The Sewing Mom

I can’t believe it, but our granddaughter turned 2 this past week! She is the cutest little girl ever and I am looking forward to getting to see her again soon. Her parents had a huge birthday party for her, over 40 people! My step-daughter was even asking me questions about party etiquette and I told her that we have never had that size of a party for our own daughter who is now 13. When our daughter turned 2, it was just the 3 of us celebrating together with a cake I had made for the day!

It’s funny the choices we all make, how they can be so very different. I do believe though, that as parents, no matter what decisions we make for our children, we have their best interests at heart. I recall a very difficult decision I had to make when our daughter was little and that involved what to feed her. My husband had been laid off from his job and so we were on a very tight budget and I was always having to find ways to save money, but I didn’t want money to be a deciding factor in what to feed our baby. I know my daughter-in-law went through the same difficult decision just 2 years ago.

There are so many baby formula choices. Thankfully, Consumer Reports recommends buying store-brand formulas because they are nutritionally comparable to Enfamil® LIPIL® and other name-brand formulas. They’ve also said that the store brand of formula at a local Wal-Mart (Parent’s Choice) cost 50 percent less per ounce than a leading national brand. So, not only can choosing a store brand formula over a national brand save you money, it’s still a healthy choice for the baby. There is a baby formula savings calculator available at the Parent’s Choice website that helps anyone see just how much money they can save.

I know that I always purchased powdered formula. It may take a little extra work, but it’s definitely more economical. The money I saved allowed me to purchase other things for our baby!

There is absolutely nothing that can compare to the softness of a baby’s skin. Of course, it can also be some of the most sensitive skin out there and we must do all we can to protect it. Just look at the beautiful skin on our little grandbaby as she runs through the pumpkin patch. You can see that it was a beautiful sunny day too!

When my daughter-in-law was pregnant, I gave her a shower gift of the best baby washes and lotions that I could find. I think it’s very important to use hypoallergenic products on babies as well as products made with the highest standards. That’s exactly what you get with the baby products from Mustela.Our little one lives in California where the sun shines more often than not which means, it’s not only important to have quality bathing products and lotions, but suncare is a must. I like the water-resistant cream from Mustela which has an SPF of 50. It has aloe vera and vitamin E among its ingredients and is, of course, hypoallergenic.  This product provides protection from both UVA and UVB rays and utilizes the reflective qualities found in titanium dioxide and zinc oxide.I know that our little one and her family love to spend time outdoors so I may just have to place this lotion in her little Christmas stocking!  I also really like the Squeaky Clean Gift Set for the bath, so they may find that under their tree.

Whether you are expecting a baby or have a new baby in the house, you may want to visit the “Parent’s Corner” at the Mustela website. You’ll find tips and advice for taking care of you and your little one as well as product tips.