''Babytalk'', America's oldest baby

magazine A magazine is a periodical publication, generally published on a regular schedule (often weekly or monthly), containing a variety of content. They are generally financed by advertising, purchase price, prepaid subscriptions, or by a combinatio ...

, was launched in 1935 as a supplement to customers of a national cloth

diaper A diaper /ˈdaɪpə(r)/ (American and Canadian English) or a nappy (Australian English, British English, and Hiberno-English) is a type of underwear that allows the wearer to urinate or defecate without using a toilet, by absorbing or cont ...

delivery service based in New Jersey. The free monthly publication aimed to help new mothers trust their maternal instincts with "straight talk" from experts and real moms. ''Babytalk'' was part of The Parenting Group, which includes ''Parenting'' magazine; the Parenting.com website; Working Mother magazine; Conceive; MomConnection, an online research tool; and a custom content unit.

Meredith Corporation Meredith Corporation was an American media conglomerate based in Des Moines, Iowa, that owned magazines, television stations, websites, and radio stations. Its publications had a readership of more than 120 million and paid circulation of more ...

, which owns ''American Baby'', ''Babytalks biggest competitor, bought ''Babytalk'' in May 2013 and shuttered the title. With a controlled circulation of 2,000,000, ''Babytalk'' reached more than 5.5 million readers a month through a combination of in-home

subscriptions The subscription business model is a business model in which a customer must pay a recurring price at regular intervals for access to a product or service. The model was pioneered by publishers of books and periodicals in the 17th century, and ...

and distribution at baby retailers,

maternity ] A mother is the female parent of a child. A woman may be considered a mother by virtue of having given birth, by raising a child who may or may not be her biological offspring, or by supplying her ovum for fertilisation in the case of ges ...

boutiques and

OB/GYN Obstetrics and Gynaecology (also spelled as Obstetrics and Gynecology; abbreviated as Obs and Gynae, O&G, OB-GYN and OB/GYN) is the medical specialty that encompasses the two subspecialties of obstetrics (covering pregnancy, childbirth, and t ...

offices across the country. ''Babytalk'' was distributed at

Babies "R" Us An infant or baby is the very young offspring of human beings. ''Infant'' (from the Latin word ''infans'', meaning 'unable to speak' or 'speechless') is a formal or specialised synonym for the common term ''baby''. The terms may also be used to ...

, BuyBuyBaby, and Baby Depot, among others. Many of the features in the magazine were reproduced on sister publication ''Parentings 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; a

fertility Fertility is the capability to produce offspring through reproduction following the onset of sexual maturity. The fertility rate is the average number of children born by a female during her lifetime and is quantified demographically. Ferti ...

calculator, buying guides, blogs, along with resources for health and safety, and

child development Child development involves the Human development (biology), biological, developmental psychology, psychological and emotional changes that occur in human beings between birth and the conclusion of adolescence. Childhood is divided into 3 stages o ...

. In 2001, ''Babytalk'' became the first parenting magazine to feature a child with

Down syndrome Down syndrome or Down's syndrome, also known as trisomy 21, is a genetic disorder caused by the presence of all or part of a third copy of chromosome 21. It is usually associated with physical growth delays, mild to moderate intellectual d ...

on the cover.

History

Editor-in-chief An editor-in-chief (EIC), also known as lead editor or chief editor, is a publication's editorial leader who has final responsibility for its operations and policies. The highest-ranking editor of a publication may also be titled editor, managing ...

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'' garnered several industry awards, including a 2005

American Society of Magazine Editors The American Society of Magazine Editors (ASME) is an industry trade group for magazine journalists and editors of magazines published in the United States. ASME includes the editorial leaders of most major consumer magazine in print and digital e ...

National Magazine Award The National Magazine Awards, also known as the Ellie Awards, honor print and digital publications that consistently demonstrate superior execution of editorial objectives, innovative techniques, noteworthy enterprise and imaginative design. Or ...

win in the Personal Service category for an article on

breastfeeding Breastfeeding, or nursing, is the process by which human breast milk is fed to a child. Breast milk may be from the breast, or may be expressed by hand or pumped and fed to the infant. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that bre ...

. Beginning in 2005, ''Babytalk'' hosted "World's Biggest Playgroup" gatherings across the country. Aimed at new moms and their

babies An infant or baby is the very young offspring of human beings. ''Infant'' (from the Latin word ''infans'', meaning 'unable to speak' or 'speechless') is a formal or specialised synonym for the common term ''baby''. The terms may also be used to ...

, this popular event featured live kids' entertainment, music classes, valet

stroller Various methods of transporting children have been used in different cultures and times. These methods include baby carriages (prams in British English), infant car seats, portable bassinets (carrycots), strollers (pushchairs), slings, backpacks ...

parking, raffles, giveaways, and photo opportunities. In the past, the event has taken place in

Westminster, California Westminster is a city in northern Orange County, California, known for its many Vietnamese refugees who immigrated to the city during the 1980s. They settled largely in Little Saigon, and the city is known as the "capital" of overseas Vietnam ...

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, and at the

Mall of America Mall of America (MOA) is a large shopping mall located in Bloomington, Minnesota, United States. Located within the Minneapolis–Saint Paul metropolitan area, the mall lies southeast of the junction of Interstate 494 and Minnesota State Highway ...

Minneapolis Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origin ...

. The magazine encountered controversy in 2006 when the August issue depicted a breastfeeding baby on the cover. An

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. new ...

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 ''Good Morning America'' (often abbreviated as ''GMA'') is an American morning television program that is broadcast on ABC. It debuted on November 3, 1975, and first expanded to weekends with the debut of a Sunday edition on January 3, 1993. ...

'' on its annual Cover Contest for several years. 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. Ana Connery was named editor of Babytalk in 2009, and was promoted to director of The Parenting Group's print content operations in September 2010. In May 2013 the magazine was sold to

Meredith Corp. Meredith Corporation was an American media conglomerate based in Des Moines, Iowa, that owned magazines, television stations, websites, and radio stations. Its publications had a readership of more than 120 million and paid circulation of more ...

, and following the change in ownership it ceased publication.

References

External links

Official website
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Babytalk Bonnier Group Defunct Meredith Corporation magazines Magazines established in 1935 Magazines disestablished in 2013 Magazines published in New York City Magazines published in New Jersey Monthly magazines published in the United States Parenting magazines