LilSugar

Disguise Diapers With a Pair of Fancy Pants

LilSugar — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 10:00:40 PDT

Diaper covers have come a long way from rubber pants. The plastic wraps that once secured pampers out of necessity have given way to fashionable cotton and eyelet bloomers that complement outfits should your babe bend over. Some are so cute that mamas pair them with a tee and use them to outfit their tots. If you're looking for a way to disguise your wee daughter's diapers, check out these finds.

Trendtotting: Funky Diaper Covers

babysugar — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 13:00:00 PDT

When frilly eyelet diaper covers just won't do, Ooh La La has got your tot's tush covered. Handmade by owner Judy Pfardresher, the Velcro adjustable rump hiders ($17-$19) are quality crafted and finished with charms that say, "Made with love."

Alternatots will look fetching in a pair of leopard- or cheetah-print fanny covers, especially when they get their crawling mojo going. Not to leave anyone out, the Chinese silk prints and polka-dot patterns suit the more genteel and mild-mannered wee ones.

Trendtotting: Fancy Tushies

babysugar — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 15:00:15 PDT

There is something about a baby's bum that is beyond adorable. I could watch my tot's dimpled cheeks run around the house all day if it weren't for fear she would relieve herself on the carpet without warning. I usually put a diaper on her and for extra security, a pair of fancy pants.

While I have a handful of covers that come with skirts and dresses, none compare to the classic embroidered bloomers like those from Blueberry Babies. With her name or initials stitched on her tush, I hardly want to dress her in anything else. The precious baby intimates are always a hit and make fabulous newborn gifts.

Blueberry Babies Monogrammed Fancy Pants Diaper Cover ($16)	Blueberry Babies Garden Princess Fancy Pant ($20)
Blueberry Babies Personalized Chick Diaper Covers ($16)	Blueberry Babies Personalized Ruffle Bottom Fancy Pants Diaper Cover ($18)
Blueberry Babies Personalized Ladybug Fancy Pants Diaper Covers ($16)	Blueberry Babies Garden Princess Fancy Pant Diaper Cover $20	Blueberry Babies Personalized Bunny Diaper Covers ($16)

Baby's Got Back! RuffleButts Diaper Covers

LilSugar — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 16:00:56 PST

When it comes to outfitting lil ladies, I'm a sucker for ruffles. And, these bright bloomers from RuffleButts are the stylish way to cover a diaper.

Available in sizes to fit infants and preschoolers, the 100 percent cotton bloomers are $16 and can be embroidered for an additional $8. The holidays are approaching and no lil darling should celebrate without a pair of personalized fancy pants.

What's a girl to wear with these feminine frilled bottoms? Check out the company's swing tops and coordinating tees or don them under a dress.

The Benefits of Homeschooling Your Kids

LearnVest — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 03:05:49 PST

We're thrilled to present this smart LearnVest story here on Savvy!

In the past, LearnVest spoke to parents who chose not to use diapers with their children and dove into the stay-at-home parent debate. This time, one mother shares why she has decided to homeschool her children.

In 2002, we had our third child, 10 years after our second was born. Our eldest two boys were in a private school, but we began to consider the best way to educate our newest addition. Although we loved the school our boys attended, each year cost us about $10,000. We questioned how feasible it would be to put additional kids through there, too.

We had three more children in the following years for a total of six, and with each new baby came further confirmation that putting our four youngest through private school was out of the question financially. Our two eldest were approaching college age, which put even more pressure on us.

The decision was simple. We elected to educate our four youngest at home.

Why Public School Wasn’t an Option

We always knew that we wouldn’t send our children to public school. Parents who opt out of public school do so for many reasons: safety, quality of education, religious conviction, and many others. My husband and I both went to public school, but that was a long time ago, and I don’t know what schools are like today. For us, religion was the main reason. We believe that God gave parents the responsibility to raise, train, and educate their own children. Many parts of the Bible talk about training your children - to us, that includes education.

For more, read after the jump.

Cloth Diapers? Not For This Mama!

BabyCenter — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 11:42:22 PST

We're excited to share this post from our partners at BabyCenter! Every week, we will be bringing you the best parenting and lifestyle stories from the experts at BabyCenter, including this post from Stacie Lewis about her decision to use disposable diapers.

I use disposables. I believe they are easier, more convenient, faster and more hygienic than cloth. I like using them – at least, I like them as much as a parent can like a diaper. I have never considering changing. I have never tried cloth. Why would I?

My husband and I had one conversation about cloth vs disposable, three years ago before our daughter was born. It went as follows:

Me: (opening discussion by using the universal family signal: pressing mute on the TV remote) Honey, have you ever thought about cloth diapers?

Him: What?!? What are you talking about?

Me: You know, diapers that you wash after each use instead of throw out.

Him: (look of total confusion on his face) You wash them? Like in the washing machine? All that poo, in the washing machine?

Me: (nodding without enthusiasm) Yeah.

Him: Why would we do that?

Me: (puzzled) Um, I’m not sure.

Him: Well, there you have it. (grabs remote and unpresses mute)

A splinter of doubt needled me after I wrote my last post. In the post, I explained how it is possible to pull onesies down after poo explosions. Besides many parents declaring it a "life-changing" idea - and think of that what you will - quite a few others used the opportunity to praise cloth diapers:

Keep reading to see what cloth diaper advocates had to say.

Beyoncé Knowles Wraps Up Her Beach Fun and Returns to NYC

Allie Merriam — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 10:22:16 PST

Beyoncé Knowles attended a meeting in NYC with her mom Tina yesterday. The Knowles clan is back in the Big Apple after a fun weekend in Miami, where Beyoncé attended a bash at her pal Alex Rodriguez's house. She and husband Jay-Z, who was in the Sunshine State to perform on his Watch the Throne tour with Kanye West, then hired a yacht for a day on the water with Tina, Solange Knowles, and Solange's son Julez. Pregnant Beyoncé wore a bikini for the outing, and covered up the two-piece with a kaftan.

Jay-Z then went west to LA, where he attended the GQ Men of the Year party last night. On the carpet, Jay-Z talked about welcoming a child with Beyoncé and how he's different from his own dad. "I'm just a different kind of guy . . . I'm a highly principled person. I come from a real place where you had to be a highly principled person, so, I'm pretty confident that I'll figure it out." He went on to joke that their baby won't wear gold diapers, but rather ones made of leather!

What to Skip When Shopping For Baby

LearnVest — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 00:15:45 PST

We're thrilled to present this smart LearnVest story here on Savvy!

By the last few months of every woman’s third trimester, she’s inevitably faced with one of life’s most intimidating situations: baby shopping.

No matter whether you had your most recent child years ago or are currently expecting, I’m sure you’re familiar with the situation.

You walk into your local baby store brimming with excitement and confidence, ready to stock up for your little one. Ten minutes later, after seeing floor-to-ceiling walls of bottles, swaddling blankets, baby food containers and strollers of every variety, that confidence plummets. Or it morphs into apathy that has you reaching for the chocolate and telling yourself your baby would be fine sleeping in a box.

At least, that’s how it was with me.

Thankfully, you don’t need everything you see at the baby store-nor do you need to be drowning in debt to provide a happy home for your little one. As it turns out, a lot of the items listed on the “must buy for your baby” checklists given out by big box baby stores aren’t essential at all.

If you’re way past the baby stage, share your wisdom with other budding moms in LearnVest Discussions.

As for me, here’s what I’ve found you can skip:

Bottle Sterilizer

Keeping your baby’s bottles germ-free is the best way to prevent infection and upset tummies. But you don’t need to pay upwards of $80 for an electric sterilizer that will take up a lot of kitchen counter space. Instead, try this Munchkin one for $18. It fits all size bottles, takes up no space and sterilizes your feeding accessories in the microwave in three minutes.

Read on for more items to skip.

The New-Baby Expenses No One Told You About

LearnVest — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 00:15:00 PDT

We're thrilled to present this smart LearnVest story here on Savvy!

A new baby brings all sorts of surprises . . . one of them will probably be how many unplanned expenses pop up in the days and weeks after your new son or daughter is born. An even bigger surprise? The amount of money you’re going to spend on yourself after the delivery, not necessarily on your new little bundle of joy.

The best way to prepare for this financial challenge is to make ample room in your budget to cover at least some of the items below. Consider this a rundown of what to expect to spend when you’re expecting.

Anything But Hospital Food

Hospital food isn’t the best, and you’ll quickly realize that you don’t have to eat it. From then on, you might expect a takeout bag every time a visitor leaves the hospital. But those morning egg sandwiches and evening trays of sushi that you can finally eat again do add up. Two or three nights in the hospital can set you back $50 to $75.

Getting Out of the House

Being on maternity leave feels kind of like being on vacation (except for the lack of sleep and crying baby). You will have a lot of free time, and after a week or two of adjusting, you’ll need to get out of the house and find things to do. You might want to meet friends for lunch and see some grown-ups. You also might want to go for an early evening drink or even dinner with your spouse since the baby sleeps in public right now, and it won’t always be like this. Try budgeting $25 to $50 a week in pocket money for small outings.

Read on for more baby expenses.

Baby Harper Beckham Is One Traditionally Dressed Lil Girl

Rebecca M Gruber — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 12:02:28 PDT

It looks like Victoria Beckham is sticking to her promise to dress baby Harper like a little girl! Back in July, the designer and then expectant mama told WWD, "I love the French clothes for little girls. I like little girls to look like little girls." Over the past week, Victoria has brought the lil one along on a few public outings, and each time the tot has been dressed in traditional bubbles and bloomers. For her latest foray into the public eye, lil Harper wore a one-piece black and white gingham outfit that looks suspiciously like a garment we picked out for her! Keep reading for some suggestions to re-create the look.

Clockwise from top left: Bewbear Baby Bloomers Diaper Cover ($10), Deux Par Deux Black/White Gingham Short Sleeve Dress ($30), Ralph Lauren Baby Girls Gingham Dress ($23), Carhartt Gingham Short Set ($18), Pumpkin Patch Gingham Pinafore ($20).