A few days ago I mentioned the coming of an upscale parenting magazine called Cookie (love that name.)

Does this seem like the perfect time for you to break into parenting magazine writing? If so, here are a few tips.

No, you don't need to be a parent yourself to write for these pubs. However, obviously, you have to know kids, no matter how 'young at heart' you fancy yourself. Spend some time with children: if you don't have some, steal some. No, wait: I mean, if you have young relatives or if your friends have kids, talk to them. Your idea about miniature Swarovski cellphones for babies might be unique but after spending some time with real parents and kids, you might find that there are more practical issues to be discussed. If you can't get the real thing, maybe try spending some time with the multitudes of parents' blogs out there. Many of these magazines enjoy first-person pieces so if you aren't a parent yourself, you have to know what you're talking about.

Fortunately, the audience for parenting magazines constantly refreshes itself so perennial topics are often refreshed so see what current mothers want to know. A mother and parenting magazine contributor told me, "I know that as the mother of a 3-yr-old and a 4-month-old, I have a Pavlovian response to coverlines about sleep. You will teach my children to sleep? I will buy you!"

As with most other publications you might be trying to break into, hit up the Front of the Book of wherever you try first. A few little birdies have told me that Parenting magazine is a bit more freelance friendly that other publications in that genre so that might be a good place to start. Additionally, you don't need to pitch exclusively to parenting magazines to build up some kid-centric clips. Many women's magazines like RedBook, Woman's Day, Family Circle, Ladies' Home Journal and Better Homes and Gardens have parenting sections for you to pitch. Plus, while parenting magazines might not have much space for articles focusing on adolescents, tweens and teens, these women's magazines have more space for the topic.

A frequent parenting magazine contributor and columnist says "As with most magazines, you should be very familiar with the mag's style before you pitch. Child would never EVER run "the 10 common household products that could KILL YOUR CHILD!" -- the whole vibe there is non-panic-inducing. Whereas at some other parenting mags, the scary coverline is a big stock in trade. Know your market. Child tends to do interesting ethical pieces, lots of thinky-think pieces about say, raising moral children. I think of parenting as being more practical - tips for dealing with tantrums, etc." Also, "all the parenting mags do a lot of health pieces, which is good news if you like to write about health. My sense is that women's magazines are cutting back or making health more about fitness, so it's nice to have the parenting mags as a forum."

Regarding style, keep it honest but not graphic. "In the mags you can joke about being covered in spit-up, but I don't think any of them want to hear that god, sometimes you wish you could ditch the kids at the park and take off for Morocco. Even if it's true. There's still a lot of 'suffused with the golden glow of motherly love' stuff, even in the humor pieces purporting to be 'the truth about motherhood'!"

Hope some of this helps. By the way, who is that adorable kid up there in the swimsuit? Why, that's me!