Celebrate Your Baby's First Birthday With These Meaningful Party Activities

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Where has the time gone? One minute you were in the hospital and now you’re about to celebrate your baby’s first birthday. It’s an exciting occasion for both you and them. Even though your baby is unlikely to remember their first birthday, it’s still important to celebrate it. Most parents decide to throw a small birthday party to help mark the occasion. This is an excellent idea as it allows your baby to be surrounded by their loved ones on their big day. But why not make your baby’s first birthday party even more meaningful. Take a look at these beautiful and heartfelt activities, which will make this special day even more magical.

Create letters

Before your baby’s birthday party begins, set up a letter writing station in a corner of a room. This should include papers, pens and envelopes that your guests can write on. When they arrive, encourage your guests to write a letter to your baby. This can then be presented to your child on their 18th birthday. This is a simple activity to include at your baby’s birthday party but it’s one that everyone can get involved in. The letters could contain advice for your baby when they are older or funny stories from the past year. Your guests might also want to draw pictures or write poems to your baby too. Ask your guests to put their letter in a box with a sealable lid and store this in a safe place where it cannot get damaged.

Plant a tree

Planting a tree to commemorate your baby’s first birthday is another meaningful activity you might want to try. Many parents love this idea because they can imagine their child playing or sitting under the tree when they are older. Look into bay, chestnut or greengage tree planting beforehand to ensure you choose the best tree for your garden. Also consider the available space in your garden. Once you’ve bought the most suitable sized tree possible, get your friends and family to help you plant it in your garden. This can be a very sociable party activity that brings everyone together.  For an special touch, add a plaque to the tree with your baby’s name one.

Film video messages

Technology is a wonderful thing, so why not use it to help capture such a special occasion. You can hire a videographer or use your phone to film messages from each of your baby’s party guests. Create a DIY photobooth in your home which your guests can enter to record their message. This is another activity which could make a fantastic birthday gift for your baby’s 18th. Alternatively, why not record your guest and yourself singing along to your baby’s favourite song. Make sure your baby is in shot to capture how excited they get when they hear everyone singing together.

So whether you use one or all of these activity ideas, they can help you commemorate this important day in the right way. When your baby gets older, they will love looking back and seeing just how you celebrated their first birthday.

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.

Visiting Melbourne: Five Fun Family Activities

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Planning on a family trip to the stunning coastal city of Melbourne? While it was voted ‘the world’s most livable city’ for five years in a row, it’s not just a great place for the locals. With its gorgeous scenery, attractions and fantastic shopping opportunities it makes an incredible tourist destination too. Featuring dynamic film, arts and comedy festivals you can steep yourself in the vibrant culture, and with a plethora of things to do there won’t be a dull moment on your trip. Read on for five ideas for family activities in Melbourne.

1. Visit Marti Guixe’s Fake Food Park

Real life Willy Wonka Marti Guixe is known for his imaginative food inventions, but has now taken it a step further and created an entire family exhibition in Melbourne. It’s a fun yet educational way to teach kids about the dangers of processed food, and features a number of activities and challenges to really get them thinking about it. Definitely something a bit different, you or the kids are not likely to have experienced anything else quite like it.

2. Get Back To Nature With a Camping Trip

Always a family favourite- camping is a fun, affordable activity to do with the kids. Whether you prefer tents or caravans Melbourne is the perfect place to camp outdoors. There are plenty of campsites around the city, so you can sit under the stars and enjoy a tasty meal cooked over an open fire. It’s the perfect way to spend a summer’s night in the beautiful Victoria capital.

3. Explore Ashcombe Maze

The lavender labyrinth and display gardens are a wonderful place to explore in the sun while giving you plenty of opportunities to take beautiful photos. Take part in their ‘great gnome hunt’ or spend hours getting lost amongst the rose and hedge mazes. You can dine at the cafe and even visit the gift shop on your way out for food, beauty and homeware gifts made from the plants and flowers on site. What an enjoyable way to get some fresh air and light exercise!

4. Make a Splash at Adventure Park Geelong

Boasting the title of Victoria’s biggest water-theme park, this is an ideal choice for an action packed day. With rides for adults and kids, a lazy river along with white knuckle experiences there’s something for everyone. For a real VIP experience you can even hire a private cabana for the day- complete with television, fridge, sun loungers and deck chairs. This is a good option for families, if the kids get tired during the day you can take a break from the park and relax before returning back to the fun later on.

5. Experience Virtual Reality Insanity

The Virtual Reality Arena brings you the world’s first ‘six versus six gaming arena’, transporting you into a world beyond your wildest dreams. You can either play in a group of twelve, or play over twenty games in your very own virtual reality station. A great option for slightly older kids, and a family experience that you are never likely to forget!

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Everything I Considered When I Bought My First Family Car

I remember when I bought my first family car. Truth be told, it didn't seem like a big deal. I thought I could buy any car with four wheels and an average price tag, and that would be it. Once I began to explore the market, I realized there were a lot of important things to consider. How much space did I need? You should always think about the future so you might want a bigger vehicle. Is it the safest one on the road? Not all cars are equal when it comes to safety features. Does it have the modern tech that makes it an easier and more efficient car to drive? Obviously, when you’re a parent, you do start to think of cost as one of the main priorities. Join me then as I speed through how to pick the right family car.

Big Family?

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If you have got a big family, I suggest you opt for a seven seater. I would suggest this, even if you only have four or five people in the family. When you have a big family, you’re usually carrying around a lot. Even the weekly shop adds about five extra bags. These cars come with the biggest boot space. If you’re not using all the seats, you can take a few out and have a massive space in the back. It’s also perfect if you’ve got a pet that wants to stretch out.

If you’re looking for comfort for your family, and space, think about a moderately priced SUV. These offer the best rides on the road and have all the extra space for comfort that you need. The suspension is the important part here. With a car like a Landrover, you won’t feel every bump of the tarmac.

Thinking About Safety?

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You can find out about a car's safety features online. My advice is to look mainly at stopping distance and handling. If you read a review, you want a great stopping distance. Unfortunately, the cars with the best stopping distance are often the priciest. For instance, top range sports cars can stop in a couple of meters, even when traveling at a high speed. The Bugatti Veyron is famous for this, but that doesn’t make it a great family car. The price tag alone takes it out of the running completely. However, there are ways to make an average car safer. If you buy tyres for your car regularly, that’s going to improve the stopping distance. I suggest switching them once a year to keep the high level of grip that you want.

Air bags are another consideration. Many cars only have airbags for each front seat. However, some have airbags in the roof and on the back of the front seats. This gives extra protection for people traveling in the back as well as the front. Although, you will have to be careful transporting a baby in a vehicle like this.

Efficiency?

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Finally, I do recommend that you think about efficiency. Specifically, look at cars with great mpg. The less that you need to stop for fuel the better. It’s better to shell out a few extra bucks for the car than for it to be a gas guzzling machine.