Tag: #baby

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Budget-Friendly Baby Shower Ideas: Celebrate without Breaking the Bank

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Although we have been giving advice on Baby Shower Ideas, throwing a baby shower doesn’t have to break the bank. With a little creativity and careful planning, you can host a memorable celebration without sacrificing your budget. In this guide, we present cost-effective baby shower ideas, DIY decorations, and inexpensive yet thoughtful gift options that will help you celebrate the upcoming arrival without a hefty price tag.

Opt for a Co-Host: Consider co-hosting the baby shower with a friend or family member. Sharing the responsibilities and costs can significantly reduce the financial burden while ensuring a well-planned event. Nobody expects you to do it alone and the pleasure of sharing this experience with someone is also a bonus.

Choose a Budget-Friendly Venue: Instead of renting a venue, consider hosting the baby shower at a friend or family member’s house, a local park, or even your own backyard. Outdoor spaces can provide a charming and cost-effective setting for the celebration.

DIY Decorations: Get creative and make your own decorations. Use inexpensive materials like balloons, streamers, and tissue paper to create a festive atmosphere. Consider making a DIY photo booth area with props and a simple backdrop using fabric or a large sheet.

Potluck or DIY Food Stations: Instead of hiring a catering service, opt for a potluck-style baby shower or set up DIY food stations. Ask guests to bring a dish or assign them different food categories (appetizers, desserts, beverages) to contribute. This not only saves money but also adds a personal touch to the event. We know for a fact that some people love the idea of bringing a personal favorite dish or beverage.

Plan Simple Games and Activities: Organize simple and low-cost games and activities that don’t require elaborate props or materials. Classic games like baby-themed bingo, guessing games, or a diaper-changing relay can provide entertainment without straining the budget.

Digital Invitations: Save on printing and postage costs by opting for digital invitations. There are numerous free online platforms that offer stylish and customizable invitation templates. Send the invitations via email or social media to save time and money.

DIY Baby Shower Favors: Create DIY baby shower favors that are both thoughtful and budget-friendly. Ideas include handmade soaps, personalized candles, or small succulents in decorative pots. Package them with inexpensive materials like organza bags or mason jars tied with ribbons. It’s also an opportunity to support a small business in your area. Look for bulk deals and don’t be afraid to ask for a discount, if you are purchasing a large amount of items.

Inexpensive Yet Thoughtful Gifts: Encourage guests to bring budget-friendly gifts that are still meaningful. Suggest practical items like baby clothes, blankets, or diapers, which are often available at affordable prices. Alternatively, consider setting up a gift exchange where guests bring gently used baby items they no longer need. This is a great way to help the environment but at the same time to reuse some precious items that bring great memories to the giver and make new ones for the receiver.

DIY Baby Shower Diaper Cake: Instead of purchasing an expensive centerpiece, create a diaper cake as a budget-friendly alternative. Use diapers, ribbons, and baby essentials like pacifiers, socks, or small toys to construct an adorable and practical centerpiece. There are lots of helpful videos on all social media platforms. You will definitely not have a hard time finding inspiration.

Capture Memories with a DIY Photo Booth: Set up a DIY photo booth area with props and a simple backdrop. Provide a digital camera or encourage guests to use their smartphones to take pictures. This allows everyone to capture fun and candid moments without the cost of hiring a professional photographer.

We are confident that  hosting a baby shower on a budget is not only possible but can also result in a fun and memorable event. By co-hosting, choosing a budget-friendly venue, DIYing decorations, planning simple games and activities, and suggesting inexpensive yet thoughtful gifts, you can celebrate the upcoming arrival without breaking the bank. Remember, it’s the love and support of family and friends that make a baby shower truly special, regardless of the price tag. Not only will it add a personal touch to the party, it will also not make you feel like you just spent your entire savings on just one event and it will allow you to actually enjoy yourself.

Love, 

The Stork Bag Team

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Creating a Baby Registry: Essential Items for New Parents

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 As new parents, preparing for the arrival of your baby can feel overwhelming. One helpful tool to ensure you have all the necessary items is creating a baby registry. A well-curated registry not only helps you stay organized but also allows your loved ones to contribute to your baby’s needs. In this guide, we will provide guidance on creating a comprehensive baby registry, featuring essential items and practical recommendations to help you navigate this exciting phase of your life with confidence.

Nursery Essentials:

  • Crib or bassinet: Choose a safe and comfortable sleeping space for your baby.
  • Changing table or dresser with a changing pad: Make diaper changes convenient and organized.
  • Rocking chair or glider: Create a cozy spot for feeding and soothing your baby.

Diapering essentials:

  • Diapers: Stock up on disposable or cloth diapers, depending on your preference.
  • Diaper pail: Consider a pail with odor-locking features for convenient diaper disposal.
  • Wipes and diaper rash cream: Keep your baby’s skin clean and protected.

Feeding Essentials:

  • Breast pump: If breastfeeding, a quality breast pump can be invaluable for milk supply and convenience.
  • Bottles and nipples: Have a variety of bottles and nipples for feeding, even if breastfeeding.
  • Burp cloths and bibs: Keep messes to a minimum during feeding time.
  • Nursing pillow: Provide support and comfort during breastfeeding.

Clothing and Bedding:

  • Onesies, sleepers, and bodysuits: Stock up on comfortable and easy-to-dress clothing for your baby.
  • Swaddling blankets: Help your baby feel secure and promote better sleep.
  • Crib sheets and mattress protectors: Keep the crib clean and cozy for your little one.

Bathing and Grooming:

  • Baby bathtub: Ensure a safe and convenient bathing experience.
  • Hooded towels and washcloths: Keep your baby warm and cozy after bath time.
  • Baby shampoo, body wash, and lotion: Use gentle and baby-friendly products for your baby’s delicate skin.

Safety and Health:

  • Baby monitor: Stay connected and monitor your baby’s well-being from another room.
  • Baby gates: Create safe spaces within your home to prevent accidents.
  • Thermometer and healthcare kit: Keep essential healthcare items on hand for regular check-ups and emergencies.

Travel Essentials:

  • Stroller: Choose a reliable and comfortable stroller for outings with your baby.
  • Car seat: Ensure your baby’s safety while traveling in a car.
  • Diaper bag: Have a spacious and organized bag to carry all your baby’s essentials on the go.

Playtime and Developmental Toys:

  • Activity gym or playmat: Encourage sensory exploration and development.
  • Rattles, teethers, and soft toys: Provide stimulation and comfort for your baby.

Baby Care and Hygiene:

  • Baby nail clippers or files: Keep your baby’s nails trimmed safely.
  • Nasal aspirator and saline drops: Help alleviate congestion and clear your baby’s nasal passages.
  • Books and Educational Materials:
  • Board books and interactive toys: Stimulate early learning and language development.

 Creating a baby registry is an exciting and practical way to prepare for your baby’s arrival. By including essential items like nursery furniture, diapering supplies, feeding essentials, clothing, safety items, and toys, you can ensure that you’re well-equipped for the journey of parenthood. Remember to personalize your registry based on your preferences and lifestyle. Sharing your registry with family and friends will not only help you gather the necessary items but also allow them to be a part of this special chapter in your life.

Our website provides the chance for anyone in your life to offer a gift that will be cherished for years to come. From pampering the Mama to be, dressing up a newborn, or even thinking about the older siblings, we offer the chance to do it all in one place.

Our Baby Gift Boxes come with everything you need for a newborn, including items from www.rosetextiles.com, www.oldsoulsoapcompany.com and so many more.

We hope everyone will enjoy this wonderful time in your life!

The Stork Bag Team

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Four Reasons To Drop The Mom-Guilt NOW!

A new mom that can’t breastfeed, a young mother of two who will miss her son’s first soccer game, and an older mother who can’t be with her sick daughter who lives across the country.  What do all these things have in common? MOM GUILT!!  I’ve been told that no matter how old children get, their mothers never stop worrying about them and I’m of the opinion that the same goes for the dreaded mom guilt. It never goes away. The truth of the matter is being a mom is hard and we need to give ourselves a break and here’s why:

  1. You aren’t perfect: No mom is!  You shouldn’t feel let down if you aren’t able to be in ten places at once and anticipate everyone’s needs and every sickness your child is going to have.  You are not a robot with endless energy. You are human and are doing your best.  And your best is good enough. In fact, it’s perfect. Trust us.
  2. Your guilt doesn’t help: If you are beating yourself up about coming up short all the time, you are never going to be able to enjoy the moment and what you do have.  Sure, guilt from coming up short might motivate you temporarily, but carrying guilt for too long will only make you feel worse in the long run  Let it go and move on.
  3. Your kids love you: It’s true, they really do!  They will be fine even if you forgot to dress them in pajamas for pajama day.  I promise, your child will survive. And chances are, if you are beating yourself up about something, they will feed off that energy and make you feel worse than your already do.  Are all their basic needs met? If the answer is yes, your kids love you.  If the answer is no, your kids love you. Twenty years from now your kids will not even remember.
  4. You can give yourself a break: True story time. I’m missing my daughter’s first softball game of the season this week because I have concert tickets with my best friend who I haven’t seen in 6 months.  When I told my daughter, she gave me a little grief and for a brief minute I thought about cancelling plans (sorry Amy!) I made 7 months before my daughter even decided she wanted to play softball.  Then, I told her that her daddy and brother would be there and I would make it to the next one.  She gave a whiney “OK” and then moved on to talking about something else.  The point is that I gave myself a break and you can too.  Your life does not have to be all about the kids, all the time.  Just be sure to cheer extra loud at the next game. Do your best, be present and remember you are human too.

What is your best reason for letting go of the dreaded Mom-Guilt?  Let us know in the comments below!

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Last Month Of Pregnancy Checklist

This article originally appeared on Pregnant Chicken.

We know that pregnancy isn’t easy, as you near the end of your journey, you might need some additional tips and info.

There is a great list here ,and let us know in the comments what your last month of pregnancy checklist includes!  And don’t forget to order yourself a Post Partum Box from The Stork Bag!

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10 Tips For Back-To-School With A Newborn At Home

The stork Bag - 10 Tips For Back-To-School With A Newborn At Home - school supplies

This article originally appeared on HuffPost

Back-to-school time is back. If you have a newborn and also have children attending school, it’s a lot for everyone in the household to deal with. Over the summer, you probably had more time to give everyone what they needed. Now, the days will be going quickly as the school schedule moves forward and you will want to keep up with it.

There are many things you can do so that the family doesn’t feel overwhelmed during the school year. While sleep is at the top of the list, it’s also about sticking to a schedule, keeping life balanced, knowing where to find things in your home and more. Here are 10 back-to-school tips for parents with a new baby and a school-age child.

1) Rest on the Same Schedule: Put the kids in bed and then get in bed as well. No TV watching. You will probably have to get up in the night for a feeding. By the time the baby is going to be fed at night, you will already have had some rest. Do the feeding and get back to sleep. People start resenting each other when they are tired, so rest is more important than anything else for you and your spouse.

2) Ride to School Refreshed: In the morning, mommy will feel refreshed if she went to sleep right after the children did. Put the baby in the car seat and drive the kids to school. The sleep was important because you want to get behind the wheel with your family in the car feeling rested in the morning.

3) Organize to Save Time: It doesn’t matter how much space you have, if you are organized it can work. One of the hardest things to do during the school year is to get the children’s clothes together. When each child has their own drawer or a cubby hole, you can easily find things rather than spending time searching through a hamper.

4) Pre-Pack Lunches: At night while daddy is holding the baby, you should lay out the children’s clothes for the morning as well as pack their lunches before you go to bed. Remember to refrigerate their lunch boxes.

5) Restock on the Weekends: Weekends are a good time to get restocked on everything your family needs in the house during the week. Make sure the laundry is done, the snacks are available and so on.

To read the rest of this list, head over to http://www.huffingtonpost.com/marva-soogrim/10-tips-for-back-to-school-with-a-newborn-at-home_b_3932347.html

What are your tips for Back-to-School?  Let us know in the comments below!

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New Breastfeeding Emoji Could Help Normalize Nursing

The Stork Bag - New Breastfeeding Emoji Could Help Normalize Nursing - woman breastfeeding

 (This article originally appeared on Scary Mommy.)

On Thursday, the internet powers-that-be, specifically Unicode, “the computing industry standard for encoding,” are gifting us with 56 new emojis for 2017. These include a zombie, a bowl of cereal, an elf, a bearded dude, a woman with a hijab, men and women in lotus positions, gender non-binary adults and children, and — may the heavens open and lactation consultants rejoice — an emoji of a woman breastfeeding.

Sisters in boobage, we have an emoji.

I don’t have to tell you this is a big deal. Unicode approved a baby bottle emoji in 2010, and since then, that bottle’s been the only way to use emojis to express infant feeding. And this has been a big deal, for several reasons: According to the proposal for the breastfeeding emoji, the baby bottle ranks in the top 50% of emojis used. It’s also important when U.S. breastfeeding rates are only 49.4% at six months, and 40.7% exclusive breastfeeding at three months — meaning 59% of mothers are supplementing by three months (this can include formula or food). So more than 50% of mamas do need that bottle emoji by then. Nobody is taking issue with that, I promise.

The CDC’s goals for 2020 have 60.6% of mothers nursing at six months, and 46.2% nursing exclusively at three months. The only way we’ll accomplish that is to make breastfeeding more accessible, and one of the key ways to make it more accessible is to make it more acceptable, more normal, more woven into the fabric of society.

Cue our new emoji.

The breastfeeding emoji was submitted for just that reason by Rachel Lee, a registered nurse at University College of London Hospital. She argued that it would fill a gap “given the prevalence of breastfeeding in cultures around the world, and throughout history.” She cites the frequency of breastfeeding, especially at birth (nearly 80% in the United States), and argues that other apps and sticker packs include breastfeeding moms. Apparently a breastfeeding emoji was one of the top 30 emoji requests, and inspired a Change.org petition, in addition to many tweets asking for it.

To read the entire article, please visit the link below:

http://www.scarymommy.com/new-breastfeeding-emoji-could-help-normalize-nursing/

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Getting Out! Our Summertime Diaper Bag Checklist!

The Stork bag - Getting Out! Our Summertime Diaper Bag Checklist!

Summer is now officially in full swing and warmer temperatures means fun things like festivals, parades and picnics! New parents can sometimes be overwhelmed by the thought of trying to leave the home “bubble” where you have everything you need for baby but if you know the right things to pack, it should be like you never left home (almost)! Here is our checklist for packing the perfectly prepared diaper bag!

  1. Extras! Having a spare set of clothes (including socks), diapers (swim and regular), wet wipes, pacifiers, and bibs is crucial. Even one extra set of these things, excluding the diapers which you will need more of, will help you in a pinch regardless of where you are headed. It wouldn’t hurt to throw in an extra shirt for mom and because mom-brain is a real thing, an extra set of car keys and some cash doesn’t hurt either!
  2. Plastic grocery bags: These pack easily and are so helpful in an emergency. They can be used for dirty diapers, wet or soiled clothes, or anything that needs compartmentalized in a diaper bag. Throw 3-4 in the bag and I promise you will use them!
  3. Light blanket: Rolled up nice and tight, this takes up hardly any space at all but it can have many uses including a space for baby to stretch or play, a clean place to change a diaper, or even a nursing cover if needed in a pinch.
  4. Sun protection: Sunscreen and a hat for sun protection are a must for summer and baby’s vulnerable skin. Keeping these items in your bag means never being unprepared and risking a sunburnt baby!
  5. Snacks/beverages: No matter where we go and regardless of the last time we ate, my kids are always hungry and thirsty. Bottles, snacks, and water are always good to have no matter if you think baby will be hungry or not. Better to have them and not use them then desperately need them and not have them!

What are your diaper bag must-haves for Summer? Let us know in the comments!

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Registering For Baby: The Top Five Favorite Items According To Moms Like You!

The Stork Bag - Registering For Baby: The Top Five Favorite Items According To Moms Like You!

My sister in law, who is due with her first child later this summer, recently came to me overwhelmed.   She needed to register for baby “stuff” and as a first-time parent, was full of questions regarding the list of items she was told she needed to have. Let’s be honest, it’s really hard to figure out if you need something without ever having used it before or on some items, not even knowing what it is. With the help of myself and a few friends, my sister in law was able to figure out her list but it had me wondering, what do other moms love? Obviously, what works for some mamas doesn’t work for others but we asked anyway and below are the top five favorite baby items, as told by our tribe of mamas!

  1. Rock N Play: This was the overwhelming winner. Moms love this because it’s great for sleep or play and babies really seem to love the gentle vibrations.
  2. Infant swing: A close second, this is a variation on the Rock N Play. Moms love this because of its ability to rock side to side, as well as front to back. This was a big time favorite of my babies as well.
  3. Bobby Pillow: Another favorite in our house, the pillow has so many versatile uses: feeding, sitting, corralling, etc. Per our mamas, having an extra cover or two is very helpful!
  4. Burp Cloths: While it’s not higher on our list, these are so critical and mess saving for most mamas. Most (if not all) babies burp and spit up and these can be used anywhere, anytime. Advice from our moms: cloth diapers can double as burp cloths and whatever number of burp cloths you think you need, double it!
  5. Nasal Aspirator: A snotty baby is a sad baby for sure! There are a few different versions of this but they all accomplish the same goal. Having a useful tool like this is so helpful with little ones that it managed to make the top five with our moms!

Other items that didn’t make out top five but still got lots of votes: baby carrier or sling, swaddling blankets/receiving blankets, and the diaper caddy! What are your “must have” baby items? Comment below!