Thursday, June 16, 2011

The Essentials

With so many infant care brands and products constantly being flung in our faces, how could any parent possibly expect to make an educated and practical choice about what supplies and accessories to buy for their newborn? If you said, “they can’t”, that’s probably because you’re one of those parents, and you’re right. The infant care industry is one of the largest in the world, and yet there is very little information about what exactly the essentials are. That’s because they don’t really want you to know, so that you’ll spend all your money trying to figure out. Well, we’ve decided to step in and offer some help. These are the things we think will be absolutely necessary for you and your baby, and we’ll tell you why.

Diaper Bags
A diaper bag will most likely be the first thing you’ll want to buy. As you’ve noticed by now, you’re going to be changing lots of diapers for a while. But, if you’re constantly carrying around all your diaper changing supplies in an untidy bag or case, you’ll be poorly organized and frustrated when you’re trying to care for your newborn. And, you’ll be consuming way more of your valuable time than is necessary for the task at hand. Many diaper bags have multiple compartments, all with specific purposes, so that all of your supplies will be organized and at the ready when you need them.

Onesies
A couple of good onesies will quickly become a staple of your baby’s wardrobe, as they’re basically good for all occasions and provide the support and comfort your baby needs. These are long or short sleeve and clip together between the legs, so you won’t have to be checking and readjusting your baby’s clothes throughout the day. The great thing about onesies is how versatile they are. In the summer they can be worn alone, while in the winter the only necessary addition is a pair of trousers and you’re ready for playtime. And with the endless variety of colors and fabrics, your baby will definitely be in style.

Baby Bath Towels
Bathtime. It’s all-important, essential, and perhaps your baby’s favorite time of the day (although that can really go either way). What’s certain though is that your baby will thank you with love and affection when it’s all warm and snuggly dry in a high quality baby bath towel. The infant care industry now makes bath towels specifically designed for a baby’s sensitive skin with super absorbent fabrics. Some of them even have hoods to keep your baby’s head warm and protected from the elements after her bath.

Burp Cloths
We’ve all either seen the image or experienced it ourselves. A new mother or father, holding their beloved little baby, with a burp cloth draped over his or her shoulder. It’s hard to really make a burp cloth something special, but it’s still important to get one that is high quality and made from fine materials so that your baby is happy and comfortable. This small cloth will prove to be one of the most practical and usable items in your baby’s repertoire, so you’ll want to be somewhat careful about which one you pick. Generally, keeping a stack of soft and absorbent burp cloths on your baby’s changing table is good practice.

Bibs
These are definitely an essential item. We all know getting a baby to eat the majority of her food rather than wear it can be much easier said than done. Whether you can or can’t accomplish this goal, a collection of reliable baby bibs will be a god-send for those messy spit-ups. Or, for when your newborn begins to teeth and tries to bite down on her clothing. There’s such a large selection of bibs out there that you can literally have one for every type of day and every possible occasion. And if you’re a new parent you’ll probably be receiving at least a few of bibs as gifts, since they’re a fairly timeless baby accessory.

Thursday, June 9, 2011

Summer Hats - Cotton & Crochet


In essence, from the moment your newborn is brought into the world he or she will be adorned in some form of a warm hat or beanie. Since babies are especially vulnerable to the elements, a high quality hat can serve an important and fundamental purpose to keep your baby warm and healthy as you brave the world together.  And with the infant fashion industry booming, hats for babies are available in every imaginable style, color, fashion, and fabric. We’ve outlined here what we think our the essentials for your baby’s spring/summer hat collection.  Whether you’re looking for girls baby hats or boys baby hats this season, this article should offer some insights.

It’s amazing how many styles of hat you can choose to wrap your baby’s little head in these days.  So, for the purpose of keeping this article informative we think it’s best and most practical to deal with beanie baby hats, as this is the style you’ll find is most effective for keeping your baby warm and protecting him or her from harsh weather elements.  A beanie is what you think of when you think of the classic “warm” hat.  A beanie makes sense for babies because it will fit snug around their heads while still remaining soft enough not to cause your baby any distress or discomfort.  Babies can become unhappy very quickly when they experience discomfort, so it’s important to consider the best options for their wardrobe accessories.

A cotton baby hat is a staple of any infant wardrobe, and with good reason.   Cotton is cozy enough to keep your baby’s ears warm while still breathable enough not to overheat him or her during the hotter months.  The other nice thing about choosing a hat made from cotton is that it’s extremely resilient.  So, when your baby inevitably has an accident (or two, or three) it can be easily washed and machine dried and ready to go back on your little one’s head in no time.  No matter how many hats your baby already has, if he’s missing a cotton one his wardrobe is truly incomplete.

A crochet baby hat is perhaps just as breathable as cotton but has the advantage of being an expansive fashion item with lots of room for imagination.  Since the art of crochet has what is essentially infinite possibilities for creative designs, this type of hat is  the perfect and practical way to add a little swag to your baby’s wardrobe.  And, because there are so many styles to choose from, they make great gifts for any of your infant’s many milestones.  Warm enough for the winter and at the same time breathable enough for the summer, crochet hats are a versatile and fashionable item and it’s definitely worth adding a couple to your baby’s selection.

Wednesday, May 4, 2011

Lifestyle And Baby Carriers


Parenthood is about raising children but infancy is about spending time with them, a lot of time with them.  This will, of course, mean traveling around a lot with them.  After all, you can not just leave them at home to fend for themselves while you pop out to the store to pick up something for dinner that night, baby will have to come too.  In the car is no problem because the government makes most of the decisions for you.  Professional race car drivers are not protected in the car as babies are.  Once the are out of the car it is time for a baby carrier.  The question for you is what are the best baby carriers.

When it come to baby carriers you are in luck because there are quite a few makers of them that have great reputations like baby hawk baby carriers and ergo wraps.  They come in a variety of different models that have slightly different pro and cons.  These each function with certain lifestyle so when you are shopping look for the one that suits it.  All of these keep the baby in front and facing you and that alone is a hallmark of the best baby carriers

For those people that keep a very urban lifestyle with a focus on looking hip the maya wraps are a great choice and very popular right now and made by several companies.  They are basically like little cloth hammocks that are stung around one shoulder.  They come in a lot of colors and fabrics.  These are so big with the hippies types.

The next group of people are more the suburbanites.  They have the nice modest house and a mini van. They need to be looking more at the baby carriers from ergo or baby hawk.  They work in a similar way to the maya wraps but use padded seating for the child.  The good thing is that it handles children up to a larger size.  This is nice because even if your toddler walks well there ares still occasions when you would prefer to carry them.

The finial one is composed mostly of straps at critical places.  These give perfect safety while still being a bare minimum of material.  This can help your baby stay cool and allows you a little more movement.  This is great for the outdoors type.

Your baby is going to love what ever you pick so let your lifestyle be your guide.

Finding The Right Baby Carrier.


If you have had a child  or thinking of having one you know you are going to be spending a lot of time with them as infants, sometimes a little later too.  The common thought on infants now is that, when on foot, it is best to travel with the baby so that it is facing you.  There are really two reasons for that.  One is that it makes it so much easier to take care of their needs.  You know if you try to travel with them on your back then they will instantly need something.  Its the Murphy's Law of Children.  The other reason is that it helps keep the baby more socially comfortable.  The baby's head is just the right distance form yours to allow their newborn eyes to focus on yours.  This increases bonding time.

To transport the child in front you will need a sling or wrap.  These really are the best baby carriers but they are not cheap so you will want to choose the right one.  This is not to hard as most companies will only carry tested products from companies with good reputations.  Your real part of the choice is the style and this is where they differ.  Each one has its pros and cons.

Of all of them the maya wraps are probably the most stylish of them.  They are the ones that you see the Hollywood celebrity using.  They are very comfortable for the baby and easy to take off and put on.  They also give the baby a “blanket” to lay on while he or she is being passed around to your friends.  The down side is that it does not attach at the bottom so bending over still requires on arm to support the baby.

The ergo wraps and baby hawk wrap are just more western versions of this and differ depending on which model you decide to get.  Some of them use padded cloth pads to help support the baby while others take a different approach, more of a mountain climbing style.  The are just attached padded straps that support the baby just were needed.  Those are good for people with very active life styles

All these types of baby carriers work but what it will really come down to is your personal taste.  You will want to try them all first and the one that fits your lifestyle is the one you need. 

Maya Wraps, The Ancient Baby Carrier


There are two things in this world that everyone likes.  One is consistency.  We like things in our life to flow smoothly and make sense.  The other is that we like to take great care of our children.  They are our little angels.  Now both these things that we like so much can be found in one product and that is in a maya wrap, the best baby carrier design on the market.  It has and does the two things we love so much.  How does it do this?

We can start with how the maya wrap helps you with consistency.  We all have a certain way we dress and a certain way we live our lives.  Some of us wear a lot of earthy colors and tones, listen to environmental music and are vegetarians.  Others of us wear a lot of bold colors and styles and live a very urban lifestyle.  Now your baby carrier can fit right in with that lifestyle.  If you are more of a hippie sort, you might want to get a maya wrap made with organic fibers and colored with natural dyes.  If you are the urban-hip type then maybe a bold colored silk would be more for you.  Either way your great baby carrier now also looks great with the type of clothes you wear.

You would never want to look good at the cost of your baby's comfort and safety.  Now with the maya wrap you don't have to.  These baby carriers are very safe because they can not be dropped.  The baby is held close to your chest and feels secure.  It helps your balance as well as freeing up your hands a good deal.  Even better, to the baby the wrap is basicly like a blanket and we all know how much babies love their blankets.  The design of them also lets you pass the baby around so that everyone can see him or her.  They can stay in the wrap the whole time so there is not the disruption to the baby that happens with other types of baby carriers.

The maya wraps are a carrier that is of a design that has been around for 1000's of years and is a timeless classic that now even the fashion world has come to embrace.  It is an expression of how you like to live and that you love to take great care of your child.

The Must Have Baby Carrier


One of the first things you will learn when you have kids is that it is important that items preform more than one function.  If you don't keep this in mind your world will quickly fill with objects that have only on function.  When you discover an item that is like a “Swiss Army Knife” then you will want to take advantage of it.  The maya wrap is just this sort of item.  It is the best baby carrier for this and many other reasons.  It is a must-have for young families with newborns.

The primary function of the maya wrap is as a baby carrier and at this it is outstanding.  By keeping the baby against your chest it has many positive aspects.  It helps keep your center of gravity and therefor your balance.  It also gives you much greater use of your hands and arms.  This freedom is important because the baby is going to be with you all the time so it gives you a way to work while keeping the baby safe.

Beyond the fact that the wrap is good for you the parent it is also great for the baby.  It give the baby a sense of security as the  baby can feel your heartbeat.  This will help reduce crying and anything that can help do that is a parent's dream.

Everyone loves to see a new baby and wants to hold them and the maya wrap helps here as well.  It lets you pass your child around with as little disruption to baby as possible but it still feels, to the adults, like holding a baby.  The wrap also serves as a little bit of a shield against colds and such.  You can also use the maya wrap as a bit of a baby blanket.  The baby can be laid down when you are not at home and simple wrapped up more in his or her wrap with out the need to tote a extra blanket with you.

Despite the fact that the wrap is so functional but it looks great too.  The maya wraps come in all colors and patterns so you can have one or more that fits your style.  This is why you see so many celebrity moms using them.

There is no doubt that the best baby carrier is the maya wrap.  It looks great yet still works so well it is quickly becoming a must-have for new parents.

Maya Wrap, Form Meets Function


Welcome to parenthood!  If this is your first baby you are in to all sorts of new experiences.  Some of these you have already thought about and planed on.  Things like changing diapers and 2 am feedings are already expected.  One of the things you might have thought but have yet to grasp is how close you are going to need to be to your little bundle of joy.  Babies are not like pets that can simply be tied to a tree out side while you go inside to shop, baby needs to come in as well.  You are going to need a baby carrier.  The problem is to find the best baby carrier for your needs.

The baby carrier you really need to consider is the maya wrap.   By now you have seen them in celebrity magazines.  Actress and models are often photographed using just this type of carrier but is it just because they are stylish or are there underlying reasons behind it?  The answer is quite simply both. It is a great meeting of form an function.

As for looking great there is no doubt that it does.  They come in a variety of colors and patterns so there is one out there that fits your own personal style or one that fits your outfit.  Now your necessity is also a great fashion garment.

The maya wrap does more than look good, however, it is a great baby carrier.  You are going to be taking the newest member of your family every where with you for quite a while and now you have a more comfortable way to do it.  The wrap keeps your child close to your body and therefore help you keep your center of gravity and reduces the strain on your arms and back.  It also eliminates the possibility of dropping the carrier.

This type of carrier is also great for the baby as well as you.  It hold your baby close to your chest which is very comforting and keeps your baby feeling secure so there is less crying.  Also, since every one will want to hold the little person, the maya wrap makes it easier to pass the child without disturbing him or her too much.

The maya wrap is the best baby carrier for a new parent.  Not only does it work better than other styles of baby carriers but it looks great too.  Just because your are a new parent does not mean you can't look great no matter what else you are wearing.