Could it be the new trend in toys or clothes? Could it be the candy or the chocolate bar that will make them delighted and happy? Is this what children really want or need?

In a rush, rush world and one where both parents must contribute to household expenses, parents are more apt to give their children material objects instead of the single most important gift that all children want, need and crave. It’s no wonder that children are becoming so material orientated at such young ages. It’s no wonder that a child’s most used saying is “I want.”

And do we not sometimes treat our children as material objects? Just as a child plays with a toy for a few minutes and then tosses the toy to the side, we as parents often treat our children the same way.

So what is the most precious gift to give our children? The answer lies within the following quote:

“We are always too busy for our children; we never give them the time or interest they deserve. We lavish gifts upon them; but the most precious gift, our personal association, which means so much to them, we give grudgingly.” –Mark Twain (1835 – 1910)

Our “TIME” is the single most important gift to give our children!

Give your child the gift of time and truly learn about your child. Toys, clothes and chocolate bars can be replaced, but your time can never be replaced. Spend time with your child everyday and you will see the pleasure they derive from your quality attention. Children grow up too quickly so enjoy them, get to know them and don’t be a parent who has regrets after your children have grown up.

Stop playing serious and seriously play!

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!

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:

1. Interact with your baby face-to-face.
2. Lovingly touch your baby.
3. Provide skin-to-skin contact.
4. Talk to your baby.
5. Sing to your baby.
6. Read to your baby.
7. Play music and gently dance with your baby around the room.
8. Smile at your baby.

Bonding with your infant is a very important step in a parent-child relationship. From the time you hear that you have been blessed with the conception of your new baby, start creating the bonds of love that will last throughout a lifetime.

Cuddles ‘n Gifts has many wonderful baby gift baskets filled with books and toys that will provide a good start to the bonding process of parent and child.

While you are going to shop the gifts for the baby, you need to make a bit extensive search over the internet as well as your nearby stores for the most suitable deals.  You are more likely to find the best deals over the internet and there are chances of getting the discount as well.  This would surely go a long way in finding what you were looking for.  The best deal would have some special characteristics to attract the customers and I suggest you going for the same.  The stores that provide free shipping should be preferred as shipping charges might cost you much. Moreover, there should be looked for a special discount or scheme so that it cuts down your budget.  The next thing you should search out for the reviews of the baby products delivered by the stores.  This would let you know whether their customers are satisfied with them or not. The quality should never be compromised.

You should have it confirmed that the baby gift basket that you are ordering has every essential gift article.  Usually the items included are clothes, shampoo, soaps, oils, towels, toys, etc. There are many other items that you can get added to the package as you like.  The packaging must be assured for safety and there would be a guarantee that all the items would reach well in good condition.  It’s not just your responsibility, but also depicts your love for the baby as well as relationship with the parents.  So do take care of the things that may go wrong.

While shopping a baby gift basket, you must consider the occasion first whether it is a baby shower or christening of the baby.  That is very important because the gift items should be arranged in a way to suit the occasion.  If you want to have a good impression then you have a choice to add something more for the other siblings and the parents.  All what you need is to stress upon both the quality and the beauty to be available at the same time in one package and if you get that then shopping the same would go unquestioned.

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!

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.

There is a baby occasion that requires you to present the best of all gifts and the same should be presented in the best way. Whether it is a birthday party, christening ceremony or the shower party, you need to be prominent of all. What can be done there to get the same? The solution is very simple and that requires of you a selection of very good baby items to be included in the baby gift basket that you are going to present. There are a lot of choices that you can make. You have the option to buy an online basket. Moreover, you can also buy from a store in the town. All what you require is a careful selection of the items.

Online stores are offering many packages that might give you free shipping. Another benefit you might avail is the big discount expected out of the purchase made. The quality of the items included in the baby gift basket should be assured. Be confident that the basket is shipped in time and there is no damage to the gift items inside. In an online store, you are at liberty to have a thorough windows shopping. You can select different gifts to include in your customized gift basket. In this way, you can be sure of presenting the gifts that you think to be the most suitable for the baby.

You can get the best deals from the online stores, but I would suggest you designing your own hand-made baby gift basket so that you could prove to the parents how much love you have for them. The best basket would be that one which has the most love for the baby. You should shop for the baby products and spend some good time in selecting them. While you are going to shop for the baby, you must make a call to the parents to know the weight and the height of the baby so that clothing fits the best. The weather should also be taken care of. You cannot afford to buy warm stuff for the summers. This would show that you have opted for a discount and it might leave a bad impression. The toys you select must be for the specific age group and there should be no hazards associated with any toy. Finally, the love and affection should be evidently expressed by your presentation and all would go the best then.

How can it be that you can feel so unhappy and overwhelmed? You are not alone. One in 10 women experience a condition called postpartum depression (PPD) after childbirth.

After childbirth there are three types of depression that can occur, and these are the baby blues, postpartum depression and postpartum psychosis.

The most common form of depression is the baby blues, and the following symptoms characterize this type of depression:

• mild sadness
• tearfulness
• anxiety
• irritability for no clear reason
• mood fluctuations
• fatigue

When do the baby blues occur? They start 3-4 days after delivery and can last anywhere from a few hours to a few days. The baby blues are short-lived as they often resolve within about 10 days after childbirth.

Postpartum depression usually occurs about 4 weeks after childbirth. PPD is a mix of physical, emotional and behavioral changes that occur in a mother after giving birth. Ten percent of new mothers experience this more serious type of depression. Symptoms range from mild to severe depression and may appear within days of delivery or gradually, perhaps up to a year later.

Some symptoms of PPD are:

• Loss of interest or pleasure in life
• Loss of appetitie
• Less energy and motivation to do things
• A hard time falling asleep or staying asleep.
• Sleeping more than usual
• Increased crying or tearfulness
• Feeling worthless, hopeless or guilty
• Feeling irritable or anxious
• Unexplained weight loss or gain
• Having thoughts about hurting yourself
• Having thoughts about harming the baby

For each woman, the length of time that PPD lasts is different – some feel better in a couple of weeks while others may feel depressed for months. Most women experience PPD for 6 months and, if left untreated, some are still depressed a year later.

The most severe form of postnatal depression is postpartum psychosis and is extreme in that women with this condition have delusions or hallucinations that often focus on hurting themselves or their babies. This form is of depression is rare and affects about 0.1% to 0.2% of women, yet is an extremely serious condition that requires hospitalization.
The cause of these depressions isn’t known but it is believed that the hormone changes may produce chemical changes in the brain that play a part in causing depression. Hormone levels do change during pregnancy and right after birth.
The most important issue is that new mothers should realize the signs of depression and get help as soon as possible. Find someone to talk to and tell that person about your feelings or talk with your doctor about how you feel. He or she may offer counseling and/or medicines that can help.

Many women have had the same experience. If you gave birth recently and are feeling blue, anxious, or have any of the other symptoms mentioned as above, you are not alone. You are not “going crazy” or “losing your mind”! The best thing you can do for your baby is to seek help.

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!

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.