by : Yulia Yunus

Free baby products are a perfect way out for mothers who feel that to raise and to take care a baby needs more than just  love, patient and energy, it definitely needs a lot of money too.

free baby product

By trying to get free baby products it certainly gives a little space for mothers to manage their cost in order to fulfill some of the baby’s need, even though there are only few of money they can save by getting free baby products.

As we all understand that having a baby as well as fulfilling the baby’s need will require a special budget because almost every baby’s necessity generally has an expensive price since every parent want the best product for their baby. And if you are a mother who is willing to spare your time to search and collect information about free baby products, it can be sure that you will be surprised on how much money you will save since you can reduce the total amount you have to spend for your baby regularly.

There are lots of ways to be applied in order to save some money, one of the easiest ways is by getting free stuff for babies and try to find as much as information you can get on how and where to obtain free baby products.

Information concerning free baby product not only can be obtained on local baby shops, which are part of the shop promo program, but it also can be reached on a magazine or newspaper  that provides free baby coupons for baby’s products and also by using internet.

Many people think that free baby products are just a worthless offer with poor product quality. Therefore, the company is willing to give it away for free. Of course this is totally wrong. There are several famous and great companies who are willing to give free baby products samples, and you can be sure that the free baby product samples have good quality such as baby diapers, baby soap and shampoo, toys, cd and many more.

The simplest way is by browsing some information through the internet and within a second, you will get lots of information and offer for free baby products.

Please check out my other article about Disposable Diapers and Crib Bedding Sets

By : Charlene B.

Disposable diapers can be categorized as an essential need for those who have a baby and mostly needed by babies during their first years. For mothers, disposable diaper are proven to be the best solution to keep their baby clean and comfortable without having to do lots of work, although some parents are quite surprised on the total number of disposable diapers needed for the baby, which is quite a lot.

diaper coupons

Mostly, mothers tend to depend on disposable diapers since it has many benefits on helping some parents to have less complicated work to take care of their baby and at the same time, it also makes the baby more comfortable.

There are several benefits can be obtained by using disposable diapers instead of cloth diaper because its do not need to be washed after being used. Its also perfect solutions for mothers who travel a lot and always carrying their baby.

Generally, parents tend to avoid complicated things if they need to travel and have to bring the baby along. Disposable diapers are also available in various size. Therefore, it will be easier for parents to choose the appropriate type for the baby.

But there are also some disadvantages in using this kind of diapers, such as the price is more expensive than any reusable diapers and since the need of baby diapers is quite a lot, parents should increase their budget.  Disposable diapers can also causing an uncomfortable condition for the baby, starts from an itchy skin to skin irritation if parents just pick random diapers without considering the baby’s health.

In order to save some money, mothers can start collecting information or diaper coupons for free diapers provided by some companies. Generally, this type of promo will use some media such as magazine, newspaper and website to provide a free offer. All mothers need to do is gain as much as information they can get and start to save some cash.

you may be interested in reading this too : Crib Bedding Sets and Newborn Clothing

By : Yulia Yunus

When buying baby bedding, it is more ideal to just buy complete crib bedding sets to cut on costs of additional sheets and accessories. Moreover, complete baby crib bedding set will be most ideal when you are creating a specific theme for your little boy or little girl’s bedroom.

crib bedding set

The crib bedding sets that you will choose should match the curtains and other accessories in the room. This will boost the ambience and appearance of the room, and will harmonize and balance the room to make it feel lighter.

The popular bedding set today is character-themed such as fairytale, cartoon or jungle themed. Below are some ideas for nursery crib bedding sets that can be readily used in everyone’s bedrooms.

Fairytale-themed crib bedding sets

There are parents who would use fairytale characters to complete the look of their baby’s room. For these parents, it is ideal to choose the feminine look by incorporating princess accessories and designs to the baby bedding.  Most of these designs would be famous Disney characters and princesses, with drawings of castles, tiaras, and princes.

Jungle-themed crib bedding sets

The jungle theme is ideal for the room of a baby boy. It is playful, fun, and gives the room a kind of adventurous and bold aura.  Most parents would choose this jungle crib bedding along with other stuffed animals, particularly dinosaurs, giraffe, bear, and other wild animals.

Cartoon character-themed

Character-themed crib bedding sets are the most ideal to put in any baby’s room regardless of the baby’s gender.  Cartoon characters have various colours, so they can either look feminine or masculine depending on the colour that you pick. This theme can make the room look more cheery and vibrant, and will give a positive vibe.

You can read my other guide on Newborn Clothing and Cheap Baby Funiture

By : Yulia Yunus

Newborn clothing is one of important item that every mother should buy when they are expecting a baby.  With various choices of color, design  and material available in the market these day, it is only make shopping for newborn clothes much more fun than it used to be but sometimes it can make you confuse and overwhelmed especially for fashion-aware parent who want stylish and fashionable infant girl clothes for their baby girl.

newborn baby clothing

When mother-to-be see cute newborn baby clothing with beautiful laces and ruffles or frilly acessories in baby clothing stores, it is so easy to make mistake and buying those clothes based on cuteness factor instead of function.  These mistake commonly happen with first time mothers that still don’t have a clue about newborn clothing.

So, here is tips and guidelines to help mother makes the right decision. There are few basic and crucial thing you should consider when choosing the right newborn clothing such as material, design, function, size and other little detail.

Material

Newborn skin is very sensitive, we still did not know if they allergic to certain fabrics.  Therefore to prevent any allergic reaction parents should choose hypoallergenic material such as cotton or organic cotton for newborn clothing.

For a long time cotton has become first choice for newborn clothes because cotton is soft, light, breathable, absorbing sweat better than synthetic material which can avoid irritation or rashes on babies skin.

Other material or fabrics that has been use as newborn clothing is flannel, wool and polyester blends.  Whatever material you are going to choose, please read the label carefully and make sure its hypoallergenic and not contain any harmful chemical. Or, for a better choice, you can also look for organic baby clothes.

Design and Function

In addition to materials, function and design of newborn clothing is also a significant factor to be taken into consideration.  Instead of pretty dresess with lace or fancy pants with tight zippers, try to look for more simple design that give an ease in wearing the clothes such as baby clothes with wide sleeve or wide neckline.  While to help parents changing newborn diapers faster, there are cotton baby clothes with Snap crotches or button down.

Another issue parent should consider is safety.   When choosing organic cotton baby clothes, you must check thoroughly for rough edges that can cause a scratch in your baby skin.  As for zipper, it’s advisable for newborn clothing  to have layer between the zipper and in the right spot, since the wrong position of zipper, button or decoration item can cause discomfort when your baby sleeping.

As we all know baby love to put everything into their mouth, including button or tiny decoration item that fall off from the used baby clothes and causing choking hazard.  Therefore you must regulary check for loose button or ornament in your newborn clothing

Size

Size of newborn clothing is devide in 0-3 month and 3-6 month so it’s easier to buy newborn baby clothing in their first month.  It is wise to buy slightly larger size since babies can outgrow their clothes very fast.

For parent convenient, don’t buy newborn clothing with delicate material since it can not  be washed by machine and make sure you have basic clothes at least for 2 or 3 days so you don’t have to do laundry every day.

Babies will always need new clothes,  it depends on how fast their growing stage.  So it’s not advisable to buy handmade baby clothes or designer baby clothes that can cost you a fortune since they wont use the clothes for a long time.

Check out my other guide on :

Triple Stroller
Colic Baby
Baby Food Grinder

by : Yulia Yunus

Baby keepsake gifts is very special for a mother because these gift can be display around the house and will remind her of precious memory when her child was a baby.  Baby keepsake gifts can also be given to the baby when he or she grow up as a family heirloom.

baby keepsake gift

There are so many baby keepsake gifts available in the market, some of them can be used to help parents in daily life such as blanket, clothing or toys and another one is purposely design to hold memory throughout the years and treasured for a lifetime like picture frames, scrapbook or curl box set.  Most of those baby keepsake gifts can be personalized to make it much more special and uniqe as a personalized keepsake.

As a traditional baby keepsake gifts, you can choose something made of silver like rattles, baby spoon or lockets that engraved with baby’s name or birthday.  Or you can get very creative by making custom photo calendar with photo of mom during pregnancy, baby shower and the baby in her or his first year.

If you still not sure which baby keepsake gifts to choose, you can search for ideas, tips and guide online.  I am sure you can get the perfect  keepsake gifts that you’re looking for.  You may also consider to buy the baby keepsake gifts from online store because online store can offer various choices and sometime with cheaper price than local shop.  Since this baby keepsakes will be keep for a long time,  don’t forget to check for the quality of the baby keepsake gift.

You may want to check out my other guide on :  Colic Baby

By : Yulia Yunus

Baby trend jogging stroller have been found in almost all suburban neighborhoods across the country. However, finding the right stroller could make all the difference in how much you enjoy your morning run.

baby trend double jogging stroller

Important feature of baby trend jogging stroller is the ability to unlock the pivoting front wheel in order to pilot around tight corners or better maneuver at the aisles in shopping malls etc. Back in jogging mode merely engage the wheel back into a straight position. Your child will have a comfy ride, no matter what surface you are jogging on.

Jogging strollers are certainly not a necessity for most new parents. The point of a baby trend jogging stroller is to add stability and support for the baby during a fast or bumpy ride. They are ideal for “off-road” trails and also light running or jogging. It will accommodate children up to 50 pounds. This baby trend jogging stroller is easy to fold and unfold, and the tires are simple to inflate.

Since baby trend jogging stroller is a jogging stroller a fixed front wheel is a must, thereby providing straight and easy tracking while running with the stroller.

Overall, most parents felt that the folding mechanism on the baby trend jogging stroller was quite easy to use, although one parent reported that over time, the mechanics of the stroller made folding increasingly more difficult to the point that the entire stroller eventually became impossible to fold.

Even parents who hated their baby trend jogging stroller were forced to concede that their children loved the comfy seating and oversized footrest provided. As a jogging stroller, the comfort of the driver is paramount and although 85 % of parents were quite comfortable pushing the baby trend jogging stroller.

Just thought you may be interested in reading this guide: Glass Baby Bottles and Personalized Baby Blankets

By : Yulia Yunus

Baby food grinder is one of important tool for every mother who always wanted to provide healthy food for their baby.  With homemade baby food, you can prevent your baby consuming additive and preservative that usually found in ready made baby food at store.

Baby Food Grinders

Sometimes a working mother prefer to buy jarred or can baby food because they don’t have enough time to make it by themself, when in fact  it doesn’t take much time or complicated process to make your own baby food as long as you have the right tool such as baby food grinder.

Fruits like bananas, apples and pears are the best choice for your baby first food, and you may want to choose fresh ingredients for a better nutrition.  It is wise to avoid food that can cause an allergic reaction in a baby such as strawberries, wheat, peanuts or egg whites. Another recommend fruits are potatoes, peaches, sweet potatoes, plum, brown rice or butternut squash.

Before you put the fruit in baby food grinder, wash it thoroughly to get rid of the dirt or chemical residue and steam or boil it in saucepan. To retain natural mineral and vitamin from the fruits you can choose steaming rather than boiling.

Next process is spoon the baby food into ice cube trays, cover with plactic wrap and freeze it.  After frozen, remove from the tray and keep the baby food in labeled freezer bag. Now you have a healthy and nutritious baby food supply for a week with cheaper price.

For a better result make sure that you purchase baby food grinders or food processor from a reputable company

Check out my other article: Twin Strollers and Maclaren Volo Stroller

By Yulia Yunus

What is colic baby?

Colic baby is a condition which infants feel abdominal pain and cry for no apparent reason during a specific time of the day. It’s a temporary condition that usually experienced by a three weeks old baby and will disappear when the baby was 3 or 4 months, the term may be different  for each baby.  Colic baby is more common in bottle-fed baby than breast-fed baby.

Baby Colic

Some people said colic baby is part of the process of growth in infants and you must allow nature to take its course. But for a parents especially the new one, it’s so hard to see their baby going through this phase without doing anything.

Maybe there is no cure for colic baby medically but there is something you can do to ease the pain.

What is the cause of colic?

A lot of research has been done to find the cause and the cure of colic baby, but they still can’t find the real cause of colic because it may be vary for each baby.

The most common theory of what cause colic baby is the undeveloped digestive system that can make accumulation of gas in their intestines which can’t be released.  For bottle-fed baby, the cause can be from holes on the used nipples that allowing air came into stomach when the baby sucked on the nipples for milk.

While for breast-fed baby, colic in babies can cause by mothers who eat gas producing food and consuming product that contain unsafe chemicals which trigger off allergies or allergen-containing food, and passed on to a baby through breast-milk.

Another theory for causing colic baby are lactose intolerance or intolerance to powder milk or cow’s milk.  Baby with mother who smokes during pregnancy or after birth has more chance to get colic baby.

How to prevent it?

There are no surefire way on how to prevent colic baby but here are some tips that can help you to reduce it.

1. If you are breastfed mother, you must limiting from eating gas producing foods like beans, cabbage, onions, caffeine, spicy foods or dairy product, and you must consult with your doctor for adding calcium supplement while you’re nursing.  However, there is only limited evidence that non-dairy breast milk are effective at reducing colic baby
2. If you are bottle-fed your baby, you must regulary inspect the nipples for stretched holes.
3. Be carefull when holding your baby during feeding to avoid baby taking an air from the bottle.
4. Don’t put down your baby after feeding without burp-in him previously. Hold your baby in standing position and rub their back and make sure all gas is gone.
5. If your baby lactose intolerant, you can use soy formula, but you MUST consult it with your doctor beforehand

What is the symptom?

Colic baby can be diagnosed by their behaviour. Here are few symptom you must be aware that can help you to recognize if your baby is suffering from colic baby or not.

1. Your baby crying in the specific time of the night or day, non-stop for 3 hours or more, in three times a week for almost a month
2. The crying is different with small whimper or normal crying.  It’s loud and have a great deal of strength.
3. Your baby is crouching and pulling his knees close to abdominal like squeezing motion
4. His fists is clenched, his back is arched and swinging arms and legs. The feet and hand may become slightly colder.
5. The stomach feels hard or belly bloating and distended due to gas in the stomach.
6. Usually happen in the evening or late night

It is also usefull to make a journal and write down your baby’s behaviour during the crying and rule out other reason for crying like sleepy, hunger or need to change the diaper.  If there is fever, vomiting, diarrhea or bloody stool, it can indicate of more serious digestive problem and need urgent medical attention.

What should parent do for remedy or cure?

Since the cause of colic baby haven’t be found, there are no cures available for this condition. But there are something you can do to ease your baby pain.

Treatment for colic baby can be different for each baby, you must try and see which one are suitable to soothe your baby and help him going through this phase.

1. Be Patient and Don’t Panic.  Armed yourself with usefull information about colic baby from medical book, parents who has been through with colic baby, parent magazine or internet.  If you know in advance what you’re going through than you can be prepare and it can help you and your baby going through this condition. Baby will sense their parents feelings, if you’re panic, unsure, tense or stress, it can make the colic worse but if you’re calm and confident, then your baby will feel safe and secure which will help to reduce his discomfort
2. Hold your baby and get moving. Hold your baby in upright position close to your body, the warmth of your body will help to release the gas in your baby abdomen. You can also singing, rocking your baby gently and keep moving to make him relax. Some parent even take their colic baby for a car ride because the engine sound and the moving motion seem to calm and make their baby sleep.  It may take time until his discomfort subside, so you can use sling and take turn to hold your baby.
3. Touching and Massage.  Another babies colic remeday that you can try is touching and massage. Baby massage especially on the stomach can help relieve the gas and make him relax. Move his legs up and down gently and give warm application around his tummy. Lay your baby on his tummy across your lap and rub his back.
4. Swaddling your baby.  Swaddling your baby nice and tight to make him feel secure like in his mother womb.  Make sure to find the right techniques for swaddling from book or internet or you can use swaddling blankets.  But if your baby don’t like it, don’t force them.
5. Playing white noise and vibrations. According to Dr. Harvey Karp, in his book The happiest Baby on the Block, white noise can soothing a baby’s cry.  You can try this method with household appliances such as washing mechine, vacuum cleaner, dishwasher or hair dryer.  If this method is work out then you can buy the white noise cd or download it from internet.
6. Medication.  When all of above method is unsuccesfull you can try medicine like simethicone, mylicon drops, colic tablets, gripe water, peppermint, fennel or ginger for your baby.  Whatever medicine that you choose, you MUST consult with your pediatrician, before giving it to your baby and don’t forget to read dosage instructions carefully.
7. Take a break.  Having baby colic can be stressing for new mother, you should take a break once in a while to help you calm yourself. Make a list of your family, friend or babysitter that you can trust and willing to babysit your baby for awhile.

When your baby take a nap in the day, it is recommended for you to take a nap as well to minimize your sleep deprivation.

Colic in babies is a temporary condition  and nobody knows the cause or the cure of it.  Always Consult with your doctor for treatment that suitable for your baby. A  better preparation can help you going through this phase.  Don’t give your baby treatment or medicine that you can’t be sure about and always look for a second opinion.

You may want to check out my other guide on: Baby Travel Systems and Maclaren Volo Stroller

By : Yulia Yunus

Personalized baby blankets is one of choices you can give for a newborn because blankets is quite important in baby’s life. Baby love blankets for cuddle, sometime it can make him feel secure and can be treasured for a long time.

personalized baby blanket

There are so many type and style of personalized baby blankets available in the market with various purpose, design, pattern, texture, colors, size, material and price from different brands.  Since blanket will be use for a long time, it is essential to choose a good quality blanket and embroidery with easy to wash material to prevent tear and worn out after few time washings

Type and Style

A swaddling blanket is most suitable for newborn baby because it can recreate womb-like feeling.  It is also has neck support and some even have velcro straps for security.  This type of blanket usually made of flannels which is washing machine-friendly and very effective to calming colic baby. Ask for detail instruction on how to use it correctly if you choose this blanket as your personalized baby blankets.

Taggy blanket is a blanket with a lot of colorful tag around the edge so your baby can rub and explore it with their little finger which is also perfect for tactile stimulation. The size of taggy blanket is smaller than conventional blanket.

Another type of personalized embroidered baby blanket is conventional baby blankets with hood or without hood and also have satin trim or lace trim.

Personalized baby blankets made from wool or fleece are best choice If you live in a cold climate, because it can keep the baby  warm and comfortable.

How to personalized a baby blanket ?

Baby blanket can be personalized by adding personal value to the blanket such as printed baby’s name, date of birth, embroidered monograms, heartfelt quotes or even nursery rhymes.

If you want to give the personalized fleece baby blanket at baby shower before the baby comes, it may be safer to knit or embroidered cute saying or famous quotes only since we didn’t know when the baby will be born and parents might change the name at the last moment.

Where to get personalized baby blankets ?

There are online or local store that offer personalized services like embroidery with minimal fee or even free if you buy the blanket from them. Since it takes time to make personalized baby blanket then it’s wise if you order 2 or 3 week in advance. Or if you know how to knit, it is best if you do it yourself because handmade blanket will be more appreciated by the parents.

I wrote another guide you may be interested in reading:  Cheap Baby Cribs and Quinny Stroller

By : Yulia Yunus

Glass baby bottles has become primary choice for a mother recently. Since certain research shown that plastic bottle contain BPA and can cause several dengerous health problem, the concern parent began to restrain the use of plastic bottles and switch to glass baby bottles such as evenflo glass baby bottles.

Glass Baby Bottle

There is so many baby bottles with various material, types, feature and sizes in the market. You must choose wisely based on priority and what is best for your baby. The variety of bottle material available in the market are glass, plastic, silicon and stainless steel. Every material have their own pros and cons.

Glass baby bottles are saver than plastic bottles because it won’t release any dengerous chemical if you pour hot water into the bottle or if you boil it in hot water for sterilization. Glass can keep warm milk longer than plastic and will not leave any bad odor like soap or bad smell of rotten milk. Glass baby bottles also eco-friendly, can be recycled and easier to clean.

The negative side of glass baby bottles is heavier, breakable and more expensive. Eventhough it was made of thicker glass than dining glass, there is still possibility of breaking or cracked which can be dengerous if small shards of glass came into the milk. The weight of the glass can also be difficult for babies to learn of self-feed.

Below are tips on how to use glass baby bottles safely :

1. Do not leave the baby alone when drinking from glass baby bottles.
2. Check the baby bottles regulary for sign of damage.
3. Do not change temperature drastically from hot to cool and vice versa because it can cracked the bottle due to extreme changes in the temperature.
4. Do not heat baby formula in microwave. Heat baby formula in non-teflon pot and pour it into the bottle when it’s warm enough.

Cleaning Glass Baby bottles

What ever baby bottles you choose, you must take same effort for cleanning and sanitizing, albeit some material are easier to clean than the others. Check the label if there is washing instruction. Basic tools to clean glass baby bottles are soap, hot water and special brush for bottles and nipples.

In order to prevent bad odor that clung to glass baby feeding bottles you must clean it immediately after use or at least get rid of the remaining milk and rinse with warm water. You still have to do this procedures whether you clean the bottles by hand or dishwashers. Put the bottles in soapy warm water than brush it gently with special brush to remove the bacteria but not scrape off the plastic if you choose to use plastic bottles. Than rinse off and dry it.

It’s highly recommended to sterilize glass baby bottles or the plastic bottles for a better sanitation especially for newborn. The process itself is very simple, you can boil baby glass bottle and nipples in the pot for five minutes than dry it with towel or air-drying. Do not boil more than 5 minutes for plastic bottles because it can ruined the shape of the bottles and can leak toxic. You can also use a sterilizing machine for practical reasons.

Choosing the right baby bottles and clean it properly will ensuring the health of your precious baby.

You may want to check out my other guide on: Baby Travel Systems and Crib Mobiles