Another celeb mom is talking about her attachment parenting practices. The Wonder Years star Danica McKellar is talking about extended breastfeeding her son. "I breastfed my son 'til he was 2 and a half years old," she told ABC News. "That was just, like, a few weeks ago that we stopped. Big transition."

But I think what's really interesting is what made her decide to wean at that point. A lot of moms who do extended breastfeeding do baby-led weaning. That means you allow the baby to continue breastfeeding until they just stop on their own. But that's not what Danica did. "I just sensed that it was time that he needed to be a little more independent," she says.

Does your child's skin seem irritated? There could be truly freaky reason for that. A news station investigation uncovered formaldehyde in baby clothing. And now a senator is stepping in to ask the government to look into setting standards for chemicals in children's clothes.

Minneapolis Care 11 sent baby clothes to a lab for testing after a mother wrote in, complaining that her daughter's legs had broken out into a rash after wearing a new pair of leggings (she hadn't washed the leggings first). They sent different brands, and the results were disturbing.

Last week I was sitting at a table with my friend who is a doula and two mamas who had natural births. Over dinner, we were discussing breast milk. Wonderful, amazing, incredible breast milk. Great for babies, of course. It's sweet, we unanimously decided. And it cures everything.

Rashes, yeast, ear infections, pink eye, acne, cuts, diaper rash, sunburn, dry skin ... you name it. Wonder milk. Nature's cure made just by mama. It even kills 40 different types of cancer cells. It's amazing. We are amazing creatures for being able to make something that cures so much. Breast milk is medicine. And if you needed further proof, it was just discovered that it helps reverse antibiotic resistance and protects people from pneumonia and staph infections. Here we were for so many years throwing antibiotics at every little thing making the drug less effective, when we could have just done a few shot's of mama's milk and saved the antibiotics for when it's really needed.

Because pregnant women don't have enough to worry about, what with their keeping the growing human inside them healthy, a new study has been released that shows a connection between gestational flu and bipolar disorder in babies. Fantastic. Researchers say that flu-related bipolar disorder remains quite low (there's a 3-4 percent chance of this happening), but still, babies could be four times more likely to be diagnosed with the disorder later on in life. "The chances are still quite small. I don't think it should raise alarms for mothers," lead study author Alan Brown said. Sure. Easy for you to say, Brown. You're not a pregnant mother!

The debate between whether or not to get a flu shot while pregnant has raged on for years, and it doesn't look like the twain shall ever meet. But if you're concerned about flu-related bipolar disorder, or just getting the flu while pregnant, and don't want to get the shot, try these 5 natural alternatives.

Pitocin is too often given to women while at the hospital in labor. Watch almost any mainstream documentary type show on birth and you'll lose count how many times they say "pit." Pitocin is a drug. It's a synthetic hormone meant to mimic your natural oxytocin. We all know that nothing is as good as the real thing. Pitocin gives women more intense and therefore unnatural contractions. It tries to speed the body along in labor when it's not ready, often stalling it, and can lead to a c-section that probably wouldn't have happened if Pitocin was never given in the first place. Natural birth advocates know that there is an evil side to inductions and this drug, and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) have finally revealed the truth after an in-depth study.

Pitcoin is bad. It has adverse effects on newborns. It's dangerous for our babies and puts their health at risk.

Experts tell us how to best bake a cake, change the oil in our car, turn on our lovers, and raise our babies. Guidance is good. So is inspiration. But when it comes to personal interaction, what too often ends up happening is we forget instinct. And no one knows pure instinct better than babies. They haven't read any books or have been corrupted by modern society. They often try to tell us something and we're not listening.

Think about it like this: If baby won't go to sleep at the time mom and dad say it's time to sleep, there are many parents who turn to crying it out to "teach" a child that it's bedtime. No exceptions. Some love ferberization, others don't. I'm not a fan. I listen to my children because I want them to listen to me. They have their own needs and by essentially agreeing to be their mother by creating them, I owe them that. They know more about what they want than we do, so we need to be all ears. But this is more than just about crying it out.

I'm afraid we've become a society with too much fear -- a crippling fear -- that we alienate those with different beliefs than we have. And this belief I'm talking about specifically is vaccinations. No one wants to get sick (well, maybe those who are into lollipop parties are the exception). No one wants nearly eradicated diseases to creep back and hurt anyone. We don't have to get all crazy and start banning children who aren't vaccinated from attending child care centers and preschools, do we? Or should we?

The Sunday Telegraph and Daily Telegraph in Australia are launching their own pro-vax campaign called 'No jab, no play' with a nod from the medical association. The vaccination rates in the suburbs of Sydney and Manly are below 85 percent -- a high rate is considered 95 percent. The goal is to stop no-vax kids from entering child care facilities and preschools, and to punish their "free-riding" parents (their phrase) who refuse or forget to get their kids immunized. 

You can read these home birth recommendations by the American Academy of Pediatrics and think something changed. And then it hit me what changed: home birth is on the rise. Essentially doctors who do not perform home births are trying to get us to fear birthing at home. If you are wondering why, I believe it comes down to money. Birthing at home takes us out of the hospital -- that means less money for them. So they put forward a grand statement to make people scared.

Remember, there are studies that show home birth to be as safe if not safer than a hospital birth. The AAP contends a hospital is the safest. Midwives aren't vagrant birth junkies living on the street. They are skilled medical professionals who come with all you may need in case of an emergency and a clear plan in the event a hospital visit is needed. The AAP statement elicits fear.