Sippy Cups Are Not for Chardonnay: And Other Things I Had to Learn as a New Mom [Paperback]

Stefanie Wilder-Taylor (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 28, 2006

The moment the second line on the pee stick turns pink, women discover they've entered a world of parenting experts.

Friends, family, colleagues, the UPS delivery guy -- suddenly everybody is a trove of advice, much of it contradictory and confusing. With dire warnings of what will happen if baby is fed on demand and even direr warnings of what will happen if he isn't, not to mention hordes of militant "lactivists," cosleeping advocates, and books on what to worry about next, modern parenthood can seem like a minefield.

In busy Mom-friendly short essays, Sippy Cups Are Not for Chardonnay delivers the empathetic straight dirt on parenting, tackling everything from Mommy & Me classes ("Your baby doesn't need to be making friends at three months old -- you do! But not with people you'll meet at Mommy & Me") to attachment parenting ("If you're holding your baby 24/7, that's not a baby, that's a tumor"). Stefanie Wilder-Taylor combines practical tips with sidesplitting humor and refreshing honesty, assuring women that they can be good mothers and responsibly make their own choices. A witty and welcome antidote to trendy parenting texts and scarifying case studies, Sippy Cups Are Not for Chardonnay provides genuine support, encouragement, and indispensable common-sense advice.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

When Los Angeles comedian and television writer and producer Wilder-Taylor got pregnant, she feared undergoing this process: "a perfectly sane woman who swigs Jack Daniel's, never goes to sleep before eight a.m., and has had at least one STD gives birth and suddenly becomes a different person... [who] subscribes to three dozen parenting magazines, thinks a wild night is tossing back two O'Doul's, and never hits the hay after eight p.m." Of course, now that the author has a daughter, she's smitten; the child "grew on me every day, and by six months I was definitely her bitch." Hoping to be the voice of reason amid a cacophony of parenting advice (in the form of books, mothers-in-law and others), Wilder-Taylor dishes on sharing the parenting responsibilities with your husband ("I felt like saying, 'Didn't you get the memo? WE'RE PARENTS NOW! LOOK ALIVE!' "), breast feeding ("it hurts like a rhesus monkey biting your nipples"), meeting other new mothers (only they can answer questions like "How the f*** does this Diaper Genie work?") and other aspects of new parenthood. Crass but reassuring, Wilder-Taylor succeeds in putting fears at rest. (Apr.)
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About the Author

Stefanie Wilder-Taylor is the author of Sippy Cups Are Not for Chardonnay and Naptime Is the New Happy Hour. She has written and produced more than thirty television sketch, clip, and variety shows, and been featured on Today, Oprah, Dr. Phil, Larry King Live, The Dr. Oz Show, and the award-winning PBS show Real Savvy Moms. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and three young daughters. Visit her website at stefaniewildertaylor.com.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Gallery Books; Original edition (March 28, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1416915060
• ISBN-13: 978-1416915065
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (151 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,201 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #13 in Books > Parenting & Relationships > Family Relationships > Motherhood
  • #43 in Books > Self-Help > Self-Esteem
  • #61 in Books > Politics & Social Sciences > Women's Studies

More About the Author

Stefanie Wilder-Taylor is the author of Sippy Cups Are Not for Chardonnay: And Other Things I Had to Learn as a New Mom (Simon & Schuster 2006) and Naptime Is the New Happy Hour: And Other Ways Toddlers Turn Your Life Upside Down (Simon & Schuster 2008) which were based on her prominent blog "Baby on Bored" that has been entertaining thousands of mothers since 2005.
On television she acts as the go-to parenting expert for NBC's "The Today Show" where she has appeared numerous times giving practical humorous advice. She's also been featured on Dr. Phil, Your World with Neil Cavuto and even Oprah (via taped interview but she's still hoping to one day sit on the couch!). As a comedian she has performed on Make Me Laugh, Evening at the Improv, Comedy Central. Her third book, It's Not Me, It's You: Subjective Recollections of a Terminally Optimistic, Chronically Sarcastic and Occasionally Inebriated Woman is out July 2009. Stefanie keeps herself very busy with twin toddler girls, a preschool age daughter and an active online poker addiction.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

67 of 75 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Refreshing and Real!, June 23, 2006

By 

California Mom - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sippy Cups Are Not for Chardonnay: And Other Things I Had to Learn as a New Mom (Paperback)

I truly enjoyed and relate to this book. Being a mother, although wonderful, is much more challenging than I ever imagined. Those who have left negative reviews need to respect that the author is sharing her experiences as a mother, from her perspective. Nowhere does she suggest that HER way of doing things is the "best" way, or the only way. In fact, I don't hear her advocating ANYTHING in this book other than being respectful and supportive of one another as mothers. She is making the all too important and often overlooked point that there are MANY different "good" ways of parenting, and we as mothers should respect one another's choices, discard competitive subtexts, and be supportive of one another. Refering to one another as "sissies" as a previous reviewer did and believing (or perceiving) that because you have had success with a particular parenting style or choice that you can make presumptions and judgments about another mother who is struggling or made a less "popular" choice in that area is both ignorant and overly simplistic, and is most likely indicative of one's own insecurities as a parent. I applaud Stefanie for her honesty and candor. I will be sharing this book with many friends.

20 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars sooo funny!!, June 27, 2006

By 

gumtrucker "gumtrucker" (Perkasie, PA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sippy Cups Are Not for Chardonnay: And Other Things I Had to Learn as a New Mom (Paperback)

If you are a super-mom skip this book. If you are like the rest of us and struggling day-to-day this is a must read. I laughed out loud many times. For those of us that had an "active social life" pre-baby and hope to have one in the next 20 years-you will totally relate to this book. I too,will also include this as my new baby shower gift must haves!!

16 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Baby Shower Hit!, March 17, 2007

By 

RFN (NYC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sippy Cups Are Not for Chardonnay: And Other Things I Had to Learn as a New Mom (Paperback)

I purchased this book as a baby shower gift for a new mom who was having her second child in 14 months. It was the hit of the party and everyone there, especially Grandma and older "been there, done that" moms, had a huge laugh over the suggestions contained within.