Parenting & New Baby Advice Blog

Archive for the ‘Pregnancy’ Category

When a woman is expecting, she needs a little extra pampering. Here are some ideas on the kinds of new mom gifts that would be just perfect to pamper. You can give these at any time. (But remember, the baby shower is a time to give presents for baby.) Surprise an expectant mom today!

Spa Time

Nothing soothes the soul better than a day at the spa. If you know an expectant mom who’s feeling uncomfortable or is in pain, treat her to a neck massage or a facial. Just be aware that she may not want to be in a salon where a lot of manicure or hair chemicals are being used, as they can be toxic for pregnant women to breathe. If the spa has a back room that they use for massages, she should have no problem there and can enjoy relaxing. If you’re at all unsure if she’ll love and use your gift, give a gift certificate that she can use any time before or after the birth.

Child-Free Time

If the expectant mother has other children, why not offer to watch her children for the afternoon so she can rest, shop, or just have time for herself? This is one gift that will be priceless to her and she won’t turn down. If her children are older, you can offer to pick them up from school and take them to the mall or out to eat to give mom some alone time.

Cozy Time

An expectant mother would love a pair of cozy slippers and a lush bath robe. She can wear them now and take them to the hospital for the birth as well. Other pampering products she can cuddle up with include a soft blanket (the ones with arms are really handy), a beautiful, soft pillow, a new book or just a nice spa gift basket. These are especially good presents if you’ve got a mom who’s on bed rest.

Dinner Time

As soon as the baby comes, there will be a whirlwind of activity. Why not give an expectant mom a few nights off from cooking? You can give her meals you’ve made (or purchased) that can be frozen and used whenever she needs to prepare a quick supper. Vary your choices so she’s not eating the same thing every night for a week. Your thoughtfulness will be much appreciated.

Little Extras

Depending on whether the expectant mother is having her first child or her fifth, you can vary your gift ideas. If she’s a newbie, give her a bunch of magazines on babies and parenting. She’ll love to have the info. If she’s a seasoned mom, give her a few magazines for pure enjoyment on any of her favorite topics.  Offer to do a mom’s grocery shopping for her. If she’s got someone else to handle that, show up with a gallon of milk and a loaf of bread every so often. It’s hard when you’ve got a new baby on your hands and run out of staple groceries. Anything you can do to make her life easier will be a blessing to any expectant mother. Even offering to drive her to the doctor appointments towards the end when she’s feeling uncomfortable and can’t get around so easily will be greatly appreciated.

Related Links:

Mommy and Baby Combination Gifts

Mommy Time - A Needed Break!

What New Parents Really Want This Christmas: Sleep!

Dads are becoming more involved in their children’s lives. If you happen to have a husband who isn’t that involved, but you’d like him to be, think of clever and interesting ways to get him more active in baby’s life. Moms usually get the most credit, but some people are starting to give new dad gifts as well when the baby is born! And of course, he'll be more than excited with he receives his first batch of Father's Day cookies as well! But what about actual bonding with the baby?

It will depend on the type of man you married. Some men love to be involved from the first minute you relay that you are pregnant. Others want to wait until the baby is actually born before they feel like it’s a real person. After all, a woman can feel the baby kicking and moving. A man is on the outside wondering what’s going on. So, don’t pressure your husband if he’s not as immediately as excited as you are. It may take until the delivery for your husband to realize that there’s a real person involved.

If dad seems reluctant to hold the baby, don’t fear. It doesn’t mean he’ll never bond with the baby or that they’ll never be close. All it means is that he’s not the type to rush in and start handling a delicate new baby. Many men fear doing the wrong thing or hurting the baby by accident. A man may feel clumsy and insecure with such a tiny baby in his care. Don’t blame him; just take a little time to gently advise him on how babies work.

Involve your husband from the very beginning. Take a birthing class together and be sure that he’s right there in the delivery room with you. Give him opportunities to do more and more tasks that involve baby’s care. Let him help with baths and get baby dressed. If he doesn’t feel ready, don’t push him. It can be daunting to hold such a tiny person and not know what to do next.

After a while, start leaving your husband to take care of the baby for a few minutes at a time. Don’t make an announcement that he’s going to be alone, but just go run off for a shower or clean up your room or do some laundry. Make sure he knows he’s got the baby for a few minutes and then take a little break. As he does more and more for and with the baby, he will want to be more involved naturally.

Have a sense of humor about dad’s abilities. He’s probably never seen a onesie before and has no idea which side is the front of a diaper. Help him get acclimated and then let him do it his own way. As long as baby is not being hurt, there’s no harm in a diaper that’s put on slightly crooked or socks that don’t go with an outfit. Let go of perfection and accept help. Praise him for helping and tell him he did a good job. The more he bonds with baby, the more everyone will benefit. You will have more time and baby will get to know his daddy.

Give it time. No one is born knowing how to care for a baby. In time, he will be more and more involved and feel like he has more confidence in caring for baby. And pretty soon you’ll have to pry baby away from him just to put her down for a nap.

Related Content:

• Great Ways To Get Dad Involved with a New Baby
• Gift Ideas for the New Dad
• Favorite TV Dads
• 5 Gadgets for Father's Day
• Children Need Their Fathers Too

You’ll no doubt have read up on your pregnancy and what to expect during those nine months. Now you’re probably starting to wonder what you should read to ensure you know how to care for a newborn baby. First of all, relax. You are perfectly capable and each baby has a way of teaching their mother how to care for them. Second, pick just a few baby books and don’t overwhelm yourself with the mass of information out there on baby care. Have a glass of milk and sit down for a good read. And take everything you read with a grain of salt.

Here are some of the best baby care books available today.

• Dr. Spock’s Baby and Child Care

There’s a reason this book is in its 8^th edition. Moms to be have turned to Dr. Spock for years. His advice is sound and he doesn’t throw you into panic mode. In fact, his first line is, “Trust yourself.” With a start like that, the rest of the book will surely be great as well.

• Dr. Mom: A Guide to Baby and Child Care

This book was written by Dr. Neifert who is not only a mom of five children, but also a pediatrician. It’s written with kindness and caring and a genuine love for children. You’ll be reassured by this book.

• Organic Baby

This book helps you make choices that lead to more natural products next to your baby’s skin. You’ll find ways to create a safe and non-toxic surrounding in your home for your new baby. Cute ideas that you can really use.

• Baby Bargains

This skinny book is worth its weight in gold. It gives you the real story on where to find the best bargains when shopping for baby. Do you really need a silver baby cup? No, you need to find a bargain double stroller because you just found out you’re expecting twins. This book will help you find the items you really need at really great prices.

• How Men Have Babies

Alan Thicke, yes, the dad on the old TV show Growing Pains, wrote this book. It’s very funny and will have your husband laughing, too. It’s an expectant father’s guide that you’ll actually catch him reading. Because Thicke shares his personal stories, the book is a real book that pregnant dads can relate to.

• Happy Birth Day

This book is a must have if you have another child in the house already. It’s a sweet book for children that explains that there’s a baby coming. It’s in kid language and there’s nothing gory or overly revealing. It’s just a nice book to give a soon to be older sibling.

• Having Twins or More

This book is now a classic because it gives real world advice to moms of multiples. You’ll get the scoop on what’s normal and what may be a complication. You’ll also find it’s reassuring and not designed to scare you.

With so many great baby books to choose from, you’ll run out of time before you run out of options. Be sure to choose only the books that are most helpful to you and don’t pressure yourself to read everything there is out there. Next, you can start building your little one’s children’s book library.

If you have one child, you know how adorable infants can be. You watch them do the most adorable things and love to cuddle them every minute you can. You may start thinking it might be a good idea to have another one. But when is the best time?

If you have the luxury of planning your next child, you can do a little thinking first. How old is your first born? Once your child reaches about 6 months, it’s likely she’s so absolutely darling that you want another one immediately. Calculate the age your child will be when she becomes a big sister. She’ll be about 15 months old when you have the new baby. That can be a tough age. Right at about a year and a half, your child will be starting to become more aware of herself. She will be entering the “me” stages of life. She may become more selfish and demand more of your time. Only you can tell if it’s a good time for a second baby to enter the picture. You may have a cheerful son or daughter who reacts positively and wants to be mommy’s little helper, or you may have a jealous child on your hands. If you feel you can handle it, go for it.

A second option is to wait until a full year has passed before you try for another new baby. The children will be spaced a little farther apart in school and you’ll have a little more time to spend with your first child during her early stages.

Some opt for the “closer together gets it all done at once” theory and others for the “space them out and you’ll be less frazzled” theory. The truth is, either can work.

There’s no one perfect time to add another child to a family no matter what anyone says. Any age can be ideal. There are families who have six children exactly a year apart. And there are families of two children that are eight years apart. It depends on your own lifestyle, age, body, and when you’d like to finish having children.

You may opt to just let nature take its course. That way, when the new baby wants to arrive, it will. You’ll feel less like you put her on a calendar and scheduled her into your life. This can be exciting and fun for everyone as you don’t really know when exactly you’ll get pregnant.

Other people like their lives planned out. If you are moving or have other major life changes like a job change for either spouse or a death in the family, you may need some additional time to sort things out. Adding another baby to the family now may be extremely stressful for you. If you have the option to plan, choose a time when things are flowing a little more smoothly.

Life will always be a series of ups and downs, so you can never guarantee a time when everything is going 100% right. But if stressors like the dismal economy are wreaking havoc on your family, you may want to put off your plans for a little while. That being said, many people view a new baby as the greatest gift they could ever receive. If that’s you, a new little bundle of hope and joy may just bring you out of the doldrums.

Mommy & Me Lavender Gift Basket

Every new mother asks same question: How am I going to lose all this pregnancy weight? During pregnancy, women are encouraged to put on weight to ensure a healthy baby.  It is the healthy eating and weight gain that assure us that our new little loved one will have a better chance at a long and healthy life.  After the baby is born, things change dramatically.  New mothers are faced with the huge task of dealing with a newborn; this entails dirty diapers, sporadic sleep schedules, and putting your needs second to the newborn child.  How is one supposed to find the time to take care of herself having all these other needs that must be met?

Diet - The simplest way to lose weight and get back into shape is through a proper diet.  Diet plans are all over the web.  Gimmicks like pills, creams, and potions are not the way to go because if you are breastfeeding, these products may have adverse effects on your health as well as that of your new baby plus they often provide only temporary weight loss and the rebound can be significant.  Remember, if you are breastfeeding, whatever you put into your body, you are also putting into your baby’s body.  Oftentimes with a healthy diet comes a pricey grocery bill; eating right is not always cheap.  With a little planning and research, though, healthy foods can be purchased at great deals, especially when it comes to seasonal food.  The major food groups (meats, grains, vegetables, and dairy) all offer a myriad of options for low calorie, high fiber, and lean protein food choices.  Try to stay away from pre-packaged processed foods, as these tend to be loaded with sodium and other preservatives.  Stay with whole wheat products, high fiber, and lean proteins like chicken and fish, and remember, everything in moderation is the best motto.

Exercise - Are you ready to run?  The answer is probably not.  After nine months of carrying around a baby, there is a good chance that your muscles are weak or even suffering from atrophy.  It’s not your fault. This is a natural occurrence when carrying and giving birth to a child.  When you are ready to begin the exercise routine, remember to choose something that is within your limits.  Do not set your goals too high too soon.  Nothing is worse than over-doing an exercise routine and being so sore the next day that it actually hurts to perform your normal, daily activities.  This will actually slow you down rather than speed up your fitness goals.

You might opt to consider a full blown exercise routine with a set amount of time for cardio with a set number of repetitions for each exercise.  However, this is not the only way to improve your physical health and well-being.  You might instead consider an afternoon walk after lunch with a friend, or perhaps light aerobics as instructed on television.  You might also use your new little bundle in your exercise routine.

Baby Workout - Jogging strollers are a popular way of obtaining exercise while entertaining the little tyke, but there are other ways to involve baby in your goal of getting back in shape.  You might do push-ups with the baby under you, so it becomes more like a game and less like work.  In the same manner, consider a bench-press using the weight of the bundle of joy.  Arm curls and military presses work in the same manner.  These are great ways to work on getting back in shape while loving your little guy or baby girl.

Photo shows a group of moms all working out together at a mall.  Groups of like-minded individuals are always great motivation!

While losing the baby weight may be a goal of many new mothers, don't forget to have a little "me" time outside the exercise facility.  A day at the spa or a bath gift basket for Mom full of aromatherapy products also go a long way toward rejuvenating... remember mind is just as important as body!

Surprise mom with a night off. Read about Ten Ideas For Mom's Night Out.