Car Seats & Strollers

• Convertable car seat: Buy a “convertible” car seat, instead of an infant car seat. While the infant car seats (for smaller babies only) are handy because you can transfer the baby from the car to the stroller to the house without waking her, a convertible seat will last you longer, until baby is 40+ pounds.

• Infant car seat: If you do buy an infant car seat, you don’t need to buy the whole expensive “travel system,” including stroller, that goes with it. You can simply buy a generic “snap n go” that is made to accommodate that type of car seat.

• Stroller: When looking for a stroller, you may think that the more expensive models are somehow of better quality. Instead, look at the lower end of a respected brand (such as Graco, Kolcraft, or Cosco). Look for something lightweight, that reclines, that can handle a bumpy road. Purchase extra accessories as you need them.

• Free car seat: Some community organizations, car dealerships, and muffler companies offer free loaner car seats.

Feeding Baby

• Breastfeed: If you decide to breastfeed, not only are you providing your baby with the optimal baby food, you can also save $2,000 a year, just in the cost of formula and bottles. (This amount increases a few thousand more if your baby is allergic to infant formula and requires hypoallergenic versions.) And if that’s not enough, you’ll also be reducing your baby’s chances of obesity, digestive issues, juvenile diabetes, cavities, and even needing braces later on! (Learn more about breastfeeding benefits.)

• Breast pumps: Do you really need a breast pump? If you are going to be home with your baby, let him do all the pumping himself! If think you need a pump, you can temporarily rent a highly efficient, hospital-grade pump until you’re sure you really need to own your own pump. And if you decide to buy one, a good breast pump can be yours for under $200.

• Bottles: It’s much cheaper to use reusable bottles and just wash them after use, than buying the more convenient disposable bottles. Buy bottles made of non-polycarbonate material with smooth sides that are easy to clean.

• Baby Food: When you’re baby is old enough for mashed fruits and veges, you can easily make your own… it’s not rocket science!  All you need to do is mash up a banana or a sweet potato, open a jar of unsweetened applesauce, or throw some cooked veggies in the blender!

I know that breastfeeding causes many problems for new mothers, including painful, bleeding nipples, infections, and babies who don’t seem to be getting enough milk. Breastfeeding also requires quite a time commitment, especially for working mothers who need to pump or take time off to feed their baby. It’s not always simple, for many reasons that are personal to each individual woman. I  had a hard time in the beginning, and have had many friends and family members who were so frustrated they’ve given up breastfeeding altogether.  But I also think that the benefits of breastfeeding are NOT widely known, so if you’re on the fence about breastfeeding, here’s another list of reasons to remind you why nursing your baby is one of the greatest things you can be doing for him/her!

image from HerDaily: Breastfeeding increases IQ

1. Breastfeeding Builds Your Baby’s Immune System

Newborns do not have a mature immune system to protect them from illness. Antibodies, or immune molecules, in a mother’s breast milk are transferred to the baby, giving them immunities to illnesses that the mother is immune to.  Beyond that, if your newborn is exposed to a germ, she will transfer it back to the mother while nursing. The mother’s body will then make antibodies to that particular germ and transfer them back to the baby at the next feeding.

Studies have also shown that babies who are breastfed exclusively have better functioning immune systems in the long-term as well.

Formula-fed babies have higher rates of:

• Middle ear infections
• Pneumonia
• Gastroenteritis (stomach flu)
• Urinary tract infections
• Necrotizing enterocolitis, a digestive tract disorder that is a leading killer of premature infants

Breastfed infants have added protection against:

• Heart disease
• Immune system cancers such as lymphoma
• Bowel diseases such as Crohn’s disease
• Juvenile rheumatoid arthritis
• Asthma and allergies
• Respiratory infections
• Eczema
• Type 1 and type 2 diabetes

2. Breastfeeding Improves Baby’s Brain Function

Breast milk is not only good for the newborn’s immune system, it is also good for the brain. Breastfed infants tend to have higher intelligence than formula-fed infants. This may be due to certain compounds found in breast milk, including omega-3 fatty acids.

For instance, one study found that the verbal IQ of 7- and 8-year-old children who had been breastfed was about 10 points higher than those who were not. Another 18-year study of over 1,000 children found that those who were breastfed had higher intelligence and greater academic achievement than children who were formula-fed as babies.

It is interesting to note that babies who are breastfed naturally spend more time in what is known as the “quiet alert” state, which is not only soothing for parents but also it is the state most conducive to the newborn’s learning.

3. Breastfeeding Reduces Obesity

Breast milk contains a protein that could reduce the risk of obesity later in life. In fact, the longer a child is breastfed, the lower their risk of obesity, according to a study by U.S. researchers. The protein affects the body’s processing of fat.

4. Breastfeeding Helps Babies Emotionally

Babies have an intense need to be held and one of the most comforting things for a newborn is the physical act of nursing. Leaving a baby alone with a bottle is not emotionally satisfying to the child and does not make them feel safe or secure.

Breastfeeding also promotes bonding between mother and baby in a way that bottle-feeding cannot. Most women naturally feel a strong desire to hold their baby and there are physical and emotional reasons for this. Breastfeeding ensures that mother and baby have some intimate time together and actually stimulates the mother’s release of the oxytocin hormone, which is known to promote maternal behavior.

5. Reduces Mom’s Risk of Cancer and Other Health Conditions

Breastfeeding is a mutually beneficial experience in that it helps both mother and child. Women who breastfeed have a reduced risk of breast and ovarian cancers and osteoporosis later in life.

6. Moms Return to Pre-Pregnancy Weight Faster

Breastfeeding women lose weight faster than those who do not. This is because producing milk and breastfeeding requires about 500 calories per day. This is the equivalent of jogging about five miles! Breastfeeding also stimulates contractions in the uterus that help it to shrink back to its normal, pre-pregnancy size faster. It also helps to reduce lower body fat.

7. Save Time and Money

Of course, your primary reason for wanting to breastfeed is for your baby, but the more material advantages of breastfeeding are hard to ignore. If you breastfeed you don’t have to prepare bottles and formula–breast milk is always fresh and ready to go. This will save you a substantial amount of time at a period in your life when you will need it!

Breastfeeding also saves you the expense of buying formula, which typically costs at least $800 per year. The savings continue to accumulate as your child grows, as breastfed babies tend to have fewer doctor’s visits and lower overall medical expenses. One study even found that a group of formula-fed babies had over $68,000 in health care costs for six months, compared to only $4,000 for the breastfed group.

From: Seven Reasons to Breastfeed Your Child That You Need to Know

More info: Breastfeeding A-Z Index

The Zionsville couple would wait four years between pregnancies. This way, they would never have to try to put two children through college at the same time.

Last year, their daughter, Sydney, turned 4. But that family plan is on hold — a casualty of an economy in tatters.

The Relfords are one of many couples making the same pragmatic yet heart-wrenching decision to postpone starting or adding to their families.

The above story is just one told by the IndyStar in an article titled “A pregnant pause; Poor economy puts plans to have children on hold.” Demographers say fertility rates correspond with the ups and downs of the economy, for example during the Great Depression the nation’s fertility rate fell to a then-record low 2.1 children in 1936. A decade later, the fertility rate hit 2.9 (baby boom!) thanks to the end of the Depression and World War II.

The current fertility rate is once again 2.1, but demographers suspect it will fall if the financial situation worsens. Carl Haub, a demographer with the Population Reference Bureau in Washington, D.C. says, “It depends on how protracted the current crisis is and how deep it goes.” He adds, “And sometimes delayed births are births that never happen.”

Alicia Relford, for example, was an only child, and would love for her daughter to have a younger sister. But now she says she doesn’t know whether a second child will ever become a reality for her and her husband. “We would rather have our wonderful one child and be somewhat secure and comfortable,” she said, “rather than put a strain on everything.”

If you ask me, that’s a real shame. I think some people have got their priorities wrong. Sure, you need money to survive, and it’s nice to be comfortable and not worry about paying for diapers, daycare, ballet class, braces, college… but isn’t it much nicer to have the family you’ve always dreamed of? Isn’t one more child that you will love more than life itself worth a little bit of sacrifice? Being a parent is about giving, and yes, it is about sacrifice. But the results are well worth it.

I have two beautiful children so far, and hope to have more. We live on a tight budget with no room for “extras” that others might take for granted. But I would never think of limiting the number of children in my family becuase of financial calculations. If you can pledge to love your children with all your heart, show them how to live responsibly and within your means, there will be enough money to manage a happy home where they will thrive. Money doesn’t buy happiness. I really believe it.

Don’t you?

Looking for a unique baby gift?? This is the site for you! Baskets, blankets, gift sets, CD’s and more!

Many of us have altered our normal spending habits and instead of going out to dinner or a movie, we stay home and find something else to do. Apparently in Britain, that ‘something else’ is sex. And according to some, this at-home recreation is having an impact on the sales maternity clothes, pregnancy tests, and sex toys (not necessarily in that order).

So, people are trying to cut back on spending by staying home and getting pregnant. Does something about that seem a bit funny?  Ms. Maple and I are thinking along the same lines:

I think it is great that couples are rekindling their romance in these times of trouble. But in about nine months, those who end up shopping in the maternity stores are going to find that staying home and having sex is a play now, pay later kind of fun. Ultimately, dinner and a movie would have been much cheaper.

Not that we don’t endorse parenthood, of course. But babies can be expensive little things!

I borrowed the following links from Pregnancy & Baby Blog, and hope you’ll find them helpful!

• Save money and budget for baby
• Save money with attachment parenting
• Save money on baby clothing
• Save money by using cloth diapers

• Top 7 ways to save money while raising baby
• Bringing up baby: on a reasonable budget
• How to buy a used crib
• Great baby budget books
• Fun ways to save on a dresser or bookcase
• Five quick tips for saving on baby toys
• Spend more money on this baby item
• Swap baby goods

Being pregnant (not to mention actually having a baby) can be expensive! In addition to the physical, emotional and lifestyle changes new parents have to deal with, the financial burden can put a strain on even the most excited parents-to-be.  Maternity clothes, check ups, vitamins, and labor coaches are only few of the expenses. To help expectant mothers get through this very important stage in her life, insurance companies provide assistance through maternity insurance plans.

Getting a maternity health insurance, or pregnancy health insurance, is one of the best ways one can take care of her unborn baby. With the help of a dependable maternity insurance company, the couple can  eliminate worries about how to pay for pregnancy and childbirth expenses, and focus on getting the proper care. Without these worries, mother can focus on being as physically, mentally, and emotionally healthy as possible.

Make sure to see about getting maternity benefits before you actually become pregnant. If you already have a maternity insurance plan, study it to see what kind of health insurance maternity coverage you have. Getting maternity health insurance will be difficult if you’re already pregnant.

Prior to choosing your hospital and OBGYN, go over the names of providers in your plan’s network. Make certain that you have the latest directory listings provided by your insurance company as well as any updates. It’s important that your directory of providers is up to date because doctors and hospitals are constantly being picked up and dropped from network lists. You should also find out when your medical provider’s contract expires with your insurance company.  If your provider’s contract expires before your expected date of delivery, you should look for another provider in your directory’s network.

Pregnancy and childbirth can involve some risks. That is why getting a maternity insurance is a wise decision to make.  To prevent future problems, make certain to rely on a reputable insurance provider. This will help you enjoy peace of mind during what should be an exciting and joyful period of life!

Source:Maternity Insurance Guide

Photo: Childbirth connection. org