Welcome to the place where the sweetest of smiles are born!

photo by: Raphael Goetter

Babies are so adorable and sweet – who can resist? Even the toughest, die-hard macho man is softened into uncharacteristic tenderness by the softness and innocence of his newborn baby when he first holds that little one in his arms.

And, so it should be. Babies bring out the best in all of us, don’t they?

Getting Ready for Baby Sweetums

When you’re nearing the end of your pregnancy and know the little one’s arrival is eminent the excitement starts to build and things like decorating the baby’s room and shopping for baby becomes a festive occasion for the whole family. Friends enter the festivities by throwing baby showers and inviting everyone to join in the family’s joyous event.

A baby shower is probably the most exciting and satisfying event a young mother will attend as the pending arrival date draws near. Seeing all of the cute baby clothes, party favors and gifts bought especially for her baby sweetums will bring her to joyful tears in a split second and even Dad’s (who are brave enough to go to a baby shower) are misty eyed at the event.

Why? because the happy emotions that go along with having a baby is the closest thing to “heavenly” a woman and man can achieve. A baby changes a woman into a mother; a man into a Dad. It is a magical, priceless gift, suspended in time, that changes the lives of all in the family.

Decorating the Nursery

With so many wonderful choices nowadays, decorating the nursery is more fun than ever. My favorite thing when expecting my little ones was to look through catalogs from places that specialize in baby furniture and pour over new mother magazines. My mouth would drool at the pictures and I learned a lot about what kind of things to do – and not do – in a nursery. I got a big poster board and used cutouts of the different objects, creating my own mock-up of my precious darling’s new room. That was so much fun! By the time I was ready to go shopping, I had an exact picture in mind of what I wanted. Another time-saver was to search online for the best prices, looking on places like eBay.com and Overstock.com for bargains.

I don’t think you can spend too much time getting ready for your baby. Remember, the nursery is the place where you child will sleep, grow and learn. Make sure it has plenty of light as well as being a  warm, cozy and inviting place both you and your child will enjoy.

Baby Clothes

Okay, I confess. I went overboard with my first child. I had cute newborn baby clothes out the wazoo! But when the second one came, I had a lot more common sense. Its easy to get overwhelmed when you go shopping so take a few lessons from the (now) expert Mom (doesn’t having 2 children make you an expert??). Here’s what I recommend you spend your money on for the first 60 days:

1. Diapers

2. T-shirts and 0ne-piece body suits

3. Socks or booties

Remember your baby will sleep about 18 hours a day for a few weeks so you want to make sure they are very comfortable. Forget “cute-sie outfits” – those are for your pleasure and not the baby’s comfort. Don’t worry! You will get plenty of cute things in the baby showers – you just concentrate on the basic comforts for the baby and let the friends and family provide the cute outfits. One way to avoid having a fussy baby is to have a comfortable baby!

Also keep in mind that the baby will grow! Don’t go overboard in purchasing clothes for the first 6 months of his/her life. In fact, I suggest not to purchase more than a few things at the 0 – 3 month sizes as the baby will outgrow those quickly.

Using Plain Common Sense

Sometimes plain old common sense is the best secret to caring for your precious newborn. After all the mystery is unveiled that sweet little angel is just a little person – made in your image, and probably the spittin’ image of you as a baby. So, when in doubt as to what to do – ask yourself, what makes sense? It is just plain common sense to use soft diapers instead of starched frills. It is common sense to test the baby’s formula to make sure it isn’t too hot. It is common sense to change the baby’s diaper as often as needed; to keep him warm – or cool, according to the season. Don’t worry so much about what the “books” say. Just use your head. You and your baby will get along just fine!

Browsing our Site

By now I guess you’ve figured out it out – this site is all about babies – from the time they are born until they reach the toddler stage – we talk about all things babies. You’ll soon see why I’ve named my site “babysweetums”.  There’s simply nothing as sweet as a baby.

Have fun browsing this site – and, if you’d like to share your baby stories please leave a comment and tell us about it.

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