Bunchland

What the cool parents are reading today:

1. Turns out that new dads are just as likely to experience postpartum depression as moms. Unlike new moms though, it’s not the postpartum hormones messing everything up, it’s that “fathers are more susceptible to mental health problems as they take on a more active role in parenting,” according to one of the authors of a recent study.

2. Did you struggle/are you struggling to lose baby weight? Here’s a helpful guide of what not to do from the Hairpin’s wonderful Nicole Cliffe.

3. A new theory as to what causes autism: chemical cocktails. “It is likely not one bodily insult that’s driving up [autism] cases, but a number of contaminants and exposures acting in concert,” according to environmental writer Brita Belli.  Read more...

Make an event out of the Wedding of the Century

So, you might have guessed that we’re kind of excited about tomorrow’s royal nuptials. We’ve already told you why we think it’s a nice idea to watch the wedding, and now that we have you convinced, we have a few suggestions as to how to party. Yes, we think pajamas and tiaras are a great pairing, and if you want to get up for 6:00 a.m. and watch TV all sleepy-like, we suggest mixing up a batch of the Queen’s Scone Pancakes.

For those of you who want a slightly more extravagant affair, whether you’re watching before dawn or catching the afternoon rebroadcast, we have a few suggestions:  Read more...

• This is a Royal event. As such, we think all attendees should be announced with their titles and made to wave as they take their seats in the family room

The case for waking up early tomorrow

It’s no surprise that Sunday’s New York Times Wedding and Celebrations section included a few items on tomorrow’s Royal Wedding. Bethany Kandel spoke to a few moms who were pulling their kids out of school to watch Kate Middleton walk down the aisle and become a princess.

The moms in Kandel’s piece make a good point. Sure, Royal watching can be silly and perhaps we can get a little too caught up in what Kate’s wearing, but tomorrow is a chance to see what a real princess looks like, when she’s at her most Cinderella-esque.

Maryland mom Lara DiPaola told Kandel that she still remembers what her mom said when they watched Prince Charles and Lady Diana’s wedding 30 years ago: “A fairy tale is just a story, but  princesses are real. Princess Diana’s wedding is part of our history.”  Read more...

What we’re reading today:

1. Crayola’s new Colored Bubbles look super fun, but that colouring might not wash off hands and clothes all that easily. Via Ohdeedoh.

2. There seem to be a lot more twins these days. Novelist Samantha Hunt found that whereas friends and colleagues were downright giddy when she announced her first pregnancy, the responses were decidedly less so when she announced she was having twins. Blogger Rebecca Woolf is also expecting twins. Do you have twins or triplets? Any tips for these moms?

3. One mom was worried her 6-year-old yelled too much and had high levels of frustration, but realised she herself yelled too much and had high levels of frustration and was passing it off to her kids. How did they all calm down?  Read more...