IMG: Elizabeth Ferree

I don’t know about you but I’d like to see the pictures as is, without all the touch-ups.

It has recently come out that magazines actually airbrush babies. Yes, that’s right, not even babies can have a bit of extra weight on them. You thought teens had it bad.  To be honest I’ve never found anything wrong with a baby with rolls, in fact I find them cute to a degree. How can you deny one crawling around on the floor and think they look ugly? Why cut out the fat? There is a time where many babies get a little chubby before they turn 2 and then they go right back to thinning out. But to actually airbrush it away like it never happened, that’s a bit strange to me.

According to Telegraph this is something they are really looking into and it sounds like it may be coming to an end soon. It seems that this has been a practice they’ve been doing for a while, however not many of us knew about it. Telegraph goes on to state the following:

Practical Parenting and Pregnancy, a monthly magazine, has said it has retouched photographs of babies to “put them across in the best light”.

The practice came to light in a BBC documentary, My Supermodel Baby. In footage of a photo shoot for the magazine, the casting director explained how the photograph of baby model Hadley Corbett, five months, was airbrushed: “We lightened his eyes and his general skin tone, smoothed out any blotches and the creases on his arms,” he said. “But we want it to look natural.”

Daniella Delaney, the editor of the magazine which sells nearly 40,000 copies, told The Sunday Telegraph that photographs were airbrushed but that it was kept to a minimum.

“We’ll remove things and even-up skin tone, that sort of thing. But very little is done, in fact, because obviously babies are beautiful the way they are and that is what we went to get across.”

You know I can totally get taking the red out of an eye, boogers out of the nose and same with the drool hanging from a baby’s chin. But I don’t agree with taking away the rolls. What baby is that perfect? For those that are, why continue the trend that so many hear about for Hollywood, you know the whole we have to be a size 0 or 1.

Ms. Delaney never did comment on whether or not her magazine has ever airbrushed a baby for the folds or rolls. But she did admit to airbrushing away the other things like spit, etc. What do you think of airbrushing babies? Should this continue or should it be stopped? Read the rest of the article on airbrushing babies here.

Post from: Babylune

IMG: Sxc.hu

Keep in mind there are many stores not near me so if you have baby deals near you please list them in the comment section so another reader could take advantage of the deal. After all we do want to help each other out.

CVS:
CVS brand: Ultra Thins $9.99 or Soft Cloths $7.99
Coupon in the CVS flyer for $2 off Enfamil or Similac

Walgreens:
Jumbo pck Walgreens diapers $5.99
Comfort Smooth wipes 2/$3
Coupon in Walgreens flyer for $10 Disney winnie the Pooh humidifier

Target:
Pampers Cruisers 72-112ct for $29.99
NUK BPA-free bottles $11
infant/toddler sweaters/pants/skirts for $9 each

Don’t forget right now would be the perfect opportunity to stock up and prepare for Christmas over at Toys R Us. There is a big Fisher-price sale going on plus whenever you buy $75 in items you get a $10 gift card.

Post from: Babylune

IMG: sxc.hu

Tips for Families with Preemies trying to Keep Healthy This Season

Employ Good Hand Washing: You don’t have to be an expert to know that hand washing is essential in keeping germs at bay. Preemies are more susceptible to infections and any one coming in contact with a preemie baby should wash his or her hands.

Keep Baby Warm This Winter: While preemies are in the hospital, their body temperature is constantly being monitored and kept warm. So when it’s time to bring your preemie home, it’s important to keep him or her warm and comfortable at home too. A good way to keep a preemie warm is by keeping a hat on his or her head, as most heat is lost through a baby’s head. Also be sure their hands and feet are toasty too!

Keep Breastfeeding. There is nothing healthier for your newborn baby than breast milk. If you can’t feed your baby directly because she is having trouble latching on, set up a good pumping routine. Like Suzy’s story, I recommend that you pump hands-free so you can hold and/or stroke your baby while you pump. Doing so aids in milk production and brings you closer to your baby.

Take care of yourself. Parents of preemies often find themselves spending hours and days, if not weeks, in the neo-natal intensive care unit. Plus, caring for a preemie can take an incredible amount of time. New moms should be sure to take care of themselves too! Don’t be shy about accepting help from well-intentioned family and friends and get plenty of rest, eat well and exercise moderately as recommended by your doctor.

Get Support: Parents of preemies can feel comforted in the fact that they are not alone and that there are support groups they can work with, such as your local March of Dimes Chapter or Preemies Today online and remote support groups. They can also seek support and encouragement from their doctors, nurses, or other parents.

Post from: Babylune

IMG: Sxc/bjearwicke

An example:
The iphone said one baby was sleepy and gave a list of suggestions, here are two: 1. Read a story softly to baby 2. go on a walk with baby in a confortable stroller.

The crying generator only seems to come up with 5 different types of cries: 1. hungry 2. pacifier 3. sleepy 4. play with me 5. diaper. The application costs $9.99 a month and gives you suggestions to calming baby whether they need a new diaper or just need to get some sleep. I know I have a 2 year old that I’d love to try this out on, but I don’t have an iphone. Have you tried it?

Post from: Babylune

IMG: Leah's Place

The winner will need to contact me via email homemom3@gmail.com with your mailing address so I can get it out to her.  The winner of the contest was #14.

Post from: Babylune

Under Construction Cuddly Minky Blanket
$85

It’s a handmade blanket with a color patchwork-type look and heavy-equipment for little guys (or girls) theme. It’s made of minky and chenille, measure 30.5″ x 38″ in diameter, and it’s personalized with the name of your choice. Convo the seller for other customization and color choice ideas.

On the Farm Cuddly Minky Blanket

$85

Another cute blanket with a farm theme. It has the same dimensions as the blanket above. The blanket designer uses a combination of material textures to make the blanket a “tactilely stimulating” experience.

Tea For Two Cuddly Minky Blanket

$85

Everybody loves a tea party. Cute, little animals enjoy tea-time treats on this blanket made of minky and chenille. It has the same dimensions as the blankets seen above.

**This was a guest post written by Michelle Smith. You can find Michelle at Splendicity.com in Fragrance or Pretty By Nature. She also writes for the Beauty and Fashion section at Gadabout Media.com**

Image credit: TLC Blankets and Things at Etsy

Sources:

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=26354709&ref=sc_4, http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=31989263, http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?ref=vl_other_2&listing_id=24829148

Post from: Babylune

IMG: Sxc.hu

What was it? Baby Jaeli was allergic to just about anything she could eat and would need a supply of breastmilk, but her mother couldn’t supply the amount needed.

Facebook and Twitter jumped up to the cause letting everyone know about the situation and it has now been announced that 60 complete strangers have donated breastmilk. By the way, it costs $4.25 per ounce of breastmilk from the Human Milk Banking Association of North America. Jaeli needs 30 ounces a day and the insurance companies are fighting this.  Friends and strangers rallied together in order to start a new cause, “Jaeli’s Milk” and within the first few hours had collected just over $1000, to date they have just over $3000 and it is still going strong.

Want to help this tiny little baby girl?

WalletPop:

If you’d like to donate, follow Jaeli’s progress, or spread the word, log onto Twitter and follow @angengland, @brandybrow and @rarechromobaby. Or, stop by her website.

Post from: Babylune

IMG: Sxc.hu

Currently Plain Mary is actually donating 20% of all proceeds for those that purchase anything from her pink pages. Hurry on over, there’s stuff like: embroidered burp clothes, mini suitcases. Here’s the link that shows all items that can be purchased for the cause.  Plain Mary Donates 20% of proceeds to Breast Cancer Awareness.

The pink Baby K’tan baby carrier will donate $1 to breast cancer awareness for every one sold. These, for those that don’t know are front carriers for your little babies.

BrightStarts will donate a portion of their proceeds to Breast Cancer Awareness. For those that don’t know they have a ton of baby products such as bouncers, playmats and toys, it states any of the toys in pink that are purchased will be donated to the cause. (not the toys but money from it) BrightStarts donates to Breast Cancer Awareness.

DaysAGo is also giving 10% of all sells of the pink ones to Breast cancer awareness. I added this because these caps are great to add to the top of baby food to tell you how long they’ve been in the fridge for those of us that tend to forget.

Now I know as moms of babies we tend to forget about ourselves so here are a few just for moms that still donate to the cause:

Pouchee is donating $1 for every Breast Cancer LTD Edition Cotton pouchee sold for this month. This pouchee is a great gift idea for a mom that has a ton of running around to do or the one that has more than one kid in more than one thing. The pouchee looks like a wallet from the outside and a big enough purse to put a book, phone, small toys, change, etc inside. So it is perfect for the on-the-go mom.  Pouchee donates $1 per bag sold.

Eco Child’s Play has a post full of baby toys that have companies that will donate to breast cancer awareness, check them out. Dandelion Organic Baby Toys for Breast Cancer Awareness

Post from: Babylune

IMG: KolaKuddles.com

The first thing I noticed was how thing these blankets are, these are meant to swaddle the baby but not to be used as a blanket outside in the cold. With that being stated lets go explore the blankets.

The Koala Kuddles Swaddle blankets are made of 100% cotton and each time you wash it it actually gets softer. It does too, I tried just to make sure. I’m not sure what the packaging is made of but it feels really smooth, there is just something about the box that I like.  You can choose from Australian animals, polka dots or an assortment of both.

The side of the Swaddling box actually has instructions on how to swaddle your baby using the blanket. These are step by step, with picture instructions on how to do it. Moms will love the light weight blankets because it means no overheating the baby, they may also like the privacy it gives them when it comes to breastfeeding. Babies will love it because it is soft, breathable and acts as the perfect security to drag around with them.

Want to win a package of Koala Kuddles? Read the rules below:

RULES:  Head on over to Koala Kuddles and tell me thing you like about Koala Kuddles, whether it is how you would use it or which type you like.

Extra Entries:
-  Tell me your favorite design you like at Koala Kuddles
- Tell me your favorite Australian animal 
-  Tell me one fact you learned while visiting Koala Kuddles
- Tweet, stumbleupon, blog this post. (remember to leave a seperate entry for each one with a link)

Deadline: October 29th, I’ll announce the winner on the 30th. Please respond to the post within 24 hours so I can have it mailed off. Due to finances I can’t send out of the United States (sorry folks).

Post from: Babylune

IMG: Sxc.hu

No, can do. They will not support this little baby boy.

Okay, I know America is worried about the “fat children” but this is a 4-month-old little baby. Could this not be just those awkward months? I know my own children got fat during the first year and then evened out after their first birthday. I mean isn’t that when they are more mobile anyways. Babies at this age are barely crawling around.

Baby Alex is considered obese at only 4-months-old and a risk for the health insurance companies. Shocker right? By the way, he is a breastfed baby, I know many tend to blame the bottle for weight gain. My own doctor once told me I should give my daughter the bottle to fatten her up.

Here’s what Dr. Doug Speedie the Medical Director for the company had to say:

At 17 pounds, Alex is in the 99th percentile for height and weight for babies his age. His parents were told insurance companies don’t take babies above the 95th percentile, no matter how healthy.

Dr. Doug Speedie, medical director at insurance company Rocky Mountain Health Plans, told KKCO-TV, it’s possible for a baby to be above the 95 percentile and still be healthy, and admitted the system is flawed.

“Your weight is not an absolute determinate of health,” Speedie said. “Unfortunately when we try to sell people insurance, a number has to be used as a cutoff.”

Yeah, I’d say that system is a bit flawed. What about you?

Post from: Babylune