May 2007

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Some of the best baby showers that I have been to have overflowed with thoughtfulness from the hostess. Not only did she make a monumental occasion for the new mom, but every guest felt special.

Lately, I have been really intrigued by baby shower favors that I could take home to have as a reminder of such a beautiful event. I end up keeping these little mementos and cherish them. I love that they make me think of the new mom and her bundle of joy. Taking a moment to reflect on the special people in my life gives me a feeling of thankfulness for each of them. It is intriguing to me that a small baby shower favor such as a little manicure set or a pea in the pod candle set can bring such wonderful memories.

My absolute favorite baby shower favor that I received as a guest was the flower seeds that were presented in a little silver container. Being a green thumb I planted them immediately and now have a blooming reminder of my close friend and her new baby.

I never realized that a simple baby shower favor could bring such happiness. I wonder what others have experienced.

After the exhilaration of the great news that a new baby is on the horizon, many new parents acquire a sense of panic and dread when they think about how this new bundle of joy is going to cost them a bundle of cash. There are simple conservative measures that parents can take to make the first couple of years of childhood a breeze.

Alternatives to Baby Wipes: Instead of purchasing expensive baby wipes, just take a roll of ordinary paper towels and cut it in half. Then take a 1 ½ cups of water and approximately 1 tablespoon of gentle baby shampoo and approximately 1 teaspoon of baby oil and mix it together. You may add a couple of drops of lavender oil for fragrance, but it isn’t necessary. Place the paper towels in a leak proof container, a plastic bowl with a sealable lid works great. Pour the liquid mixture over the paper towels and then wait until the paper towels have soaked up most of the liquid. Carefully pull out the cardboard tube from the inside of the paper towels. Now you are ready to start using you inexpensive baby wipes. Pull gently from the center of the roll and clean up will be easy.

Alternatives to Disposable Diapers: We’ve all heard of them and many of us were graduates of Cloth Diapers. The start up costs involved with using cloth diapers is hefty, but the savings in the long run is amazing. There is a little more work involved with cloth diapers such as rinsing and washing, but once again, the bucks you will save is tremendous. I do recommend contacting your prearrange baby care person or people and find out if their child care center will use cloth diapers. If not, you can always save on the number of disposable diapers you use by only using them at daycare and use cloth diapers at home. The style of cloth diapers has change immensely in the last few years. All in one cloth diapers (AIO) have the “rubber pants” built into the diaper itself. The whole thing goes in to the washer for easy clean up. Instead of using pins, which can even make the most seasoned person on diaper duty a little nervous, snaps and Velcro tabs are attached to the all in one cloth diaper.

Cloth diapers and homemade baby wipes are a tad more work, but think of the money you will be saving in the long run.