Diaper Cakes: Very popular at baby showers, a diaper cake comes with all sorts of stuff that every new mommy needs from different types of diapers (cloth or disposable) and baby wear (jammies and onesies) to baby care items like soap, shampoo, cotton buds, and nail clippers. You can make your own or order from online stores offering these cool treats.

Mommy Bag: Bag hag mums would love those all-in-one tote bags where they can stash away everything from a change of nappies to their netbooks and makeup kits. What’s great about today’s mommy bags are that they not only come with a variety of compartments, they’re also stylishly well-made.

Breastfeeding Buddies: Want to encourage your friend to breastfeed her babe? Well then, give her helpful accessories that would make this experience a wonderful one. You and your friends can all chip in to get her an electric breast pump. If that’s not possible, then how about giving her a nursing bracelet, milk freezer bags, a nursing pillow, or some nipple cream?

Baby Care: Think safe, organic, and environment-friendly when looking for presents to give the little one. For example, go for BPA-free baby bottles. BPA (Bisphenol A) is an industrial chemical used for making plastics. The US Food and Drug Administration already raised concerns about its safety for children, so better safe than sorry, right?

Pamper Presents: Before long, your friend is going to be having harried days and sleepless nights. Help her take some time off for herself with gift certificates from her favorite salon or spa. Better yet, draw up one of those coupons promising her two hours of babysitting, for instance, or a pan of lasagna so that she doesn’t have to think of what to prepare for dinner.

The administration of CPR, which is a combination of mouth to mouth resuscitation and chest compression, maybe necessary when a person is involved in a near-drowning accident, smoke inhalation, suffocation, electrocution, poisoning, and in the case of babies, sudden infant death syndrome. Keep in mind that a person can suffer from permanent brain damage or death when deprived of oxygen for more than five minutes.

When such an emergency occurs, call for help immediately. It is best to have the number of the nearest hospital or ambulance service on your cell phone or posted at a place where everybody can see it. In the meantime, you might have to perform CPR.

While it is better to take a course in infant CPR, here are some of the basics.
* Examine the baby. Is he breathing? Is his chest going up and down? Is he producing any breathing sounds? If there are no signs of breathing, start administering CPR.

* If baby is trying to breathe, tilt his head back, tipping his chin up while holding his forehead down. This may be all that he needs to start breathing with ease. If there are no signs of breathing, start mouth to mouth resuscitation.

* Begin mouth to mouth resuscitation. Put your mouth over his nose and mouth. Give him two small breaths as blowing more can damage his lungs. Check if his chest rises. If it does, then stop.

* If his chest does not rise, then there must be something blocking his airway. Examine his mouth. Is there something lodged on his throat? Can you take it out with your fingers? If not, turn baby over his stomach and place five firm blows between his shoulder blades. Whether this action clears baby’s airway or not, begin chest compressions.

* After those two small breaths, gently compress baby’s chest 30 times using two or three fingers. Follow the 30 compressions with two small breaths. Repeat until help arrives.

* Your breasts feel tender. As soon as you become pregnant, your hormones start increasing, preparing your body to produce milk. That’s why you might find your breasts getting swollen and tender. No, it’s not a late growth spurt, honey! Oh yes, and your nipples might also feel super sensitive to touch.

* You have a heightened sense of smell. For some reason, you now smell everything from your officemate’s powerful perfume to the pritong isda being prepared by your next door neighbor. It’s like you’ve gotten Spiderman’s acute sense of smell overnight. The problem is that some of these smells, you don’t necessarily like, and you just feel all nauseous and aggravated when you get a whiff of them.

* You’re always tired. After doing the groceries, something that you’ve always done practically every week of your married life, you find yourself tired. In fact, just getting out of bed can be a chore sometimes. Experiencing fatigue is common among pregnant women as your body goes through all the changes that your condition brings.

* You might experience a bit of spotting. When the fertilized egg implants itself into your uterus, you might have what is known as “implantation bleeding.” This is slight bleeding caused by the process, which usually happens three to six days after fertilization. However, not all women experience this symptom.

* You want some mangoes, or sans rival, or green tea, or whatever. Some pregnant women crave for particular foods that they may not even like when they weren’t pregnant. Together with the cravings come an aversion to certain types of food. You might have loved crème brulee when you weren’t pregnant, but may not stand the sight of it with a growing baby in your belly.

* You feel like throwing up—and not just in the mornings. As those hormones go on overdrive, your body may become sensitive to all sorts of stimuli; feeling nauseous or just simply throwing up are but some of the ways that your body copes with all the physical changes. Eating small, frequent meals might help.

* You missed your period. This is the most evident sign of pregnancy. Sometimes too, your period might be lighter than usual. Once you’ve missed a period, then it’s time to go to your doctor and have your hunch validated—or otherwise.

These are the most common signs pregnancy. Some women experience them more often, others not much so. But once you start feeling a combination of these symptoms, it’s best to make an appointment with your doctor.

Hey moms and dads! See you this Sunday at Market Market for a day of learning and excitement.

Research after research has confirmed that such cravings are not just figments of the infanticipating mom’s imagination. More than half of pregnant mothers will experience a food craving at some point in her pregnancy.

Some cravings can be as simple as wanting to drink a pitcher of orange juice in one sitting; others can be as elaborate as having a burning desire to eat a big batch of onion rings together with a couple slices of cheesecake. Some women report cravings so overwhelming that they just have to get hold of their gustatory fascination immediately; others can rein in their culinary wish with ease.

Medical professionals explain such cravings simply as a way for the pregnant woman to meet her body’s increasing demand for extra calories. After all, she needs all the help she can get to grow a healthy baby.

A strong craving for specific foods may also indicate certain nutritional deficiencies. For example, a woman who doesn’t ordinarily like eating burgers may find herself chomping one after the other because she needs the extra protein. A sudden urge to eat fresh greens in the middle of the night might just mean that the expectant mom needs more fiber in her body.

It’s perfectly okay to give in to your cravings, just as long as you do so in moderation and you continue having a well-balanced diet. For example, you can eat those burgers for their protein, but you shouldn’t eat just burgers. You’ve got to have your carbohydrates, vegetables, fruits, fats, and dairy as well.

But what of weird cravings, like wanting to eat clay or dirt? Medical professionals call this condition pica, and may signify a deficiency in iron. If you experience such a craving, consult your doctor immediately. Otherwise, it is fun to be pregnant and to want something that you never thought you’d eat before. So, go, indulge yourself!

* Every family has its own term for urinating and moving bowels. Use words that are easy to understand and pronounce. The word urinating, for example, may be too much for your toddler. Avoid words that make these bodily functions sound dirty and disgusting. Generic terms like poo and pee may be more suitable.

* Observe your toddler for signs when he’s about to pee or poo. Take note of his movements and facial expressions.

* Teach your toddler the concept of before and after. This is so he can inform you of when he needs to go to the bathroom. For example, you can say, “We have to say a prayer before every mealtime” or “You can go to bed after you brush your teeth.”

* Praise him whenever he tells you that his diaper is dirty. Help him recognize the sensations of when he’s about to wet his diaper or move his bowel. And then ask him to tell you when he is about to get his diaper dirty.

* Bring out the potty chair. When he needs to poo or pee, explain to your toddler that it’s where he needs to go. Have him sit on it for a few minutes at a time, so that he gets used to it. If he doesn’t want to sit on it, then don’t force him.

* Demonstrate how one uses the bathroom. If your toddler is a girl, then you can take her with you when you go to the bathroom. If your toddler is a boy, ask daddy to help out.

* When you see his need-to-go-to-the-bathroom signs, encourage him to use the potty. If he doesn’t want to, try again next time until he does so.

* Be patient. There are bound to be accidents. Don’t get mad when this happens. Just clean his mess, and work at a successful trip to the bathroom next time.

In recent years, however, parents have begun to question the very act itself. Is circumcision really necessary? Or is it just an antiquated ritual that needs to be erased from our national consciousness?

Advocates of circumcision reason that it facilitates genital hygiene, which maybe why uncircumcised babies are more likely to suffer urinary tract infections. They also say that circumcision almost completely eliminates the probability of cancer in the penis.

Uncircumcised men may also be more likely to get sexually transmitted diseases as the foreskin easily gets bruised during sexual intercourse.

Besides, boys would want to “look like” their peers. A swift, safe, and simple procedure is well worth it especially if it saves your child from being teased about how his penis looks like at the locker room.

Those against circumcision argue that it is not entirely a simple and painless procedure, and that babies risk suffering from excessive bleeding and infections. They add that simple hygiene practices, when followed religiously, reduce the incidence of urinary tract infections.

Besides, they argue, the best defense against sexually transmitted diseases is abstinence or the proper use of condoms.

And as more parents choose not to let their babies be circumcised at birth, there are more and more boys who look different from their peers.

These are the different arguments for and against circumcision. You and your partner should do your own research and consult with your doctor before arriving at a decision.

It gives you special time with him; this is especially important for working mothers who may be out all day and could only be with their babies at night.

It is also very convenient. When you’re breastfeeding, you need not have to get up and get your baby from his crib. You can feed him from the comfort of your bed, allowing both of you to sleep through the night.
However, when the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) came out with a policy statement in 2005 which said that sharing a bed with a child increased the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) and other potential problems, parents stood up and listened—and then let their voices be heard.

Some parents say that the likelihood of a baby being smothered by his parents as they sleep is very unlikely. Others say that safety should be the primary consideration of every family.

Whether you choose to let your baby sleep in his crib or let him sleep with you in your bed is a decision that only you and your partner can make. But perhaps, you might want to consider some of these factors.

If you’re co-sleeping, free your bed from cumbersome items such as pillows, blankets, and quilts. Look at any openings that could trap your baby’s head like the space between the mattress and the bed frame or the mattress and the headboard or any cutouts on the headboard. Make sure your baby sleeps on his back to decrease the risk of SIDS. Steer clear of any alcohol or medication that may cause you to lose sense of yourself and where you are.

If you’re for crib-sleeping, then spend more time with your baby the minute he wakes up. It might be a good idea to place the crib near your bed. If the crib is in another room, place baby monitors so that you know exactly what’s going on with your baby.

Ultimately, where your baby sleeps is a personal choice. We are confident that you and your partner will make the decision that works best your baby.

That’s why teaching good manners to our children, especially to the always-questioning toddler, has become quite a challenge. However, with time, patience, and a commitment to raise well-mannered children, we can very well polish our toddlers’ rough edges and transform them into refined individuals that make for great company.

Here are some pointers that you may want to look into:

Make good manners an everyday routine. Practice saying “please,” “thank you,” “po,” and “opo” at your home every day. Require everyone to say these magic words as a matter of course, not as a matter of accident. In time, you, your children, and other members of your household will say these words of grace instinctively.

Don’t get mad. If your child doesn’t follow what you teach, don’t get mad. Throwing a tantrum yourself will not do you and your child any good. You are just teaching him that getting mad is a way of doing things. Instead, continue to point him towards the right direction.

Tell him exactly what to do. Shouting, for instance, is not gracious behavior. People need not shout to get things done. If your child starts shouting to get what he wants (“I want an apple!! Now!!), quiet him down. Then teach him how to make a request in a polite manner. You can say: “You don’t need to shout. In your normal voice, you can say, ‘Can I have an apple, please?’”

Don’t expect your child to know what proper behavior is. You have to teach him everything, especially what’s correct versus what’s not correct.

Coach him. If you’re attending a birthday party, for example, coach him on how he should behave. Tell him to greet the celebrant and say hello to his parents. Advise him not to run around the area, unless he is participating in the games.

Be a good role model. Your children will always look up to you for clues as to proper behavior. If you don’t bother saying “please” yourself, then how do you expect your child to do the same?