Babytalk (magazine)

"Babytalk", America's oldest baby magazine [http://www.bonniercorp.com/brands/BabyTalk.html [http://www.bonniercorp.com/brands/BabyTalk.html] ] , was launched in 1935 as a supplement to customers of a national cloth diaper delivery service based in New Jersey. The free monthly publication aims to help new mothers trust their maternal instincts with "straight talk" from experts and real moms. Regular features include a column by Heidi Murkoff, author of "What to Expect When You're Expecting" and health news from the American Academy of Pediatrics.

"Babytalk" is part of The Parenting Group, which includes its siblings "Babytalk Mom-to-Be" and "Babytalk First Months"; "Parenting" magazine; the Parenting.com website; MomConnection, an online research tool; and a sampling and custom publishing unit.

With a controlled circulation of 2,000,000, "Babytalk" reaches more than 5.5 million readers a month through a combination of in-home subscriptions and distribution at baby retailers, maternity boutiques and OB/GYN offices across the country. "Babytalk" is currently distributed at Babies "R" Us, BuyBuyBaby, and Baby Depot, among others.

Many of the features in the magazine are reproduced on sister publication "Parenting"'s website, Parenting.com. The site also features a Pregnancy Planner, with fetal development photos, a customized newsletter and pregnancy info synchronized to a mother's due date; a Baby Namer tool, with thousands of name descriptions by baby-naming experts Linda Rosenkrantz and Pamela Redmond Satran; a fertility calculator, buying guides, podcasts, and The Parenting Post blog, along with resources for health & safety and child development.

In October 2006, "Babytalk" teamed up with Sesame Beginnings [http://www.sesameworkshop.org/aboutus/inside_press.php?contentId=16843810 [http://www.sesameworkshop.org/aboutus/inside_press.php?contentId=16843810] ] to bring its readers a new activity page – marking the first time the publication has featured content specifically developed for moms to share with their babies. "Snuggle Time" appears regularly and features rhymes, activities, and illustrations created by the child development experts at Sesame Workshop.

In 2001, "Babytalk" became the first parenting magazine to feature a child with Down syndrome on the covercite journal |last=Kane |first=Susan |year=2007 |month=September |title=Editor-In-Chief's Column |journal=Babytalk |quote=Back in 2001, Babytalk was the first national parenting magazine to feature a baby with Down syndrome on its cover.] .

Recent history

Editor-in-chief Susan Kane led the successful repositioning of all three publications in the "Babytalk" franchise in 2005 – "Babytalk", "Babytalk Mom-to-Be", and "Babytalk First Months". Under Kane's leadership, "Babytalk" has garnered several industry awards, including a 2005 ASME National Magazine Award win in the Personal Service category for an article on breastfeeding.

Beginning in 2005, "Babytalk" has hosted "World's Biggest Playgroup" gatherings across the country. Aimed at new moms and their babies, this popular event features live kids' entertainment, music classes, valet stroller parking, raffles, giveaways, and photo opportunities. In the past, the event has taken place in New York City, Chicago [http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=websites&id=3615337 [http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=websites&id=3615337] ] , and Los Angeles.

The magazine encountered some controversy in 2006 when the August issue depicted a breastfeeding baby on the cover. An Associated Press [http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14065706/ [http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14065706/] ] article on public reaction to the image sparked hundreds of newspaper articles and TV segments highlighting the challenges that women face when attempting to breastfeed -- along with more than 8,000 letters applauding the decision to feature a nursing mom on the cover of a national magazine.

"Babytalk" also partnered with "Good Morning America" on its annual Cover Contest in 2006. Viewers voted online to choose the winner, Abigail Goldman of Cherry Hill, NJ, who appeared on the cover of the October 2006 issue of "Babytalk" and received a $5,000 shopping spree at Babies"R"Us.

In March 2007, Time Inc. sold 18 of its magazines to the Sweden-based Bonnier Group, including "Babytalk" magazine. Time Inc.'s Parenting Group and Time4 Media titles have combined with Bonnier's U.S. magazine partner, World Publications, to form a new company called Bonnier Corporation. [http://www.bonnier.com/Bonnier/templates/Pressrelease.aspx?id=1267&epslanguage=EN-GB [http://www.bonnier.com/Bonnier/templates/Pressrelease.aspx?id=1267&epslanguage=EN-GB] ]

External links

* [http://www.babytalk.com/ Official website]

References