Baby Einstein Blog

For parents, their baby’s first milestones are so precious. Keeping the memories of their child’s firsts is priceless. And what’s the best way to keep the memories in tact all together? Scrapbook ‘em! 

In this decade of digital technology and high-tech gadgetry, creating a baby book is still the finest way to hold keepsakes of your baby’s unforgettable moments. Your baby’s scrapbook is part of your family’s history. A baby book is not just a photo album, but it also includes every tangible bits and pieces you want to preserve, like your baby’s first haircut, first fingernail trimming, his/her hospital tag, the first loosened milk tooth, or your child’s first abstract painting (early doodling with color, that is).

It stores photographs of your baby that you yourself as a blissful parent took, along with the captions you made for these valuable snapshots—from your child’s first footsteps, first pose, first visit to the dentist or to the hair salon for his/her first trim, and tons of baby photos you devotedly shot. It may include a journal where you can take note of every detail of your baby’s growing up moments, including the growing up pains you come across. 

A baby book not just displays memories from your baby’s early years, it also reflects a parent’s artistry and creativity in putting together his/her baby’s valuable mementos. You can draw, paint, sketch, scribble, and make designs together with the photos and items included in your baby’s scrapbook. You can even include lists, like your baby’s first favorites (favorite baby food, favorite color, et. al.), or your baby’s top ten words. As your baby grows, he/she can look back at his/her early years despite the lack of memory from such events due to infantile amnesia, because of this scrapbook you labored with love.

If you’re a couple planning for a baby or waiting for your soon-to-be-born infant, one of the most important preparations before the baby’s birth is of course, a name for your baby. Plenty of books provide a list of baby names including the origin and meaning of the names. Search the net and you’ll find tons and tons of websites furnishing a-z lists of names for your infant–from Bible names to celebrity names to other categorical lists.

Some married couples designate compound names to their infants, obtained from the combination of their parents’ or grandparents’ names. Some combine their own names to produce a new name for their baby, like Matlyn for example, from father’s name Matthew and mother’s name Evelyn. Some get their newborn’s name from famous stars like Keanu (Reeves), Brad (Pitt), Gwyneth (Paltrow) or Cameron (Diaz). I, for one, was named after one of the Jackson Five’s. (:

According to one baby names website, the top names in 2006 were Aidan (boy) and Ava (girl). Aidan is of Gaelic origin meaning ‘little fire’, while Ava is of Afghan origin meaning ‘voice’. The rest of the list includes Caden and Abigail, Ethan and Emma, Connor and Isabella, Addison and Bailey, Riley and Chloe, Caleb and Olivia, and to finish the top ten list, Logan and Hannah. The names were compiled from the favorite name lists of their members during the year 2006.

If some couples get their names from Hollywood celebrities and popular stars, wonder how these stars name their babies? I came across a list of interesting celebrity names of famous couples’ babies. Here are some (I picked the most creative ones!):

Zowie Bowie - David & Angela Bowie
Kal-El Coppola Cage - Nicolas Cage & Alice Kim
Fifi-Trixibelle Geldof - Bob Geldof & Paula Yates
Peaches Honeyblossom Geldof - Bob Geldof & Paula Yates
Little Pixie Geldof - Bob Geldof & Paula Yates
Elijah Bob Patricus Guggi Q Hewson - Bono Vox (Paul Hewson) & Alison Stewart
Moxie Crimefighter Jillette - Penn & Emily Jillette
Shiloh Nouvel Jolie-Pitt - Angelina Jole & Brad Pitt
Pilot Inspektor Riesgraf Lee - Jason Lee & Beth Riesgraf
Ione Skye Leitch - Donovan Leitch & Enid Karl
Speck Wildhorse Mellencamp - John Mellencamp & Elaine Irwin
Daisy Boo Oliver - Jamie Oliver & Juliette Norton
Poppy Honey Oliver - Jamie Oliver & Juliette Norton
Fuchsia Catherine Sumner - Sting & Frances Tomelty
Diva Muffin Zappa - Frank & Gail Zappa
Moon Unit Zappa - Frank & Gail Zappa
Ian Donald Calvin Euclid “Dweezil” Zappa - Frank & Gail Zappa

These are just a few of the many creative names of celebrity couples’ babies! And my winner is: Pilot Inspektor! Good one, Jason Lee and Beth Riesgraf. (:

A spoiled child is one of a parent’s sacrifices. Not because he demands for what he wants, but because he will grow into a person that’s not what parents thought he is supposed to be. Other people say that you can prevent spoiling a child by not giving him what he wants and holding him close all day. But this is nonsense.

To love a child does not mean to spoil him. The problem here is how to define love.

To love a child is to spank him, for him to learn. The kind of spank that he won’t burry in his mind forever. And try to explain to him why you have to do such a thing. To give his demands is good but in other times, try to tell him that you can’t give that material thing, that it’s a waste of money or such. Ofcourse children won’t appreciate right away the value of money. Give him a piggybank. Teach him how to save and to be thrifty over his money. And when he brought what he wanted after a long time of spending, he’ll understand why you didn’t bring that toy he demanded last month. Saving money is not just for grown kids, even for three year olds. Tell him many kids out there haven’t eaten a lot. Tell him many kids out there don’t have toys. Teach him to share so he won’t be selfish.

As to infants, it’s not actually about a spoiled child. In these ages, a child actually seeks for comfort. Even achild’s thumb or his toy car provides him cofort. Give him the kind of comfort he needs. But if he goes wild and obviously getting a little demanding and self- centered, try to explain to him or spank him. Like a pet, repetition is a good training. Never show infants your mad face saying mad words. Remember, parents are children’s first influence.

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome or SIDS is a medical term used to describe the mystery death that parents worries a lot. It is also known as “crib death” since it always happens when the baby is left alone in the crib. This occurs among infants who are 1 month up to 1 year old. SIDS still has no medical explanation on what it causes. What happen is that babies die in their sleep and parents are left with questions of how and what it caused. This normally occurs during normal sleeping hours and in some healthy babies too.

Here are some choices to consider in preventing SIDS:

1. For pregnant women, avoid smoking and/or using of drugs nor expose yourself to secondhand smoking since those who are exposed to such has higher risk of infants dying of SIDS.
2. Let your baby sleep on their back to promote proper breathing.
3. Avoid / prevent smoking in your home (it is also harmful to your health so it’s much better to avoid it permanently).
4. Continue breast-feeding. Some studies show that breast-feeding reduces the risk of SIDS perhaps because of its nutritional content. Aside from preventing SIDS, it is also helpful to increase the baby’s immune system.
5. Make sure to have a regular check-up. This is also to ensure the baby’s general health.
6. Remove any hazardous materials from the crib / bed / bassinets (e.g. stuff toys and other toys, too much pillows). It is best to keep the crib where the parents sleep.

As they say, “prevention is better than cure”. So it’s better to take this seriously to avoid SIDS.

Although some people still prefer to be surprised at their baby’s birth whether it’d be a he or a she, ultrasound has become more of a necessity than just an option, especially now that it is more exciting to know the gender of the baby in a more lively manner - in 3D (three-dimensional).

Sharing my personal experience, we (me and my wife) were so young that we didn’t actually know that that certain day, she’d undergo Ultrasonic Fetal Scanning, as US FDA would define it, and surprised we were (or I think we weren’t given the option if we would consider my wife undergoing such process), to see a lovely image moving inside my wife’s womb. Really, it is one touching moment for the hopefuls. Though, I was kind of really expecting that I would see a figure where I could describe the physical qualities of an unborn baby because it was barely recognizable to be a baby.

Well, you can kiss those days goodbye. Well-known hospitals are now equipped with modern equipments to perform 3D ultrasound.

From the last months of bearing a child, pregnancy has never been this exciting after undergoing 3D ultrasound. Actual experiences show undeniable bliss from parents, to the grandparents, and the rest of the family after seeing the results, that they could actually see little fingers and toes, and even smaller details such as eyes and nose.

The experience gives these people the joy of pre-celebration as an addition to the family is to be joining them soon because it makes them feel as if the baby is already born. From this glorious moment goes the eternal debate whether who’s having the supreme blood, to which the baby would look more closely to. And grandparents… usually, they’re the starters!

An infant is a prized possession of a married couple. Together, with all their might, they keep the baby warm and away from any harm (hey, that rhymes), provide all the things he needs (sometimes more than enough), and build plans from their hopes and dreams, as their first step in fulfillment of effective parenthood, like an architect to a building - construction in progress.

As they’ve learned a woman is bearing a child, the soon-to-be parents (the mother herself), are unexplainably excited that they would always talk about babies, proper handling of newly-born, that they would spend hours exchanging ideas and past experiences with each children they have, showing only how hardly it is for them to wait for the forthcoming baby’s birth.

Truly, it is one touching moment when you see the baby react from the womb as you touch the mother’s belly, like it would stretch, feeling the warmth transmitted through the skin to skin contact (*tear*).

After few months come the cravings. It is believed that a pregnant woman, at this stage, craves for things, usually food, that sometimes gives the husband a very hard time to find (like what we usually see in the movies or in a sitcom on tv). Lucky for me, what my wife craved for was over-the-counter milk candies (whew!). Oh, and I didn’t actually knew it until my daughter was born because they’re everywhere, and it was easy for her to grab a bunch. Though, this whole thing proves nothing to do with the baby should he become as white as snow, or as tall as Shaq, according to the experts.

Nonetheless, it is a crap when you hear some people say that their child has fair complexion because they craved for coconut meat, or their child is so tall because they’ve been watching NBA during pregnancy.. Good grief!

Welcome Parents! This is the start of the Baby Einstein WebbyShop blog. We hope to provide you the latest updates on the wonderful Baby Einstein products. We’ll also post entries that focuses on the health and growth of our little ones.