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When considering purchasing an infant carrier, you’re going to be bombarded with tons of styles, and prices. Do you want a forward facing infant carrier, or a sling pouch? How about something that sits on your hip…or wait? What about a back carrier? And what the heck is the difference? Were going to explain to you the differences between these products, so you can make a decision that’s right for you, and your baby. You want a style that’s going to suit your body type, and your infants body type! Most infant carriers will adjust to fit any size parent and child, but you have many options and we can narrow some of them down.

Wraps, are a great starter infant carrier because they’re cozy and easy to use. They may look confusing, but they are versatile, and incredibly comfortable for both mom, and baby. When using a wrap style carrier, you have infinite possibilities for carrying your child and they come in many colorful colors and patterns. Wraps distribute the weight of baby to all parts so if you’re going to be carrying your little one around for awhile, the infant wrap will allow you to do so without a sore back! Wrap slings can also vary in price depending on the brand, but you can expect to pay around thirty, to seventy dollars per sling.

Feel more comfortable with baby hanging on your hip? There are hip carriers which allow you to position your infant directly on your hip. This style buckles at your waist, and shoulder giving you maximum support without killing your back. Many hip carriers are suited for infants and toddlers up to forty pounds, so you’ll get a lot of use out of this type of infant carrier!

Many moms choose the infant ring sling carrier when searching for the perfect product. Sling carriers don’t feature complicated snaps, and buckles and boost a ring that help you adjust for maximum comfort, and portability. Ring slings are becoming more and more popular so your options are endless as far as design, color, and pattern go. The ring sling cradle hold is ideal for breast feeding mothers, because it’s offers maximum privacy. Keep in mind the more fancy you go, the more you will pay for your ring slings while simple in design they can run over a hundred dollars depending on the fabrics, and metals used. Sling infant carriers should appeal to the mom who wants simplicity, but still wishes to have a comfortable carrier for their child.

Lastly, for the baby carrying enthusiast, who wants their little one as close as possible we recommend the infant pouch. During infancy this carrier can be used as a [what else] pouch type holder that nestles your little one in as snug as a bug. Once your infant grows more curious and wants to view the world, they can be adjustable work much like the wrap, or ring infant carriers work. When purchasing a pouch carrier be careful! Many look adorable and cozy, but you’ll find your child will just feel trapped, and uncomfortable in the long run. Check out our recommendations for affordable infant carriers, for more info! The pouch is the perfect carrier for the parent who find themselves on-the-go and are only using it to cart their child around for a short period of time.

Art Gib writes for many baby and parent online publications including HugaMonkey. With a lot of experience, Art is a great new family’s resource for topics including infant sling carriers. Visit http://www.hugamonkey.com/infant-slings-carriers for $25 infant sling carriers.

A baby sling is the most versatile of the infant carrier family, even though it’s only constructed of a single piece of fabric. It’s designed to go over one shoulder and around the opposite hip in a diagonal wrap to disperse the weight of the baby onto the carrier.

The strap is made adjustable by sling rings, which also supports the weight bearing down on the strap. Inside where a pocket has formed from the fabric is where the baby is cradled. A good quality baby sling will have padding in the shoulder and the rails of the sling to offer more support and comfort for the parent, it also provides more support for a newborns head and neck at an age where it’s most vulnerable.

Its unique design is ideal for nursing mothers and is also adjustable for when sharing with different sized people using the same sling. Yet not all of the sling models provide these features that make for the best sling. The baby sling comes in two different designs; the ring sling is sold as one size fits all and the pouch sling comes in different sizes since the straps are not adjustable.

The Maya Wrap Baby Slings are the most versatile and popular of the baby ring slings available. Besides its practicality, having an adjustable ring sling makes it very easy to use one sling for multiple-sized wearers.

The sling can be tightened or loosened with just a few changes to the rings placement on the strap. Sewn with 100% woven cotton which is cool and breathable, the Maya Wrap has a lightly padded shoulder for maximum comfort but minimum bulk.

The Infantino is the most popular of baby pouch slings, designed with security straps inside the pouch for an extra snug fit for the infant beyond the contoured shape.

The baby pouches appear to be the “training wheels” of baby carriers on today’s market. You cannot do anything more with this design other than put it on, slip the baby inside it and go.

There are few adjustments to make and therefore less to learn and nothing to adapt to when the baby’s weight and height gain become an issue. However pouches do have a look that many parents prefer for the privacy of the baby, as the edges completely encompass the infant to protect it from harsh weather conditions while being worn outside.

With any baby carrier, the most important thing to know is the position of the baby for the coziness of the parent. It is ideal for the baby to ride high and as tight to the torso as possible in order to guarantee the parents comfort.

In choosing a sling, you need the best fit for your body since the baby’s bottom should be somewhere in-between the parent’s navel and hipbone. Many of the slings, usually the pouch sling, do not come in multiple sizes. These carriers are being worn with the baby too low which will cause incorrect weight to disperse over the body.

The unpadded ring slings have lots of adjustability, being the easiest to get the baby high enough and tight to the body of the parent. Some pouches do adjust while off the body in order to be shared between different carriers of the sling.

The most important thing to consider in purchasing your sling is that you must achieve the perfect fit for you and your baby, no matter what type of sling you decide on.

Art Gib writes and contributes for many baby and parent online publications including HugaMonkey. Always on a quest for the best baby gear, Art can help point out the best baby slings for parents and baby. For more information regarding the best baby slings, visit http://www.hugamonkey.com.

Like thousands of other parents all over the world, your initial impression may be one of skepticism. But what many don’t realize is to teach their baby reading successfully is not only possible, it is highly likely - in fact, teaching your baby reading is much faster earlier in life than later, as her cognitive development is strongest in her first three years of life!

Teaching your baby reading at a very young age makes use of an opportunity for naturally learning language, inspiring the child to reach higher levels of language skill.

Also, because teaching your baby reading is one of the best ways to enable your child to begin learning independently, we encourage parents to start to teach reading at such a crucial stage in baby development.

Giving your baby reading opportunities stimulates your child’s brain, helping to develop the proper neural circuitry for reading. If you teach reading to your baby, you improve her chances in excelling later in life.

Children whose parents decide to teach reading before they begin formal education are shown to have higher self-esteem and confidence levels than those whose parents did not encourage baby reading. Parents who teach reading early on also agree - children are also more likely to excel in their school activities and enjoy learning more, since as a baby reading had already been consolidated, equipping them with the right tools early in life.

Studies also show that the opportunity to naturally teach reading to children begins to gradually decline around the age of four years, and acquiring these important skills becomes more difficult as the child grows, making learning a tiresome chore.

This means that teaching your baby reading at age five is to deprive him or her of the opportunity to discover the game of reading at the age in which it is best experienced - while the baby is still very young, when the brain processes its first concepts. Not only will it be easier for you to teach reading during your child’s early years, learning to read will also be more fun for your young one!

Is It Really Possible?

If the idea of your baby reading seems far-fetched to you, check out YouTube for Baby Reading Videos, where you can see babies reading before the age of one.

It is common knowledge that babies instinctively understand and learn to speak languages, so why not extend such rapid development to reading? Many experts suggest that if you teach reading to your baby, this also relieves the burden on him during his early school years, when he would otherwise have to learn both school subjects as well as literacy at the same time.

Teaching your baby reading at an early age can not only mean better grades, but also make school more enjoyable for them too!

Keep it Simple, Keep it Fun!

It is a common misconception that teaching a baby reading involves forcing your little one to endure lessons against her will, but in truth most - if not all - experts in the field of early childhood education repeatedly emphasize that if you teach reading to your little one, it should only take place in a loving and fun environment.

Your baby’s lessons should only be held when your child is receptive, and they should be stopped before your little one loses interest. If you are able to make learning exciting and enjoyable, you may find that your child will look forward to lesson times, and even seek to prolong them!

Introducing reading to your baby using different stimuli keeps things interesting and engages the right brain, which is dominant during the early years of life. Doing something as simple as incorporating sounds, colors and actions along with their written counterparts, parents have been able to teach reading to children as young as 9 months, with successful recognition of dozens of words!

As long your baby’s reading sessions are fun, your little one can more easily grasp the fundamentals of reading, during the most receptive period of his life. Before you know it, your child will be able to read at a level far exceeding the requirements of his school years.

Maddy is the editor for BrillBaby and BrillKids.
Why should you teach reading so early? Go to http://www.BrillKids.com to learn more.

Life with a newborn changes your life. Besides the exhaustion, and mood swings you are probably experiencing, you also have a fierce animal urge to spend every second with your child, even if it means sacrificing your sanity, and daily routine.

If this is the case, you may want to consider purchasing a newborn sling. Using a newborn carrier allows you both the intimacy and freedom you crave, by holding your newborn close to your chest, while at the same time allowing your hands to be free. Newborns are at peace swaddled tightly against someone because it reminds them of being in the womb and they feel safe. Allowing your new bundle of joy to mimic this act allows them to bond with you while hearing your heartbeat and breathing patterns, smelling your skin, and listening to your voice all while feeling safe and sound. Woman have been carrying their children in slings for hundreds of years, and it’s only now that we are finally catching up on the trend! These woman knew that newborns need the close comfort of their mothers, but they still needed to be able to forge for food, and tend to their homes. We don’t know how often you’ll be off skinning deer, but nonetheless your newborn sling will allow you more freedom than you can imagine!

When choosing a newborn sling, take your time finding one that fits you properly, and feels comfortable. Ideally your baby sling will have padded shoulder straps so that you don’t get any wear and tear carrying your little one all day, as well as padded head support for your bundle of joy. Practice putting on your newborn sling before the baby comes either alone, or using a doll prop. It may take awhile to master, but pretty soon you will be able to throw the thing on without so much of a blink, and you should be able to take it off with one hand. Another feature you may consider looking for is something that can be thrown directly into your washer and dryer; babies are masters of getting poo, pee, and spit up everywhere and you may find yourself washing your newborn sling a few times a week!

Positioning your newborn into their baby sling should not be a challenge [after all, you’re probably walking around in the sleep deprived haze that requires you not spend hours trying to position your new baby in a sling!]. Many newborn slings come with easy to interpret directions, and you just need to remember that your baby shouldn’t be stuffed in there - they do need room to breath! The ideal position for a newborn is in a reclining position, with head support that allows for easy breast feeding, while being comfortable enough for a long nap. Your newborn sling is the perfect baby-registry item, and they can range in price from thirty dollars, to over a hundred depending on how many features you want it to have so do your research before selecting one.

Art Gib has written many baby and parent themed articles and blog posts. Newborns are a special interest area and Art has become a fantastic resource for newborn topics including newborn slings. Visit http://www.hugamonkey.com/newborn-slings for $25 newborn slings.

A two way baby monitor helps parents, but before we delve into them, let’s begin with a short description of monitors so we are all on the same page. A baby monitor is used to check on a baby when you -the parent/watcher are not in the same room. It is very helpful to parents who can’t stay with their baby all day -and who can? The audio baby monitor is the most common type. This sends/transmits sounds made by your baby to you -the parent- so you can check up on them and ensure there are no problems. They consist of a transmitter in the baby’s room and a receiver with the parent.

So what is a two way baby monitor? It is a relatively recent innovation. It allows parents to talk back to their baby and it is a feature that many many parents love. In essence they give you two things: a way to check on your baby, and a way to continue parent-child bonding. Sometimes all your baby needs is to hear the sound of your voice and it will be soothed back to sleep or at least a calmer state…all without you having to sprint to the bedroom or wherever they are. It helps parents take back control of their daily life so they don’t have the constant shuttling back and forth. Note though that most parents use it judiciously and mix in “live” visits.

What is the difference between the two-way monitor and one-way monitor?

One-way monitors are just that one way. They only transmit sounds from the baby to the parents wherever they are in the house. However a two-way baby monitor lets parents talk back to their child. In this case each unit of the monitor is both a receiver and a transmitter…like a walkie talkie.

What are the major benefits of getting a two-way monitor?

There are several: obviously parents can make sure their baby is safe by monitoring for any problems (while they get on with all the stuff you have to do these days), but this also lets them be less frenetic because they can pick up the transmitter and soothe the baby and then continue what they were doing. Plus it gives them a mechanism to bond with their child by talking to them using the transmitter with minimal disruption.

This two way feature is a boon to parents who have kids with separation anxiety as the familiar sound of their voice can often be enough to reduce a tantrum, pacify or simply settle them down. Again parents who are in the middle of work, chores or even resting (!) can easily talk to their baby without physically being in the same room.

Think about bonding and the use of your time. A two way baby monitor can definitely help the parent and child bond, despite the distance. Parents use them to sing lullabies or read stories or simply talk soothingly while they are off doing other things around the house. And as most parents know, children often need the reassurance that they are under supervision and are safe and that can be very demanding if you have to go to their room every time they “demand” it. That knowledge that you are “there” can be very calming for a child.

A two way baby monitor gives the parents peace of mind and it reduces stress/anxiety on the child while reassuring them they are safe and secure. Sometimes a familiar voice can make all the difference in the world.

Clearly the Number 1 priority of most parents who have baby monitors is safety of their children. But a two way baby monitor can give not only that, but also bonding and an ability to lead a more normal life. It is not surprising many parents are opting for a two way baby monitor.

Baby monitors sounds such a simple topic doesn’t it? But there are many different styles, variants and flavors for you to consider. Find out more
HERE

It used to be pink for girls, blue for boys. But those days are long gone and today anything goes when decorating a baby nursery. With all the excitement of bringing a new born home, getting the nursery prepared before hand is a must. This job can be challenging because there are so many choices today and not only do you and your significant other need to agree but you want to consider how your baby will fit into all this.

Since you do not need to go with the old days of pink or blue, you also want to somewhat fit the colors into your homes decor. And there are so many colors and patterns in the stores that it can be overwhelming. But all in all it can be very fun and rewarding.

There are not only a vast array of colors but also many styles and fortunately, many price ranges to suit your budget. No matter what, you can arrange to create an adorable room ready to greet your little one.

To make things work effectively you will need to have a plan and a timetable of what you want. This isn’t like the time you decided to redecorate the family room and it took you over a year to just decide what sofa and colors you wanted. This baby is going to be here in about 9 months so you need to get moving. The first step is to decide what theme you want which would include the color scheme.

There are plenty of items on the market that are standard but popular. You will find that Winnie the Pooh or any Disney character is readily available. Also, you can find other themes like ducks, bears, bunnies, or any other animal. If you want to create your own theme you could start with alphabets, rainbows, shapes, you name it and you can find it somewhere. You can also choose almost any color, you don’t need to go with what is out there. Go to your local paint store and you will find plenty of color samples. Once you decide on one, you can paint the walls and maybe a piece of furniture. If your color choice is not available in sheets or accessories you can find something that complements it or just go with pure white.

If you use your imagination you can definitely come up with a lovely theme of your own and one that no other baby has. Along with the theme and color scheme is of course furniture. There is such a variety of styles and prices to choice from. You can find cribs that grow with your child, remember they will not be in a crib for very long. There are cribs that convert to toddler beds and even into a twin size bed. You will also want to check out dressers and changing tables. Don’t forget a rocker or some other comfortable chair for those late night feedings or just for cuddling and reading. Every nursery must have a diaper disposal system and there are many styles and brands to choose from!

There are also several web sites to assist you in finding the right products to fit your budget along with tips and ideas. No matter what theme, colors, style or price range you will find getting your nursery ready will be a great adventure.

This author is a HUGE fan of Baby nursery