• baby shower gift Archive

    The woman who runs a local cafe gave birth to her second son this past spring. Not one to let motherhood slow her down, she had soon returned to work and, much to my surprise, with her newborn in tow. Straight from the kitchen with a smile on her face, she emerged with her baby boy swaddled in a sling as she set food down in front of waiting diners. As I waited for my order, we chatted about how difficult it is, going from one to two, and I left impressed by how well she seemed to be managing. I also couldn’t help but notice the latest baby gear trend–the baby wrap–being put to good use. It’s a great way to keep a newborn [&hellip

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    Next week, my older daughter will turn 9. When she was born, I was only able to hold her for a brief moment before she was whisked down the hall to the nursery (apparently, her temperature was down and she needed to warm up). Somehow, I felt like I was cheated out of those tender first bonding moments between mother and child. Because I have a few mom friends with newborns who also have older kids, I’ve been hearing about their guilt over not spending time with their own babies. “How can I enjoy my little one when I am busy reading stories/checking homework/making dinner?” For moms like these comes a new baby product unlike any other we’ve seen: the NuRoo Pocket. Upon first glance, [&hellip

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    Just before the holidays, I managed to catch up with an old friend. After updating each other on our families’ lives, she told me about her toddler son who wasn’t speaking and talking like other kids similar in age. After having him evaluated, she learned that he was speech delayed and began taking the proper steps to get him the extra help he needed. Oddly enough, we had just learned of a new speech/language service specifically designed to help parents like my friend work with their child and boost their verbal development. The beauty of Language Launchers‘ subscription-based service for ages 0-2 is that it gets mailed directly to your home, and you can use it at your own pace with your child. We got [&hellip

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    When you’re pregnant, everyone always talks about that healthy glow that magically appears. But I’m pretty sure they weren’t talking about me. As someone who suffers from dry skin on a regular basis, being pregnant actually made things worse (was it all those crazy hormones or was that growing babe of mine already draining me?).  No matter the culprit, these days when I see a pregnant mom during these cold-weather months, I truly feel for her…and will gladly offer up my moisturizer. If you’ve got a gal pal who’s expecting soon, what better way to indulge her than with a skin-centric gift set? Noodle & Boo’s Pregnancy and Newborn Gift Set is the ultimate in prenatal pampering. From an invigorating hand and foot balm, to [&hellip

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    When my girls were babies and we hit the road (even for a day trip to my parents’ house), I was always lugging tons of gear for my own precious cargo. Stroller, portable crib, booster seat…you name it. While I couldn’t, of course, duplicate all the comforts of home, judging from the trunk of my car, you’d have thought I was! For those babes on the go who can’t quite settle down without a little traveling music, comes the ideal solution. Tiny Love’s Take-Along Mobile looks just like the standard-size model snapped onto her crib back at home, but in a travel-friendly version. It attaches to most strollers, car seat carriers and play yards, so your little one will never feel compromised. Five different melodies [&hellip

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    Attention, moms-to be: When it comes to planning for your new arrival, don’t forget to include your better half. Sure, we know you’re super-excited about choosing colors for the nursery and buying all those cute little outfits. But what about the father-to-be? Chances are he’d like to feel part of the equation–and not just when it comes to picking out paint samples. In honor of dear ol’ dad comes an entire line of Major League Baseball products from Kolcraft, designed especially for the newest addition to your team. Whether it’s a potty ring, umbrella stroller or step stool, each product is embossed with your guy’s favorite team logo. So if he’s helping out at home or just out taking a stroll, he’ll feel like his [&hellip

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    When my daughter was a baby, you could tell when I was planning to visit my parents simply by gazing into the back of my car. The amount of baby gear rivaled a Babies R Us boutique, if there ever was one. Sandwiched in between my diaper bag and umbrella stroller was the all-important fish-printed bouncer. Even though it was rather cumbersome and bulky, it was my American Express of baby stuff: I never left home without it. Not only did this seat act as a secure place for my just-sitting-up babe, but it often gave her the opportunity to doze off, courtesy of its soothing vibrations and bubble-making. Despite its immeasurable value during that first year, that seat and I had a love/hate relationship. [&hellip

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    Sometimes, when I can’t fall asleep, I stare at the ceiling and count sheep. And when I’m not busy composing lyrical poetry, I’m recalling silly moments that take me back to a time when life was a lot simpler and a lot less hectic. Like when my college roommate and I noticed that our dorm room’s ceiling had been decorated to look like the Milky Way. Upon turning out the lights during our first night at school, we realized that our previous tenants had left dozens upon dozens of glow-in-the dark stars and moons on the ceiling, turning our otherwise dull room into a heavenly spectacle. No wonder we slept like babies that night. As you create a dream space for your own child, do [&hellip

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    When I was pregnant with each of my daughters, I didn’t want to find out their genders in advance. It didn’t matter to me whether or not I could paint my nursery in pink or blue (for the record, we chose yellow) or whether I could buy adorable, frilly dresses (for the record, neither are girly girls…at least so far). I figured that this would be one (or two) of life’s surprises that would be pleasant, and I would rather sit back and wait rather than plan their lives away. It’s probably why I’m always amazed that the first question out of someone’s mouth when they hear of a pregnancy is, “Does she know what she’s having?” For those of us who relish a little [&hellip

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    I’m not sure why I remember the odd things that I do from being a new mom, but one particular memory stands out: my daughter’s nursery being littered with formula-stained bottles that I had forgotten to put in the dishwasher. It didn’t happen every day, mind you, but every so often, I would finish an early morning feeding and return to my bedroom in a half-asleep stupor with the bottle left behind (it’s a wonder I remembered to turn out the light in the nursery!). Blame it on mommy brain, if you will, but seeing that used bottle really irked me. What time exactly had I been in her room, anyway? If you’re equally hard on yourself as a new mom who’s trying to keep [&hellip

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