Parenting tips for babies and toddlers

Many people wonder what age is okay for a baby or child to wear jewelry. Although there are no hard and fast rules about when the child should wear jewelry, the decision should be left to the gift giver and the child’s parents. When considering buying a gift of jewelry for a child, consider the following:

• Will the child be responsible enough to wear jewelry? Could the jewelry be lost? Will the child possibly flush it down the toilet, even by accident?
• Are there any allergies to gold or silver?
• Is there a choking hazard? It is important to know what to be aware of when buying jewery for a child.
• What type of jewelry would be best for the child? Necklace, bracelet, ring, earrings?

Ask Yourself a Few Questions

These are just a few questions to ask yourself before you invest in baby jewelry. It is always a good idea to talk to the child’s parents first, as well. After the parents tell you okay consider the following tips for buying the perfect baby jewelry gift:

• What is the child’s birth stone? Birthstone jewelry is always a hit!
• If you are buying for a little girl, consider small stud earrings.

You could select little gold beads or gold ball earrings, small diamond studs, or perhaps small pearl earrings. (Make sure she has pierced ears). If you are buying for a boy, and you want to buy him a ring, make sure the ring is at least a little bit masculine. You probably don’t want to get him a ring with a stone or a lot of sparkle.

Also, for an older boy you may want to consider buying him a necklace. A necklace will never go out of style. Plus, he will be less likely to lose a necklace, and he can always grow into it. Also, with a necklace, you can add a charm. Does he like basketball or baseball? Buy him a charm to go with his favorite sport.

Talk To the Parents

Are you considering a star or a cross? Talk to the baby’s parents. You may want to know their wishes or their religious affiliation. You don’t want to be caught off guard giving a cross to someone of the Jewish faith.

Something else to definitely consider when buying jewelry for a baby is to perhaps select a matching piece for mommy. It would easily be a nice touch, and it would become a keepsake for both mother and child. Matching jewelry for mommy and baby can certainly help out the new daddy.

Many men have depended on gifts of jewelry to make their women happy. So, it stands to reason that a new daddy will really score some points if he brings two pieces of jewelry to the hospital - one for his wife and one for his new baby. When mommy has her first portrait taken with the new baby, imagine how thrilled she will be to see the matching pieces.

There is nothing more sentimental than the gift of jewelry for a tiny loved one. And remember, you can buy children’s jewelry for special occasions such as the little one’s first steps, first word or first haircut.

Baby Bracelets

Usually when speaking of baby jewelry, bracelets are what come to mind. That is because they are the safest jewelry for a baby. There is much less of a choking hazard. Many baby bracelets are very plain and can often be engraved with the child’s name.

Other times, you’ll see baby bracelets with little blocks on them that spell out the name. I have heard that some childtren have actually learned how to spell their name, because they continually saw it on their bracelet. Now that is a keepsake worth remembering.

Some bracelets come with charms that rattle. These types of charm bracelets often cause concerns for the mother. They are worried the baby will put the bracelet in its mouth. This too, could cause a choking hazard.

Another concern is that the baby may be sensitive to the silver or gold. Although most baby jewelry is considered hypo-allergenic, if your little one is wearing any kind of jewelry, you will want to keep your eye on them just in case there is some sensitivity to the metal.

Also keep in mind that charms that come with a bracelet are normally tightly woven in, so the child cannot bite it off. Infant jewelry also has very safe clasps. Pins or sharp latches are definitely out.

Heirlooms

Sometimes a family member will aquire jewelry that is considered an heirloom and it will be passed down from generation to generation. Another neat idea is something that has been popular for many years.

You buy the brand-new baby girl a necklace with a simple gold bead or pearl on it. Then for each special occassion such as birthdays, Easter, Christmas, Baptism or other religious occasions, you add another gold bead or pearl. By the time she is all grown up, she has a fully beaded necklace or a lovely pearl necklace. She can wear this for years to come and throughout her adult life.

Toddler Jewelry

Besides infant jewelry you may get excited to buy for a toddler. This age group is usually interested in some type of jewelry and body adornment. Little girls generally love to wear hair clips and barrettes, so if you are considering jewelry, I am sure it will be a big hit. And they are more interested in fun pieces.

Toddlers might like sports jewelry such as we spoke of earlier for older boys. Or they may enjoy something fun and sparkly. Often times mom and dad will let their child pick out their own jewelry, and this helps them appreciate it more and longer.

One popular style of jewelry for toddlers is ladybug pieces. Ladybugs are symbols for good luck. Although a child’s first jewelry piece may be a simple gold band or bracelet, as the child gets older, you will want to consider adding to their jewelry collection.

Ladybugs are very cute and boys and girls alike will love to wear a jewelry piece with a little bug on it. I am not quite sure what the fascination is, but I have seen many children wear ladybug jewelry. You can purchase jewelry for all age groups at your favorite retailer, or you can shop at various online jewelry sites.

About the Author

Sara was a Jewelry sales profesional for 25 years. She now writes for Glitter Secrets.com and other sites to inform readers on buying jewelry.

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When I was pregnant, I became extremely sick. I didn’t just have morning sickness, I had hyperemesis gravidarum which is “extreme morning sickness”. I couldn’t eat anything, I was losing weight, and I was worried about the affects this had on my baby.

Having morning sickness all day, every day for months at a time can take a huge toll on life. My own marriage suffered greatly while I was sick. Every day tasks become difficult if not impossible. I couldn’t go grocery shopping for fear of throwing up in someone’s cart! I even vomited in my car while driving to the doctor’s office one day.

At the time, I didn’t realize there was a “cure” for morning sickness. But just recently, I ran across another mom, Mary Kinsey, who seems to have gone through the same thing as me. She even threw up in her car too! Amazingly enough, she figured out a way to cure morning sickness naturally. Sounds crazy huh?

You can read her story here.

Incidentally, I was just talking with a close family member yesterday. She informed me that she was pregnant with her second baby. Instead of being excited, she was scared.

Her first pregnancy was horrible. She was so sick and threw up countless times every day. She’s only a few weeks along but she’s already sicker than her worst day with her first pregnancy. Needless to say, she’s not as thrilled as she wishes she was and I feel so awful for her.

I bought Mary’s book, Morning Sickness Freedom and sent it to her. I can’t wait to find out how it works for her! I’ll keep you posted as well so make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed and sign up for my Baby Tips newsletter so you don’t miss out.

I took a boo at the book myself, and I’m really impressed. There are some extremely interesting facts and really thought-provoking stuff in there. She’s even got a few really good money saving tips which are sure welcoming.

There are three sections to this book. The first one talks about some really practical advice that any pregnant woman can follow. I practiced a lot of these tips myself during my pregnancies, but some I had never heard of.

The second section talks about acupressure. If you’re normally skeptical about things like that, it may seem a bit kooky at first but it doesn’t hurt AT ALL to try it. Nobody has to know. You can do it in the privacy of your own home and it doesn’t cost a penny.

Because I’ve tried things like this before (my aunt used to do reflexology on me all the time and it blew my mind!) I was already a bit open to it. But again, what do you have to lose? A few minutes of your time at most.

The third section is short and just talks about a couple more remedies that can help alleviate morning sickness.

Now that I’ve read this book, I honestly can’t wait until I’m pregnant again to try it out myself! I’ve always felt bad for being jealous of other pregnant women who never experienced morning sickness during their pregnancies, but I’m hopeful that my next pregnancy will be puke-free. Weee!

You can learn more about Morning Sickness Freedom here.

Someone really close to me has recently become pregnant and is suffering from an extremely bad case of morning sickness.

It reminded me of how sick I was myself during my pregnancies. In fact, I was hospitalized because I was diagnosed with Hyperemesis Gravidarum (HG) which is “extreme morning sickness”.

I was losing a lot of weight (I weighed less after giving birth than I did when I first got pregnant), and I was VERY dehydrated. The doctor’s eyes almost popped out of his head when he got the results back after testing me for dehydration. Apparently I didn’t “look” dehydrated. I must have some mad makeup skills and covered up the huge black bags under my eyes!

Anyway, there is medication available for morning sickness and HG called Diclectin, but it wasn’t successful for me. Instead, I relied on a few tips to help me survive those long, loooong months of vomiting too many times a day to count.

How I Coped With Morning Sickness

First, anything smelly was thrown out or stored far, far away where I couldn’t smell it. Walking past a Glade plugin would make me run straight to the bathroom. I also made my husband throw away his body spray because it would literally make me sick. To this day, I can’t smell that stuff or I start to feel queasy.

Second, I had my groceries delivered to me. Walking into a grocery store was unthinkable for me. All that food! All those smells!! Show me to the ladies room NOW.

The city I lived in had a cool service called Pic’n'Del. You could shop on their website and have everything delivered right to your door for 7 or 8 bucks. They aren’t in business anymore but your town may have something similar. One of my local grocery stores delivers for $25.

I’d much rather dish out $25 than vomit all over aisle 7 in the store, wouldn’t you?

During the odd times when I felt I could actually swallow food and keep it in my belly, I opted for fresh, raw foods. Fruit and cold stuff like ice cream or frozen grapes was the only food that I could handle. Cooking beef in my house while I had morning sickness was the worst possible thing you could do and would result in a very angry and sick pregnant lady!

I also avoided caffeine like the plague which pregnant women should be doing anyway. Warm beverages like tea or coffee did not sit well with me, even decaf.

In the end, you know your own body well enough to know what works and what doesn’t. It’s a bit of a game, trying different things until you figure out what keeps you from being sick.

For more practical tips on keeping morning sickness at bay and to learn more about it, read my article here:

https://www.babytipsonline.com/morning-sickness.html

P.S. I am a Final Fantasy addict. If you don’t know what that is, it’s a video game. While I was holed up in my apartment with morning sickness, I played Final Fantasy all day. Now when I play that game, I feel sick to my stomach. Weird hey?

If you’re trying to conceive your first baby, or you are working on baby #2, #3, etc., it helps to have some tips that can make you conceive sooner. I’ve got a few for you today:

Chillax. Stress is thought to be a factor in infertility. Trying to conceive can be extremely stressful. You can help relieve stress by exercising, getting enough sleep, and meditation. You can also relax with some regular yoga and massages.

Become a health nut. Cut out habits like smoking, alcohol and caffeine. Start eating a healthy diet full of fresh fruits and vegetables and lean meats. Get organize, natural food as much as possible. Foods that contain hormones and other chemicals can decrease your chances of conceiving.

Make sex fun. Don’t let it become an item to check off on your “to do list”. Add some variety, if ya know what I’m sayin’. There is no evidence to prove that one position is best, so try them all!

Roll out the welcome wagon. Douches, vaginal sprays, scented tampons, lubricants, etc. can all mess with your vagina’s environment and pH levels. Avoid them while you’re trying to conceive.

Monitor your cycle. Fertility monitors will take the guesswork out of knowing when you’re most likely to conceive. The window of opportunity is small, so it’s helpful to know your cycle as best as you can.

Wait a couple days in between “tries”. Having sex too often can lower a man’s sperm count. Waiting about two days will allow it to go back up so you can get a good dose the next time.

Start taking a prenatal vitamin. A regular multi-vitamin doesn’t contain the right combination for a woman trying to conceive or who is already pregnant.

Don’t let gravity do it’s job. Stay horizontal for as long as you can after having sex. Give those little guys a chance to reach their destination. You don’t need to stand on your head, but laying down with a pillow under your hips for at least 20 minutes will help.

Talk with your doctor. They can offer you advice tailored specifically for you, your body, and your lifestyle. They can also test both you and your partner to see how fertile you each are.

Lots of parents find it difficult - if not impossible - to find a sippy cup that their baby will drink out of. Some babies refuse to even hold certain sippy cups. I know I had this problem with my daughter.

I tried too many brands and types of sippy cups to count, but after a lot of trial and error, we found just the one.

I’ve compiled a short list of the best sippy cups for babies. These sippy cups are all BPA-free and lots of parents have discovered that their baby will not drink out of anything else. You can view the list here:

What’s the Best Sippy Cup for my Baby?

Baby Tips readers picked #5 on the list as their favorite.