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Add Warmth To Your Baby Shower With Special Touches
When planning a baby shower it is often the special touches that add warmth to the celebration. Not only can your shower run a little smoother, but your mom-to-be and guests will appreciate your thoughtfulness.
To add a festive touch, simply place helium balloons outside your front door to greet your guests and expectant mother. Another cute idea is to place a sign on the lawn advertising the upcoming arrival. You can find many adorable signs that can be either purchased or rented at party stores.
Decorating for a shower is always fun, but many people forget about the bathroom. Adding a scented candle, some special soap and lotions will add warmth to the room.
As your shower guests arrive, be sure to take the time to introduce them to one another. If you are putting together a seating arrangement, place people who know each other or have common interests together. This will help keep everyone comfortable and avoid the awkwardness that can sometimes happen when guests have never met.
Help make your expectant mom feel pampered and relaxed on the way to and from the baby shower. Arrange a designated driver to pick her up and drive her home.
Your expectant mom will want to remember her shower and have something to look back on. Ask a shower guest in advance to be the designated photographer. Have them take a picture of each guest with the expectant mom. You could take this idea a step further and after developing the pictures, place them in a keepsake photo album for your mom-to-be.
Another idea that your expectant mom will greatly appreciate is designating a gift recorder to keep track of who gave her which gift. With all the excitement and wrapping paper, she is bound to forget who gave which adorable sleeper or stuffed teddy bear. You could also take this idea further and create a shower game. As your guest arrive have each of them write their name and address on an envelope. Place the envelopes in a bowl for a draw during the shower. The name pulled will win a prize. In the meantime, your mom will have all her envelopes addressed and ready to mail once she has filled out her thank you cards.
Depending on the style or type of shower you are hosting, you may have the expectant dad and other male friends and relatives in attendance. If this is the case try to stay away from anything too frilly when picking your invitations. Look for gender-neutral decorations and party games.
A simply way to add warmth and closeness during a shower is to have each person come up and present their gift to the expectant mom. While she is unwrapping her gift she can introduce the gift-giver to the group and share a little story about how she knows them. This is a great way for everyone to get to know one another and perhaps even share some laughs over the stories being told.
You can let your expectant mom know how special she is to you and your guests by surprising her with a small keepsake from her shower. It can be something as simple as her invitation nicely framed for her to take home.
When you plan your next baby shower for a close friend or family member, keep these ideas in mind. They are simple ways to add warmth and love to your celebration.
A Surprise Baby Shower Can Be the Perfect Way to Celebrate
Throwing a surprise baby shower doesn’t have to be difficult. In fact, it can be fun for all involved. All it takes is a little patience, a few basic steps, and the cooperation of friends and family.
A surprise shower does involve some secrets, so remember to be stealthy. But you will want to make sure that the mom-to-be will be up for a surprise. Early on in her pregnancy, try to ascertain if she is up for a surprise baby shower or if she would rather know in advance. This could eliminate surprising mom-to-be when she is not feeling up to it. (If mom-to-be knows she has a surprise baby shower coming up, she will be more likely to be dressed appropriately when the time comes.)
Once you have determined whether the baby shower will be a surprise or not, make sure that mom-to-be has registered for baby gifts. Even if you are having a non-surprise baby shower, it is never appropriate to ask the mom-to-be what she wants for the baby. Let the registry do the talking so baby shower guests can feel free to choose gifts within their own individual budgets.
You will need to enlist the help of those closest to mom-to-be, particularly the dad-to-be. He will be able to help determine a date and time for the surprise baby shower. As well as help to get her there with the least amount of suspicion. He can also make sure she doesn’t head out in a baseball cap and no makeup.
Perhaps thinking she is just coming over for coffee! Close family will need to help with the preparation of a baby shower guest list. Since you won’t be able to ask mom-to-be directly. You will have to rely on her mother or mother-in-law and maybe a sister to get this information. Be careful when sending the surprise baby shower invitations. You will need to mention that this is a surprise baby shower! You don’t want anyone accidentally spilling the beans!
You can keep in the theme of surprising mom-to-be by going the extra mile. By ensuring that an unexpected baby shower guest is able to make it. Ask close friends of this baby shower guest to help with the cost of travel. If this is necessary as part of mom-to-be’s gift. She will probably love that more than a baby shower gift!
You can also play baby shower games with surprise themes. Try playing the “diaper surprise” game by passing out diapers to all of the guests. With one of them having a “mess” inside (you can use chocolate or bean dip, or use your imagination). The one who gets the messy diaper wins a prize.
Or if mom-to-be is expecting a boy, you can play “pin the diaper on baby”. Just before your blind-folded guest of honor goes to place the diaper on the baby. Squirt her with a water pistol to simulate the “surprise” often associated with changing a baby boy’s diaper!
Sometimes, no matter how hard you work to keep the baby shower a surprise. Your mom-to-be may find out about it. Don’t let this get you down, though. There will be some elements of surprise for her. Whether she is expecting the baby shower or not.
It might be unexpected guests, party favors, or an exotic cake. There will be plenty there that she didn’t count on! Related Posts :
Babies And Toddler
A Man and His Baby
When a couple steps forth with a baby in tow everything in life is stable and normal. People hold open doors, hard shopkeepers “chuck” and go all gooey before catching themselves and generally life is an easy ride. But gentlemen, when he who dares to step-out with a baby in tow (minus the wife) life becomes a series of obstacles that never ceases to surprise.
I don’t mean a trip to the corner shop, “no siree”! I mean a fully-fledged trip into town, pram, milk bottles and spare nappies to boot! Small things are immediately noticeable, like that hard and mean-looking grocer down the road! When my wife goes in to his establishment he goes all gooey, in fact he doesn’t notice me at all; just talks to my wife and son and ignores me as if I was the invisible man. But walking in to his shop with only my son, an apple to buy before the days outing ahead and he became meaner and harder. In fact he noticed me for the first time, glared at me as if I had just stolen the kid and was on the run and said “hope that’s not for the little one”! I felt like saying what’s it got to do with you mate but ……………on the bus the driver who suggested that I sit near the front instead of upstairs was nearly out of his seat and taking the part of usher before realizing that this was not really in his job description!
Somehow some basic human instinct suggests that ‘man’ is neither capable nor fit to look after a baby! This instinct immediately raises the hairs on the backs of people’s necks, images of disaster loom in their minds and unseen forces push them forwards to offer help. They do not see a happy and carefree father pushing his laughing baby along in the pram, they see a harried father who is at his wits end and who is desperate for help. They see a tormented and unwilling baby, screaming and kicking in desperation, a father who is pulling his hair out and desperately looking around for somebody to just show him what to do.
Once in town and in the department store I headed straight for the baby changing room! Same routine as always except minus one cog – the wife! I did what I had done so many times before whilst my wife had sat down to read a magazine. Well, the plan was the same as all those times before, make the milk give my son the bottle, lay him down on the nappy changing “thingy”, change his nappy, etc! I did not even get as far as the hot water dispenser! One mum, before I had even entered the room stopped me in my tracks and in a very serious way informed me that the seat belt on the pram was not fastened. One has to be polite in situations like these; I myself planning ahead as always had removed the seat belt just then in preparation for lifting my son out of it once inside the baby room. I did not know of the golden rule that one cannot unfasten the seat belt until well inside closed doors!
Inside the room, some mystical being ran around the room telling all of the mums that a ‘father-alone’ was out and about! Upon entering heads swiveled in my direction, a series of forces pushing bodies towards me and unwanted advice started to escape from mouths. Once past I could hear whisperings, stories being generated and past on; a fictional myth growing in reality to become truth in mind! I shut myself off, warded off the numerous hands that where heading towards my sons cheeks like locusts, barged through with forced smiles and “no thanks”, and managed to get to the water machine. I smiled politely to the lady who showed me how to press the button for hot water, grimaced when told that the milk I had made was too hot (how did she know?) and nearly barked when asked “is the wife in not well dear”!
These kindly mums, whose husbands obviously knew nothing about how to change a nappy or feed a baby his milk, had my son crying within five minutes. He doesn’t like attention in the form of searching hands. He especially doesn’t like getting his cheek pinched or chin chucked! I felt like shouting “give him air” or wading in with elbows to rescue him but they were all so well-meaning, these poor mums! Needless to say that as my sons screaming and bawling intensified to maximum pitch the mums turned to me as one as if to say “look at the poor man, doesn’t know how to look after his baby”.
Naturally as they confirmed their belief that I was totally inept and useless, wandering hands gained purpose and started to lift my baby out of the pram to offer him comfort – my son hates strangers holding him! Well, I made a run for it, I grabbed the baby in mid-air, swiveled the pram around on a sixpence, closed my eyes tight and charged for the door, throwing aside mothers like pins at the bowling alley!
I went to the men’s toilet to change my son’s nappy! At least in the sanctity within, nobody talked to me, no advice was freely given and no insects to ward off. Naturally, looks of sympathy and confusion were issued freely, stories would abound later as husbands rushed to tell their wives about the “poor sad man with the baby” – but who cares, just don’t talk to me about it.
I suppose all is not so bad! A new dimension opened up, one that it would be best if my wife knew nothing about! I have never in my life had so many young ladies (ones who wouldn’t know what the inside of a baby changing room looked like) surrounding me; albeit they were cooing at my son but ……… something about single men with babies must be an attraction. Anyway, I always enjoyed their reaction when saying loudly, “ah, here’s my wife coming now”, the desertion was abrupt and complete! I know how to handle that one; it’s the rest that bothers me!
A double baby stroller for double your funIf yours is one of those lucky families whose numbers have increased by two instead of just one: a double baby stroller will be perfect for you. These come in either side-by-side or tandem seating and a double baby stroller can be found in any of the colors of the rainbow.
Babysitters find that pushing a double baby stroller allows them to easily manage two children rather than one, yet still be able to provide the personal attention to each that the little ones require. Most models have multiple pockets for carrying extra diapers, baby bottles, wipes and jackets and are made from a variety of long lasting materials.
The addition of two rain covers to a double baby stroller will keep your babies warm and dry and allow a walk outdoors in the fresh air in most weather conditions.
A Daddy Baby Shower New Twist on the old Baby ShowerTry something new, a Daddy Baby Shower. Even though no one would realistically expect a new daddy-to-be to sit around with his closest buddies, opening baby shower gifts and playing party games while oohing and aahing over the imminent birth of his child. That doesn’t mean that Dad can’t have a baby shower-type celebration. Daddy deserves to celebrate the birth of his child, too!
Of course, the term baby shower does invoke visions of baby themed parties. Like the one described above when planning a baby shower. So perhaps “baby shower” is not an appropriate name for this get-together. Why limit yourself with a label, anyway? Call it a “celebrating-Jim’s-impending-fatherhood” party, if you want, instead of baby showers for dad.
Here are a few suggestions to make this type of party one for daddy-to-be to remember:
Play Games:
Well, not baby shower games. But you can play poker, horseshoes or even a game of shirts-n-skins football in the back yard.
Eat, Drink, and Be Merry:
Have tons of fattening and not-good-for-you foods. Make spareribs, cheese steaks, wings, and anything else you can eat with your hands and make a mess with. The wives won’t be there to complain and you can grunt all you want. Have some beers (or soda if you prefer) and barbecue.
Last Night Out:
Take the dad-to-be out for a night on the town to rival his bachelor party. Do some bar hopping, play some pool, shoot some darts, and don’t go home until you are kicked out of at least three places. Keep Dad safe, though, and designate someone to stay sober and make sure everyone gets home in one piece. You might also want to check with mom-to-be to make sure she is okay with this plan. She is, after all, pregnant and might not be all that amenable to the last-night-out-before-fatherhood party.
Gifts for Dad-To-Be:
Let the official baby shower take care of the baby necessities. Give Dad gifts for himself, or gifts that he would have chosen for the baby. Buy him a diaper tool kit, complete with goggles, rubber gloves, tongs, clothespin, and of course, diapering essentials, or a Daddy Gear Diaper Bag.
Gag gifts are fun, too. Or you could buy clothing for the new baby with Dad’s favorite sports team’s logo or matching Dad and Baby t-shirts. Think about necessities like batteries, too. Most likely they won’t be on Mom’s registry, but all parents know that batteries are a hot commodity in any house with children. Be creative.
And don’t forget that Dad might need some reading material to get himself up to date on the latest parenting trends. Consider getting him a book on fatherhood, funny or otherwise, or maybe a magazine subscription for daddy, such as American Baby Magazine.
Ask other new dads to think about what toys or objects were particularly helpful when their little ones were inconsolable, and either buy or recommend them for the times when dad-to-be is home alone with Junior.
Comfort Dad:
New Dads are usually pretty stressed out about what there life is going to be like after the new baby comes. Be prepared to have guests tell funny and helpful stories about their own experiences with becoming a daddy. Make it a point to reassure him that his wife is not really crazy, she is just hormonal and this, too, shall pass.
Remember, daddy baby showers don't have to be like the traditional shower, or even called a shower, but you can have one for dad just the same.
A Baby Is Born With Several Reflexes
A Baby's Reflexes..
A baby is born with certain reflexes to protect them during the first few weeks. These reflexes will disappear after a few weeks and be replaced with voluntary movement during baby's development.
Doctors will check these reflexes to ensure his central nervous system is working correctly.
Walking Reflex
If you hold baby in an upright position with his feet touching the floor, his legs will seem to be trying to walk. This reflex will last for about 3-4 weeks, and he won't actually walk until he is around 12 months.
Crawling Reflex
Place baby on his stomach and he will take up a crawling position with his bottom in the air and his legs bent. This lasts for about two months when he will then be able to lie flat.
Search Reflex
Touch baby's cheek with your finger or breast and he will turn towards the source and open his mouth in search of food. This reflex will last for about 12 weeks.
Grasp Reflex
Place your finger in the palm of baby's hand and he will grasp it. This involuntary movement will persist for about 3 months.
Sucking Reflex
Put your (clean) finger in baby's mouth and he will suck on it. This reflex ensures he will be able to feed.
Diving Reflex
If baby is placed in water - either during a water birth or in a swimming pool - his throat will close so that he does not swallow the water. This means that baby will not drown if born in water, and he will also be a natural swimmer. This reflex will last for about 2 months, or longer if you take him swimming.
Babinski's Reflex
Stroke the sole of baby's foot and his big toe will curl up and the other toes will spread out. This lasts for about two years.
A Baby Is Born With Several Reflexes
A Baby's Reflexes..
A baby is born with certain reflexes to protect them during the first few weeks. These reflexes will disappear after a few weeks and be replaced with voluntary movement during baby's development.
Doctors will check these reflexes to ensure his central nervous system is working correctly.
Walking Reflex
If you hold baby in an upright position with his feet touching the floor, his legs will seem to be trying to walk. This reflex will last for about 3-4 weeks, and he won't actually walk until he is around 12 months.
Crawling Reflex
Place baby on his stomach and he will take up a crawling position with his bottom in the air and his legs bent. This lasts for about two months when he will then be able to lie flat.
Search Reflex
Touch baby's cheek with your finger or breast and he will turn towards the source and open his mouth in search of food. This reflex will last for about 12 weeks.
Grasp Reflex
Place your finger in the palm of baby's hand and he will grasp it. This involuntary movement will persist for about 3 months.
Sucking Reflex
Put your (clean) finger in baby's mouth and he will suck on it. This reflex ensures he will be able to feed.
Diving Reflex
If baby is placed in water - either during a water birth or in a swimming pool - his throat will close so that he does not swallow the water. This means that baby will not drown if born in water, and he will also be a natural swimmer. This reflex will last for about 2 months, or longer if you take him swimming.
Babinski's Reflex
Stroke the sole of baby's foot and his big toe will curl up and the other toes will spread out. This lasts for about two years.
150 Million Year Old Baby Bird Fossil W Hide Scraper
I was using my metal detector in the foothills of Tucson, Arizona. As luck would have it, I never find what I am Seeking. As the day started to come to an end. I was walking back to my truck with the metal detector resting on my shoulder.
I caught sight of an unusual looking rock laying on the ground. After picking up the rock I dusted the rock on my pant leg and noticed a fossilized baby bird just off center of the stone. I turned the stone over to reveal more of the bird’s body on the back of the stone.
After showing the bird off to some of my friends, I decided to take the stone to the University of Arizona. I wanted to learn more about what I had found.
My first stop at the U of A was at the American History Museum. I was told to take my stone to the Paleontology Department across the lawn in front of where I was. When I got there I saw a professor in his office. I asked him if I could talk to a Paleontologist. He asked why, so I handed him the stone and preceded to tell him how I had found the stone. His eyes got big with excitement as he examined the stone while we walking down the hallway to another office. Soon theirs were several professor and people looking at the stone in awe over my good fortune. As they talked, I listened.
The rock I found was secondary sedimentary solidified black limestone. Which is not indigenous to this area. I was told the rock could have come from Canada, Montana, Kansas, China, or even from South America.
The baby bird fossil was 150 million years old. This period in time is when birds evolved from reptiles. Another professor pointed out to me other inclusions that were in the stone like plant matter, twigs, and other foreign objects not identifiable to him. A professor stated that there was proof that this rock was found on the top of the ground the impact marks etched into the rock as the rain hit the front of the stone for thousands of years while it lay on top of the ground. The marks were small circular pockets about the size of a pencil eraser grouped together. It was also mentioned that there was once other bones near the chest of the bird that had fallen out over time but the imprint of the bones are still visible. They could not identify the species of bird, as there is nothing on record, to compare it to.
I was asked by one of the professors if I wouldn’t mind waiting for one more professor who was still in class to come see the stone. He stated that this professor was part of their group and they wanted his opinion of the stone.
As he approached, I handed him, the stone. He looked at it for a moment and stated that this stone was an artifact that had been carved by primitive man into a tool used to scrape the flesh away from the hide of game killed for food. It turned out that this mans background is in the field of Archeology. A silence fell on the people gathered we listened to information being given about this rare find.
The archeologist asked one of the professors if he could borrow his microscope to look at the stone more in depth. The group moved down the hall to a small office where we entered. As I stood by his side, he examined the stone and stated that there were glassy areas on the sharp edge around the stone that were not visible to the naked eye. He said that the tendons and ligaments had polished parts of the stone while being used. He also stated that the hide scraper was in mint condition and had hardly been used. He went on to say that most hide scrappers that we see today in museums are small ovals that are badly worn due to their use, and then discarded when they become too small and useless. He also said that he had never seen a slightly used hide scraper before.
He made mention that he wished he knew what group of people had carved the hide scraper. He thought that person who carved the stone might possibly be the first person to be recorded or documented as the first person to be a collector of fossils. He also said that these primitive people were farmers, artists, traders much like the people of today.
He also stated that the position of the bird and the way it was hand carved into a tool to portrayed the bird in such a manner that this item would be considered true fossil art.
After things started to wind down, I felt as several people like me, were in every sense of the word in awe over what this man had to share with us. One of the questions I asked was how much was this unique item I had found worth? The answer was that this artifact with a fossil inside of it had never been seen, documented or recorded anywhere in the world. So because there was nothing to compare it to, this item would be considered priceless.
As people were leaving, a young lady, still full of excitement, that if she was me, I should take a picture of the hide scraper and put it on the internet, and said that I should put a price of 20 million dollars, being that there is only one of these unique hide scrapers in the world. The chances of finding anything like it again are probably one in a trillion.
To date I am the only one in the world that has found anything like this ever. Owning this rare Jewel is overwhelming and too great for any one person to own, so I would like to share my enthusiasm with you and your friends.
If you need more information about this topic, please call me at area code: 520-749-1105 or e-mail smontes@scientist.com and ask for Steve at Montes Orthopedic
17 Ways to Determine if a Beanie Baby is Counterfeit
You should always buy Ty Beanie Babies from reputable dealers or from sellers who you know how to contact. These dealers and sellers should also have many references and/or feedback from other people they have done business with.
Most counterfeit Beanie Babies are easy to spot if you know what to look for. If you don't know what to look for then you will probably have a hard time telling most counterfeit Beanie Babies from authentic Ty Beanie Babies.
Beanie Baby shows are a good place to check out expensive Beanie Babies. Try to handle them if you can. Get to know the feel of the fabric and their overall appearance.
Some counterfeits are excellent reproductions, but regardless of how good the counterfeits look, they usually have many mistakes. It is never just one mistake.
If you are buying expensive Beanie Babies, then you should educate yourself on the counterfeits or at least know where to find the information when you need it.
Here are two websites that have information on counterfeit Beanie Babies along with photographs of many of them:
About Beanies Counterfeit Information http://www.aboutbeanies.com/fakes/index.html
Ms. Janie's Beanies Counterfeit Page http://www.msjanie.com/fakes/fake_page.html
Your other option is to have the Beanie Baby authenticated which is inexpensive to do. You can get your Beanie Babies authenticated at these websites:
http://www.pbbags.com/
http://www.peggyg.com/
Most of the mistakes on the counterfeits can be found on the tags. Become familiar with the different generation hang tags and tush tags or know where to look to find this information.
You can find information and photographs of all the different generation hang tags Ty has produced here: http://www.aboutbeanies.com/tags.html
Below are 17 ways to determine if a Beanie Baby is counterfeit:
1. Many of the counterfeits have spelling errors on the tags, but keep in mind that so do some of the authentic Ty Beanie Babies. So you usually have to look for other mistakes beside just this.
2. Check the tag dates and the addresses to make sure they are correct. Many of the counterfeits have the wrong date on the tush tag.
3. Compare the tags of the suspect Beanie Baby with the tags of another Ty Beanie Baby that you know to be authentic.
4. Is the type on the tags too light or too dark? Is it the right typeface?
5. Compare the tags to an authentic Ty Beanie Baby's tags and determine if the tags are smaller or larger than the authentic tags.
6. Compare the stock color inside the hang tag to another hang tag. Is it too white? Authentic tags have an off-white color.
7. Are the color of the hang tags identical? Or does the red and yellow on the hang tag look muted or too light or too dark? The hang tag should be blue red and not orange red.
8. The yellow star on the hang tag should be a bright sunshine yellow, not a mustard color.
9. Some of the counterfeit Beanie Babies have a yellow star on their hang tag that have points that are too "pointy." The points of authentic hang tag stars are slightly rounded.
10. Check the gold edge on the hang tag. It should have a nice clean line and be a light bright gold color. It shouldn't be brassy.
11. Check the overall size and shape of the Beanie. Some of the counterfeit Ty teddy bears have ears that are either too small or too large or perhaps the legs or arms are too short or are shaped strangely.
12. Is the teddy bear's head too large or overstuffed?
13. Check the eyes to see if they are too close together or too big or too small.
14. Are the eyes a solid color? Some Beanie Baby eyes are a solid color and some are not. Humphrey the camel has solid black eyes but most of the counterfeit Humphrey have eyes that are two-tone.
15. Check the fabric and see if it is rough or if the color is too dark or too light.
16. Does the fabric nap look right? Is the fabric rough, stiff or the wrong color?
17. Most authentic Beanies have nice plush fabric that "flows" in all directions and doesn't get "wrinkly."
One place you should avoid buying expensive Beanie Babies that are not authenticated, is online auctions like eBay. Odds are that if you buy enough of these expensive Beanie Babies that are not authenticated, that you will eventually end up buying some that are counterfeit.
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8 Simple Tips for Taking Great Baby PhotosTaking pictures of your new baby is a great way to preserve life long memories.
Baby pictures can also make great postcards, keepsakes, or baby shower gifts.
Here are some simple tips to get great baby pictures:
1) Avoid bright light - Babies are especially sensitive to bright light including
harsh sunlight and flash photography. If possible, try to take photos during
the day when flash photography is not necessary. You can also use lamps to create
lighting.
2) Take pictures from different distances - Try to take pictures from different
distances. Most people like to take close-up pictures, but pictures that are
too close can be blurry and out of focus. By taking several pictures from different
distances, you can keep the ones that are the best.
3) Be aware of your baby's mood - Try not to start a photo session when your
baby is cranky or crying. If your baby is in a bad mood, then wait awhile until
he or she is better rested or calmed. You will get better pictures when your
baby is in good spirits.
4) Use a high quality camera and film - This tip may seem simple, but is worth
saying. Using high quality cameras and film can make a big difference in the
quality of the photo, especially if you are creating photo gifts or favors.
5) Get rid of any distractions - Make sure there are not too many distractions
when taking pictures. Anything that moves or makes noise, like the TV, should
be turned off is possible. Having too many people around can also be distracting
for the baby.
6) Take multiple shots - Taking different shots is a good idea for any type
of photography, particularly if you are making photo gifts. Sometimes it is
hard to tell if a shot will turn out good until it is actually produced, so
get those extra shots just in case.
7) Background - Make sure that there is not too much distracting stuff in the
background. The focus should be on the baby, so plain backgrounds usually work
best.
8) Other people - Try taking pictures of the baby with other people as well,
including you. A baby will interact with other people and these interactions
captured on film can make great keepsakes.
About the Author - Criss White is a professional web writer on baby and
new mother topics for baby and pregnancy websites. For baby shower picture frames,
go to Baby Picture
Frames - Favors (http://www.mybabyshowerfavors.com/pictureframes.htm) and
Unique Baby Shower Favors
(http://www.mybabyshowerfavors.com/unique.htm). Note: If you find this article
useful, you may reprint it on your website, e-zine, or in your newsletter as
long as the credits above remain in tact and the hyperlinks stay active.
4 Tips for Taking Great Baby Pictures Even If You are No
When my daughter Layla was born I had a hard time putting the camera down. And apparently I wasn't the only one. The cashier at the photo developing shop told me that new parents comprised a fairly sizable chunk of their business.
We can't help it! Babies are such beautiful creatures that you want to capture every new movement and every fleeting smile that comes along. (Even if that smile is attached to a smelly gas bubble!)
However the problem many parents have is that their lack of good photography skills can translate into pictures that are too dark, too bright, blurry, out of focus, uncentered, and so on. Perhaps this describes you.
If so, don't sweat it. These problems are easily fixable. An album full of mishaps can quickly be transformed by following these 4 tips...
1) When taking pictures of babies lying on their backs, stand directly over them and shoot straight down.
I used to take a solid color baby blanket and place it on the floor in a bright, sun filled room. When I was ready to take a picture I would put Layla on the blanket, and adjust it around her, making sure not to put her directly in the sunlight. Then I'd get on my knees right over her, aim straight down and snap away.
This technique will allow you to center the camera properly and you'll get some great close-up shots. The natural sunlight will often give you just enough light so your picture isn't too dark or too bright.
2) Capture a range of emotions.
Smiling babies are cute. But so are crying babies and pouting babies and messy babies and sleeping babies.
Be sure to take pictures of your little one in all phases of his or her emotion filled life. You'll be amazed at how truly beautiful they are in non-traditional picture taking situations.
3) Make bath time picture time.
While there are some babies who don't like water, most love it. They often become very expressive in the bath tub - laughing, cooing and splashing. So bath time often becomes a great opportunity to capture a few precious shots of your little one.
I've personally used the bathtub to document how Layla has changed over her 2+ years. Every couple of months I take a few close-up pictures of her in the bathtub. Then I take the best one and place it in a special section in the photo album.
It's truly amazing to see how her face changes so dramatically with each new picture.
4) If you use a disposable camera, choose a good one.
I purchased 3 dirt cheap disposable cameras before I had Layla. When we brought her home these were the ones we used for the first week of photo taking.
Boy was I disappointed! The pictures developed horribly. And as a new mommy with hormones still raging, you know how sad this made me. Those cuddly little moments can never be relived again.
I learned a good lesson though. You get what you pay for.
Now my disposable camera of choice is the Kodak Max HQ. It's one of the more pricey disposable cameras. However the quality is fantastic in comparison to other disposables I've used.
You can usually buy them inexpensively on eBay. Popular retailers like Target and Wal-Mart also run sales on them quite frequently.
Alexis Dawes is a real mom (not a professional photographer) who runs the Photograph-Your-Baby.com web site. Check out her free 20+ page tutorial that teaches parents how to take better pictures of their little one (http://www.Photograph-Your-Baby.com).
