Unique Babywear For New Tax Deductions

Congratulations! You have a new little tax deduction! Or maybe one is on the way. Either way, welcome to the club. There are so many good things associated with the arrival of a baby. Diapers, mini-vans, insomnia... Just kidding. Among the many truly wonderful things that a new baby brings, one of the most tangible is the new "deduction" entry on your Form 1040. Look here for an explanation of what a Form 1040 is... And if that isn't enough to scare you, click here for the 153 pages of IRS instructions on how to fill one out. The government has allowed several substantial tax breaks intended to ease the financial load of rearing a new citizen. You will find some really good guidance here:

Birth Of A Child And Adoption Tax Guidance - Kiplinger Magazine

Tax Tips For New Parents From H&R Block

But the excitement doesn't end there. If your little one arrived between December 17, 2007 and January 9th, 2008, they even qualify for entry into the Cutest Last-Minute Tax Deduction contest. And hey... If your little one is really as "absolutely adorable" as they are telling you, why shouldn't you cash in? Here are some other contests for your cutie:

Great American Photo Contest

Canon New Baby Photo Contest

Cute Kid Of The Year Award

Have baby... Win contest... Life is good.

But, before you get overly excited, remember that most experts estimate that the total cost of raising your little angel will top $259,000 by the time they finish college. ** sound of crickets** Fortunately, life is paid for in installments.

But, why worry about that right now. It is time to celebrate! Let your baby boast their rise in status with one of these unique onesie designs. These onesies are meant to make a statement.

Sorry, you still can't deduct the cost of purchasing clothes for your little one yet. But that is no reason to cut corners. Everything you purchase at DLG Babywear is unique and designed to let your little deduction stand out in a crowd and shine. Isn't that what life is all about?

Baby Heart Monitors

At first we were so excited about the prospect of being able to hear the heartbeat of our unborn child. Like many new "parents to be" our enthusiasm exceeded our patience to research and we spied a convenient "solution" at a maternity clothing store. We ended up investing over $50 for our prenatal heart monitor thinking we would be able to enjoy listening to the sound of our child's heartbeat. The first time we used it we could not hear a thing. Well, actually you could hear alot! But, none of the crackling, swooshing sounds were remotely what we expected. We blamed it on ourselves thinking that we may be using it wrong. We reread the directions to find out what the problem could be. "Why can't we hear the heartbeat" we thought. The manual stated that the baby would have to be further along, about 5-6 months before we would be able to hear her actual heartbeat. We thought that a bit odd since we had already heard her little heartbeat so clearly at the doctors office.

Each night we waited with anticipation to hear her heartbeat and no matter how far along my wife got, there was nothing "babylike" to be heard. During one of our visits to the doctor, I mentioned this to him and he stated that only "Doppler" based listening devices would be able to accurately pick up the baby's heart sounds.

That was an eye opener. These Doppler devices are not cheap and you will not find them at malls or maternity clothing stores. If you are interested in buying or renting one, you might try here:

Stork Radio
Baby Beat

I thought to myself "Then how could a company get away with selling a monitor that supposedly picks up the baby's heartbeat?"

Well, our doctor ended up being correct. We never did actually manage to hear Olivia's heartbeat. Right up until the night before she was born, there was nothing but a very random "swooshing" noise coming from the monitor. I will say this though, the item we bought came with a connection that was actually a speaker. Erin would attach the speaker and lay it on her belly each night as she read to the baby. It was apparent that these little speakers actually worked because the first time I ever read to Olivia, she responded immediately because of the change in voice. You see, Erin had been reading to her for months each night. I decided that I wanted to get in on the action. When I started reading, Erin immediately exclaimed that the baby was moving in a way she never had before! We came to the realization that this things value was not in hearing the baby's heartbeat. We were communicating with our child in a more effective way. She could actually hear us! What an amazing experience.

So if you are wondering how effective the typical "store bought" heart monitors can be, we can tell you from experience that personally we feel that they don't really work very well at all. But if you are yearning for your baby to hear your voice more clearly, then our suggestion is to get one of those devices that actually allows you to beam beautiful vocal waves more efficiently into the womb so you can tell your child how much you love them and can't wait to meet them! And of course, savor the opportunity you get to hear your babies heartbeat at the doctor's office.

Here are a few more opinions you might want to consider:

Prenatal Monitor Reviews

Going Mobile

Erin and I agree that we want our daughter Olivia to develop to her full potential through positive stimulation. Intuitively we realize that stimulation is the catalyst for all manner of growth. We strive to provide an environment that will engage as many of Olivia's senses as possible in a rich and pleasant manner without overloading her.

Mobiles have long been the tool of choice to accomplish this objective when parents cannot personally provide their child with one-on-one stimulation. Data on the value of mobiles is very scarce. But our observations leave little doubt that Olivia finds them both entertaining and engaging.

We literally stumbled upon the "Soothing Serenade Developmental Mobile" one day when we were cruising "Babies R Us". This mobile from "Sassy" is designed to stimulate your newborn with familiar sounds from the womb, mixed with classical compositions of Brahms and Bach. Six celestial bodies hang from the mobile creating a soothing, yet colorful and texture rich, representation of the night sky. It creates a secure, welcoming atmosphere for your baby and develops infant cognition. Sassy's Soothing Serenade plays the selected sounds continuously for 15 minutes. At the end of the selection, the music gradually softens in volume until only the movement of the mobile remains and finally comes to rest, easing baby gently into sleep without the abrupt "stop" of most musical mobiles.

I could not find any information from the experts regarding the value of mobiles in promoting the development of infants. This was frustrating to me since I usually tell folks that I can find information on "anything" using web resources. Little did I know, at some point, I would become the web resource. So I will give you our observations.

This mobile pauses every few seconds to allow your baby to focus on one of it's hanging celestial bodies. Olivia definitely takes advantage of this pause to focus on one of colorful objects hanging from this mobile. I count that as a real positive. Sassy says this "pausing" action assists babies in developing "visual tracking" abilities. I do not know whether this pause helps Olivia refine her visual tracking skills, but I do know that the pausing action of this mobile is more engaging to her than continuous motion mobiles that lack this feature.

Erin and I agree that the high quality music, which fades to silence over time, and the pausing feature of this mobile make it our "best choice". This mobile's advertised features are more than a gimmick. Just be aware that this mobile is designed to be fastened between the vertical "bars" of a full size crib. If your baby sleeps in a bassinet or mesh equipped "pack and play", you will have to engineer an alternate method of mounting it.

Where can you get one? Try one of these retailers:

http://www.kidsstuff.com/n171mobile.html

http://www.target.com/gp/detail.html?_encoding=UTF8&frombrowse=1&asin=B000BV66P6

http://www.amazon.com/Sassy-784-Soothing-saranade/dp/B000BV66P6

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000BV66P6/yahoo-baby-20/ref=nosim

You will not regret purchasing this mobile. It gets two thumbs up from the Austin family.

How Well Can New Babies See?

"Look Dear, she is looking at me!"... "It must be that pink blouse. That seems to be her favorite color." The days after the birth of a newborn are generally filled with comments similar to these. We intuitively know by watching the babies reactions, or lack of reactions, that our baby's eyesight is not completely clear. Some bystanders will chime in, "Come on! Seriously... The baby's vision is blurred until they are six months old." This has been the conventional wisdom for many years based partly on a general lack of guidance from the medical experts. To a great extent, the majority of folks still subscribe to the opinion of William James, the great 19th century philosopher and psychologist, who argued that an infant's visual world amounted to a "booming, buzzing, confusion." But, we want to interact and bond with baby. So we hope and wonder how well our little one can see our faces and the wonderful profusion of colorful baubles that we surround them with. I will admit, you could not have convinced me that Olivia wasn't transfixed by my face when I softly spoke her name.

So what can an infant see? The answer to this question lies in the answer to two other related questions. 1) How far can the baby see? and 2) How clearly can the baby see? I did some research on these two questions and though there are a lot of varying opinions, even amongst experts, there is a general consensus that provides a reasonable response.

Let's consider the first question. How far can my baby see?

Generally, experts agree that newborns are short-sighted. They are pretty good at following the movement of highly contrasting objects that are no more than 7-12" away. Actually, their little eyes have all of the functionality and optical parts needed to focus perfectly on objects at any distance. However, the ability to control their focus is still in development. Let me explain.

The eye is able to focus on an image because tiny muscles called ciliary muscles change the eyes shape making it longer or shorter as needed. A good analogy is the way a camera lens lengthens or shortens to convey a sharply focused image onto film when we take a picture. An infant's eyes are perfectly capable as a lens at birth. It is the coordination of these ciliary muscles that is still in need of refining. Since these muscles are still developing and lacking a bit in coordination, the baby's eyes may either focus too close (in front of an object) or too far (behind an object). Now for the next question.

How clearly can the baby see?

We have already discussed that focusing, and more importantly accurately focusing, can be a challenge for young babies. The other factor that determines how clearly the baby will see is how well the brain processes the image. This is referred to as acuity. Images that pass into the eye are projected on the retina. The retina is a thin layer of neural cells that line the back of the eyeball. The retina is still incompletely developed in infants. For this reason, even though the optic components of the eyeball itself are capable of producing images in sharp focus onto it's surface, the retina and the neural pathways that are used to carry the images are immature and do not convey a clear image to the brain. This limits how clearly an infant can resolve the images the eye receives.

So how fuzzy is an infants vision? Most experts agree that in the first month of life, a baby can achieve visual acuity of about 20/120. In simpler terms, if babies could read, they would be able to read the big "E" at the top of a standard eye chart. Fortunately, this situation quickly improves. By 4 months of age, acuity has improved to 20/60 and by 8 months the babies nervous system has matured enough to improve acuity to 20/30.

So what's the bottom line? Babies have a real challenge in their early months focusing on objects. Especially those that are not viewed up close. However, a newborn infant can easily see many of the things that are most important to them and you. Hold them close in your arms and they will certainly be able to make out your eyes, lips and nose. They will also be fascinated by their own hands, fingers, feet and toes. And come to think of it, those are the very things we will be focusing on also.

Finally, what can I do to promote proper development of my baby's vision?

Check out the following links for facts about your infant's vision as well as things you can do to insure your baby has the appropriate level of visual stimulation:

http://www.ski.org/Vision/babyvision.html?id=10

http://www.webmd.com/content/Article/119/113496.htm

http://www.allaboutvision.com/parents/infants.htm

You probably have seen those black and white mobiles and toys that are being touted as "visually stimulating" to your baby. Are these items really more beneficial than other designs? We will discuss what we found in another post. So stay tuned.

Developmental Milestones

Livi found her feet this week. We are thrilled! It's the kind of subtle milestone that only a new parent can truly appreciate. Of course, changing time has become a real wrestling match since now she immediately goes for the feet as soon as they are exposed.

Every parent frets or brags to some degree or another about the development of their baby. The timeline associated with big events like, first words, first steps, or getting a full-time job are pretty easy to evaluate. They happen sooner or later for each child and because of the huge developmental significance each one represents most parents intuitively realize that there will be a fair amount of variation from one child to another in when they are reached. Of course, if the job thing isn't fairly well in hand by year 21, it may represent a valid concern.

It is in the earliest stages of a new baby's life that parents scrutinize every move or sound in an effort to comfort ourselves that their pride and joy is not suffering from some kind of developmental problems. We are very proud of Olivia's quick development. But, it is most important for all parents to avoid over-agonizing about what others may say, or what they might initially suspect is a developmental problem. What should you expect in a general sense as your baby progresses through their first few months? The following links will provide some credible and balanced guidance:

http://www.babycenter.com/general/baby/babydevelopment/6476.html

http://www.marchofdimes.com/pnhec/298_10203.asp

http://www.emedicinehealth.com/infant_milestones/page2_em.htm

http://www.yourbabytoday.com/heronline/newbaby/newbaby_pediatrics/ped_milestones.html

If you know of other links that are informative on this topic, please feel free to include them in a comment to this post.

What can you do to insure that your baby has the greatest opportunity to progress? The following are suggestions made in a report from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention:

* Talk to your baby. It is soothing to hear your voice.

* When your baby makes sounds, answer him by repeating and adding words. This will help him learn to use language.

* Read to your baby. This helps her develop and understand language and sounds.

* Sing to your baby.

* Play music. This helps your baby develop a love for music and math.

* Praise your baby and give him lots of loving attention.

* Spend time cuddling and holding your baby. This helps her feel cared for and secure.

* The best time to play with your baby is when he’s alert and relaxed. Watch your baby closely for signs of being tired or fussy so that you can take a break.

* Parenting can be hard work! Take care of yourself physically, mentally, and emotionally. It is easier to enjoy your new baby and be a positive, loving parent when you are feeling good yourself.

In all cases, if you feel that your baby has a developmental difficulty it is important to speak to your pediatrician. But, realize that in most cases, everything is just fine.

What else can we do as parents to help insure that our baby has the best chance to develop at their optimum pace? We will share what we found in a future post.

Caffeine And Breastfeeding

Lately Olivia has been really fussy around bed time. Erin also noted that Olivia was not napping as she usually did throughout the day and that she was crying more and more for no apparent reason. This set us to wondering, since she usually slips into dreamland without too much fuss or bother. Erin suggested that Olivia's fussiness might relate to her own recent decline in caffeine consumption. She wondered if our daughter was showing the irritability that you would expect of an adult that was suddenly "detoxing" from caffeine. Could it be true? Could the caffeine Erin was consuming actually be passing through into her breast milk? And if so how much of it was passed on and what affect might it have on Olivia?

We set off to do some research to find the answers to these questions. What we discovered was enlightening. It set the tone for our approach to all things consumed while my wife was breastfeeding. Here is what we found:

The amount of caffeine in five or fewer five-ounce cups of coffee will not typically cause a problem for most mothers and babies. In "Breastfeeding: A Guide For the Medical Profession", by Ruth A. Lawrence, M.D. and Robert M. Lawrence, M.D., the authors write:
"Caffeine ingestion has been singled out for discussion because it is a frequent concern, but the data provided in most reviews are misleading. With a given dose of caffeine that is comparable to that in a cup of coffee, the level in the milk is low (1% of the level in mother) , and the level in the infant's plasma is also low. However, caffeine does accumulate in the infant."

This would tend to indicate that moderate consumption of caffeine would not be a source of worry. However, other resources we found on the web (listed below) confirmed that babies may be more nervous and irritable, feed more frequently, and have sleep problems if the mother ingests a lot of caffeine while breastfeeding. This is because a baby's system is not as efficient as an adult's at ridding itself of caffeine, so it can build up and it's effect can be cumulative. Most of the enzymes that metabolize caffeine are not present in the livers of newborn babies. Because of this, all of the caffeine in their blood has to be excreted through the urine, which is a slow process.

Based on what we found, it is very unlikely that Olivia is experiencing true caffeine withdrawel jitters. But Erin does feel that based on the amount of caffeine she was accustomed to consuming, she and Olivia would both benefit from her cutting back. If you are concerned about the amount of caffeine you are consuming or it's effects on your baby, you should consider cutting back also. Remember, caffeine can be found in soft drinks, and some herbal teas and medications, in addition to coffee and tea. Chocolate contains theobromine which can act like caffeine in both the mother's and baby's systems. Also, keep in mind that if you do drink caffeine, it is important to remain well hydrated by drinking plenty of water and juices.

Want to do some further reading on this topic? Here are some links to consider:

http://www.aap.org/pubed/ZZZNIUQXQ7C.htm?&sub_cat=1

http://parenting.ivillage.com/newborn/nbreastfeed/0,,40tg,00.html

http://www.babycenter.com/refcap/baby/postpartumnutrition/4488.html

What else can pass to our babies through breast milk? Stay tuned. We pondered the same question and will share our research with you in future post.

What Is "Babywearing"?

The baby is finally home. The doctor's have all signed off, the relatives have gradually dwindled away home, and now it is just you and baby. There she lays. Waiting. Juuuusssst waiting. Waiting for what? To be picked up and carried to the mall of course. Okay, maybe it is to the supermarket, or the park. But, this simple reality can create a real dilemma for new parents. The baby has some pretty convenient handles by which to pick it up. But, carrying baby around for more than 20 or 30 minutes can be tiring and tedious. Strollers are great, but they can be tough to maneuver in tight or uneven areas. So how do you bring baby along wherever you are going without wearing yourself out? One very popular solution is referred to as "babywearing". What is it?

Babywearing is the act of wearing or carrying a baby or child in a sling or other form of carrier. Babywearing is far from new and has been practised for many years around the world by a wide spectrum of cultures. In the industrialized world babywearing has gained popularity, partly under influence of advocates of attachment parenting. Babywearing has become a popular and chic form of baby transport.

There are a lot of advantages to babywearing. Notice what La Leche League International says about babywearing in an article entitled "The Benefits Of Baby Wearing". This report impressed me as thorough and it made a lot of sense.

We asked a friend of ours that runs a small business creating baby sling carriers, why sling carriers have become so popular. She replied, "Wearing your baby in a sling promotes bonding between the baby and you. Babies are more comfortable when being held and are calmer. Having your baby in a sling versus a stroller allows your baby to see the world with you, and allows you to travel easier without the hassle of a bulky stroller. Your baby can sleep, nurse, be bottle fed, or just relax in the safety of a sling baby carrier." When I told Erin I was researching this topic, she informed me that she had learned from her own reading that babies that are "worn" actually develop more self-confidence and tend to be more independent and outgoing than babies who are relegated to strollers.

Want to do more research on babywearing? A good place to continue learning on the topic is at www.thebabywearer.com. Obviously, there are a lot of alternative methods of keeping baby close and involved while you carry on the day's activities. But clearly, babywearing has a lot of advantages.

New Baby Checklists

When Olivia was born, Erin and I set out on the daunting task to accumulate all of the items good parents need to have on hand to give baby a proper welcome. Well, left to our own imaginations, the list grew to enormous proportions. It seemed overwhelming when we tried to envision the amount of stuff we would have to buy.

Of course, there were a lot of folks that wanted to pitch in and purchase things as gifts for us. But, half of them wanted to tell US what we needed and the other half wanted us to tell THEM what we needed. We were confused. Where to start?

Well, I decided to see what resources the internet could provide and found that there were many suggested checklists to be found. Some of the better ones are referenced below. We have listed them in the order in which we ranked them. Our favorite down to our least favorite.

http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/babies-kids/new-baby-basics-1105/overview/index.htm

http://www.expectantmothersguide.com/library/EUSnursery.htm

http://www.thenewparentsguide.com/essential-baby-products-basics-twomonths.htm

http://www.dadstheword.com/baby-checklist.htm

http://www.uhealthy.com/baby-kids/baby-checklist.htm

Do you know of a good checklist that can be found on the web? Do you have items in mind that should be on "everyone's" checklist? Feel free to share it by posting a comment.

We can’t vouch for the other content on the sites. Some of them are definitely aimed at telling you what items you need, and then providing you with a convenient means to purchase their products to fill those needs. There are many other lists out there. But, we found these lists to be basically in line with what we found we actually needed during our first month or two after taking Olivia home.

Things you might be able to nix from these lists:

* Bottle warmers (hot tap water works as well without the risk of “hot spots”)
* Any bottles that say they are easier for baby to hold. These things are impossible to clean.
* Too many outfits for the 0-3 month size. They outgrow them faster than you can change them. It makes you feel guilty when you aren't able to show off all of the outfits. And please don't make a habit of dressing your baby in ill fitting outfits just because they are cute or new.

Things that few lists include, but we think are essential:

* A baby cabana (or equivalent) These little tents allow you to continue enjoying outdoor activities without worrying so much about bugs, sun exposure, etc. - See our review here
* A baby carrier or sling carrier. You will want to keep baby close and secure without wearing yourself out. - Find out about "baby wearing" here

One final note, do use a registry. The very idea of a registry seemed pretentious to me at first. But, as we talked about it, it began to make more and more sense. When registries are created using realistic expectations and good planning they make things easier for everyone invloved. Tips on creating an effective registry in an upcoming post...

Protecting Baby From Sun

Are you a new parent? Congratulations! So are we. Our little Olivia is just four months old and already we are astounded at how much the experience has taught us. Whoever said that "experience is the best teacher" must have had a lot of stressful moments and sleepless nights while school was in session. Of course, like you, we embrace this journey and relish each enlightening moment.

But, honestly, whenever someone takes the initiative to share a valuable tip or resource that makes raising Olivia easier or a more fulfilling experience, we really appreciate it. That is the purpose of our Blog. Sharing tips and information that we are learning from experience, found on the net, or that has been shared with us by a knowledgeable benefactor. Whether it be a better, gentler way to get baby's boogies out, or a valuable piece of info related to new products, we want to share it with you... So let's get started.

Erin, David, and I love the outdoors. We love to go picnicking, to the beach, and camping. So when Olivia was born we definitely wanted to initiate her to those kinds of activities as soon as possible. One of the things we worried about was how to keep the creepy crawlers away from our new bundle of joy. We also knew that it was important to protect her skin from the effects of overexposure to the sun. Of course, we knew we could not use any harsh sunblocks or bug repellant creams or sprays on her delicate new skin.

We found our solution in a product called the "Baby Cabana". The baby cabana has an SPF rating of 50+, which means Olivia's skin is well protected from the harsh effects of being out in the sun. It has openings on the sides to allow breezes to pass through and we find that it stays quite cool inside even at the beach when it is very warm and sunny. The door zips open wide to make it easy to move Olivia in or out even while still in her carrier. The cabana is so roomy that Erin has found it relatively easy to get inside it with Livi and even breast feed her while we are at the beach.

And talk about being easy to set up or take down! The entire frame is hinged and can be opened with a pull of one string. Once you are ready to go, just pull the same string while popping a couple of hinged joints and it collapses with ease and stores away in its own bag with very little effort. The Baby Cabana protects Olivia from wind, bugs, even curious pets, too! The side pockets hold sand to secure against the wind. Our cabana measures 42 1/2"H x 47W" x 47D".

How much can you expect to pay? Figure on spending between $35-$50. Where can you get your own baby cabana? Try any of the following links:

http://www.sunfriendlyproducts.com/cgi-bin/cart/items.cgi?category=Shadeproducts

http://dreamtimebaby.com/sunstopkwikc.html

http://www.safebeginnings.com/WebComponents/Catalog/Public/showproduct.asp?frg=FRG&id=423

http://www.kidsurplus.com/kelgar.html?gclid=CLak66e27YcCFRJWUAoddEM2iA

http://tinkertots.stores.yahoo.net/sunstkwcai.html

The Baby Cabana gets two thumbs up from our family. We think you will enjoy it too.

Do you have other solutions for protecting your baby from the harsh effects of sun exposure? Let us know about it in a comment.