Baby Gear – The Useful And The Useless

With so many baby items on the market today, first – time parents are often confused when they sit down to create a baby registry. How do you know which things you will need, and which you can do without? One idea is to look around for lists on the internet. Many experienced moms and dads have shared their opinions about what they used, and what they found useless. Use these lists as inspiration, and as food for thought about whether the items mentioned on the lists fit with your philosophy about how you would like to parent your child. … Continue reading

My Top 3 Baby Gear Picks

If you are preparing for baby and you want to make sure that you have everything on hand that you might need, here are a few items that you may want to pick up to round out your baby gear selection. These are my top picks for things that came in very useful with both of my boys. Even though I did not have one for Dylan (I used a sling), I must say that the Ergo baby carrier is hands down the best babywearing device on the planet. At least it is for me, and from the reviews that … Continue reading

Have Computer Will Scrapbook

Before you head to your local scrapbook shop to load up on materials to design themed layouts, consult your personal computer. In most cases you can save big bucks by surfing the net rather than strolling the aisles of a craft store. The Internet is teeming with free scrapbook elements, from paper to stickers and just about everything in between. What’s more, the free items can be used in digital projects or they can be printed out and used in traditional scrapbook layouts. I recently helped a friend of mine craft a baby scrapbook for her newborn son. We ended … Continue reading

Must – Have Baby Items

In my last post, I talked about baby products that you don’t need. The logical follow up to such a list is a list of must – have baby items. Like the last list, this one comes with the caveat that all parents have different parenting styles and will therefore find different items useful. Here are the baby products that my family found to be the most useful. Baby slings are amazing. What’s more, they are simple and easy to use. When Dylan was born, I registered for and received a couple of baby slings. My parenting style largely follows … Continue reading

Best Books for Baby

Books open up a new world. The concept is not lost on a baby or toddler. Little ones love to explore through books. I remember when my children were little and would sit and look through board books for what seemed like hours. Having a chubby little hand place the same book in your lap night after night is one of the joys of parenting. Board books are wonderful since they fit nicely in little hands and can stand up to abuse. The selections of board books are growing from classics to beautifully interactive books. I always have a hard … Continue reading

The Big Baby Sale at Target

Are you having a baby? Maybe you are going to be attending someone else’s baby shower in the near future. Or, perhaps you have decided it is time to replace the furniture in your baby’s room. If you need new baby furniture, baby clothing, or just more diapers, now is the time to shop at Target. They are having a “Big Baby Sale”, that is going on now, through September 11, 2010. All of the sale items can be viewed online at the Target website, and most can be seen in the stores. You can save up to 15% on … Continue reading

New Mommy Must-Haves

When I try to think back on the first month of my daughter’s life, everything is a little hazy. It seems like all I did was hold her, feed her, change her diaper, and sleep. She was a relatively easy baby and slept pretty well from the get-go, but I still felt like I was in some sort of survival mode. Not only did I have a new baby to take care of, but also my poor body took a while to recover from a tough 30-hour labor. I don’t know how I would have made it through the first … Continue reading

Baby Registry Problems

My wife and I have been having problems with our baby registry at a certain national retail chain of baby related goods that will remain unnamed. If you’ve been reading this blog you know that I am currently a doctoral student in the arts, particularly theatre, but what I haven’t said before is that I have an undergraduate business degree. I worked for a number of years as a lead teller at another national bank before the questionable ethical behavior (at least at those lower levels) made me too uncomfortable to continue cashing in in the business world and I … Continue reading

How Much More Fun Could a Kid Have?

It used to be that massive pools and room-service ice cream sundaes were all it took to appease children during hotel stays. These days select resorts around the country are going all out to attract young visitors in hopes that their parents will make the adventure a family tradition. It’s truly amazing what some properties are doing to insure kids experience a trip of a lifetime. For example, children are a top priority at the Inn of the Anasazi in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Not only are kids given the opportunity to take a cooking class with the hotel’s executive … Continue reading

Baby Bling? Seriously?

Today, safety advocates have won a serious battle against the rich and stylish. Pacifiers that are encrusted with Swarovski crystals have been recalled due to the possibility of swallowing one of the precious crystals and aspirating. Thank goodness. Have I missed something, or is there something wrong with a plain old Gerber pacifier? And what parent would seriously put something with jewels encrusted into it into their infant’s mouth? Isn’t that just common sense? Apparently not. Because I found jewel encrusted bottles, pacifiers, pacifier holders, rattles and toys after googling online. Everything and anything that can have a jewel stuck … Continue reading