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	<title>Baby, Pregnancy, and Parenting at Babies Online &#187; make</title>
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		<title>Make Your Own Baby Picture Frames</title>
		<link>http://www.babiesonline.com/articles/photography/makebabyframes.asp</link>
		<comments>http://www.babiesonline.com/articles/photography/makebabyframes.asp#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 26 Feb 2008 19:42:45 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Photography]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[create]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[frames]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[homemade]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[make]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[picture]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://208.79.203.56/articles/photography/makebabyframes.asp</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[From the time your newborn comes home through all the months and years of his or her growth and development, baby pictures will abound throughout not only your household and office, but that of your extended families as well. And although your little one’s pics are already incredibly adorable, how do you find a way [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="tweetmeme_button" style="float: left; margin-right: 10px;"><a href="http://api.tweetmeme.com/share?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.babiesonline.com%2Farticles%2Fphotography%2Fmakebabyframes.asp"><img src="http://api.tweetmeme.com/imagebutton.gif?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.babiesonline.com%2Farticles%2Fphotography%2Fmakebabyframes.asp" height="61" width="51" /></a></div><p align="justify">From the time your newborn comes home through all the months and years of his or her growth and development, baby pictures will abound throughout not only your household and office, but that of your extended families as well. And although your little one’s pics are already incredibly adorable, how do you find a way to give them that extra-special keepsake touch that will last for years and years?</p>
<p align="justify">How about making your own customized, personalized baby picture frames? It’s a simple and fun way to enhance those photos with some added charm and uniqueness and there’s so many great ideas that are not only easy to bring to fruition, but inexpensive too! Customized baby picture frames not only make for great decoration, but they’re also wonderful to give as shower or special event gifts as well. And while you’re at it, you may even discover a hidden creative talent lurking inside that you didn’t even realize you possessed!</p>
<p align="justify">Let’s look at an easy way you can design and/or dress up any existing baby picture frame you have around the house or a new one that you’ve recently purchased or received.</p>
<p align="justify"><strong>The Way of Polymer Clay<br />
</strong>Polymer clay is widely accessible at any craft store and in most hobby sections of your local department store. It’s available in an abundance of colors, really easy to work with and very inexpensive. And because it’s moldable, the possibilities for the designs you can create are practically endless. Now for this type of project, you can make the entire frame out of clay, overlay it onto an existing frame or dress up an old frame with cute clay embellishments.</p>
<p align="center"><a target="clark" href="http://www.bolads.com/clark.asp"></a></p>
<p align="justify">To create a frame completely out of clay, you can choose to roll it out flat to your desired shape and density (not too thin to prevent it from cracking once it’s dry), and then cut out the center in any shape you like too – consider using a heart or other creatively-shaped cookie cutter to give it that special touch. Also think about using any household utensils to add texture and design effects to the piece as well.</p>
<p align="justify">Another idea is to roll out different shades of clay in a snake fashion and then place them parallel to each other in a log style, trimming the ends and space for the photo.</p>
<p align="justify">Make cute embellishments like ducks, flowers, boats – wherever your imagination takes you – and attach those to the frame. You can even spell out your baby’s name or create a short and sweet message to grandma or grandpa, etc.</p>
<p align="justify">Once you’ve got your frame the way you like it, make sure all the pieces are firmly attached and place it on a cookie sheet. Bake it in the oven for about 20 minutes at 250o then remove and cool.</p>
<p align="justify">Afterward, you can choose to use it as is, attach a thin piece of protective plexi-glass (photo plastic available in any craft store) to the back of the frame with a hot glue gun or lay the entire piece over an existing frame of the same dimension attaching it with hot glue as well. Use the same concept for adding embellishments to a plain frame you may already have.</p>
<p align="justify">Making your own polymer clay baby picture frames is not only an inexpensive and unique way to display those precious photos, but it can also be a very relaxing, almost therapeutic activity for mom as well. <!-- change these --></p>
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		<item>
		<title>How to Make Personalized Candle Gifts from Ordinary Candles</title>
		<link>http://www.babiesonline.com/articles/crafts/personalizedcandles.asp</link>
		<comments>http://www.babiesonline.com/articles/crafts/personalizedcandles.asp#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 12 Feb 2008 14:22:21 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Crafts]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[candles]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[homemade]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[make]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ordinary]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[personalized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[transform]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://208.79.203.56/articles/crafts/personalizedcandles.asp</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[By Criss White
If you are looking for a fun gift to make for any occasion, then personalized candle making may be something you would like to consider. There are many ways to make personalized candles, depending on how much time and money you are willing to spend.
With just a little extra time and effort, you [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="tweetmeme_button" style="float: left; margin-right: 10px;"><a href="http://api.tweetmeme.com/share?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.babiesonline.com%2Farticles%2Fcrafts%2Fpersonalizedcandles.asp"><img src="http://api.tweetmeme.com/imagebutton.gif?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.babiesonline.com%2Farticles%2Fcrafts%2Fpersonalizedcandles.asp" height="61" width="51" /></a></div><p style="text-align: left;"><em>By Criss White</em></p>
<p style="text-align: left;">If you are looking for a fun gift to make for any occasion, then personalized candle making may be something you would like to consider. There are many ways to make personalized candles, depending on how much time and money you are willing to spend.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.babiesonline.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/how-to-make-personalized-candle-gifts2.jpg"><img class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-1294" style="float: left;" title="how-to-make-personalized-candle-gifts" src="http://www.babiesonline.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/how-to-make-personalized-candle-gifts2.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="200" /></a>With just a little extra time and effort, you can make a personalized candle out of an otherwise ordinary candle gift that the lucky recipient will love.</p>
<ol style="text-align: left;">
<li>The simplest way to make a personalized candle is get a normal candle at your local candle store. Even general retail stores like Walmart sometimes have candles for sale. Candles come in all shapes and sizes, but almost any candle can be personalized.</li>
<li>Anything smaller than a tea light will be difficult to personalize. For tea light candles, you can normally purchase a big bag for a low price. These candles are great as favors for guests at a wedding or baby shower. The easiest way to personalize is to use either a graphics program on your computer or a word processor. We&#8217;ll stick with the Word processor since it is easier. First, draw a circle the same dimensions as the lid on the tea light, or better yet use a circular label sheet. Then select a nice font, like cursive script or Corsiva. You can enter then names and date of the event into the circle. Print out a sample on plain paper to make sure the look and size is right. Once you have the desired result, you can print your tea light label stickers. Finally, apply the sticker onto the top of the tea light.</li>
<li>For jar candles, you can create a square-shaped personalized label. Since you have more area to work with, you can download free graphics from the Internet. Search the web for &#8220;free clip art&#8221; and download the images you want. Once again print out a sample on plain paper and then print the label. If you don&#8217;t have a color printer, you can go to a local copier and they can make a nice label for you. Stick the label on the jar. Now you have created a unique gift personalized just for that special person.</li>
<li>For tall pillar candles, you can get those engraved at an engraving shop (look in the phone book under engravers). The artwork and text can come in different colors. If you are artistic, you can even buy candle-engraving kits online and do it yourself.</li>
<li>How about those 1oz votive candles? For a professional looking gift, get cellophane bags and colored ribbon. Wrap the candle in the cello bag and tie it up with the ribbon. Then attach a personalized tag to the ribbon. These candles can also be engraved.</li>
<li>If you can make candles, then there are limitless possibilities. You can use different fragrances oils to create scented candles. You can use embeds for decoration. Cookie cutters and molds are also useful for designing the right shape.</li>
</ol>
<p style="text-align: left;">In summary, you can take an ordinary store candle and make it a very special gift with just a little more effort. Your friends and loved ones will cherish these gifts for years to come.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><em><strong>About the Author:<br />
</strong>Criss White is a professional web writer on baby and new mother topics for baby and pregnancy websites. For more personalized gift ideas, go to </em><a href="http://www.mybabyshowerfavors.com/personalized.htm" target="new"><em>Personalized Baby Shower Favors</em></a><em> and for more candle gift ideas, see </em><a href="http://www.mybabyshowerfavors.com/candles.htm" target="new"><em>Baby Shower Candle Favors</em></a><em>. </em></p>
]]></content:encoded>
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		<item>
		<title>How to Make Candles Using Old Crayons</title>
		<link>http://www.babiesonline.com/articles/crafts/makecandles.asp</link>
		<comments>http://www.babiesonline.com/articles/crafts/makecandles.asp#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 12 Feb 2008 14:21:15 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Crafts]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[candles]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[crayons]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[homemade]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[make]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[scented]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[solid]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[string]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://208.79.203.56/articles/crafts/makecandles.asp</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[by: LeAnn R. Ralph
As featured in the story &#8220;A Candle For Christmas&#8221; from the book: Christmas In Dairyland (True Stories From a Wisconsin Farm)
Materials:

1 wax carton (quart) (milk, fabric softener, or orange juice)
1 pound of paraffin wax
4 or 5 old crayons
two trays of ice cubes
a double boiler (or an empty coffee can and a saucepan)
1 [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="tweetmeme_button" style="float: left; margin-right: 10px;"><a href="http://api.tweetmeme.com/share?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.babiesonline.com%2Farticles%2Fcrafts%2Fmakecandles.asp"><img src="http://api.tweetmeme.com/imagebutton.gif?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.babiesonline.com%2Farticles%2Fcrafts%2Fmakecandles.asp" height="61" width="51" /></a></div><p style="text-align: left;"><em>by: LeAnn R. Ralph</em></p>
<p style="text-align: left;">As featured in the story &#8220;A Candle For Christmas&#8221; from the book: Christmas In Dairyland (True Stories From a Wisconsin Farm)</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.babiesonline.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/how-to-make-candles-using-old-crayons2.jpg"><img class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-1295" style="float: left;" title="how-to-make-candles-using-old-crayons" src="http://www.babiesonline.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/how-to-make-candles-using-old-crayons2.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="200" /></a><strong>Materials:</strong></p>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>1 wax carton (quart) (milk, fabric softener, or orange juice)</li>
<li>1 pound of paraffin wax</li>
<li>4 or 5 old crayons</li>
<li>two trays of ice cubes</li>
<li>a double boiler (or an empty coffee can and a saucepan)</li>
<li>1 piece of ordinary white package string about six inches long.</li>
</ul>
<p style="text-align: left;">Caution: Do not heat paraffin directly over the burner. Paraffin is easily combustible. Use a double boiler or a two-pound coffee can set in a pan of water. I put the coffee can on top of home canning jar rings (the rings, not the flat lids). If the can is not set on top of something, the concave bottom creates a vacuum when the water begins to heat up, plus if it’s on the bottom of the pan, it&#8217;s just that much closer to the burner.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Trim the top part of the carton off so that what remains is about six inches high.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Cut the string so that it is six inches long. (To make a wick that lasts longer, try braiding three pieces of string together.)</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Melt the paraffin wax over medium heat in a double boiler or a coffee can in a pan of water. Use three-quarters of a pound for a somewhat smaller candle or use all four squares for a larger candle. Once the water begins to boil, it will take 10 or 15 minutes for the paraffin to melt.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Break the crayons into small pieces and add to the paraffin. If the crayons are added first before the wax is melted, the color makes it difficult to see if all of the paraffin is liquefied.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Use a pair of tongs (a scissors works, too), and dip the string into the paraffin. Dipping the string will ensure that it is coated with paraffin since the ice cubes may prevent some sections from coming in contact with the liquid wax. Hold the string so that it is in the middle of the carton and fill the carton with ice cubes. Pour the hot paraffin over the ice cubes.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">The candle will be set in about 30 minutes. Let the candle stand for another hour or two until most of the ice cubes are melted. Pour off the water. Peel off the carton. Place the candle in a tray or on a plate to catch the rest of the water from the ice cubes as they finish melting. Let the candle dry for a day or two.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">The candles I have made with a single piece of string only burn for an hour or so and burn quickly enough so that most of the paraffin remains intact. To use the paraffin again, melt the candle and pour the wax into other containers to make solid candles.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><strong>~ Solid Candles ~</strong><br />
To make solid candles, select several glass containers. Pint or half-pint canning or jelly jars work well. For the wick, measure out a few more inches of string than is needed to reach the bottom of the container. Tie the string around a pencil. Put the pencil across the top of the container to hold the wick in place. When the paraffin and crayons are melted, pour the liquid wax into the container(s). When the candle is set, snip off the wick about a half inch above the wax.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><strong>~ Scented Candles ~</strong><br />
To make scented candles, put three or four teaspoons of vanilla extract into the bottom of the double boiler (or the coffee can) and then add the paraffin and crayons. When the wax is melted, pour into containers.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><em><strong>About The Author</strong><br />
LeAnn R. Ralph is a freelance writer for two newspapers in west central Wisconsin, is the editor of the Wisconsin Regional Writer (the quarterly publication of the Wisconsin Regional Writers&#8217; Assoc.) and is the author of the book, Christmas In Dairyland (True Stories From a Wisconsin Farm) (Aug. 2003); trade paperback. For more information about Christmas In Dairyland, visit </em><a href="http://ruralroute2.com/"><em>ruralroute2.com</em></a><em>. </em><a href="mailto:bigpines@ruralroute2.com"><em>bigpines@ruralroute2.com</em></a></p>
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		<title>Make Personalized Placemats With Kids</title>
		<link>http://www.babiesonline.com/articles/crafts/personalizedplacemats.asp</link>
		<comments>http://www.babiesonline.com/articles/crafts/personalizedplacemats.asp#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 12 Feb 2008 14:17:10 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Crafts]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[children]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[family]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[homemade]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[kids]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[make]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[personalized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[placemats]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[table]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://208.79.203.56/articles/crafts/personalizedplacemats.asp</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[by: Abigail Beal
This is a great family craft because everyone can do it. Small children will have fun with it because often they are learning how to set the table, how to help out at mealtime. Everybody has their own chair at the dinner table (or the kitchen table in most houses&#8230;).
Children can make placemats [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="tweetmeme_button" style="float: left; margin-right: 10px;"><a href="http://api.tweetmeme.com/share?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.babiesonline.com%2Farticles%2Fcrafts%2Fpersonalizedplacemats.asp"><img src="http://api.tweetmeme.com/imagebutton.gif?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.babiesonline.com%2Farticles%2Fcrafts%2Fpersonalizedplacemats.asp" height="61" width="51" /></a></div><p style="text-align: left;"><em>by: Abigail Beal</em></p>
<p style="text-align: left;">This is a great family craft because everyone can do it. Small children will have fun with it because often they are learning how to set the table, how to help out at mealtime. Everybody has their own chair at the dinner table (or the kitchen table in most houses&#8230;).</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.babiesonline.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/make-personalized-placemats-with-kids2.jpg"><img class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-1296" style="float: left;" title="make-personalized-placemats-with-kids" src="http://www.babiesonline.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/make-personalized-placemats-with-kids2.jpg" alt="" width="200" height="267" /></a>Children can make placemats for the whole family, designing them with some of the materials to look similar in design so that they match each other.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">For this project you will need:</p>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>white vinyl placemats</li>
<li>clear contact paper</li>
<li>scissors</li>
<li>stick-on alphabet letters (can be found at most office supply stores)</li>
<li>magazines such as Family Circle, Good Housekeeping that will show families and mealtimes.</li>
<li>also magazines like National Geographic that have beautiful pictures of animals and nature.</li>
<li>white 8 ½&#8221; x 11&#8243; paper to draw on</li>
<li>markers or crayons</li>
<li>glue sticks</li>
</ul>
<p style="text-align: left;">Most children will be very pleased with the idea of creating a placemat with their name on it. Let them pick out the letters or draw their name on a piece of paper. Depending on the size of the placemat, letters should be about 2&#8243; tall.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Give your child the magazines to look through and find pictures of foods they like or just scenes they like. A child who loves animals may be happiest with a placemat covered with animal pictures. Another child may like nature scenes like the ocean or the mountains. Another idea is to use copies of family photos. You can also have your child draw pictures to put on their placemat.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Cut out the pictures (assist if needed). Arrange pictures on placemat first without glue, seeing where you like them best. Once your child likes the placement of the pictures, put them on the placemat using your gluestick.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Allow the placemat to dry for several hours. Then cover the placemat with clear contact paper. Measure the contact paper so that it is just slightly smaller than the placemat, by about 1/4&#8243; on each side. This will help it stay in place.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">These placemats will now clean off with any damp sponge and you can use gentle dish detergent on them if needed. It’s dinnertime!</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><em><strong>About The Author<br />
</strong>Abigail Beal © 2004 Abigail Beal a.k.a. “the Gift-wrap Goddess” teaches gift wrap in suburban New York. She is the author of 2 ezines: GiftWrapGoddessWraps and CreativeCraftsTeachers. To subscribe: </em><a href="http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CreativeCraftsTeachers/"><em>groups.yahoo.com/group/CreativeCraftsTeachers/</em></a><em> </em><a href="http://groups.yahoo.com/group/GiftWrapGoddessWraps/"><em>groups.yahoocom/group/GiftWrapGoddessWraps/</em></a><em>.<br />
contact: </em><a href="mailto:giftwrapgoddess@yahoo.com"><em>giftwrapgoddess@yahoo.com</em></a><em> </em></p>
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		<title>Make Gift Wrapping Paper With Kids</title>
		<link>http://www.babiesonline.com/articles/crafts/makegiftwrappaperwkids.asp</link>
		<comments>http://www.babiesonline.com/articles/crafts/makegiftwrappaperwkids.asp#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 12 Feb 2008 14:13:51 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Crafts]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Baby]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[craft]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[create]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[gift wrap]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[holiday]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[homemade]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[humor]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[joke]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[kids]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[make]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[paint]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[paper]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[pens]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[photo]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://208.79.203.56/articles/crafts/makegiftwrappaperwkids.asp</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[by: Abigail Beal
Making your own wrapping paper is a fun activity that children or adults can do. With some creativity you can create gift wrap that is unique and different – everyone will know the gift is from you!
When making gift wrap with children you will probably want to use either craft white paper or [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="tweetmeme_button" style="float: left; margin-right: 10px;"><a href="http://api.tweetmeme.com/share?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.babiesonline.com%2Farticles%2Fcrafts%2Fmakegiftwrappaperwkids.asp"><img src="http://api.tweetmeme.com/imagebutton.gif?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.babiesonline.com%2Farticles%2Fcrafts%2Fmakegiftwrappaperwkids.asp" height="61" width="51" /></a></div><p style="text-align: left;"><em>by: Abigail Beal</em></p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Making your own wrapping paper is a fun activity that children or adults can do. With some creativity you can create gift wrap that is unique and different – everyone will know the gift is from you!</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.babiesonline.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/make-gift-wrap-with-kids.jpg"><img class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-1298" style="float: left;" title="make-gift-wrap-with-kids" src="http://www.babiesonline.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/make-gift-wrap-with-kids.jpg" alt="" width="200" height="298" /></a>When making gift wrap with children you will probably want to use either craft white paper or craft brown paper (like the grocery bags). You could even use the inside of a grocery bag if the gift is small enough.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">At several points depending on your child’s age – they may need help. If your child is not ready to cut with scissors, then manage all of the scissor work and let them have fun gluing everything. Remember to select non-toxic materials. Consider all art materials toxic unless they say they are non-toxic.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><strong>Stamping Shapes Paper:</strong> To make this you can use either sponges or potatoes. The ease with potatoes is they give children (and adults) a “handle” to hold onto. Sponges are a little harder to hold onto once they get wet, and your designs may not get as clean and clear results.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Use tempura or acrylic paint. Be sure with children to use non-toxic paint. Remember with art materials that if they do not say they are non-toxic, chances are they are toxic – so be aware and stay safe.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Select your paint colors and cut simple designs in your potatoes or sponges. Great shapes include stars, hearts, arrows, lightning bolts, circles, triangles, letters, numbers and smiley faces. Help your children cut the designs depending on their age level.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Lay the paper flat on a dry and protected surface and stamp away with your potatoes or sponges! Remember to put your design all over the paper so that it shows all over your gift, not just one area of the paper. Let it dry overnight before wrapping gifts.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><strong>Names or Shapes Paper:</strong> To make this paper you will need several sheets of fluorescent paper (8 ½ x 11”) is fine. You will also need glue sticks and scissors.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Select a name or a shape that you wish to do for your paper. Think about the size of your gift, is it big? Is your gift small? If your gift is big, then your letters or shapes can be bigger. If your gift is small then your letters or shapes need to be smaller.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">If you are giving a birthday gift it could be fun to write the birthday child’s name. If it is a gift for Mom then you could write Mom. Or consider writing a short message like “Happy Birthday” if you have enough room.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Write boxy letters or cut out shapes and glue them onto the paper. Write the name and glue it onto the paper several times. Allow it to dry overnight. Then wrap gift.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><strong>Picture Paper:<br />
</strong>To make this paper you will need magazines or newspapers. Catalogs such a flower catalogs or children’s catalogs are also good. Comic books are good for this also. You will need scissors and glue stick.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Select a theme for your paper. Are you going to cut out pictures of animals? Cartoon characters? Flowers? Home images? Or are you going to cut out words? Find the images and cut them out. Glue them onto the paper. Allow it to dry and then wrap your gift.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><strong>Special Message Paper:</strong><br />
This is good for most children of any age. First select how large the gift will be and cut the gift paper to size.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Select markers or crayons. You are going to write a special message to the friend or loved one to wish them a Happy Birthday or other good wishes. Help your child select their message.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Write the message on the paper. Now write the message again in other line with a different color marker or crayon. Continue until the paper is full. You can use medium to large handwriting – actually any size handwriting is fine. Just continue until the paper is completely filled. Let this paper dry before wrapping the gift.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">When you give the gift remind the birthday child they need to read the Special Message on the wrapping paper.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><strong>Feminine Doily Paper:<br />
</strong>This is a cute gift wrapping paper for a girl’s gift. This is also an easy project to do with even most young children because it only involves glue sticks.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">To make this paper you will need paper doilies, either white or metallic (your choice). This project works best with the small doilies. You will also need a glue stick.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Glue the doilies onto the paper. Glue them in an even pattern all over the paper. The doilies will give the gift wrapping a feminine look. Once the doilies are dried, wrap the gift.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">There are many other ideas for gift wrap that are in your home and right in front of your nose. Just use your imagination and you will find many other ideas to use with your children. Happy wrapping!</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><em><strong>About The Author<br />
</strong>Abigail Beal © 2004 Abigail Beal a.k.a. “the Gift-wrap Goddess” teaches gift wrap in suburban New York. She is the author of 2 ezines: GiftWrapGoddessWraps and CreativeCraftsTeachers. To subscribe: </em><a href="http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CreativeCraftsTeachers/"><em>groups.yahoo.com/group/CreativeCraftsTeachers/</em></a><em> </em><a href="http://groups.yahoo.com/group/GiftWrapGoddessWraps/"><em>groups.yahoocom/group/GiftWrapGoddessWraps/</em></a><em> contact: </em><a href="mailto:creativecraftsteachers@yahoo.com"><em>creativecraftsteachers@yahoo.com</em></a><em> or </em><a href="mailto:giftwrapgoddess@yahoo.com"><em>giftwrapgoddess@yahoo.com</em></a><em> </em></p>
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		<title>Make Gift Wrap Paper</title>
		<link>http://www.babiesonline.com/articles/crafts/makegiftwrappaper.asp</link>
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		<pubDate>Tue, 12 Feb 2008 14:12:04 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Crafts]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[gift wrap]]></category>
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		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://208.79.203.56/articles/crafts/makegiftwrappaper.asp</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[by: Abigail Beal
Chances are at the holidays you’ve been tempted to make holiday wrapping paper. But you may have heard too many stories about needing to use potatoes and tempura paint that bring you back to your grade school days. Have no fear – you do have options! Here are some suggestions to get your [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="tweetmeme_button" style="float: left; margin-right: 10px;"><a href="http://api.tweetmeme.com/share?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.babiesonline.com%2Farticles%2Fcrafts%2Fmakegiftwrappaper.asp"><img src="http://api.tweetmeme.com/imagebutton.gif?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.babiesonline.com%2Farticles%2Fcrafts%2Fmakegiftwrappaper.asp" height="61" width="51" /></a></div><p style="text-align: left;"><em>by: Abigail Beal</em></p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Chances are at the holidays you’ve been tempted to make holiday wrapping paper. But you may have heard too many stories about needing to use potatoes and tempura paint that bring you back to your grade school days. Have no fear – you do have options! Here are some suggestions to get your creative juices flowing.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.babiesonline.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/make-gift-wrap-paper.jpg"><img class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-1299" style="float: left;" title="make-gift-wrap-paper" src="http://www.babiesonline.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/make-gift-wrap-paper.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="200" /></a>Okay this one does involve a potato….. but it’s good:</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">For this one you need to get some supplies. Yes you do need a potato. I prefer using a potato for stamping rather than a sponge because the potato gives you something to hold onto, and more importantly you can create your own customized look. So keep in mind that if you find a rubber stamp you fall in love with – the potato is optional.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">You will need: acrylic paint in one or two colors, metallic pens in one or two colors, paper (can use traditional butcher block paper, white craft paper, or fancy paper from the art store).</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">In terms of paper – think of the background color you would like to have. Your local art store will often carry many beautiful colors of handmade gift paper. Select a paper that has a porous and fiber-y texture to it – you want to be sure that the paint soaks into the paper. If you select a paper that has a shiny side to it, the paint will not set well.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Think of the design you would like to do. For this gift wrapping paper design you are going to stamp a design with your potato and then embellish it and add some writing to the paper. A good choice for Valentine’s Day would be to cut a heart stamp in your potato and then to write the word “love” or “I love you” on different parts of your paper. Or you could write a special message to the person you are giving the gift to. You could embellish the hearts with little arrows.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Good designs for your potato could be hearts, stars, lightning bolts, letters, numbers, arrows and basic shapes. Stamp your gift wrapping paper first with your acrylic paint and then allow this to dry for at least three hours.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Once the paper is dry then return to add your embellishments with your metallic pens.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><strong>Special Memories Paper:</strong><br />
For this paper you will use photographs that you like and visit your local copy center that does color copies.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Before you go to the copy center, think if you want to include any special messages on this paper. Such as wishing the person you are giving the gift a “Happy Birthday” or wishing your mother “Happy Mother’s Day”. If you would like to do so, then type these messages out on a word document – select a basic typeface such as Times New Roman but italicize it and enlarge it to 18 or even 24 points. See how large you like the typeface. Bring a number of copies of this message with you, and a glue stick.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Lay your photographs out on the largest paper they have. This is usually a tabloid size of paper 11” x 17”. Scatter your photographs, do not center them on any one part of the paper – remember that your gift will cover most of the paper. Once you have scattered your photos, add your special message to the gift wrapping paper.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Depending on how large your gift is, you may need to ask for several sheets of this paper. You may also choose to use larger photographs, or ask the clerk at the copy center to enlarge your photographs when they make the color copies. Also ask if they can make you a copy that is really shrunken down so that you can use this for the gift card.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><strong>S-E-C-R-E-T M-E-S-S-A-G-E P-A-P-E-R:</strong><br />
This paper is good for a humorous occasion. Probably not the best choice for a wedding gift, then again I’m not invited so what do I know?</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">We’ve all seen those movies where characters get a spooky ransom note made out of cut out magazines and newspapers. Why not create a special birthday wish or holiday greeting to a friend or a loved one? It will be something different and this is great for someone you have traded nicknames with and share a lot of jokes with.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Select newspapers and magazines. Tabloids are great because their letters are very large and clear. Magazines are nice too because they often use artistic looking typefaces, and this can add some variety to your message.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">You will be doing this on 11” x 17” paper, so visit your local copy center and pick up several sheets of this paper. You will need this first to begin the project.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Now choose your message. Go through your newspapers and magazines and obtain the letters. Keep them in a pile.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Once you have your letters, line them up as you wish them to appear on the paper. Remember to space them out so they cover a lot of the paper and not just the middle. Use your glue stick and glue them down.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">After your message is glued down, return to the copy shop and have them run your masterpiece off on the copy Xerox (if you did the other project they already know what you are up to….). Have them make you several sheets if your gift is big. Then have them make you a sheet that is very shrunken down for the gift card. As small as possible.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><strong>Leaf Rubbings Paper:</strong><br />
Do you remember grade school? Did you like it? One of the things I liked was doing leaf rubbings. We would pick up leaves and bring them inside and put them under pieces of paper, rubbing crayons over the paper to get an impression of the leaf.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Okay, stroll down memory lane over. I was just beginning to remember what the lunch room smelled like……</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">For this project that is exactly what you are going to do. Select some leaves. Get a box of crayons. I would suggest buying a box of crayons with a wide variety of colors because the more variety of colors you have in front of you, the more colorful your paper can be. Once you get started you may want to create several sheets of this paper. You will also probably want to test this technique so that you fully understand how it works on a small piece of paper and then do it on your gift wrap paper (just the way the hair dye companies remind us to do a test strip…..).</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">A good leaf tip: Select leaves that have good “skeletons” – that have stems and all sorts of edges to them. It will give your crayons more edges to pick up on. Small wide leaves won’t give much of an impression. But also try to select a variety of leaves. Take a nice walk through your community, picking up leaves on the way. You will be surprised by how many leaves are actually available.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Do this also one leaf at a time. Put the leaf under the paper and take your crayon and peel your crayon completely and break it in half. Then put the crayon wide side down on the paper, rubbing side to side while exerting pressure onto it. You will quickly see how much pressure it takes to get a good impression of the leaf.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">There may be other items that you can use for this project. What else leaves an impression? You can do office items like paper clips – paper clips come in a number of shapes and sizes.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Well, these are just some ideas for your inspiration. As you can see, gift wrapping ideas are often right at your fingertips. You can create gift wrap out of something that is probably right in your home, office or backyard! Happy wrapping!</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><em><strong>About The Author<br />
</strong>Abigail Beal is the author of two zines Creative Crafts Teacher – for crafts teachers and Gift Wrap Goddess Wraps – all about gift wrap. To subscribe: </em><a href="http://groups.yahoo.com/group/GiftWrapGoddessWraps/"><em>groups.yahoocom/group/GiftWrapGoddessWraps/</em></a><em> or </em><a href="http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CreativeCraftsTeachers/"><em>groups.yahoo.com/group/CreativeCraftsTeachers/</em></a><em>. </em><a href="mailto:giftwrapgoddess@yahoo.com"><em>giftwrapgoddess@yahoo.com</em></a><em> </em></p>
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		<title>Start Making Homemade Baby Wipes Today</title>
		<link>http://www.babiesonline.com/articles/baby/homemadebabywipes.asp</link>
		<comments>http://www.babiesonline.com/articles/baby/homemadebabywipes.asp#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 02 Feb 2008 19:13:54 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Baby]]></category>
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		<description><![CDATA[Having a baby can be very expensive, and so if you can find ways to cut corners, it&#8217;s worth doing. That&#8217;s where homemade baby wipes can be of great benefit. Not only do you save money, you can also be more confident what it is that you&#8217;re using on your baby&#8217;s precious skin. You can [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="tweetmeme_button" style="float: left; margin-right: 10px;"><a href="http://api.tweetmeme.com/share?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.babiesonline.com%2Farticles%2Fbaby%2Fhomemadebabywipes.asp"><img src="http://api.tweetmeme.com/imagebutton.gif?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.babiesonline.com%2Farticles%2Fbaby%2Fhomemadebabywipes.asp" height="61" width="51" /></a></div><p align="left">Having a baby can be very expensive, and so if you can find ways to cut corners, it&#8217;s worth doing. That&#8217;s where homemade baby wipes can be of great benefit. Not only do you save money, you can also be more confident what it is that you&#8217;re using on your baby&#8217;s precious skin. You can be reassured there&#8217;s nothing that might cause irritation.</p>
<p align="left"><img src="http://www.babiesonline.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/make-your-own-baby-wipes.jpg" alt="make-your-own-baby-wipes.jpg" align="left" />Like baby wipes you purchase in a store, homemade baby wipes are portable and convenient. To make them, start with a roll of paper towels, such as Viva or Bounty. You will also need baby bath liquid, water, and a sturdy plastic container with a lid. I&#8217;m sure you can already see how you&#8217;re saving money &#8211; buying baby wipes costs from $3 to $5 a package. You&#8217;re paying for chemicals, fragrance, alcohol or other ingredients that dry the skin, and water. The ingredients listed for homemade baby wipes make two batches of wipes, so you&#8217;re only paying around 60 cent per package. Even better, you choose the baby bath liquid, and can therefore use organic or all natural if you wish to.</p>
<p align="left">Firstly, choose a cylindrical plastic container, slightly bigger than a quart container. It needs to be tall enough to hold a roll of paper towels cut in half (so a bit bigger than a roll of toilet paper). Make sure the container&#8217;s lid fits tightly. Use a sharp blade to cut an &#8220;x&#8221; slit in middle of the lid.</p>
<p align="left">Now, cut your roll of paper towel in half using a sharp knife. You will end up with two smaller rolls that look quite similar to rolls of toilet paper. Put one half of the paper towel roll into the container.</p>
<p align="left">Grab a bowl, and mix together 2 cups of water and 2 tablespoons of the baby bath liquid. Pour this mixture into your homemade baby wipes container. Now you can go and make yourself a coffee, as you&#8217;ll need to wait about five minutes while the paper towels soak up the bath liquid mixture. Once the five minutes has passed, gently pull the cardboard core out of the middle of the paper towel roll. As you pull the core out, the innermost piece of paper towel should follow it up. Pull the piece of paper towel through the slit you cut in the container&#8217;s lid, and put the lid back on.</p>
<p align="left">Now, when you&#8217;re ready to use a wipe, just pull the paper towel up through the lid of the container. The paper towel is perforated, so it will tear off easily at the perforation, leaving the next wipe poking through the lid, ready to use when you need it.</p>
<p align="left">The container works well when you&#8217;re at home, but homemade baby wipes can also be used when you’re out and about. Pull out the number of baby wipes you&#8217;ll need and put them in a zip lock plastic bag. You can then just unzip the bag and take out a wipe when you need one, or you can cut a small hole in the bag to pull through one end of the first wipe, ready for use. In that case you may want to put the whole zip lock bag inside a plastic portable wipes box, both to stop them leaking and protect them from drying out in the air. Now you have portable homemade baby wipes!</p>
<p align="left">Homemade baby wipes are very simple to make, cheap, convenient and much better for your baby&#8217;s skin &#8211; so make your own today!</p>
<p align="left"><em><strong>About the Author:<br />
</strong>Find heaps more great money saving baby ideas at </em><a href="http://www.infoaboutbaby.com/Articles.html" target="_new"><em>Info About Baby</em></a><em> You can sign up for a FREE Baby Tips newsletter at </em><a href="http://www.infoaboutbaby.com/newsletter.html" target="_new"><em>Baby Tips Newsletter</em></a><em>. The author&#8217;s book about babies is available at </em><a href="http://www.baby.learnheaps.com/" target="_new"><em>Baby&#8217;s First Year</em></a><em>. </em></p>
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		<title>Make Your Own Baby Food &#8211; The Easy Way!</title>
		<link>http://www.babiesonline.com/articles/baby/feeding-nutrition/babyfoodeasyway.asp</link>
		<comments>http://www.babiesonline.com/articles/baby/feeding-nutrition/babyfoodeasyway.asp#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 27 Jan 2008 21:54:44 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Feeding & Nutrition]]></category>
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		<description><![CDATA[By Carrie Lauth
Is your baby about to start solid foods? Are you thinking of making your own baby food?
When you make baby&#8217;s first foods, you can save money and reduce waste. You also can choose more nutritious options. Fresh foods are typically more nutritious than canned, and you can purchase organic food to prepare for [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="tweetmeme_button" style="float: left; margin-right: 10px;"><a href="http://api.tweetmeme.com/share?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.babiesonline.com%2Farticles%2Fbaby%2Ffeeding-nutrition%2Fbabyfoodeasyway.asp"><img src="http://api.tweetmeme.com/imagebutton.gif?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.babiesonline.com%2Farticles%2Fbaby%2Ffeeding-nutrition%2Fbabyfoodeasyway.asp" height="61" width="51" /></a></div><p style="text-align: left;"><em>By </em><a href="http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Carrie_Lauth" target="new"><em>Carrie Lauth</em></a></p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Is your baby about to start solid foods? Are you thinking of making your own baby food?</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><img src="http://www.babiesonline.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/make-your-own-baby-food-the-easy-way.jpg" alt="make-your-own-baby-food-the-easy-way.jpg" align="left" />When you make baby&#8217;s first foods, you can save money and reduce waste. You also can choose more nutritious options. Fresh foods are typically more nutritious than canned, and you can purchase organic food to prepare for baby if you wish. You can also avoid unwholesome ingredients that show up in commercial baby food.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Making baby food doesn&#8217;t have to be expensive or time consuming. In fact, the easiest and cheapest way is the best way!</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><strong>The easy way to making your own baby food:<br />
</strong>1. Don&#8217;t bother with buying one of those baby food grinders. They&#8217;re hard to clean and too much hassle.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">2. If you wait until your baby is 6 months old to start solids, you can almost always just mash with a fork to the desired consistency. If you&#8217;re breastfeeding, you can even wait until baby&#8217;s &#8220;pincer grasp&#8221; is developed and offer him small finger foods like peas, bits of grated apple, and the like. The pincer grasp is developed when baby can pinch small objects (like those bits of carpet fluff or food on the kitchen floor!) inbetween his thumb and first finger. In fact, if you have a family tendency towards food allergy, waiting longer to start solids may be preferable. No matter what baby&#8217;s age, always offer one food at a time and wait several days to watch for signs of allergy before offering another. Take it slow.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">3. Start with fresh single ingredient foods like:<br />
Banana<br />
Steamed carrot, turnip, potato, yam<br />
Avocado<br />
Ripe pear, peach, melon, plum<br />
Cooked squash<br />
Grated apple- raw or steamed<br />
Peas<br />
Well cooked beans<br />
Hard cooked egg yolks (avoid the whites until 1 year)</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Some of these foods could be served raw. Others are lightly steamed (steaming retains more nutrients than canning), to make them softer for baby.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">4. It&#8217;s not necessary to make a big deal of preparing baby&#8217;s food. If you want to take a lot of time blending food and freezing them in ice cube trays, you could certainly do that. But I&#8217;m all for the easy approach!</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Although you do want to avoid giving baby salt and sugar (and spices that may upset the tummy), you can usually just take an ingredient from your own menu and &#8220;make&#8221; baby&#8217;s dinner.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">For instance, if you&#8217;re steaming veggies to serve at dinner, take a tablespoon of them out of the pan before you add butter and salt. Put this in baby&#8217;s plate and mash away. Voila! Instant baby food with no extra work. Or take a bit of beef from your roast and mash mash mash until it&#8217;s very soft.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Even when you&#8217;re at a restaurant, you can either bring an apple with you and &#8220;grate&#8221; it finely with a spoon at your table, or bring along a banana or other portable food. Any restaurant with a salad bar would have cooked beans or avocado. Or give baby a bit of your baked potato (before you add the goodies on top).</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Life with a new baby is challenging enough. Keep starting solids simple!</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><em><strong>About the Author:</strong><br />
Carrie Lauth publishes a free newsletter for Moms doing things the natural way. Get your copy plus free subscriber goodies at: </em><a href="http://www.natural-moms.com/natural_mom_newsletter.html" target="_new"><em>http://www.natural-moms.com/natural_mom_newsletter.html</em></a><em>. </em></p>
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		<title>Homemade Baby Food: A Fresh Start to Healthy Eating</title>
		<link>http://www.babiesonline.com/articles/baby/feeding-nutrition/homemadebabyfood.asp</link>
		<comments>http://www.babiesonline.com/articles/baby/feeding-nutrition/homemadebabyfood.asp#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 27 Jan 2008 21:36:51 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Feeding & Nutrition]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[additives]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[baby food]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[cheap]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[control]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[costs]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[freshness]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[homemade]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[inexpensive]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[make]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[nutritional]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[sweet potato]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[variety]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://208.79.203.56/articles/baby/homemadebabyfood.asp</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[By Cheryl Tallman and Joan Ahlers
Introducing solid foods is a very important step in your baby’s development and well-being. In fact, studies show that babies who are fed nutritious, healthy diets grow into stronger kids and better-adjusted eaters than those who are fed poor diets.
Many parents don’t realize that making baby food at home is [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="tweetmeme_button" style="float: left; margin-right: 10px;"><a href="http://api.tweetmeme.com/share?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.babiesonline.com%2Farticles%2Fbaby%2Ffeeding-nutrition%2Fhomemadebabyfood.asp"><img src="http://api.tweetmeme.com/imagebutton.gif?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.babiesonline.com%2Farticles%2Fbaby%2Ffeeding-nutrition%2Fhomemadebabyfood.asp" height="61" width="51" /></a></div><p style="text-align: left;"><em>By Cheryl Tallman and Joan Ahlers</em></p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Introducing solid foods is a very important step in your baby’s development and well-being. In fact, studies show that babies who are fed nutritious, healthy diets grow into stronger kids and better-adjusted eaters than those who are fed poor diets.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><img src="http://www.babiesonline.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/homemade-baby-food-a-fresh-start-to-healthy-eating2.jpg" alt="homemade-baby-food-a-fresh-start-to-healthy-eating.jpg" align="left" />Many parents don’t realize that making baby food at home is a simple and economical plan to provide your baby with the best in quality, nutrition and taste. It makes it easy for you to ensure your child gets the best start possible. Making baby food using fresh, all-natural ingredients has many benefits, including:</p>
<li style="text-align: left;">Increased nutritional value</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Elimination of additives</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Improved freshness</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Added variety</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Enhanced control</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Lower costs
<p align="justify"><strong>Increased nutritional value</strong><br />
Vitamins and other nutrients are critically important to your baby. For the next three years, your baby will experience rapid growth and development. It is essential that he be fed a healthy and nutritious diet to maximize his growth and development process.</p>
<p align="justify">Processed baby foods have added water, sugars and starchy fillers. While these products are not nutritionally bad for your baby, their use in baby food dilutes the nutrient content of the actual foods. To make matters worse, processed baby foods are cooked at high temperatures to kill bacteria, so they can be stored in jars at room temperature. Bacteria are not the only things that are eliminated in this process. Vitamins and nutrients are also destroyed. Many baby food manufacturers compensate for the loss of vitamins by artificially adding some of them back in after the food is processed.</p>
<p align="justify">When you make baby food at home, you can cook it quickly. This process not only preserves the wonderful color and taste of the food, but most importantly it maximizes the foods’ nutrient content for your precious baby.</p>
<p align="justify"><strong>Elimination of additives</strong><br />
Processed baby foods contain trace amounts of chemicals, including pesticides, herbicides and fungicides. Although the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved these chemicals, you may choose not to feed your baby products containing them. Buying certified organic produce (fresh or frozen) and preparing food at home eliminates agricultural chemicals from your baby’s diet.</p>
<p align="justify">In addition, many varieties of processed baby foods add ingredients that are not essential or beneficial to your baby’s diet. These can include ingredients such sugar, butter and salt. Most healthcare professionals will recommend you avoid the introduction of these foods until your child is much older. Homemade baby food is pure, wholesome food with nothing added that you did not add yourself.</p>
<p align="justify"><strong>Improved freshness</strong><br />
Have you compared fresh green peas to a jar of pea baby food? Even though they are the same food, they don’t look, smell or taste similar. While your baby does not have the refined palate of an adult, he does respond to taste, color and smell. With the enormous availability of fresh produce in your grocery store and the simplicity of making baby food, there is really is no reason he needs to be deprived of colorful, tasty, great-smelling baby food. And serving fresh food from the very beginning will help your baby be more open to tasting new flavors and types of food.</p>
<p align="justify"><strong>Additional variety</strong><br />
Processed baby food is developed for the mass market and, as a result, is limited in variety. Variety is key to a balanced diet and healthy living. Today’s grocery stores offer a tremendous variety of fresh and frozen fruits and vegetables. There is no reason why your baby should be limited by what food manufacturers consider the most popular foods. What’s more, preparing baby food at home enables you to add herbs, combine flavors, and easily introduce new textures, making your baby’s mealtime a pleasurable, gourmet experience.</p>
<p><strong>Enhanced control</strong><br />
As a parent, you want to understand and trust the ingredients in your baby’s diet. Similarly, you want assurance concerning the purity, safety, quality and consistency of such ingredients. Preparing baby food at home provides you with control of your baby’s diet and knowledge of exactly what goes into your baby’s food. The more involvement you have with what you are feeding your baby, the more likely you are to nurture healthy eating habits.</p>
<p><strong>Lower costs</strong><br />
Processed baby foods are expensive. The average baby in the United States will consume 600 jars of baby food. Parents who use processed baby food spend an average of $300 or more on baby food during their infant&#8217;s first year of life. Making baby food at home is extremely cost-effective, as foods may be purchased either in season or on sale. On average, baby food prepared at home can cost as little as $55 in the first year.</p>
<p>With all these benefits, you may think that it is difficult to make baby food, but it is a lot easier to make than you may imagine. Using fresh produce, a blender and set of ice cube trays, you can make food in quantity and freeze it in single servings. This means you only need to make food once or twice a week. Bottom line, it takes about 30 minutes a week. Here is a simple and easy recipe for a common first food:</p>
<p><strong>Sweet Potato Puree</strong><br />
2-3 medium to large sweet potatoes</p>
<p>Step 1: PREP &#8211; Wash, peel and chop sweet potatoes into one-inch (3 cm) cubes</p>
<p>Step 2: COOK – Place sweet potatoes and 2 Tablespoons (30ml) of water in a microwave-safe dish. Cover. Cook 8-10 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes. They are done if the sweet potatoes can be mashed easily with a fork.</p>
<p>Step 3: PUREE – Place sweet potatoes and cooking juices into a blender of food processor. Add ½ cup (60 ml) of water. Puree. Add additional ¼ to ½ cup (60 – 100 ml) of water, as needed, to develop of smooth texture.</p>
<p>Step 4: FREEZE – Spoon into (EDITOR: http://www.freshbaby.com/buy_our_products/trays.cfm &#8211; link for photo and link if you desire to use) So Easy Baby Food Trays or ice cube trays. Cover. Place in freezer 8-10 hours or overnight. Remove cubes from trays, place in storage container or freezer bag, and return immediately to the freezer.</p>
<p>Makes 24 one-ounce servings. Stays fresh for 2 months in the freezer.</p>
<p>To serve, select frozen sweet potato cubes from the freezer, defrost and warm, check the temperature and feed.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><em><strong>About the Authors:<br />
</strong>Cheryl Tallman and Joan Ahlers are sisters, the mothers of five children, and founders of Fresh Baby (</em><a href="http://www.freshbaby.com/" target="new"><em>www.FreshBaby.com</em></a><em>). Raised by parents who love fresh foods and entertaining, their mom, a gourmet cook, ensured that they were well-equipped with extraordinary skills in the kitchen. Both with long track records of business success, they decided to combine their skills in the kitchen with their knowledge of healthy foods and children to create Fresh Baby. Cheryl and Joan put a modern twist on the conventional wisdom that when you make it yourself, you know it’s better. Their goal at Fresh Baby is to make the task of raising a healthy eater a little bit easier for all parents. Fresh Baby’s breastfeeding accessories and baby food making supplies provide parents with practical knowledge and innovative tools to support them in introducing their children to great tasting, all-natural foods – easily and conveniently. Visit them online at </em><a href="http://www.freshbaby.com/" target="new"><em>www.FreshBaby.com</em></a><em> and subscribe to their Fresh Ideas newsletter to get monthly ideas, tips and activities for developing your family&#8217;s healthy eating habits! </em></p>
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