Senin, 26 Desember 2011

the baby nursery

Planning a baby nursery is a big task. There is furniture to choose, walls to paint, safety to take into consideration. Probably the most exciting part of planning your baby nursery though, will be choosing your nursery’s theme.  The theme you decide on will set the tone for the whole room so it will certainly need to be one of the first decisions that you make when your start the planning process.

There are an almost endless supply of themes available for a baby’s room.  You could choose to go with something gender specific, a girl themed room for a girl and a boy themed room for a boy, or you may want to consider choosing a gender neutral theme if you plan to have more children.  This will save you the trouble of possibly having to remodel the nursery when the next baby comes along.  A pink princess themed nursery won’t work so well if your next child is a boy.  Likewise, a girl will seem out of place in a nursery decorated with cars.

If you want to plan a nursery that will stimulate your baby as they grow, consider bright primary colors and geometric shapes and patterns.  Red, blue, and yellow have been found to be the colors that help stimulate young infants.  Bedding and wall décor with geometric shapes and patterns will also do this especially if the shapes and patterns are large.  This will make it easier for the baby to see since it takes many months for an infant’s vision to completely develop.

Whatever theme you decide on for your nursery, be prepared to live with it for a few years.  Most babies are not ready for a toddler room until they are two to three years old.  If you want to save money, choose a theme that will grow with them into their toddler room.  Since toddler beds take the same size mattress and bedding as a crib, you could continue to use the theme and bedding you choose in a toddler room if you wanted to.

No matter what theme you decide on, remember to have fun while taking on the whole nursery planning process.  This is a joyous time in your life that you will always be able to look back on fondly.

the Perfect Baby Name

Names are important because they represent a person’s identity. The names we are given typically stay with us for a lifetime. This is why prospective parents struggle so hard to find the perfect baby name.

But, choosing a name can be difficult. After all, there are many different ways to go about it. Names can be chosen based on origins, meaning, uniqueness, or something else. This leaves many people wondering exactly how to get started. If you’re looking for the perfect baby name, here are some baby naming tips that may help:

<b>Popularity</b>
Though there have always been extremely common names, most baby names tend to follow some sort of trend or cycle of popularity. Some parents prefer choosing a baby name that is rare, while others try to find a name that is fairly popular. Think about how you felt as a child. Did it make you feel special that nobody shared your name? Was it frustrating that others had the same name as you? Your child may end up with many of the same feelings if given a unique or popular name. Carefully consider these feelings before choosing a baby name.

<b>Boy Names vs. Girl Names</b>
Many of today’s popular names are ambiguous. For example, names like Riley, Madison, Jaden, and Taylor can be used for a boy or a girl. While some parents only choose names that provide clear gender identification, others feel this is of little importance. If clear gender identification is important to you, make sure you choose the name carefully. As mentioned, many of the most popular baby names are now interchangeable.

<b>Meaning</b>
Baby names are words, and every word has a meaning. If you need help choosing the perfect name, you may want to look up the meanings of a few baby names. Many parents choose a name based on a meaning that reflects qualities and traits that they hope their child will possess.

<b>Opinions</b>
When it comes to baby names, everyone has an opinion. Some people may even suggest that you name your baby after them. Try to take these opinions in stride. It’s impossible to please everyone and it is absolutely impossible to choose a name that everyone will like. You will be much better off choosing a baby name that makes you happy.

<b>Spelling and/or Pronunciation</b>
Spelling and pronunciation is an important factor to consider when choosing a baby name. Because every name can have an alternative spelling, baby name possibilities are virtually endless. Before you decide to go with an alternative spelling, think carefully. Though there is nothing wrong with being unique, your child may have to spend a good number of years correcting people on the spelling and/or pronunciation of the name.


baby bedding crib

When it comes to furnishing nurseries, the easiest bit has got to be getting pregnant in the first place!  As a first time mum some 26 years ago, the choice was very limited in what you could buy or make.  It was all very practical, but not really attractive.  Co-ordination meant having more than two items that matched!  In those days, in the UK, everything a new mum needed came from one shop - Mothercare, unless you had the income to allow shopping at the more select department stores.  Comparing prices, styles and availability on the Internet was not an option because the Internet did not exist.

When a very close friend found she was pregnant recently, I took time to have a look at what was available.  A fan of all things New England (the family will be emigrating from the UK when all the paperwork is agreed), I wanted to see if I could find something special for her. 

Looking now at the websites offering bedding for cribs, my first problem was to understand some of the different terms.  It wasn't until I saw some pictures that I realised that in the US a 'crib' is a 'cot'. In the UK a 'bassinet' is not a baby bath but a 'moses basket' and a 'cradle' is a 'crib'.  Confusing, isn't it? I've made a little table to try and make it clearer.

(US) Crib = (UK) Cot
(US) Bassinet = (UK) Moses Basket
(US) Cradle = (UK) Crib

The American sites have so much more to offer than the UK ones.  That's not to say that all the goodies available in the US aren't available here because they are.  However, the choice of design, colour etc. is very limited in the UK.  Enter 'bedding for cribs' into the search engine and you will find several very good sites in the US offering literally hundreds of different designs, with a good variety of price and quality.  No longer is it a matter of just finding matching crib bumpers and quilts, with possibly matching curtains and perhaps a wallpaper border, the whole nursery can be styled in both furniture and material to suit whatever your particular dream might be.  I even found a black and white gingham (check) set that looked stunning in the accompanying photograph.  

I found some lovely bedding for my friend's nursery, but in the end I didn't buy a quilt to match.  In New England style, I had one made for her to go with the rest of the linen, with the baby's name on it too.  Hopefully the complete set will be something that will remain in the family for many years to come.

No discussion on bedding for cribs would be complete without considering some important basic safety issues. You will find some good tips on safety by following the link at the end of this article; I strongly suggest that you take a look at the tips on safety before you buy any bedding for your crib.

a baby first name

What many parents seem to forget when naming a child is that they also must choose a middle name for their babies. This is a very important step in the process in which a child is named. A middle name not only adds to the personal identity of a person but it also gives them another term that people can refer to them as. This is highly useful when a person finds he or she has the same first name as someone else, as the middle name will almost assuredly be different. This article should help guide new parents into choosing the best middle name for their newborn child!

To start out with, middle names can be the same as a father or mother’s name. While it is usually not a good idea to name a child the second in line of a name his or her father or mother had, it is a completely different story with middle names. Many cultures and religions only have middle names in which the parent’s name is used, so it is quite common to see this happen. This middle name, however, is not the best choice and should only be used if it is tradition or if there are really no better options available.

Another way of choosing a middle name is by finding a close friend or relative and giving the child their first name as a middle name. Many times parents will use the godparent’s name as the middle name. It also makes sense to honor someone who has helped parents face and overcome struggles in life by naming a child, at least partially, after this person. And of course, if a close one has passed away recently then their first name is a good candidate for a middle name as well.

For parents who want to name their child something extravagant or weird, like “Strawberry” or “Jelly,” it is harmful and a bad decision to do so with the first name. But, again, this unorthodox name can be used as a middle name. For starters, no one close to the child really has to know or refer to them by their middle name most of the time, making an embarrassing choice okay in this regard. And if a parent is just dead-set on using a weird name, than it is of course better to use it as a middle name than a first name which identifies a child for life.

Naming a child, first or middle, is a long process in which two parents, usually, debate amongst each other and swap ideas. Each name should be carefully thought out and planned for because a child is going to have to, unless he or she changes their name, live with these names for the rest of their lives. The middle name is an important addition to any person’s name and should not be pushed aside until the very end. It should get just as much consideration as the first name. And parents remember, the middle name is the one that you can have fun with!