Blog Posts by Babble.com

teethWhen you ask a mother how long she breastfed her child, you are generally relying on her memory. But scientists have discovered a way to tell the length of breastfeeding and they found their scientific solution with the assistance of the tooth fairy.

Manish Arora studies tooth chemistry at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York. He told NPR that, "you can almost visualize tooth development in terms of growth rings that you would see in a tree," says Arora. How? According to NPR, "like tree rings, the layers of enamel and dentin that accumulate day after day mark the passage of time. And the compounds in the enamel can tell scientists a lot about the tooth owner's early growth and development."

But one marker found in the tooth fascinated Arora, he was interesting in discovering, via studying the tooth, a scientific answer to how long it was before a child was weened. He got his teeth in an interesting manner, he collected the teeth that children had placed under

My daughter has never eaten at McDonald's. And when she sees the "golden arches," she will stick out her tongue at the fast food franchise; she is not a fan, even though she has never tasted their food. And I should confess, this is all our doing. From a young age we brainwashed our daughter about the dangers of fast food, especially the biggies like McDonald's. Our daughter would probably get along very well with 9-year-old Hannah Robertson.
McD'sRelated: The 25 healthiest foods under $1

Hannah, a third grader, scolded - in person - the CEO of McDonald's Mr. Don Thompson. The young lady attended the recent McDonald's shareholder meeting and read a pre-written speech saying, "It would be nice if you stopped trying to trick kids into wanting to eat your food all the time." She was speaking about not just the nutritional issues but how the chain aims their marketing to lure in young eaters. "Mr. Thompson, don't you want kids to be healthy so they can live a long and happy life?"

So where

Dark chocolate isn't diet food, but it is richer in flavor and lower in fat than milk chocolate. While desserts made with it are definitely not calorie free, they can be lower in calories than a milk chocolate version. To get my chocolate fix I often turn to dark chocolate desserts. I love the flavor. They are usually so rich I can only handle a couple of bites which means I eat less and still get all the chocolate flavor I need. With summer upon us this is a great time to think about these dark chocolate desserts. We all want to look good in our sundresses! The next time you need that chocolate fix but don't want the crazy calories give these desserts a try. You will love them and won't miss the calories one bit. - Kelsey Banfield

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Healthy Start!Around here, we're gearing up for a busy summer with lots of time outside, and plenty of day trips and travel. One way our family is getting ready is to have plenty of on-the-go summer snacks at the ready. My very favorite make-ahead snack recipe is this homemade strawberry granola. I like that I can tailor homemade granola to suit my family's particular tastes and allergies, but I also cannot get enough of the honey-saturated homemade flavor. For this batch, I added a bag of freeze dried strawberries to my usual granola and loved the gorgeous pops of color and tangy bursts of strawberry goodness.

On a recent trip to Target, I was able to pick up several of the pantry staples called for in the recipe. While shopping, I also noticed that Target has a great selection of whole food grab-and-go summer snacks like nuts and freeze dried fruit, so hit them up to stock up for your next road trip!

This granola recipe holds together in generous chunks, and is delicious with milk, sprinkled in

I'm not a big fan of having to replenish my wardrobe each season because it's so costly! Yet I don't want to wear the same stuff year after year - I mean, my goal is also to be somewhat stylish. I've found that the situation can easily be remedied with a few smart clothing refashions! There are some great ideas out there for taking winter clothing and reworking them into pieces perfect for warmer weather. And you don't need to be a master seamstress, either! You'll see that with some basic sewing skills and a little imagination, you can have several new outfits in your wardrobe for just a few bucks! Do you want to see what I'm talking about? Click through the slideshow to see some amazing winter-to-summer clothing refashions!

-By Amy Anderson

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Listen up fashionistas!I know you're all about being fabulous, no matter where you are. I don't think the beach is any exception. So don't you dare think about hitting the sand this summer without these beach essentials! I've compiled a list of things I think you're going to need out there as you take in the sun and sea. I personally love the beach and can't wait to head out there for some much needed sun and relaxation. No matter what coast you're on, the sand will be calling your name this summer. Will your wardrobe be ready?

-By Monique Frausto

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I need a laugh this morning. I hurt my back last night. I have no idea how it happened; I just woke up and something was pinched. Now I'm having trouble sitting but my feet are killing me from a busy work week as a hairstylist! Oh, the irony. I hope you had a better Memorial Day weekend. Either way, these funny beauty-related e-cards are sure to make you smile as you get back to work today!- By Sonya Lee Benham

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Mally Summer MakeupAs a sister piece to my summer hair care tips and tricks, and because summer is right around the corner (YAY!), it's time to turn to our cosmetic bags, make some adjustments and summerproof our makeup! No matter your skin type or style, here are some tips from Mally Roncal, celebrity makeup artist and President/Founder of Mally Beauty.

1. Bronze it up!
"Create that glow by using a bronzer that is 1-2 shades darker than your natural skin tone. Apply it to the following areas: concentrate on the perimeter of your face and start behind the ear, working down along the jawline. Then, go across the top of the forehead (along the hairline). Lightly sweep across the forehead, bridge of the nose, cheeks, and tip of the chin. To prevent your face from looking "muddy" or "dirty", make sure that you also apply a great pink blush on the apples of the cheeks, and a sweep of highlighter on the tops of the cheekbones. Try Mally Beauty Believable Bronzer ($40). Next, apply a shimmery champagne