Our Toddlers |

Famous mothers from Hollywood have radically shifted the baby gear market to include designer gifts and accessories that look as good as they feel. For example, Little Giraffe baby blankets has captured the worlds attention, thanks to talks shows like Oprah and Ellen. Let’s take a look at one of the most famous blankets offered by this small family business and decide if the trend has more too it than monkey-see, monkey-do.

I’m coming clean here, you know the Little Giraffe baby blanket is a special item once you hold it for the first time. The velvet blanket is combination of a rich velvet weave one on side with soft and cuddily satin on the other. The velvet comes in a variety of styles, including traditional smooth, or in a floral design or dot design. Infants are attracted to the contrasting fabrics designs, especially the dot overlay. Besides the unique styling, what makes the Little Giraffe blanket a great value is how easy it is to wash. And believe me, baby blankets need almost constant cleaning! The blanket is machine washable and does not need to be dry cleaned either. For velvet, this is a miracle in and of itself! In fact, the blankets only get softer with each cleaning. No doubt these blankets make a great first birthday gift, and of course they draw all the oohs and ahhs at the baby shower. The choice of colors makes it easy to find the perfect one to match the gift basket, or the baby nursery for that matter. Blue and pink will always be the most sought after colors for a Little Giraffe baby blanket, but they also come in a variety of hip seasonal tones as well.

When I picked the theme for the baby shower, I couldn’t help but think of Ernie on Sesame Street and his favorite bathtub song of ‘Rubber Duckie You’re the One.’ It seemed like such a unique idea that I wasn’t sure if there would be enough rubber duck favors around to plan a theme around, but I realized what I started looking into it that the idea was more popular than I had imagined. I got so many great ideas over the net, and finding adorable little accessories and supplies to go with a duck baby shower was easier than I had expected. All kinds of duck favors for baby showers or birthday parties for little ones are out there on the web, and they all look so cute.

The den in my basement was big enough to hold everyone, so I put tables down there with seating for four people. I got a yellow ducky cake with a couple of layers, the bottom one of which said baby girl in red frosting, and then I put that next to plates, drinks, hors d’oeuvres, and other deserts; on a table on the other side of the room, I put all of the baby shower presents. There were posters of Donald and Daisy Duck, Mickey and Minnie Mouse, and the rest of the Disney cast all over the place, and the Daisy Duck one was huge.

The place card holders I bought and put out at the shower were miniature pink picture frames that had a little ducky in each of the corners. There were duck favor candles at each table too and on the buffet table were paper plates, cups and napkins all with little baby ducks on them and even the punch bowl was unique. I set the punch bowl, which was made of glass, inside of a bathtub for a baby that was made to look like a duck; the tub was just something I picked up at a nearby store. It looked pretty adorable. I got some duck-shaped jello molds, and I put yellow water in them and froze them so that our ice cubes for the shower looked like little yellow ducklings. I went all out on this duck themed shower.

On the world wide web, I found a bunch of great ideas, and that’s pretty much where I found everything I needed, but I did get a few recommendations from some of the people at my school. On the Internet is where I found duck shower favors, such as the precious duck baby shower favor bookmarkers I found, and the duck candles, too. We used them as prizes for the contests we had at the baby shower, and all of the guests adored them.

I filled a square tub with water and, prior to any guests arriving, I put a bunch of duck bath toys in it. Underneath every rubber duck, I wrote a number, and the each guest plucked one out of the water as they arrived. We gave out a prize for the person who had the winning number, which I pulled out of a hat a bit later during the shower. Another fun thing we did was when we tried to match each person to a photo of her that was taken when she was a baby. Everyone was asked to bring a baby picture of themselves and I put them all on a board, and hung it on the wall. All of the people at the shower got a good look at all of the pictures on the board, and then they sat down and attempted to guess who was in what picture. The one with the most correct matches won a prize.

The new mom had a bounty of awesome gifts for her baby, and good times were had by all. I’m so glad I found this idea for the baby shower online. I pulled off one heck of a baby shower, even though it seemed pretty far-fetched at first. The duck theme really was a cute idea.

The two most important aspects that should be taken into consideration when purchasing baby blankets are safety issues and comfort issues. 100 percent cotton has been proven to be the best fabric for baby bedding. Remember there is a wide variety of baby beds, and different types have different bedding needs, so be careful when making a decision.

For their infants, many people choose bassinets and Moses baskets. Because they can’t support the weight of an older baby, they’re only used forn4 or 5 months. They also provide a solution if you want to be able to move your baby in order to keep a close eye on him or her. Even though bassinets usually come with adult style bedding (blankets and pillows), this is not recommend by doctors and you should remove them.

Cradles, though very similar in function to cribs, are usually tinier and do not stand as high. The rockers on the bottom of a cradle may help your baby easily fall asleep. Many infants gain the ability to sit up by themselves between the ages of 4 and 7 months, and many parents choose to transition them to a crib during this same time.

While it may be tempting to transition your baby to a standard bed, they should be kept into a crib until the age of twelve to eighteen months. There is a wide variety of cribs to choose from, what you should always remember is that you want one that is strong and will last a long time. There are many options for baby sleeping - some go for the traditional crib setup, while parents on the go may opt for a lighter, portable model, which may have a higher cost. An great alternative is a convertible crib. In the beginning it might seem that you are spending more money, but over time you don’t because a convertible crib can also be used when your baby is ready for a toddler bed. Buying a baby crib bedding from a branded company is always recommendable.

Baby blankets should be made of non-toxic, soft fabric. Soft, cozy, sweet-smelling blankets come in many varieties these days.

Crib sets come in a variety of color and pattern choices; some are made specifically for boys or girls, and others can be used for either gender. There are some color combinations and cartoon characters for baby beds which can be bought for baby boy as well as baby girl. Bedding for baby girls tends to be in pink, pale blue or lilac, whilst bedding for baby boys is usually in stronger colors. Nothing is set in stone, a lot of bedding sets are not gender specific and good for both boys and girls.

Babies don’t care if their parent choose suitable colors. They just like something cheerful, pleasant, and fresh. The older some boys get, the more they rebel against pinks, pastels, and other colors more associated with girls. In the same way, a room decorated with a baseball theme might not be ideal for a little girl.

There are so many choices when selecting your baby’s bedding that it can be both an enjoyable and an overwhelming experience. There’s such a wide range available that, whatever you eventually decide you want, you’ll be able to find it. However, when you are simply out looking, all the different colors, types, fabrics and extras can overwhelm you. It would benefit you to plan in advance and budget wisely. This way, you don’t waste time looking at bedding that isn’t the right kind or in the right price range. It also helps you focus on exactly what you want.

The furniture industry isn’t just for adults anymore. There are complete baby furniture designer sets that are geared around today’s kids. Many people look at these collections and think there is no way they are going to spend a fortune on baby furniture that the little ones are going to grow out of in a couple of years. You’re right, why should you? Instead of shying away from pieces that will be a lot of fun for your child now, you should look for kids furniture pieces that can also grow with the kids and get many more years of life.

First, there are many themed baby bedroom furniture sets that the younger kids like. From NASCAR to pirates, bedroom sets have a number of motifs that will make kids want to go to their room and be happy to go to bed when it is bedtime. As you consider your purchasing options, look at their potential for years down the road.

While you may not be able to make a NASCAR bed that looks like a car grow with your son, you may be able to select all the rest of the bedroom pieces that will be able to change with the times, so all you need to worry about in future is a larger bed. Likewise, a bed that has a dark wood frame may be able to be decorated to look like a pirate ship today with a few accents. Down the road, the bed will be able to be just a simple dark bed frame that can be changed into any decorating style.

When they’re young, many little girls want to be princesses. You can gain this look with a four-poster bed with a canopy and other accents throughout the room. They may not always like the princess style. As they mature you can remove the canopy and change the bedding to give the room the more sophisticated look that they want.

A short while ago, we wrote an article explaining some tips for signing with your baby. In this article, we cover more tips for signing with your baby to ensure you succeed in teaching your child to sign.

Pay Attention to Baby’s Perception

A baby is constantly seeing new things. To succeed in teaching your baby to sign, be alert to what your child is perceiving. If you are aware of what your child is perceiving, you will know what to sign when. By the time your child’s eyes and gazes start to connect with yours, he is ready to start the learning process. Get down on your baby’s level, literally and figuratively. When we are aware of what our children perceive, we are better communicators and teachers.

Babies have different types of perceptions, each presenting a new chance to teach a new sign. Your child may have a need or express a feeling or desire. For example, if your baby finishes drinking his milk, he may express that he wants “more.” At the moment you notice this expression would be an opportune time to make the sign for “more.” Often, it is clear that you and your baby are making a connection. You may look at each other at the same time. When you make this type of connection, your baby is receptive to what you have to say. Be sure to recognize this as an an opportunity to introduce a sign. Other times, you and your baby will perceive the same object, like the family dog. This is obviously a great time to sign “dog.” One method to help direct your child’s perception is to make the sign in front of the thing you are signing about. Or, You can sign with that object on your child’s body!

All in the Family

One of the key factors for success in in teaching baby sign language is to get others involved in the process. It is extremely important for your friends and family to take part in the process. If you are like most parents, lots of people participate in caring for your child. These people play a crucial role in the development of your child. Most children have regular contact with other family members. As for us, we could not get by without help from wonderful grandparents. So, keep signing “all in the family” and get the entire family involved in the process (especially Grandaddy and Grandmother).

In many households today, both mom and dad work full time and leave the child at daycare. Such children will have a better time in learning to sign if their daycare workers are involved in the process. A child’s daycare workers and baby sitters are part of his extended family. Make sure your child’s extended family knows you are teaching him sign language and show them the signs you are working on at any given time. At the very least, they should know some basic signs that your baby uses on a regular basis and participate in teaching those signs. If they refuse to participate with signing, you should find another daycare.

Attitude is Everything!

We think that attitude is important for all aspects of life. As the caption says, “attitutude is everything.” One of the most important keys to succeed in baby sign language is for you to HAVE FUN! Get excited and have a good time when you are showing your baby a sign. Teaching your baby to sign is more about attitude and persistence than any specific technique. If you recognize teaching opportunities, and stick with it, your baby will be signing back to you in no time. Please don’t give up if your child does not sign back to you right away. Every child is unique and every child develops at his own pace.

Communicating with your baby should be natural and intuitive. You don’t need a book to communicate with your child. Trust your instincts and be expressive when you talk to your baby. Your expressions should match your signs. Your child will respond as much to facial expressions and emotions as to most things that are verbalized. Also, don’t get frustrated if your baby does not use perfect technique when he signs. Rather, recognize what he is trying to say and praise him for it. The process should be fun for you and your child. And your child will refine his technique as he continues to develop.