“Thanks to the recent purchase(s) you made in Amazon.com Baby, you are eligible to receive a 2-year subscription to Cookie, a $15.00 value, included with your purchase. … What’s the catch? None. We’re happy to provide our customers with the benefits of partnering with a top magazine publisher. There is no charge for this offer, and there is no automatic renewal.”

When I got this email offer from Amazon, I decided to look a little further to see if it would be worth pursuing. I turned to Google to find the Cookie magazine web site, and one of the first things I saw was a large piece interviewing Amanda Peet on the topic of vaccinations. If that wasn’t enough to turn me away on the spot* browsing through the articles on the site left me certain that Cookie was not a magazine for me.

Topics such as how to create a themed birthday soiree for your two year old, celebrity parent profiles, and gift ideas that include $250 ride on toys and $300 rockers are not my cup of tea. The few articles they have that I’d consider reading, such as the one on which produce to buy organic, were short with content largely borrowed. My guess is that they are included primarily to capitalize on the “green” hype.

Why is it that the only magazines given away aren’t worth reading? If new and expectant parents could receive free copies of Mothering or Kiwi Magazine instead of Parenting and Cookie, I think we’d see an upswing in the number making holistic choices.

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*Amanda Peet is an industry shill, brought to the forefront of the vaccine debate to counter the popularity surrounding Jenny McCarthy. She is close with Paul Offit, advises vaccinating on the full schedule on time with no exceptions, and considers any other option a public safety risk.