Perfect Gifts For New Mothers

When a new little bundle of joy is born, everyone's first reaction is to shower them with gifts. As wonderful as this, sometimes it’s nice to spoil the new mom too. Make her feel special and appreciated with one of the selections of items suggested below.

Robe

Early motherhood is one of those crazy time in a woman's life where she might not get dressed for several days at a time. Things can be a bit chaotic at first while adjusting to bringing Baby home. Then there are all the times that they will need to get up in the night to feed and change Baby.

To make this a little easier and a bit more comfortable, why not get mom some comfy but smart sleepwear. Cotton and waffle bathrobes make a good choice, especially for keeping out the cold in the middle of the night. Or you could go for a stylish pair of pajamas.

Food

Another good suggestion for a new mother's gift is a food hamper. Remember mum has just her whole pregnancy giving up some of her favorite treats like soft cheeses to ensure Baby's health. So a goodie basket full of the items that previously have been forbidden is sure to put a smile on her face.

Spa Day

Labour is a physically and emotionally demanding experience and can take a while to recover from. Not to mention the added strain of having a new bundle of joy to look after. That's why it's essential that mum gets some relaxing and recuperating time all for herself.

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A great way of providing this for her in gift form is with a massage or spa day voucher. This will give mum an hour of relaxing, in which just to focus on herself.

Flowers

It's an oldie but a goodie. A lovely bunch of flowers is a wonderful gift that celebrates the birth of a new child and mum's role in it all. You can choose to get the bouquet in blue or pink depending on the sex of the child. Or you can go with an attractive seasonal display.

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There's quite a range of delivered flowers available now. You can get baskets, glass vases or even send a bouquet by post. Most people include a small gift for the baby too like a cuddly toy.

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Name necklace

A slightly more upmarket gift for a new mother is a personalised name necklace. These are available with the baby's details on and make a fantastic memento of the birth that mum can wear again and again.

They come in all different styles and types of materials so you are bound to find something that will suit the lady in question. You can even choose to include birthstones, birthdates, and weights to make it very personalised.

Memento Gifts

Another gift that works along the personalisation line is a decorative memento, which records the date, time and weight of the baby at birth. There some different items you can choose from. You can get decorative plates and plaques that are ready made. Or framed prints to match the little one's nursery colours.

Another popular new baby gift is a “baby's first’ book. Where mum can record the first time that baby hits a major milestone like talking, walking or teething. Or even save a lock of their hair.

Survival Kit

A fun gift for a new mum is a survival kit. You can buy these ready made or make up your own hamper and finish it with cellophane for a really professional look.

You can include things like decaffeinated teas, skin moisturiser and a baby sling. Why not also try a soothing lavender pillow to help her get some shut eye while Baby is napping. Also, an eye mask is great for when is bright daylight outside, but she gets the chance to nod off for a few minutes. Include a copy of her favorite magazines so she can keep up to date with what's going on in the outside world too.

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Book or Kindle Voucher

Now, if may seem a bit random to get a new mum a book or kindle voucher. But the truth is there is not too much that you can do when you are breast feeding. It's nice to have a book that you can pick up to keep yourself entertained while Baby is getting his lunch.

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Just remember to reminder her to keep it to hand, as she won't want to disturb babies feeding just to get to the end of the next chapter.

Keeping Your Baby Safe in The Car

When you have a baby, you become aware of a million risks and safety concerns which you have previously never given a second thought to. One of those safety concerns is the car, and it can leave you wondering how to make journeys as safe and smooth as possible with a little one in tow. Here are a few things you should consider in order to keep your baby as safe as possible when you’re driving or travelling by car.

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Get a Suitable Car Seat (And Use It Properly EVERY Time)

Most accidents happen in short journeys close to home, so never be tempted to not use a car seat (sitting on an adult’s lap isn’t acceptable). Every time you put the seat in the car, you need to go through the right process of making sure it’s fastened. Never buy a second hand car seat, if it has been dropped or damaged in any way it could be unsafe to use- and you might not be able to see this just from looking at it. It’s definitely one of the things to invest the extra in to ensure the safety of your child, do your research and make sure it’s exactly what you’re after. This thorough review of the Evenflo Maestro car seat for example gives you all of the information you need to know about this particular model. Whichever seat you decide to go for, spend some time looking into it so you know exactly what you’re getting.

Put Your Car Seat In The Correct Place

Once you have a suitable safe car seat, it’s important to make sure you put it in the right place. For example, you should never put your baby’s car seat in the front passenger seat. Not only is this the most dangerous seat, but if your car has airbags they alone can cause a serious injury or even death in a crash. The safest place to put a car seat is actually in the middle of the back seat, and should be rear facing until your baby is two years old.

Watch The Temperature

Overheating can be one of the causes of sudden infant death syndrome. This is always a scary thing to think about, but it’s something worth knowing. On a cold day it can be tempting to have the heating in the car up high in the worry that your baby will get too cold, but it’s so important to make sure they don’t get too hot too. Consider investing in a car thermometer, these can be dash mounted so you’re able to keep an eye on the temperature when travelling with your baby.

Drive Carefully

It seems like an obvious point to make, but driving carefully will reduce the risk of accidents. Check carefully when turning corners and when moving off at roundabouts. Keep an eye out for hazards up ahead to prevent you having to slam your brakes on at the last minute. Use signals properly and pay attention to road signs. Stay alert, and drive as safely as you possibly can.

What You Can Do If Your Birth Doesn't Go To Plan

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Childbirth is a wonderful, miraculous phenomenon. However, the sad fact is that it sometimes doesn’t go to plan. Whether a minor or major issue occurs as a result, here is what you can do to deal with it.

Firstly, the issue might be that you weren’t able to stick to your original birth plan. You may have wanted only gas and air, or have wanted to avoid having a c-section at all costs. If this is the case, the only thing you can do is accept it. What is important is that you got through the birth and that you and your baby are well. And that your birthing partner has been given a big glass of water and a sit-down! Know that many women are not able to stick to their birthing plan. While childbirth is very common, all sorts of different factors can get thrown up along the way. Your midwife's priority was to keep you both safe, and that comes above any ‘best scenario’ plan. Accept that what you wanted didn’t happen, and realise that what matters is that you are both healthy.

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But what if your baby is not healthy? Tragically, Doctors, Nurses and Midwives do very occasionally make mistakes- just like the rest of us. Often, these as minor, and can go unnoticed. However, if the baby has been delivered negligently, it may have been born with Cerebral Palsy or another illness. If this is the case, a cerebral palsy lawyer will be able to research whether a medical professional was at fault. It could be that they didn’t monitor the baby’s heartbeat correctly, or deliver early enough. While you may not be looking for someone to blame, a success claim could mean a payout. A poorly baby is even more expensive to look after than a healthy one. From special health care equipment to hospital trips and special care, a payout could be just what you need to get by.

It could be that there is a minor issue with your or your baby that means you have to stay in the hospital longer than usual. This might be that you have to stay an extra night, or even a few nights. Again, while you will be glad the issue is only minor, you may be frustrated. You may have other children or responsibilities to get home too. Or you may just be so excited to introduce your new bundle to their new home and nursery! Whatever it is that you are being delayed from, avoid the panic by having prepared for it in advance. If it’s too late for that, relax. Stress is not what you need right now. Enlist the help of your friends and family, asking them to do what you can’t. There is no point panicking about getting home to feed your dog. Just have a good friend come and pick up the key and do it for you. At a time like this, your loved ones will rally around you. They’ll be happy to do whatever you ask them- as long as you ask them!

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Non-Toxic Ways To Kill Head Lice Dead!

Head Lice are an inevitable part of life when you have school aged children. While they’re not harmful to health as don’t spread disease, they can be incredibly annoying and sometimes even painful. They can prevent your child from being able to concentrate properly at school due to constant scratching, and once one person in the household gets them it’s not long before everyone else is infested too. So it’s important to have quick and effective methods to remove them, however it only takes one whiff of the traditional products on the market to know that whatever is inside them probably isn’t going to be the best for your child. Thankfully there are some other options instead.

Tea Tree Oil

Tea tree oil has natural antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, antifungal, antibacterial and even antiviral properties. Not only is it effective in killing head lice and reducing the number of live lice, it has also been shown to have repelling properties too. This is always handy for children who are in constant close contact at school where there is the chance of catching them again. A minimum of 2% tea tree is needed to kill head lice, this is higher than the concentration in most shampoos on the market and so you will need to buy a bottle of tea tree oil- you’ll find this online, or in places like health food shops. You can sprinkle some of the drops of oil onto the scalp before going to sleep (put a towel on the pillow to catch the dead lice) or make up your own high concentrate tea tree shampoo. Afterwards comb through the hair with conditioner and a fine tooth comb to make sure everything is removed. Cinnamon leaf, eucalyptus, geranium, lavender, rosemary and thyme essential oils are also useful in removing and preventing lice, although tea tree has been found to be the most effective.

Electric Lice Comb

An electric lice comb is used on dry hair. It emits a gentle hum when switched on, and detects and kills head lice. The downside to this is that it only kills the live lice and not the eggs, and so is best used in conjunction with another method to make sure the head lice life cycle is completely broken. Nevertheless, it’s a handy gadget to have in the home, and ensures you can quickly remove any lice when you see them before then can lay more eggs. Then you can just use another method to get rid of the eggs.

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Non Toxic Head Lice Products

While so many head lice products on the market are teeming with chemicals (and all kinds of other nasties that you don’t want to put anywhere near your child) the good news is that there are some great safer options too. Little Bugs Hair Care for example is free of pesticides, toxic and harsh ingredients. If you don’t want the hassle of mixing up your own essential oil products then these are a good choice.

Treat All Family Members and the House

Finally, it’s important to break the cycle of head lice by making sure all members of the household (as well as the house itself) are well treated which stops re-infestation. Remove duvet covers and pillowcases and wash them on the hottest cycle your machine has. Any removable covers on soft furnishings, as well as the clothes household members were wearing can all go into the hottest wash cycle. This will kill any stray lice that are lurking there.