Did you buy way too much baby stuff?

Are you shopping for baby equipment and wondering do I really need all of this stuff? Maybe you are looking at the sea of baby stuff in your living room, nursery, bedroom, garage, etc., and wondering why you bought so much? If it makes you feel any better almost all new parents struggle with deciding what and how much to buy for their new babies.

Baby Centre Canada recently polled visitors to their website and asked; Did you go overboard when buying baby equipment?

I bought far too much: 16%

I bought too little: 20%

I bought all the wrong things: 0%

I got just the right amount 64%

If you've been a little stressed out about the issue, I think these results should offer some relief!

Vancouver's Largest Baby Shower

If you live in the Vancouver area and are expecting a new addition, this is an event you should check out.

Westcoast Moms' is proud to host Vancouver's Largest Baby Shower exclusive to prenatal moms in and around Vanouver. Our shows provide the opportunity for expectant mothers and their partners to:

• engage with various health care experts
• receive information on products and services
• obtain community information
• view product displays and demonstrations
• hear guest speakers

First 100 attendees receive a diaper bag full of goodies valued at over $50.00! There will be over $500 in door prize draws and partial proceeds from this event go to help support The Pacific Post Partum Society of Vancouver.

Vancouver Largest Baby Shower
Sunday, January 27th, 2008
Heritage Hall, Main Street, 3102 Main Street, Vancouver
12:00pm-4:00pm

Telephone Registration: Please call Jenneil at 604-985-8513 or Lara at 604-908-8835

Or visit Westcoastmoms.ca to register online

Children's Jewelery as a Keepsake

If you have visited a children's boutique recently you have probably seen some beautiful children's jewelery. Most moms admire and enjoy jewelery for their tots but some of you might wonder if you should spend the money on quality jewelery for little ones. In my opinion, it is definitely worth the investment. If you take the time to select a special bracelet and your child wears it often it becomes a keepsake, something you can treasure for years and maybe even pass on to your grandchildren. My advice, buy less pieces if you have to, but invest in something that will last.

Some things to look for in quality jewelery:

Is the bracelet strung on 49-strand stainless steel wire (this is the strongest wire available)?

Is the jewellery made of non-toxic materials?
Are you getting what you pay for? e.g. are the pearls genuine? is the crystal genuine Swarovski? is the clasp sterling silver?

If you have any more jewelery questions, please contact Ami Krahn of Darling Bijou Jewelery at 604-855-2055. You can also check out Ami's children's jewelery line at www.darlingbijou.com

The Benefits of Home Birth

Home, Sweet Home

You've probably heard this message before, but it's worth repeating: Having a baby at home with a registered midwife in attendance is safe for mothers and babies. A new study reported in the British Medical Journal looked at the outcomes of over 5,000 planned home births of low-risk women in Canada and the US and compared them to outcomes for low-risk hospital births. Among the home births, less than 13 percent of the mothers and newborns required transfer to hospital. Rates of intervention were significantly lower among the planned home births than the hospital births: 9.6 percent were induced; 4.7 percent had an epidural; 2.1 percent had an episiotomy; and 3.7 percent had a cesarean. Women who had their babies at home reported a "high degree of satisfaction" with their birth experience.

For more information on home birthing contact our resident home and water birth expert Nicole Colibaba of With Child Birthing and Parenting Services.

Ignite Your Girl Power With Some Good Reads

If you are like most Moms I know (myself included), when you finally get a chance to curl up with a book you probably choose a book about parenting, discipline, or maybe even relationships? If you are a working Mom you might even be squeezing in books about business.

As we go into the new year, I am committing myself to spend some time reading stories about powerful and inspiring women. Why not join me in reading something that puts you back in touch with your own girl power?

Here are some of the books I am going to try out. If you've read something that inspired you lately, please leave us a post.

Reading Lolita in Tehran: A Memoir in Books, Azar Nafisi
Every Thursday morning for two years in the Islamic Republic of Iran, a bold and inspired teacher named Azar Nafisi secretly gathered seven of her most committed female students to read forbidden Western classics. Reading Lolita in Tehran is a remarkable exploration of resilience in the face of tyranny and a celebration of the liberating power of literature.
Letters to My Daughters, Mary MatalinIn Letters to My Daughters, famed political consultant and TV personality Mary Matalin shares the moral, ethical, and occasionally comic life lessons gleaned from her mother's experiences and her own.

The Hip Mama Survival Guide, Ariel Gore
A witty & wise guide for mothers who don't fit the June Cleaver stereotype. Alternative parents of all sorts will find comfort, advice, & a few chuckles from this book which covers everything from why baby clothes don't come in black to nursing after nipple piercing. Both practical & entertaining.

Girl Sleuth: Nancy Drew and the Women Who Created Her, Melanie Rehak

In Girl Sleuth, Melanie Rehak weaves a history of Nancy Drew and her creators, all of whom inspired generations of girls to be as strong-willed as they were.

Raj Thandhi, owner of Concept 9 Accessories, uses her design experience to create fashionable and trendy accessories for new moms and babies.

Getting Organized for the New Year

So here we are at the start of another new year, once again we are packing up our Christmas decorations and dusting off our New Year's resolutions. I don't have any research data to back this up but I'm guessing that 50% of us make the same resolutions each year. For me it's usually a variation of the same theme, organization. Sadly at the end of the year I am just as disorganized as I was at the beginning.

So this year I am making a simpler resolution, to choose one organization idea and stick to it for at least 30 days. After searching many websites I decided to go with an idea I found on OrganizedHome.com called the "Launch Pad". It's a dedicated space for each family member.
For the kids it can be a home to permission slips, lunch boxes, library books, or even diaper bags. For the adults of the house, the Launch Pad holds handbags, car keys, return videos, files, appointment calendars and even granola bars for those of us who often miss breakfast. One special place to corral items every family member must have to leave the house each morning.

To take this organization tip one step farther I am resolving to set up my family's Launch Pads each night before bed. What action steps are you going to take to make 2008 run a little more smoothly than last year?

Raj Thandhi, owner of Concept 9 Accessories, uses her design experience to create fashionable and trendy accessories for new moms and babies.

Thinking outside the box

There are so many theories on how to teach children and so many styles of therapies for those who are affected by Autism. As parents, we only want what is best for our child. My personal opinion is that if you keep putting the child first, it will all come together and all involved will experience success.

When we think about our son, Ryan, who is on the Autism Spectrum, we know he is very clever, especially with technology. His weakness has been communication. We have combined the two by getting him digital camera to play around with.

Success was immediate! Ryan was absolutely thrilled with being able to take his own pictures. He figured it out right away and was taking some really nice shots. He wanted to show us the pictures, so the communication part of it happened naturally. He started talking about the camera, telling us how it worked and gave some details about what pictures he took.

The ball kept rolling. Soon, he was asking his siblings to pose somehow - usually something like going down the slide or jumping off of something. They all loved the activity and were having their own conversation about it, not to mention the belly laughs from all of them!

Maybe you can think of a strength that your child has, and how you can use that strength to support and improve an area of weakness. Keep the learning FUN!

Debra Batt, owner of Picture Symbol Solutions, uses her experiences as a Teacher's Assistant and parent to create resources for families who are affected by Autism Spectrum Disorder.

10 reasons to do musical activities with your child

• Music shapes attitude towards a lifetime appreciation of the arts
• Music is a link to understanding humans in their context and culture
• Music establishes patterns of brain development
• Music is crucial to language development
• Music strengthens math and science skills
• Music improves memory and reading retention
• Music provides tools essential to problem solving
• Music fosters emotional bonding and self-esteem
• Music enhances communication and teamwork skills
• Music is SO MUCH FUN!

Darcie Brown, a Licensed Kindermusik Educator at The Little Brown Music Studio, specializes in early childhood development and music.

Tips for picky eaters

(This information was taken from The Baby Book by William Sears M.D. and Martha Sears R.N.)

When it comes to feeding your toddlers it is important to remember the division of responsibility. The parents are responsible for buying the right food, preparing it nutritiously and serving it creatively. The child is responsible for how much he eats, when he eats and if he eats at any given time. That said here are some suggestions in how to encourage your child to want to eat.

Try a nibble tray
Children have very small tummies (the size of their fist) and so they are not able to eat large amounts of food at one time. Because of this it is better to let your child eat small amounts of food frequently. An easy way to assemble a nibble tray is to use an ice-cube tray or a muffin dish. Put bite-sized portions of colorful and nutritious foods into each space of the nibble tray. Here are some ideas for foods to put into the nibble tray.

Cheese blocks	Broccoli trees
Cooked carrot sticks	Canoe eggs
Peeled apple slices (moons)	Banana wheels
Avocado boats	O-shaped cereal

Dress it up
Young children like to dip their food. Take advantage of this in order to encourage toddler’s to eat less favored foods. There are many different dips that you can use.

Cheese sauce	Yogurt
Cottage cheese	Tufu puree
Guacamole	Salad dressing
Hummus	Pureed fruit

Toddler toppings
Putting nutritious familiar favorites on top of new or less desirable foods is one way to encourage picky eaters to broaden their menu. Some topping suggestions are melted cheese, yogurt, cream cheese, tomato sauce, meat sauce, applesauce or guacamole.

Spread it
Many toddlers and children like to spread things, so let them put nutritional spreads on their foods, such as meat pate, avocado spread, vegetable sauce or cheese spread onto crackers, bagel, toast or rice cakes.

Drink your meal
If your child would rather drink than eat, try making a smoothie. Blend together yogurt with fresh fruit. To make the event even more fun let your child use a straw.

Kim Kendall is a Sign2Me Presenter and WeeHands educator. She offers signing and infant massage classes through Out West Training Studio in Abbotsford.

Oscar Night Brings Out the Swarovski!

I watch the Oscars as much for the films as for the Fashion. One thing that I noticed at this year’s Oscars was that Swarovski crystal was EVERYWHERE. Cate Blanchett was wearing a gorgeous Swarovski crystal mesh gown (top), and Penelope Cruz, Jennifer Lopez, and Abigail Breslin (bottom) were all sporting Daniel Swarovski clutches.

Swarovski crystal is the 1st choice of fashion and jewellery designers alike. So what is it that puts Swarovski crystal above the rest of crystal out there?

What its made of: Swarovski crystal is the only crystal that uses high lead content crystal glass. It contains approximately 32% lead and lead oxide. It is this high lead content that increases and maximizes refraction, making the crystal so sparkly that it is actually comparable in sparkle to a diamond!

How it's made: When the Swarovski company was first started in 1882, Daniel Swarovski developed an automatic cutting machine that would enable him to cut the glass perfectly every time creating multiple surfaces that would reflect light.

What it does: This precision cutting creates a crystal that catches the light on both the inside surfaces as well as the outside. As light dances and reflects throughout the entire crystal, the beautiful and eternal sparkle of Swarovski is created.

The next time you are looking for an outfit or a piece of jewellery that is going to look both brilliant and be of the highest quality, look for Swarovski crystal. You’ll never be disappointed.

Darling Bijou creates affordable handmade jewellery for children and adults out of genuine Swarovski Austrian crystal, freshwater pearls, sterling silver, and designer glass beads ~ creating a lasting keepsake that can be cherished forever.