We’ve covered BPA in breast pumps and bottles previously, and this Thursday (May 29) at 3pm, you can attend and/or testify at a public hearing to examine the health risks posed by BPA to Boston residents, and potential action the City of Boston may take. The hearing will be held in the Iannella Chamber of Boston City Hall. Among the expected presenters are Dr. Michael Shannon of Children’s Hospital, Mia Davis of Clean Water Fund, and Dr. Steven Hentges of the American Chemistry Council’s Polycarbonate/BPA Global Group. Click here for the public hearing notice.

If you’re looking to kick off the summer in high flying fashion, head to Wollaston Beach this Sunday (12-4pm) for the Friends of Wollaston Beach 2nd Annual Kite Festival. Families are invited to join in the fun (BYOK, or purchase one at the festival) with Kites Over New England and Sea Side Kites of Hull.

In my opinion, you can never be proactive enough about exploring women’s health issues and options, and this Saturday, the American College of Nurse-Midwives is sponsoring a free Women’s Health Expo at the Hynes. Geared towards women of all ages, the event will offer women a relaxed means to gain information and interact with women's health experts. In addition to midwife oriented content (e.g., for aspiring midwives, or those interested in learning about midwifery care), also available will be free health screenings, product and service resources, goodies, and giveaways. Attendees are also welcome to donate new or gently used baby blankets, which will be distributed to Boston area women's charities.

It’s never too late to go to Harvard.

For parents interested in learning more about how babies and kids perceive musical features and other auditory materials, contact the Auditory Cognition and Development Lab at Harvard (director Erin Hannon is a new mama herself and a colleague from my days in the field). This lab conducts short studies for infants, toddlers, and elementary school aged children to learn about how the perception of melody, rhythm and other auditory stimuli develops over time. Parents will receive information about the goals of the study their child is participating in, as well as follow-up newsletters outlining the results. Parents also can request a DVD of their child participating in the study.

UPDATE 8/7/07: Erin Hannon has moved to the University of Nevada.

UPDATE 11/20/07: Rebecca from Medford wrote in regarding Harvard’s Laboratory for Developmental Studies (the arm in which the Hannon lab used to reside). She writes, “My older daughter participated in a couple of studies when she was a baby. They were simple activities where she was held on her dad's lap and shown pictures of adults with different emotional facial expressions. I think it is interesting work and I like being able to help with the research…My new baby is going to help by participating in a study next week. They are looking for infants that are 3-4 months old and they are having trouble finding enough young babies.”

To learn more about participating (infants, toddlers, and kids welcome), click here.

Sometimes (particularly after a stretch of indulgent eating) serving as a fashion consultant to a friend is more fun than shopping for yourself. Yesterday I had great fun hitting the maternity pavement with a girlfriend desperately in need of bumpworthy business attire.

After checking out Target and Kohl’s, both of which have a few business separates options but are better suited for casual wear, we hit the jackpot at Destination Maternity in Natick. Surprisingly not overwhelming in square footage, this one-stop shopping location includes retail areas each for Motherhood, Mimi Maternity, A Pea in the Pod, Destination Maternity, and Edamame Spa, which ensures satisfying a range of budgets and clothing styles, whether you are in the market for a $10 basic vs. $300 designer dress.
Destination Maternity offers a small number of physical locations around the country; the Natick store gets a thumbs up for including a play area for kids and a spacious lounge area for weary shoppers and shopping partners. They also offer free fitness and pre/postpartum classes in their learning studio (check the site's store location section for class schedules).

Destination Maternity, 104 Worcester Road (Rte 9, eastbound side), Natick; Tel: 508-653-1605

Regular readers may know that Jon and I have developed skepticism about the ability to have a relaxed meal out with a busy two-year-old in establishments other than cafes or diners. But last night we tried again, and Laurel rewarded us by being an angelic dinner companion for nearly an hour and a half at Tamarind House in Porter Square.

It’s possible that the 15-minute post-nap tantrum over Laurel’s distaste for wearing pants depleted her crazy mojo reserve; or perhaps she’s just growing into a more mature dining out buddy. Those possibilities aside, a few other factors no doubt helped the cause. We hope these "dining dos" will prove useful for your future family dining:
1) Dine early to facilitate quick service. We were seated shortly after 5:30pm; appetizers arrived minutes after we ordered them, thus quickly engaging Laurel in her beloved dumplings. 2) Booths rock. In addition to serving to sequester Laurel (she can’t resist climbing up and down repeatedly on regular chairs), these particular booths were high backed, so Laurel wasn’t tempted to play with the people sitting behind us (as in Know Your Limits). 3) Interesting décor helps. Tamarind House isn’t terribly ornate, but they do have some pretty colored lamps and other accoutrements that Laurel was excited to check out. We walked her around during the brief intervals while we were waiting for food to arrive to give her a break from sitting. 4) Mix it up. We ordered two appetizers and two entrees and the pacing and variety of the food worked beautifully. All told Laurel ate an astonishing pile of brown rice, spring rolls, dumplings (5 of them!), and baby corn. She was so content that we even stayed for dessert. And she was so chill after that that we even had time to stroll down the block to get mama a café au lait at Simon's before heading home.

We’re by no means setting this experience as the bar for future outings, but we are still relishing in the glow of having had a fun and relaxing outing as a family while enjoying real adult food and no dishes to clean up at home.

Tamarind House, 1790 Mass. Ave., Cambridge; Tel: 617-491-9940

If you’ve been agonizing over baby gear options and are ready to get your game face on this weekend, check out the American Baby Faire at the Bayside Expo Center (10am – 5pm Saturday & Sunday). This Babies R Us sponsored event will include product demos and seminars, entertainment, and activities for kids. Admission is $8 for adults; grandparents and kids under 12 are admitted free ($3 admission coupons are available at Babies R Us stores). Eat your Wheaties before you head to this extravaganza.

Bayside Expo Center, 200 Mount Vernon St., Dorchester; Tel: 617-474-6000

One of Laurel’s school pals eats waffles every morning for breakfast and subsequently always smells distinctly like a sweet puddle of maple syrup. This little guy thus ought to be thrilled that March is maple sugaring time in New England.

This weekend your kids can learn that maple syrup has a life beyond the breakfast aisle via demos at Brookwood Farm in the Blue Hills Reservation and at the Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary. Click each link for admission and schedule details; the Brookwood link also includes additional maple sugaring programs offered this month by the Mass DCR.

Blue Hills Reservation, 695 Hillside Street, Milton; Tel: 617-698-1802 & Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary, 87 Perkins Row, Topsfield; Tel: 978-887-9264

I’m a sucker for cute kids’ boutiques and since opening in the fall, I’ve been keeping my eye on Bird by Bird in Inman Square. Originally debuting with a modest selection of products conjuring a bit of a spare, upscale boutique feel that intimidated some readers who wrote in, Bird by Bird has since impressively expanded its offerings to feature an array of stylish products from both national and independent (including local) designers; the shop now feels decidedly warm and welcoming. Some particularly cool finds include an impressive, hip collection of screen printed and appliquéd tees and onesies (various designers), beautiful mixed fabric creations from Lorna Lowe Custom Couture and Beary Basics, and the snuggly soft hoodie cardigans by Angel Dear. Apparently, they also have started carrying the stylish, locally crafted baby slings by gOzOzO, in designs exclusive to Bird By Bird.

Bird By Bird also periodically offers programming such as fitness and baby signing; click here for their latest announcements. They also have future plans for an online store.

Bird By Bird, 1361 Cambridge Street, Cambridge; Tel: 617-497-1361