Using A Baby Hand And Footprint As A Gift

I am sure that you have been in a situation where you didn’t know what to get for your parents or your mom and dad in law. Maybe it was their birthday or maybe it was for Christmas or maybe you just wanted to give them a present. Nevertheless it can sometimes be a challenge to find a gift that is affordable and one that they will be glad that they got.

If you are a parent yourself (preferably if you have a child of age 0-6 years) then you now have an easy to do, affordable and yet valuable gift to give. And the best part is that you can spend time with your child and he/she will think that it is fun to do.

The gift is to create a unique baby hand and footprint (or a child hand and footprint if your child isn’t a baby). It is easy to do if you choose to buy a keepsake kit from a local store or on the internet. If you’re going for the internet then be aware that it takes time for the shop to ship the kit to you.

Once you have the kit at home you’re ready to start making a baby handprint, a baby footprint or maybe even both. Use your imagination and let your fantasy run wild. Use colors if you’re the artistic type or keep it in plain colors if you’re the more conservative type.

They great thing about a handprint or a footprint is that it will always be unique. No one can create a print that is exactly the same as your baby’s hands and feet are very unique. Secondly I’ll bet that your parents or your mom and dad in law will be thrilled to get a little keepsake memory of their grandson or daughter.

If this is the first time that you have ever done a handprint or a footprint you might want to buy more than one kit. It isn’t difficult to do as most kits have an explanation inside but if you do something wrong you’ll have to run to the store to get another kit or buy another one on the internet (and wait for it to arrive).

A kit is just one way to do a handprint or a footprint but there are other ways that are more creative, fun and unique. Actually the kit solution is kind of “the easy way out”. If you feel that you could do more than just a kit print then I invite you to come to my site to see some of the other options that are available to you.

No matter what route you choose to go I can assure you that the baby handprint or footprint will be a gift that the grandparents will want to hold on to for the years to come.

So, up to this point, your dog or cat has been your baby, but now there’s a little human on the way. It is normal and, in fact, wise to be concerned about how the two are going to mix. The chances are very good that everything will work quite well and your pet and your child will be very close buddies, but there are some things you can do to be prepared. First some tips for dogs:

Teach your dog to stay out of the nursery

Start right away putting up a baby gate or keeping the door closed to help your dog learn to stay out of the baby’s room. Later on, you can allow the dog in the room, especially if you are in there, but it’s best to prepare him at first to stay away.

Introduce your dog to some other babies

If he’s never been around a baby, carefully introduce some into his life. He is much less likely to be anxious around your baby if he is introduced gradually.

Make sure he is well trained

A baby’s behavior is not predictable, so your dog has to be the grown up in this case. If your dog does not obey you, it’s time for some training before the baby arrives. If your dog is a male, and you haven’t had him neutered, this is a good time for that, too. It should make the dog calmer and more well mannered.

Then, there’s the cat – some of the same ideas work for cats, too, except that training them to stay out of a room is pretty difficult. They scale baby gates, and cribs, by the way with ease. So, in addition to a baby gate, it’s wise to purchase a net to go over the crib, to keep the cat out. Also, if your cat sleeps with you, don’t put the baby in your bed with the cat in the room.

For both types of pets, keep the food and water bowl away from the baby. Babies love to play in them, and this can not only make a mess, but can cause the animal to be even more jealous. Also, at some point, if your child can get to the pet food, he will try to eat it. I promise.

Your child and your pets should develop a good relationship with little trouble. Just be diligent for a while until everybody is comfortable, and you should continue to have a happy home.