Help Keep New Babies Safe

By sarajean on 8/31/10 1:46am
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Since September is Baby Safety Month, it makes sense to keep a baby’s safety in mind when presenting new parents with gifts. Of course, it’s always a good time to think about keeping baby safe and healthy.

One of my favorite gifts to include with any new baby gift bag is a set of protective outlet covers. Not only are these very inexpensive, but they’re also something that can be used for many years. I know lots of families go through them. Sometimes when you take one out to vacuum and misplace it, you just need a few spares on hand. And since my middle sister put a utensil in a socket as a child and received a very scary charge, I know how important it is to keep those things covered up until kids are old enough to know better. Drawer latches can come in handy, too.

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Give the Gift of Empowerment

By sarajean on 5/31/10 12:24am
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If you have a new mom and/or dad among your friends or family who’s very much into health, sustainability, and humane lifestyle choices, he and/or she have their work cut out for them! The world is full of harmful things—from pesticides to genocide, sweatshops to deforestation, harmful plastics to harmful diapers—that can harm not just baby, but also mom and dad and the world around them. To really help out such couples (and to help any couple, if you feel so inclined), you can create a safe product registry for them to use.

To start your registry, you might want to think of all of the things the new baby will need. From changing tables to binkies, blankets to baby food, this will be a heckuva long list. If you’ve had kids before, you already know what’s needed; if not, check out a baby registry or website for a general guide.

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A Baby Dream Book

By sarajean on 2/28/10 6:25pm
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A friend of mine is having her first baby, a girl, in a few months and I was wondering about what to get the little doll. My friend is definitely a girly-girl and I’m sure she’ll have plenty of fluffy pink bears and bows for her hair. But I was thinking of getting something a little less conventional, and maybe a lot more empowering...

But what the heck is empowering for a baby girl? A duckie with a Rosie the Riveter t-shirt? A pacifier with a feminist symbol? I don’t want to rock the boat and I don’t want to make my friend upset, but I also want to give them both something that will help foster a lifelong strength—or maybe a little girl power.

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Gifts for Baby New Year

By sarajean on 1/10/10 11:23am
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Even if he doesn’t have giant ears, a cool top hat, or the amazing ability to crawl immediately following birth like Rudolph’s friend, every baby New Year deserves some cool gear. If your friend or loved one just had a baby, you might want to get the little decade-starter one of these presents.

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January is Baby Safety Month

By sarajean on 12/31/09 5:57am
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One of the best gifts you can give a new parent is the reassurance that he or she is doing a good job. When we start out, we’re all the same—a mess of confusion, worry, and the deer in the headlights look. That’s fine; how many parents do you know who start out feeling 100% confident and continue every step of the way?

Since January is Baby Safety Month, you may wish to give the gift of a worry-free state of being: tell your new mama or daddy that he or she is doing a good job, that at least half of those baby safety products out there are unnecessary (or even a joke), and to keep up the good work.

That said, there are plenty of legitimate baby safety products that you might want to invest in for your new parent friend. Here are a few ideas.

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Christmas Pictures of Baby

By sarajean on 12/15/09 8:21pm
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If your loved one has a brand new baby this Christmas, it’ll probably be one of the most memorable—and tiring!—yuletide holidays he or she will ever remember. For a truly memorable gift for both baby and parents, you could give the family a set of baby Christmas photos this year.

You don’t have to pay for a sitting, but if you do, make sure that the baby is safe. Bring some sanitize wipes to wipe down anything used in the photo shoot—or, better yet, bring your own from home. Get the package you can afford; you don’t have to get enough for the entire family. Most parents would be thrilled with a single eight by ten and a few wallets to show off.

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What Every New Mother Wants

By sarajean on 8/31/09 8:49am
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A good three or four year’s worth of diapers, free medical care, no germs to ever touch her child, sleeping through the night during the first week after giving birth… There is probably a list a mile long of things that a new mother would love to have.

But this week, while I was harried and going nuts between work, school and some family matters, a dear friend remarked, “You need a mommy day.” She then proceeded to offer me one herself, which I nearly cried upon hearing.

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Baby-Friendly Bathing Gear

By sarajean on 8/15/09 2:37pm
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Every new parent wants what’s best for his or her new bundle of joy. From safety latches to outlet covers, baby monitors to toy size-checkers, most parents don’t find any investment too costly when it comes to protecting their children.

That’s why it’s so important to protect kids while bathing. Not only can babies be scalded by the water, they can also slip and drown. Then there’s the shampoo and washing products themselves, which claim to be so kid-friendly and “tear-free,” though, as their ingredients have been found to cause health problems like hormone disruptions and cancer, they must cause tears in the long run, right?

Help out the new parents in your life in doing their new number one priority—protecting their baby—by giving the gift of bath safety. Here are a few products you may want to invest in.

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Give the Gift of a Medical Notebook

By sarajean on 7/31/09 7:31pm
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I know what you’re thinking—a notebook? There is this cute little bundle in my friend/sister-in-law/coworker’s womb practically pleading for a rubber duckie, a soft velour blanket covered in Pooh Bear print and gobs and gobs of stuffed animals—and you want me to give her a notebook?

Well, yes! I remember when I was a new mother and I received more stuffed animals and blankies than I’d ever need; many of them were quickly donated. Plus, though I wasn’t very fond of pink, I ended up with over forty pink outfits for my daughter. Her closet was one sea of Pepto Bismol, folks. Not that I’m ungrateful—on the contrary, all of that help was much-appreciated!—but people usually have all of the fluffy things that they need.

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More Cute Solar Powered Nightlights

By sparklyscotty on 7/23/09 3:16pm
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Everyone's favorite solar powered lamp just got even better, with two new baby-friendly colors.  The Sun Jar is a small solar lamp inside a traditional frosted glass mason jar.  It combines new technology with old fashioned design and is a beautiful and practical nightlight for any nursery.  Once only available in a natural yellow color (hence the literal meaning of the Sun Jar),  the manufacturers have now introduce pretty pink and cool blue versions. 

It might sound old fashioned, but I still think it would be a cute idea to give a blue lamp for a boy and pink for a girl.

Nightlights are one of my favorite gifts for new moms as they are both thoughtful and unusual, practical yet pretty.  The Sun Jar is especially nice as it is sophisticated enough to look stylish anywhere in the home, but with a warm suffused light that babies are sure to find comforting.

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