Most new parents suffer a low-grade level of anxiety over whether they’re providing their babies with enough stimulation. (Does she have enough toys? The right ones? Are we teaching him the right skills for his age?) So we asked our developmental experts over at Seedlings Group for some learning-through-play guidelines, along with a list of their favorite toys for every age and stage.

There’s a growing backlash against parents who let their wee ones watch television. And while we more or less subscribe to the ideal-world notion of a TV-less infancy, we feel the need to keep things real. After all, we’re talking about television, not cigarettes.

Let’s take a minute to celebrate our Independence before we jump into what this weekend is really all about: BBQ Season Kick-Off! To get things started, we asked Bobby Flay how to grill a perfect hamburger. We also hunted down a nontoxic bug repellant, found the perfect gift for the BBQ host, and discovered an easy way to remember which beer is yours.

We’re always cruising sites like One Hungry Mama and Weelicious for healthy snack ideas that fall outside the Holy Trinity of goldfish crackers, raisins, and cheese sticks. But the truth is, when we’re flying out the door late for class or a play date (which is most of the time), we need whatever’s already packaged and ready-to-eat.