Unsure of What You Need for Your Child? Read my Tips!

When you are pregnant, there are so many things that you get, so that you are ready to bring a baby home. Somethings are completely necessary for a new baby; somethings are not. You need to get a stroller for your baby and a car seat. Other than those, oh-so-obvious things, it can be a little tricky to know what to get. What is useful and what isn’t? When it is your first child, you will have no idea what is needed. Then there are the things as your baby grow up that they will need in their life. At least, when they are toddlers, you have had a little experience as a parent, and roughly know what you do and don’t need! Here is a quick guide to a few of those things that you should get for your children.

When you first have a baby, you will need to decide how they are being fed. Whichever way they are being fed, there are things you can get to make it easier. If you have decided to give nursing a try, then the best things to get for that is to get a nipple shield. You should also invest in a nipple cream as in the early days they can get sore and cracked. When your routine has been established and if your baby gets on with it all well, it will be so much easier for you. Nursing pads are a good idea to get too. You will use these right from the beginning so be sure to have some ready. It might even be worth taking them with you to the hospital. Getting a few nursing bras and tops is a good idea too. You want to feel comfortable to nurse in public, and these make it a lot easier. They will need to be washed almost daily, at first, you have a few in, ready to go.

As well as all of those things, a nursing cover is a good idea. I bet you never imagined there would be so many things that you need, just to help feed your baby! A nursing cover can help so much. It means that you can use both of your hands to help with the baby and make sure that you are all covered. When you are first feeding, the worry of flashing everyone is a bit of a concern. A nursing cover helps with that a lot. A blanket can slip and fall down. Plus, there is a slight paranoia, that the baby can’t breath with their head underneath a thick blanket.

If you have chosen to bottle-feed, it is a good idea to get a big supply of bottles. You will want to have plenty washed and ready to go. A big sterilizer is a good idea as you can clean several at once. You don’t want to have to wash up every few hours when you have a newborn baby.

Something that I know a lot of moms find useful for feeding is muslin burp cloths. They are a must have for whichever way you have chosen to feed your baby. They are so good because they are so thin. They dry quickly so perfect for wiping up spills and baby sick. They are lightweight so you can make sure that you have a lot of them ready to throw in your diaper bag. They can double up as a nursing cover in desperate times too.

Clothing is a must, for obvious reasons, whatever age your child is. At first, it is a good idea to get a handful of the same types of clothing in. Onesies, vests and cardigans are a great idea with tiny ones. As they grow and start to crawl and walk, more ‘regular’ clothes is a great idea. I find that you do so much laundry, that you don’t need to get too many clothes for them. Then you can just get new clothes for them, as and when they grow out of them.

There is a such a variety of clothing for kids these days. You can pretty much dress them in any style that you like; or any style that they like! You might be thinking that going clothes shopping with kids is hard work. I guess it depends on the age of your children. If you can’t face the idea, then shopping online is a great option. It is easy to browse everything all at once then. For birthday gifts, a personalized item of clothing is a great idea. It would work well for a gift for a friend’s new baby too. You can get all different clothes personalized, from jackets, hats and shoes. You can browse for personalized jackets here and see if there is one suitable for your little one.

There are some things that you need to get for your child, that you might not have thought of. If you love to travel, how about getting them their passport early on? You won’t want to have to wait a while to go on vacation if you are waiting for their passport to come back. It can be easy to do when they are so small. They don’t even need their eyes open in the passport picture.

Plenty of books are a great idea to get in, even when they are tiny. Reading and singing to your baby helps them in so many ways. Making reading time a special time will help them to be enthusiastic about reading as they grow up. Making a cosy reading nook in their room is a great idea. Then it will help them to get excited about reading time even more. All you need is a small book shelf and some bean bags or cushions.

What are your must-haves for babies and younger children? I’d love to hear what you loved and needed. It would be interesting to hear what you thought was a useless baby gadget too. Let me know in the comments!

Parenting is a HEART Work

I have two tweens at home  and their personalities clashes sometimes because they have different interests.  One of the   things that they have in common is music and arts so I am very pleased with that.  They are such good kids  but that doesn't mean that they are  saints either, they have their moments for sure that sometimes makes me question  my  role as a parent.  Hubby and I are constantly  learning  ways to  become better  parents to our children.  We are always seeking ways to improve our ways in handling our children's situations.  

We learn from other parents, we learn from other kids, and we certainly learn from our own children.  Our children can teach us valuable lessons too so we have to be very open in learning and seeing the signs that our kids are telling us.  When my kids were little, I was very hot tempered, my patience is very short and it was affecting how I handle things at home.  It affects my kids and it certainly affects my   confidence of  doing my job as a Mom.  As they grow older, I also changed my ways and now, I can handle things better in a very calm way.  I am glad that there are parenting books that we can read these days. I got a copy of this Parenting is a Heart Work  that was  written by Dr. Scott Turansky and Joanne Miller.  They are the same authors that wrote the book I  reviewed previously, the Motivate Your Child Action Plan.  

So far, I am enjoying it's content.  I am not done  reading the entire book but it definitely shed some lights about my parenting ways.  It gives me   wonderful insights on how to handle things with our kids.  I love that they  uses  examples from real parents and they also  site  stuff from the Bible.  

With so many  messed up stuff happening in this world, we have to be very vigilant and get involved in our children's lives.  Our world is changing and   every generation is changing their ways.  We need to be proactive and constantly  look for ways on how we could raise our children to be a better citizen someday.  They are our future so the way they will be as adult  depends on how we raise them as individuals.

Parents are children's first teachers.  Their learning starts from our home, it starts with us.  We become their big influence on how they would act in  public.  Reinforcing  strong morals and good behavior in our kids is important as  they would soon be exposed  in the real world and  see and experience things differently.  

If you instill a great foundation in them, there's a greater chance that they would do just fine in the challenges that they will face in the real world.  There are parents nowadays who are scared to discipline their child.  Disciplining your child  doesn't mean you have to do it  physically, the  great way to handle discipline is through reaching their emotions, touching their hearts.  

I am very strict Mom but I also have limitations.  I set limits for my kids and I also set limit for myself.  It needs to be balanced.  Sometimes we  forget to listen to what our kids is saying.  I have been there but I learned my lesson and glad that I corrected myself and now I have a better  communication with my kids.  

I used to tell them that I should be followed because I am the Mom but it was wrong.  I changed my approach and now  things are better with me and my kids.  I am not  stressed and they are happy.  You see, parenting is a constant learning process, it's a work in progress.  You will learn everyday.  This book is really a great read for every parents out there.  You will learn   a different approach for  different situation.  You can buy this here via Amazon for $12.90

The National Center for Biblical Parenting is launching their  Parent Training Center program  to help  churches disciple parents.  You can check further details at biblicalparenting.org website.  When your church sign upm  the book will  be included in the Parent Training Centers.

To find out morem please watch the video below.

Disclosure: The owner of this blog was NOT financially compensated to write this review.  I was provided with the product/s mentioned  to help me  facilitate this review but  opinions are my own.

Parenting is Continous Learning Process

Ms. Burrito   made this village from cut out  pictures.  According to her, this is  the simpler version of living in the olden days.  I asked why the houses looks a bit modern instead of Tipees.  She said that  it's the time when the  natives are starting to adopt the modern way of  building houses.

Whenever my kids bring  projects that they did in school, I always ask them questions just to know t if they learn something from what they did.  Most of the times, I am surprised to  learn a lot of things  from what they tell me.  Parenting is really a continuous learning process isn't it?

Best Tips for Newborn Baby Clothes

Babies grow very quickly during their first few weeks. As a result, you may find that you do not need to buy many newborn baby clothes. However, most expectant Mums will wish to purchase at least a few key items in preparation for the birth of their baby. To help you out, we have put together a list of some tips to keep in mind whilst you are shopping for baby clothes.

Don’t go overboard

You will find that friends and family purchase newborn baby clothes for your baby in the weeks leading up to and immediately after the birth. As a result, try not to bulk buy newborn clothes and instead buy a mixture of clothes in newborn and 3-6 months sizes. When you receive newborn clothes, keep the tag on until you are sure they will fit your baby.

Practicalities matter

Babies are certainly bendy, but it is less distressing for them if you do not need to manoeuvre them too much when getting them dressed. Look for baby clothes which have a long zip down the front and a wide neck opening. Clothes should be stretchy and soft to the touch.

Keep it simple

The first few weeks after the birth are going to be stressful enough, without having to worry about hand washing or dry cleaning baby clothes. Invest in clothes which can be washed and dried in the washing machine and give yourself a break! Check the label to make sure.

Comfortable Clothes Make For a Happy Baby

Unfortunately, there are lots of things on baby clothes which can cause distress and discomfort to your newborn baby. For example, zips, catches and even elastic waist bands can irritate if they are too close to the skin or in the wrong place. Ideally, try to purchase clothes which have a layer of material between the baby and the zip. Elastic waist bands need to be closed within fabric and catches should have smooth edges.

One day old Mr. Burrito.

Layers Are Good

Generally, babies should wear one more layer than what an adult would wear on the same day, unless it is very hot outside. Bearing this in mind, you should choose clothes which can be added to or removed with ease and which are comfortable for the baby. Bulky clothes are not a good idea, so if you do live in a cold climate consider purchasing a fleece snowsuit instead of a thicker option.

Socks and Shoes?

Newborn babies will need to wear socks, especially if they are born in the autumn or winter time. You may need to shop around a little to find socks to fit and you may find that the socks tend to fall off a lot! Some parents like to dress their babies in shoes as well, but this is not a necessity. If you decide to do so, bear in mind that the baby will chew on the shoes.

Keep an Eye Out

Most baby clothes are perfectly safe for your baby. Do however keep an eye out for loose buttons, drawstrings, and any embellishments which could come loose. Likewise, ensure there is no way that an item of clothing could become entangled around your child’s neck.

There is so much to think about when you are expecting a new baby. Try not to worry but instead to relax and look forward to that wonderful moment when you meet your little one for the first time. By following the hints above you should be able to stock up on decent baby clothes and have a wonderful time dressing your newborn. 

A natural born writer, Stacey Barton writes professionally and for fun across a wide range of niches with particular attention to how classic brands can continue to offer the same product for decades and somehow survive the turbulent and ever changing consumer market.

Imagine a Beautiful Birth

Before I  go on with the details about the expert Austin midwives, let me tell you what  has transpired  during Holy Week at our end.

We had a very busy week during the Easter holiday.   We took the opportunity to  do our landscaping project  while  the kids are off from school and hubby had a four-day weekend.  We had a fun-filled weekend  with family and friends.  Aside from celebrating the occasion  with the family, some Filipino friends also invited us to an egg-hunting  get together at Starvaggi Park.  The kids had a blast and I enjoyed some delicious  Pinoy foods!

 I also got to see the  one-month old baby of one of the Filipinas who attended the  party.  She said that her baby was 8 pounds and 8 ounces big when  she was born.  Oh my goodness, I thought my son was huge but her baby outweighed  my son lol.  But anyhow, we were teasing her because she said that she told her hubby that there would be no  love-making in two years hahaha.  I was amazed the she delivered the baby  normally considering that she  is a  skinny woman.  

But anyhow, seeing the baby reminds me of my two pregnancies.    We almost lost our first born when her  umbilical cord wrapped around her neck and her heartbeat stop.  I was going to deliver the baby normally but that situation occurred so I was rushed to the emergency  room  and had the C-Section.    I was thankful that my OB Gyne and the nurses were  so good that they  managed to saved our   baby. 

Being pregnant is a joyous experience but   very challenging  at the same time.  You never knew what's ahead of you during the pregnancy that is why, it is  important to  be ready  for all the possibilities.  The link I have provided above caters to the Birthing Center in Austin.  The place have  well-trained and well-experienced  midwives that could help pregnant women enjoy a beautiful birth.