Tips & Tricks

A Trending List Of Gender-Neutral Names For Babies

February 5, 2020 by Jessica Moore Leave a Comment

Expecting a baby soon? You know that trying to decide on a name you both like can be tough! One of the newer things in the baby world is using gender-neutral names. There is more than one reason for this, but many parents believe it makes naming baby easier. Check out our trending list of gender-neutral names for babies, and see if you agree.

Why Gender-Neutral Names?

What exactly does it mean to be gender-neutral? Basically, anything that can be used for either a girl or a boy is gender-neutral. These days, this extends from clothing and nursery gear to toys and baby names. Choosing a name for baby is just one of the ways you need to prepare. Here are some more tips to help you prepare for baby’s arrival.

Why choose a gender-neutral name? Different parents have different reasons for this. Some parents don’t want their baby to grow with a forced set of “rules” that sometimes come naturally from being pre-perceived as either male or female. Other parents want to be surprised by their child’s sex at birth. So they consciously choose a name that will fit either a girl or a boy to make things easier on themselves. And some parents just like to be original! Whatever your reason, this list of gender-neutral names for baby is worth a look.

20 Trending Gender-Neutral Baby Names

Hayes
Hayden
Chase
Jordan
Carter
London
Parker
Morgan
Alexis
Payton
Quinn
Rylee or Riley
Rowen or Rowan
Ariel
Avery
Blake
Charlie
Finley
Taylor
Sawyer

25 More Gender-Neutral Name Options

Logan
Harper
River
Skyler
Dylan or Dillon
Emerson
Brooklyn
Jayden
Cameron
Easton
Addison
Ainsley
Andy
Aspen
Drew
Brady
Marley
Maxwell
Payson
Oakley
Sloan or Sloane
Winter
Greer
Hadley
James

Considerations For Choosing A Gender-Neutral Name

If choosing a gender-neutral name is tough, remember that baby’s middle name could be more gender-specific. Think about nicknames. A gender-neutral first name could be modified with a nickname that’s more girly or boyish, and then your child can choose what he prefers to use as he grows.

Nutritious Homemade Baby Foods That Are Easy To Make

January 29, 2020 by Jessica Moore Leave a Comment

When it’s time to start feeding baby solid foods, you can buy them pre-made if you like. But that isn’t the only option! Do you know you can make nutritious homemade baby foods right at home? It’s easy to do, and it’s going to save you money. Are you ready to learn more?

Nutritious Homemade Baby Foods

Homemade baby foods aren’t difficult. With the right tools, you can make some of them fresh for every meal, in just minutes. You can also prep ahead of time, and refrigerate for a day or two, or freeze for later. There are definitely options. Here are the tips and tricks you need to know to make delicious, nutritious homemade baby foods yourself.

Fresh fruits and vegetables are always an option for homemade baby food, but it isn’t the only one. It’s perfectly acceptable to use fruits and vegetables frozen or canned in their own juices. Don’t use those that are preserved in heavy syrups–that’s way too much sugar for baby.

Making homemade baby food can be simple, or it can be more involved. It all depends on what you want to do. An easy place to begin is with mashed banana, or a mashed up avocado. For an older baby, you can leave small chunks. For a new eater, it’s best to puree it smooth with a food processor or Magic Bullet Baby Care System.

When you make your own baby food, it’s a good idea to try some blends like you’d find on your grocer’s baby care aisle. One delicious blend is carrots & apples. Baby gets more nutrition and learns to be a more adventurous eater too.

Above all, you must be very careful about sanitation when making baby foods at home! Here are some important considerations to make:

Wash all fresh vegetables and fruits before peeling or cutting.
Cook vegetables and fruits such as apples until they’re tender.
Never sweeten fruits or vegetables, especially with honey. Honey is a no-no for infants under 12 months of age!
Freeze prepared baby foods in small portions. An ice cube tray works really well for this! Once frozen, place cubes of baby food into a resealable plastic freezer bag.
When pureeing food for baby from your family’s meal, take out baby’s portion at the end of cooking time, but before you season it. Once your baby is older and more used to solid foods, you can puree it after seasoning.

For more homemade baby food ideas, check out 8 Wholesome Recipes for Baby.

Awesome Outdoor Play Areas Your Kids Need This Year

January 22, 2020 by Jessica Moore Leave a Comment

Let’s face it–winter can lead to a lot of stir crazy indoor-bound kids {and parents}! So before the weather starts to really warm up, you need awesome outdoor play areas for your kids. An awesome outdoor play area is the perfect place for your kids to spend the afternoons. If it encourages imagination and physical activity, then even better! Check out these outdoor play area ideas to implement this year.

Ideas For Awesome Outdoor Play Areas

There are a variety of ways to implement an outdoor play area for your kids. Having a backyard space {no matter how small} is a great start. But it’s worth it to go a bit farther and set aside an area or two for your kids’ play. Why? One reason is to be sure there’s a safe area for them rather than allowing them the opportunity to get into stuff they shouldn’t get into. The biggest reason is to provide a spot where your kids can grow through fun, imaginative play.

Outdoor Play Areas: Sandbox

The sandbox is the ubiquitous play area in parks and recreation centers, but you can’t always control what your kids will find there. Instead why not set up a sandbox under your control? It’s easy to do, especially if you buy an outdoor sandbox kit from Amazon. Lots of different kinds and sizes are available, with covers to keep out the pets when your child is playing indoors.

Treehouses & Playhouses

What kid doesn’t dream of having their own treehouse in the backyard? If that’s not possible, try a playhouse on the ground. Either option has loads of opportunities for fun, imaginative play to keep your kids busy for hours at a time.

Outdoor Play Equipment

Sometimes it’s easy just to purchase a set of outdoor play equipment. And there’s nothing wrong with that! An outdoor jungle gym like this has plenty of options for imagination to take over, not to mention the physical exercise your kids get playing on it.

You don’t have to buy an outdoor swing set if you’d rather make one. Check out these 10 DIY swings!

Outdoor Swimming Pool

If you’re considering an outdoor pool, it definitely counts as an outdoor play area for the kids. Consider a shallow area, and a diving board or slide to give the kids lots of fun, physical play. Swimming is a great idea for anyone!

Team Up With Your Kids To Achieve Those New Year’s Resolutions

January 8, 2020 by Jessica Moore Leave a Comment

This year, instead of doing New Year’s resolutions on your own, why not team up with your kids? It’s a great way to teach them how to make and set goals from a young age. And that’s a valuable skill to learn! Here are some ideas to help you accomplish it.

New Year’s Resolutions for Kids & Families

Here are some ideas for New Year’s resolutions that work great for kids and families to work on together. Some are pretty easy, they just require you to think about it and talk with the kids about actually doing it. Others may take more effort, but all of them are worth doing.

Start a new weekly tradition. For example, every Monday night could be family game night. Or every Thursday night could be movie night. The point is to make family time important.
Make a resolution to do more service as a family. Serve at a refugee center or help out an elderly neighbor. The kids can give plenty of input on this, and then they’ll enjoy it even more.
Get more physical activity as a family. This can mean a weekly hike, bike ride or walk to the park to play. Whatever it is, it’s healthy for everyone!
Talk as a family about putting down the devices more often. Set out a basket to hold phones during dinner, at bedtime, and during those family weekly activities. Decide together how to accomplish this goal so everyone is on board.
Could you do better at recycling? Get the kids to help out with a new family goal to recycle more. Start a kitchen compost bin or save and donate plastic grocery bags to a local homeless shelter to make sleeping mats. There are a lot ways to be more earth-friendly as a family.
Instead of setting a goal to eat healthier, set a smaller, more definitive goal that will accomplish the same thing. For example, as a family decide to eat more vegetables. Let each person take turns choosing a new vegetable to try at dinner.

Team up with your kids to achieve New Year’s resolutions, and everyone benefits. Here are some more ideas for making the most of family time.

How To Safely Remove Stains From Baby Clothes

November 27, 2019 by Jessica Moore Leave a Comment

Many new parents wonder how to safely remove stains from baby clothes, because it doesn’t take long to learn that one of the tricky parts of parenting is the amount of dirty laundry a new baby produces! Babies also have sensitive skin, so harsh chemicals aren’t the best choice for your baby’s clothes. Here are a few tips and tricks to help you keep your baby’s clothes as stain-free as possible, without irritating their skin.

How To Remove Stains From Baby Clothes

It’s true that baby stains tend to be tricky in nature–on any given day you’ll have to contend with anything from spit up to milk and food stains or even diaper blow outs. What is the best way to remove these stains from your baby’s clothes?

Anyone who has a baby knows that baby clothes will get stained on a daily basis. For tips on how to remove stains from baby clothes, look here.

Be Prepared To Act Fast

When a stain happens, especially one of those notoriously messy diaper blow outs, you have to act quickly if you want the best chance of getting that stain out. In other words, don’t just toss the item in the laundry basket and forget it for a few days. Your best bet is to immediately put it in a sink of warm water to soak. Surprisingly, a soak in warm water is enough to loosen and/or remove many of baby’s stains if you get to them quickly.

Doing laundry for your baby can be tricky because their skin is so sensitive. For tips on how to safely remove stains from baby clothes, look here.

Try The Mildest Soap First

A mild soap, such as Dreft hypoallergenic baby detergent or Babyganics 3x baby detergent should always be your first go-to tool when removing baby stains. After a soak in warm water, check for any remaining stains. If needed, spot treat stains with some baby detergent and a soft brush.

A Boost Of Baking Soda

Baking soda is natural and non-toxic for baby’s clothes. For an extra dirty load, add a 1/2 cup of baking soda along with your usual baby detergent. Before you dry baby’s laundry, check to see that stains came out. If not, try another round in the washing machine with additional detergent + baking soda. Here’s a DIY natural stain remover to try!

For really tough stains, such as diaper blow outs, an extra soak with an enzymatic detergent may do the trick. Try this before you launder, and thoroughly rinse the fabric before you toss it in the washer as usual.

Parenting Tips To Help Prepare Your Toddler For A New Baby

October 30, 2019 by Jessica Moore Leave a Comment

As ready as you may be to have that new baby, your toddler is in for an awakening! A toddler has no idea how that little bundle is about to change her world. If you’re nervous about how to prepare your toddler for a new baby, we have the parenting tips to help you make the transition as smooth as it can possibly be.

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