It’s hard to bring a new baby home from the hospital and resist the urge to dress her up like a little doll, but newborn babies have an astonishingly simple wardrobe requirement. After all, your newborn doesn’t go anywhere for weeks most likely and spends the vast majority of her time sleeping, probably swaddled.

Pajamas and Sleep Sacks
The first collection you’ll need to make for your newborn is an assortment of pajamas and sleep sacks. Sleep sacks are the easiest item to use at home as they are simply nightgowns for baby with elastic at the bottom to keep her little feet warm. The sleep sack doesn’t travel well, however, so your next easiest item is the pajama.

Pajamas with feet and zippers are absolutely a must for newborns, There are no complicated snaps and you don’t have to keep chasing little lost socks. Your baby is covered from neck to foot in comfortable cotton and you have the option of lightweight pajamas for summer months or heavily swaddled babies and warm, fleece pajamas for cooler months.

T-shirts and Onesies
A nice collection of simple t-shirts and onesies works well, too. T-shirts are best for the first few weeks as you need to keep the healing belly button from getting agitated, but onesies stay put a bit better with all the carrying you do.

Socks
The only other item you truly need for the first month or so of your child’s life is plenty of socks. Babies lose heat through their heads and feet. Socks should be worn most of the time if her little feet aren’t already in pajamas.

There is a huge trend right now among celebrities and the rest of us to keep our babies and baby gear earth-friendly. Naturally this is a trend we should all jump on in hopes of it outlasting trendiest and heading into practicality.

More and more parents are switching to earth-friendly materials such as organic cotton and other natural fibers in clothing, baby blankets, bedding and even diaper bags. If you’re looking for some earth baby tips, try these on for size:

Go Organic – Not only is organic baby food, clothing and products better for your baby, it’s better for the environment, too.

Take a Walk – If your destination is within walking distance, why would you bother driving? Grab a stroller or backpack and take a stroll to your destination with baby. Not only will she love to be outside, you’ll love the exercise and the gas you saved.

Try Cloth Diapers – Traditional diapers don’t biodegrade very well meaning your old diapers might still be hanging out in a landfill somewhere. Using cloth diapers helps eliminate that much more waste and might also help your child potty train more quickly – what parent doesn’t want that?

The Fourth of July is such a fun holiday for families and children, but it can also be one of the most dangerous. The many hazards of the day including open bodies of water, firecrackers, cooking grills, strangers and parents distracted by friends, neighbors and alcohol contribute to the potential hazards. That being said, this Fourth of July might very well be your most enjoyable one yet – if you play it safe.

Fireworks
Toddlers love everything about fireworks, except maybe the noise and the late hour. It’s probably worth it to keep your young one up past her normal bedtime to enjoy the big fireworks, but be very careful with fireworks at your home. Not only are firecrackers and sparklers illegal in many areas, they are unsafe for almost everyone who uses them.

Sparklers are a childhood favorite, as are bottle rockets, but toddlers are too young for either. If older children are using any sort of firecracker in your area, keep your child well away from the action and be sure the other child’s parent is actively supervising. The biggest danger of fireworks is how unpredictable they can be. Stick to the large fireworks which are much too far away to be anything but loud and beautiful.

Other Dangers
Most other Fourth of July dangers are areas you are normally vigilant in. You don’t normally let your toddler run by the swimming pool and playing by a smoking grill is a bad idea any day of the year. Don’t let down your guard at any time and help keep other children who might be influencing your child in line.

You might also consider limiting or eliminating your use of alcohol this year as you’ll need your full wits about you with so much going on. Alcohol can make a party more fun, but it can also make the situation more dangerous. Be safe and have fun!

A study was recently performed in the United Kingdom that has very applicable meaning around the world. The study by Oxford University found that grandparents who are actively involved in a child’s life have an incredibly important role that can increase a child’s security and well being.

For a grandparent to have such a profound impact on a child, the older adult must take an active role. That means she’s not just loving on her grandchildren, but she’s showing that love by taking them to the neighborhood swimming pool, taking Junior to soccer practice on occasion and cheering the loudest at the weekend games.

The study found what most parents already know. When two parents are working, there are gaps in how much the parents can do with the children. Active grandparents fill these gaps making the child extra secure in the amount of love and support he has from all the caring adults in his life.

Even children whose parents divorce fair much better both in the short run and long run as they have a soft layer of protection in the form of their grandparents. Further, grandparents are vital as children age. Older children and adolescences are more prone to tell their thoughts and feelings to grandparents than their parents.

If you have active grandparents living nearby, count your blessings many times over.

When new babies come home, many new parents are clueless as to how they will survive the feedings around the clock and the constant needs of that new baby. Sleepless nights and incessant demands from a seven pound child can be exhausting, but you can survive.

Take Turns
If baby is waking every two hours, take turns feeding the baby so the other parent can get some sleep. If mom is breastfeeding, dad can feed a bottle of expressed milk during one feeding or just bring the baby to mom and change the diaper after the feeding letting more stay in bed at least.

Nap
New babies sleep around the clock, and so should you. Dishes and vacuuming will wait. When baby naps, you nap, too. Then when baby is awake take care of chores while wearing her close to your chest or letting her watch you in action.

Stay Comfortable
Nobody expects you to be dressed and primped for the day with a young baby. Invest in some good loungewear and wear it to bed and up around the house. Stay comfortable so you don’t waste any time changing clothes to nap. Loungewear is also easy to wash following exploding diapers or spit-up.

Unfortunately pregnant women tend to swell toward the end of the day, particularly at the end of their pregnancies. This swelling might be indicative of a condition called preeclampsia, but if your doctor tells you your swelling is the more typical kind related to general pregnancy, you likely want to find a way to return your ankles and face to their previously svelte size.

Drink Water
It seems counterintuitive, but drinking water will help your body release some of the stored water that might be causing your swelling. If your body feels it needs more water, it hangs on to what is already in the system causing swelling (and water weight.) Give your body what it needs, which is more than eight glasses, by the way, and watch some of your swelling disappear.

Skip Sodium
Nothing keeps water and swelling around like salt. Eat lots of fruits and vegetables and keep salt to a healthy minimum.

Exercise
A good walk will move blood around the body and help to dispel toxins and stored fluids that might be causing your swelling. You might swell more after exercising, but given the chance, your body will level off shortly after.

Prop Your Feet Up
During the day and every chance you have, elevate your feet. Fluids including water and extra blood settle in your feet making your ankles swell and your shoes feel tight. Prop those feet up to get fluids circulating again.