Baby Needs a New Pair of Shoes

Baby’s first Nike’s may be absolutely adorable, but are they necessary? According to most experts – and not just modern ones but for at least the last thirty years – babies don’t need shoes till they’re up and walking around. Even at that point, it’s good for the little tikes to get in lots of barefoot time so they get used to their balance and how their little toesies work.

Still, by the time they’re spending more time on their feet than on their knees, it’s time to get them into a pair of shoes, if for no other reason than to protect those feet from stubbed toes and other injuries. So, what sort of shoes should you wrap those precious feet in?

Certainly NOT the old-fashioned hard-soled leather lace-up shoes that were meant to ‘train’ baby feet to grow properly. Pediatricians recommend soft shoes that move with baby’s feet. The soles should be non-skid to prevent falls, but flexible enough that they bend as baby steps out on his own. Skip the high-tops, unless they’re flexible enough to bend with baby’s ankles and feet. Choose natural materials that breathe to keep feet from sweating and becoming uncomfortable.

The proper fit for baby’s first shoes is also important. They shouldn’t bind or chafe anywhere, so shop when you’ve got plenty of time to let the little one walk around the store wearing the shoes you’re thinking of buying. Slip a pinkie in at the heel while baby is standing – there should be enough room between the shoe and the munchkin’s heel to allow your pinkie or a pencil to slip in easily. Also tie and untie the shoes a couple of times – if you choose lace-up shoes – to make sure that the laces are long enough to tie easily. Laces aren’t a necessity, though. The experts are about evenly divided on whether tie shoes or Velcro are better, with no clear-cut ‘best’. Choose whichever you like best. Laced shoes are a lot more likely to be left on – but Velcro encourages independence because it’s so much easier to master.

Besides picking a time for your shopping trip when you have time to let your baby walk around a bit, time your visit to the shoe store for after a nap, when the little one is well-rested. Keep in mind, too, that baby’s feet swell a little in the late afternoon, just like yours do. Shop later in the day to make sure that you get shoes that will fit at all times of the day.

As your baby grows and gets more active, check the fit of his shoes at least once a month. You can plan on buying new shoes about every three-to-six months just due to average growth, but also be prepared to replace shoes if they’re worn, the soles are cracked or they have holes in them.

And if you have your heart set on Baby’s First Nikes? Shop around – you’re sure to find them.

Buying Gently Used Baby Clothes

Designer duds for baby DO make sense though – and by designer, I mean the elite in the baby design field: OshKosh and Baby B’Gosh, Carters, Sweat Pea and other top-of-the-line baby clothing manufacturers. They concentrate on the little details that cheap clothing manufacturers skimp on – little details that make a major difference in fit, appearance and comfort. You want to take advantage of nice, flat seams that don’t irritate, and nylon snaps that don’t scratch or pull through fabric. But you don’t want to pay $30 for a sleeper!

The answer is shopping around for gently worn using baby clothes and checking with friends and relatives for outgrown hand-me-downs. Yard sales are a great source in the spring and summer months. You’ll often find great clothes that are barely worn in sizes for the next couple of years. Check the newspaper for upcoming yard sales – baby clothes are often one of the advertised items.

Another great place to buy designer baby clothes at rock-bottom prices is a good consignment shop. Strike up a relationship with the owner, and she may even put aside items that she knows you’ll love and give you a call to let you know what she’s got. In addition, you can often sell the same baby clothes BACK, or trade them in on the next size up when baby outgrows them.

How about a place to get gently used baby clothing for the cost of the gas to go pick them up? Freecycle.org is a national movement of community bulletin boards who are committed to the concept of ‘one man’s junk’. Check www.freecycle.org to see if there’s a chapter near you, and join up. Seldom a day goes by that someone doesn’t offer a few bags of baby and children’s clothing in various sizes. The quality varies, but the younger the baby, the more likely that the clothing is still in excellent shape.

Don’t overlook church and community thrift shops as sources of good, well-cared for baby clothing. If there’s a Junior League thrift shop in your city, you’ll find beautiful clothing for baby at bargain basement prices.

When you do pick up used clothing for baby, launder it as soon as you get it home. Pretreat stains if there are any, and wash with a gentle laundry soap meant for baby. Add borax to the water for extra whitening power, and be sure to rinse at least twice if you use bleach.

By the time you’re done, you’ll have one of the best-dressed babies in town – without breaking your piggy bank.

Making Your Baby’s Clothes Last!

Making Your Baby’s Clothes Last!

As any mother with a young child will tell you, babies grow very quickly. So for new mothers, making the most out of baby clothes is of the utmost importance. So what do you do when those onesies just don’t quite snap anymore? How do you get an extra month out of those jeans that are a little too short for the winter months?

The great thing about onesies, is that they’re a very workable cotton
fabric, and there really isn’t any hemming necessary to turn a couple of onesies that fit at five months into a couple of shirts that fit at
eight months. Simply cut them off right at the leg holes, and gently pull the material around the edges so that it rolls a tiny bit. This way there are no exposed threads for baby to pull at or chew on. The same can apply to footsie pajamas. By simply snipping off the feet, you can easily get another month’s wear out of the sleepwear.

Adding extra buttons to overalls or snappy shirts makes them naturally
grow with your child.  Perhaps one of the best investments a new mother
can make is in a mid-priced sewing machine. This makes alterations and
additions a breeze, and gives you a new hobby for when baby naps (Just
make sure there is enough wall between you and the crib so that the
whirring of the machine doesn’t make undue stress for you!)

Things like adding extra material to the bottom of a dress or skirt can
be done in just minutes, as can letting out the hem of a pair of jeans
or overalls. Buying clothes initially that are mid-priced and made of
a cotton material with a lot of elastic and snaps makes transitions that
much easier. Shoes are always going to be a problem, but buying a
canvas sneaker in the spring can convert into a mule for summer wear, as long as the baby is not walking yet. Socks without built in heels is key—that way the baby can grow a little bit longer in the socks. Also, even though socks with ducks and elephants are cute, sticking to a plain color can help extend the life of individual socks if one gets lost. In the summer a grey or white sock is less likely to irritate a sweaty baby’s sensitive skin because they don’t contain dyes.

Think of ways that you would extend the life of your own clothes.
T-shirts that come three to a pack can easily be downgraded to rags or dust cloths. Jeans and pants that have become worn or are too short can be cut and hemmed for summer shorts. Sweaters can become blankies. Things like first outfits and special occasion’s clothes can be put into a special chest to pass on to your child for when they have children of their own. For the most part, making baby clothes last, laundering aside, is about ingenuity and personality. Learn the basics of stitching and hemming and let the designer in you shine through!

Going Green in The Kitchen

Going Green in The Kitchen

Cooking requires heat, so conserve it to save money. Keep a lid on all the pans being used in cooking. Water will boil around 6% faster in pans with a lid on, thereby saving time, electricity and your money, as well as giving the environment a break.

If you are cooking in the oven, keep the door closed. Most modern ovens have a see-through door to let you see what’s happening inside. Use it!
Around 20% of oven heat is lost every time the door is opened. If you’re trying to bake a cake, for example, and you keep opening the door to see how it’s getting on, then you are cooking at 80% of the correct temperature, while wasting energy and money!

A Little Help With Going Green

We are all increasingly feeling the need to help the environment in the face of global warming. Most people would like to “go green,” but think that it would be more expensive to change their ways than just carrying on as always.

Well, the good news is that you can save money while staying green. You can adopt all kinds of environmentally friendly habits that will keep a sizable portion of your hard earned money firmly in your pocket.

Isn’t that the best of both worlds? You get to do your bit for the good of mankind, spending less in the process.
Of course, you need to know all the best strategies. Some of them are obvious and touted by everyone who preaches the green life.

However, there are lots of little known ways to make a huge difference that very few people talk about. It is mainly those kinds of strategies that we will concentrate on in a series of blog posts here on the Mommy Directory.

Even if the worst predictions of our planet’s fate from man-made global warming fails to actually come about, we can all benefit greatly by adopting green measures. Earth’s resources are for all to enjoy and we should not be wasting them, even when there appears to be plenty to go round.

Some of the statistics we will share may shock you. It shocked me too. It soon becomes obvious that we humans are a wasteful lot, or at least we have been. But there will never be a better time than now to change your ways, go green and save green at the same time.

Even if you only take up one single tip from this series of blog posts, that will be worth it.

The home is one of the places where you can make the most savings and also the biggest environmental impact. There are so many things that can be improved or changed in any home.

These measures typically don’t cost the earth – sometimes nothing at all, and the savings gained can be considerable over time.
Even if you are not in a position to invest in greener ways, you can still make a tremendous difference at little or no cost. You just have to know how.

So let’s get started in the Kitchen:

Want to save the environment from one ton of carbon every year? Start today by only filling your kettle with the amount of water you actually need every time.
Most people fill their kettles to the brim. They waste electricity – and their money – in the process.

Persuade another 14 families (15 all together) to only fill their kettles with what they actually need and a whole ton of carbon will be prevented from floating into the atmosphere to do its irreparable damage.

If only your family did this for one week it would save enough energy to light up your house for a day, or run your TV set every evening for a week.

Organizing Your Purse

Juggling work, family and personal life on the go can get hectic and cluttered. Your purse can be your saving grace at times. So why shouldn’t it be better organised?

Being organised means you are ready for the next thing, the next event, the next emergency, the next appointment. I have found that if my purse is a mess, I am a mess. And since there is never a big enough purse for all that I THINK I need to carry with me at all times, the size of the purse constrains what you can pack…which can be a good thing.

If you are tired of digging around in your purse, briefcase, or backpack for your glasses, wallet, or MP3 player, then check out the Purseket. This organising tool can transform your purse from a “black hole” to an organiser’s dream. Their website is www.purseket.com.

With this insert, everything has a home in your purse and it makes changing purses a snap!

One of the biggest clutterers of our purses is paper and receipts. So carry an envelope or dedicate a pocket to keep only receipts, coupons and lists from getting damaged in your purse. It will help you find things much faster.

Purses with several outside pockets are also very helpful in keeping organised daily. I keep one left outside pocket dedicated to my phone and one side outside pocket for my mints. I use these two almost hourly when I’m out and about meeting appointments and clients, so finding them in the same place helps me not get sidetracked searching.

Another tip to de-clutter your purse is weekly maintenance, maybe while you are watching TV. Stuff creeps in all the time so every week: bags often because stuff creeps in.

• Remove garbage
• Toss useless stuff
• Put things away
• Replace what is used up
• Pick out the loose change at the bottom

If you would like your purse and purses streamlined, and would like the assistance of a professional organiser, call Little Miss Efficiency Organising Services and Consulting for a consultation at 702.673.0624 or info@littlemissefficiency.com.  Connect socially http://facebook.com/littlemissefficiency or http://Twitter.com/lmefficiency.

Written by Wendy A. Miller, CEO and Founder of Little Miss Efficiency Organising Services and Consulting, http://www.littlemissefficiency.com, 702.673.0624. COPYRIGHT: This article may not be reprinted or quoted anywhere without written permission. This email is protected by copyright. Copying of this article – or of any works presented or recommended by Wendy A. Miller – is strictly prohibited. These works may not be reprinted in any form on any website, blog, book, e-book, or any other form without the express written permission of Wendy A. Miller. All Rights Reserved.

Do You Hate Grocery Shopping?

Do you hate Grocery Shopping? Well, I do.

A few years ago, I decided I couldn’t stand going to the Grocery Store every week, sometimes more often – or even going every two weeks! And I needed a solution – so I made a promise to myself to go only ONCE a month – and in between for the quick pick up of milk or other perishables (things that cannot be kept in the freezer, for a month).

But, my big problem is how do I know what I need to buy for an entire month??????

So, this is my journey of self discovery and how much I make my life simpler and more economical by going once a month – to the dreaded grocery store.

By shopping once a month, I save:

*TIME (driving back and forth to the store – shopping up and down the aisles – standing in line to pay, etc)
*MONEY (I can buy in bulk)
*LESS HASSLE (I know what I am going to cook or prepare for an entire month)

STEP 1:
Decide on a menu for each day
I keep it very simple
I choose an Entree and two sides

For example:
*MONDAY:
Chicken
Rice
Beans
*TUESDAY:
Italian Night
Side
Bread
etc
etc

I use the same menu for every week. So, every Friday night – the family knows it’s Pizza Night.

PARENTS: I always allow one night a week that a child picks what dinner will be. So, Tuesday night can be “Karen’s-Pick Night”. This eliminates the “what’s for dinner tonight?” and I don’t have to wonder each day what I am going to cook/prepare that night.

I write down how many “chickens”, “beans” etc, for the month. This will be your STANDARD SHOPPING LIST – keep a copy on your computer for each month. Change accordingly for Holidays or other special events.

STEP 2
If you have ever worked in a resturant – you know they have an Order Prep List. This is the list of what food items they need to order to get them through the day/week. Before they order – they check the list against what they have on hand.

STEP 3:
Create a List for home, of what you have on hand. This meant I had to go through ALL my cupboards, refrig, freezer, etc to see what I had on hand. Then compare it to the STANDARD SHOPPING LIST list in STEP 1. Buy what you are missing from your STANDARD SHOPPING LIST.

STEP 4:
Go shopping – give yourself at least 2 hours. 2 HOURS!!!!!!! (you say, huh?) Well, think about it – you probably spend more time going back and forth all the time. This way – it’s DONE and you don’t have to worry about it again. STICK TO THE LIST! Buy generic and store brands as much as possible. If I go shopping during the middle of the day and mid-week, I can usually do it within an hour. However, if you can only do it at night or weekends – plan two hours.

I start my list by going to the Dollar Store or 99 cent store, FIRST. What I can buy there (and I know what is cheaper there) I buy at the discount stores, first. For example: I was able to buy 10 pounds of carrots, 4 pounds of apples, 4 pounds of oranges, 1 pound of lemons, lettuce and green onions for $10. All fresh. Great for salads and the home juicer.

We have 2 refrigerators/freezers in the garage and one in the the house – so there is room for freezing. Buy a Freezer! Go on Craigslist and buy a good one for $50.

BE PREPARED for people to stare at you, because you are using two carts to stand in line. I even have been asked by clerks who do I “do so much shopping at one time?” (you can imagine my answer).

How much do I spend for a family of two adults, two elementary school aged boys and 2 dogs? $250-$300/month. Yes, a MONTH! And that is without coupons or rebates. About a week ago – I was able to buy so much in bulk, I bought 2 months worth of food for about $379. Yes, 2 months!

Planning ahead and keeping meals simple, easy to prepare and good – is the way to go for us.

We don’t shop this way because we LACK anything – we shop this way to cut down on our Grocery shopping time and I love not having to think about meals everyday. I have already decided them – ahead of time.

This is the Number 1 way I make my life Simpler for me and my family!

ADDED BONUS: when I don’t have time to shop – but my husband does. I just print off my Standard Shopping List and off he goes!

EXTRA HINT: Stock your cupboards the same way you see them at the store. Labels facing forwards, soups together, sauces together, etc. It makes seeing what you need much easier – and you can just grab and go when it is time for meals.

PEACE OF MIND: we always have what we need in our cupboards and refrig/freezer.

Hope you find this helpful – it works for us.

~Charlene L. Ragsdale
http://www.MaxBizMom.com

http://www.TheMaxCompany.com

http://twitter.com/maxbizmon