Posts Tagged ‘new parents’
Jul
06
Parenthood certainly has its ups and downs, and some days, it can sure feel like the minuses outweigh the pluses (how many diaper blowouts should you have to endure in one day?). In celebration of being a new mom or dad comes My First Baby, a new series of webisodes from Meredith Video Studios and Graco that chronicle the experience of caring for a baby and all the joy (and madness) that goes along with it. Now through February 2011, each of the 36 three-to-four-minute webisodes will feature clips from real-life moms, peppered with tips and advice from TV personality Jill Cordes.
A “dream team” of experts that includes designer Liz Lange, a personal trainer and a baby planner help guide newbie parents through an overwhelming sea of baby gear and more. Our favorite part is the homegrown videos submitted by viewers who share the good, the bad and the ugly of parenting, like traveling with a newborn and getting back into shape. If you upload your own video to the site, you’ll have a chance to be featured in one of the webisodes and win prizes from Graco. So, if a Babies ‘R Us shopping spree gets your blood pumping, go grab that camera and get started…
Oct
09
If you have a child already, you well know how hard it is for you or your partner to rustle up some dinner during those first few frantic weeks home from the hospital (or even to remember to rustle it up, let’s be honest). If on the other hand you’re expecting your first baby – then let me tell you from experience, you’ll want this baby shower gift!
My sister Sabrina, an experienced mommy of two, arrives at baby showers with a sign up sheet and polls the guests to see who wants to volunteer to bring meals to the new parents once the little one arrives, with the goal of providing meals each night for two weeks.
When talking to the friends of the mommy-to-be, she lays down the ground rules:
- Nothing spicy and no chocolate (transfers through breast milk and can affect the baby).
- If you are not a cook, please consult the list of delivery places with meal preferences chosen by the new parents.
- Sign up for what date you’d like so that there is no doubling of deliveries, nor are there days of famine.
- Be sure to call ahead of your delivery to make sure you’re not interrupting nap time.
Last but not least (and consult the parents on this one, everyone is different), new parents can often be in a surreal state of adjustment and can sometimes feel overwhelmed by the idea of “entertaining” visitors right away. Be prepared to simply drop off your meal and be on your way. There will be plenty of time for visiting and cooing over the new bundle after those first frantic weeks have passed.
I can’t tell you how valuable this gift was to us in the beginning of our new adventure.
Bon Apetit!
Aug
28
I think it was the comedienne Rita Rudner who said “I need to have a baby soon before all of the names I’d choose remind me of people I hate.”
When my husband Darrin and I found out we were expecting, we’d spend hours going through baby names trying to find one in each sex we could agree on.
“Sally?” my husband said.
“Mmmm. I don’t think so.” It reminded me of an ex-boyfriend’s mom whose name was Sally.
“I’d like Jon. After my dad. But I have two ex-boyfriends named John, so that’s too weird.”
Then there was the misfortune that could befall our child if the name weren’t a good pairing with our last name which is Butters.
“I like Harrison.”
“Sure, but Harry Butters?”
“There could also be no Marjorie or Milton.”
“Benjamin is nice.”
“Nope. The curious case of Benjamin Butters?”
It went on like this for months.
It’s funny too how people have such strong opinions about YOUR baby’s name. I told someone at work early on one of the names we were considering, and she sneered and strongly encouraged me to keep thinking. Then of course, she offered me some suggestions of names she liked a lot better.
Darrin and I decided that we would keep the name to ourselves until our child was born. That would make it a like-it-or-love-it presentation of our actual baby, who’s name would at that point permanent and non-negotiable.
At work one day a co-worker with whom I wasn’t particularly close came to chat me up on the glory of pregnancy. We compared stories for a while when the conversation went toward the name.
“So, have you picked out a name?”
“Yes, but we’re not going to tell anyone until she’s born.”
“WHAT? Come on, just tell me. I won’t tell anyone.”
“Well, no. And it’s not really about that. It’s just that we found that people had some pretty strong opinions about baby names.”
“Really? Well, seriously, just tell me. Come onnnn.”
“Sorry, but nope.”
She thought for a minute then seemed to accept my answer. Then she added
“Well, as long as it’s not Madison, then I won’t hate it.”
My point exactly.
When we announced our daughter’s birth, and revealed her name as Julia Grace Butters, the reception was warm. We got many, many compliments on the name we’d chosen. Now, I agree, it is classic and beautiful; but does every person who claimed to love the name we chose really love it? Does it matter? No, it really doesn’t. We love it, and that was the point all along.
Aug
21
In our ongoing series, we try to recommend baby shower gifts that moms and dads will truly need (or love). Who wants more superfluous stuff cluttering up their house? Today’s baby shower gift idea is definitely something every new parent will be thrilled to have:
A clean house.
After a baby is born, a home can be thrown into chaos. New parents have no time, no sleep, an empty fridge, and far too many visitors. Some of the guests will help cook and clean, but most are just stopping by for a quick visit to ooh and ahh at the bundle of joy. Cleaning will be the last thing the new family has time for.
We propose to either offer your own services for a day of cleaning – or — give a gift certificate for a great housekeeper. Merry Maids offers gift cards and has locations nationwide. Check your local listings for a cleaning service near you. Make sure to do an internet search for reviews from other customers to avoid disreputable companies.
We’re pretty sure you will win the new family’s eternal gratitude with this one.
Jul
22
Oh, diapers – truly they are the most guilt-inducing thing about being a parent. Pick cloth ones and have to deal with the enormous hassle of cleaning them, plus knowing that you’re wasting energy and using toxic chemicals to get the poo out. Pick disposables and you’re contributing to the growing landfills that dot our great nation. And don’t even get me started on “elimination communication.” A new parent has enough to worry about without having to buy diapers, which is why I recommend flipping them some gift certificates to diapers.com, by far the most cost-effective place to buy the damn things anywhere. Throw in all sorts of other baby supplies and you’ll be able to take a load of mom and dad’s mind when they need it most.
Jun
19
I’ve been trying to steer you towards awesome choices for baby shower presents for expecting friends (aside from Rockabye Baby! CDs) for a very good reason — I’ve been on the other side of the coin. Here are five of the absolute worst things that you can get expecting parents.
- Age 0-3 Month Onesies. Yes, these are the smallest size clothes available for kids. No, your kid will never wear them. Ever. Why? Because they’re too damned small. Doting relatives will purchase them because they are just so cute and tiny, and they will sit, gathering dust, in the back of your closet until you throw them away.
- Baby High Heels. Okay, this is just demented. These are soft-bottomed baby shoes with little fake plush stiletto heels stuck on the back. How many bad messages do these things broadcast? And why would you buy something that would make it even harder for a baby to stand up?
- Pee-Pee Teepees. Yes, baby boys make urine, and yes, it sprays all over Creation. But this gag gift, a small cone that rests atop the willy when you’re changing the diaper to catch the splash before it hits your face, actually does more harm than good – instead of arcing in a spray that you can catch with a diaper (which you should have handy), it ricochets off of the nosecone and drenches everything in its vicinity. Poor trade-off.
- Baby Wipe Warmer. Seriously, people? You can just hold them in between your hands and warm them up in a minute or so. Instead, some idiots buy (or gift) a device that uses electricity to heat your wipes so they won’t shock a tender bum. Unsurprisingly, many of them were recalled for safety reasons.
- Soft Toys. Every little one needs a cuddle buddy, but to be quite frank, what they pick is going to be absolutely inscrutable to even the most plugged-in parent. By filling a young baby’s room with stuffed animals and other soft toys, you just clutter up your living space with stuff that they probably won’t form any kind of emotional bond with. And without that bond, they’re just funny-smelling, ungainly pillows.
Jun
12
Is there anything more fun than a new baby? In this new weekly feature, I’ll present some must-have baby items for new parents, based on my experience and those of my parent friends. If you’re putting together a registry for your new one, or you have a friend expecting, we’ll give you everything you need.
The first year of your baby’s life, you are going to become a very horrible sleeper. Especially before they adjust to a diurnal schedule, newborns are awake and asleep whenever they damn well please, and either Mama or Papa has to be up with them, come hell or high water. And, for the most part, you can’t really do anything with them but hold them, change them, burp them and comfort them. As much as you love your little new addition, this can get real boring, real fast, especially at three in the morning. One thing that kept us sane? Netflix. The ubiquitous movie delivery service gave each of us something to feed our weary eyes during those late-night vigils, helping us feel a little more like adults and less like caregiving robots. For a baby shower gift, consider giving a year’s gift subscription to Netflix – the three-disk plan is good to run with. Make some suggestions for the queue in the card and sit back knowing that you’ve done a truly good thing.
Jun
04
Is there anything more fun than a new baby? In this new weekly feature, I’ll present some must-have baby items for new parents, based on my experience and those of my parent friends. If you’re putting together a baby registry for your new one, or you have a friend expecting, we’ll give you everything you need.
This week’s baby shower gift pick is the Miracle Blanket. Sleep is one of the most precious commodities for a new parent, and anything that can keep the little one sawing logs for even fifteen more minutes is a very valuable investment indeed.
I loved the Miracle Blanket – sure, it looks something like a psychiatric restraint, but this oddly-shaped swaddler was the absolute best thing for my son when he was little. Since new babies have absolutely no motor control, they tend to smack themselves in the face when they’re sleeping. By swaddling them, you prevent accidental thwacks and let them make the most of their downtime – by association, letting the new parents make the most of it as well.
P.S. Don’t forget to enter to win our new Lullaby Renditions of Queen CD!
