In the Baby Zone with Christina Applegate

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On her NBC sitcom Up All Night, Christina Applegate plays Reagan Brinkley, a TV producer who is learning how to balance her personal life as a new mom with her busy career. In this case life imitates art since the actress also happens to be a proud mama to daughter Sadie Grace (born January 2011).

Here, she shares the mommy moments that make her heart melt.

What's your golden rule of parenting?

Don't talk to your baby like they're a baby. I've always talked to my daughter like a person and because of it she has an incredible vocabulary. She has an incredible way of communicating, so I really feel proud that we stuck with that.

Describe the best moment of parenting so far.

Every day. Every day. There's a moment every day that sticks out and I go, "That's the one." Every moment I spend with her is perfection.

And the worst?

Any time she's been ill. That's the hardest, most heartbreaking thing to see.

What's the one thing you can't live without?

We don't use any gear anymore really because she's a toddler. You know what was great for a while were those saucers for her to jump around in that she really liked. That was when she was younger but that was a great thing for her because you could go do something for a minute. You could cook some food!

Finish this sentence: You know you're in the Baby Zone when...

… there's breast milk on the floor. I don't know! In the morning when I'm holding her and we're reading and she snuggles up really nicely. She doesn't snuggle the rest of the day but in the morning she gets really snuggly and those are the best moments or when she just leans over out of nowhere and kisses you. It's heartbreaking.