Seriously, I have never met someone who didn’t think so. Having a baby, especially if it’s your first one, you can’t escape the monthly restocking and buying or receiving of new clothing.
Babies grow incredibly fast, well most of them, so as a parent it is fun to go shopping for new items and outfits for your kids. I always enjoyed this part as you can basically dress them and style them however you want. It is pretty much the only time that you will have this much freedom on their choice of clothing !
We all learn through our own personal experience. Looking back on the last 18 months since Sasha was born, there are baby items I wished I had bought that would have been better investments (especially if you are planning on having more than 1 child). So if you are planning on having a child in the future or are pregnant, these are good items to purchase if your budget permits. For other ideas of suggested baby products, see my previous post about 10 essential budget friendly baby items if you want more ideas of baby items to consider.
Here are the 3 items that I truly believe would have been AMAZING to have from the beginning with a newborn.
I understand that every child is different but these would most definitely be useful to all babies !
Have you ever said that you would parent your children in a calm respectful way ? Did you ever see a movie or even another parent lose control of their child in public only to have everyone staring at them thinking what is happening, is she a bad mother or is the child a bad kid ? Or do you feel like your always punishing your child for misbehaving either at school or at home ? These are moments we all wish we could skip or at least resolve as quickly as possible.
For this “currently loving” post, is a book called the NO-DRAMA DISCIPLINE by Daniel J. Siegel, M.D. and Tina Payne Bryson, PH.D. published in 2014. You can also find the audio version here and the book here.
Sometimes there are books or in my case, audiobooks you come across which are home runs in their category. This book has specific examples from everyday life that supports each of their strategies. It makes it easy to understand and can be applied to ALL children and teenagers. They also mention the mishaps we sometimes do as parents. This book had great insight on how our approach to discipline changes our child’s thoughts. While is might seem complicated, it was great and I absolutely wanted to share some of their strategies with you.
Mother’s Day is a time to show our appreciation and to celebrate our mother or mother figures in our lives. While I don’t get a chance to see my mother that often since she lives across the country, I enjoy getting together with other mom’s that are part of my life here in Montreal. While my son is to young to realize what this day signifies, now that I am a mother myself, I find it more meaningful and important to be celebrating this day.
What to do on Mother’s Day?
This year I celebrated Mother’s Day with an afternoon tea at my cousin’s place. Being the amazing hostess she is, I knew that I would have to share this special day with all of you.
Since Mother’s Day is just around the corner, I thought I would do a post related to new mothers. We all know a women in our family, a friend, a colleague or even a friend of a friend that is pregnant. Eventually you will get invited to a baby shower, if you haven’t already. If you aren’t a mother, you must have had thoughts of “geez, what am I going to buy?” This billion dollar baby industry and the millions of products available are enough to make us panic.
What to choose?
Even if you decide on something, there are many questions we ask ourselves such as is it good for the baby?, Is it useful? Does it take too much space? Is it safe? or Is it only a gimmick to make us spend money? I know that this is how I felt before having a baby. So instead of only resulting to buying baby clothing (as I usually did) I will give you other inexpensive suggestions. I know that there are baby registries to help us but for a first time parent, we sometimes forget to add essential baby items.
During my first trimester, I was so overwhelmed with the amount of products that I googled and read so many reviews before purchasing or adding any particular item to my baby registry. I even printed a list of the recommended bare essentials needed. So when my sister asked me for some suggestions as she was invited to a baby shower, I thought it would be a great idea to share with others my “I swear by” favorite budget friendly newborn products that I pretty much used on a daily basis. So here are some affordable gift ideas for your next baby shower that I couldn’t live without.
Traveling alone can be stressful, the preparation, the packing and the unknown of any new destination. Try adding a child to the equation which in itself is a whole other level of organization. I always try to be prepared for the unexpected, as you should be with a child. However, as a first time travelling to an all-inclusive resort in the Caribbean with my family, there are things that I wished I had known before leaving. So here are some tips I have learned travelling to Cuba with my 14 month old son that may help you for your next trip.
