Baby Essentials – A Guide For First Time Mums
Baby Essentials - A Guide For First Time Mums
Are you a first time expectant mum wandering around the shops wondering do I really need that, or what is all this used for? If you answer yes to this question then you may find the following article useful.I can remember during my first pregnancy looking at items in the baby section wondering if all these bits and pieces were really necessary, and wondered what half of them were used for. I was often confused and would buy things 'just in case'. After the birth of my daughter I soon found that some of these items I definitely didn't need, and then there were others I just couldn't live without. I have put together a list of items that I personally feel are baby essentials and try to give you some insight into what and why you may be in need of them.Essentials for babyBunny rugs/ muslin wraps ? These are used to wrap your baby in. Newborn babies usually like to be wrapped snugly as it gives them the secure feeling they had in the womb. The difference is that Bunny rugs are for cool weather and muslin wraps are for warm weather, so the time of year your baby is due will determine which you will require. Recommend 8-12 of which ever you require.Baby towels - You can just use normal ones but baby towels are often smaller, lighter and softer. Recommend at least 3.Cot sheets - Fitted are best to prevent loosening as baby will move around a lot as it gets older. Recommend 3 sets.If you are using a cradle or bassinet to start with you will need special sheets to fit these. You can get away with just 2 sets as babies are only in them for a short time (6-10weeks) and if you run into trouble you can always use a bunny rug!Mattress protectors ? Recommend 2-3.Baby blankets - I don't use any baby bedding (blankets, top sheet ect) in the cot. Initially I wrapped baby in their bunny rug/muslin wrap and once they got to big I used baby sleeping bags or sleepsuits. Babies tend to kick blankets off , I found myself worrying they would wiggle under the loosened blankets, at the same time I worried baby would be too cold. Once I discovered baby sleeping bag/suits I never looked back. These types of suits go over the top of their normal sleeping outfits and allow baby freedom to kick and move about. SIDS bedding guidelines state that sleeping bags/suits are a safe bedding alternative as long as individual bags/suits meet the following safety standards ? neck and armholes should be fitted so that there is no chance of baby slipping inside the bag and it should not contain a hood. Baby sleeping conditions are not something to be taken lightly. I highly recommend that prior to making any decision in relation to how you will sleep your baby that you visit safe sleeping at the sids and kids website. This way you can make an informed decision on what will best suit your individual situation.Baby nail clippers/scissors - Baby nails grow really quick and are sharp, often causing them to scratch themselves.Baby cotton buds ? Used for cleaning outer ear, nose and belly buttons!! Look for the ones that are specially designed to prevent you from accidentally going in too far.Baby moisturiser - Babies often get a bit scaly in their first few weeks while their skin is adjusting to the outside world.Nappy bag ? A good quality nappy bag will have separate compartments to put your different bits and pieces in such as bottles, wipes, clothes ect.Look for one with a change mat attached as you will find this useful.A gentle baby soap - I recommend Johnson's milk bath you just squirt it in the water, no need to juggle baby and soap.Baby wipes - excellent for cleaning face, hands and bottoms, I'd be lost with out them. I recommend Huggies, you can get a refillable travel pack for the nappy bag and a clip top container for home. You can get cheaper brands but they are often thinner and harder to dispense.Nappy rash cream - I use one called Sudocrem. I found it very effective and although it is a little more expensive then some of the others creams you will see, you tend to use less.Bibs ? Bibs aren't really necessary unless you are bottle feeding, or until baby starts on solids. Look for bibs that either slip straight over baby's head or have velcro fasteners. I found soft plastic back bibs protected clothing better. Try to avoid bibs that require you to tie them, these can be difficult to manage when you have one hand holding the baby. Once baby is older using full plastic bibs while they are eating can save you a lot of washing.Cloth nappies - whether or not your are going to use disposable nappies you will still need some cloth nappies, they come in handy for cleaning up and protecting yourself from baby vomit and placing under baby when you have nappy leaks! 12 should suffice if you are going to use disposables. Of course if you are not using disposables you are going to need a lot more, approximately 24-36 in total. Please note that I didn't use cloth nappies, I used disposables so if you intend on using cloth nappies then their maybe some extra things you need in relation to them - snappies or pins, nappy liners and possibly plastic pants or fluffies.Nappy bucket ? If you are using cloth nappies you will probably need 2, one for the nappies, another for clothes/bibs ect. For those that are using disposables one will suffice (or some sort of bucket) for soaking clothes ect. For soaking the clothes you will need something like napisan. Lux flakes are also good for general washing of baby clothes as initially their skin can be sensitive.The following items you may not want straight away but are something to think about:A thermometer - If you think baby might be a bit 'off colour' it can help put your mind at rest. I eventually bought a tympanic one as I grew tired of trying to keep baby still while the thermometer was under their arm. The advantage of a tympanic thermometer is you use their ear and it only takes a couple of seconds to register, the problem is they are expensive.Bottles ? It does pay to have one or two bottles even if you plan to breastfeed, just in case you need to be away from baby for some reason or you just need a break. You will also need a couple of newborn teats, a bottle brush and some sterilising equipment. Microwave sterilisers are very effective and are not expensive. If for some reason you are unable to breastfeed or you plan to wean baby in the first year you will need more bottles, approximately 8.Breast pump ? This will totally depend on your situation. If you are going back to work early but want to continue to breast feed an electric pump would be of benefit. You can hire these from some hospitals and pharmacies if your budget is tight. If you only want to express milk for the rare occasion then a hand pump will be sufficient.I hope that this article has enlightened you on what products you may require for the upcoming birth of your child. If you feel that there are any items that are definite essentials that are missing from this list feel free to contact me through our website and I will add them.Please note that I have mentioned brand names throughout the article but I am in no way affiliated with these companies, nor are they products that I sell on my site, I genuinely found them to be worth the money you pay for them.About the AuthorLeisa Sanderson is a mother of two. Owner and operator of Bumps and Bundles - a pregnancy, baby and parenting resource centre and Bumps and Bundles Maternity ? Online retailer of Maternity wear, Baby clothes, and Baby gifts.This article maybe reprinted freely as long as all links remain active and author resource box is included.
My Rich Mums Ebook Secrets – E-Books
My Rich Mums Ebook Secrets
As usual, I walked into the Starbucks for my morning coffee.Enjoying my morning coffee in Starbucks has been a routine since a year back. Now, everything in that particular Starbucks seems so familiar. Even the customers looked similar.Just as I was walking to my favorite table with my warm coffee, I notice a lady meddling with her personal computer while sipping her drink. I took a glance and swore that face looked familiar. Anyway I thought my memory might not have fully awakened and so continued my walk towards my table. Now, I sat facing straight to this demure lady and suddenly it struck me, she was a well-known internet marketer, let's call her My Rich Mum. I was planning to start my own e-book business and have been surfing for more information and her picture always seems to pop up in e-book sites.I knew I needed a mentor like Rich Mum if I wanted to start a successful e-book business. I was usually a shy person but at that moment, some part of me told me to get my back off the seat and walk towards her. Well, I did just that. I approached Rich Mum and started a conversation. I introduced myself and told her I was planning to start an e-book business and asked if she had any tips or advice. All she did was to pull a card out of her purse and told me to only open the card when I reached home. The "namecard size" card was wrapped in a light blue wrapper. Rich Mum then wrote her personal contact number on the back of the card and told me to read, adsorb and understand the contents of the card. Her instructions were for me to understand the contents and to call her the day after.Not knowing what else to do, I thanked her and went back to my now cold coffee.That day after work, I went home all excited, ready to unveil the contents of the card. As I carefully removed the beautiful blue wrapper, I saw the contents of the card:My Personal Guide to an E-Book Business1. Choose my topic2. Write my E-book3. Create my website4. Accept payments5. Promote my websiteThat was all the contents on the card, simple and logical and yet so divine. I started to break down the contents one by one and tried surfing the internet for more information and voila, that was it. The 5 steps are all I need for my e-book business.I couldn't wait until the day after; I had to call Rich Mum the following day for a meet up. I wanted to know what the contents meant to her. Rich Mum, being the kind lady she was, agreed to meeting me for lunch. This time, I armed myself with a new pen and notepad.Finally at 1.30pm, I got to meet Rich Mum again. This time, she started her speech with a serious tone: "Jay, if you wish to understand more about the contents on the card I gave you, you will have to pay me $1000." I wrote Rich Mum a cheque on the spot. Hey, she was a famous internet guru and people would pay up to the thousands for by the hour consultation.Soon we were discussing about e-books and I was busy trying to jot down everything she said, word for word, sentence for sentence.The moment came when she started to explain the contents on the card she had gave to me earlier the day before. This was it, I specifically told Rich Mum to speak slower. (My hands were tired by now!) The following was what Rich Mum said exactly:"Choose my topicThis is where most people would take tons of time during their creation of their e-book business. Trust me, people climb onto the e-book wagon with only one objective in mind, making as much money as possible. Your first priority should be adding as much value as possible, when you do that, people will automatically part their money with you. Before you plunge into choosing any topic, always ask yourself the following questions:"What do I do for a living?""What are the types of knowledge I have?""What am I interested in?""Are there secrets I have that people might be very interested in?"The above questions should lead you to adding value to a certain group of people and earning money at the same time.Write my e-bookOnce you have the above step covered, once you already have your topic, writing your e-book should be a breeze. You do not need distinctions in English to write an e-book. People love e-books which are written in a more casual tone and not a stern go by the book tone. I always create my table of contents first, and then simply proceed to elaborate on the points I wish to bring forth. It's really that simple. After completing that e-book, I almost always convert my e-book into a PDF file, so that more eyeballs will be able to read it. The PDF format is friendly with most desktop platforms.Please always format sentences to be of 1.5 spacing and try to use larger fonts. This is because of the fact that it is always harder to read on the computer screen as compared to a hard copy.Create my websiteYour e-book website is not going to be a complicated website full of programming jargon. All you really need is two important pages, namely the Sales Page and the Thank You Page. The sales page will be where you show visitors your sales letter; it is the showcase of your e-book business. The thank you page is where you will have a link for the download of your product; in this case your product is your e-book.You can be a total computer idiot and yet own e-book businesses. A great tip to creating that website is to reply on friends who are well-versed in web designing. There is absolute no need to hire expensive web designers to do the same job a student web designer would do for a lunch treat. That was how I started my first e-book business back in 1997.Accepting paymentsA lot of people start their e-book businesses to make money, you need to start your e-book business to add value and then to make money.An E-book business always accepts credit card payments due to the fact that the credit card is the number one paying tool over the internet. To accept credit card payments, you will need a merchant account that will process your customer's cards and make sure payment is made. There are a few third party merchant accounts that will handle all credit card payments for your e-book businesses. The best part is you do not pay until you make a sale.Promote your siteThis is going to be the most difficult part of your e-book business. The hard fact is that Sales is directly proportional to Traffic. The most traffic you can get to your site, the more sales you will make.There are a couple of great ways to generate traffic to your site. One of these ways is to create a free e-book, report or course.All you do next is to send out the free e-books, reports or courses in anywhere possible and see the traffic pouring into your site. Remember, people are always looking for free information over the internet, so if you are able to provide great free information to people, they will spend on your website."There you have it, the 5 steps to an e-book business unveiled. My hands were trembling by now. After an hour of hardcore e-book coaching, Rich Mum was ready to leave for her game of tennis, leaving me to adsorb the notes I have just taken.* For your information, Rich Mum tore the cheque and before leaving, she whispered: "People will always be more committed after parting with their money."(C) 2003,2004 SS.JayDo you wish to know how Rich Mum starts her e-book business? See how SS.Jay uses Rich Mum Techniques to start e-book businesses that generate value and money. Get two free powerful e-books at http://www.CreateEbookProfits.com NOW!! Or mailto:ssjay@getresponse.comAbout The AuthorSS.Jay is the author of two Powerful How-To ebooks - The CreateEbookProfits and the eBOOKPLANNING. A must have ebook package if you want to start your OWN ebook business! Visit http://www.createebookprofits.com for your free gifts today