Cameo Roles and Mundane Affairs
When it comes to baby album scrapbook ideas, there are endless of creative possibilities available. There is certainly no limit to the design and style that you can come up with. In fact, you can choose to either make your baby’s scrapbook album from scratch or buy pre-made blank baby scrapbooks. The increasing interest of Filipinos in scrapbooking has pave the way for the emergence of a variety of scrapbooking materials available in both online and offline stores. In fact, the internet alone houses comprehensive information on superb baby scrapbooks ideas, materials, and supplies. You can also find a great number of sites selling all kinds of scrapbooking accessories and paraphernalia.
If it is your first-time to create a baby scrapbook album, fret not because this article will provide you useful information on where you can acquire the needed materials.
Online Shops
There are a number of online shops selling a cornucopia of scrapbook materials varying in styles, designs, and colors. Some of the sites that you should check out include the following:
Local Shops
If you feel like going around the metro to look for great scrapbooking supplies, then do not forget to drop by the following shops:
Those who have tight budgets can opt to create their scrapbook by using of the available materials at home. Another option would be digital scrapbooking. There are free downloadable kits and embellishments you can find over the internet.
With the help of your creativity and wild imagination, you will surely be able to produce a lovely and unique baby scrapbook album!
At one point, expecting parents must make up their mind as to what name they want to give their unborn baby. Choosing baby names is fun, exciting, and frustrating at the same time. With unlimited name choices, picking one can be quite baffling. I personally would want to know how parents choose their baby’s name. Basically, people follow different ways when it comes to name choosing. Some couples use the names of their parents, grandparents or someone they have high respects for. Meanwhile, others opt to go for popular iconic names such as Roosevelt, Elvis, Abraham, and a lot more.
I gathered some of the great advices, tips, and information that you can use to help you end up with a unique and special name for your baby. So here it goes:
Avoid using outlandish and peculiar names
Bear in mind that the name that you will give your baby is something permanent, which means that they have to live with it for the rest of their life. Therefore, try to avoid giving them absurd and weird-sounding names. You definitely wouldn’t want your child to be the laughing stock in school when you do that. Thankfully, my parents were sane enough to give me a great sounding name 
. Hopefully, I’ll do the same for my future spawn*. (*term borrowed from Lurchie 
)
Hollywood celebrities, for instance, are the classic examples of people who love to use unusual and odd names for their babies. Just like Nicolas Cage and Alice Kim who named their son Kal-El (the Kryptonian name of superman). I can’t help but wonder, of all the names why that? Maybe, both parents were big fans of superman, but come on, you can do better than that!:p
List down the names that you want to consider
Some parents just have a hard time agreeing with one common name. It would be a great idea if you and your partner write down the names that you think would fit your unborn baby. Compare and contrast each other’s lists by crossing out those that you do not like while checking those that you think are viable choices. Add all the remaining names that you both liked in one list and then thoroughly discuss each one until you both agree on one name.
Choose a name that will sound well with your family name
Another important consideration that you should take into account when picking a name for your baby is your surname. It is recommended that you select a name that will sound great with your family name. In addition to that, you should also consider how the name will be shortened. Ascertain that the shortened version of your child’s name will still sound great with their surname. For instance, the name ‘Richard Cassidy’ will still sound good even when shortened to ‘Ric Cassidy’.
Always consider the gender of the baby
Perhaps, this is one of the most important considerations that you have to keep in mind. Make sure that the name that you will be selecting is appropriate to the gender of your baby. You certainly wouldn’t want to give a girl’s name to a baby boy because that is just simply ridiculous.
No matter what name you decide to settle for, remember that the choice is always up to you. As long as you stick with unique, desirable, and nice-sounding names that would be enough.
One of the most eluding questions that many expectant parents encounter is whether to have a nursery or not. Basically, your decision will greatly depend on a number of factors. For one, you need to determine if having one is a practical choice.
Remember that giving birth would already cost a significant amount of money, especially when you live in the Philippines. Typically, a caesarian birth would cost double the amount of a normal delivery. Even though you want to avoid a CS delivery, there are inevitable circumstances that would really require it. If that happens, you would need to re-assess your finances in order to cover all your hospital expenses. That being said, parents with crunched budget should just make do with what they have for the meantime.
You shouldn’t put up a nursery because of the following reasons:
If this is the case, what are the alternative options? Those who do not plan to setup a separate nursery room for their baby can opt for comfortable baby sleepers, quilts, and comforters. Parents who have huge beds can opt to put their baby next to them when sleeping. Aside from that, they can also integrate a small crib inside their bedroom, so that the baby will have his/her own bed space. Buying a crib alone would be a more cost-efficient choice as oppose to designing an entire nursery room.
How to safely decorate a Nursery Room
If you have the means and budget to put up a separate nursery room for your baby, then you sh ould go for it. On that note, parents who decided to create their baby’s nursery room should pay attention to these useful tips.
Put safety first
First and foremost, make sure that you put safety in mind when decorating your baby’s nursery room. Ensure that the floor carpeting, paint, and other materials that will be used in building the nursery room are all child-friendly.
Opt for a safer paint alternative
Since most commercially-available paints are said to emit harmful fumes in the air, there is already a growing concern as to what type of paint should be used when painting a baby’s room. In that regard, I would highly advise that you go for paints with low VOC’s (volatile organic compounds. These paints are water-based, thus they only contain a meager amount of VOC. However, if you really want to ensure your child’s safety, it would be best to use paint that does not contain VOC at all. Such paints are produced from natural ingredients such as latex, water, and ceramics. Therefore, always look for a green seal certification to ensure that you are indeed purchasing a safe and eco-friendly paint.
Choose a particular color or room theme
To maintain harmony and balance, it will be a good idea to go for matching nursery furniture items. Doing so will allow you to create an attractive, neat and cohesive-looking nursery room. Remember that the simpler the room design, the better.
Above anything else, make sure that you furnish the nursery room with the most basic and important furniture items that your baby would need in a daily basis such as the crib, changing table, storage shelves, comfortable bedding, as well as optional seating or extra beds.
Baby showers are perhaps one of the important events that any soon-to-be-moms would always cherish and remember. But of course this would be extra special for moms who are expecting their first born. If you are an invitee, you definitely wouldn’t want to come empty handed. Keep in mind that gifts are essential part of the party. In fact, everybody is looking forward to the part where the gifts are about to be unraveled.
What to consider
There are unlimited possibilities when it comes to great gift ideas. The internet alone houses an extensive collection of baby products that you should carefully sift through. When buying a gift, you should follow these two vital buying tips:
Credible Shopping Sites and Retail Stores to Look into
As what I have mentioned earlier, you can definitely find a vast range of baby products online. Here are some of the credible sites and local retail stores that you have to check out.
As for those looking for a good local retail store, I would recommend a retail baby boutique called Enfant. Managed by MMR (Minton Multiresources), the store offers great infant apparels as well as top-of-the line baby products. It already has branched out in key cities all over the Philippines. You can find them in Robinson’s Place Ermita, Greenbelt 5 and in most SM City malls.
For those looking for trendy and fashionable baby shower presents, you should consider buying baby couture diaper bags. Visit their online site at justcouture.com or you can personally drop by their store located at various locations including Rustans, Gaisano, SM, Rockwell, and Podium.
No matter how expensive or cheap your gift is as long as it is something desirable and useful, the moms-to-be will gladly appreciate it.
Note: I learned that three of my cousins are pregnant. Last January 14, my cousin Mai (*Miel’s mom) texted me that she is having her second child. Wooooot!! I felt ecstatic – that’s a plus 3 to our growing family. I decided to post a few articles on pregnancy and baby care to go with the flow.
*Miel is that cute little girl you can find here in my website…Oh, her pics are everywhere!:)
So here goes my first entry.
Whatever sitch you’re in, finding out your pregnant is not only great news but a blessing. For first time expecting mothers, I believe it would be a tad difficult thinking of all the tasks you will be doing – like finding the right crib for the baby for instance. Mom-to-be needs to write down all the things the baby will need right away so that each item listed can be purchased one at a time before the baby’s arrival. But hold on, there is an easier, more fun way to do it without having to purchase everything. The solution is to have a baby shower!
With a baby shower, the task of finding and searching for baby stuff is passed on to friends, colleagues and relatives. Question is how to pull off a successful baby shower? The best thing to do is to have a theme for it. Deciding on a theme is not that hard. You may base it on a chosen color, baby items (like feeding bottles or bibs) or cartoon characters. If you already know the gender of your baby, you can go with pink or blue, which are used to present a baby girl or baby boy. You can also use fun colors like yellow, green, or a mix of everything. There are also a handful of cartoon characters to choose from – Disney Princesses, Winnie the Pooh and friends, Hello Kitty, Strawberry Shortcake, Sesame Street, and Mickey Mouse and friends, etc.
To have a successful baby shower, you have to hold it a month or two before the due date. If all of your friends and colleagues know what the baby’s gender is, they might be able to bring the perfect baby shower gifts. So here are a few things you need to do:
A baby shower done with family members and friends (with lots of laugher and loads of nice photos) is a fun way to welcome the new baby. Once the shower is done, get your list and check what is there and what is not. From there, you can just shop for the missing items on your list.
p.s. If you are an invitee to the baby shower party, here are some of the best baby shower gifts to give: a baby gift basket (filled with goodies, of course), baby carrier, rattles, toys, books, photo albums, linen, massage set, baby strollers, or gift certificates.
