Look, they seem to affording this just fine.

Raising a baby to age 18 will cost you about $226,000 in this modern world, according to a report released this week by the US Department of Agriculture, which, as we all know, is responsible for growing babies. A quarter million dollars for years and years of jam hands seems intense. Although it doesn’t factor in college which, let’s be honest, if you have a kid you best damn well be ready to pay for as well. (more…)

This is the breast NYC law ever [Village Voice]
Baby to to be born in cleanest spot in Bushwick [L Magazine]
NYPD pledges to be less jerky, actually catch sex attackers [FiPs]
AT&T service possibly actually improving in BK [DP Blog]
Swayze once got hazy on PBR [SarahSpy]
Occupying a bar with Wall Street’s finest [The Hairpin]
First Jobs dies, now jobs bill dies [Daily Intel]
Crafting with cat hair is a thing [Village Voice]

We’ve heard lots about how the “Brooklyn” brand name has been overused to promote every type of business, both in the city and far, far away. Now the name is trending in a whole new annoying way: babies, and specifically babies in the west. The Post reports today “Brooklyn” was the 34th most popular name in the country for baby girls in 2010, but in some western states, it’s sixth (!!).  (more…)

Wow, Brokelyn is looking pretty girly right about now with all these posts on fashion and moms and whatnot. So here’s something for the guys. Reader Jared Morris is trying to get together a group for stay-at-home dads, whose ranks he says are increasing because of the great you-know-what. “From my anecdotal experience talking to dads, and from pushing the stroller around, it seems there are lots more baseball caps and camo diaper bags at the parks whether by choice (I resigned, e.g.) or by circumstances not of one’s choosing (hearing more of this).” So here’s the pitch, gentlemen:

Are you one of the many fellas in the Prospect Park area raising a child at home, full-time or part-time? If so, and you’d like to meet up with some other guys and their kids for a couple hours on a weekday, give us a shout at brooklyndads@gmail.com. At our mid-Sept. meeting at the park we’ll kick around ideas for some autumnal activities/play-dates. Meanwhile, we’ll trade paternal lore and give the sea of nannies something to wonder about.

And if you’re not a stay-at-home-dad but think the meetings sound kinda hot anyway… well shame on you!