Baby Advice @ Cuddles 'n Gifts sending smiles!

The most blessed and joyful occasion of life is the birth of a new baby! It is an occasion that a proud parent never forgets from the first breath of life, to the first cry to holding their precious baby for the first time.

The love a newborn baby brings into the world is like no other love experienced by a single person. It is a love so unconditional and so selfless, and it is a love that will never diminish but will grow each moment of every day.

The birth of a new baby is a beginning of a new life and the beginning of many precious moments that will be experienced through a parent’s lifetime. A new baby is the beginning of many wondrous things and a world of possibilities.

As pregnancy progresses a woman dreams of the day they will hold their newborn, and a parent dreams all things good for their baby.

A song from a country singer has always been in my memory since my children’s birth and has become my theme song for the hopes and dreams of my children:

I hope you still feel small
When you stand by the ocean
Whenever one door closes, I hope one more opens
Promise me you’ll give faith a fighting chance
~ Lee Anne Womack.

Enjoy the precious bundle of joy that your life was blessed with! Celebrate the special new baby in your life with one of our many baby gift baskets such as our popular “Special Delivery Baby Gift Basket.”

I am one of the lucky mothers who have what they say is “a million dollar family” in that I have been blessed with a boy and a girl. The greatest pleasure of my life is watching my young son and daughter develop and become their own person each and every day.

What has amazed me the most is how different a boy and girl are even at such a young age. My son was born when my daughter was 18 ½ months old. One of the first questions I was asked was, “Do you find there is a difference between having a boy and a girl?” At first I replied that there was no difference.

Then my son became three months old and I started to respond differently to that much asked question. At three months of age, my son started to show the traits of a true boy. As he gets older the gap between genders is surely noticeable.

The following are my experiences and may not be the experiences of other families:

1. Girls from a very young age are gentle creatures. They treat their toys with gentle ease whereas a boy is aggressive with their toys, bashing them and throwing them around like a baseball.
2. Boys are fearless and take risks regardless of the possible outcome. My daughter was very cautious at every step of her development from crawling to walking. I laugh at my son as he goes down two flights of stairs. He slides down them like a toboggan on an icy hill.
3. Boys from a very young age are louder and more temperamental. As a baby, my daughter did not cry very much even when in pain from teething or when she was really sick. My son is a whole different ball game and has a set of lungs!
4. Girls are nurturers and this is noticeable in them at a very young age. My daughter loves to take care of her babies and her baby brother. She is almost like a mother figure. My son, instead of pushing a stroller with a baby in it, he pushes it with a ball in it.
5. The first few words my son learned and says the most frequently is “ball” and “broke.” Yes, he is already an athlete and a fix-it boy!
6. Girls no matter where you are want a parent by their side whereas a boy is exploratory and goes off without a parent in any location.
7. Amazingly enough, boys at an early age don’t like to sit and watch television. My son doesn’t sit still for a moment and is very energetic and always into something. Whereas my daughter can sit and watch a television show for hours over and over again.
8. Boys are generally mommy’s little boys where girls are generally daddy’s little girls. It’s amazing how children tend to put a bit more favoritism on the opposite sex parent.
9. Boys show analytic thinking at a young age. They will sit and look at their toys and try to figure out how to take them apart or put them together. A girl sees their toys as the way they are.
10. Boys and girls choose their toys according to their gender. Boys will choose balls and cars where a girl will choose dolls.

These are the traits I see that differentiate my little boy from my little girl.

Of course, there are a number of similarities. Each baby and toddler, regardless of their gender, needs love, affection and attention.

Celebrate the arrival of a new baby with baby gift baskets that can be customized in pink or blue.

It is never to early to introduce books and reading to babies. Reading aloud to your baby is a remarkable way of fostering brain development and important in the development of language skills.

Reading to your child is the most valuable thing you can do and babies benefit immensely. Not only does it help develop baby’s eye muscles through focusing on pictures but it helps to encourage language skills. Each and every baby learns by sight, sound and feeling. When a baby sees, hears or feels anything, brain connections form and eventually create a piece of knowledge.

Babies first learn words by association with objects and pictures, which help them to understand the world around them. Eventually these associations are developed into language skills, where they begin sounding out the word. Language skills then develop into a way of which a baby can communicate with their parents and others around them.

As your baby grows into a toddler there are many other benefits that reading provides, such as:

1. Reading aloud helps your child to learn new words, associations and language skills.
2. Reading aloud to children helps them to learn and understand about the world around them and events and situations that do occur in everyday life.
3. Reading aloud to children helps them to develop their creativity and imagination.
4. Reading aloud to children helps them to learn about values and moral concepts, such as honesty, sharing and teaches them right from wrong.
5. Reading aloud to children is calming and soothing and is a fantastic way to bond with your child.

The benefits of reading to your baby and child are endless!

Establish a daily routine and read to your child. Life can never be too busy to set aside some reading time to your child and the rewards your child will reap are infinite!

Introduce the new baby in your life with a world of words and pictures with a wonderful baby book basket. The new baby will be delighted and the joy derived from books will provide countless hours of learning and pleasure.

Start reading to your baby today!

Each and every day people around the world celebrate the birth of a new baby.

How many new babies are born into this world on a daily basis? Imagine this! Over a quarter of a million babies are born into the world each and every day. This statistic proves to us that we do not live in a small world!

What does a new baby bring into the world? A world of new beginnings, hopes and dreams!

Looking at the world and what may lie ahead, these precious babies become the future. Perhaps they will be the ones to change the world and make it a better place to live for their family and generations to come. Each new baby brings a realm of possibilities and a hope for tomorrow.

A special little bundle of joy enriches the lives of new parents and families are made more complete and whole. Lives are made more rewarding, joy and love are brought to new and higher levels, and dreams are fulfilled all from the birth of a new baby.

On a daily basis, individuals search for the perfect gift to welcome the new arrival and to congratulate the new parents. Cuddles ‘n Gifts specializes in baby gifts and gift baskets! Each and everyday we celebrate new babies.

What is the perfect baby gift? Some of our most popular bestsellers are:

Radio Flyer Wagons - Unique baby gifts filled to overflowing with essentials and toys that both the new parents and baby will enjoy. We offer a number of different styles to choose from and each is unique with gender specific gifts and colors. Created with quality and care and packed with love!

It’s a Boy Personalized Gift Set/It’s a Girl Personalized Gift Set - A perfect gift for celebrating the beginning of a new life and is a thoughtful personalized gift for the new baby. This wonderful keepsake gift includes a charming musical bear by Gund in addition to a number of baby essentials.

Rocking Horse - A beautifully finished gift that will be appreciated for a long time. Stuffed with essentials that the new baby needs while the Rocking Horse is a perfect toy as baby grows. This one will surely surprise the new parents!

Deluxe Baby Books Gift Basket - Sweet and charming, this gift basket is filled to overflowing with books that will delight the special bundle of joy! Start the little one on the road to a life of reading.

2 Tiered Teddy Bear Diaper Cakes - Perfect for a decoration as a Baby Shower centerpiece or to congratulate the new parents, these diaper cakes are assembled by hand and care. A distinct baby gift that will not be forgotten.

Mom and Baby Comfort Basket - Created especially for the new Mom and her precious little one, this gift basket is stuffed with items that will delight!

Cuddles ‘n Gifts is here to celebrate the new baby with you and we are sure that you will find the perfect gift with ease of shopping at your convenience. Celebrate babies and create a world of joy!

So its time to potty train your child, I know what your thinking! How am I ever going to do this? This is one of the great joys of parenthood; it can be a very difficult step in your child’s development. A child is ready to be potty trained anywhere between 11/2 to 3 years old and you will usually get clues as to when your child may be ready like showing an interest in the potty or wanting to wear “big kid” underwear. Everyone eventually gets the hang of it, it’s very unlikely that your child will go to high school with a diaper on so don’t worry too much, but if you need a little extra help here are some potty training tips to get you child on the road to going on his own.

First let’s talk about the don’ts of potty training your child

• Don’t force potty training on your child. Forcing your child to go will only create an atmosphere that he or she may be scared of and you will face more resistance.
• Don’t start potty training when a big life even is going on, stress, good or bad can be bad for potty training. Wait until life settles down so that your child will associate potty training with structure and routine. Don’t make accidents a big deal.
• Don’t get mad or upset, make sure they know that its natural and everyone does it and take the opportunity to show them the potty and explain to them that this is where they need to go next time. By getting angry or making it a big deal when your child ahs an accident it will actually reinforce it and may cause more accidents.
• Don’t expect your child to be trained to last through the night anytime soon. It is completely normal for bedwetting to happen up to age four.
• Don’t discount your child’s fears about potty training. Some children will be afraid of the sound of the toilet flushing, they might not understand where the toilet is going too, or they may be afraid to fall in. Explain and be patient with them no matter how silly the fear is.
• Don’t try to set a deadline, or a day that your child must be potty trained by. Each child is different and it may take some a week and others a year. Programs that promise your child will be trained in 7 days only leave the parents and children feeling as if they failed.

Ok now we can move on to what you should do:

• First you need to help your child recognize the signs of having to go to the bathroom. Usually your child will tell you after they have already done their business but this is a good sign that your child is starting to understand this bodily function. Make sure to praise your child for telling you and tell them to try and let you know next time before they go.
• Make trips to the potty a routine thing. If your child acts like he needs to go take him to the potty and let him sit but only for a few minutes at a time. If your child resists strongly do not force him to stay. Take your child at the same times everyday like first thing in the morning, after eating, after naps and before bed.
• Teach your child good hygiene and explain the purpose of bodily waste. Let your child know how to wipe properly (girls should wipe front to back to avoid bringing germs from the rectum to the vagina) and teach them to wash their hands after using the potty.
• Encourage the use of training pants and underwear.

It may seem impossible in the beginning but if you take it slow and pay attention to your child’s needs you should have no problem. Trust me this probably won’t be the biggest challenge you face with your child.

So you have reached the terrible two’s stage in your child’s development. You may be wondering where your sweet little girl went as she kicks and screams in fits of anger on the floor at the toy store. Children throw tantrums as a way to express anger and frustration, and you can’t really get mad at them because they don’t know how to properly deal with these normal feelings and its your job to teach them. It is important that you learn to communicate clearly with your baby and then most of the tantrums will disappear.

An important thing to remember when your child is throwing a tantrum is to never punish them. By punishing them you are making the tantrum worse at the moment and will prolong the behavior in the future. Also do not give into the child’s demands, if you do you are teaching them that they can use tantrums as a manipulation tool and that habit will be a hard one to break.

It may be easy to let the disapproval of onlookers to affect the way you handle the tantrum but don’t let this happen, your child need consistency and you don’t need to change your method to fit others opinions.

During the tantrum you should stay calm and try to distract them. You should calmly continue with whatever you are doing - chatting to someone else, packing your shopping or whatever. Every so often check to make sure your child is safe. Ignoring your child is very hard, but if you don’t you are giving them the attention they are demanding. Tantrums are not fun unless you have an audience so create a tantrum room.

Anytime your child has a tantrum make sure to take them to a specific room probably their own and tell them they are not allowed to come out until they are finished with the tantrum. If they do come out and are still having the tantrum, calmly take them back into the room and tell them again. After a while your child will start to understand that they are not getting the attention by screaming and yelling and they should calm down and come out.

After the tantrum pay attention to good behavior and as you see them starting to calm down, praise them. Then have a talk with them, it is important to help your child understand his or her feelings and how to deal with them. Don’t get into why your child was frustrated but focus on the tantrum itself and let them know that type of behavior is not appropriate. Teach your child words to say instead of screaming. Let them know you know they were angry and next time say “I am angry” instead of throwing the tantrum. Make sure your child understands by repeating yourself and asking them what they are going to do next time they feel angry.

Throwing tantrums are just a part of growing up, it is important to stay calm and remember that your child is still the sweet little baby you had before but she is just learning to deal with her emotions and she needs you to help her find words to express herself instead of throwing tantrums. Your child will find that positive attention is much better than negative attention unless the tantrum is the best way to get it.

Pregnancy is an amazing time, from the moment of conception, 46 chromosomes with 30,000 genes combine to determine all your baby’s physical characteristics: sex, facial features, body type, color of hair, eyes and skin. Even more amazingly, intelligence and personality are already in place within your baby’s genetic code. It is a time when the uterus expands to 500 times its normal size and your food cravings have become more than just want but an uncontrollable need. Here are some fun and interesting facts about this amazing time.

• A fetus in the womb can hear. Tests have shown that fetuses respond to various sounds just as vigorously as they respond to pressures and internal sensations.
• A four month old fetus will startle and turn away if a bright light is flashed on its mother’s belly.
• Children born in the month of May are on the average 200 grams heavier at birth than children born in any other month.
• A survey conducted at Iowa State College in 1969 suggests that a parent’s stress at the time on conception plays a major role in determining a baby’s sex.
• The child tends to be of the same sex as the parent who is under less stress.
• According to Aristotle, wind direction determined whether a baby would be a boy or a girl.
• The number of triplets born in the US in 1994 (4,594) was more than triple the number born in 1971 (1,034), an increase attributed to older age of the mothers and the use of fertility enhancing drugs and techniques.
• Did you know that a baby is born every three seconds?
• The largest number of children born to one woman is recorded at 69.
• From 1725 - 1765 a Russian peasant woman gave birth to 16 sets of twins, 7 sets of triplets and 4 sets of quadruplets.
• The first child ever born on the continent of Antarctica was born in 1978.
• The average stay in a hospital to give birth was 4.1 days in 1970. It was 2.6 days in 1993.
• Rosanna Dalla Corte an Italian woman gave birth at 63 years of age on July 18th 1994!
• The shortest interval between two children born to separate confinements is 208 days. Record breaking mother Jayne Bleackley gave birth to Joseph Robert on September 3, 1999, and Annie Jessica Joyce on March 30, 2000.
• The longest interval between the births of two children to the same mother is 41 years 185 days. Elizabeth Ann Buttle of Cwmann, Wales, UK, gave birth to Belinda on May 19,1956 and Joseph on November 20, 1997, aged 60.

As amazing as these facts are it is even more amazing to see a child that was once no bigger than a pea turn into a full grown human being with opinions and ideas of its own. When I was little I remember hearing that babies were brought to us by the stork! As cute as that idea may be, the true facts are obviously a lot more complex and interesting than the “stork delivering baby” concept. Perhaps by studying these facts you’ll come to appreciate even more how babies are an amazing gift from above!

You have waited nine months and exhausted, yet deliriously happy, the long awaited moment has arrived and your baby takes it’s first breath in the real world. The first precious cry is heard and you lay eyes on your beautiful new baby. It is a moment like no other you will ever experience in your life, your heart skips a beat and a powerful rush of love and emotion overcomes your entire being.

From that moment on you have taken on the most important yet rewarding roles you will have in your life. You have become a Parent and a Teacher of life. You now have a little hand to hold and guide along the journey of life.

Amidst the feelings of exhaustion, unbelievable joy and love, a tiny yet important question enters your mind. This question will always remain in the background of your thoughts through each step along your little one’s journey from baby to teenage years. That question is, “Will I be the best parent that I can be?”

Each day will have it’s set of joys, sorrows, frustrations, milestones, and trials and errors. Each and everyday I look back upon my day and summarize the events that occurred during that day. I look at the events that were positive and look at the ones where I can improve upon. Did I spend enough time with my children that day? Did I give them enough love and attention? What could I do differently tomorrow? Am I being the best parent I could be and will my children turn out fine young adults?

Yes, you can be a parent and a teacher but also be a mentor! A mentor is someone who provides support, guidance, friendship and respect to a child. Being a mentor means developing a child’s strengths, share a child’s interest, give advice and support, give praise, listen and be a friend.

Spending time with your baby and child helps you to become a mentor. There are many special things you can do from shopping together to going to a zoo. The most important thing is, you do things together which includes communicating with each other.

1. Respect your child’s thoughts and opinions without judging them. You may disagree with your child but make it known that you want to know what his or her thoughts are without the threat of being punished.
2. Support your child’s interests and strengths.
3. Be open about your own strengths and weaknesses.

Mentoring gives kids the support they need to become the people they are meant to be. The one important thing is that there is always efficient communication from the birth of your baby throughout childhood and the teenage years.

You now have a little hand to hold! Lead your special baby along life’s journey and take time to smell the roses whenever possible. Count your blessings as there are many, including the beautiful baby whose hand you are holding.

The journey from conceiving a baby until the birth of the new little bundle of joy is the most wonderful experience in a new Mom’s life. The amazing feeling of having conceived a baby to feeling the growth and development and the kicks and the punches from within is the greatest pleasure in life.

Throughout the nine month’s of pregnancy, a Mom plans for the birth of her baby. Some types of planning include deciding on the baby’s name, decorating the nursery or starting a scrapbook. Each moment spent on the planning stages takes the new Mom that much closer to the most exciting moment, the long-awaited moment, of seeing and holding her new bundle of joy.

With each step along the pregnancy and through each planning stage, a Mom dreams of what her baby will look like, if it’s a girl or a boy, and thinks about her dreams and hopes of the baby’s life. Deep within her heart and soul, the love for the unborn child is unwaivering and grows day-by-day.

One of the most important planning stage is the purchase of baby necessities. However, most Moms ask “What do I need and how much do I buy?” When I was planning for the birth of my first baby, I had a wonderful guideline to follow and I would like to share it with you.

We have created a list to help you shop for all the items you will need for your new baby.

Baby Gear

• Baby Car Seat
• High Chair
• Baby Stroller
• Baby Swing

Nursery

• Bassinet
• Crib
• Crib Mattress
• Crib Bedding
• Crib Mobile
• Dresser
• Baby Monitor

Layette

• Sleepers (4-7)
• Onesies (4-7)
• Rompers or outfits (6-8)
• Socks (4-7)
• Booties (2-3)
• No Scratch Mitts and Skull Cap
• Bibs
• Burp Pads
• Receiving Blankets (4-7)
• Cardigan Sweater or Jacket

Diapers

• Newborn disposable diapers
• Diaper Wipes
• Changing Table
• Diaper Creams
• Diaper Bag
• Changing Pad

Skin Care

• Baby Shampoo
• Baby Soap
• Baby Powder
• Baby Lotion
• Baby Hooded Towels
• Baby Wash Cloths
• Baby Brush and Comb Set
• Baby Finger Nail Clippers
• Baby Bathtub

Feeding

For Breastfeeding:

• Nursing Pads
• Breast Pump
• 4 oz. Bottles
• Nursing Pillow

For Bottlefeeding:

• Formula
• 4 oz. Bottles (4)
• 8 oz. Bottles (8)
• Bottle Brush

For Solid Food Feeding:

• Bowl, Cup and Plate Sets
• Baby Spoon and Fork Sets

Toys

• Books
• Music
• Developmental/Educational Toys

When purchasing for my baby, I made sure that I did not buy an over abundance of “newborn” size clothes and diapers. It is absolutely amazing how quickly new born babies grow and although it is very nice to be prepared, one must also remember not to go overboard in buying for the new born.

After my babies were a month old, I began purchasing clothing that fit in the 3-6 month range. When they were 6 months old, I would buy in the 6-9 month range. Therefore, I always purchased 3 months ahead of their size. Although they may have been a bit big, the clothing was wearable for a longer period of time so received more use.

It is such a joyful experience shopping for the necessities and essentials for the arrival of a new born baby. Happy Planning and Happy Shopping!

Are you looking for a gift for the Baby Shower or to Welcome the New Baby? A special gift is one that is functional and fun. Cuddles ‘n Gifts has a wonderful variety of gift and gift baskets filled with layette items and essentials that a new Mom would be delighted to receive.