by: Shannon McDonald, Photographer
Are you ready for Valentines Day?
The Motherhood Center is proud to offer a special Valentine’s Day photo shoot next Tuesday, Feb. 7 between 10 a.m. and noon.
For $45 you’ll get a 15 minute session and your choice of a 5×7 print or a 5×7 Valentine’s Day Card. Call The Motherhood Photography Studio at 713-963-8880 ext 108 to schedule one of these special mini sessions!
by: Jessica Arnold
“Bathtime is successful when your kids get wetter than you do”
~Dee Ann Stewart
Bath time with a toddler is a challenge any way you look at it. Will it be convincing your toddler that having a bath is a splish-splash of a time, or will the issue be calming screams of dismay as they hopelessly watch water and bubbles swirl down the drain?
On top of those minor concerns is another more important challenge of which bath product to use on your baby and toddler’s brand new delicate skin. With so many soaps claiming to be “all natural” and “organic” it can become overwhelming, especially for new parents who have so many other concerns at hand.
I have tried several brands of natural, paraben free, sulfate free, etc. soaps and lotions and the one that I highly recommend and has also received the approval of my 2-year-old Joss, is the Baby Spa Stage 2 products, which we carry here at The Motherhood Center. The cleanser is a 3-in-1 tearless shampoo, body wash and moisturizer formulated to cleanse condition and hydrate in one quick rub-a-dub step. Your baby’s skin is completely nurtured head to toe with calendula, rosemary, and sweet almond oil.
A few highlights as to why Joss and I enjoy the Baby Spa Stage 2 Body Wash:
- It includes Nyamplung oil that acts as a natural SPF
- The uplifting citrus scent brings a smile to our faces
- The all natural ingredients soften her goldielocks and keep her skin silky smooth
- And the most important reason of all, according to Joss: The awesome mountain of bubbles the wash creates!
Bubbles can make or break bath time with toddlers. It is an enticing tool that works 90% of the time, along with an array of rubber duckies, boats, and floating hippos. Among the other “safe” bath products I have tried, the Baby Spa 3-in-1 wash supersedes them all with the amount of bubbles it produces. A lot of other natural baby wash products seem to produce little to no bubbles at all, which is very disappointing for little ones. Baby Spa is phthalate free, paraben free, sulfate free, polyethylene glycol free, mineral oil free and BPA free. And the natural oils and products it does include are so, so, so beneficial to your babies skin.
Mary Bratcher, our retail manager at The Motherhood Center, shared a story about a client whose baby was having allergic reactions to all the bathing products she had tried. His skin seemed to stay in a state of irritation. She had searched and tried multiple products and was at her wits end. Mary suggested the Baby Spa products for her son. The client tried the 3-in-1 shampoo, only to come back and purchase more. She said her son’s allergic reaction had subsided and his skin was in the best condition it had been in for quite some time.
I truly believe in the Baby Spa product line. It provides vitamin-rich skin care using 30 different botanicals that are therapeutic and beneficial to your baby’s delicate skin. Baby Spa is not only skin-friendly, but eco-friendly using only organic, ECOCERT certified ingredients, which are derived from renewable resources and developed in an environmentally friendly process. The Motherhood Center carries an array of Baby Spa products, I invite you to try the product line and see the bubbly benefits it can provide for your little ones. Baby Spa is available in The Motherhood Center retail store.
by: Meredith Stedham, RN, LPC
Have you ever noticed that in our culture there comes a time when adults discard their given names and instead make substations such as “Nana” and “Papa”? This name change marks the very celebrated rite of passage into the role of grandparenthood. When my brother’s daughter was born, I watched my own parents transform from “Mom” and “Dad” to “Bebe” and “Pops”. I always knew they would be very loving and proud grandparents, which they are; however, I was completely fascinated to watch as the word “no” seemed to vanish from their vocabulary.
Grandparents are an amazing resource for wisdom, support, and encouragement for expecting parents. However, many grandparents quickly discover that the rules for newborn care have evolved much like the telephone to the smart phone. And just as our modern society has created a demand for services like Geek Squad to assist you with your new technology, The Motherhood Center offers a Grandparent Refresher course that helps to merge the wisdom of past generations with the methods of the 21st century.
As the instructor of the Newborn Care Classes here at The Motherhood Center, I have had the privilege of working with several grandparents-to-be. I have thoroughly enjoyed their enthusiasm and willingness to offer their help with everything from laundry and household chores to diapers and middle of the night feedings. I have also seen the peace of mind that new parents have in knowing that grandma and grandpa have been schooled in the new definition of the “right way” to do things. In fact, I had one eager expecting Grandmother tell me she chose to attend the class just to make certain her name would be first on the list of approved babysitters.
If you are wondering whether things have really changed that much, here’s a pop-quiz that might help: Should you put newborns on their tummies to sleep? Is rice cereal recommended for newborns? Do bumpers make cribs safer for babies? You might be surprised to learn that according to today’s medical experts, the answer to all of these questions is no. These topics, along with general newborn care tips such as diaper changing, umbilical cord care, and sponge baths are all covered in the grandparent class. To register for the Grandparent Class, please click here.