Sharing Baby Photos Online with Birth Announcements & Baby Photo Album Services
December 24, 2007
Congratulations! You’re a new parent and you’ve brought your precious, beautiful baby into the world. You want to shout from the rooftops that you have this wonderful bundle of joy and you are so proud! You have seen or heard about online birth announcements before, and realize that they are a quick, easy, and no hassle way of spreading the news of the birth of your precious baby. Below we’ll outline ways you can share your baby photos online or create your own online birth announcements.
The easiest way to create an online birth announcement is to go to a site that already has birth announcement templates for you to choose from. There are free birth announcement websites where all you do is upload a baby photo and some information and you are set to go, and there are other birth announcement websites that present you with the opportunity to create mini-journals of your baby, usually for a fee. There are sites that specialize in birth announcements that spotlight your religious preference or even for your favorite sports teams. From traditional to unique and even humorous, there is a birth announcement service out there for everyone.
Liven Up Your Baby Shower With A Few Games
December 22, 2007
You have a baby shower planned for a friend; you have organised the invitations, and sent them out to everyone on the list. You have even planned the food that is going to be available at the shower. Then you think, but what do we actually do? Just talk and hand over the gifts; or shall we play a few shower games?
Well, it does seem that many people do opt for playing a few baby shower games. If you are the playful type, and think some games will go down well at the shower, then why not have a bit of fun? There are no strict rules about baby shower games. In fact, you could take just about any party game and play it as it is. It is probably better, though, if you either come up with one or two unique ideas yourself, or give a baby twist to an ordinary party game. There must be thousands of variations you could come up with.
Here are just a few ideas that might stimulate more in you:
Stammering Toddler
December 21, 2007
Some parents have the shock of hearing their young child start stammering as a toddler. I am somebody who runs a speech centre in Birmingham, England, I now help people to achieve fluency.
I met a lady who was thirty and her little boy aged four had been stammering for quite a while. She had taken him to speech therapy and was extremely anxious as to why he was stammering. It had possibly started because the toddlers father had quite a severe stammer, the boy may of picked up the bad habits this way.
Many other people contact me asking why their toddler has developed a stammer and asking what forms of stammering treatments are available.
I always suggest that they keep as patient as they can and try to play games, speech games with their child. They can challenge the child to say the word fluently, they show their child how it should be said and then bet them that they can’t do it themselves. When they do manage to say that particular word fluently they then heap lots of praise onto the child, telling them how clever they are and how proud mommy and daddy are of them. I even advise giving them an award like a small chocolate bar.
Baby Slings - Comfort for Both the Child and the Parent
December 20, 2007
Baby slings are one of those things that have been in existence for thousands of years but have only just recently made a comeback in modern society. It’s hard to imagine how previous generations of mothers manage without something like baby sling carriers to help them carry their babies.
There are several advantages to using a sling to carry your baby in. First of all, baby is comforted by the presence of your body. This has both a calming influence and creates more of a bond between parent and child.
Fathers can particularly take advantage of sling carriers. With these items hey get to participate more in the life of their new baby. When carrying a baby in a sling, you become closely attuned to her breathing rhythms and movements. This allows you to anticipate your child’s needs more fully.
There is evidence that the babies cognitive abilities develop more rapidly when he is transported in a swing. One of the reasons for this could be the reduced stress because of the soothing effect of being close to the parent. Seen in this light a sling or carrier is a 2-way street where both parent and child will benefit.
How to Clean Those Lovable Plush Toys
December 18, 2007
Are YOUR Stuffed Animals DIRTY?
Stuffed animals and dollies can lead a hard life, if they’re loved. Whether they sleep with you, tag along to play dates or Day Care, play hide and seek in the back yard, or just cuddle up by the TV sharing your snacks, they can really get dirty. Even the ones we “grownups” have out for “show” will eventually get dusty.
If you’re collecting your animals as an investment, by all means protect them, take good care of the swing tags, and don’t wash them.
But for the rest of us, who love on our plush pals, here are some suggestions on how to get them clean.
There are symbols on the tush tag of many toys that tell you how to clean that toy. They typically indicate if it can be washed, the temperature for the wash water, if it can be bleached, and if it can be machine dried.
Sweep Away Colic Baby Crying with White Noise
December 16, 2007
It doesn’t make sense does it? You do everything possible as a new parent to keep your baby healthy and happy. So why is it, your baby decides to start screaming inconsolably right around dinner time? Just when you need it least.
Ask yourself?
? When your baby starts crying, is it for spells of 3 or more hours at a time?
? Do these crying spells happen 3 or more times a week?
? Did you notice the crying spells becoming more apparent about the 3rd week after you brought your baby home?
If you’ve answered yes to the above questions, you might have a baby with colic.
Colic is the diagnosis many pediatricians tag on a baby who is otherwise healthy and thriving, but follows the "Rule of Threes" as stated above. A colic baby has episodes of inconsolable crying beginning around the 3rd week of life, lasting at least 3 hours a day, for at least 3 days a week.
Attempting to calm a colicky infant can leave a parent emotionally battered and physically exhausted. Some doctors believe the cause of colic stems from your baby having a pain in the gut. "Colic" actually comes from the Greek word kolikos, which means "suffering in the colon." Sometimes, simply changing the baby’s diet can help dramatically (or changing the mother’s diet in the case of breastfeeding).
Baby Pool Floats ? Teach Babies To Swim With Fun and Safety
December 15, 2007
There is nothing more fun than getting your baby used to the water on a warm sunny day. If you are trying to acclimate your baby to the water or just teaching the basics of kicking and splashing, you will want a quantity of baby pool floats available. These pool toys are more than that; they are a means of pool safety for your child. Babies need a means of staying afloat without you holding them. They need to feel like they are part of the water and what it means to get wet in a bigger body of water than the bath tub. If you are relaxed and assured that your baby is safe in the water; you will display that relaxation to the baby and they will be more comfortable and less afraid. Pool floats give you that extra feeling of safety without constantly holding your baby.
Baby Shower Games: The Good, the Bad and the Ugh!
December 13, 2007
Games can make or break a shower. The best can break the ice and liven up the party. The worst can bore and embarrass. So, how can you avoid this?
A little research…
First, list the showers you’ve been to and the games you remember. Which did you like and dislike? Ask a few other gals to do the same. Don’t ask the mom-to-be because you’ll want to keep the games a surprise. Now, check out which ones were played most often. Chances are everyone has played these games many times. They’re probably pretty sick of them. Avoid these overly popular games, unless you think no one minds playing them again and again. Baby Bingo again? No thanks!
The Mom-to-be
Take into account her personality. If the mom-to-be is outgoing and loves the spotlight, find games that will make her the center of attention. A shy mom-to-be? Choose ones that will put the focus on the guests instead of the mom-to-be. Ask the mom-to-be for her opinion without giving away the surprise. Avoid measuring the mom’s girth unless you’re totally sure that she’ll be fine with it. Some moms-to-be are uncomfortable with this embarrassing tradition.
Baby Car Seat Glossary Guide
December 12, 2007
To the uninitiated parent, buying a car seat for your child can seem technical at best. There are a dozen terms designers and retail stores use to describe car seats, their various accessories and features. Below you’ll find some handy tips for sorting through the riff raff and deciding what features and accessories you really need for your carseat.
Key Terms Here are some key terms you should familiarize yourself with before shopping for your child’s first carseat.
LATCH ? This stands for ‘lower anchors and tethers for children.’ Now what the heck is that you ask? Most vehicles built after 2002 have standard hardware in the seats that help attach the carseat more easily to the car. A LATCH system replaces a seatbelt for fastening the carseat into your car. The LATCH system is beneficial because it not only makes installing a carseat easy, but it also prevents the seat from slipping out of place over time. Don’t worry if your car doesn’t have a LATCH system. You can still install almost any car seat using the seatbelt only. Some modern car seats built after 2002 are especially designed to accommodate LATCH systems, but you can still install these using a standard belt as well.
Car Seats and Newborn Babies
December 10, 2007
I remember very clearly the first day we brought our oldest daughter home from the hospital. Lucky for me my husband is a car seat technician, so I had no worries that we had installed our Graco infant carrier correctly. Interestingly, my husband procrastinated installing the seat until the day I was scheduled to go in for my induction (my baby was a week overdue).
I think until that point the idea of having a baby wasn’t real. Reality sure struck like a hammer however a few days later, when we packed our bags up and prepared to bring our bundle of joy home. The nurse in the maternity ward was insistent about checking to make sure our baby was nestled safely into her carseat. She took great care to coach me about how to put the baby in the carseat and support her head. She also told me of the steps I should take to make sure the straps weren’t too tight and adjusted properly. Of course, she knew of my husbands experience but still walked down to make sure we had installed the car seat properly. She wanted to make sure the seat was in the middle of the backseat.
