The Organic Baby : Raise an Earth Friendly Baby

These days raising your baby "green" is not a choice, but a necessity if you want your child to understand what is to be earth conscious. Getting back to natural ingredients and biodegradable cleaning items definitely lessens the environmental impact of raising a healthy child.  

Here is a list of earth friendly products that will help protect the environment while helping to protect baby too:

Counter-top wipes are extremely convenient, but these Sweet Pea Surface Wipes are also earth friendly! They are biodegradable and flushable, with mild yet effective cleansers made of vegetable proteins and odor-absorbing baking soda. These non-toxic wipes leave behind a delicious, natural fragrance of Geranium, Orange, Jasmine, Coriander, Rose and Bergamot.

Wipe down counter tops, baby messes , bathroom fixtures, then flush. great for household use and travel.


Formulated especially for sensitive babies' skin, Sweet Pea Laundry Detergent keeps your whites white and your brights bright while still being the gentle detergent you want for your little one. This specially formulated laundry liquid made of plant-derived surfactants is non-toxic, biodegradable and completely free of phosphates -- but what's more, it works!

Borax keeps clothes and linens looking their best, while essential oils give them a fresh scent that will linger for days.






The Complete Organic Pregnancy




This comprehensive guide teaches you how to avoid toxins and create a healthy environment for your baby, starting with pregnancy. By Deidre Dolan and Alexandra Zissu. This is a great buy for parents who want to cut down on many if the chemicals found in common household items.


Baby Moses Basket & Rocker Set (Made with organic cotton)
This sweet, lovely baby basket with coordinating rocker base makes a perfect gift for any expectant parent. The basket is lined with 100% organic cotton fleece and flannel with hypoallergenic fill, and includes a fitted sheet, bumper, blanket, and mattress. The matching base is made from unfinished maple hardwood and has adjustable straps to keep your basket and baby secure. It's a wonderful way to rock your little one off to sleep!

These are just a few of the everyday products that can be used on a daily basis to give mother earth a break. There are many other organic and earthfriendly items from Giggle.com

Recommending A Mother's Circle: An Essential Book

Recommending  A Mother's Circle.

Whether you're a new mom, an expectant mom, or even in the planning stages of pregnancy, this superb book from the Soho Parenting Center in New York City is one that you shouldn't be without.

This captivating book is based on the experiences of one of the Soho Parenting Center's parenthood support groups, and it allows you to hear from regular women who are experiencing the joys, trials, and challenges that come with being new moms.

Honestly and artfully written by Sandra Kunhardt Basile (with Jean Kundhardt, M.A., and Lisa Spiegel, M.A.), A Mother's Circle is a reassuring look at the first year of motherhood. It is a gift to now that you are not alone in this beautiful baby raising world.

Actress and mom Sarah Jessica Parker writes, "This is the only book I've read that helped me both care for my baby and understand myself as a new mother."

A truly fulfilling read.

Find out more about A Mother's Circle...

What Every Child Should Know Before Entering Kindergarten

Why are we concerned with what a child should know before entering kindergarten? This blog is dedicated to new moms right? Well to answer this question, learning begins directly after birth, and many doctors and scientist believe it begins to happen before then. Preparing your child for school is a task that starts way before they make their way into a classroom.

Here are some of the basics that your child should know before entering the Kinder classroom, keeping in mind that each child develops at a different pace:

Math: Math knowledge in regards to a pre-kindergartner should consist of primary shapes (including the oval and diamond), basic colors (including white, brown, and black) and numbers up to 10. They should be able to identify the above concepts by sight and be able to recite them. It is not uncommon to see children writing 1-10 before they come into the Kindergarten classroom, although most teachers don’t see it as a “requirement”. They will be taught to write 1-20 during the kindergarten year.

Language: Children should be able to say their first and last names, and have a decent vocabulary built up. They should know basic nouns and verbs, and be able to speak in articulate, complete sentences.

Writing: A kindergarten-ready student should be able to write her first name, and last name, while knowing that they both start with a capital letter. They should not be forced to write out the entire alphabet if they are not ready to do so. But if they have been enrolled in pre-kinder programs, or have an at home study program, then they might indeed know how to write the alphabet in lowercase. If they don’t have this skill, they will be taught such things throughout the kindergarten year, so don’t panic.

Social Skills: If your child is an only child, or first child, make sure they are introduced to groups of children before they get into kindergarten, this is where pre-kindergarten classes really benefit a child. You don’t want the idea of a huge group of new kids to overwhelm them, and entering the kindergarten room shouldn’t be their first exposure to new kids.

Other Helpful Knowledge: Children should know their basic body parts, how to tie their shoes (if they don’t please double or triple tie them before class). Also, they should be aware of general clothing articles such as pants, short, dresses and shoes. They should know their phone number, and if possible their address –at least city and state.

As mentioned before, each child does develop differently, so take these words as a guide. It is an excellent idea to place your child in a pre-kindergarten (preschool) class. Also, we recommend the Genius Maker Program by TeachMyBaby.com as an enrichment program for your toddler-through-preschool aged child.  It really works wonders and will give your child a major head start in learning.

How to Wash Baby's Hair

Buying baby shampoo, delicious soaps, and fluffy bunny print washcloths is fun and exciting, and new mothers can't wait to use them on there babies. But when it come to washing your baby's hair, there is no need to over do it.

Your baby's hair only need to be washed two or three times a week. An infant's  skin is extremely sensitive, and would not react well to daily washing. In addition, the oils and dirt that older children get in their and  hair on their scalp is not an issue for infants.

Here are the steps to a successful washing:

• Have all amterials ready for the bath/shampoo combo, including towels washcloths, and what ever else you deem neccessary.
  

• Have the tub prefilled with only about 3 inches of warm water.
  

• Holding your baby cradled with one arm, lower he or she gently into the water.
  

• After bathing the rest of the body, put only a pea sized dab of baby shampoo (we recommend Noodle and Boo Extra Gentle Shampoo) work it in (gently with the pads of your fingers) for only about five to ten seconds or so. Then rinse gently with a wet washcloth or sponge. 
  

• Wrap baby in the towel as soon as possible to avoid loss of heat.
  

We like to recommend  that shampooing be done after bathing the rest of your infants body because a wet heat will cool a baby's body down more quickly than any other part of the body.

So there you have it. Shampooing basics for your little one.

Constipation During Pregnancy: Get Rid of the Pain

Whenever we (the new-mom-and-baby.com team) write articles about constipation during pregnancy, they always get a huge amount of readership. So we've decided to make constipation control the focus of our first post.

Pregnancy induced constipation can cause severe pain, bloating, and a lot discomfort. In addition, about half of all pregnant women experience this painful condition at one point or another. Here are some important, easy to follow suggestions for the relief of pregnancy constipation:


First, why do women get constipation during pregnancy at all?

The pregnancy hormone known as progesterone has a soothing effect on the intestines, which slows bowel movement. This is one of the main reasons for pregnancy constipation. A woman's developing fetus needs as many vitamins, nutrients, and minerals as it can possibly squeeze out of food. Hence, the increased hormone levels of a pregnant woman cause food to move slower through the intestinal track. This causes constipation, but also gives a woman's body more time to absorb the extra nutrients that it needs.

Women need lots of extra water for the additional blood volume required for pregnancy. Because of this, the mother's body will absorb more water from the bowel than it usually would, which results in a firmer, dryer bowel movement- again resulting in constipation. To add to the problem, all prenatal vitamins contain iron which is known to cause constipation in pregnancy.

So here is what to do for constipation relief:

* Consume at least 8-10 glasses of oxygen rich purified water each day.

* Take steps to increase fiber in your diet such as cooked brown rice and healthy whole grains

* Eat more juicy fruit and vegetables, particularly prunes and grapes (which can easily be consumed in the form of juice).

* Try your best to minimize stress in your life. Although caring a baby and planning for delivery isn't easy, stress can cause painful constipation.

* Add a bit more exercise to your daily routine. If you do not usually exercise, just start with 10-15 minute walk every day. If you do habitually exercise, change your workout routine slightly to see if you can stimulate bowel movement and regularity.

* Brewed peppermint tea or peppermint water will ease gas and bloating discomfort.


Constipation during pregnancy isn't something that pregnant women  have to go through. It is an unnecessary irritation that women don't have to tolerate. You don't accept constipation when you're not pregnant, and you certainly don't have to live with it for the nine months that you are pregnant.

Welcome to the New Mom and Baby Blog!

Welcome to the companion blog to New-mom-and-baby.com. In the posts of our blog, you will find tips and advice on how to raise your little one with love, patience, and confidence. We will also share useful products and services that will make your life, and your baby's life easier as well. Raising a child is the hardest, most rewarding endeavor of one's life, and we are here to help you through it all.

So read on and enjoy!