LilSugar

Baby Bump: Register in Person

LilSugar — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 10:00:39 -0800

Your first child brings on a lot of other firsts: morning sickness, maternity clothes, baby showers, and selecting baby gear! Some mommies register for their new arrival, and one piece of advice for picking items for your wee one is to go in person.

The Internet is fabulous, but when it comes to your newborn's goods it's helpful to head on over to the store. All those toys, swings, bassinets, and decorations look a lot different when you see them first hand, and since you are about to acquire a lot of gear, you want to make sure you actually like the stuff you get. It's better to take care of the legwork before baby is born, than lug him or her back with your returns after.

Thinking she had outsmarted the system by sitting on her couch and shopping, my pal registered online. Then, she spent a good deal of time exchanging goods once the gifts poured in. Learn from a fellow expectant mommy's mistake and do it right the first time.

Did you register in person or online?

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Did You Register For Your Baby?

babysugar — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 14:00:28 -0700

The concept of a gift registry makes sense - visit your favorite stores, make a list of all of your gift preferences and have friends and family buy them for you so you don't have to spend your time returning unwanted and duplicate items. Wedding registries are common practice these days, having been around since Chicago's Marshall Field's department store created them in 1924.

If first comes love, then comes marriage, then comes baby in a baby carriage, it is no surprise that baby registries were the next thing. Every time a celebrity announces she is pregnant there seems to be news about whether she has registered for pink or blue items. With so many bottles, cribs, swings and baby carriers on the market, it is no wonder pregnant women state their preferences.

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Baby Registry Tips

LilSugar — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 15:00:47 -0800

I didn't know about baby registries until I was pregnant with my daughter, but since I like the surprise involved in opening presents, I never put a list together. Lately, it seems like more and more stores are registry ready. From Pottery Barn Kids to Babies "R" Us, and Giggle to Amazon, everyone is in on the action.
Here are my must haves for any child's registry:

Britax Boulevard Car Seat - Since you can't drive around with baby without one, I recommend this one ($299) that provides side impact protection for children who are 5 to 65 lbs.
Nano Highchair - I have an old-fashioned wooden highchair, but after cleaning all the nooks and crannies after each meal, I'd much prefer The Nano ($180). It's simple design looks easy to wipe down and you can fold it up to store between feedings.
Baby Einstein Musical Motion Activity Jumper -My son leaped like crazy in this brightly colored musical contraption ($80) until he walked at 10 months.
Baby Einstein Neptune Ocean Environment Play Gym-Baby can travel under the sea during tummy time and play with plush aquatic friends on this mat ($70).
Fisher-Price Ocean Wonders Aquarium Cradle Swing - This swing ($100) lulled both my kids to sleep and was light enough to move around the house so I could keep an eye on them while I tidied up or showered.

Lil Links: Try These Tasty Recipes For a Spooky Spectacle

babysugar — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 10:30:16 -0700

18 spooktacular recipes - Parenting
Jenna Elfman drags out her non-maternity gear in a mini - Celebrity Baby Blog
Registry must haves for moms-to-be - Fit Pregnancy
Oye! She's still using a sippy cup in grade school - CafeMom
Holly Robinson-Peete wishes the Travoltas spoke out earlier about autism - ParentDish
Salma Hayek says the pregnancy glow is a lie - Celebrity Baby Scoop
The baby manicure tragedy - The Laughing Stork
Help find these recently missing children - Mom Logic
Do you write down what your kids say? - The Poop
Mother-daughter relationships - Real Simple

Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 -0800

Interesting to Ridiculous Baby Shower Gifts

LilSugar — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 12:05:16 -0700

One woman's gag gift is another mother's treasure. While baby showers are a fun way to fete the expectant mama, they also help her load up on loot like practical baby necessities. Though most guests gravitate toward the basic and budget-friendly items on a mom-to-be's registry, others try to wow the crowd with the most outlandish gifts they come across. From garish clothing to utterly ridiculous items, we've rounded up some interesting selections.

To see our entire list of unique baby shower gifts, read more.

View 10 Photos ›

Website lil Loves: MealBaby

LilSugar — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 08:00:12 -0700

The days and weeks after welcoming a new baby into your home are like a dream. The sleep deprivation and round the clock feedings often mean that homemade meals are sparse and takeout becomes the norm. MealBaby is an online meal registry where family and friends can sign up to make and deliver meals to new parents. For loved ones who live too far away to deliver a homemade meal, the site offers up the opportunity to purchase gift cards to national chain restaurants as well as the opportunity to donate money to Feed The Children, a non-profit organization that provides food for hungry families around the world. If you're too busy to set up the registry on your own, friends can do so for you - which might make a fun addition to a baby shower!

Baby Bump: Belly Tattoos

LilSugar — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 10:00:00 -0800

Pregnancy can be a time of indecisiveness for women. Some waffle between baby names, what entree to order off a menu or items to add to their registry. So if you want to adorn your burgeoning belly with some art, but haven't been able to make a commitment to one design or another - the temporary tattoos at Mother Ink are perfect. Made from FDA-approved vegetable inks and manufactured in the USA, the company's seven designs will give you plenty of opportunities to show off your belly as the weather warms up. Each round tattoo is designed to be placed around your belly button and last for a few days.

Baby Bump: ExpectNet Baby Pool

LilSugar — Wed, 19 Dec 2007 07:00:25 -0800

Your due date is quickly approaching, and everyone from your best friend to your grocery store clerk seems to have an opinion about the sex of your baby, when you will deliver and how big the baby is going to be. Rather than smiling and nodding, why not invite them to participate in your online baby pool? ExpectNet has created a free, online version of every one's favorite guessing game, allowing you to keep track of all the predictions in one, easy-to-access place.

Created to mirror the traditional office pool, ExpectNet allows soon-to-be parents to invite those close to them to guess the gender, weight, length, birth date and time of the impending bundle of joy. After the baby's birth, the site then compares the guesses to the real statistics and determines an overall winner in each category.

In addition to collecting baby pool information, the site provides the expectant parents with a place to post pregnancy updates, baby registry information and birth announcements. However, you are responsible for rewarding the winner!

Wee Are the World: Cord Blood Donation

babysugar — Mon, 19 May 2008 09:00:13 -0700

Keep the cord. If you're under 34 weeks pregnant, you may have the power to share life with someone other than your baby–to–be. By donating your newborn's umbilical cord after delivery, you give someone who has a life-threatening disease like leukemia, sickle cell anemia or lymphoma a chance to survive.

As a parent, you can pay to preserve your baby's cord blood at a private bank like ViaCord or Cord Blood Registry. For many parents, the price is out of the budget since some blood banks charge an initial fee upwards of $600 plus an annual storage payment. If you donate your cord blood to a public bank, it is free.

To learn about donating, read more.

Whether you plan to donate or store your cord blood, you should know all of your options:

Donate to a public cord blood bank.
Store it in a private family cord blood bank.
Save it for a family member with a medical need.
Donate it for research studies.
Do nothing.

To find out more about donating the cord blood, visit the National Marrow Donor Program.

Would you donate your cord blood?
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