Sweet Baby Gifts

If you’re under 35 you probably won’t remember this, I think it happened about 1988, can’t remember if it was Australia or New Zealand.
What happened was this,there was a brother and sister at home watching TV, their mother was away for some time visiting a sick relative, they threw their dirty underwear in the laundry hamper and because it was winter and very cold at the time it just so happened that quite some time elapsed before a wash was done, somebody heard a sound coming from the laundry hamper and when they opened it there was a baby, an investigation revealed that their underwear had been touching in just the right spot after it was thrown into the hamper and the temperature in there was almost exactly the same as in a womb. It was a big scandal at the time and many harsh words were said but what I would like to know is what happened to that kid? I expect he would be in his 20’s now? Anybody know him or went to school with him? Have there been any other laundry basket babies or similar strange occurences since then or does the government cover this kind of stuff up now?

I’m a tad older than 35,lol.But I don’t remember the case here in Australia.Maybe it was NZ.

My son is one month old and we talk to him and sing to him and read to him and let him look around etc, but still worried there is not enough stimulation for him, as we dont really use toys etc…..and dont want to hamper or delay his development…please help

The only toys he would use now are ones to put him to sleep.

The first active toys he will use is an activity gym at 3 months.

Until 3 months they don’t play much. Just some head lifts at tummy time, and they will start to look at mobiles and lights around 1 month old

Really he isn’t going to have interactive toys until 3 months, and staring at a mobile and staring at a balloon, the TV or the family cat is all about the same. And he will prefer your face to all of those. My boys started smiling at their mobiles at about 6 weeks, but they don’t use their hands to bat objects til 3 months.

Right now it is all about eat, sleep, skin to skin contact, and a little tummy time. Soon he will interact with your more (funny faces and sound effects will make him smile) and he will smile at mobiles. But batting at toys etc. is 3 months +.

His play until 3 months will be limited to about 15m at a time, and that is just looking at you when you do silly things. Right now he likely is doing closer to 5m then 15m. Do play after eating (so he is well rested and well fed), and when he starts getting tired / fussy, lay him down to nap. When he wakes, feed him again.

My guys are now 4 months and stay up for 2 hours at a time to eat/play, then nap 2 hours, then it starts over. But at 1 month playtime was a 5 - 15 minute session after eating.

Just make sure you get in a little tummy time. Reading is nice, but it can be anything, even the Wall Street Journal at that age.

My 9-day-old has very sharp nails, and she keeps scratching her little face her scratch mitts are "first size" but they keep falling off her hands. Any tips on keeping the scratch mitts on? I received some nail clippers off a relative in a hamper of baby things, but I daren’t use them on her because she fidgets a lot.

Thanks!

Use socks instead of mitten, it works better and they stay on their tiny hands longer.

My cousin is due to have her son on 13th april and her mum is arranging a baby shower for 4th. I am planning to make a baby hamper with my mum. She has knitted some mittens, cardigans and hats and i was thinking of putting in some muslin squares, toiletries, booties etc. What else should we include in the hamper?

Great idea, I love hampers!

Might I suggest:

*diapers
*baby washclothes
*"baby on board"sign for car
*window shades or clings
*rubber duckie (specifically, the "Munchkin" brand which says "HOT" on the bottom, it turns from blue to white if the baby’s bathtub water is too hot)

Is she bottle or breast feeding? If she’s breastfeeding, include a nursing wrap

If she’s bottle feeding, a bottle brush and a bottle warmer would be good.

These are things that I usually give at showers, the mothers frequently tell me they never thought to ask for things like that. You don’t want to give her too many bibs or teething rings, these are items which aren’t usually on people’s lists.

I am very interested in setting up a small business from home selling baby things…

e.g.

change mats
feeding bottles
potties
bouncers
bath sets
play gyms
towels / blankets
baby carriers / slings
monitors
cot mobiles etc

Basically stuff that every parent needs for a baby / toddler … except for the big things like prams and cots…

Also want to stay away from clothes and small toys as I think they are given to new parents as gifts…

And I was thinking about putting together new baby hampers to sell too that include toiletries for mother and baby, dummies, a nice blanket, a small rattle, cuddly toy, a baby grow ( cream, blue and pink depending on sex of the baby) and a couple of other things… btw I know I just said I wasn’t selling clothes or toys but that was individual toys and clothes, NOT as part of a hamper gift set!

Back to the point, how would I go about starting this up? Posting leaflets and small booklets listing some of the things I’m selling? Posting ads in the local shop windows?

I am planning on doing the deliveries myself seeing as I am just concentrating on my local area to start off with…

Thank you for any advice and tips!

Do you have enough new mothers (their family and friends) that will forgo shopping at a discount retailer for these items? Your first step should be to conduct some form of market research to determine if there is a demand for your services. I can’t stress this enough….contact your local Small Business Administration and or your local SCORE for assistance. I would at the very least set up a focus group with expecting mothers and their families from your target market to obtain their feedback.

If you have already done this and determined there is a market willing to pay for your goods and services, then I would ask your local obgyn clinics if you can leave your leaflet or flyer in their waiting rooms. You should also join as many networking groups as you can- like the Chamber of Commerce. Attend every networking function you can to get your name out there. If it is within your marketing budget, place a classified ad in the services section of your newspaper.

Good luck.

good sized hampers or gift boxes

i had trouble findng empty hampers for my friends new born.. so i bought a white basket and fiiiled it..i tied white ribbons on the handle and filled the gaps in the basket with new born nappies (diapers) so sweet!!..

I created an account with Tesco in order to get vouchers for the mum and baby pamper hamper. It wouldn’t let me apply for a clubcard because i’m not 18 so i used my boyfriends card number and got them sent to me under my name. Will i still be able to use them along with his card?
And Lori why is it that you hope not? Just out of interest…

As long as you use them with his clubcard you shouldn’t have any problems (Tesco don’t accept vouchers if you don’t have the correct clubcard).

My 1.5 year old baby just swallows all soft food without biting into it. However if given snacks like waffers, chapati, etc she nicely bites and eats it. How do i get her to chew rice, dal, veges etc? Does swallowing food hamper weight gain?

it’s easier. continue to serve her the same healthy meals you give the rest of the family & make sure she uses a fork and spoon. she’s still learning, so keep an eye on her & get your CPR certification if it will make you feel safer. if weight gain is an issue -talk to the pediatrician & a occupational therapist.

Carseat
Stroller
Clothes
Socks
Bibs
Swing ( an awesome one)
Crib
Crib mattress
Pack n play/bassinet
Changing table
Sling
Bouncer
Toys
Breastpump
Diaper bag
Nursing cover
Diapers cream & ect..
Boppy pillow w/ cover
First aid kit w/ aspirator
Baby book
Wipe warmer
Hamper
Blankets
Receiving blankets
Bathtub w/ nb sling
Diapers
Wipes
Bottles
Storage boxes
4 bath towels
hats
grooming kit
thermometer
nail clippers
crib sheets
bath time things ( shampoo & ect…)
burpcloths
washcloths
nursing pads
pacifiers
bottle brush
butt powder
breast balm
storage bins & baskets
changing pad

Yeah, I’d definitely say so…lol, all I have is clothes, diapers, wipes, wash cloths, blankets, bassanet,bath, a first aid kit and lotions and soaps and I’m not stressing at all.

I am currently expecting my 3rd child, a daughter, in July. I had my 2nd, a son almost 2 years ago.

I had my first child, which was also a girl, almost 5 years ago. When I was expecting her, a lot of people around me had girl clothes and things they were needing to get rid of, so I had clothes from newborn up through roughly at least age 3. I also got a car seat, etc., as well as some new things from my baby shower(we didn’t find out my first daughter was actually a girl until I was 7 mos., as my first OB during a not even 4 mo. ultrasound told us she was a boy, so we had to tell everyone the weekend before my shower that the sex was different than what was on the registry).

My first daughter passed away from SIDS at almost 3 months of age. After her death, I put all the clothes that had been in the hamper when she died in a sealed storage container. My MIL & BIL w/ out my permission opened this container up & took out many of the items in it, as well other articles I had packed elsewhere. As a result, I only have a very small amount of her clothes left. She had also worn all of the 0-3 months clothes there were. The few I have left are ones that I had to hide after I discovered the others missing that were very dear to me, & I nor my husband really feel comfortable putting our DD on the way in these outfits, as it would really upset us emotionally.

Also as a result, we have no 0-3 month girl clothes, nor any receiving blankets, etc.(none of the newborn stuff- my MIL also swiped a bunch of my sons stuff when SIL, her other DIL was expecting w/o my permission-we used to live w/ them, but don’t anymore-including the frame stroller I had for DS’s car seat, not to mention all the things that the caregiver MIL hired to watch GMIL stole for her DIL; this CG also stole some of my husbands things, and we later found out she was a crackhead-wish I could say I was joking here). We have a car seat and stroller combo that is neutral colored that we have from our son, as well as a baby bathtub, a play mat, and a couple of neutral colored onesies, but that is about it. Both my husband & I are also out of work, which has made getting the stuff we need a lot harder.

SIL, the other DIL, had 6 baby showers for her baby, including one that was hosted by DH’s aunt(who couldn’t be bothered to show up at the one for my first child, & only showed up for my second child’s b/c it was hosted as an event to keep the family left in town from BIL and SIL’s wedding occupied the day after, after most of the family left early the morning of the shower). I was expected to show up at all of these w/ at least a $40 gift each time at MIL & to a degree SIL’s(who is much better s off than us;she and BIL have 3 cars, a house, excellent jobs w/ excellent pay & benefits, & still have the money to go out & eat at nice restaurants every night as well) insistance, & DH and I have not had that kind of money for awhile. I had also hear "Oh poor SIL, she needs the help" after buying or having to get all of my childrens clothing and things myself.

My MIL doesn’t even ask about our little one on the way(& I am going on 6 months), esp. since she found out we are having a girl. She doesn’t ask how I am doing or anything either. My husband mentioned to her recently that we needed some things for the baby, as we also recently discovered some of the stuff we got w/ DS had been recalled/pulled off shelves due to safety recently & needed to be replaced. She said nothing & ignored him. My parents have been out of the picture for awhile(my mother is mentally ill- she told people that my husband & I killed our first child, as well as threatened to "do everything in her power" to take away any future children we had, as well as other unsavory comments-she stopped talking to me after I disputed her claim w/ DD#1’s DC as well as my son being a happy healthy toddler. She forbade my DF & sisters from talking to me.). All of my other family lives out of town;all of our friends are too busy w/ their own lives/kids to bother hosting a shower.

Even sans gifts, I would just like to have a get together, something to know someone other than my husband & I are excited about our little girl on the way
& something to celebrate her impending arrival. I know it goes against the proper way of doing things for me to host my own shower, but it is the only way I see one of any kind occurring.

What should I do?

*sorry this is so long*

I’m so sorry about everything that happened but baby showers are for first time mom’s only. not only that but throwing your own shower, of any kind, is horribly tacky.
If you want a get together then have one but make sure people know they are not expected to bring gifts. It’s when you start asking for gifts that makes it seriously tacky and VERY poor etiquette.