Baby Blog

So I just got off the phone with a very confused friend. She’s 36 with three kids and just found out she was pregnant. She is still in shock, she wasn’t supposed to be able to get pregnant but now she is and she’s totally unprepared. She didn’t want to be pregnant and now she feels bad about being upset about something society says she should be happy about. No matter if you are 17 or 37 an unexpected pregnancy is a real game changer. What should you do?
The first thing you need to do is calm down. An unexpected pregnancy is a shock. Sit down and let your mind slowly absorb what’s happening to you. You are pregnant. It wasn’t planned. It wasn’t expected. It wasn’t supposed to be. Everything has changed. Absorb the shock slowly, breathe deeply and get yourself under control.
After you have relaxed a little you need to tell the father

Every year thousands of babies are born on Mother’s Day. Even those children born around Mother’s Day are bound to take the spotlight away from mom. Some folks, including myself, see the baby shower as the first time you receive gifts as a mother even though you have yet to birth a child. But that first official Mother’s Day is very special in the minds of new parents. A great first mother’s day gift could take some inspiration from the baby shower but should be focused totally on mom.
Spa day. It sounds so cliché but my goodness does a new mom need a real pampering break. We all know she is unlikely to go herself. It can be a facial, a pedicure, an hour massage or any other spa treatment that gets mom out of the house, completely distracted and able to relax away from baby.
Hobby related items. If baby is a few months old

Because a friend of mine gave birth to her son less than a day after I gave birth to Nik just down the hallway from me, Nik was introduced to the whole play date concept at just a few months old. Of course most kids don’t have a play date until they are a little older. When is the right time to introduce your child to potential friends and acquaintances? Do little children really need friends?
Well I don’t know what the experts say but I have noticed a big difference between socialized infants and those babies kept apart from everyone else except for rare occasions. Socialization, despite what a lot of parents seem to think, doesn’t have to wait until baby goes to school. Your child is five by then and who wants to go through the first five years of their life without friends?
Personally I think being able to sit up and crawl are

If you are in the last throes of pregnancy folks will be talking to you about baby proofing your house before baby arrives. Well, lets be honest, if your newborn is crawling and putting things in their mouth you have bigger problems right? In reality you have a few months after baby is born to get the proofing done.
So what is baby proofing? Baby proofing is about assessing your home, furniture and general environment and seeing what changes need to be made when an infant is brought into the house. In most cases baby proofing consists of buying cabinet safety latches, refrigerator latches, toilet lid locks and outlet covers. These are the basics and you can buy them in kits to save you trying to figure it out by yourself.
Other ways of baby proofing include the corner inspection. All your sharp corners need to be covered. Some parents see this as excessive but an unformed

As you close in on the final weeks of your pregnancy hitting the gym is the last thing on your mind. It may actually be unwise. But during your first and second trimesters, exercise can make your pregnancy a lot easier on your emotional and physical health. There are a a number of pregnancy safe exercises out there. Be sure to check with your physician before beginning any new workout or exercise.
Walking. This is the safest way to exercise when pregnant and its great to do in a crowd. If you walk a little bit every day it becomes a habit you can continue with your newborn. Being pregnant can keep you very cooped up so take advantage of fresh air while you can.
Swimming. Nice for the summer time mommy to be, swimming is low impact and relaxing but fantastic for your leg muscles. Swimming when pregnant can also take a lot of the pressure

Despite the fact that my baby boy is now a toddler he never outgrew the “no” phase. It started when he was about a year old and seems to have been going on ever since. He replies “no” before thinking bout the question or processing the instruction. When he turned into the ‘no’ baby, he would say it over and over again. I had been warned by other parents that it would one day become his favorite word. Are you there yet? Is your darling baby giving you attitude? Here’s a few things I learned when my baby started saying no.
Because children hear the word “no” time and again during the boundary testing phase, it really is one of the words they hear the most often. And if you are still learning to talk properly, repeating a word you hear all the time just makes sense; to baby at least.
Children repeat instructions when they know

Well baby is finally out, you have passed that six week ordeal of the new parents and finally have time to get a shower. That’s when you notice the baby weight has not left. Sure, some ladies get their bodies back almost instantly but the large majority of us are left with an empty skin sack, stretch marks, wider hips and a body we don’t recognize. And then the postpartum depression comes knocking at the door.
After giving birth the female body is in a recovery stage. For nine months, your organs have been rearranged, your lungs crushed, your skin stretched and every available space filled with fluid not to mention the stretching and pulling of the birth process. Its a pretty depressing sight when your hormones are still out of balance. Don’t panic. Your body won’t look like this forever but you do need to help it get back on track.
Watch your food intake. Nursing

My husband keeps hinting about possible Mother’s day presents every time we go shopping. He does pretty good on Mother’s day and I’ve never been disappointed. My darling boy asked me what I wanted for Mother’s day. I said a stepping stone with his hand prints. He informed me he was making me a mom sized bird house. Anyway, they asked me to make a list so they could pick one thing off it. But as the day approaches my wish list has taken on a very different form.
A Mother’s Wish List
For people to go to bed at bed time.
For little boys to eat the food they are given.
For people to stop giving my son sugar.
Longer nights and shorter days
To sleep until I wake up naturally
A half hour to myself every day
Eating a meal when its still hot
Watching the end of a movie
Eight hours sleep a night every night
Well I guess its not a bouquet

When you have a baby you discover how many things can be reused time and again to save money and stress. This includes baby clothes, shoes, buggies and cribs but does it include breast pumps? Over the years I have been offered a lot of stuff when I was pregnant including a total of three breast pumps. A lot of women turn their nose up at the idea of using someone else’s pump where others are excited to save just a few more dollars.
When it comes down to it the mechanism of a breast pump is held in the hand. The nipple covers and suction areas do come off for cleaning so can either be cleaned thoroughly or replaced if you take a used pump. Breast pumps are not cheap and they will save you so much physical pain in the weeks after baby’s birth.
If you plan on nursing for the one year minimum you

Babies have the cutest feet don’t they? But how many adults do you know with gorgeous feet? Looking after your child’s feet may not seem like a big deal but this is the time to set habits for a lifetime and teach your child how to look after their bodies properly. Foot care begins early and isn’t just about the shoes.
But we’ll start with shoes. Baby Nik has worn socks and shoes since the day he left the hospital. I am one of those people who starts making crazy stories and scenarios in her head when she sees a bare foot child in public. To me it doesn’t matter whether you are carrying your child or not they should have something on their feet; at the very least socks to help keep them warm.
Now young babies should not have their feet pushed into any hard shoes or even crib shoes that don’t easily bend