Baby Advice @ Cuddles 'n Gifts sending smiles!

Until I was 29 years old, my thoughts were definitely not on having children. Yes, people would tell me, “Give it time!” Adamantly I would respond that I was not having children and I stubbornly stood by my decision for many years.

Aha! Was I proven wrong!

My 30-year old birthday hit me like a stone brick and my biological clock began tick, tick, ticking away. At 30 years of age, I realized that I was getting older and that something was definitely missing in my life. Life was not as fulfilling anymore, my career wasn’t as important and the realization that my fertile years were ticking away was more than scary.

At the same time, I had a cancer scare and one that could have possibly led to the decision of having children being taken away from me. It could have been a final end to my fertility and my chance of having a child would have been gone. Everything turned out in the end and what resulted was…

The ticking of my biological clock grew louder and louder. Something inside of me ached when I saw parents with their small children. It was an ache of longing for the experience and the joys and challenges of having a child.

I had my first child at 32 years of age and my second child at 34 years of age. Having children was the best decision I ever made in my life. Motherhood has been the most challenging yet most rewarding job that I ever had, and my children have blessed my life more than words could ever express.

What a joy a baby brings into the world! When I held my first newborn baby I have never felt so happy and so fulfilled. The love I felt for her was nothing I had ever felt. It was truly unconditional love. Those same feelings were felt when I held my son for the first time.

Each day since, my love and pride for my children have grown to deeper levels than I never knew was possible. My children, the greatest blessing in my life.

The ticking of my biological clock has turned my life into an amazing experience and has changed me in so many wonderful ways. Yes, I may be sleep deprived but all the joys and experiences of having children overpower the need for sleep.

It is very difficult to ignore the sounds of one’s biological clock. Listen closely, it may be telling you something very important and it may change your life one day!

Tick, tock, a baby is born and a “Welcome baby gift basket” could be on it’s way!

To all those soon-to-be moms who are expecting their first child, savor these weeks, days, hours and minutes before your newborn baby arrives. You see, these times will be very rare after your precious baby enters your life.

It is a wonderful and joyous event when a baby enters your life, and it is a time that will be the most cherished of all occasions in your life. And it also is an eye-opening, life-altering event. Life as you know it now will never be the same.

Although you will never regret having a child, you will remember those times when you had only you to look after and when you had, what seemed like, an endless amount of time.

Often times I look back at those days. Oh, those times when I could sleep in if I wanted to and/or sleep through the entire night, have a nap in the afternoon on a lazy weekend, go out when I chose to, completed work duties in 1/4 if not less of the time I do now, and the list goes on.

Since my first baby was born over three years ago, I haven’t had a full night’s sleep and don’t even remember what it was like. You see, when my daughter was nine months old, I received news that I was pregnant with my second. Now, with two children, sleep depravity is something I have grown very accustomed to.

A trip to the store, which used to take 10 minutes, is now a drawn out event when you have two toddlers in tow. And I can’t remember the last time I went out for an evening. Naps? What are they? Haven’t had one of those in well over three years. Time for myself? What is that? In order to have time to myself, I often rise in the wee hours of the morning before my children wake. For a couple of hours, the time is mine and the silence is golden.

Yes, I sometimes long for the times of the past. However, those times in the past are not as precious to me as the role I have now of being a Mother and it was never as joyful as the times I have had and do have with my wonderful children.

Lucky and fortunate is how I think of myself for having the joyful and blessed experience of raising two children. They have filled my life with so much happiness and the love I feel for them is a love I have never felt.

You will have moments when you want to scream and run away from it all. You will miss those times in the past where you didn’t have anyone depending on you. And you will sometimes feel frustrated and want to cry. These moments will pass quickly because just as you are thinking of what you had in the past, you receive a beautiful smile, a hug or hear those first “I love you’s” from your children.

I guarantee you that no moment in time will ever be as precious as that moment in the here and now with your new baby or your children.

You have dreamed of it and have long awaited for this special time in your life. Your pregnancy has been years in the planning and the decision has been made to start a family of your own. What an exciting and exhilarating yet anxiety-ridden experience!

This is the time of your life that you will never forget and one that you will treasure always. Make sure that you are off to a healthy start!

Before you start preparing for the conception of a baby, preconception planning should take place. Prepare yourself as soon as you know that you want to become pregnant. In order to have a healthy baby, you must be healthy.

Here are some important tasks you should do at least three months before planning a successful pregnancy:

1. Get a full medical checkup. Ensure that you inform your doctor that you are planning to get pregnant. Discuss your medical history, past pregnancies, medications, and lifestyle.
2. Stop any bad habits that you may have such as smoking, drinking, drugs or even poor eating habits.
3. Reduce your intake of coffee.
4. Reduce or eliminate exposure to toxic chemicals and radiation.
5. Eat healthy and exercise often.
6. Begin taking a prenatal vitamin that contains folic acid. Prenatal vitamins protect the health of the mother as well as providing the needs for a developing baby. Folic acid is very essential as it helps prevent birth defects of the brain and spine.
7. Reduce stress.
8. Try to get 6-8 hours of sleep per night.
9. Relax and take time out for yourself. Pamper yourself, send yourself a gift basket, treat yourself and enjoy this time!

The key to a successful and healthy pregnancy is taking good care of your own health. It will help ensure a healthy pregnancy, from embryo, to fetus, to the birth of your precious baby. What you eat and do now will go a long way in benefitting your baby.

If you strive to make the most of your preconception period by doing the above, you are on the road to baby in the making!

Another word of advice: Do not stress about becoming pregnant! When I was trying to become pregnant I was overly consumed with the thought of becoming pregnant. I walked, lived and breathed every moment of my day wondering when I would get pregnant or if I was pregnant. The money I spent on pregnancy tests was ludicrous!

Remember to relax and enjoy the whole process from preconception, to conception, to pregnancy to the birth of your newborn baby. It is the most remarkable time of your life and one to be cherished.

An emotion is a mental state that arises spontaneously rather than through conscious effort and is often accompanied by physiological changes. Experiencing and expressing emotions are a vital part of life. The expression of emotions come easy for some but, for others, emotions are difficult to express effectively. So why is it easier for some people to express emotions and harder for others?

At a very early age, parents taught us how to express our emotions and the cause of how we dealt with them was largely due to how we were encouraged or discouraged to manage these emotions.

For instance, if a parent tells a child that he or she “shouldn’t be mad” or “be sad” about a particular situation a child will begin to suppress those emotions. If a parent encourages a child to talk about his or her experience that child will learn that it is alright to express his or her emotions.

As children we may have learned about our emotions and how to express them from watching other’s emotional reactions to their feelings. We may have watched our parents display outbursts of anger, or withdraw and give the cold shoulder.

Much is to be said for how parents teach each gender. An example is that many parents teach a boy that it is not right to cry and to be a man. And in society, that is held true. People accept if a woman cries, but a man, no way! Generally speaking, it is not okay for a man to be sensitive or touchy feely with emotions.

Experiences in life often are factors in determining how one expresses their emotions. If a woman is being controlled or abused, she will bottle up her emotions and withdrawal into her shell. For others, emotions are not managed and individuals go out of control. Either way, this is not natural and help should be sought out.

Every day, no matter what age we are, we live our lives with feelings and emotion, and we could feel all types of emotions within any given day. There are sorrows, excitement, joys and disappointment, also love and fear, dismay and hope.

We, as parents of new born babies and toddlers, must be good role models in teaching them how to handle emotions. We are the individuals that our young children look upon. They learn from copying our actions and emotions.

Teach our young children how to handle their emotions and don’t teach them to suppress them. Take them by the hand and lead them along the path of life in a postive way.

When it comes to touchy feely emotions such as love, gratitude, or remorse, some people have a difficult time expressing them verbally. Instead of expressing these emotions verbally, something is given as a way to express these types of emotions.

Why not express your emotions today? Wrap up your emotions and send them in a welcome baby gift basket, thank you gift basket or a gift basket for “just because.” Surprise the recipient and verbally express your emotions too! Don’t bottle up your emotions, say it!

Ten little fingers, ten little toes,
And an angelic face full of awe and wonder
A new born baby was born this day -
It was a day like no other.

With the first breath of life, the first cry
The little one has started life’s journey.
All your hopes and dreams came true
The moment you held your precious baby.

Love hugs your heart,
Joy and happiness surround your soul.
The bond between Mother and child,
Blossoms and grows as each moment unfolds.

Just like a seedling in a garden of hope,
Your baby’s being depends on you.
Pay attention, love and nurture
And be a Mother so trusted and true.

As each day passes, little by little,
Your baby progresses and grows.
Each step taken, each word spoken
Will bring more joy than you have ever known.

Cherish these moments and days
And don’t let them pass before your eyes.
Little babies become adults
In what seems the blink of an eye.

Be a Mother with a pillar of strength,
Hold your love so steadfast and strong.
Don’t be quick to judge,
Even when they are wrong.

Show love and hope
Like there’s no tomorrow.
Show patience and understanding
In times of joy and sorrow.

There will come a day
When they spread their wings and soar.
Be sure they will always know
A Mother’s love will always be there.

“We’re Having a Baby! What a Wonderful Way to Say How Much I Love You!”

You and your spouse have been together for some time now and up until now it’s been just the “two” of you. You are a couple. In the time that you have been together 100% of the attention and affection has been geared towards each other.

Every day, a couple lives their routine lives and makes choices and decisions based on and for each other. Days spent are ones where they live carefree, ones where they can come and go when they wish, and take a vacation when desired with no dependents to worry about. It’s a world according to “two” people.

Somewhere down the journey of life a road is taken and the choice to conceive a baby is made. When a couple is in love and committed to each other, the decision to have a family is often inevitable. What better way is there to say “We love each other” than to create a family?

Many factors come into play when deciding on when to have a child. Most couples want to be financially stable, have work security, purchase a home, etc. The “when” question comes into effect and it is very important that both individuals are ready and are capable.

If you are a couple who is deciding on this life long decision, ask yourselves:

1. Is our relationship stable and secure?
2. Can we both share in the responsibilities of child and home care?
3. Will a baby add an extra special something to our relationship? Is there enough love to give to a child?
4. Can we afford to have a baby?
5. How will having a baby affect our careers?
6. Do we have the same thoughts and ideas of the bringing up of a baby? Example, religion, education, and discipline. If not, does it pose a problem for the child’s upbringing?
7. Do we have a support system near us to help, if required?

Truly, both individuals in a relationship should honestly discuss these issues as well as any other questions that arise. The decision to conceive a baby and have a family is an important decision and one that should be made for all the right reasons.

Having a baby is one of life’s most rewarding events and, unfortunately, it can also take it’s toll on a relationship if the decision was not for the right reasons. I’ve seen a number of people bring a child into the world for the wrong reasons and the relationship does not last. For others, the relationship was not strong and secure enough to withstand the addition of a baby. Unfortunately, the child is then brought up in a single parent home and not in a home where both parents are present on a day-to-day basis.

A baby should make a relationship stronger and more fulfilling. A baby should make a relationship whole and complete. Most importantly, one should always think of the best interests of the child.

The birth of a baby makes “3″ and a family! Cuddles ‘n Gifts sends best wishes to those who are planning to conceive and those who are blessed with a pregnancy, and congratulations to those who have just welcomed their new baby to the world!

Sleepless nights are one of the first things that come to mind when thinking of taking care of a newborn or infant. The sleep-deprived parents may not realize that their baby is actually sleeping 16-20 hours a day! Your baby’s sleep schedule is just very different from yours. Babies spend a longer time in light sleep, deeper sleep in true sleep and drift in and out of deep sleep and light sleep in shorter amounts of time.

The amount of sleep needed varies with each child and age of the child. Some babies are longer sleepers and others enjoy short naps throughout the day.

Here are some facts and information that will help you understand why your baby isn’t sleeping or the crazy sleep schedule they force you to fall into and some tips on how to get your baby to fall asleep.

Newborns do not know the difference between day and night, they need to sleep and eat around the clock. For the first six weeks or so your baby will need to sleep every two hours or so and will probably not sleep longer than 3 or 4 hours. You can start to teach your baby the difference between day and night by playing with it and speaking louder during the day but being more subdued at night. You can start establishing healthy sleeping habits at this age by learning when your baby is tired, if your baby is rubbing their eyes or developing faint dark circles under the eyes put your baby to sleep. If you wait too long the baby may have trouble getting some shut eye. You will soon know instinctively when your baby is ready for a nap. When your baby is about six to eight weeks old try to let him fall asleep on his own, put him to bed when he is sleepy but still awake, that way your baby will learn healthy sleep habits and will be less likely to need to be rocked every night in the future. .

Another good way to establish healthy sleeping habits is to set up a routine. Here is a good example of a bedtime routine:

• Start with a bath or just washing their hands and face, make sure that your bedtime is as consistent as possible every night.
• Change diaper and put on pajamas.
• Singing a quiet lullaby is soothing to the baby when it is a familiar voice.
• While you prepare your baby for bed, if you prefer not to sing, put in a tape/cd of baby-friendly sounds on low volume and leave it on after you leave the room.
• Cuddle and rock your baby before you lay her down to bed.
• Try to make it short and put your baby in her crib while she is still awake.

In the early months all you can do is try to go to bed early and nap when your baby naps, so you can get enough active sleep to cope with the next day. However soon your baby will not associate needing another feed with falling asleep and you won’t need to attend to them every hour.

At about 3 or 4 months your nights of getting up every three hours are probably over, by now your baby is sleeping 14-15 hours a day , 9-10 of those are spent at night and then various naps through the day. You might still be getting up once and a while for night feedings at the beginning of this stage but by six months old your child should be capable of sleeping through the night.

Whether your baby does or not depends on if he is learning good sleeping habits and patterns. If you haven’t set up a bedtime routine yet, now would be the best time to do so, babies thrive on consistency.

So while sleepless nights have been and probably will always be just one of the many joys of parenthood there are several ways to make this time easier to deal with for baby and parents. Just remember to get as much rest as you can during the first few weeks when your baby will need to be feed, changed, or played with every couple of hours, make sure to nap when your baby naps. The better you’re rested the better parent you will be able to be.

Pamper the new mom with a gift basket created especially for her and the new baby. Filled with spa gifts and baby items, these gift baskets are memorable!

You may have heard about the recent comments about breastfeeding that Barbra Walters made on the popular talk show “The View.” When the subject of breastfeeding came up on the show, Walters shared a story about a woman who had sat next to her on a plane; she said, “She didn’t cover the baby with a blanket. It made us uncomfortable.”

That comment turned out to be a very big mistake for Walters because the next week activists from around the country showed up outside the studio to hold a pubic “nurse-in.” This might have been taking it a little far but it is not hard to understand why so many women would be upset about her comments. Breastfeeding women should not be made to feel uncomfortable or ashamed about feeding their babies when they need to be fed. On that note, here are several reasons why breast-feeding is so good for your child.

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, extensive research, especially in recent years, documents diverse and compelling advantages to infants, mothers, families, and society from breastfeeding and the use of human milk for infant feeding. These include health, nutritional, immunologic, developmental, psychological, social, economic, and environmental benefits.

Breastfeeding offers several health advantages to your baby:

• Improved Eyesight and Hand/Eye Coordination
  Breastfeed babies have to use their hands and eyes to figure out the distance between their mouth and mother’s nipple. This helps them develop good hand/eye coordination, especially if they are switched from one breast to another.
• Jaw and Teeth Development and Fewer Cavities
• Since babies who nurse have to work harder than bottle fed babies to draw milk into their mouths this strengthens their jaw muscles and promotes better tooth alignment. Breastfeeding babies draw milk towards the back of their throat, away from their teeth. Formula from a bottle tends to stay in a baby’s mouth, exposing gums and teeth to more sugar. Special enzymes in breast milk (those are absent in formula) also reduce the build-up of decay by quickening the breakdown of milk sugars.
• Less Gas
• Breast milk is lower in protein than formula, making it easier for baby to digest, and it is easier on the baby’s stomach. This means gas, constipation, and stomach upset that can be painful for a baby.
• May Reduce Risk of SIDS: Reports from the National Institute of Health indicate that breastfeeding may reduce a baby’s risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. There is still no definitive answer to why, but one theory suggests that the breast milk may protect infants from certain infections that can trigger SIDS.

Not only is breastfeeding healthy for you baby but you can benefit from it as well. Breastfeeding postpones menstruation; it delays the reoccurrence of a woman’s menstrual cycle for several months. Breastfeeding lowers the risk of cancer, heart disease, and osteoporosis. Less exposure to estrogen over their lifetimes might also account for why breastfeeding women report fewer cases of breast cancer. The results of a study published in the International Family Planning Perspectives (2002) indicate that a woman’s risk of developing breast cancer is reduced by four percent for every twelve months she breastfeeds, regardless of her reproductive history.

The American Academy of Pediatrics says that “although economic, cultural, and political pressures often confound decisions about infant feeding, the AAP firmly adheres to the position that breastfeeding ensures the best possible health as well as the best developmental and psychosocial outcomes for the infant.”

Moms tend to think about everyone but themselves, which is great for everyone around them but it can take a toll on even the most devoted mom. In order to keep your sanity it is important that moms take time out to relax and regroup.

I know it is easier said then done, there is always one more diaper to change, one more meal to cook or one more load of laundry to do. So what can you do to take time out for yourself and when are you supposed to do it? Here are a few ideas to help get your mommy time out started.

1. Ask your husband, a friend or a family member to watch the kids for a while. In just a few hours you could go see that movie you have been dying to see, minus screaming babies and frequent trips to the bathroom to avoid bothering other people. In just two hours you can get your hair done, a manicure and a pedicure. Imagine how relaxing just two hours of alone time would be.
2. Chances are you won’t be able to get someone to take the kids everyday for a few hours but it’s still important to take a mini time out everyday. By doing this you will spare the children from unwarranted outburst and yourself from slipping into depression.
3. Leave the dishes, the laundry and the spill in the kitchen for just thirty minutes, maybe while the baby is napping or while the kids are watching a cartoon. Just taking thirty minutes to relax or work on a hobby will alleviate some of the days stress.
4. Wake up and hour early or go to bed an hour late, the kids will be sleeping and you can spend sometime getting ready in the morning or watching TV.
5. Exercise regularly can be a great way to get you going and keep you in shape for keeping up with your kids.
6. Eat right, veggies and fruit will charge your immune system, the last thing you need is a sick mommy.
7. Remind yourself that you can’t control everything. Don’t spend your mommy time out worrying about what is going on at the house, your husband is perfectly capable of handling the kids alone for two hours.
8. Start a baby swap, a baby swap is when two or more moms agree to take each others children for a few hours to give the other some free time on a weekly or monthly basis.
9. Share the load. Sit down with your family and divide the chores. By sharing the load you can make more time for everyone and by giving
10. When hit overload just taking a few minutes to sit and think about the positive things in your life can make you feel better.
11. You don’t need to be busy every minute of the day. Stay home with your family. Don’t make a commitment unless it is important to you. Get in the habit of saying no to things you don’t want to, or don’t have time to do and don’t feel guilty about it.

While motherhood is a very rewarding experience and totally worth the sacrifice it can be stressful and with all that you do for your family it’s hard to think about yourself, but very important. By taking care of yourself, you also teach your children the importance of taking care of their own mental and physical health. Look at the time spent on yourself as an investment to make you a better, happier mom for your husband and your children.

Have you ever stopped to think how quickly time passes by, especially as you get older? I look back and it seems like yesterday that I was graduating from high school, all bright-eyed and bushy-tailed looking at the big world before me. Gee, that was 18 years ago!

Where exactly did the time go?

As a child we wish to be of a certain age, mostly so that we can have the freedom that adults do to explore the world and do what we wish to do at any given time. Our parents would tell us “Don’t wish the years away. Enjoy your childhood.” Did we listen?

I suppose as a child we feel like we are under the ball and chain of our parents, with curfews, school schedules, and chores. True enough, we have so many more responsibilities being an adult but we didn’t think of that in our younger years. We had one focus and that was being “free.”

Now I look back and wish to be a child again. Now it is me telling children to “Enjoy your childhood” and “Don’t wish your life away.” It doesn’t surprise me that they aren’t listening!

When I was younger I used to look at someone who was 30 years of age as being old…until I became 30. Now, almost 36, I look at someone who is 50 as being old. Guess what? It’s not that far away.

How does one stay young at heart?

As the years went on, Christmas, Easter, and all the special occasions we celebrate began to have no meaning and no grand excitement as it did when I was a child. Life really didn’t have a cause or a purpose after awhile either. What role exactly did I play in life? Where was the meaning in my life? Where was all the joy and excitement of the holidays?

At 32 years of age, the answers to those questions were answered. At 34 years of age, they were again answered. It was at those times that I became a Mother and my whole life in the present and future was changed. I was rewarded with two beautiful children and these little ones gave me the meaning, role and joy and excitement of my life.

It is my children that keep me young at heart. Oh, yes, I am sleep depraved and feel at times that I am going on 60. There are other times as I am singing nursery rhymes to them that I feel like I am 5 all over again.

As they grow older my goal is to instill in them to live life to the fullest and enjoy all the experiences of their childhood. Yes, I will tell them not to wish their life away. I laugh, though, because I know they won’t listen. Or maybe they will…

If their childhood is filled with happiness and joy they will be less apt to wish the years away. My belief is that it is how a child is brought up that will depend on how quickly the child wishes to be an adult. If a child’s younger years are filled with love, happiness and fulfillment I truly believe that the child will love each moment of their life.

Babies are a gift to be treasured and from the first moment that your baby enters the world, give them the love of life. Keep them young at heart!

Enjoy your time with your baby for he/she will keep “you” young at heart.

There is no gift as precious as a new baby and there is nothing as sacred as the bond between a parent and a child. Bonding, or attachment, is the sense of connection between parents and infants that forms the foundation of the parent-child relationship. Bonding begins between a mother and a baby in utero and continues to grow after the baby is born and throughout childhood.

Studies have proven that babies can hear, feel and experience emotions long before they are born. Therefore, it is important for parents to talk, read, and sing to their unborn baby thus creating the initial bond between parent and child.

The first few moments, or even weeks, after the birth of a new baby may surprise you. The process of bonding with your new baby may or may not happen immediately. Each person’s reaction to their new baby is unique and different.

If you think that you will fall in love with your baby right after the birth, you may be disappointed. It may take time and usually love takes days and weeks to develop as you get to know each other. However, you may feel an extreme powerful rush of feelings for your newborn after the birth.

After 9 months of living in a nice, warm, secure environment which the baby could hear the mother’s heartbeat, suddenly, at birth, the baby is rushed out into the cold environment. It is very important that the baby feels it’s mother’s skin next to him/her as soon as possible. This will keep the baby warm and provide a sense of security for the baby. It is equally important that the father is present at the birth of the baby and is able to hold the baby after birth.

However, bonding right after birth is not always possible and doesn’t always happen immediately. Mothers who can’t have immediate, close contact with their babies can still bond very well with them later on.

For your baby, the bond may not be instant and is formed gradually and over time. A secure attachment develops from nurturing and responsive attention. Responding to your baby’s needs in a loving manner will help him/her develop a strong sense of trust in you, himself and it’s environment.

There are many other ways that will develop and strengthen the bond between parent and child, such as:

Interact with your baby face-to-face.

Lovingly touch your baby.

Provide skin-to-skin contact.

Talk to your baby.

Sing to your baby.

Read to your baby.

Play music and gently dance with your baby around the room.

Smile