The Perfect Baby Blog

“The Best Kids’ Books Ever”—as chosen, in a willy-nilly manner, by Nicholas D. Kristof

Monday, July 6th, 2009

Want to scare parents? Claim that their children’s brains start disintegrating every July, unless the kids are pried away from computers, televisions—and (presumably) diving boards and climb-able trees—and forced to read the 13 children’s books that New York Times’ op-ed columnist, Nicholas D. Kristof, vaguely remembers from his boyhood, or has read to his own […]

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Is your child gifted—or just unappealing? A checklist

Monday, June 8th, 2009

In this competitive era, parents are naturally curious to determine whether their child is destined to freakishly overachieve—or just to stare resentfully at his imported wooden toys. Luckily, the Internet offers various checklists for giftedness. Though most paint a picture of a driven knowledge seeker, one such list, created by The New South Wales Association […]

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The Perfect Baby Handbook—Live in Brooklyn

Friday, May 8th, 2009

I recently popped up in BookCourt, Brooklyn’s leading independent bookstore, as part of the Perfect Baby Handbook “tour.” As this video of the proceedings reveals,  the tour requires me to look people in the eye while making ludicrous assertions about “bird cleavage” and babies who join Facebook. Attention West-Coast readers: In a more laid-back, centered, […]

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Hot new toddler craze: Joining Mensa!

Thursday, April 30th, 2009

It was announced today that Elise Tan Roberts, a two-year-old Brit, has been accepted by Mensa, “The High-I.Q. Society,” making her the youngest friendless nerd ever. In this video, the legitimately adorable Elise Tan—or as I like to call her, E.T.—demonstrates the best way to wear a high-pony while identifying the capital of Indonesia. E.T. […]

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Perfect Backlash: The “Orphan” Trailer

Sunday, April 19th, 2009

“I guess I’m different,” says Esther, the eerily precocious child at the center of this upcoming horror film (July 7), explaining why she prefers to paint industriously instead of partying with less focused kids. And by “different,” she’s not just referring to her tenacious love of Victorian black-velvet chokers. Described as “extraordinary” and “mature for […]

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