It is fun to go shopping for babies, whether it be for clothes, furniture toys or any other baby-related item. There are so many gifts to chose from, it is guaranteed that you will find the perfect baby gift.

Gifts come from everyone including grandparents, parents, uncles, aunts, and friends who want to pamper the baby.

Of course, baby showers are very popular among the baby gift giving set. A popular gift for showers are unique gift basket loaded with goodies for the new life that is about to enter the world. One can even purchase crafty diaper cakes that are loaded with decorative, yet practical ornaments like pacifiers, diaper pins, teddy bears, etc. Other unique gifts include a photo frame that is shaped in different forms and contains about 10 to 14 frames. Such a gift would help in treasuring your childhood memories. There are cuddly blankets in the cutest of colors that come in all shapes and sizes. There are gifts that can serve a purpose for both mother and child like a comfortable rocking chair or a versatile stroller.

Stock or share certificates are one-of-a-kind gifts and a great way to start saving for baby. This can be framed and truly makes a great gift. Embroidered gifts are popular for babies and also make for a lovely functional gift. All sorts of baby items can be embroidered including booties, blankets, sweaters, bibs, pillows, towels and night wear.

Knitted items are also very popular and are often seen on babies in the form of sweaters, booties, blankets, etc.

Babies bring loads of joy and excitement to all families. So pamper your new arrival with unique gifts that are durable, of good quality and above all, functional.

Baby Gifts provides detailed information about baby gifts, baby gift registries, and more. Baby Gifts is affiliated with Games For Baby Showers.

Pregnancy

Indigestion is often a problem, later on in pregnancy.

Eat little and often. Make sure if you are going out that you have food at hand. For example, sunflower seeds or dried apricots, easy to carry around and very good for you.

Water - Drink plenty of water throughout the pregnancy.

Exercise - As much walking as you can take. During the final trimester it is very important. Bending down can cause acid to rise, so it is better to bend from the knee, again this would be during the final trimester.

Relax

Playing relaxation music during the pregnancy. Dr. Alexandra Lamont, a psychologist who specialises in music and the effect it has on the unborn child has noted that calming music playing during pregnancy will be recognised by your baby, who will again calm down on hearing it. Therefore, relaxing music that you play while you are pregnant has the effect of not only relaxing you and your baby in the womb, but with repeated listening your baby will feel calm and relaxed whenever you play this music.

Teething Baby

Irritable. Contraditory - wants something, then doesn’t want it. Likes being carried. Homeopathic remedy: Chamomilla
Also if stool tends to be greenish, think of Chamomilla. Teething will often affect the whole digestive system, causing diarrhoea. Another symtom is one cheek red, the other white.

Red, hot, flushed face, cold hands and feet. Very upset baby. Homeopathic remedy: Belladonna

[Mucus - Babies sometimes appear to be pulling on one ear or another during teething. This can be because of a build-up of mucus, which often accompanies teething.]

Colic

Chamomilla - Extremely irritable. Nothing satisfies the baby, except to be carried.
Colic often accompanies teething.

Pulsatilla - Colic after mother has eaten rich foods (only affects baby is mother is breastfeeding)

Colocynth - Extreme colic. Baby keeps bring knees up to abdomen. Massaging the tummy helps.
[Homeopathic remedies should be in the 30c potency. They can be purchased in most chemists. Follow instructions on the container.]

If colic has been a problem since birth, you might consider going to a Cranial Osteopath. This is a very gentle form of osteopathy, particularly suitable for babies.

To find someone in your area - contact: Upledger Institute

Bonding with your baby

Massage - Find time each morning when you can snuggle up to each other. Massaging your baby can be very relaxing, especially if your baby’s tummy is tense after feeding. Be very gentle.

Bathing your baby - you can get in the bath with your baby, it could be fun!

Breastfeeding

Cracked nipples - One of the problems with breastfeeding can be cracked nipples. Calendula cream on the nipples will help. Simply wipe off just before breastfeeding.

Tension - If your baby is restless, or you are tense during breastfeeding - play Calmtime. This should help you both and will serve as a trigger for relaxation whenever it is time to feed.

Sleep

Bad habits - Whilst having your baby in bed with you during the early days can be comforting, to continue the habit would be a mistake. Babies then get used to the warmth of another body and will continually want this. The best thing to do is after your baby is fast asleep, take him/her back to their own bed.

Relaxation - Again, Calmtime can help soothe your baby to sleep.

DISCLAIMER: These tips are provided for general information only and are not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always consult your own doctor or practitioner if you are in any way concerned about your or your family’s health.

Daphne Nancholas is a registered homeopath and has run a successful WellWoman clinic for the past 9 years. She has published a helpful handbook for qualified homeopaths called Taking Off. Her website is: http://www.daphnehomeopath.co.uk
Daphne and her partner Graham Smith have recently finished producing a relaxation CD for mother and baby. You can find details, including reviews and testimonials on their website: http://www.calmtime.co.uk. She and Graham live in Cornwall.

By themselves baby announcements are nothing more than a simple note to people that you’re having a baby. For a societal standpoint however, birth or baby announcements, and even baby shower announcements or invitations are notice to your friends and family that things are changing. You may have been the short kid on the block when growing up, or the tom-boy always playing sports with the boys. With announcements, you’re declaring to the world that you’re preparing to take your place in the adult world by taking on the awesome responsibility of caring for a new child.

Yes, a birth announcement looks simply like a notice that someone new has been born into the family. Putting a picture into the announcement lets people take a peak into the change in your life. It also allows family members to play the “he has your uncle Henry’s nose” and her mother’s eyes” type games. It never ceases to amaze me how people can see other people in a newborn whose features are still moving into shape from the birth.

Older people are especially susceptible to reflecting on the meaning and changes of a new child being brought into the world. Some may reminisce about they’re own childrens births and the challenges faced. Some may remember fondly the parents of that newly minted child when they were children themselves. And of course, there will be some that are just thankful that they don’t have any children of their own. Little do they know what they’re missing.

The time of reflection starts with the first shower invitation. These are usually bought at a local stationery or general merchandise store and come pre packaged with invitations and envelopes. These very inexpensive invitations are great for baby showers. Make no mistake, a baby shower is an important part of recognition for the mom to be and allows family and friends to have a time of togetherness to celebrate the common bond of motherhood.

Birth announcements usually are more formal and many include a picture. These are sent out by the parents to update friends and family of the birth of the newest member of the family. Do not ignore sending these announcements or consider them unnecessary. They’re important on so many levels to so many people that it’s difficult to completely understand how critical they are to tie a family together no matter how far apart they live. They tell the people in your world that you, the parents, have taken on a new and important responsibility.

Abigail Franks writes on many subjects having to do with home, family, and health. For more information on baby announcements visit the site at http://www.baby-announcement.vitalsource.org

There are multitudes of ways to purchase used clothing for your baby. In this article I will cover only the online options available in the hopes that it will help you to maximize your spending money with the least amount of hassle, stress or risk. I hope to cover some of the key issues of buying used clothes online such as private sales versus online stores, the use of PayPal and other forms of payment, purchasing through ebay and non-ebay auctions or non-auctions alike, online classifieds and more all in the hopes that you will benefit from some of the things I’ve learned and avoid the mistakes that I as well as others have made.

First of all let’s talk a bit about where to find used baby clothes online from private sellers. There are some areas on the web which allow you to post used clothing ads such as ebay and classified sites. Some classified or “for sale” sites are even specialized in either family or baby related items. Ebay, for those of us who are familiar but not necessarily all knowing about it, is a giant online auction with items being posted constantly in all possible fields and topics. Those selling can choose to list their items in an auction format in which the sky’s the limit. Bids can start as low as one penny or they can choose to invite people to purchase the items out right by using a buy now feature in which they set a price for their items. As a general rule the buyer pays all shipping costs on top of the selling price and most payments are made through PayPal, which I will cover later.

Baby clothing on ebay tends to be mostly new with or without tags attached and is either sold in batches of items known as “lots” (grouped by gender and size) or individually as outfits. Since I am focusing on used baby items let’s discuss those. Batches of baby clothing on ebay tend to get bid very high as there is a seemingly large number of people wanting to buy in this way and very few meeting the demand. I have found that items and batches of clothing of any note on ebay tend to sky rocket in price above what is reasonable for used clothing — particularly if they toss in a few name brands such as Gap, Osh Kosh, Gymboree etc… and more often than not a bidding war ensues and you are inevitably outbid or worse you get caught up and spend more than you’d originally expected for items you haven’t even seen and have no quality guarantee!

Auction and classified or selling sites other than ebay can be very chancy — since ebay is established it has the ability to set down rules which keep most dishonest people out while the smaller sights haven’t the same pull with those posting. Quite often these sites (this doesn’t really apply to local purchasing) are riddled with people who are no longer allowed to post on ebay for one reason or another. I have had experiences myself in which items promised ended up being fewer than what I’d paid for and set a price based entirely on quantity! I can’t tell you how upset that made me, and what was worse — I was informed that three of the items had small stains when in truth about 50 fell into the stained category. So what had originally been a good deal turned out to be very disappointing!

There are of course no guarantees with a private seller, no return policy or customer service after the sale is closed and once the sale is complete you must find a new seller down the road when you need clothing again and you run the risks of stumbling across a swindle or a sour deal every time.

One rule to follow in all private sales is to use a traceable method of payment like PayPal. PayPal is a third party which will ensure payment and receipt of product from both parties. Do not use Western Union in any online transactions, or any other non traceable forms of payment! There is no guarantee you’ll ever get the items you paid for when you use this method as it is meant to be untraceable!

So now let’s discuss the second option of buying used baby clothes online — the non private sellers or online used baby clothing stores. There are over 50 stores currently running online who specialize in selling used baby clothing. As with all things online there are stores which are shabbily run due to poor web design skills and such to no fault on the part of the store, they just don’t have the skills to make the process simple and enjoyable for you. They have great items and competitive prices and if you don’t mind a little extra effort when placing an order they do have more security than the average private seller — especially since you know where they are going to be when you need them.

There are a handful of sites which are a little better for service - for example you do not need to email them detailed descriptions of the items you’d like, mail them a money order or some such and then wait for them to receive it before they even send you the items these sites often have PayPal as an option and some even have shopping carts if a little confusing to use. There are an even smaller number of high service sights who offer credit card payment options, low shipping costs and things similar to those offered by online stores in general. Quite a few of all three levels of sites have quality guarantees for a week or so after you’ve received your order — one even offers a full year quality guarantee! This ensures that the items you buy from them have been inspected thoroughly by people who have a more universal understanding of the words “in great condition” and it is in their best interest to satisfy as they ideally would like you to come back and tell others! Shopping with these stores can be fun and you can save tons while getting the quality you are looking for!

Should you choose the more dangerous route of shopping through private sellers with ebay and non ebay sites please take care and remember to never use a non traceable form of payment, don’t be afraid to ask numerous questions — if something seems off in their responses trust your gut — there will always be another seller. Should you choose to explore the option of purchasing through an online used baby clothing store I wish you all the fun of shopping for baby clothes at bargain prices (doesn’t that mean you can buy even more?!) with none of the hassle or risks associated with private sellers and the added benfit of quality guarantees! Happy Shopping! I will cover more on this issue in later posts.

About The Author

Sharlene Rollins owns and operates a unique second hand online store www.gentlylovedclothing.com. Her email address is shar@gentlylovedclothing.com.

I coached as my wife was delivering our third child. She was at the final phase of delivery where the last few pushes would result in the birth of our second daughter. As the crown of our daughter’s head protruded slightly from the very end of the birth canal, my wife’s obstetrician yelled, “Stop! Don’t push…”

He quickly positioned a hypodermic needle and injected anesthetic into a section of my wife’s perineal tissue - the skin between the vagina and the anus. Next he grabbed a scalpel and carefully addressed the freshly anesthetized area. The attending nurse and I instinctively wheeled our heads to the side so that our eyes could not see what happened next. “I never watch this part,” she told me, as the doctor quickly performed a simple procedure known as an episiotomy. Our daughter was born minutes later. As mother and daughter were meeting face-to-face for the very first time, the doctor was busy stitching the incision created during the episiotomy.

The idea behind performing an episiotomy is twofold. The first reason is concern for the baby. Passing through the vaginal canal is the most stressful time for a baby experiencing a traditional vaginal birth. Cutting the perineal tissue creates a wider opening so that the baby can slip through more easily. The second reason is, in theory, to prevent out-of-control tearing of the mother’s perineal tissue. The idea is that, by making an incision, the area affected by cutting or tearing is controlled to a certain extent by the attending physician. The problem is that not all mothers experience tearing, so the laceration can be unnecessary.

According to an article by Salynn Boyles published on WebMD (http://my.webmd.com/content/article/110/109783.htm), The Journal of the American Medical Association (Vol. 293 No. 17, May 4, 2005) reports that researchers screened nearly 1,000 medical resources published in the past 60 years looking for data measuring the effectiveness of the procedure. Data from twenty-six articles contained relevant content and were aggregated to form conclusions.

The article reported that there was “fair to good” evidence that the results of routine episiotomy were not advantageous over the results of those with restrictive use of episiotomy. In cases where episiotomy was performed routinely, the severity of the laceration, the degree of pain suffered, and the amount of medication needed to treat was no better than for cases where episiotomy was not routinely performed.

Though most of the individuals were not followed late into life, relevant studies have shown no benefit from episiotomy for the prevention of urinary incontinence or pelvic floor muscle relaxation. Studies have also shown that “impaired sexual function - pain with intercourse - was more common among women” who had the procedure. A report published in the British Medical Journal in January of 2000 reported that women who received episiotomies during delivery had a significantly higher incidence of anal incontinence - the inability to control bowel movements and gas - than their counterparts who did not receive the procedure.

At best episiotomy is something no one wants to observe; at worst it can cause pain, lengthen the time it would normally take for a couple to resume sexual relations, and cause anal incontinence. The ideal situation would be to not only avoid episiotomy, but also to avoid tearing.

Informed mothers are learning more about this subject and taking the time to speak with their obstetricians about it, well in advance of their scheduled birthing date. They are adopting a strategy that includes special exercises using a device called EPI·NO. The EPI·NO is a soft balloon-like device that is inserted into the vaginal opening and gently filled with air to a specific pressure.

As the balloon is inflated the tissues are gently stretched. The pressure is then maintained for a period of time so that the tissues can adjust to the new opening. Daily the amount of air is increased slightly so that the vaginal opening is gently prepared to receive the baby’s head. The end result is that the tissues are not only better prepared for the birthing process, but - because the tissues are not suddenly and violently stretched - the tissues more readily return to their prior state.

The philosophy is not new. In fact, there exists an age-old African custom by which an expectant mother gently inserts a calabash or gourd into the vaginal opening, to manually stretch the pelvic floor muscles and the perineal tissues. This process is still in use today in many parts of Africa. Modern science provides us with knowledge and materials that perform a similar function, but in a safer and more sterile way.

Unlike the calabash or gourd, the EPI·NO can be used not only to prepare the pelvic floor muscles and perineal tissues for birth, it can also be used to regenerate the tissues through post-partum exercises. Approximately three to six weeks following childbirth (ask your OB/GYN when to begin), a mother can begin once again to use the EPI·NO.

By clenching the pelvic floor muscles - a process known as a “kegel exercise” - the new mother will see the pressure on the EPI·NO gauge rise. This is called “bio feedback” and helps to inform you that your pelvic muscle exercises are being done correctly and to track your progress as muscle strength returns. Expectant mothers can experience mild to severe anxiety as childbirth approaches. Using EPI·NO a few weeks in advance of childbirth can help to reduce this anxiety.

Clinical studies have shown that using EPI·NO will:

• Reduce the incidence of elective episiotomy
• Reduce the incidence of perineal tissue tearing
• Increase APGAR scores (measuring the overall health condition of the newborn baby)
• Decrease the need for certain drugs during childbirth
• Reduce anxiety for the mother

Women who have used EPI·NO in preparation for childbirth report some very satisfying results:

“My daughter was born after 12 hours of labor without problems and spontaneously without cut or tear, thanks to the training with the EPI·NO and to perineum massage. But the interesting thing about it was that, during the phase of the passage of the baby’s head, the thought came to me: you know this feeling, you have managed it before! Instinctively I knew what was happening and, above all, in which direction I should press. (Of course, during the training I did not press, but was conscious of the direction…) In addition, I cannot forget that I was able to practice the “letting go” in the pelvic floor beforehand and thus, was far less frightened before the birth … “

“The birth was very quick (2½ hours). I had a very short expulsion phase (approximately 15 minutes) and gave birth with an uninjured perineum. I consider these factors to be due to the EPI·NO. … I think that without EPI·NO there would definitely have been a perineum injury, because when practicing the exercises one senses the progress and how the tissue becomes gradually more extensible. The handling of the instrument is easy. All in all I can most warmly recommend the EPI·NO … ”

More information about EPI·NO can be found by visiting the “Avoid Episiotomy” website (http://www.avoidepisiotomy.com).

Michael Callen is the author of the Weekly Weightloss Tips Newsletter (http://www.weeklyweightlosstips.com) and the Chief Technology Officer for WellnessPartners.com (http://www.WellnessPartners.com), an online retailer of dozens of health and wellness products such as conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), r+ alpha lipoic acid (R+ ALA), and green tea extract.