baby - Tips for Buying Baby Gear

Buying baby gear can be a frustrating experience for new parents who want to have the best for the baby, yet they still have to watch their budget. They need to buy baby furniture, such as a crib or bassinet, a change table and a playpen. Parents also like to purchase a baby swing and a stroller for taking the baby for a walk. A cheaper alternative to a stroller is a baby sling where you can carry the baby comfortably and still keep him/her nestled close to you. Other supplies that you need include baby clothes. When you are buying for the new baby, just remember that although an outfit may look cute, you have to think about how comfortable the baby feels in it. Babies grow a lot in the first few months, so it is really a waste of money to buy a lot of outfits in newborn sizes. You are better off buying in the 3 - 6 month range at first. You will find that the baby will quickly outgrow even these. You also have to look at the material to make sure it won't shrink after the first wash. Also buying clothes that suit either a boy or a girl is a good choice, because the chances are great, the baby will grow out of it long before it is worn out. Then you can pack it away for the next baby. You have to decide whether you will start with a rocking bassinet or a full size crib. There are many bassinets combined with a playpen so this will save you money. Some bassinets convert into a change table and most of them are portable, making them great for travel. A crib is necessary for when the baby gets older, but for a newborn a bassinet is a good choice to make. You also have to look at bottles pacifiers, toys and later on a high chair. All of these come in many makes and models, but before you buy make sure that they are rated according to safety standards. Even with all this, you won't be allowed to take the baby home from the hospital without a car seat installed in the back seat. For this you need to look at ones that convert from rear to forward facing and that you can use a booster seat when the child gets older. Eric & Lisa Koshinsky make it easy for you to get clear, unbiased information so you can make informed purchases of baby gear. Visit greatbabygear.com today for info on everything from baby strollers to baby monitors. Article Source:http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Eric_Koshinsky baby - Baby, Wipe It Out - How To Reduce Your Baby's Exposure To Toxic Chemicals Maybe you use them to freshen your own hands up when you've been 'snacking' in the car on a run out? Or, maybe you just use them for their 'supposedly' prime purpose, to wipe and clean your little one's precious little 'tush'! But just what do you think you are wiping all over that softest of soft spots when you use a 'baby wipe'? Baby wipes, don't they just give you the impression that they are caring, gentle, hygienic, fragrant, the very 'essence' of the nursery...and ideal for keeping those tiny private parts clean, wholesome and safe! "Thank the powers" that this marvel of 'hygienic' technological innovation has been invented to save our poor babes from simply being flannelled down with warm soapy water! (Yes, you can detect a note of sarcasm!) For if you do think that baby wipes are a great invention you need to think again! Have you even seen the huge list of ingredients, usually printed in barely legible, microscopic detail on the side of most packs of baby-wipes? It's often alongside an acknowledgement by some supposed 'authority' that supports the efficaciousness of this wonderful product, along with claims "they are clinically tested", and that they are suitable for "sensitive skin" and so on...but one is prone to ask, by what standards? For if you take a closer look at that fine print, you will likely find some, or all, of these 'ingredients' listed on a pack of baby wipes: - Dimethicone - A known irritant to sensitive tissues, and can also cause tumours. - Propylene glycol - That's right you may have spotted this ingredient used in anti-freeze! - Methylparaben - a Xenoestogen known to mimic the sex hormone estrogen which can lead to precocious physical sexual development - and a chemical that has been found in 9 out of 10 breast cancer tumors! - Ethylparaben - The equally suspicious relatives of Methylparaben. - Propylparaben - Yet another of the nasty 'family' with the same dubious potential! - Numerous other 'synthetic' and questionable chemicals that have not been fully tested for safety. ...Plus, of course the odd 'soothing' and natural-sounding substance, which must be largely added to counteract the possible irritant potential of some of the other ingredients, one might guess! So what do you think is the risk of regularly (say 3, 4 or 5 times a day) wiping these chemicals over a babies most sensitive areas? Who knows? Certainly the testing for long-term human health and safety of many of the chemicals used in these products has never been anything like exhaustive, to date. Coincidentally (and to be quite clear I am not saying there IS a link, the research just has not been done...YET) but over the period since baby wipes have been around there has been an insidious rise in childhood cancers. In the US, childhood cancer rates rose in the order of a 1% per year from the early 1970's through to the mid 1990's. In other words childhood cancers had risen by almost 25% over that period! If not due to baby wipes alone, there is certainly a 'school of thought' that increasing environmental exposure to toxic chemicals may have been a major influence on this dramatic increase. You can do at least one simple thing to reduce YOUR own child, or children's, exposure to unnecessary chemicals risks. Avoid using the many products, like baby- wipes, so blatantly marketed as 'safe' and 'hygienic' choices for personal care but which are so purposely 'contaminated' with suspicious chemicals they could be doing more harm than good! In fact, why not go the 'whole hog' and make a choice to get closer to 'nature' and choose chemical-free body care products for all the family, containing only those natural ingredients known for hundreds, if not thousands, of years as genuinely good for the skin. By going natural and organic in your choice of personal care products (as you might have already done with your food) you will be protecting not only your own long-term health and well-being but that of your much-loved little ones, too!