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By Stephanie Keel
Sweet Pea Baby Planners(tm) has a Positive Review for Nursing Tank
Recently Sweet Pea Baby Planners(tm) received a great new product from one of our favorite companies, Hotslings. Founded in 2003 by a Mom in Texas, Hotslings is known worldwide for their fabulously trendy and functional baby slings. They have expanded into nursing wear also, and we were one of the first to receive their Milk Daze Nursing tank. If you are currently pregnant and haven’t yet experienced the joy of wearing nursing apparel, let us warn you. The clips, snaps and hooks make maneuvering to feed a squirmy-hungry baby in your arms extremely difficult. We strongly promote breastfeeding with ease and the Milk Daze cami supports our endeavors.
The Hotslings MilkDaze nursing tank offers clever yet simple design to include:
- Layers of fabric cover your breast just pull aside. No clips!
- Fabric offers discreet coverage when not nursing
- Made with quality in mind
- Low cut waist to flatters your postpartum figure
Stephanie Nixdorf, one of our test panel moms from Charlotte, NC who is an avid user of nursing tanks (now with baby #3) had this to say about the product:
“I love this MilkDaze nursing tank! It is stylish & functional at the same time. The tank offers easy & discrete breastfeeding access while still being supportive. There are no snaps to mess with which is a plus, whether it is the middle of the night or you are out & about. The less fuss the better when you have a hungry baby! At first touch you can tell the fabric will remain soft & wears well; a must for something that will be next to your skin & your baby’s skin day after day.Hotslings is already known for their fabulous baby slings & now the Hotslings creators have come out with a great breastfeeding product that lives up to the Hotsling reputation. MilkDaze nursing tanks are sure to become a must have breastfeeding item!”
By April Beach
How can you resist? The mobiles, crib aquariums, and light soothers are all so sweet. But before placing one on your baby’s crib, ask yourself… Do I want my baby to associate sleepy time with play? Do I plan on walking into the nursery each night when the bubbles stop? All of these toys are fun and babies love them, even my own babies laughed and cooed and as they watched their little friends spin and swim. To create a nursery that encourages play and nurtures sleep, try these simple ideas.
- Consider placing the mobile near the changing table instead. Many mobiles have a wall attachment or can be safely mounted at the foot end of the table.
- Buy a crib entertainer that is easy to remove. You can attach it at play time and remove it for sleeping. Your baby will learn to decipher between the two and act appropriately.
- Consider purchasing a mobile that simply hangs from the ceiling. These soothing flyers make no noise and slowly lull babies to sleep. Place it in the center of the room or away from the crib.
- If you love the idea of a mobile on the crib, choose one that is battery operated and has a remote control. When your baby wakes up, you won’t have to enter the room to turn it back on. (But you will have to turn it back on.)
Overall you need to thoroughly consider the sleep associations you are allowing your child to establish. If you are not comfortable continuing the routine for months or years to come, consider removing the crutch slowly or never introducing one at all. We highly recommend establishing a healthy bed time routine to compliment your family’s personality. If you are in a place where you have allowed poor sleep habits to enter, or your child is not receiving adequate amounts of sleep daily, you may want to contact a Sweet Pea Baby Planner in your area for a complimentary consultation.
By Kellie Mejia, Palm Beach Baby Planning Director
Keeping your child rear-facing in the car for as long as possible has been recommended by Child Passenger Safety Technicians and advocates for a long time, with the acceptable minimum standard being that children should ride rear-facing until they have reached at least 1 year of age and weigh at least 20 pounds.
The American Academy of Pediatrics has released guidelines for 2010 that strengthen their support of rear-facing in the car long past the first birthday. The official recommendation from the AAP is: “When children reach the highest weight or length allowed by the manufacturer of their infant-only seat, they should continue to ride rear-facing in a convertible seat. It is best for children to ride rear-facing as long as possible to the highest weight and height allowed by the manufacturer of their convertible seat. When they have outgrown the seat rear-facing, they should use a forward-facing seat with a full harness as long as they fit”.
This means that your child is safest riding rear-facing until they are 33-45lbs, depending on the car seat they are riding in. This weight range means your child will probably be at least 3 years old before it is recommended to turn them forward facing. You are probably wondering why many organizations have endorsed the idea of extending rear-facing, and the sole reason is safety. Research shows that rear-facing in a properly installed seat reduces the risk of spinal cord injury, serious neck injury and lifelong disability in the event of a crash. It is not considered a safety issue if a child’s legs are bent at the knees in a rear-facing car seat, or if their feet can touch the vehicle’s seat back. The Child Passenger Safety Technical Encyclopedia has a great explanation of the safety benefits of rear-facing, under the section entitled, “Rear-facing vs. forward-facing”; it gives detailed information about impact of crashes on a child’s body in each position.
All of this information is important for you to have when deciding the right time to turn your child from a rear-facing position to a forward-facing position. Sweet Pea Baby Planners strives to give parents the relevant information needed to allow you to make the best decisions for your family.
To see the full AAP article: http://www.healthychildren.org/English/safety-prevention/on-the-go/pages/Car-Safety-Seats-Information-for-Families-2010.aspx
To see a list of car safety seats and safety seat manufacturers: http://www.healthychildren.org/English/safety-prevention/on-the-go/pages/Car-Safety-Seats-Product-Listing-2010.aspx
The Child Passenger Safety Technical Encyclopedia: http://www.carseat.org/Technical/tech_update.htm#rearfacCR
Sweet Pea Baby Planners is pleased to be once again featured by the press.
AMERICAN EXPRESS OPEN Small Business and AOL Small Business
by Stephanie Keel, Charlotte Baby Planning Director
At 14 weeks, most likely you are finally showing! Now you have outwardly proof that there really is a human being growing inside you. But don’t rush out quite yet to your nearest maternity boutique for those maternity jeans. When you reach the point where your regular clothes are too small and maternity clothes are still too big- gather a small wardrobe to fit you in this stage. [Warning: The following may be a sad statement but we are here to share the truth!] This will most likely be the size you will be post-partum for quite a while after baby’s birth and you will get a lot of wear from them.
Take inventory of your closet – separate your clothes that will adapt with you as you grow. Separate the following from your regular clothes:
- Pants and Skirts with stretchy waistbands or waistbands that fit below your tummy (see you knew those low rise jeans were a good buy!)
- Identify shirts that are not snug in the tummy and breast area.
- Keep out jackets or sweaters that you would not button closed anyway – these will make great accessory items to some basic maternity clothes.
Purchase basic “in-between” maternity clothes
This in-between phase can be purchased from a regular store or from a maternity store. Just look for stretchy materials; including the wardrobe from your current closet, consider purchasing the following:
- One pair of work out pants (or shorts depending on season) and comfortable t-shirts and workout jackets.
- One pair of jeans – choose a style that can be dressed up or dressed down, such as dark denim. You could also pick up a “belly band” extender that will allow your too tight pants to still be worn.
- If you work full time, have at least two or three skirts and pants you can wear to work –basics must haves: black skirt, shirt, slacks.
- Purchase new underwear that is comfortable and allows some growing room if you are noticing your bum expanding some.
- If your bra cup size appears to be growing – you will need to buy a bigger cup size. If your bra is just feeling snug, pick up bra extenders – very inexpensive hook extenders found at fabric stores and online.
- Have a basic white collared shirt that you can easily dress up with a necklace or sweater.
- A great dress – again something that can be casual or formal – such as a cotton or lycra-mix material in a basic black or chocolate brown.
- If you get any offers from friends to loan you their maternity clothes – take them up on it. If their clothes are too large- still accept and pick out some favorites and see if a local alternations can make adjustments – often this will cost only a few dollars.
- Look for consignment sales – often local churches or mommy groups will hold consignment sales. These always have an abundance of maternity clothes. This is especially a good spot to look for specialty items such as a big coat or a holiday outfit.
- Whenever you are out and about, keep an eye on sale and clearance racks. You may be able to find some more unique pieces at great prices before you are at the point where you HAVE to have it and end up paying retail price.
Pregnancy is an exciting time and hopefully by using the tips above you will have clothes that make you feel gorgeous – as you truly are – without breaking the bank.
From our angels, cuties, and little rascals (19 in total, though not all pictured), to yours…
      ![207688522406_0_ALB[1]](http://sweetpeababyplanners.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/207688522406_0_ALB1-224x300.jpg "207688522406_0_ALB[1]") 
We have much to be thankful for in 2009. Our company family has grown, our industry is becoming more understood and many families allowed us to be a part of welcoming their new additions.
2009 Highlights for Sweet Pea Baby Planners
We were pleased to be featured by the Associated Press to include…
 
and hundreds more…
Our company grew as we celebrated the opening of two new Sweet Pea Baby Planners locations:
Charlotte, NC owned and operated by Stephanie Keel
Palm Beach/Ft. Lauderdale, FL owned and operated by Kellie Mejia
Our company also grew to welcome:
Elizabeth McFadden (“officially” became our Chief Marketing and Communications Officer)
Ilana Johnson (Director of Retail Relations)
Nichole Barnett (Early Education Specialist)
![707145185406_0_ALB[1]](http://sweetpeababyplanners.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/707145185406_0_ALB1-300x224.jpg "707145185406_0_ALB[1]")
Our advisory board will continue to grow in 2010, as we see fit in order to best support our clients.
Our annual trip to Vegas for the ABC Kids Show was once again a blast!
We met with the president and co-chair for JPMA, all of our wonderful manufacturing partners, reviewed products for 2010, were interviewed by LizzieB TV, and enjoyed our annual National Baby Planners Association (NBPA) dinner with baby planner friends from other companies.
  
For our annual Sweet Pea only event, I wanted to surprise the ladies with something “unexpected”; race car driving! Ilana and Erin (North LA Director) drive like crazy women with rubber flying off their tires. I forgot who actually won because I was laughing so hard! (I will surely be corrected by email from the winner shortly after this post).
 
I created the Manufacturer Relations program for the NBPA which launched in November of this year; allowing all baby planners to benefit from our existing relationships with industry manufacturers enabling them to become more familiarized with hundreds of baby products, whereby providing their clients with excellent knowledge.
 
and many more…
We celebrated two years offering The Baby Planner Business Plan, and enjoyed speaking with and consulting numerous women to begin their own baby planner careers.
 www.PujBaby.com I have to admit that overall I don’t like baby bathtubs. In fact, when consulting clients, I find myself recommending parents to opt out of purchasing a bathtub for their baby. In most cases, I teach parents how to safely bathe baby in a small bathroom sink and avoid the entire bath clutter. This sink option tends to work best but could certainly be improved (especially since this is how we were all bathed as babies).
 Katie Richardson and April Beach In comes Puj! We were so excited to find this product at this year’s ABC Kids Expo that we haven’t stopped talking about it since. Puj; pronounced like pudgy baby was designed by two parents, Katie and Ben Richardson who new the importance of “simplifying parenthood”. (Which we love too, of course). They designed the Puj Tub to meet the needs of bathing baby while designing a product that would work in all bath settings and be hassle free. The Puj Tub cradles baby in a warm, soft, anti-microbial pad and allows for baby to stay warm even during baths as an infant. Mom and dad can easily handle bathing duties without compromising comfort for their little one and completing the entire task with ease. When drying, the pad hangs flat but easily folds and rests in small bathroom pedestal sinks or a larger counter top sink for bathing. This bath makes perfect sense and we love it! Simplicity in parenting reduces stress and induces calmness in babies, especially during those first few weeks. The Puj Tub certainly aids in the goal of parenting simplified and we will be singing it’s praises for some time to come.
 The Puj Tub has received our Sweet Pea Favorites Seal of Approval for 2010 and we are thrilled to introduce this to you. Congratulations Katie and Ben, what a concept!
The Puj Tub retails for $39.99 and you can pick this up through Clevermom.me our retail partner.
by Kellie Mejia, Palm Beach Baby Planning Director
 This time of year may have you thinking about how you will parent your baby and establishing future traditions. You probably assume that you and your spouse will agree on most everything, but unless you come from exactly the same background, upbringing and traditions, you will have some differences of opinion on at least few things. Pregnancy is an ideal time to connect with your partner and discuss the things that are important to each of you when it comes to raising your child. Some of the “big” conversations you might want to consider having could be regarding childcare, family and in-law boundaries, discipline, religious beliefs and family traditions or holidays. It’s essential to know that as the two of you grow and develop as parents, your initial parenting desires may change over time. However, to know each other’s values is vital to parenting with open communication and to support each other through your parenting journey.
Here are some suggestions to get your conversation started:
- Childcare
- Will you or your spouse stay-at-home with your child? If so, until what age? If you will both return to work, will you put your child in daycare or hire a nanny? How old will your child be when this happens? Will you hire a babysitter for occasional outings or will family members/friends babysit?
- Family boundaries
- How often will family members be welcome to visit? Is it important to you that this is scheduled ahead of time or is calling that day/ dropping in ok?
- Family Traditions/Holidays
- How did your family celebrate when you were growing up? How did your spouses’ family celebrate? Do you want to meld these traditions together or start your own? Where will you spend holidays? Who is invited to spend each holiday with you?
Getting the conversation started during pregnancy is essential to parenting with open communication. Understand your initial desires will most likely change over time. This is absolutely normal as you begin to settle in to your parenting routine and identify desires within yourself.
Would you like to become a Baby Planner?
If you are interested in opening Sweet Pea Baby Planners in your area, opportunities are available. Join the nation’s first comprehensive baby planning firm in a rewarding opportunity. Sweet Pea Baby Planners is the only all-inclusive baby consulting firm that serves exceptional families with differing goals. We are looking for people who have a passion for supporting others. This opportunity is available to exceptional candidates in select markets in the USA and abroad.
We will be hosting two information calls for those interested in Sweet Pea opportunities.
Saturday, December 5th 7:00 pm PST/10:00 pm EST
Wednesday, December 16th 6:30 pm PST/ 9:30 pm EST
Normally, we enjoy personally connecting with those interested in Sweet Pea options. Considering the overwhelming interest in opportunities, we will be hosting these initial calls and then scheduling private conferences for those with further interest. Please inquire by email to join this call This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it and include your name, email address, phone number, location and which call you would like to be a part of. Or contact April Beach directly 303.522.4334 or opportunities@sweetpeababyplanners.com This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Your interest is a compliment and much appreciated, thank you.
(If you are opening your own baby planning company and wish to speak with us for support, please send an email and we will be pleased to get back with you)
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