Baby Shower

Child Crib Sheets Pointers For You

If you are expecting your first baby, you are experiencing many thoughts and there are a lot of things you need to see to before your baby arrives. Choosing the right bedding set for your baby is a very important decision.

As a new parent you will be pleased to learn that most of the things you’ll need will come as gifts from family and friends. Parents can receive many of the items they need for their coming baby at the baby shower. Usually, gift givers will talk to the parents before they make their gifts;  that ensure that the present will be useful to the new family and will suit the nursery that they’ve put together. For the shower, friends and family can more easily choose items the parents want with baby gift registries. However, parents should try to choose their own baby bedding sets. The crib bedding is probably the most important part of any baby’s nursery, so to ensure that it fits their design preferences, new parents should select it themselves. Starting at birth, the early years of infancy are the most important period in the life of the child because these will affect the growth and development for the rest of his life. Since babies spend a great portion of their early lives inside their cribs, it is extremely important to choose safe and comfortable crib bedding.

Bedding sets come in various designs, sizes and colors for new parents to examine before they can select the most appropriate one. Since various themes have slightly different accessories, you may have to choose a particular theme if you really want its accompanying accessories. When buying bedding the easiest and thriftiest option is to buy all the pieces together as a complete bedding set. There is no shortage of expensive designer crib sets on the market if that’s the sort of thing you like to buy. If you want a blend of quality and low prices, you can find a lot of nice crib sets for under $150, like the beautiful and modern Prep School Pink crib bedding set.

Some people are happy to buy pre-made bedding but if you are wanting a certain theme or color, you can get your bedding set custom made. While it is more expensive to purchase a custom bedding set than a regular crib set, it allows the parents to choose the fabrics, colors, patterns, and style that they want.

Since new babies don’t have a well developed immune system, they are more sensitive to germs and bacteria. While it’s clearly important to keep a nursery clean and hygienic, this can be taken too far. Employing disinfectant in the nursery or sterilization of the bedding is not required. When it comes to your babies, the factor of suffocation is a very vital safety concern you must tackle. For at least the initial six months all kinds of soft bedding like quilts, bumper pads and pillows must not be placed in the crib.

Increasingly more parents have been opting for organic baby bedding out of worry that regular crib bedding standard safety precautions are not sufficient. Free from toxic dyes or chemicals organic bedding is the safest item around. Due to increase of demand and production, the price of organic bedding has fallen, making the savings and safety more affordable to the consumer.

The Internet Makes Bargain-counter Crib Bedding Sets a Certainty

For their first baby, future mom and dad will need information on picking out the best, most comfortable, and safest crib bedding. Keep this in mind when buying crib bedding: safety first, comfort second. You need to take special precautions with a baby as they are fragile little beings. Newborns’ skin is extremely delicate and can chafe easily, so be sure to choose something safe which will minimize irritation. Safety is of utmost importance when buying bedding for your baby. You can  secure baby’s comfort without spending lot of money as you can get many alternatives at affordable rates and they are safe too.

The idea is to pick a fabric that will meet your baby’s needs according to your baby’s age and skin type. 100% cotton is often an excellent choice for your baby’s clothing and bedding, however, care should be taken in selecting types of cotton fabrics as some can be uncomfortable or even harmful to baby’s skin. Commercially grown cotton has been exposed to pesticides, carcinogenic dyes, and  other chemicals including formaldehyde. Your baby’s health could be affected and not have any immediately visible signs. Since organic cotton can be more costly than standard cotton, you need to decide whether the advantage to your baby is worth the extra cost. Ideally you can purchase organic bedding, especially if you shop comparatively or look for a sale; if you can’t afford organic bedding then try to find bedding that is as natural as you can find.

Before crib bedding became pre-designed, parents had to do the creative work themselves. Parents have many options for crib bedding; personal tastes can be reflected by using traditional or non-traditional themes and colors. The variety of brands and items from the most expensive to the least expensive is available for soon-to-be moms and dad to pick just their “just right” crib sets. Baby bedding options are now more widely available than just the standard blues and pinks, for those with other tastes. With new technology, manufacturers are able to create safer (and more stylish) bedding for parents that are seeking safety and functionality, along with style.

When it comes to price, many discounted bedding can be taken for under $120, or another way is to compare prices and watch for sales. It comes in a variety of styles and prices, so parents can choose to purchase bedding sets or separates. A baby bedding set is equipped with a crib sheet, a crib bumper pad, a comforter and most of the time a dust ruffle. If you like to mix and match patterns in order to suit your theme, you can purchase separates. If you aren’t going to want a comforter or crib bumpers, you may want to consider purchasing bedding items separately rather than in a set that automatically includes those items.

Baby linens are required to fit a mattress tightly without coming off or bunching up which could cause discomfort or even harm to the baby. Elastic straps will hold sheets in place if you are concerned about them coming loose. It is a good idea to keep several sets of extra crib sheets available since diaper leaks are so common that may parents find themselves changing the sheets several times a day. For convenience’s sake, look for fabrics that are machine washable and stay away from dry clean only fabrics. Lastly, consider the lifespan of your infant’s bedding – if you will continue to use the bedding beyond infancy, consider choosing a motif that your older child will continue to enjoy.

Graco Travel Systems Win with Moms and Dads

Baby travel systems have become very popular among all sections of our society for simple reason that they are convenient for both mothers as well as for the infants. A Graco travel system is an ideal baby travel system in which a baby can enjoy moving from place to place as well as the occasional nap. On a hot summer’s day, instead of holding your baby in your arms where she will feel all sorts of inconvenience, you can use Graco travel systems which are provided with accessories to keep the baby in a comfortable condition.

You may be aware of how hot and uncomfortable you will become after carrying an infant close to your body for even a short while. Your baby may be able to easily sleep while held in your arms, but after a short time you will be worn out!

If your relatives or an au pair or babysitter spending much time watching your child, including driving them from your home to theirs, they will appreciate the safety and convenience of a travel system. Along with your baby, the person who is looking after her can enjoy the ride since he or she need not carry the child all along the ride. The Graco car seats are built with quality materials to protect your young baby from sudden movements while traveling. These complete travel systems are a favorite among the majority of moms, since they are confidant that infants are enjoying the travel in them.

Included as part of a Graco travel system is the Graco snugride car seat, as well as number of other accessories. These are only a few of the beneficial features. The Graco travel system has wheels that both lock and swivel as a safety measure. Both you and your newborn will enjoy ease and comfort when you place your baby in one of these great carriers.

Safety of a Homebirth

Having your baby at home? Who does such things?  Didn’t that only happen back in the early days of our country when doctor’s had to go out to the prairie and deliver babies?

Not so.  There is a growing group of women who realize the benefits of a homebirth and having your baby at home.

It is called midwifery the practice of having your baby at home.  Although not doctors or nurses, people in this line of work called midwifery are professionally regulated.  I myself have seen the steady rise of homebirths through my practice as a San Diego certified midwife.

The people, generally women, who perform this line of work are called homebirth midwives.  Midwives is a more common term that people are familiar with and means a person who attends childbirth and provides support during labor and delivery.

Now why a midwife is usually not a doctor or nurse is because the practice of having your baby at home, or midwifery is generally the belief that pregnancy and birth are natural normal events.  This is in stark contrast with the medical model which relies on medicine to assist and improve the pregnancy and delivery.

That out of the way, lets take a look at why women are having their babies at home.  What are the reasons why women are choosing homebirths?

First off, with the continued presence of the midwife, the length of labor can be reduced.  Most women do not know that pain medications, although they do help with pain, actually makes the labor slow down.  This really causes more pain and the labor actuallly lasts longer.

Second, the techniques of midwifery actually reduces the likelihood of the need for forceps or other operative devices during delivery.  The process of naturally allowing the birh and delivery to occur is what causes the reduction of the need for those devices.

Third, cesarean delivery possbilities are reduced.  Most cesareans that happen in labor were because it was thought that a vaginal birth was not possible.  Either it was the baby’s safety that was in mind or the mother’s safety.  When in reality the complication was created because the natural birth process wasn’t allowed to happen.

These are just 3 of the benefits of having a natural birth at home.  There are plenty more benefits, but most women would agree for pregnancy these are 3 huge benefits. 

So although, most might consider it strange to want to have a child at home, studies have shown that allowing the natural birth process to happen is safer for the mother and the baby.  With over 300 births attended as a homebirth midwife in San Diego, this has proven to be the case time and time again.

12 Cloth Diapers Answers Every Parent Needs To Know

Cloth diapers (also known as reusable nappies, washable nappies and cloth nappies) are much easier to use than you think. Here are answers to some frequent questions about using cloth diapers.

What do I do at change time?

If the diaper is just wet, all you need to do is take it off, throw the liner away (if disposable) and place the diaper and reusable liner in your diaper bucket instead of in the bin.

If the diaper is dirty, the poo can be thrown away down the loo (far more hygienic than putting it in the dustbin) and the diaper placed in the bucket.

Liquid poo can be washed off by holding the diaper under the flush of the toilet before being dealt with in your normal way.

Are they difficult to put on?

No, not at all.Shaped diapers or all-in-ones are the simplest to use and need no folding – simply place them on just as you would a disposable.Terry or flat diapers do need to be folded but the amazing invention of the Nappi Nippa means no pins are needed.

Will our house smell?

Only if you leave lots of dirty diapers hanging around for days.  Just think of how your bin smells with a couple day’s worth of dirty disposables in it, with real diapers, the poo is flushed down the loo straight away, so you won’t suffer from this problem.If you like, you can place a few drops of essential oil on a cloth that you keep on the top of the bucket.

Will I have to do lots of washing?

All families have lots of washing, so to include a few diapers isn’t really that much extra work.When you are ready to do a normal wash, simply take the diapers out of the bucket and place them in the washing machine, it is as easy as that.

Putting diapers into a modern machine with its fast spinning is a far cry from having to put them through the twin tub and mangle that your mother may have used.

Diapers can be washed at 60c and some even use 40c with the odd hotter wash to keep away stains.

The easiest way to dry diapers is on the line with the rest of your washed clothing (or on a radiator during the winter) but I to fluff them up by putting them in the dryer for 10 mins with bath towels after taking them off the washing line.

Will I get dirty placing them in the washing machine?

No.  The poo will have been disposed of, so you are only dealing with a little wee.If you wet pail (see below) you can use a mesh type bag to store the diapers in, so you just need to pick that up and put it in the machine.  Dry pailing is even easier to do.

What is the meaning of ‘pailing’?

Basically, storing used diapers in a bucket.Wet pailing involves placing the diapers into a solution of water and diaper soak or similar or just plain water.

Dry pailing is very simple – just drop the used diaper into the bucket and replace the lid.

Don’t all the washing powders harm the environment?

Yes and no. Yes, as all detergents can cause some damage (this can be limited by using non-bio or eco-friendly products) but no to the extent that this is still much better than using disposable diapers.

Will I have to change diapers more often?

Not really.Advice states that you should change your baby’s diaper every 4 hours during the day (more often for newborns), so this remains the same.

Won’t my baby get diaper rash?

Diaper rash happens when bacteria in the poo reacts to the ammonia in wee.The best way to prevent diaper rash is to change frequently (every 4 hours or so) and let fresh air access the diaper area.

The lock away moisture core in disposable diapers makes parents change less often and their very design stops air from circulating.Most real diaper designs are breathable, allowing air to circulate, resulting in a healthier bottom.

What if I go out for the day?

Many parents use real diapers even when they go out and just take a slightly bigger bag with them. Other parents have a stock of eco-disposables to use for day trips or when they go away.

What about nightime?

Again, some parents use eco-disposables overnight or add booster pads to the cloth diaper.

Will they leak?

Not if they fit properly.A well fitting cloth diaper with a wrap if appropriate is no more likely to leak than a disposable.We advise that you try a sample kit to make sure you buy the right diaper for your baby.

Baby Shower