Taking baby out often means feeding baby while on the go. Depending on the stage and age of your baby, the way you feed your baby might be as simple as pulling out a bottle or as complicated as a four course meal.

Breastfeeding
Breastfeeding moms have the easiest means of feeding baby on the go. A few minutes in a car or nursing room or a quiet bench away from the action can give baby a chance to fill up, often followed by a little nap.

Bottle Feeding
When bottle feeding, you can bring cold bottles with ready made formula that may have to be heated or one you made right before leaving the house. Bottles that are already prepared should be used in less than 1-2 hours, however. A can of ready-made formula poured into a waiting bottle can create a meal or a formula dispenser with pre-measured formula shaken into a bottle with water is an easy way to make a meal on the run.

Solids
Once a child starts eating solids, you’ll need a bit more than a bottle or breast. Every outing that will span a meal will include jars or containers of baby food, a spoon, a bib and a change of clothes. You might also bring a highchair cover or wipes to keep eating conditions sanitary.

Finger Foods
Life becomes a bit easier once a baby is comfortably eating finger foods. Tear off or cut small pieces of your own meal for baby and supplement with foods brought from home. In a matter of months your little one will be capable of grabbing and chewing a real meal (so long as you cut it up for him first.)

Celebrity moms are getting more down to earth with their baby names and their baby gear. Sure there are still thousand dollar prams marching down the street, or in the case of the Lopez twins, two matching prams, but many celebrities are becoming more focused on what baby needs to feel comfortable – no matter the price tag. In this case, that often means the price tag is lower than you might think.

Slings and Carriers
Celebrities, like any new moms, find that carrying baby close is the easiest way to get things done and keep baby comfortable. Gently wrapping slings and carriers are being spotted more and more with young babies.

Practical Strollers
No matter the brand, more practical strollers are being seen rather than bulky prams. A well designed stroller will take a child through the toddler years and many celebrities are keeping it simple with basic designs and simple color schemes.

Diaper Bags
Designer label or not, a diaper bag is necessary with a baby of any age. Large bulky bags that hold all that baby needs in dark colors are seen everywhere. Even large purses with an extra diaper and sippy cup inside are meeting the needs of many celebrity moms.

If anyone deserves a present this Father’s Day, it’s the father of your adorable baby. After all, that baby wouldn’t be here without him – even if he still changes diapers with great reluctance. This year, give the Daddy in your life something extra special – a personalized gift from his baby.

Personalized Gifts
Any one can buy candy or a card, but making something personalized is much more meaningful. Even very young babies can contribute to Dad’s gift this year with help from you, so get creative and make something truly special.

Mementos
Moms aren’t the only ones who love pictures and keepsakes. Buy a little jersey for Dad’s favorite team or a junior fishing set and take baby to the local photographer. Get some shots and then frame the print in a suitable manly frame. Dad can bring his personalized picture to the office or just put it somewhere special in the house. If you don the team jersey and pose up with your baby, that might make the picture even more special.

A classic memento is a handprint or footprint of your little one on inside a card or in plaster. Write dad a meaningful message inside a card you’ve created and then “sign” it with baby’s handprint. Make the message from you or the baby. Either way it will have a lot more meaning than something the card store created.

If there was ever a good parental debate, the pacifier deserves recognition. Some parents feel the pacifier is a lifesaver when it comes to a baby with a high need to suck, while others feel pacifiers deter breastfeeding or create unhealthy sleep habits. So do you need a pacifier?

Yes! – A pacifier is recommended to help reduce the risk of SIDS in young babies. Sucking on a pacifier keeps baby in a lighter state of sleep helping to keep her safe.

Yes! – A pacifier can help a baby with a strong suck reflex feel satisfied when she’s not really hungry.

Yes! – A pacifier can satisfy the urge to suck that is extremely relaxing for babies helping her to fall asleep and comfort herself.

No! – A pacifier uses a different form of sucking which might confuse babies learning to breastfeed.

No! – A pacifier can become a crutch for older babies who need to learn more natural ways to self-comfort.

No! – A pacifier can cause poor sleep if baby can’t sleep without it and can’t replace it herself when it falls out in the middle of the night.

A first tooth is very exciting for parents, but baby isn’t always so thrilled. Babies react differently to teething with some showing almost no outside symptoms other than a tooth that appears virtually overnight while others have drawn out misery waiting on each tooth to cut through the gums.

Babies teeth at different times, but the first tooth appears between four and eight months on average. After the first, a companion tooth will likely appear. The bottom two teeth come in first followed by the top two. Then generally teeth continue to appear in pairs on the bottom followed by the matching set on the top. By thirty months, your child will have an entire collection of teeth including two sets of molars.

At the age of three, parents are urged to take their child to the dentist for the first time. Even though his teeth are baby teeth which will fall out and be replaced by permanent teeth in a few more years, caring for these teeth is very important. If baby teeth are damaged, permanent teeth can be misaligned or damaged as well.

Teach your baby healthy dental habits from the start. Brush his gums with a special toothbrush. Then when the first tooth appears, make brushing that tooth, or at least wiping it with a clean washcloth, part of your routine. Good dental hygiene now will make for an adorable smile the rest of his life.

Postpartum depression hits a large percentage of pregnant women after delivery. Some feel that every new mother suffers from some degree of the condition within a few days of giving birth. The primary cause for the depression is the surging hormones following delivery, and the degree to which you’re affected is not something you can control.

Degrees of Depression
At the light end of postpartum depression is the condition called “Baby Blues.” When a new mother is suddenly weepy for no apparent reason, is worried constantly about her baby and feels like motherhood is suddenly overwhelming, she has what is considered by many to be a very normal, routine effect to hormones and emotions following delivery. Baby Blues pass in a few days or a week once your system has settled back down. For years all degrees of depression were written off as Baby Blues, but now there is much more support for mothers who suffer from a more extreme case of depression.

Postpartum Depression
When full scale depression hits, the mother might feel sad, but she might also feel angry, frustrated and even apathy toward her baby. Her feelings of worry for her little one might be so overwhelming she can’t function or care for him correctly. She might be so frustrated and down that she doesn’t always keep the baby’s best interests at heart and in very extreme cases might even harm her child.

Dealing with Postpartum Depression
Some rocky emotions following delivery are normal, but if you suspect your emotions are going beyond a few good sobs and tearful midnight feedings, call your doctor immediately to seek out assistance. In rare cases, doctors treat postpartum depression lightly when it is indeed serious, so if you’re unsatisfied with your doctor’s handling of your concerns, continue to seek help. Your baby and your own condition are too important not to be treated properly.

As a second timer, I thought I’d write a little something to help new mothers pack wisely to the hospital.

Here’s the short list

For you:

Labor and after:

• Pillow (in a printed pillowcase so it doesn’t get mixed up with the hospital’s)
• Sucking candy or lollipops
• Hairbrush, rubber band, barrettes or hair band
• Cell phone, charger and phone card (for long distance calls)
• Lip Moisturizer
• Baby Book- give it to the nurses to keep, so they’ll stamp the baby’s prints in there when they do the birth certificate.

After Labor:

• A little bit of make-up
• Travel sized and pleasant smelling shampoo, conditioner and lotion.
• Travel sized toothbrush and toothpaste
• Razor
• 2 pairs of plain roomy underwear (leave your Victoria’s Secret Bikinis at home)
• 1 pair of supporting underwear to wear over your undies, to begin reshaping and supporting your belly.
• Nursing bra, nipple cream, breast shells, ultra soft nursing pads
• Socks and slippers
• Comfortable clothes and shoes to go home in
• Plastic (shopping) bags to sort and store dirty laundry and other stuff

For your partner:

• Camera
• Snacks
• Couple of bottles of water
• Chewing gum
• Tylenol (or other pain reliever)

For the Baby:

• Car Seat
• Baby outfit, hat, scratch mittens, season appropriate blanket, and a bundler if it is cold.

Other things to consider:

• If you are have other kids, I hear it’s good to bring along some present for your older children (as if from the new baby) so they’ll have pleasant associations.

• Don’t bring entertainment- if you have a chance- rest, during and after labor. Basically rest and sleep every chance you get.

• If you plan to continue breastfeeding, bring your pump so they can show you how to properly use it in the hospital, but don’t expect to have great milk supply during the first couple of days.

• Don’t bring too much of your own clothing for the hospital, at most bring a top robe. It might all get soiled, and you also want to provide easy access for doctors and nurses to check you out. Hospital gowns should do.

• Same goes for pads- use hospital pads, they are bulky, but they are the only thing that will do the trick for you during the first 5-10 days.

Hope this helps. Good luck and enjoy your achievement!