Blog Posts by BabyCenter

Oh baby! It's not every year that a set of steamy novels, a buttoned-up British miniseries, and the iPhone influence America's birth certificates. According to BabyCenter, parents looked near and far for names in 2012. Aiden and Sophia reign supreme!The leading online pregnancy and parenting resource released its annual list of top 100 baby names and hottest naming trends Thursday.

Sophia and Aiden held on to their reigning number 1 spots in BabyCenter's annual list. But newcomers inspired by the racy 50 Shades trilogy are on the rise, including Grey (which gained 155 spots), Anastasia (up 43 spots), and Elliot (up 14 percent). Parents also plucked names from the Masterpiece Classic hit Downton Abbey -- including Branson, Edith, Sybil, and Violet. Parents like the sound of Siri, Apple's voice-enabled personal assistant: The name climbed 5 percent on the list of girls' names.

Top 10 girls' names of 2012
1. Sophia
2. Emma
3. Olivia
4. Isabella
5. Ava
6. Lily
7. Zoe
8. Chloe
9. Mia

With the economy still wobbling and the estimated cost of raising a child from birth to age 18 topping a quarter of a million dollars (gulp), it's no wonder parents are stressed about money.

In fact, 7 in 10 moms told BabyCenter - the leading online destination for new and expectant parents - that they're worried about having enough money to raise their kids. That's a 10 percent increase over last year.Mum's the word!

Once they've bought all the clothes, food, and toys their kids need, there isn't much left in the budget for Mom and Dad. And that's when the truth gets slippery, according to BabyCenter's annual report on the cost of raising a child.

While only 15 percent of dads and 17 percent of moms admitted to hiding spending from their spouse or partner, those who do say it's because money is scarce and they feel guilty about buying things they need or want.

"I hide my occasional spending on myself," says one mom. "I feel bad about doing it, especially when money is so tight."

More and more women are confessing to a naughty secret: They owe a lot to the steamy pages of Fifty Shades of Grey. Moms-to-be in the Community on BabyCenter - the leading online destination for new and expectant parents - are thanking the racy book's sexy hero, Christian Grey, for their impending motherhood.Is this racy novel creating a baby boom?

"We've definitely spiced up a few things thanks to one Christian Grey," one BabyCenter mom-to-be announced. "My baby will be a Fifty Shades baby for sure. And I'm damn proud of it."

"Oh, yes, if I'm pregnant, it's all Mr. Grey's fault!" wrote another woman.

"I'm reading the books for a second time, and I'm definitely incubating a Fifty Shades baby," wrote yet another. "I'm so obsessed! It's my guilty pleasure."

Others admit the pleasure and laugh away the guilt:

"Yup, this series was definitely my female version of Viagra. Thank you E. L. James!"

"Once I started reading the book, I was always in the mood. My husband kept saying he loved the fact I was

The obsession with British royalty, and their hats, reached a crescendo this week with the star-studded Diamond Jubilee celebration to honor Queen Elizabeth's 60 years on the throne. But it's not just the hats that fascinate us: An article this week on BabyCenter -- the leading online resource for new and expectant parents -- reveals the remarkable influence the royal family has on British baby names in.Always ready for their close-up!

The data comes from thousands of BabyCenter parents in the United Kingdom who shared their baby names with the online global parenting destination in 2011 and 2012.

So smitten are Brit parents with William, Kate, Elizabeth, and yes, even Pippa, they are bestowing those names on the next generation.

All hail the Queen

Her Royal Majesty's moniker has withstood the test of time. It became popular in the 16th century during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I and has held court as a classic ever since. Elizabeth, equal parts feminine and traditional, is expected to

Before Apple released its new iPad yesterday, we at BabyCenter were fascinated by the swirl around the name. Would it be called iPad 3 or iPad HD? In the end, Apple decided to simply call it "iPad."

This baby needs a new name!Really? You're a proud new parent and you couldn't come up with a better name for iPad 2's sparkling new sibling?

That simplicity might fit with the ultra-clean, brushed aluminum aesthetic of Apple, but as the name for a new arrival ... where's the élan of the Macintosh? Heck, even "Cube" was kinda, sorta cool.

Well, BabyCenter knows a thing or two about naming a baby, and we are hereby offering our expertise to Apple.

With the help of the Baby Names Explorer - a cool tool that suggests similar-sounding and sibling names for any moniker you plug in - we're proposing a list of names for Apple to consider. Here's what we came up with:

Lida: Of Greek origin, Lida means beloved by all. All, that is, except the person you are totally ignoring when you're on your new iPad.

Gaga: She may have

Your love for your child makes your heart ache, but let's face it - it can sometimes feel unrequited. After all, when your baby rips the hair from your head - or when your 2-year-old literally bites the hand that feeds him - it's easy to suspect that the mother/child romance is more like a solo tap dance than a two-person tango.How to tell your baby loves you! A recent BabyCenter.com poll bears this out: Nearly 40% of moms admitted to wondering if their child loves them back.

Been there? Despair no longer. Our kids do love us - they just have a funny way of showing it. Here are four of the top signs that the adoration isn't so one-sided after all:

Your newborn stares into your eyes

Does your baby bestow gappy grins on everyone from Daddy to the neighbor but save her resolute, grim-faced stares for you? Be glad! When your baby stares into your eyes, she's memorizing your face - and, yes, this is a sign of love. She knows you're important, so she's absorbing everything about you.

Related on BabyCenter:

The question of if and when to get your child immunized against the human papillomavirus (HPV) is no longer reserved for mothers of girls.

According to the new 2012 vaccine guidelines, just released today, 11 and 12-year-old boys should be vaccinated against HPV. For boys over 12, catch-up vaccines are recommended until the age of 21.

HPV (human papillomavirus) is a sexually transmitted virus. Most notoriously, it's the main cause of cervical cancer. About 12,000 women in the United States get cervical cancer every year, almost all because of HPV. But HPV affects both men and women, causing anal, mouth and throat, penile, vaginal, and other cancers. It's also the culprit in genital warts, found in about 1 in 100 sexually active adults in the United States. New HPV shot guidelines for boys released today

The HPV vaccine Gardasil, while always available to boys, was initially only recommended to girls in 2006. Recommending the HPV vaccine to boys is hoped to further reduce the risk of transmission through sex. The

According to a recent survey of moms by BabyCenter.com, 80 percent of moms would rather have sex than watch the Super Bowl. Moms want to get it on this Sunday!

Has somebody clued the dads into this news? If 4 out of 5 moms would rather bowl over their husbands than watch the biggest of the Bowls, there might just be a Super Bowl baby boom in time for Halloween. Anyone want to place bets on how many football-sized newborns will be dressed up as Eli Manning or Tom Brady?

How often do parents have a shot at a Sunday afternoon romp, anyway? The Super Bowl could be just what they need. Park the kids in front of the Pats and Giants and get a couple of delicious hours to themselves…

Okay, maybe the game won't hold the kids' attention that long, but the roar of the crowd in Indianapolis's Lucas Oil Stadium ought to keep them occupied for a few downs at least, while Mommy and Daddy get a chance to get down…

Then again, with kickoff at 6:30 pm Eastern time, odds are good that the kids will be asleep by