Kamis, 31 Desember 2009

Babycity: Baby clothes and baby gifts online


Babycity is a leading provider of baby clothing, baby gifts and nursery products on-line. We aim to offer you the best products at the best prices, all combined with a service, which is second to none.

We stock a variety of products to cater for any new baby's needs from tiny clothing for those first precious days, to nursery equipment and travel equipment. In fact we promise that if you can't find it on-line at babycity, we will try and find it for you, saving you the time and hassle.

We have brought together a wealth of products from high street brand names including Avent, Tommee Tippee, Baby Bjorn, Tiny Love, Tiny Dee, Baby Dee and Doodle Dee, so you can rest assured they will be of the highest quality and style.

Amongst the products we sell are baby bodysuits, baby sleep suits, baby gifts, fashion ranges, feeding equipment, weaning equipment, baby carriers and baby toys and mobiles. In fact everything you need for your baby's early years. Click here to visit our store directory where all categories are clearly laid out.

Because we buy in bulk we can keep our prices low and pass the benefit on to you. In addition, customers who join the baby club can gain benefit from an extra discount on any purchase. It's free to join and members will receive regular information about special offers, promotions and discounts. With a no quibble returns policy and a helpful customer service department; it is an ideal place to shop without the hassle of the high street.

Rabu, 30 Desember 2009

Baby Shower Cakes


Baby showers are an exciting way to welcome a baby into the world and are great occasions for the parents-to-be to receive the blessings of all their well wishers. Generally given by friends and co-workers, baby showers are much more than just parties. They provide a chance for the guests to get together and maybe even meet the new baby if the baby is already born.

Baby shower cakes are also known as diaper cakes or just baby cakes. Unlike regular cakes, these are made of several baby items like diapers, bibs, pacifiers, bottles, shoes, socks, and toys that new parents will need for the baby. Baby shower cakes look just like conventional cakes but they are far from edible!

Baby shower cakes are decorated to suit the theme of the party. The size of the cake can also differ according to the kinds of gifts it contains. They can be one, two, three, or even four-tiered. They can be placed as a center piece at the party and later taken home by the mom-to-be as a gift.

Baby shower cakes can be based on several themes like, teddy bears, duckies, baby booties, baby bottles, storks, nursery rhymes, or fairy tales to make them look cute and adorable. The rest of the gifts can be based on the theme of the baby shower cake.

There are special stores that make and sell baby shower cakes. There are also several websites on the internet that offer advice for decorating baby shower cakes. These sites also make and sell baby cakes as per the personalized requirements of the customers. Another way to get ideas for baby shower cakes is to attend a few baby showers or to ask a few people who have had a baby shower or arranged one. Ideas are sure to shower.

Selasa, 29 Desember 2009


One of the most important decisions you will make once you find you are pregnant is that of picking the perfect baby name. Everyone has their own idea of what a great name is, sometimes it is as simple as whatever is currently fashionable as per the top 10 names for the country in the year that the baby is born, sometimes it's a family name that honors a favorite relative, and sometimes it's just a name that the mother (or father) really likes.

The baby name chosen will occasionally carry certain cultural significance. This happens often in the case of popular baby names as they are fashionable for a certain period of time and then the trend changes and so you can put babies with those names into a certain decade. Television, and to a lesser extent movies, can influence these trends as certain television shows have characters with names which are "different" and which parents like so this is added to the list of potential baby names. There are exceptions to this however, as there are some baby names which are timeless and have been handed down generation to generation throughout the family.

Whether or not to choose the baby name before the baby is born is a matter for personal preference. There are parents who decide what their baby's name will be from the moment they have the pregnancy confirmed - and in some cases, they know what baby names they will choose before they are even pregnant! Then there are other parents who wait until the baby is born before naming it. Sometimes this is because they can't agree on a name, or because they haven't found one they like, or sometimes just because they want to wait to see how the baby looks before naming it.

Once the baby is born, there's still time to pick the perfect baby name for your baby. Even if the name was decided months before the birth, it's possible that having seen the baby, the name will change. When you see your baby for the first time, and hold it in your arms, you may decide that the name chosen doesn't seem to fit with the baby you are looking at. Maybe the baby has more delicate features than the robust name chosen suggests, or vice versa. It's also possible that there was someone instrumental in bringing the baby into the world that you want to honor by naming your baby after them - and this won't be known until after the birth occurs.

Take time to choose the perfect name for your baby, and don't be afraid to change your mind at the last minute if you feel it's not quite appropriate, after all the baby is going to wear that name a long time!

Baby Sleep Tips - Create A Familiar Environment


All newborns are, of course, different. Some sleep better than others at a young age, which prompts many parents to trade stories of how "lucky" or "unlucky" they were with a given child. There is, no doubt, a certain amount of mystery to getting a child to sleep well and through the night on his own. Nevertheless, a plethora of baby sleep tips exist intended to speed up the process which your child goes through before sleeping on his own.

Getting your child to sleep on his own in a timely fashion involves speeding up a natural transition: the one from sleeping with his mother to sleeping on his own. At first, when your baby wakes up in the middle of the night, he will cry for his mother, as this is the only way he knows how to fall asleep. One of the things you must do as a parent is help create the best environment for your baby to fall asleep on his own.

Many people naturally assume that the best environment for sleep is one of total silence: most of us are familiar with having to tiptoe around a sleeping baby's room. Although a quiet environment is the best one for most adults, you'd be well advised to remember where your newborn baby has been sleeping for the past nine months: in his mother's womb. In the womb, of course, your newborn slept in many situations that were far from quiet - when the mother was out in public, or socializing with other people. For this reason a newborn baby will often sleep better by being exposed to some quiet background noise.

You should be trying to allow some ambient "white noise" to be around your baby when he goes to sleep. Sudden loud noises will, of course, rouse him, but in most cases some background chatter and other soothing noises will help the sleep process: most adults, I'm sure, can likely remember falling asleep to the sounds of their parents and their friends having a conversation.

There are products marketed to new parents to create these ambient noises - most notably audio CDs containing tracks of soothing noise. It usually isn't necessary to buy these, however - in most cases simply leaving the door to the baby's nursery ajar will do the trick. In a similar vein, if your baby falls asleep around company, allow him to stay there rather than moving him to a quiet room.

By helping to create the best possible environment for your baby's sleep, you help him learn to fall asleep in his own. Often a humming noise can help - we all know how easy it can be to fall asleep in a moving car - so having a humidifier or fan in the baby's room can often do wonders.

Whatever solution you choose, remember that it needn't be overly complicated. Simply leave the door ajar, or let your baby sleep in the company of others. Contrary to what many people intuitively think, if you keep your baby from sleeping in total silence, he'll often sleep much better.

Baby Gift Registry

Many stores offer baby gift registries where the expecting parents can register and can make a list of what they require for their coming baby. To create your own customized baby gift registries could be an exciting event for many of the soon-to-be mothers. Most often, women register in their fifth or sixth month of pregnancy but they prefer to wait to a bit closer to their due date or until right before their baby shower.

Gift registries are basically an expectant mother's wish list where they can register for anything and everything that their heart desires. Using baby registries is a perfect way whereby friends and family can get for the expectant parents whatever they want and need for their new little one. If it is their first baby, they will need many things or almost everything as compared to their second or other child. Would be mothers can register for gifts to stock the nursery like furniture and baby bedding, adorable baby clothes or baby essentials like diapers and bottles. Baby registry can therefore make the lives of the expectant mother and her baby much easier with anything from necessities to luxuries.

Other benefit of a gift registry is that it is easier to find something within your budget if you are searching a gift for the mom-to-be. If the mom-to-be has a baby shower, it is possible that the name of the store where they have registered will be included in the invitation. And if it is not then you can always ask the hostess of the shower whether or not the mom-to-be is registered somewhere.

Many mom-to-be are involved in many different circles where they have more than one baby shower, they have one at work, one with friends, one with family and therefore it is important not to duplicate gifts. No one has the time to exchange things and therefore if you purchase an item from the registry you know for sure that the expectant mom does not receives two of the exact items.

Many retailers also offer their baby registries online and therefore online registries are increasingly popular and with some good reason. Registries make the gift buying process easier on your guests and shopping online also enhances the convenience.

For further information, visit customgiftbasket.info

Senin, 28 Desember 2009

Ideas for Decorating the Baby Nursery Walls


Planning a baby nursery can be a big job but the decorating aspect of it can be quite fun. There are many great ways that you can accent your baby nursery walls to give the room a personality as unique as your new baby. Remember to keep safety in mind when decorating your nursery walls and to have fun and get creative. Keep in mind that you will be spending a lot of time in the room also, so make it a place that will be enjoyable not only for your new baby but for you as well. Here are some great decorating ideas to consider for your baby's new room:

1. Purchase a belly casting mold and make a belly cast of your stomach. Sometime in the last couple months of your pregnancy is best so that you can get the full effect. Once you have made the mold, decorate it any way you want. A popular option is to paint it to compliment your baby nursery's theme. For example if your nursery has a beach theme, paint a beach scene on it or paint the belly cast to look like a beach ball. Another idea is to make some good quality copies of your ultrasound pictures and paste them on the belly cast like a collage. Get creative and have fun with it. The finished product will be a great memento for you and your baby.

2. Hang a growth chart. It is a great way to decorate your nursery, track your child's growth, and it makes a great keepsake. Growth charts are available in a wide variety of colors and styles and you may even be able to find one that matches your nursery's theme. Consider purchasing a non-toxic baby ink pad and making a hand or footprint on the chart whenever you measure your child's height. It is another great way to measure your baby's growth and you will be surprised how quickly those little hands and feet grow!

3. Look for wall hangings and art work that coordinate with your room theme. For example, if your theme is airplanes, look for airplane related items that will compliment the room. If you have a character theme such as Winnie the Pooh, Hello Kitty, or Baby Snoopy, it should be easy to locate some art work items that will work well on the nursery walls. The quilt that comes with your nursery bedding set also works great as a wall hanging.

4. Murals are a really great way to dress up the nursery walls. Murals can cover the whole wall of just a small portion. There are several types of murals you can buy, the most popular and easy to use murals come in pieces that can be applied to the wall just like wallpaper. If you or someone you know is artistic, you might want to consider a hand painted mural. You could also hire an artist to paint it for you.

Wall decals are another option to murals. They come in much smaller pieces and can be applied to the nursery walls where ever you want. There are a wide variety available and you may be able to find some that go with your theme.

5. Letters that spell out the name you have chosen for your new baby is another great way to decorate the nursery walls. You can get wooden letters in many styles and colors that will hang on the wall. Ceramic letters featuring characters such as Winnie the Pooh can also be found and look cute sitting on a wall shelf.

You can be as creative as you want when it comes to decorating your baby's nursery. Taking the theme or color scheme you have chosen into consideration will definitely help you when it comes to picking out art and other décor for your nursery's wall. Have fun and enjoy the experience and you will end up with a great room that both you and your new baby will enjoy spending time in.

Minggu, 27 Desember 2009

Ways to gift a unique baby gift basket

A unique baby gift basket could be a special way to show new parents that how much you care. Earlier, it was a tradition to give flowers or plants as congratulation gifts for new born babies and even today flowers are accepted but to present a baby gift basket filled with new items could be a more exciting alternative.

You can present a baby gift basket upon several occasions such as baby shower gifts, congratulation gifts, baptism gifts, christening gifts, baby naming ceremony gifts or for the first birthday of the baby. In spite of any of these occasions, a gift basket shall be highly appreciated with a lasting impression.

So if you too wish to give a perfect gift then why to waste your time searching aimlessly through stores or wait in queues when you can save yourself with all the trouble just by sending a gift basket. There are many online companies that take your quick and convenient order thereby proving you all the comfort at your own home.

Gift baskets come in a wide variety of size and price ranges that makes them ideal for any budget because most of them range from $25 for a small simple basket to a few 100 dollars for more extravagant basket. If you are looking for an original baby gift basket then you will be surprised with number of options available from different themes and styles.

You also hold the opportunity to add a personal touch the gift basket and showing your won creativity if you put together your own gift basket and deliver it yourself. This could also be much rewarding.

Many stores even have baby gift registries where the expectant parents can easily register and make a list of whatever they need for the baby. Creating your own customized baby gift registries could be exciting for expectant mothers. Gift registries are the expectant mother's wish list whereby they can register whatever their heart desires. Using baby registry is a great way for friends and family to provide expectant parent what they want and need for their new ones. A huge benefit of a gift registry is that it is easy to find something within your price range.

For more information, visit our recommended website customgiftbasket.info

How to Decorate for a Baby Shower


As the host of a baby shower, the decorations will likely be one of your biggest tasks!

Just because you're the host, it doesn't mean you need to spend hundred of dollars to have a fabulously decorated location for your loved one's baby shower.

Think in themes! Using a theme can make decorating SO much easier than if you just have a vague idea of boy or girl for decorations. Here are some simple ways you can save money on decorations.

Using the baby's nursery theme, you can incorporate your gifts for the new mom into the decorations. If the baby is going to have a Noah's Ark, farm, or jungle themed room, you can get some stuffed animals to decorate with! Use them as centerpieces and to decorate side tables, as needed.

For a star themed room, you can cut out large stars, spray paint them silver and gold and hang them from the ceiling. Use star confetti on the tables and try to find some wire garland, too. I've seen these types of garland all year round. Stars are also easy to find on candles, tablecloths, napkins, etc.

Many people love to give diaper cakes as baby shower gifts. They not only serve as gifts, but make great centerpieces!

For the baby showers I have hosted, I always like to have a menu on display so the guests know what they are eating! It probably comes from being a picky eater, but I have always gotten wonderful comments on this. It is VERY simple to do, too! Just get a nice picture frame (you can even get one engraved for a baby gift!) and on your computer, type up the list of foods you will be serving. Use a font that coordinates with the theme, center it on the page and print it out! I like to order the item the same way nice restaurants do with appetizers first, salads and breads next, main courses after that, followed by desserts and beverages.

It really is a very nice touch that doesn't take much work at all, but you will get lots of compliments on it! I don't even mind if you take all the credit yourself!

If you want to have something outside the baby shower location to announce it, you can get a banner or yard sign that can also be given to the mother as a gift. Always be thinking of dual purpose baby shower decorations that can be given as gifts! This is a great way to save money! Flowers are wonderful additions to any baby shower décor. If you live near a supermarket that has a floral department, you can save lots of money by just picking up some bundles and doing your own floral arrangements. Most stores have a floral artist that works there, so ask for a few tips. Don't be afraid to try this! No one will likely know that you didn't get an arrangement custom made for the baby shower if you don't tell them.

When you're there, ask if they have any discarded petals you can have. Most florists take a few petals off roses before arranging them and will give them to you for FREE if you ask. Just call around to local shops and see. You'll never know unless you ask!

If you just don't think you can handle doing your own floral arrangements or you won't have the time, ordering online can also be a huge money saver. You can often get dozens of roses for so much less online than locally because online florists can buy in bulk and pass the savings on to you.

Have fun decorating for your next baby shower! Remember to use decorations that also can be used as gifts to save money!

Baby Quotes


To become a mother is one of life's greatest blessings. It is a lifelong event that forever changes you. Becoming a mother changes your heart, your thoughts, and your actions. However, you may soon wish you had a few extra hands.

As a mother, you find that they first tug on your sleeve and later on your heartstrings.

To share in some of the joys of newborns, here are some popular baby quotes:

A baby is an angel whose wings decrease as his legs increase. ~Author Unknown

Babies are always more trouble than you thought - and more wonderful. ~Charles Osgood

Babies are such a nice way to start people. ~Don Herrold

When babies look beyond you and giggle, maybe they're seeing angels. ~Quoted in The Angels' Little Instruction Book by Eileen Elias Freeman, 1994

It was the tiniest thing I ever decided to put my whole life into. ~Terri Guillemets

A baby is God's opinion that the world should go on. ~Carl Sandburg

Making the decision to have a child is momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body. ~Elizabeth Stone

A new baby is like the beginning of all things-wonder, hope, a dream of possibilities. ~ Eda J. Le Shan

A baby will make love stronger, days shorter, nights longer, bankroll smaller, home happier, clothes shabbier, the past forgotten, and the future worth living for.

A baby is born with a need to be loved - and never outgrows it.

My friend has a baby. I'm recording all the noises he makes so later I can ask him what he meant. ~ Stephen Wright

I can't think why mothers love them. All babies do is leak at both ends. ~ Douglas Feaver

Laughter is like changing a baby's diaper. It doesn't permanently solve any problems, but it makes things more acceptable for a while ~ Unknown

If evolution really works, how come mothers only have two hands? ~ Milton Berle

I always wondered why babies spend so much time sucking their thumbs. Then I tasted baby food. ~ Robert Orben

Parents have the glorious opportunity of being the most powerful influence, above and beyond any other, on the new lives that bless their homes. ~ L. Tom Perry

The art of mothering is to teach the art of living to children. ~ Elaine Heffiner

Your children will become what you are; so be what you want them to be. ~ David Bly

Sabtu, 26 Desember 2009

History of Knitting


Knitting is technique to turn thread or yarn into a piece of cloth. Knitted fabric consists of horizontal parallel courses of yarn which is different from woven cloth. The courses of threads or yarn are joined to each other by interlocking loops in which a short loop of one course of yarn or thread is wrapped over the bight of another course.

A brief history of knitting

Some of the earliest and definite examples of knitting date from Europe and Egypt in the 14th century. However, some people claim that the knitting technology dates back further into centuries BC. What seems to come forward was this information which states that the first knitting trade guild was started in Paris in 1527, which established the occupation as male-dominated for centuries to come. Soon, knitting became a household occupation with the increase in popularity of knitted stockings. By the end of the 1600s, knitting trade was in demand in European markets. About one to two million pairs of stockings were exported from Britain to other parts of Europe.

Hand Knitting became a very useful but nonessential part of hand craft which was triggered by the invention of knitting machines. Females started to outnumber males as knitting practitioners. Hand knitting has gone been in and out of fashion over centuries, but 21st century marked its revival. In the late 1990s, a 400% increase in the number of knitters under the age of 35. This is the age where the social stigma of knitting being a female job is slowly disappearing and you could see few males in the knitting circle.

For further details visit Knitting Book or visit http://www.knitting-book.net/

Baby Shower And Motherhood Celebration


A baby shower is a good way to welcome an expecting woman to motherhood. It doesn't even matter whether the baby shower that is being celebrated is the mother's first or not. Baby showers are fun events especially for women, and women no matter the age love girl parties.

Baby shower events are not as stiff today as tradition dictated. Anyone can participate in a baby shower unlike before when only non-relatives can. What is important is someone cared enough to initiate the shower except of course the mother.

A baby shower is a celebration of motherhood as well as celebrating birth and fertility. And so a baby shower should pose no restrictions. Anyone can initiate it. Close friends, a sister or even a group of people so long as they want to share the fun and responsibilities in hosting the event.

The best people to be invited to baby shower parties are those that are in the expectant mother's list. The best way to kick the invitations off is through the good old-fashioned hand written messages. E-mails and other electronic devices can be used invite guests but handwritten messages are the best medium to set the tone of the party. If the celebration were not for a first born, it would be safer to invite only the soon-to-be-mothers and those that haven't attended a baby shower yet.

Traditionally, males are not invited to baby shower parties but in today's more open interaction, there could be males who would genuinely want to experience what baby showers are. If so, have them in but prepare food for them other than the traditional artsy cutesy food. There are just tastes that males would always prefer. The games also have to be designed so that the male guests do not remain spectators and observers during the entire celebration.

The ideal date to hold a baby shower is about one to two months before the baby arrives. This is also a good lead-time for the expecting mother to shop around for items for the infant that has been missed in the gift giving. Baby showers are best held in the mothers' house or backyard but it can also be just as fine in any function hall and the church's fellowship area.

One of the most lively and exciting parts in the baby shower party is during gift giving. This can be made more exciting if each guest has a theme for her present. Gift baskets are popular and can easily be themed. Bathtubs, linen, infant accessory baskets, toy bins, hampers, name it, theming can easily be done and in a more creative way. While baby showers are dedicated to motherhood, it would also be a good idea to give gifts to the baby that fathers would appreciate like bibs and linen with an "I love my dad" on it.

It will be presumed that second time mothers would require less baby gear. If that is so, gifts for the mother will also be appropriate like gift checks, and nursing accessories.

Baby showers are great ways to express affinity and friendship. Everyone appreciates kind and well-intentioned thoughts. Parents all over the world are flattered when their children are appreciated. Baby showers are one of the events that anyone can use to rekindle bonds and relationships.

Kamis, 17 Desember 2009

Lovely Custom Bedding For Your Baby


The ultimate luxury for you and your baby is custom baby bedding. When you are decorating the baby's nursery, you may have a crib size that is non-standard or an absolutely different wall finish or wallpaper that does not match with bedding that is readily available. So you can try to find custom baby bedding either on-line or in a store near your home. You will see that the price of custom bedding is not very high – even frequently less than full-blown designer sets.

The primary importance should be given to the baby's comfort and safety when considering custom baby bedding. The fabric used should be washable again and again, colorfast, durable, and it should be 100% cotton. A nice feature would be resistance to stain. Things like fringe or appliqué should be best avoided because they may get loose easily and enter the baby's mouth causing choking. Chenille is a fabric, which may appear to be more desirable, but you should give it a miss in favor of smoother and simpler fabrics.

Know your options when you are out shopping for your baby. Get the price of baby beddings from different designers and also ask them if you have any query. If you provide the designer with your own fabric, then you can do so. Then the designer must reduce the final cost of the baby bedding as per the calculations. The baby should feel comfortable – do not loose sight of the fact by putting more stress on style. As an instance an infant does not need pillows, so skip it. There is a debate about crib bumpers – some think it is important to keep the baby away from the hard surface of the crib, and some think that it poses a similar threat of choking like the pillows.

So keep your eyes open about costs, get a reputed designer and be prepared. It may take four to six weeks to finally get hold of the completed baby bedding, but it will be worth the wait when you it is going to be according to your choice in terms of concept, color and fabric.