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Books For The New Mom
As the best friend, mother, sister, cousin, or even grandmother, it probably doesn’t feel like your place to educate the new mother on how she’s suppose to feel, or what she should do to transition easier into the role of new mother. You might feel torn between offering your very own words of wisdom, or keeping your lips shut.
Some people really don’t mind offering advice whether it’s been solicited or not. If that doesn’t sound like you, but you really feel that there are things the new mother would benefit from knowing, think about buying books for new mothers. There are so many on the shelves, you’ll probably have to buy two or three to cover what’s on your mind. Want her to know about natural remedies for colic? You can find a book on that! Want her to know how to cure post natal insomnia? There’s information on that too!
Books are perfect items to put in the new mom gift basket. If the mom-to-be is feeling a little sensitive, she probably won’t feel the need to get defensive when she gets some nice books as gifts. Now, if you highlight and circle in red ink certain passages of the books, she might become a little annoyed. Just give her the books and leave it at that. Eventually, she’ll find some time to flip through them and, who knows, she just might find something useful.
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PrettyBabyGifts.com Tip: One of a Kind Gifts
Not sure what to get for that upcoming baby shower? Have you racked your brain, trying to think of something fun and practical that Mom and Dad not only want but also need? For unique baby shower gift ideas, check out PrettyBabyGifts.com. They have an assortment of gifts for parents and baby, so you'll be sure to find what you need to fit the occasion.
The website is easy to navigate, with everything you need organized for your convenience. Whether you're in a hurry, on a budget or searching for the latest in baby gifts, PrettyBabyGifts.com has a section for you. If you can't just pick one thing, they have a wide assortment of gift baskets. For a practical gift that also has adorable keepsakes for baby, check out their selection of diaper cakes.
But the baby shower isn't just about baby; browse through gifts for Mom and Dad as well. Whether it's an adorable t-shirt that proudly announces Mom's "bun in the oven," or a gift basket that includes goodies for Mom and Dad to share on late nights, they'll appreciate your thoughtfulness.
If you want to get something their family can cherish for years to come, get one of their products that can be engraved or embroidered, transforming a gift into a keepsake. For these and more unique baby shower gift ideas, PrettyBabyGifts.com has what you need.
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Budget Baby Gift Baskets
Are you on a budget or are you feeling generous? When you think of baby gift baskets, elaborate and high priced options come to mind. Sure, you can forgo that plasma television you were saving for and spend a couple hundred dollars on a baby gift basket. Just remember, you haven’t met the baby yet. You might not even like him.
Let’s just assume for a minute that you’re not in the mood to fork out a couple hundred bucks for a baby gift basket. Well sure it contains a forty pound stuffed bear with pure gold stitching, but so what? That twenty dollar baby gift basket contains seven pure organic cotton baby bibs for each day of the week, so there!
Really though, if you’re on a budget, you can find some really nice baby gift baskets at places like prettybabytoys.com. A lot of times you’ll find a clearance section or sale items. Even at full price, you can find baby gift baskets for under forty dollars.
Don’t worry about how much money you spend on baby gifts. It’s an old, worn cliché, but it really is the thought that counts.
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PrettyBabyGifts.com Tip: Organic Baby Gifts
Being green is all the rage these days. From cars that run on leftover vegetable oil to solar-charged backpacks, it seems like you can't make any purchase without deciding between organic and non. For those environmentally conscious new parents in your life, there are organic baby gifts out there to satisfy their new baby needs as well as their preference for organic products.
PrettyBabyGifts.com has many options for organic baby gifts like their personalized Baby's Organic 4-Piece Suitcase Gift Set and "Sweet Baby" Organic Cap and Sack Set. Check out their organic baby blankets, in cotton flannel and thermal. They also have an extensive list of organic clothing products with cute sayings like, "Organically Grown." With so many organic products to choose from, even the baby of the pickiest parents doesn't have to go without! Not only will you be giving their newborn something special, but the new parents will appreciate your attention to detail. You can't go wrong with one of these affordable gifts that gives back to the environment.
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Bath Time For Mommy
Psst! New mom. Yeah, you. It’s been three days now. Don’t you think you need a bath? Your partner's off to work and you’re not sure of what to do with the baby while you’re in the shower. If you put him in the crib, he’s going to cry and that’ll just make you feel guilty. For obvious reasons you can’t leave him alone on the couch. Even though the newborn isn’t able to roll over yet, you definitely don’t feel comfortable leaving him lying on the living room floor with a toy mobile and the cat to entertain him. So what are you going to do? It’s time to lather up and shave those legs!
First of all, it’s okay to put the baby down in the safety of his crib. Sure he might fuss a little, but you’re not going to be gone all day. If it makes you feel better, bring the baby monitor into the bathroom with you. Just make sure not to sing in the shower. Like cell phones, your conversations and American Idol moments can sometimes be heard by other people.
Still not convinced? If you don’t want to put the baby in his or her crib, put him into a car carrier and bring the whole thing into the bathroom with you. That way baby will be safe and sound, and close enough that you can peek around the shower curtain to check on him.
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PrettyBabyGifts.com Tip: Delayed Gift Reaction
If you want to really do something nice for the expectant mother, wait a couple of weeks after the baby is born before presenting her with personalized new born baby gifts. When her baby shower rolls around, just give her a nice card, bring some homemade baking, or buy her a small, inexpensive gift to open that night.
Make sure to tell her that the gift is coming, but that it’s just going to come a little later than normal.
Why would you do this? Because everything happens before the baby is born. There are hugs, tears, and instant anxiety (Will I make a good mom?) once you find out your pregnant. Then everyone starts planning a big baby shower. The next think you know, you’ve got the baby in your arms, and the gifts have stopped trickling in.
It’s at the height of realizing you’re a new mom with no idea what you’re doing that a baby gift or two would come in handy. Imagine yawning over a hot stove, cooking a meal for your family. It’s lunch time, but you feel as if it could be midnight you’re so tired. You haven’t been out in weeks since the baby arrived, and you’re starting to feel a bit down in the dumps. Suddenly, your doorbell rings and in comes your best friend with an awesome newborn baby gift basket!
Just knowing that there’s something that can benefit you and your baby coming through the door should put you in a great mood.
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Baby Nursery Design
Generally, when people start thinking about baby nursery design, the two first colors to come to mind are pink and blue. It’s obvious and it’s overdone. Now, if you’ve always dreamed of a cotton-candy pink baby nursery for your little angel, go for it. However, if you’re thinking about something a little different, don’t be afraid to try out some of these color schemes:
• Green. There are many different shades of green, but try to find a green that falls in the “warm” spectrum of colors. Keep the walls a soft muted green and add layers of color by applying stencils, photographs, etc.
• Yellow. Not everyone loves yellow, but it can be done in a way that isn’t too bright, overwhelming or over-the-top. You don’t want it so yellow that your baby has nightmares of canaries. What you want to do is paint the walls a soft white-yellow, and then incorporate bouquets of yellow flowers (they can be artificial), stuffed animals, photographs, etc., into the nursery.
• Red and Purple. Now that’s bold! Everybody goes for soft, muted colors, but there’s nothing to say you can’t go for the gusto. Really! Your baby honestly won’t be psychologically damaged if you choose bright contrasting colors for the baby nursery. Take a purple baby cradle and coordinate the room with red baby bedding, etc.
These are just a few ideas to get you started. You can always do web searches for photographs of other baby nurseries, or buy some interior decorating magazines for more help.
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PrettyBabyGifts.com Tip: The Special Gift Of Birth Announcements
All the baby gifts in the world don’t induce as much nostalgia as the birth announcements. There’s so much emotion and meaning that go into creating birth announcements that they really bring you back to that moment.
If you’re really observant and notice that the parents (overwhelmed with their new responsibilities as parents) haven’t taken the time to save the birth announcements, then take action. Take a simple birth announcement and create a personalized baby blanket with it! Have the baby’s birth date embroidered on anything from baby sheets to baby sleepers.
If embroidery isn’t your thing, you can always have the birth announcements engraved into a baby cup, picture frame, baby spoon, etc. These make great baby christening gifts or can be given to the parents on the baby’s first birthday.
Now, if you want to take this gift idea one step further, create a scrapbook of photos from the baby’s first days. You can buy cloth covered photo albums and have the birth announcement embroidered on the front cover. Don’t have many photos of your own to use? No problem. It’s okay just to give the photo album as is. You can still have the birth announcement embroidered; just leave the photo sorting to the parents. Chances are they’ve got some choice photos they’d like to include in the album. They’re going to be thrilled when you give them an embroidered gift.
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Personalizing New Mom Gift Baskets
Buying the new mom a gift basket is a great idea. If this is her first baby, she has absolutely no idea how much she’s going to need a little tender loving care of her own. So if you’re going with the idea of a gift basket, make sure it’s truly for mom and not just a sneaky way to add yet another teddy bear to the pile. If you’re strapped for time, you can always buy pre-made new mom gift baskets. Depending on where you shop and how much you want to spend, these baskets contain anything from spa essentials, to gourmet chocolates.
Got a little bit of time to personalize the gift basket? Make your own and add any or all of the following suggestions:
Relaxation music
New movie DVD’s or gift certificates for movie rentals. Once baby is asleep, the parents can sit back and finally enjoy some time together NOT listening to kiddie music or watching cartoons.
A small hand-held shoulder massager. These are great little devices are perfect for taking the strain out of shoulders and upper backs that have been cradling baby all day.
Bubble bath
A bottle of wine
A book on post-natal care
You can’t put whatever you want in the new mom gift basket. Chances are you know the new mom better than a lot of people, so you should be able to customize the gift basket to something she’s really going to love.
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Recycling and Reusing Baby Gifts
The reality is that all of those cute baby gifts you got for your baby shower are only used for a short period of time. Some stuff, as nice as it is, might not be appropriate when you start redecorating the nursery to look more like something that a preschooler or school-aged child would want. That means a lot of the baby gifts wind up at the bottom of a toy bin or at the back of a closet.
Why not put the stuff aside and give it to charity or donate it to a local nursery? It’s better than letting the toys collect dust for the next five years. A few things to consider before giving away those former baby gifts include:
making sure there are no baby toy recalls on the items, especially if it’s been over a year since you first received them;
cleaning the toys with a mild solution of water and bleach;
ensuring that any stuffed animals or teddy bears don’t have any loose parts (eyes that can come off, etc.)
Was it one of your best friends who gave you the baby gifts? If so, you might want to talk to her about your plans. Just tell her you and the babe have really enjoyed the toys but now that the baby is getting older, it’s time to recycle the toys to someone else who can use them.
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Magic Bread And Other Baby Food Tricks
Okay, so you’ve got a picky little eater do you? Don’t be surprised if your little one gobbles up an entire plate of carrots one day, and then spits them on the floor the next. Once toddlers are eating solid baby food, they start to really notice the texture and taste of food. If one day you happen to feed him some carrots that aren’t as sweet as the ones you gave him yesterday, he’s going to remember that. Now he thinks every carrot fed to him will be bitter.
Don’t force the issue. Usually if you give up the fight and move on to another food choice, you’ll be able to gradually reintroduce that food back into his diet. It might take a while, but be patient. When you make muffins, try adding some minced or pureed vegetables into the mixture.
This might seem a little sneaky, but you can always use descriptions like “magic sparkly bread” to get your child to eat healthy snacks. Make a loaf of banana bread, add some shredded carrots and toss in a handful of cake decorations to pretty it up. Sometimes you’ve got to go a little crazy with your recipes, but if it means the difference between your child eating healthy, or not eating at all, it’s worth it.
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Who Gets To Eat First Tonight
Once the baby is old enough to eat solid baby food and can sit on his or her own in a high chair, parents get to play a little game called Who Gets To Eat First Tonight? The rules of the game, although open to interpretation, go something like this:
1) The person who eats first isn’t necessarily the one who cooked the meal.
2) Fainting from hunger is no excuse.
3) Sneaking a few mouthfuls of the baby food into your mouth is outright cheating.
4) The first parent to sit at the table, chew, and successfully swallow a mouthful of food without the baby crying gets to finish his or her meal in peace while the other parent feeds the baby.
5) The parent who feeds the baby first is also responsible for cleaning up the mess including all of the food that ends up behind the baby’s ears, under the high chair, against the north facing wall of the kitchen, and any food plugging the baby’s nasal passages.
6) Just because the baby has only learned how to say “mama” does not mean the baby won’t accept food from dada.
7) Residual diaper duty (later in the evening) goes to whoever caves in to the smell.
Finally, the first parent to figure out how to manipulate naptime so that it coincides with mealtime is the ultimate champion. Eventually, it’ll be okay to give the baby a small plastic utensil to practice eating on his own. Until then, one of you has to feed the baby while the other parent enjoys a meal. The question is Who Gets To Eat First Tonight?
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Breast Feeding Blankets
General physicians, nurses, and other healthcare practitioners encourage new mothers to breastfeed. Meanwhile, public spots like shopping malls and restaurants put “family” friendly signs on washroom doors and consider their hands washed of the whole situation. Be honest, how comfortable are you breastfeeding anytime, anywhere? Was there ever a time when a teenage boy walked by and snickered, or a woman who was raised in a completely different generation rolled her eyes at you? Breastfeeding isn’t something to be ashamed of, but if you’re looking for something that gives you a little bit of privacy, let your friends know that you’d like some nursing or breast feeding blankets as shower gifts.
These days, breast feeding blankets are made to look stylish and classy. They come in soft, flowing fabrics that wrap around the body. Don’t worry about getting more than one, either. While one’s in the wash, you can grab the other one to take out with you. Breast feeding blankets are especially good for new mothers. Hey, breast feeding is an art that takes practice. Contrary to popular belief, everyone doesn’t just figure it out naturally. With a breast feeding blanket, you don’t have to worry about accidentally exposing “the girls” to the guy selling leather watch straps at the mall.
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How To Bath A Baby
Here’s something nobody tells new moms: bathing a newborn is scary. Those little bodies are very slippery and even though they’re snuggled into a tiny baby bathtub, it’s still a scary process. The question is, how do you make it a little easier? Try to find a baby bathtub that has a good grip on the bottom. Whether you fit the tub into the regular bathtub or on the counter, you want something that’s not going to slide around.
If the new mom-to-be doesn’t think she needs a baby bathtub, dig out the old photos of you and your siblings being washed in the kitchen sink. Hmm…let’s see….no support, protruding sink taps…Bad idea.
New baby bathtubs are ergonomically designed to contour the baby’s body in a safe, semi-reclining position so that the head is supported. These are designed for newborns who won’t entertain the thought of catapulting their little bodies up and out of the tub. Don’t leave them unattended though! Bathing a newborn should involve very little water, very little time, and absolute safety. It’s not like they’ve been out rolling in the dirt all day. You just want to keep their little bits and pieces clean. Use a mild alcohol swab to clean around the umbilical stump and just a little bit of gentle soap in the water.
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