It is often difficult to believe that the little one that runs about the house with pattering feet and a barely decipherable chatter was little more than a roly-poly smiling bundle at this same time last year.

Good intentions

Each baby is born to mothers who have the best of intentions to record and photograph each moment of this child’s life. Many mothers rise to this challenge amid hectic schedules and life’s demands. Yet few remain as committed to the scrapbook of the last child as they were with the first. Some mothers just don’t have time to even begin and those cute baby memory books remain untouched as the years pass.

Filling a need

Moms and Dads are not the only persons in a child’s life that have memories to record and share. Aunties and Grandmas also love and care for these babies from birth to the toddler years and right on up. This year why not give a gift that records and shares these precious memories with your precious baby?

Photos that are locked on computer hard drives or remain hidden on memory chips in cameras aren’t very accessible. Toddlers love to see pictures of themselves and hear stories featuring them as they were when they were a baby. A memory book dedicated to them will be a big hit.

The toddler is not the only one who will appreciate the memory book. Moms from the dedicated scrap booking enthusiast to the mom who never even started will appreciate photos of her child that are already arranged, journaled and require nothing of her time and energy other than pure enjoyment.

Unique perspective

Grandmas and Aunties have a unique perspective that they can share. As a grandparent or sibling you can share memories of the baby as well as the parent you knew as a child. Pointing out similarities in looks, behavior and attitudes is often fun for both the toddler and their parent to discover. You can also laugh more readily at the natural naughtiness of childhood. As a loved one not in the parental role it is a funny occurrence - not a tragic mess - when the toothpaste is emptied from the tube, or the butter is eaten in huge bites right from the cube.

Getting started

To start your memory book holiday gift give yourself time to complete it. The value of this gift is in its creation and not the monetary investment, so make sure you give it the time it deserves. The internet will be your best friend. You can get the photos you need by sending them directly from your PC to the photo shop via email. This saves time and gas. If you have the capability you can even print the photos yourself at home.

Memory books come in all shapes and sizes. You can get a one-time book that you can fill, or you can get a book that allows for the addition of pages as the years roll on. Browse online to find the book that is right for you, and then get to work. This is one gift that will be pleasing to giver and recipient alike.

What you just learned about baby present is just the beginning. To get the full story and all the details, check us out at http://www.simplyuniquebabygifts.com for your baby gifts. You will love the personalized baby gift basket.

A happy potty trained baby - photo by blogs-glam.com

1) Is your child ready?

* Are you wanting to potty train because somebody told you you should?

* Some signs to look for are
a) showing an interest in the toilet;
b) able to tell you when he/she needs to go; and
c) times during the day/night when the diaper is dry.

* If your child is not ready this is going to be an extremely painful process.

2) Are you ready for this experience?

* You are going to need time and patience to make it through this experience.

* Nobody learns well under stressful conditions so your part is to provide the proper positive attitude in the home.

3) Make sure your child can get to the potty…

* Put the potty in a high traffic area, out in the open so “out of sight = out of mind” does not work against you.

* Would you want to be sent to the corner? This is a new life skill, not a punishment so the process should be openly accepted by everyone.

4) Find their currency…

* Positive reinforcement and bribery are other words used to describe this step. It does not matter what you call it. It is a valuable tool.

* It must be valuable to your child and small enough not to bankrupt the family.

* Smarties were my daughter’s currency; she got one Smartie for trying, two for a successful #1 and a whole (small) box for a successful #2.

* Praise can be gradually substituted in for the reward once the routine is established

5) Find the time…

* Clear your calendar. When establishing a new routine it helps to keep some consistency…stay at home.

* 1st you get them to understand when they need to go potty…and actually get there in time.

* Then your child can work on recognizing they need to use the potty and being able to hold it until a washroom can be found.

* There are lots of activities you can still do; it just takes a little creativity. Lots of company could be a distraction, so please be aware of that fact.

6) Good bye pull-ups…

* Put away any form of diapers…that includes pull-ups for the immediate future.

* How it feels to go to the bathroom is something your child needs to experience.

* For the first couple of days I had my daughter go around in a dress with nothing underneath. I believe that the bare experience helped speed up our process.

7) This is not going to be a mess free transition…

* DO NOT lose your temper when an accident occurs, there will be lots of them during this process.

* Plan, Plan, Plan. Roll up that expensive Oriental rug. Put a washable covering (rubber backed mattress protector) on the sofa. Play in clean up friendly areas.

Set the timer…

* If you use a timer you will not be the nagging parent, and you will not have to watch the clock all day.

* In order to get used to the potty I recommend you set the timer for every 20-30 minutes.

* Your child will then sit on the potty. They do not sit there until they go potty, they simply have to sit there for thirty seconds to one minute and try.

After the 1st hurdle…

* Once the need is recognized by your child then you can start taking small short field trips. Remember to pack a couple changes of clothes.

* For longer trips it is OK to go back to the pull-ups especially if your child develops a fear of public washrooms (that’s another article).

* If things are just not going well with the first part of training then reconsider step #1. It might be beneficial to both of you if you stopped the process for a couple of weeks then tried again. Potty training can be pretty easy only if everybody is ready.

Newborn baby portrait by youaremysunshine.biz

by Roy Barker

Documenting a child’s stages, growth and development has become even more popular through baby photography. Once just the domain of the well off, or taken only every few years for very special occasions, many households are now opting to have their children’s portraits taken professionally on a much more frequent basis.

More and more people are realizing that baby and toddler photos are invaluable for sentimental reasons and to also document the rapid growth of the child. The child will grow up, but the photos will last forever.

The truly professional photographer will be an artist and know their craft inside out. And will take pride in the uniqueness of their work and the end result. They will be well prepared for any situation and be willing to travel for their clients.

Professional photographers capture everything from everyday naughtiness to the total innocence of a newborn child ” the rewards are there. No matter how frustrating working children may be. But, you do need the right equipment ” a good DSLR, flash equipment, and a tripod ” to start with. Because without the right equipment you dont have a hope of coming across as a professional photographer let alone be capable of producing the results clients expect.

However to create those fantastic photos you will need to have the correct equipment. At the very least, a quality DSLR, tripod, flash, and shutter release. Without these, you will have a remote chance of snapping the level of shots the client is expecting, and it will be difficult for the parents to take you seriously if you do not present with the expected photographic equipment.

Professional photographers are happy to travel to meet their clients. They will present themselves as professionals and have all the expected photographic equipment with them. True professionals take pride in their work and are always looking for that unique one-off shot.

It is a competitive market ” with more demand than ever for children in commercials, and only the best, most unique shots are used. So remember, if you are going to use your clients photos then make sure you get them to sign a release form that gives you permission to sell them commercially.

Professional photographers are specialists that have experience, knowledge, creativity and the guts to create photos that are everlasting.

Free baby stuff, photo by eHow.com

Author: Dee Pruitt D. G. Pruitt Dee Grace Ms. Pruitt

Having children is a blessing, when it comes time to raise them, it can become quite expensive for a new parent. Additionally, when it comes time to shop for baby stuff, that’s when it gets really expensive! Though there’s nothing more rewarding to a new parent when shopping for baby items, especially if you hold in your hand a free gift card worth $50 or more to a name brand baby store like “Babies R Us”.  There are a number of online stores that offer affordable and easy shopping experience for expectant mothers.

But how about this, if you are having a baby, there are hordes of companies that will offer you free baby items to simply use and try! These are offered to you for free because companies find it is easier to get expecting mothers to try out their products. Because of this method, most people will decide to go ahead and purchase the item that was once provided to them for free.

Familiar with the online term “freebies”? It simply means that some type of physical item can be aquired and delivered to your doorstep for free and at no cost to you. Or it can be a service that you would normally have to pay for, but instead it is offered to you for free. When you see words like freebies, these are generally samples of well known products or a freebie can also be described as a product you receive after purchase by mailing back a UPC code of some sort. But in most cases, shipping and handling charges are not free and you will have to cover that small cost.

This is why receiving free baby stuff is so attractive in itself. If you are a struggling mom, then honestly, this is what I call a guilt free hand out when receiving a mailbox full of free baby goodies, especially knowing you didn’t have to pay a nickel for none of it!  Given the unfavorable economic hardship at this time, you might be trying to curb your spending habbits and find other ways in saving money on baby diapers, milk, etc.  I can attest that I watch every dime I spend!

You’ll be quite pleasantly surprised actually on the types of free baby items you can receive in the mail such as:

- Free diapers

- Free baby wipes

- Baby food

- Free gift cards

- Free baby diapers

It’s no secret that our babies are our pride and joy, and it is always nice to receive free baby stuff like product samples from time to time as well! Receiving baby freebies can really help when your money is tight too!

Now that I provided you some general info, all that is left for you to do is simply sign up to some of these freebie sites that offer free baby products and when presented with an offer, just check it out. Happy free shopping!

If you are a new mom, register to receive absolutely free stuff, get in on the deals to receive free stuff for babies now!

Sample of severe pregnancy stretch marks by aafp.org

by Brenda Greer

Pregnancy is known as the time when a woman has the baby inside of her uterus. Many women love the amazing feeling of being pregnant, but stretch marks often end up making women frustrated and unhappy with their appearance.

As your skin begins to stretch beyond it’s natural size, stretch marks can start to show up. The skin stretches and small tears in the layers of the skin occur causing them. The tears develop scar tissue, which shows up as a stretch mark. Unfortunately or more women who are pregnant end up dealing with stretch marks. Many studies also show that women who develop them can end up dealing with self confidence issues. So, it’s easy to see why women worry about them.

Some of the most common areas where the stretch marks occur can include the belly, upper arms, thighs, butt, and the breasts. Even though many pregnant women have a fairly flat stomach for the first few months, sometimes women really start to grow in the following months. This leads to fast growth of the stomach, that can stretch the skin fast and lead to stretch marks occurring.

Today we are made to believe that you can totally get rid of stretch marks later, but this isn’t the truth. It is best to work on the prevention of the stretch marks in the beginning rather than to work on them later. It is best that women who are pregnant start using pregnancy stretch mark creams in the beginning to help keep the stretch marks from forming.

These pregnancy stretch marks creams are made to add moisture to the body, keeping stretch marks from appearing. Putting on plenty of the cream several times a day is excellent for pregnant women, and there should be several hours between applying it. A mistake many women make is to quickly apply the cream. Instead they should put the cream on their hand and massage it fully into the skin using a clockwise motion. This helps to make sure the cream is more effective, since it is massaged deep into the skin’s layers.

In the manufacturing of the cream, it is made to help make skin more pliable so it can more easily expand during pregnancy. Inhibiting the stretch marks is the real key here. When the skin is moist, it can more easily stretch as women grow while pregnant. This keeps collagen from being torn, preventing the stretch marks from occurring so easily.

Some women don’t understand that these pregnancy stretch mark creams work the best for prevention or for early treatment of stretch marks, such as in the first year after development. If you don’t work on them during this time, it can be very hard to get rid of them later on. It is best to work on prevention of the stretch marks so you can keep your skin looking beautiful throughout pregnancy and in the years to come.

You can control the way your skin appears. Skin that is glowing and healthy is a great beauty. Using the pregnancy stretch mark cream, you can have confidence in your skin and enjoy pregnancy at ease knowing your skin will be okay.

Sample shopping cart cover provided by cleanshopper.com

by Rochelle Normski

Laerning the ins and outs of potty training. by learningcurve.com

by Paul Jason James

Most toddlers at one time or another offer resistance to their potty training program. This can be very frustrating to parents and lead to a battle of wills with the child. Before gearing up for battle with your child, let’s look at some of the reasons behind potty training resistance and what can be done about them.

Readiness

Before deciding to launch a potty training campaign, be sure your child is ready. If your toddler isn’t exhibiting any of the signs of potty training readiness, they will not cooperate because they doesn’t understand what you want him to do. A frustrated and confused child is a resistant child.

You’ll know your child is ready when he:

- Shows curiosity about the bathroom and what happens there - Has longer periods of bowel and bladder control - Begins to tell you when they need to be changed

Stage

Most potty training begins at about the same time your child starts asserting himself and learning he can control his environment to some extent with “yes and “no”. As any parent of a toddler will attest, “no” is the favorite word. A child that is telling you or ignoring you may just be practicing his new found ability to choose for himself. Find a way to present potty training in a way that he will choose it, “Big kids use the potty. Do you want to be a big kid and use the potty?”

Mixed Messages

A child can easily be confused by conflicting messages about his bodily functions. If the bathroom has been off limits previously, he may not understand why he is to go in there now. If he’s been told his dirty diaper is “yucky” or “nasty” he may be anxious about elimination in general.

Overcoming Resistance

Gentle persistence and persuasion are the best tools to overcome potty training resistance. At his next pediatrician visit, ask your doctor to talk to him about potty training. The more people he can interact with that encourage him to learn to use the toilet, the stronger the message becomes.

Potty training resistance is only temporary and will pass when they are ready to begin (or continue) it.

Sample of an organic crib mattress being stress tested. by vivavi.com

by Beth Hall

Calcium with vitamin D is also essential for infant development and for the long-term health of the mother. Vitamin D helps the body absorb and retain calcium. Consuming plenty of calcium during pregnancy helps the baby to grow strong bones and teeth, a healthy heart, nerves, and muscles, and to develop normal heart rhythm and blood clotting abilities. It’s important for the mother’s health as well — The National Osteoporosis Foundation recommends that pregnant and nursing women consume 1,000 milligrams of calcium per day and between 400 and 800 international units of vitamin D per day.

These first two nutrients, folic acid and calcium with vitamin D, are vital to every baby’s health, but the third nutrient is one that many people don’t know enough about — DHA omega-3. DHA omega-3 is possibly the most important nutrient for expectant mothers.

DHA omega-3 is a fatty acid important for brain, eye and nervous system development and function, as well as heart health. A diet rich in DHA omega-3 during pregnancy and breastfeeding may play a role in supporting healthy pregnancies, helping a mother’s emotional well-being after birth and aiding the mental and visual development of infants. Despite its importance, consumers rarely get enough DHA omega-3 in their diets. The recommended intake for pregnant and breastfeeding women is at least 200 milligrams per day of DHA.

Microalgae are the only vegetarian source that provides a meaningful amount of DHA omega-3. Look for vegetarian algal sources of DHA in mainstream food and supplement products —including certain types of fortified yogurts, eggs, milk, soymilk or prenatal vitamins and supplements. Babies get DHA omega-3 through breast milk, and can also get it in more than 99 percent of infant formulas on the U.S. market.

Women who consume a Western diet are at risk for low stores of DHA. This is because the primary dietary sources of DHA are fatty fish and organ meats, dietary choices that are not staples of the Western diet. Additionally, expert bodies such as the FDA have advised pregnant and nursing women to limit their fish consumption due to the potentially high levels of toxins such as mercury.

Other vegetarian sources of omega-3 fatty acids, such as flax seeds, walnuts and certain vegetable oils, contain ALA (alpha-linolenic acid), not DHA omega-3. ALA has no known independent benefits on brain or eye health and there are insufficient data to support its role in cardiovascular health. EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid), found in fish oil, has been shown to support cardiovascular health but has not been proven to play a role in brain or eye health.

Olympic Gold Medal soccer star and new mother Mia Hamm is spreading the word about DHA and the “Big 3” nutrients in a public service announcement sponsored by the Society for Women’s Health Research. To view the PSA and find out more about the “Big 3” nutrients please visit www.thebig3.org.

A contribution from Lorraine Penaloza - the Society for Women’s Health Research PSA

The information provided here does not necessarily reflect the information or thoughts of the publisher and owner. In all situations related to pregnancy, advice should be sourced from a qualified doctor or physician.

Pregnant Women contemplating

Eating a healthy diet during pregnancy and lactation is important for the wellbeing of you and your unborn child. But if you already have a good well balanced diet then you will only need to change a few things.

A woman’s body increases its need for minerals, water, vitamins and calories during pregnancy. Everyone is different and need different amounts of food to provide their dietary requirements during pregnancy.

Good Food Pregnancy Diet

Here is a guide that will give you an idea of the average amount you need from each food group while pregnant and during lactation. Only minimum servings are given and you must adjust the amounts to suit your required daily nutrient intake.

Milk and Foods High in Calcium.  3 to 5 serves (low fat):

•    cup of milk or yogurt
•    2 cups of cottage cheese
•    11/2  oz of cheese
•    cup of soy beverage
•    11/2 cups of ice cream
•    cup of calcium rich fruit juice

Protein Rich Foods.  2 to 3 serves (lean):

•    3 oz of cooked meat, fish or poultry
•    2 eggs
•    cups of cooked beans
•    4 tbsp of peanut butter

Breads and Grains. 6 or more serves (wholegrain):

•    1 slice of bread
•    1 small tortilla
•    1/2 a cup of cooked cereal
•    3/4 to 1 cup of cold cereal
•    1/2 cup of cooked pasta
•    1/3 cup of cooked rice
•    half an English muffin
•    half a small bagel

Fruit and Vegetables. 5 or more serves (fresh):

•    cup of raw fruit or vegetables
•    1/2 cup of cooked vegetables
•    medium piece of fresh fruit
•    cup of green salad
•    1/4 cup of dried fruit
•    1/2 cup of fruit juice

Fats and Oils. 2 to 3 serves. (unsaturated):

•    1/8 of an avocado
•    1 tsp of vegetable oil (olive or canola)
•    1 tsp of mayonnaise
•    6 almonds
•    20 peanuts
•    1 tbsp sunflower seeds

Keep your Fluid Intake Up

Pregnancy picture with baby shoes in foreground

Keep yourself well hydrated during pregnancy; drink plenty of water, at least 8 to 10 glasses a day. If it is hot you should drink even more water. Try to avoid drinking too much soft drink and fruit juices as they are high in sugar.

Add Fiber to your Diet

Eat foods that are rich in fiber to prevent constipation during pregnancy. Whole grains, fruits, beans and vegetables should be eaten a few times daily to give your body enough fiber.

Adding Vitamins and Minerals

During pregnancy your body needs a higher level of vitamins and minerals to help your baby grow. Be careful of the amount of vitamins and minerals you take as some may be harmful to your baby. Always get advice from your doctor before taking supplements. For example, too much Vitamin A can cause birth defects.

If you take good care of your diet during pregnancy, you are giving your child a great start in life. Please leave some comments below especially if you would like to read more information about pregnancy health specifically.