by Vera RaposoDuring my pregancy I didn’t really have the desire to have my pregnancy-photos taken, I really wish I would have made more time to get them done.

If you’re anything like me, you’re usually the one holding the camera. Make sure to give the camera to hubbie so he can get the shots you can’t.

Here is what I believe are the best pregnancy-photos that you need to have done. Ok, some may sound a little strange, but believe me you will love looking back on even the silly ones!

Read my list of must have pictures!

Photo #1
Of course the day you found out you were pregnant! There are lots of women who keep the actual pregnancy test… why not take a picture of it and that can go into your pregnancy album?

Photo #2
If you have children…. take a picture of their reaction to the news.

Photo #3
Don’t forget the picture of the surprised daddy!

Photo #4
Get hubbie to take a picture of you calling your family & friends. If you’re having a dinner party to announce the wonderful news, be sure to click away that night.

Photo #5
Get a picture of yourself infront of the doctor’s office on your first visit, even get one with your doctor.

Photo #6
The next time I would bring the camera is when you get to hear the heartbeat for the first time. What a moment to capture! That’s the best moment there is for a mom to be.

Photo #7
Time for some mugshots! Get a nice front shot of yourself, then turn to your side for a profile shot. Do this every month as your pregnancy progresses. Easy to do.

Photo #8
Do you know a friend who can take some pictures of you and your husband? Get some nice shots of your husband with his head on your tummy….putting the music to your tummy…. kissing your tummy…. I could go on and on. Very cute and loving pictures.

Photo #9
Repeat Photo #8, but insert your older children.

Photo #10
Did your older children make something for your baby? Take pictures of them with their proud creations.

Photo #11
Get at least one picture of your doctor measure your belly. This is something that us women do every month with the doctor and it’s so comforting that the baby is growing properly.

Photo #12
Waiting around for an ultrasound? Bring the camera, get a picture of you infront of the hospital. You know they will make you drink a ton of water, so you’re doing the dance anyhow. Bring the camera to keep yourself busy. If there’s no one there with you……you’re in your gown right? Get a nice shot of those swollen feet.

Have fun with your pregnancy-photos! Create your pregnancy album during pregnancy is alot of fun.

About the Author
Vera Raposo has been scrapbooking since her oldest child was 5. With tons of scrapbooking tips and ideas, Vera is now sharing some of her best scrapbooking ideas for your new baby in her newsletter www.baby-scrapbooking.com.

There are three main phases and stages of labor that you will hear referred to quite often when it comes time to deliver your baby. However, there is no reason to wait until you are in labor to learn about these phases and stages, what they involve, and what you should be doing during each one. The first stage consists of three phases, and the remaining two stages have just one phase each.

Stage One – Labor

Latent Phase
This first phase of the first stage of labor is called the latent phase, but can also be referred to as early labor, or just simply the first stage of labor. During this phase. your cervix will start dilating and you will be having contractions, and they are normally not painful and you are able to move around, talk, laugh and function through them as normal.

Some women, who want a more natural labor and delivery (and who choose to refrain from using pain relief), will choose to stay home during this first stage of labor where they are more comfortable and surrounded by familiar things. As long as their water has not broken, they may choose to take baths or showers, light candles, play music, or just sit and talk to their partner while they time contractions.

This phase of labor can last on average 8 hours, although it can also last much longer, or end much sooner. Your contractions will come between 5 and 20 minutes apart and generally last about 30-45 seconds. You should not be in a lot of pain during this first phase, or too uncomfortable. This phase ends about the time a woman reaches 3 centimeters dilated, which is when the contractions become more frequent and more intense.

Active Phase
This second phase of the first stage of labor results in your cervix dialating from 4-7 centimeters, and during this phase, your contractions will normally come between 2-5 minutes apart, and last up to a minute in duration. You will also start to feel much more discomfort and possibly more pain as the contractions become more intense as they help to push the baby down through your cervix. If they have not ruptured yet, this phase is the most common time for your membranes to finally rupture. The active phase can last an average of 3-4 hours, but can go on longer, or end sooner, depending on your body and your labor.

Transition Phase
The third and last phase of the first stage of labor results in your cervix dilating between 8 and 10 centimeters, and is the phase where your pain will be at its worst. During this time your contractions will seem to be coming one right on top of the other, and may last up to two minutes each in duration. During this stage the contractions are pushing your baby further down through the cervix, allowing his head to enter the vagina to prepare for birth. This stage normally lasts between 10 minutes and an hour.

Stage Two – The Birth of Your Baby
Stage two is the pushing of the baby out of your uterus through your vagina. Most women will find that they have a second round of strength as they begin pushing their baby. The contractions normally slow down giving a woman more time to catch her breath in between contractions. This stage can end relatively quickly, or can take several hours, depending on the position and size of the baby.

Stage Three – Delivery of the Placenta
This last stage of labor occurs after your baby has been born and normally lasts for a relatively short time. After the baby is born, the placenta should naturally detach from the uterine wall, following the baby out of the birth canal. The doctor will check the placenta for tears or problems that could lead to your uterus not contracting properly after the baby is born. It is important that your uterus contracts properly so that it can slow your bleeding and heal the area where the placenta was attached.

By David Chandler

Potty training, toilet training, toilet teaching or toilet learning are names frequently used to describe how kids learn to use the bathroom independently.

Children who are potty training or ready to potty train will:

by Danna Henderson

There are seven stages of potty training. They begin with showing signs of potty training readiness and conclude with being able to use the toilet away from home.

Signs of Readiness – The first stage of potty training begins when your child shows the following signs of potty training readiness:

• Expresses an interest in using the potty
• Irritated when diapers are wet
• Pull pants up and down by him or her self
• Stays dry for about two hours at a time
• Expresses the need to go potty (or indicate that he/she just has)
• Expresses an interest in cotton underwear
• Has predictable bowel movements
• Tries to imitate other family members

Introduction to the Idea of Potty Training – When your child shows a majority of the signs of potty training readiness, it’s time to introduce him to the concept of using the potty. This can be done by reading a potty training book as a bedtime story or watching a potty training video or DVD together. Purchase a potty chair> and let your child watch you use the potty. Children will often imitate family members.

Sit On the Potty – When your child has been introduced to the concept of potty training, he will probably imitate family member and sit on his potty chair while you use the bathroom. This is a good time to teach good hygiene such as wiping and washing hands after using the potty.

Use the Potty Sometimes – Be sure to give your child plenty of liquids and take him to the potty every 30 minutes. This will help build muscle memory. The VibraLite Watch can make potty training reminders fun for your child. The first time your child uses the potty, make a big deal of his huge accomplishment. A hug, encouraging words, or a small treat can be good motivational tools.

Use the Potty Alone – As your child gets more comfortable with the potty and his ability to control his bodily functions, he will go to the potty by himself. He will then come tell you about it. Again, this is a time for lots of praise and encouragement.

Transition to the Toilet – When your child is comfortable using his potty seat, it’s time to transition him to the toilet. Many children are afraid of falling in, so you may need to purchase a toilet seat adapter such as the Flip-N-Flush. This device reduces the size of the toilet hole, thereby making you child feel more secure.

Use Potty Away From Home – The last stage of potty training occurs when your child is able to use the potty away from home. Thankfully, there are many portable and disposable toilet seats available to keep your child from touching public toilet seats.

Some children breeze through the seven stages of potty training in a matter of weeks while other’s take several months. Your child’s progress depends on his or her stage of development, your potty training knowledge/actions, as well as the potty training products you have available.

Copyright © 2004 ZIP Baby. All Rights Reserved.

Danna Henderson
ZIP Baby
101 Convention Center Drive, Ste 700
Las Vegas, NV 89109
www.zipbaby.com

About the Author
Danna Henderson started ZIP Baby in order to provide parents with comprehensive potty training information as well as a large variety of potty training products. For more information about potty training, visit the ZIP Baby Potty Training Store.

What woman doesn’t like shoe shopping? When a woman has a baby it just gives her an extra reason to go to the mall. When should you buy shoes for your baby, when do they need to wear them, and what should you look for? There are many things to keep in mind when it comes to shopping for your baby’s feet. Here are a few.

Are Shoes Needed
Until your baby has learned how to walk, he doesn’t necessarily NEED shoes. Shoes are great to have to make an outfit complete, or for pictures, but as a daily need it is not a must for most babies or their parents. As your baby learns to walk most pediatricians still suggest not putting shoes on their feet. The muscles on your baby’s feet only gain strength as they are used, and if your baby learns to walk with shoes on, he is not strengthening those muscles. When your baby is learning to walk and you are going to be out of the house putting shoes on his feet to protect them is a good idea, but he should still be allowed to walk around barefooted while at home.

What Should You Look For?
There are many things to remember when it comes to getting the perfect pair of shoes for your baby. Getting a good quality shoe is very important because the development of your baby’s feet is a constant ongoing process. There are certain details to look for when looking for a good quality shoe.

• The shoe should be made of breathable material (like leather) instead of plastic
• Sole should be bendable at the ball of the foot
• Should have cushioned insoles
• Feel for irregularities inside of the shoe
• Flat heels for babies and toddlers ONLY

Shoe Size
The size of shoe you buy is important as well. Just like clothing where one brand might be bigger than a different brand in exactly the same size, one shoe labeled as a three from one company may fit like a size two or a size four. When it comes time to measure your baby’s feet for shoes, measure them in the afternoon, when all of our feet are naturally more swollen than they are in the morning. If your baby’s shoes are a half an inch long on him it is ok because it will give his feet room to expand and move around some as he is learning to walk, run and jump. The width of your baby’s foot is just as important as the length. Some baby’s naturally have wider feet than others so make sure the shoe you pick out works widthwise as well as length wise before sending your baby out in the world in it.

Flat Feet
You may hear from friends or relatives something about your baby having flat feet and concern about how to buy shoes to help the feet develop an arch. The truth is that all babies are born with flat feet and that in most cases an arch will naturally develop as his muscles strengthen. Don’t buy shoes that have an arch built in as an effort to help your baby’s arch form. If you are really concerned about the development of your babies feet ask your pediatrician at your baby’s next well-check.

It is time to start giving your baby more than just breast milk or formula. It is time to introduce him to the wonders of REAL food, stuff he has to “chew” on and actually swallow. When you go to the baby section of your local store though you are faced with rows and rows of baby food, in all different flavors, sizes, and numbers. How do you know which food to choose and where to start?

Stage One
When you first give baby food to your infant you will start with the stage one foods, normally this will start with cereal. Baby food companies make cereal that comes in thin flakes, that expands slightly when formula or breast milk is mixed with it; much like instant potato’s that you can buy in the grocery store. When you first start on cereal you will want to use a very small amount of flakes and a lot of liquid making it only slightly thicker than the breast milk is by itself. As your baby gets used to the swallowing of this thicker food, you will gradually add more cereal. Most pediatricians suggest that you start with rice cereal, but if you are unsure, be sure to ask at your baby’s next well-check.

After your baby masters the stage one cereals you will move onto the stage one packaged baby food. This baby food is finely pureed, chunkless food made from fruits and vegetables that help introduce your baby to these healthy lifestyle choices. While finely pureed, it is still much thicker than the breast milk or formula that you are giving your baby. Most of the time it is recommended that you start with the vegetables and give each vegetable for one for a week, before introducing a new vegetable to your baby. This is to help determine if your baby is allergic to any of the food. Also, vegetables are less sweet than fruit and will often help you avoid a situation where you baby only wants the sweeter foods.

Stage Two
Stage two baby foods are thicker, less pureed versions of the stage one foods. They contain a little more texture to help the baby get used to lumps in their mouth. They also expand on the fruits and vegetables by mixing 2 or 3 together in a jar. At this stage some companies that make baby food may begin introducing more variety to include meats and pureed noodles.

Stage Three
By stage three your baby should be a pro at swallowing pureed food. Stage three baby foods are much chunkier than the earlier stages and often include 3 or more items mixed in one jar. For dinners they will normally include a meat and/or pasta dish with a vegetable. There will be your fruits and vegetables, and also a wide variety of “desserts” for your baby.

After the Stages
After the numbered stages of baby food your baby is normally ready to be introduced to table food. They should be able to eat small pieces of cut up meats, veggies and pasta, and may even be able to feed themselves. There are still options that give baby variety however, that you don’t have to cook. Gerber makes food called Gerber Graduates that will be meals of non-pureed, single serving, baby sized portions that can be taken with you and eaten straight out of the package or heated up for your baby. These choices for parents are great for convenience purposes or on the go.

Other Options
In addition to the baby food on the market, there are several different versions of baby cookies and biscuits’ designed to help your baby learn how to hold food and chew it. These are called finger foods, and are generally dissolvable and easy to hold. When babies get the pincher grasp down and are able to chew on food a little bit more, a popular choice for a take along snack are original, plain cheerios. They can easily go in a bowl or baggie and be thrown in the diaper bag to be taken with you to friends, relatives, shopping, or out to dinner. Once your baby graduates from a diet strictly of breast milk and formula the choices for nutrition are huge and never-ending. Be sure to keep the options open and choices interesting as your baby learns more about the world around him.

By Lily Carter

From birth to one year your baby will go from crying to cooing to talking. Those are amazing milestones for your baby to accomplishment in such a short period of time as he develops his speech and language skills.

Keep in mind that these stages of your baby’s development are broad and that no baby will fall exactly within the timeframe of these expected milestones.

One month: Your baby will understand speech long before he begins to speak. From birth he will look at your face and listen to your voice. He will make a small range of noises that will start to mean something to you, such as his way of exhibiting hunger or pain. These noises will include crying and certain sounds that your baby makes while he is breathing. When your baby is feeding he will make sucking noises and sound of contentment.

Your baby’s cry is an important way for him to communicate. Crying lays the foundation for speech as your baby learns to control the air that comes from his lungs and learns how to use his vocal cords. Crying is your baby’s way of telling you that he is hungry, upset, or cold. By listening carefully to your baby and responding to his cries you are letting him know that he is important. This is how your baby first learns to communicate with you.

Two months: Your two-month old baby is starting to pay more and more attention to his world. He will be fascinated by the sound of your voice and will follow it around the room with great concentration. The different tones of you voice will keep him interested for short periods of time.

Your baby will respond with a variety of cooing sounds, vowel-like sounds, and sometimes some consonant sounds such as a “k”. You will find that your baby has quite a collection of cooing sounds that she uses to communicate with you as well as discover how to use the sound of her own voice.

Talk to your baby as much as possible to encourage her cooing response. Look directly into your baby’s eyes to show that you are listening. This helps to establish signals of communication between the two of you.

Three months: Your baby will recognize your voice and will turn towards you when he hears you talking. He will be starting to laugh out loud and will often startle himself until he learns that he is the one making the sound. Your baby will be making sounds such as “ahhhh gooo”. He will squeal when he is happy and content, again often startling himself as he learns his own abilities.

Continue to talk to your baby as much as possible, as well as sing to him and read him stories. The more you communicate with him and let him know that you are listening the more he will attempt to communicate with you.

Four months: Your baby is learning more and more ways to communicate with you. He will be smiling spontaneously at everything around him. His soft babbling will have an almost singsong sound to it, often ranging into a high pitch that delights him as he learns to like the sound of his own voice. There will be lots of repetition to the sounds that your baby makes.

Make sure that you respond to your baby’s “oohs” and “ahhs” with your own voice tones. This is your “chat time” with your baby and you should take advantage of these chatty times as he learns what conversation is all about. Your baby may also be starting to let you know when he’s not in the mood for talking with you. He will turn his head in the other direction and may put his arm over his face. He may be showing signs of anger or frustration by crying out, especially if something is taken away from him.

Five months: Your baby is becoming better at communicating. He may start to mimic sounds and gestures which allows him to express his needs. He’ll be able to let you know if he’s happy or sad. When your baby wants attention he’ll start to babble until you respond to him. If you respond to his cooing, laughing sounds he’ll repeat his noises often because he knows that he can get your attention this way.

Your baby will now be watching your mouth when you talk. If you talk to him from across the room he’ll be able to locate you easily. He is learning to control his vocal sounds as watches your response to his sounds.

Six months: Your baby is now using consonant-vowel combinations. He has discovered his image in the mirror and is probably having conversations with his new “playmate”. Your baby’s language is becoming much more precise. There are several ways that you can help him to continue to develop his language skills by:

• Speaking clearly, slowly, and accurately.�
   
• Identify objects as you say their names.�
   
• Use short sentences.�
   
• Use repetition when singing songs and nursery rhymes; the repetition will help him to learn.
• Read as often as you can to your baby, asking questions about the pictures in the books so that your baby is interacting with you.�
   
• Never talk “at” your baby, let him respond in his own way.

Seven months: Your baby continues to learn how to use his language skills. He has learned how to wave goodbye and may accompany his wave with babbling sounds. He can say “mama” or “dada”.

Eight months: Your baby is playing games such as pat a cake and peek-a-boo. Even though he can’t speak the words that belong to these games, he can babble and talk to himself. Your baby understands the word “no” means, even though he doesn’t like hearing them?

Nine months: Continue to play lots of games with your baby, especially those games that involve singing. Your baby is responding to small sentences, such as “Take mommy’s hand.”

Ten months: Your baby’s language skills continue to develop. He is using his own gibberish language to interact with you and have a conversation.

Eleven months: Your baby can now say short, one syllable words such as “bye” and continues to talk in his conversational gibberish language. There are several ways that you can help your baby as he learns and practices his language skills:

• Talk often to your baby using simple words to identify objects in his life. Name trees, numbers, colors, and animals as you take your baby for a walk. Use your baby’s name as often as you can so he starts to recognize it.
• Be patient and listen when your baby talks to you. Respond to his talk in a positive way, often repeating one or two of the words he has used correctly.�
   
• Introduce concepts to your baby, such as the “big” dog or the “little” mouse.�
   
• Give your baby time to get his words out; don’t be tempted to complete sentences for him.�
   
• Continue to read to your baby as much as possible. Reading should be part of your daily routine.

Twelve months: At the one year mark your baby’s language skills are continuing to progress as he discovers more and more about the world around him. Before you know it your baby will be talking non-stop as he masters his language and vocal skills.

About the Author:
For More Honest Parenting Advice, Information, Tips, and Product Reviews go to www.babytownsite.com today!