Zzzz - The Nurzery Blog – Tagged "tricks"

6 reasons why you need a high chair 0

Introducing solid foods to your infant is a fun and exciting time for parents. Watching your child discover new tastes and textures is always a great experience and it is a unique bonding time with baby. Before having my first child, I always assumed high chairs were just bulky contraptions that served no real purpose. Boy was I wrong! Here are 6 reasons why you really need to invest in a high chair.

1. They are safe. You don’t have to worry about your child falling off of or out of a high chair as long as the harness is secured. Also, for young infants who are just starting to gain more muscle in their necks, high chairs with a recline can accommodate infants from 4-5 months old. While young babies are still learning how to sit up on their own, you can rest assured that your baby will be properly supported in a high chair. Most high chairs also have a 3 point or a 5 point harness to buckle them in – perfect for any little escape artist.

This Mickey Mouse High Chair has 3 recline positions for all life stages.

2. Easier to the feed baby. When your child is in a high chair, it is a lot easier to feed them. You can face them and spoon feed them a lot easier. The high chair tray is also great to place a few tiny finger foods and allow them to feed themselves. Learning to use their fingers and feeding themselves is a very important milestone and it sets the stage for much more than eating food.

While not exactly a high chair, this booster has the added convenience of a space-saving design. Strapped to another chair, this booster gives enough height to save parent's backs during feeding time.

3. Helps practice and develop good dining habits. When in a high chair, your little one is learning how to eat at a dinner table. This is by practicing good dining habits. They start to understand what meal times are and when we eat throughout the day. When sitting in the high chair they will learn to anticipate that now is eating time and will be less resistant to eating in the future. This is especially important to develop early on because toddlers are notoriously picky eaters! (Trust me, I have one!)

This high chair is great because it folds flat in seconds and its maximum height is 50 lbs!

4. Easy cleanup. This sounds like a no brainer but trust me, kids make huge, out of this world messes with their food. I found the messiest stage was between 12 months to about 2 years, peaking at 18 months and the ease of high chair clean up was a lifesaver. High chairs have a special layer of plastic that makes clean up a breeze (try to get dried up puree off a wooden table--it's a nightmare) and they are often equipped with machine washable padding and dishwasher safe trays.

This is a such a neat idea: easy to clean booster with an included adult chair protector.

5. Helps develop independent eating habits. Having your child in a high chair is a great way to help them develop independent eating. It is here that they can learn how to use feeding utensils such as spoon and fork along with bowls and plates. The high chair tray makes all of these items much easier for them to get a hold of. This is great for gross motor development.

This high chair enables children to safely self-seat with minimal assistance from parents or caregiver, which builds self confidence in the child while minimizing back strain for the parent or caregiver.

6. Easy to Supervise. Having a child in a high chair makes it very easy to supervise them. They can’t crawl or go anywhere and you can keep them busy in a high chair with food while you work on something else such as washing the dishes after a meal. I have many fond memories of strapping my son into his high chair while he munched on cheerios and he and I "cooked" together. Many toys are made specifically for high chairs with suction cups that allow parents to stick the toy to the tray.

This booster has a cool built-in toy tray for your children.

The tray is easily removed once food is ready to be served.

Nov 11, 2015
Adriano Corte R.
Tags: baby ideas baby shower design health High Chairs safety tips tricks

Have you seen our Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse Branded Merchandise? 0

Are you the ultimate Disney fan? Do you love the adorable Minnie Mouse pink bow and Mickey Mouse's ears? Then you should check out our Mickey Mouse and Minnie branded merchandise! These items are not only stylish but they are branded by everyone’s beloved childhood character. But beware, these items are selling out! So make sure you pick up your favorite Mickey Mouse or Minnie Mouse items as soon as possible.

In the Mickey Mouse items, they showcase classic colors of red, white, black and gray. This is the Mickey design you'll remember from your own childhood. With Minnie Mouse branded items, they are a beautiful classic color pallet of pink, white, black and gray. Beautifully crafted with high quality fabrics and sturdy plastic, these items help you bring the Disney magic with you all the time.

You can purchase Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse items in an infant car seat, travel system, booster seat, convertible car seats, booster car seat, high chair and play yards. Purchase them all to have a full cohesive look when it comes to all your baby gear. The sets are meant to be paired for your baby girl or boy.

What makes these Mickey and Minnie branded items even better is that they are priced great. They are all very affordable and well made. These items will last you past the duration of your little ones younger years and can be passed down to their younger siblings. Be sure to check your child's car seat's expiration date--those do expire.

One of the best Mickey Mouse branded items is the flat fold high chair. This design is made to be sturdy but also to be light weight enough so that you can easily move it around your kitchen and dining area. You can also fold this high chair flat, which makes it perfect for storing when you need it out of the way. The Mickey Mouse image adorned seat pad is very easy to wipe off, even for the messiest of messes. Your little one can sit comfortably in this high chair as it has a 3 position adjustable tray and has a cup holder that helps them avoid drink spills (big bonus!). A 5 point security harness helps parents feel secure that their child is safely protected in their high chair and will not fall out.

Children love seeing their favorite familiar face. There is just something about the Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse character that all children love. Our Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse branded merchandise is one of our best sellers for a reason. Mickey and Minnie have stayed popular for so many years because they are truly universally loved and timeless characters.

Oct 16, 2015
Nurzery Staff
Tags: baby ideas baby shower car safety car seat convertible car seats health High Chairs portable cribs safety Strollers tips tricks

Top 10 Baby Girl Names of 2015 0

In part two of our series on popular baby naming trends in 2015, we come to the baby girls. Here's the baby boy name article. Baby girl naming trends have started to become more adventurous as well as more meaningful. Many parents are taking careful care into selecting the best name for their little princess. A lot counts on a name. When naming my children, it took us hours and hours of careful research and bouncing ideas off my husband and family before we came up with the "perfect" name for our children. In fact, while I find the entire naming experience very exciting, I also found it very daunting--I kept thinking: this name will stick with my son and daughter for the rest of their lives. It's a person's first impression and ultimately, it can shape and define a person. The name is a representation of the person who we hope they will become. With that in mind, let's talk girl names.

Bold, noun-like names are more popular recently. They can be grand names such as Royal or nature sounding names like River. Many parents like defining names as it makes a big statement and creates a clear and powerful identity. Another trend is adding the last syllable “bella” to the end of the names. An example of this is Arabella or Mirabella. While it has been popular for boys names to have o-endings such as Milo, girl naming trends are following suit. That o-sounding has gained quite the popularity with names such as Margo, Willow and Harlow. A trend that is seen in Europe is short, simple names. They are elegant and never go out of style. These fashionable names include Eva or Lea. Another trend is old fashioned names that are also timeless. With the influence of Princess Charlotte who was born just this year, parents are choosing these oldie but goodie names like Elizabeth and Victoria. Popular culture still plays a heavy role in the popularity of baby names. Influences such as Game of Thrones with parents choosing to name their girl Arya or Sansa have been gaining popularity as well. I know a few "Blue" girls already!

With so many different types of trends and beautiful girls names it can be hard choosing one. Here are the top 10 baby girl names for the year 2015:

1. Emma – whole or complete. This was seems to be a keeper. It's been on the most popular lists for many generations.

2. Olivia – short for olive which can mean affectionate. Part of the old becomes new again trend, I find this name to be so sweet.

3. Sophia - Wise. Another timeless name. It's a very soft sounding name.

4. Ava - Iniquity. Short, simple and beautiful. You can't go wrong with this one.

5. Isabella – Devoted to God. I've always loved the shortened versions of this name: Izzy or Bella. So pretty!

6. Mia – Female abbreviation of Michal. This is a relative newcomer. It reminds me of Mia Farrow...not a bad association at all.

7. Charlotte – Feminine Manly. I love this name. It has stood the test of time.

8. Amelia - Defender. I can't help but think of Amelia Bedelia! But I loved those books as a child so it's a good association.

9. Emily – Hard working. This one is really popular with my friends this year!

10. Madison – Surname derived from Matthew “gift of God” or from Matilda “strong fighter." I loved the shortened Maddy--sweet an adorable name.

I chose my children's name with great care and I put all my heart into those names. Now every time I say their names, I smile a little inside knowing I whispered life into their names. I'm sure you'll do the same!

Part I of II: Top Ten Baby Boy Names in 2015

Nurzery.com Baby Cribs and Nursery Furniture

Sep 14, 2015
Nurzery Staff
Tags: baby ideas baby names pregnancy prenatal tips tricks

10 Unique Baby Shower Ideas 0

A baby shower is a fun way of celebrating new life. With September being the most popular month for baby births in the US (September 16th, to be precise), I'm willing to bet that August is full of baby showers! Count back 40 weeks...most September babies were conceived around the Christmas holidays. But maybe having a traditional baby shower is not for you. Perhaps, depending on the mom-to-be's situation or her personality, you'd like to celebrate a little differently. Whether the mom lives far away, already had her first baby or something else, here are 10 unique ways to celebrate the soon to be born baby:

Long Distance Shower. This mom-to-be could be living quite far from family and friends. Some would rather save the money for travel to see a baby rather than going to a shower. Many families are separated by many miles and often live in different states or countries.Having a long distance shower is a great way to help new parents with baby gifts without having to live in close proximity. Technology can really help with a long distance shower: use FaceTime and/or Skype to keep everyone connected.
Baby Sprinkle. A Baby Sprinkle is a baby shower for those on their 2nd or even 3rd baby. It is a great way to celebrate the new baby without having to throw a huge party and give gifts of items that these seasoned parents already have. This is great for parents who are having a different gender and can get some new clothing they may not have to hand down to their next baby.
Book Theme. Want to build up the new baby’s book library? A book themed baby shower is a perfect idea. Everyone can bring a book in lieu of a card with a little note in the side cover. There will be lots of bedtime story readings and the new parents will especially appreciate having a large selection of books to choose from. Since books can be pricey, suggest that guests bring used books.
Welcome! Sip & See. A sip and see party is a great way to get everyone together to see the new baby. This party is really just to introduce your new baby to everyone. I would have loved this type of party since I was hospitalized at the end of my pregnancy and I missed the opportunity to have a baby shower. Also, many new moms don't like to host guest after guest coming unexpectedly to visit the new baby. This is an organized way to invite everyone to see new baby at the same time. And if you feel uncomfortable with everyone touching new baby, make sure you make it very clear that there is a "no touch" policy in effect.
Frozen Dinner Shower. Any new parents will tell you that the first few weeks of a baby’s arrival can be rough. Just trying to come up with something to eat for dinner can seem like an impossible task. Having a frozen dinner shower is a great way to provide pre-prepared meals that just need warming up. I would've loved this party! Imagine having months of go-to meals for those nights when you don't feel like preparing anything? Great idea. Make sure everyone knows if you have allergies or food intolerance. And just make sure that they have a large freezer!
Piggy Bank Shower. If the new parents-to-be are moving right away or in a situation where they cannot bring lots of gifts to their home, a piggy bank shower is good idea. A big piggy bank is placed on a table and everyone who wants to contribute can place their money inside. Guests should be told in advance that they should not purchase any gifts but are asked to donate any amount of money they feel comfortable giving. The money can be used for any expenses or needs, like diapers or formula, that the parents can use over time.
Diaper Baby Shower. What is one thing every new parent can never have enough of? Diapers! And diapers are expensive! Having a diaper baby shower where everyone brings a pack in lieu of a gift is great for new parents and seasoned parents. I'v attended quite a few baby showers where guests arrive with "diaper cakes." Diaper cakes are essentially diapers folded in the shape of a towering cake. Then they'll tape or pin baby essentials to the "cake" and wrap it in cellophane. I've received diaper cakes and they are very practical gifts...I would've liked a diaper shower!
Have a Blessingway. A Blessingway, also known as a Mother Blessing, is a sacred pre-birth ceremony performed by the Navajo people. The ceremony celebrates when a women becomes a mother for the first time. It's a sacred rite of passage that is deserving of pampering and blessing from all the important women in her life. Instead of sharing gifts, the women gather in a circle and share life experiences and birthing stories. It can be so powerful to feel the warmth of the women you love and the mutual sharing of hopes and fears.
Invite the men! Baby showers usually exclude the men. It seems almost unfair to leave the men out of the equation when they'll be right there supporting you through your delivery. It's a great way to teach new fathers about diaper changing techniques, swaddling methods and other handy tips. Try to incorporate the men by playing party games they would enjoy and ensuring that they participate in the fun.
Pamper party. This is a good one! Invite all the girls out for a mani/pedi party. Bring the cake and enjoy some delicious after-pampering treats in the salon. By the time the baby shower roles around, most moms-to-be can't reach their own toes and it doesn't hurt to have pretty toes on the big day.

Whatever you decide to do--even if you decide not to celebrate with a party--enjoy the bundle of joy that is about to arrive!

Aug 18, 2015
Nurzery Staff
Tags: baby ideas baby shower prenatal tips tricks

Avoiding the highway to hell: 7 tips to survive your first road trip with baby 0

Traveling with a baby seems like a nightmare (and it can be). This is especially true if you have no idea if they will love car trips (and spend most of the time sleeping) or if your little one loathes it (wherein you endure hours of "i'm going to die" screams). But you can survive your first road trip with baby. All you need is a good plan and some preparation. Here are some tips on how to do just that.

Jul 26, 2015
Nurzery Staff
Tags: car safety car seat convertible car seats cribs High Chairs portable cribs safety tips tricks

Baby proofing your house: 6 tips your Mom never told you 0

Baby proofing your house may not be as easy as you think it is. There will be things that you would never think your little one could get in to and you will be amazed when you find out they can. Baby proofing requires much more than just putting covers over outlets and putting any breakables out of their reach. Here are 6 unique tips Mom never told you.