Baby Shower

Category: Baby Shower

3 Ideas for Personalized Baby Gifts

Are you attending a baby shower and want to surprise the expecting mom with new born baby gifts that will impress everyone? Here are three unique baby gift ideas that will make you stand out at the party. And if you want to go above and beyond, consider personalized baby gift ideas as the ultimate baby shower gift. Trends are not only being spotted on baby, but they are being found all over mom as well! Mothers charm necklaces and bracelets dress her up with jewelry personalized with her children’s names. Diaper bags have become the number one fashion statement for new mothers as they tote their most prized accessory, their baby! Here are 3 original and creative baby gift ideas that will make you and baby the most talked about in your neighborhood.

Personalized Onesies – For the newborn, the baby body suit, also known as the baby onesie, and the baby t-shirts are wardrobe staples. Luckily, with a little creativity, it has gone above and beyond the simple white clothes and has become an extension of your baby. Now you can personalize beyond names, a popular trend is writing funny statements such as “CEO – Chief Executive Offspring”. Therefore you will find it super cute on newborns since you find it cute on grown ups. Trend Lab Baby has garnered many message themed onesies that are sure to bring laughter and conversation to everyone who reads them. The onesie is available in sizes for newborns up to six months of age and baby short-sleeved and long-sleeved t-shirts are available for children up until kindergarden. A neat twist we seen lately are baby clothes shaped as flowers or cupcakes that look like a buoquet of flowers or a box of cupcakes, respectively.

Personalized Canvas Wall Art – Decorate the nursery room walls with whimsical and fun personalized canvas wall art. Each piece is made of canvas supported by a wooden frame filled with artwork of animals, objects, and scenes. Each piece of art work can be customized with the child’s name hand painted on to the canvas. We found thousands of kids wall art, peelable wall stickers, personalized growth charts and wall decor pieces at Blissliving.com which offers a nice bonus of free shipping for orders over $99.

Personalized Baby and Mothers Jewelry – Another idea is to give something to the mom instead. Keep her children close to her heart with name bracelets and name necklaces hand engraved with a child’s name and birthdate on each charm. Each charm and necklace or bracelet chain can made of any metal but silver or gold are the most popular.

These are just three unique gift ideas to help you buy an original baby gift for yourself or that special someone in your life. There are thousands ordinary baby gifts in the market place but rare are unique ones. The most extensive online store we have seen for unique baby gifts and kids room decor is Blissliving.com. Also see Neckcharms.com which carries a wide of gifts for mom.

Fun Online Game Sites for Toddlers

I learned from having a young nephew that toddlers aren’t shy about going online and playing games. As a matter of fact, he became Internet savvy at a very young age. Using a mouse wasn’t daunting to him at all. With his savvy came the ability to search online, accompanied by an almost insatiable desire for more activities.

His mother bookmarked all his favorites, so I went onto the sites and tried them myself. I get nearly as much enjoyment out of them as my nephew does! You might find that your children like them too.

Please note that some of the resources or sites linked from them are for older children but plenty of them are perfect for toddlers.

Disney Preschool (http://home.disney.go.com/foryou/preschool/)
Disney offers a pre-schooler web channel, which is chock full of fun videos and music. They also have plenty of games, such as Pooh’s Playful Kite Flight, Pop-up Assignments and Rhythms in the Warehouse. Children can also enter the “worlds” (AKA Web sites) of Disney characters, such as Tinkerbell, Buzz Lightyear, Special Agent Oso, Little Einsteins (or “Iddle Dine-dines” as my nephew calls them) and many other kid favorites.

HubPages (http://hubpages.com/_coloringpages/)
 HubPages is a community blogging site that offers all kinds of information and resources, including kids activities. There are free flower coloring pages, Halloween coloring pages and crafts and Christmas coloring pages for kids, as well as many others. You can either click the links in this article or search the HubPages site for other coloring pages and activities.

Nick Games (http://www.nick.com/games/)
Nickolodeon brings cartoons to life on their game site. Along with plenty of other offerings, they feature The Pollution Solution game, starring The Penguins of Madagascar, Race to the Goo Lagoon and nine other games starring SpongeBob Squarepants, Otis’ Chopper Challenge game from Back at the Barnyard and the Space Blast game from Jimmy Neutron. There are also plenty of activities that appeal to kids of all ages.

Coloring.com (home page: http://www.coloring.com/, categorized index page: http://www.coloring.com/pictures/choose.cdc)
This site is pretty low-tech, making it simple to navigate. It has a large selection of coloring pages accessible by those who can read the categories. These can be accessed by going to the “categorized index page” URL shown above. The home page has picture navigation, though, so your child may be able to navigate it alone.

I hope your children enjoy these sites!

A Matter-of-Fact Guide to Fixing Up Your Baby Room

Bedding for your baby should be picked with very certain specifications as you plan for his or her environment. You can choose from the many available options that will give your baby a nurturing environment and will please your own eye. When decorating your baby’s nursery, you will be able to find a wide variety of baby furniture and crib bedding.

You can buy your crib and baby bedding from an inexpensive retail outlet or from an expensive designer. Before using hand-me-down or used baby furniture, it is important to make sure that it meets today’s safety standards.

It is important that you thoroughly test the furniture before purchasing to insure that the sides slide down smoothly without jerking. Choose a crib without a side latch as you do not want to wake up your baby after you put him to sleep. Save yourself backaches from reaching and bending by arranging things to accommodate your height.

One crib may do the job when your babies are very small if you happen to be having multiples. Multiple babies are comforted by having siblings nearby especially at night. You can purchase an additional crib once the babies start moving around and disturbing each other.

After you buy the furniture, you then should find the right baby bedding. When accidents occur in the middle of the night, you can save yourself a lot of headaches by placing a waterproof sheet over the baby mattress. Babies like to look at bright patterns plus picking them out can be fun. Finding a desirable pattern and color scheme shouldn’t cause you to fret. The available variety is practically endless! Organic or “green” baby bedding is also an option if this is important to you, but be aware that it will cost more than a regular infant crib set.

Your baby’s skin is delicate so it is important to wash your crib sheets in baby-safe detergent before you but them on the crib. Your baby should not have anything in the crib; if it is cold, dress your baby in more layers.

The Decline of Babysitting Jobs

In America, babysitting has always been a respected job among young people; something near to home to make some extra money without the usual downfalls that come with a part-time job. Teenagers would often plan their strategies for summer break on how best to promote their services, getting as many good quality babysitting jobs as they could manage. But these days babysitting jobs are starting to fade.

As a youth worker, many hours of my week are spent with high school students, who, not long ago, were the CEO’s of the babysitting industry. But of the many I’ve spoken to, only a small amount even consider babysitting to be a viable option for a summer job, and none of them are actively trying to promote themselves and get jobs. It surprised me. It was less than fifteen years ago when babysitting seemed to be a bustling enterprise. My own sister was a babysitting entrepreneur who brought in a healthy $400 a month, all from babysitting work she had found.

Things have begun to change. Though babysitters seem to be needed more now than ever, the demand for them has seen a sharp decline. The only feasible explanation is the growing lack of trust and security in our neighborhoods. Fifteen years ago or so, when babysitting was in full swing, kids would often spend entire days playing in public parks with friends, unsupervised yet generally safe all the while. I myself can still hear the quintessential line called out from my mother as often I would sprint from my house: “Make sure you’re home by dinner.”

But these days, kids stay close to home, only going to parks with their parents. With the decay of perceived security in our neighborhoods, it looks as though babysitting jobs are dwindling as well. The crisis goes further. During the “good-old-days” that few of us remember, it was common for neighbors to show up on the doorsteps of other neighbors with cookies to welcome newcomers and get to know them. But in today’s day and age, with documented lists of registered sex-offenders available to the public, scores of neighborhoods countrywide are being put on alert when dangerous persons move into town. Neighbors are often distrustful of those living near them, and wouldn’t jeopardize their children by hiring someone as a babysitter unless they know them very well.

Though such caution is merited, it’s a shame to watch the decline of babysitting jobs. Babysitting was once the perfect job for high-schoolers on summer vacation, or those just wanting a little cash without having to look for part-time work.

Getting Most Favorable Baby Nursery Bedding for Your Infant

Baby bedding needs to be more durable than adult bedding as it needs more frequent washing; it is worth your money to get the best you can afford. The better the quality of your baby bedding, the more likely you will be able to use it again and again for your future offspring. Parents may be surprised how quickly they may change lower caliber baby bedding–it could be before their child moves on to a bed.

Usually the new parents buy baby bedding that matches the color of their nursery at their home, but what does the baby really want? Newborns are unable to recognize different colors. Babies see black and white colors better than any other; use these colors when setting up the infants nursery. Baby sets that only use the colors of black and white, however, are non-beneficial to your child because these hues may actually cause a baby to stay awake during the night through stimulation.

Infants will be be more interested in clear, simple patterns and well-defined shapes. A newborn begins to be able to see colors after the first few weeks of his or her life. A baby will spend more time looking at the mobile during those first few weeks though it is not actually a baby bedding.

When the baby starts seeing colors, a black and white mobile won’t hold their interest for long. When babies begin to first notice the world around them, they focus on faces and pictures that stimulate their developing minds. Solid colored bedding will help reduce fussiness when a baby is fussy.

Crib bedding must be durable, soft, and easily cleaned because the bigger your baby grows, the more important it becomes. When quilted bedding is used in a baby’s room it is important to scan the bedding for loose threads, that the baby may become entangled in, after each wash. Always keep in stock one or two clean baby bedding sets to meet any unforeseen demand or exigency. Try buying multiple sets of the same style, just in case one gets ruined.

The baby bedding should ensure a hygienic and comfortable sleep that your baby enjoys, no matter what brand, design or color the bedding is.

Baby Shower