight and get back into tip-top shape, nobody is forcing us to. It doesn’t matter too much if you wander down the street in your pajama pants, but if our favorite celeb made that fashion choice, the world would know almost instantly. Pictures taken in your house probably lean toward a slightly younger (and possibly cuter) subject matter, and millions of people aren’t shocked or amazed by how much weight you gained or lost.

Your battle is more personal not with the paparazzi, which means you may have to fight it on a more personal level. Just be grateful you’re not recovering in the public’s eye.

For all the talk of odd celebrity baby names, some celebs are starting to do something even stranger. They are giving their babies “normal” names.

Julia went from a set of twins named Hazel and Phinnaeus to a new little boy named Henry Daniel Moder. Henry is about as conservative and traditional as you can get with baby names. It does make you wonder if Phinnaeus will be jealous some day.

Other celebrities are scaling back on the more outrageous names in favor of something not necessarily common, but certainly more in line with the mainstream. Ben Affleck and Jennifer Gardner shunned pieces of fruit to settle on a more traditional color for their little girl. Violet Affleck will grow up with a name that many others have had throughout history.

Brittany Spears, despite her rather unusual lifestyle choices lately also has a knack for picking names that are beautiful in their simplicity. Sean and Jayden have names that are easy to pronounce and make sense in an otherwise complicated world – at least in their little piece of it.

Of course it will take quite a few more famous celebrity babies to tilt the scales fully in favor of names that have a more traditional flavor, but one can partially understand why celebrities might want unique names. If your child is going to be in the news from the time of conception on, why settle for something normal when you can be creative?

Many parents who don’t share the celebrity spotlight feel the same way about their children. In fact, the most popular name for boys in 2006 and 2007 is not traditional at all. Aiden (and all its different spellings) soundly beat out the classic Jacob, Matthew, Joshua and Nicholas. In fact, the only other name on the top ten list that doesn’t date back hundreds, if not thousands of years is Ethan.

Girl names tell a slightly different story. The top ten girl names are a definite mix of old and new ranging from the classic Emma (at number one) to a more modern Kaitlyn and Hailey. Whatever name you give your child, be sure it makes sense for the child and your family and all will be perfect – just like your little one.

You want to throw a great shower for the mom-to-be. Or perhaps you’re the honored guest, and you’re not quite sure what to do with all this attention. While much of a shower has to do with the personality of the hostess, guest of honor and friends, there are certain aspects that make things great, and a few that can make things ugly rather quickly.

Things to Do!

There are lots of things to do at a shower, but the most important is to have fun. The first thing to do is to plan the party to accommodate as many schedules as possible. In today’s busy world, it can be hard to get everyone together at the same time, but plan into the future a bit to give everyone as much advance notice as possible. You should have food and drinks available. The mom-to-be is probably not drinking alcohol and may not be drinking caffeine so be sure selection is varied and inclusive of everyone.Games are generally something fun to include, so plan one or two, but don’t go overboard. A lot of time at the shower should be spent visiting so that the guests can congratulate the soon-to-be mom and allow plenty of time to get caught up. A shower doesn’t need to be chock full of activities. The most important activities at the shower will be:

Everyone likes to look well-groomed. Once new parents are able to process coherent thoughts and fit into regular clothes, it is suddenly important to be put together all of the time. After all, we all must look nice for the millions of pictures that are now part of everyday life. This is includes the newest family member. But how, parents may wonder, do you show that an infant is in style?

Dressing Well

It’s an interesting phenomenon experienced by mothers everywhere. While new mothers wait for their old clothes to grow back to the right size, they utilize their keen fashion sense on their offspring. Babies suddenly become the best dressed member of the household. Adorable booties match knitted sweaters or baby cable knit layette gowns and entire outfits will be changed if a bit of milk stains a collar.

The most ironic aspect of this, however, is that the most visible aspect of a baby’s attire is often completely overlooked – the blanket. To display a child’s outfit, one must first unwrap the blanket strategically placed to keep out chills or direct sunlight. To truly be coordinated, one must consider the style of baby blanket on a daily basis.

Selecting a Blanket

Selecting the right blanket is a great deal of fun. There are many different styles to choose from including faux fur throws and upscale cotton. Some blankets, such as the hooded fleece stroller blanket are designed especially for outings in cooler weather. Finding an adorable blanket for these occasions demonstrates not only the importance of your baby’s comfort, but a bit of style as well.

The Safety of Blankets

Stylish outings are fun and healthy for both baby and parents, but it is important to think of blankets in the home as well. Many parents prefer to find a soft surface such as chenille baby blankets or a faux fur rug for little ones to practice rolling, sitting and playing. This keeps many of the allergens in carpet away from baby’s sensitive little nose. Of course, hardwood floors necessitate a softer surface and blankets are ideal for this.

With the emphasis on preventing SIDS, many parents are confused as to how to approach bedtime. Obviously loose blankets in the bed are not the answer; in fact some believe they are part of the problem. Many designers have begun offering warm and plush sleeping bags designed to keep little ones warm without the worry of blankets shifting during the night. These baby sleeping bags are available in many adorable colors and patterns.

Of course a new baby’s safety and well-being are paramount concerns to parents. Once these basic needs have been met, however, it is almost impossible to avoid the urge to present their little one in the absolute best light. Finding the right outfit is important, but finding the perfect blanket can be critical to completing an ensemble. Regardless of style, enjoy dressing your little doll – they only let you play this game for a few years.