One parent saying ‘yes’, one parent saying ‘no’

Being a new parent is difficult work, especially in the beginning, where everything is so new and you don’t know which advice to listen to. Parents, friends, colleagues always try to help with tons of advice, but sometimes new parents should be left on their own so they can discover their own rules about how to bring up their baby in the world. 

Mum’s rules

Usually mums are more strict about what baby can or can’t do, and new mums start quite early to teach their baby about the new rules in their home.  For example not touching cupboards in the kitchen or not playing with plants. Saying ‘no’ for bad things and saying nice words for good is a useful learning practice for baby. Unfortunately some babies at the beginning might do those prohibited things even more often, but later they will get used to the fact that mum is always strict about some rules. It’s very important to be consistent so the child is not confused.       

Dad’s rules

Dads are usually very proud of their first child and want to always be the perfect dad. Every dad is different obviously but most of them usually allow their children to do more naughty things than mums. Their view about bringing up their baby is not strict, as their baby should try everything by touching or smelling or even breaking things. Sometimes that makes the dad appear  to be the more fun parent and therefore is more popular. 

The same rules for all

Every child should learn rules so their life is getting easier later in school. Also, that helps both parents to follow the same rules and the atmosphere between them is calm and nice. It’s very healthy for baby to have consistent rules.

This article was written by Personalised Baby Gifts UK.

PersonalisedBaby Gifts UK has a great range of personalised gifts for parents and other family members, such as personalised leather wallets, engraved jewellery and much more.

 

We have loads of articles with tips on parenting, from travelling with a baby to choosing a baby’s name. And once you’ve chosen your baby’s name, why not have it embroidered onto their bib, or printed on a personalised clock for the nursery.

 

 

Pets for children – how to choose?

Having pets at home is a good experience for children which helps them to learn responsibility and to learn a good caring attitude towards animals. Before you make this important decision you should do the research and consider what size a pet you can afford to keep in your house or flat and check how to care for your chosen pet. Also, it’s really important to choose insurance for your pet.

Big or small?

It’s a good idea to start with a something small and easy to keep at home. A good example is a rabbit, guinea pig, a mouse, rat or hamster. These pets are generally cheap to keep and also entertaining. You have to only keep them clean, fed and water them and then have great fun with them.
It’s good to do the research about food and special requirements for winter as some pets like a warm and sheltered place when is cold and frosty.

Some of the most common pets are cats and dogs. Cats are safe and easy for a toddler to handle but parents should introduce a child to how to care about a cat, how to feed and how to play safely. Dogs need more daily care as they should be taken for a walk a minimum of once a day and they need some training as well. We need to think about who will take care of that, especially at winter time. Quite often, dogs are the best and reliable ‘humans’ friends and usually there is a strong relationship between dog and family.

Children often like specific animals which they can see in a zoo but they want something cute and cuddly as well. Parents should do the research and make the best decision. It is possible that the exciting time with pets will pass and parents need to accept that they will need to take over. Whatever your decision will be, consider what expectations of a pet your child has or who will look after the pet when you are on holiday.  



This article was written by Personalised Baby Gifts UK.

Looking for a perfect Christmas gift? We have a great range of gifts that can be personalised for no extra cost. Visit Personalised Baby Gifts UK to browse our online store.

We also have some lovely items for mums and dads, to help cheer up the exhausted new parents! 

Personalised Baby Gift Ideas

If you want to give a gift that is truly unique, then a great way to ensure this is to create something personalised. Here is a list of our most popular personalised gifts for babies.

Personalised Traditional Piggy Banks

 

We all remember our first piggy bank and the bubbly excitement when we fed a coin through that little slot and then shook it to hear the coins jangling around inside. These days moneyboxes come in all shapes and sizes, everything from square boxes to ceramic spheres, even to carousels complete with photos. But the traditional pink pig shaped piggy bank remains an all time favourite.

Personalised albums and frames

The reason personalised albums and frames make such great gifts is that the gift itself is only the beginning of the personalisation. The photos inside are what makes this kind of gift truly special and treasured. It’s perfect for newborns as an album can be used as a place to document the baby’s first few days, weeks and months of life in this world.

Engraved Trinket Boxes

 

One look at these and it’s immediately clear why they’re so popular. The classy, simple design and elegant design make this an elegant and attractive gift. And on top of that they’re practical, as babies first tooth or lock of hair can be stored safely – better than in a little plastic jiffy bag!

For loads more ideas about newborn baby gifts, visit our main site.

Surviving a Newborn – 3 tips for mums and dads

Having a baby is probably one of the most life changing experiences you can go through – everything changes, including your lifestyle, attitude and priorities. These changes can be overwhelming, and advice can be coming thick and fast from all directions – but don’t panic! Everything’s going to be okay. Just follow our tips for surviving a newborn…

Don’t try to be a supermum / superdad

Trying to be perfect every second of every day is a futile goal and is only going to result in stress and possible breakdown. Being perfect simply isn’t possible, and setting realistic goals (like making it to the end of the day) will be much more fruitful than being unrealistic and then feeling like a failure.

Your baby is much less fussy than you are, and will love you as long as you give it affection, food and safety. It doesn’t give two hoots whether it’s wearing a spotless designer onezee or a stained pillowcase.

Don’t expect to be overwhelmed with love at first sight

This is a great cause of anxiety from new parents. Hollywood has painted an unnatural picture of parenthood as being all flowers and perfume, with mums and dads taking one look at the little screeching bundle that pops out and falling instantly in love. But real life is not like that and quite often the bond doesn’t immediately spring into existence. It takes time for parents and child to build a loving relationship, so don’t panic or think you’re doing something wrong is all you feel is exhausted and grumpy. It will come.

Don’t forget about yourself

Newborns are demanding little nuggets and if you’re not careful you can find one will swallow up every minute of every day. But remember that you had a life before it turned up, hopefully with friends, hobbies, that kind of thing. Some people think that giving up your life to tend to your child is the greatest sign of dedication and commitment, but actually it’s not healthy. Instead, having time to yourself and different (non-baby) activities to stimulate your brain will make you more refreshed and appreciative of your time with the little one.

Personalised Baby Gifts UK has a great range of personalised gifts for parents and other family members, such as personalised leather wallets, engraved jewellery and much more.

Organising the perfect baby shower – when, where, how, what and most importantly – why

Whether you’re organising a baby shower for yourself or someone else, this guide will help you get everything organised and give you some inspiration.

When – you need to decide whether to have the baby shower before or after the baby is born.

We think before is better as it means there is more focus on the mother – who will actually appreciate it – and she’ll be able to concentrate on enjoying herself, rather than having one eye on the baby or one ear out for when it starts to gripe.

Where – having a baby shower in someone’s home can be more cosy and relaxing, but don’t forget that then someone has to prepare and clean up afterwards.

Using a restaurant or café might be more expensive, but then the catering and tidying is taken care of. In either case, if the guests can chip in, it will make things much more manageable.

How – themes are very popular in baby shower.

You can get all kinds of decorations such as personalised helium balloons, banners and even outfits – imagine dressing up in a full Victorian dress! It’s customary to bring gifts to a baby shower as well, which may range from anything from engraved trinket boxes to classic personalised piggy banks to practical items such as personalised pillowcases and towels or embroidered clothing.

What – Eat, drink and make merry!

As well as giving gifts, baby showers usually involve baby themed food (such as tiny sandwiches, cupcakes or miniature pizzas), interesting non-alcoholic drinks (such as fruit juice cocktails with umbrellas and foil sprays) and baby themed games (such as Baby Shower Charades, pin the safety pin on the nappy and baby questions and answers).

Why – don’t forget the most important thing about baby showers – the people.

This celebration is all about getting together to appreciate our loved ones and show them how important they are to us. Be patient about things you don’t agree on, stay relaxed and above all – have fun!

 

If you’re having or going to a baby shower, check out our fantastic range of baby gifts – there’s everything from bibs to door plaques to silver and crystal keepsakes.

Preparing a nursery - essentials

If you're expecting, you're probably starting to plan your nursery. But it can be baffling to try to figure out what you need and what's superfluous.

The most important thing to think about is obviously safety. If you have an old house and the room hasn;t been redcoretaed in a while, then you may need to strip the walls and repaint with a non-toxic paint. You can also take the opportunity to check our any low sockets or damage to the walls that needs to be filled in.

The next thing to think about is theme. Do you want something very simple and plain, or a very traditional classic style, or something modern. Or perhaps you want to go all our with an undersea or forest theme? Having a sense of what you'll enjoy will help you choose items that will go together.

Essential furniture includes a crib, a comfortable chair for nursing and rocking the little one to sleep, somewhere to keep toys and somewhere to keep all those cute little clothes. You may also want to include a changing station, with everything you need easily to hand.

Something you might not have thought of are blackour curtains. Babies don't fallow normal day / night sleep patterns, and being able to block out the sun at will can help both babies and sleepy parents get an important nap, whenever it can be snatched!

We have gorgeous name plaques for the front of nurseries and also personalised clocks to match a tange of themes.

Check out Personalised Baby Gifts UK for loads of beautiful and unique nursery decoration ideas.

Swaddling – what is it and why does it work

You may have heard of swaddling and there are lots of products out their especially for swaddling, but what is it, what’s the theory behind it and does it work?

What is swaddling?

Swaddling is when you wrap up a baby firmly from the neck down in a thin, light blanket with her or his arms tucked against her or his chest. Obviously  you don’t want to restrict their breathing or crush them, but a key factor is that the blanket must be quite firm and doesn’t easily unwrap.

The idea is to calm the baby and make them feel safe and secure.

What’s the theory behind it

It is believed that being tightly bound reminds the baby of the restricted space in the womb – the place that was safe and warm and lovely, before the baby entered the big wide (scary) world. It’s also said to help stop them thrashing around agitating themselves, and it can stop them being disturbed by the little twitches they make when they’re asleep.

Does swaddling work?

Swaddling is not a modern, fly-by-night trend, it’s an age old technique that’s been used since before people started writing books on babycare. Many people swear by it. However, some experts have raised concerns about some of the negative effects of swaddling, and others say it simply doesn’t work for them. At the end of the day, each baby is different, so you won’t know whether swaddling is going to help calm them until you try it.

If you have a newborn baby, why not drop by Personalised Baby Gifts? We have more articles with tips on parenting, from travelling with a baby to choosing a baby’s name. And once you’ve chosen your baby’s name, why not have it embroidered onto their bib, or printed on a personalised clock for the nursery.