Baby stores review top ten reviews

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A Mother’s HypnoBirthing Experience

http://www.naturalparenting.com.au 


From the first mild contractions that woke me around 12.40am on Sunday night, my labour progressed so smoothly and calmly. I used the HypnoBirthing tapes and techniques – relaxing and breathing into the surges, which gradually increased in intensity (however they always felt totally bearable). By 8am they were 4 – 5 minutes apart and much stronger, I was still relaxing, but knew it was time to get to the Birth Centre.

We arrived at the same time as my parent, whom we arranged to meet us there and we then met with the midwife on duty in the Birth Centre. My partner, Dean, seemed to be the only one aware that I was trying to cope with some strong surges during this time. He constantly talked me through them, reminding me to relax and open myself up for the birth. This helped me so much. The others chatted around me and were oblivious to how close I was to birthing – an indication of how calm and relaxed I was. We later learnt that the other midwife on duty thought I was nowhere near ready to birth and wondered if I should go home! Luckily our midwife said she really couldn’t gauge where I was at because I was so relaxed and gave us the benefit of the doubt.

I got into the bath for a while, then over to sit on the bed. In between surges I leaned against the pillows and relaxed – even drifted off to sleep. During surges I would either kneel on the bed or stand up and lean over the bed. Dean was so in tune with me and continued to help me relax and visualise opening up and allowing the baby to easily move down.

At about 10.30am the surges were closer than two minutes apart. I can’t believe the difference this time compared to my last birth when I couldn’t relax at any stage. No-one realised how close I was to birthing as apparently I still looked quite relaxed and was coping with the surges. They thought I still had quite a few hours to go. At one point during a surge my head told me I couldn’t cope any longer. So during the next surge I focused on Dean’s words and I told myself I could do this and it was easy. The difference was amazing. I could feel the next surge, but it was almost painless. Then my waters broke with a gush and I was breathing through the urge to push. I was hardly pushing. Just trying to let my body do it naturally. Our midwife said to herself, “I’ll just get a hot towel for her back………oops, no I won’t, I’ll just catch this baby!” We were all amazed that it was over after only 16 minutes from the first urge to push. Leah was born at 10.56am, less than 2 ½ hours after we arrived at the Birth Centre. Time seemed to go so quickly during the whole labour and I felt I had enough energy at every stage.

My mum, who had previously watched the HypnoBirthing video, admitted that she thought the video had been toned down and that there must have been footage erased of women displaying pain. She was blown away by how relaxed she thought I was and said she was now a ‘believer’ in HypnoBirthing.

Dean said that even though he was tuning into when I was surging and talking me through, he really didn’t realise how far along I was. He thought I would be going for hours longer. He was inspired by how relaxed and easy it all felt this time.

The important things for me were that my partner played an important role in the birth, which was a fantastic bonding experience for all of us. I knew my options and was able to make my own choices without anyone interfering. Our wonderful midwife and the Birth Centre allowed us the space to do ‘our thing’.

Birthing our child was an amazing and empowering experience and I now know first hand what is possible and what I am capable of.

Want the Best Baby Toys? Apply this Secret...

I just promised to reveal the secret of how to find the best baby toys. And I will fulfill that promise. OR DIE TRYING.

So what's it going to be, Mom?
brain-boosting toys? or mental cardboard?

(Okay, not really. But I will try really really hard.)

But first, I have to ask you a question.

Well, two questions.

What are the developmental skills your baby is working on right now?

What are the milestones you're looking for?

Those two questions are actually vital (VITAL I TELL YOU), in determining what the best baby toys are going to be for your baby.

I could show you some pretty awesome tummy-time toys (and I do), but that won't help if your baby is running around.

So the first step is to figure out what stage of development your baby is either currently in, or will be soon.

If I slapped all these milestones in a single article, you'd never get through it all before the end of naptime, so I've split it into ages.

This article is going to focus on those milestones babies ages 3 to 6 months are trying to master. If your baby is not in that age range, click on the age you need below for tips on how to shop smart for his developmental skill.

• If you're looking for the best baby toys for newborns (0-3 months),

• If you need the best baby toys for crawlers (6-9 months),

• Or if your baby is starting to waddle around the house (9 months & up) and you need the best baby toys to keep him occupied,

Brain Health for children

Anne Arsenault

A healthy brain should be a top priority, yet many people take the brain for granted. The more studies done, the more amazing and complex the brain becomes. The health of a child"s growing brain should be of utmost importance to parents. An unhealthy brain causes problems with concentration, focus, memory and learning in general. Conditions such as: ADD, Depression, Anxiety and mood swings can be helped by providing the proper foods, nutrients and a healthy lifestyle.

To protect the health of a child"s brain:

?? Monitor blood sugar levels
?? Watch intake of chemicals, bad fats and sugars
?? Limit use of TV and computers
?? Ensure children eat good fats and other brain foods
?? Make sure children get enough sleep and exercise.

The brain needs a constant, even supply of blood sugar to keep it running properly. If blood sugar levels get too low, children will tend to become spacey, forgetful, irritable and shaky.

If a child is happy one minute and angry and irritable the next, it could be related to blood sugar. When children consume a lot of sweets (pop, juice and white flour products), this sets them up for conditions like Diabetes and Hypoglycemia. Blood sugar problems in time cause brain damage. Children will have difficulty learning and retaining school work, emotions will be all over the place and they have even linked certain cancers and Alzheimer"s to diabetes.

To maintain a healthy blood sugar level, you must make sure your children eat every 3-4 hours. Include a good quality protein and fiber in every meal. Cut back on sugar (do not substitute Aspartame), white flour products, hydrogenated fats and Trans fats.

The brain is 40-60% fat, so provide good brain building fats and limit the unhealthy fats. Cut back on hydrogenated fats, trans fats and fried fats.

Good fats include:

?? Fish oils,
?? Flax oil,
?? Hemp oil,
?? Tree nuts such as almonds or walnuts
?? Avocadoes

When you include good fats in your child"s diet, their cravings for the bad fats will start to diminish. Put the liquid oil into a protein smoothie drink, or get flavored fish oil capsules. These good fats will help calm the brain and nervous system, while helping decrease symptoms of depression and anxiety.

Make sure children get lots of colorful fruits and vegetables. Blueberries, cherries, almonds, walnuts, whole grains and good quality proteins are essential. Avoid sugars and artificial foods that contain chemicals such as Aspartame, MSG, Artificial Colours, Artificial Flavours and Sucrolose. Sugars and simple carbohydrates (donuts, white bread, candy), can increase the chance of Diabetes, which in turn affects the brain health. Certain chemicals act as Excitotoxins, which damage the brain cells.

Give children foods high in B Vitamins. These help alleviate stress, depression and anxiety. Whole Grains, nuts, beans, brown rice, eggs, leafy greens, peas, poultry, wheat germ, organic raisins and blackstrap molasses, all contain B Vitamins.

Breakfast is an important meal to keep the brain working properly, so feed children a well-rounded breakfast.

Studies show that children should spend a maximum of two hours watching TV a day. This also includes computer and video games. For children ages one to three, less than two hours is recommended. TV overloads the developing brain with information and it can cause permanent damage in a baby"s developing neural pathways. Children will become bored more often. ADD has increased with the introduction of children"s Television in the 1950"s (Jean Lotus, ??It"s Official: TV Linked to Attention Deficit??)

Sleep is also important for overall brain health. Research proves that sleep improves memory, mood and brain function. Lack of sleep increases the stress hormone, corticosterone; it also decreases concentration and brain cell production. Sleep deprivation also causes children to eat more junk food, usually simple carbohydrates. This in turn will create a blood sugar problem and obesity.

Exercise is needed to keep children fit. Exercise is not just good for bodies but it"s also good for the brain. Exercise increases circulation, including to the brain. This creates extra endorphins and helps prevent obesity. Increased circulation brings nutrients to the brain and pushes waste products out. This increases the level of brain chemicals and encourages nerve cell growth. Memory, concentration and attention are all increased with exercise.

Do not take the brain for granted. Make sure children are getting the proper nutrition, amount of TV, sleep and exercise needed for healthy brain development.

by. http://www.naturalparenting.com.au

Top Baby Boy Names 2011

1. Aiden
2. Jayden
3. Max
4. Riley
5. Liam
6. Ethan
7. Jack
8. Avery
9. Dylan
10. Caleb
11. Addison
12. James
13. Ryan
14. Andrew
15. Navajo
16. Oliver
17. Michael
18. Benjamin
19. Lucas
20. Logan
21. Matthew
22. Connor
23. Christian
24. Noah
25. Nathan
26. Owen
27. Jacob
28. William
29. Jackson
30. Alexander
31. Luke
32. Gavin
33. Jett
34. Jamie
35. Joseph
36. John
37. Barack
38. Gabriel
39. Mac
40. Tyrese
41. Mason
42. Henry
43. Tyler
44. Elijah
45. Aidan
46. Nicholas
47. Evan
48. Ted
49. Tico
50. Anthony

How to Open a Baby Store

By Cheryl Gorski

You have always dreamed of owning a baby store. You'll have to secure start-up funding, write a business plan, find a location, buy merchandise and market your business. With hard work, resourcefulness and tenacity you can realize your goal of offering unique baby items to the public. Below you will find helpful tips to pave the way for your baby store's success.

Secure start-up funding, a location and market your store aggressively

1. Step1

   Develop a plan to fund your baby store. You will need start-up capital for such expenses as the leasing of retail space, baby-related merchandise, staff, taxes and office equipment. As you will want to decorate your store in a unique, colorful style that will appeal to customers shopping for baby merchandise, estimate design expense, as well. Having a store with an Internet presence will mean factoring in the cost of website design, maintenance and hosting. You can fund your baby store with personal capital, loans from family or friends, bank loans or funding from other investors such as venture capitalists.

2. Step2

   Write a business plan. If you are writing a business plan yourself, books and online resources can offer suggestions on how to create one. Your business plan will need to include specifics such as the need for funding and an outline of your baby store in detail, such as your plan for selling either upscale baby clothing or consignment infant and toddler furniture. Also, reference your plan to market your store to new parents, grandparents and others shopping for baby gifts. Your business plan is a strategic blue print for your success.

3. Step3

   Select a location for your baby store. Open your store in a high-traffic, high-visibility area, such as a thriving downtown or a shopping mall. Consider the proximity of your store to a big retailer, such as Babies-R-Us; being nearby can help or hurt you, depending on your inventory and prices. Consider the type of customers you are hoping to attract when selecting a location. If your baby store will offer better-quality, unique or more expensive items, open your business in a more affluent community.

4. Step4

   Determine which merchandise you will sell in your baby store and where it will come from. A baby store can focus on specific products such as clothing and bedding or expand to include toys and furniture. Your store may carry more exclusive brand names, hard-to-find merchandise and other items seldom found in a department store or chain big-box baby store, such as Babies-R-Us. Research wholesalers and other vendors who will supply your merchandise.

5. Step5

   Market your new baby store specifically to those who may be purchasing baby items. Your target market includes women who are expecting or have infants, new or soon-to-be grandmothers, godmothers and people purchasing gifts for baby showers or first birthdays. Place ads in local publications frequently read by women and if permitted, put flyers or brochures in cafes, gyms, yoga studios, child care centers and other places where women gather. Offer coupons and discounts to draw in first-time customers.

The Shortcut Baby Food Review

It goes almost without saying that breast is best whenever possible.

Unless there are known medical contra-indications every mother should try to breast feed her baby. Not only is it easier and more economical – no mixing of formula at 2 am. And you don’t have to chase around the shops spending a considerable amount of money, but antibodies against a number of diseases will be passed to baby via the breast milk. And you will of course spend a lot of time bonding with your child.

Also you are less likely to give baby infections passed on by careless sterilization methods or baby mixed formula. And after all, you are trying to raise a human being, not a calf or a billy goat. Consult theBreastfeeding Bible for practical advice about getting the most for your baby.

You may also want to ready thebaby food guide for more information.baby food review

That doesn’t mean that you don’t need bottles because there will be occasions when you want to express milk or to give baby a drink of water. And until your baby is crawling around, playing with a kitten or putting just about anything in his mouth, bottles and other equipment should be sterilized.

You also need to be able to keep prepared feeds in a cool place such as a fridge. baby food review

Very young children just do not have a well enough developed immune system to contend with all the bugs that live unseen in even the cleanest kitchen. You can give up sterilizing once baby is crawling at about 9 months of age as you would just be wasting your time. However everything should of course still be as clean as you can make it.

Not everyone is able to breast feed or to carry it on as long as they would like, for whatever reason, so…

What Is The Truth About Formulas?

Unless you are advised to do so by your pediatrician don’t worry about specialist feeds such those without lactose or made from soy. Do take advice and ensure that the formula you use is designed for a baby at the stage yours has reached.

Which ever formula is finally chosen it will have been tested as safe by groups such as the F.D.A. and their equivalent in other countries. So, whether you choose the most expensive food or a cheaper type, the formula will have been designed to feed your baby well. That being said you must follow the directions properly.

Pushing down the feed in the scoop or adding ‘one for luck’ will mean that your baby doesn’t get the formula as it was designed. Nor will over diluting the food to make it go further.

Baby Food Review #3
What Should I Do About Sterilization?

Bottles, teats etc. must be sterilized. You can purchase sterilizing units, but if these aren’t available as when you are visiting relatives, you can sterilize a bottle in any plastic tank with the appropriate chemicals.Sterilizing by boiling is no longer recommended or really effective.

Bottle feeding babies with formula will bring about some changes.

Their stools will change in color and be firmer, much more like an adult stool. There is an increased chance of constipation and of colic. Here's a resource you can consult if that happens.

Breast milk is complex – it changes during a feed from the thin fore milk which gives baby a refreshing drink, to the much richer hind milk, full of nutrition. This just isn’t possible with formula.

Eventually of course baby will want something more than either breast milk or formula though these should be continued alongside weaning food.

Baby Food Review #4
Which First Foods Should You Give And Which Should You Avoid?

It is recommended that gluten rich cereals are avoided at first, wheat, barley and so on. Some would include oats in that list. Rice is fine. Meat should not be among first foods and nor should carrots which can be very high in nitrates.