Take a look at this segment that was on TODAY this morning.  Some companies are helping moms to avoid choosing between working and staying at home by letting them bring their newborns to the office.

Should you bring your baby to work?

Do you think bringing baby to work is a good idea?  Would you bring baby if your company allowed?

TODAY's Meredith Vieira recently posted something interesting on her blog about the fear of clowns:

"A study recently came out of England that found children are afraid of clowns. Researchers from the University of Sheffield were examining how to improve the environment in children’s hospital wards. All 250 patients between the ages of 4 and 16 that were polled said they disliked the use of clowns."

However, as someone who became a "clown doctor" for a day through the outreach program, Clown Care, Meredith said she's seen first-hand how clowns can lift a child's spirit.

"I understand that some kids, and even adults, may be scared of clowns. But this program has visited more than 250,000 sick children and I’d hate to see a study of 250 kids diminish that track record."

Read more from Meredith's blog and tell us what you think. Do clowns help or do they cause fear?

The FDA has officially declared that over-the-counter cough and cold medicines are too risky for babies and toddlers. And while there are plenty of tried-and-true ways to survive the cold and flu season, when it comes to making your child feel better in a crunch, some parents admit they'll still dispense the drug.


How do you treat your baby's cold? What will you do now?

-Allison Busacca, Assistant Producer of Pregnancy and Parenting

With asthma and allergy rates among children continuing to rise, parents and doctors alike are eager to find answers. Two new studies may bring us one step closer to finding a cure for these alarming disorders.

According to a recent study published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine young children (under the age of 7) whose mothers suffer from recurring bouts of despair or angst are 25% more likely to develop asthma. Unfortunately, the link between a mother’s chronic stress and her baby’s asthma remains unclear. Researchers hypothesize that anxious or depressed moms may smoke more, ignore their children more often and breastfeed their babies less frequently, all of which can attribute to an asthma diagnosis in children.

Another asthma study conducted in Greece has found an association between a diet rich in fruits, vegetables and fish and a lower risk for both asthma and allergies. The study asserts that the children of pregnant women who practice this Mediterranean diet are far less likely to develop asthma later in life. Additionally, the children of women who ate a large amount of red meat while pregnant were found to have a higher risk of suffering from asthma and allergies.

The scientists behind both of these studies acknowledge that additional research is necessary in order to more fully understand their findings. Other doctors and scientists admit that the results of these studies may have some validity. However, they remain skeptical and are wary about attaching too much significance to them.

• 5 Things Every Parent Should Know About Children's Allergies
• Get the Facts On Childhood Asthma
  
  

What do you think? Do you believe that the emotional and physical state of a pregnant woman has this strong of an impact on the future health of her child? Share your thoughts.

-- Victoria Loustalot, Associate Real Time Producer

I consider myself an internet person. I work for a website. I have more than one social networking profile. I use google as a verb. And yet I am still unnerved when I peruse my younger relatives' profiles. I am amazed at how scandalously they portray themselves and at how many personal details they reveal. They still roll their eyes when I preach about the danger of being online.

Next week, MySpace will enact new safety regulations designed to protect underage users from predators:

• Anyone under the age of 14 will not be allowed to create a profile
• The profiles of 14 and 15 year olds will default to private, meaning anyone over the age of 18 must know the user's first and last name or their e-mail address to make contact. Previously any stranger could reach out to any teen on MySpace.
  
• All users will be able to make their profile private or choose only to have partial profiles viewed by strangers.
  

And while this is a step in the right direction, it's not enough. Most other social networking sites have similar regulations already, and users still lie about their age, both to gain access to a site and in their actual profile. Plus, any regulations that a networking site implements could easily be defeated by the next tech genius that comes along.

So in the end, it comes down to people like you and me, who are willing to keep having that difficult conversation about cyber-safety.

To help get the conversation started, try these two quizzes:

• Internet Safety Quiz for Kids: Have your kids take this quiz to test their Cyberspace safety knowledge.
• Internet Safety Quiz for Adults: Check your Internet safety knowledge with this quiz.

Do you think these new regulations will work? Who is ultimately responsible for internet safety, parents or the social networks? What tips or suggestions do you have for other moms?

--Allison Busacca, Assistant Producer, Pregnancy and Parenting

Take a look at what happened to an iVillage mom this week:

"I just went on an interview. I have years experience, and it was going great. He said he loves my qualifications. And then, I kid you not, he sort of leaned forward and asked if I had any children. WHICH IS ILLEGAL. Anyway, I said yes, three but one is in school and one is about to be in school. He said if it weren't for the children I would be an excellent candidate. He said children get sick too much, or he might call me to work a Sat. and I'll want to attend a sporting event.  He said, "How can you have a career when you have children." I was so angry I was seeing red when I left that office. Please tell me I'm in the year 2008, somebody!"

Get 40 Mom-Tested Tips for Balancing Work and Family

Does staying at home or going to work affect the kids?

So moms, let's hear it. What would you have said to this potential employer? How would you have handled this situation?

--Allison Busacca, Assistant Producer, Pregnancy and Parenting

All it took was an ad in The Des Moines Register for one mom to become the “meanest mom on the planet.”

After finding alcohol in her 19-year-old son's car, Jane Hambleton decided to sell the car via a detailed newspaper ad that read: “OLDS 1999 Intrigue. Totally uncool parents who obviously don't love teenage son, selling his car. Only driven for three weeks before snoopy mom who needs to get a life found booze under front seat. $3,700/offer. Call meanest mom on the planet."

CNN quotes Hambleton saying, “It's overwhelming the number of calls I've gotten from people saying 'Thank you, it's nice to see a responsible parent.' So far there are no calls from anyone saying, 'You're really strict. You're real overboard, lady."”

Take this quiz to find out what kind of parent you are. Do you have trouble saying “no” to your kids or are you a mean mommy?

Did this mom take it too far or was she justified in her discipline tactics? What's the craziest thing you've done to teach your kid a lesson?

-Allison Busacca, Assistant Producer of Pregnancy and Parenting

In the four short days since the New Year began, baby news has been piling into my inbox.

On Jan. 1, Kyle and Becky Armstrong welcomed Gettysburg Hospital's first baby of the year for the second time in a row. Their daughter, Faith Lynn Armstrong arrived on at 5:23 a.m. New Year's Day. Her sister, Kaden Skye, was the hospital's first baby in 2007—also born on Jan. 1.

Want to have your own New Year's baby? Plan ahead with the Due Date Calculator.

There's also been buzz around a story on CNN, where, following the birth of their child, parents suffer namer's remorse and change their child's name. And while changing a minors name is legal, it takes hours of paperwork and phone calls.

Start exploring baby names now with the Baby Name Finder. Get insight into name trends with the the Baby Name Voyager.