What’s All This About Baby Showers?

What’s All This About Baby Showers?

Seen most often in the USA, the tradition of throwing a baby shower for your best friend, your sister or yourself before baby turns up is something that has been in recent years more widely adopted around the world. The chances are that if you haven’t been to one yourself that you’ve been invited or at least know someone that has been. They are also commonly seen on TV, hilariously portrayed on some shows whereas most baby showers are a little more sedate /don’t involve strippers.

What is a Baby Shower?

A baby shower is basically a hen / stag night for your soon to arrive baby. It’s a last proper get together of special friends and family to toast the Mother, the new arrival to be and to have some fun! There’s no set schedule that dictates how a baby shower should run however they usually involve games (baby related), food (nibbles or something more substantial) and gifts for the baby / Mum. A baby shower is usually arranged for later on in the pregnancy.

Yay or Nay?

Some people love the idea of a baby shower! It’s probably your last proper chance to get together before baby arrives and of course who wouldn’t want to have a baby themed party? There is of course the added benefit of receiving often practical and useful gifts for baby, from cute clothing to nappies / diapers.

There are some people who really don’t like baby showers as they don’t sit right with them. They see the occasion as one put on purely to get baby gifts and dislike this much in the same way others dislike the pressure of a wedding gift list. It really is an “each to their own” thing although here at ParentsNeed we think they can be great fun!

When to Host a Baby Shower

There’s a fine art to organising a baby shower, particularly when it comes to choosing the right date. Most people wait until a pregnancy is well on its way, usually during the third trimester to organise a baby shower but of course you wouldn’t want to leave it too late and have the young Master or Miss arrive before (or during!) their party, would you? You also need to consider who will come and when is the best time to make sure key members of the group can attend. This makes throwing a secret or surprise baby shower a little more difficult!

Surprise?

Some people love surprises, some people hate them. Some people used to like them and then their pregnancy hormones got in the way and now they shudder at the idea of people surprising them. At the end of the day we’d say that given that the guest star of the occasion is the Mum, it might be best that she knows what’s going on. Anyone who is or has been pregnant will remember how feeling and looking “party ready” is something arranged with care, not something that can be pulled together at short notice after your bestie tells you the girls will be over in ten minutes. We’d go with safety in mind and make sure Mum knows what’s what in advance!

Where to Hold a Baby Shower

Some people have baby showers in the back room of a restaurant or pub with food and drinks on tap. Others go for a more intimate setting such as the Mum-to-be’s home or the host’s home. There’s no right or wrong place to host a baby shower, you could even make it a garden affair if the weather is good and you’ve a decent pop-up gazebo or similar.

What we would advise is to consider your budget (someone’s house or garden is free!), the number of people you are planning on inviting and of course the amount of space you will need to do whatever games you have planned (if you do games). Also make sure that wherever you go has easy access to a decent toilet because, well, pregnancy!

A Themed Baby Shower

Yes, traditionally a baby shower is baby themed (for reasons that don’t need to be explained). There’s no reason why you can’t theme the fun / party in the same way that hen nights are often themed though. We’re not saying that a blow up doll and tequila shots should be on the list but what about a pamper party or chocolate party? Get someone in to do skincare and make-up demos (with Mum-to-Be getting a makeover if she wishes) or something similar. This could be great if there has been a load of baby showers recently and you’re looking for something different.

Baby Shower Games

A large part of many baby showers is dedicated to fun games. These aren’t as daunting as they sound (no mini school sports day here!) and can be an absolute hoot!

Baby Bingo

There are some great templates for this on Pinterest and it’s a fun game that can be played sat down (always appreciated when you’re heavily pregnant). Make the cards as funny or as personal to Mum as you like. Make sure there’s a prize for the winner (a little bag of sweets or something will do).

Make a Baby

It sounds like a game from a whole different kind of party doesn’t it? Make a Baby involves all party goers being given a small lump of playdough and racing against a timer to create a cute baby figure. It’s guaranteed to raise a few giggles as not all of us are great with art and the host or Mum gets to choose a winner.

Nappy Races

You have your doll / teddy, you have your nappy. Ready, Set, Go! Who can successfully undress, change and redress their “baby” first (without putting the nappy on back to front or the baby grown inside out?

Find the Pelvic Floor

It’s treasure hunt time! If you can get to the venue in advance (easier if it is a home party) set up a fun treasure hunt with clues. The aim being for individuals or teams to solve riddles or similar, follow the trail and find the elusive pelvic floor / prize.

Decorate a Baby Grow or Vest

Set up a creation station for guests to decorate plain white babygrows and vests using fabric paints or pens. The results will be funny, cute, downright outrageous and hopefully there will be at least one awesome enough to go in the baby memory box (more on this later). How fab would it be if Mum and Dad dressed their new baby in these vests or babygrows at a later date for photos. The hilarity never ends!

Don’t Say Baby!

Give everyone 5 safety pins (diaper pins) to wear at the beginning of the party. If you hear someone say “baby” you call them out and get to take one of their pins. This game runs throughout the shower and whomever has the most pins at the end wins.

Nappy Messages

Open a box of first or second size nappies and give everyone a marker pen. Have everyone write a message on the back of every nappy and then put them away for Mum and Dad to find during those all-so-cute (!) 4am nappy changes. Nothing takes away the frowning caused by a mini nappy explosion in the wee hours than a hilarious nappy message from a best friend. The more silly and funny the messages the better. Mum and Dad will (almost) look forward to bum change times.

These are just a few basic games that may be played during a baby shower. A little internet research and / or a conversation or two with others who have hosted or been to a baby shower will help you decide on the best (most hilarious) yet easiest to put together baby games. Remember though that a baby shower is supposed to be a time of great fun, not an endurance sport and not a time where people share horror stories (unless they are very funny) about birth and beyond.​

Baby Shower Gifts

It is traditional to gift Mum, Dad and Baby gifts during a baby shower. How you arrange this however is up to you.

Some hosts run a sort of informal baby gift list, based on covert research into what the parents have bought already (or not). This doesn’t have to be a store-based gift list, although some opt for this for ease. It could simply be a list of things you know baby will need such as a pack of size two diapers / nappies, two packs of baby wipes, five muslin squares, a babygrow (x however many and split up between guests). Obviously you’d need to know the attendees fairly well or be confident enough to talk to them about gift buying.

Often people bring their own gifts or everyone chips in for a baby hamper / gifts / a large item such as a cot or vouchers for a Mother/Father/Baby store. How gifts are organised depends on how the host depends to handle this. On the other hand, some baby showers are gift free zones, with the aim of the party being purely a fun get-together to celebrate the upcoming birth and have a giggle before a treasured friend of family member disappears for while into the world of dirty nappies and spit ups.​

Keepsakes and Memories

Anyone with children will tell you how incredibly fast those first days, weeks and months go by. Many of you will have memory or baby boxes tucked away safe with a first curl, their baby ID and more. A baby shower is a great opportunity to help start the memory process and if you’re looking for a gift idea, keepsake gifts are always much appreciated (as long as not everyone buys the same photo album).

During a baby shower make sure there are plenty of photographs taken as this is the end of one era in one way and the beginning or another, especially if this is a first baby. That’s not to say that you’ll never see each other again, it simply means that Mum-to-Be will be a Mum (a different creature altogether) or Mum to another child! Besides, what better opportunity for a photo with your nearest and dearest than at a fun-filled baby shower.

A guest book is a must at a baby shower, or something like it. You could cut out baby shapes and provide pens for people to write a fun, cute, cheeky or heartfelt message for the parents to pull out and read later (and of course pop in the baby box!). 

A baby box is something else the baby shower party could provide. Why not have everyone write message directly onto a big keepsake box or decorate it themselves. All these keepsake related efforts will be much appreciated, trust us! A baby shower should be a fabulous milestone-type event, regardless of how low-key it is so make sure you find a way to capture the event and it’s many crazy-fun memories.

A Successful Baby Shower

A baby shower that has gone really well is one where the Mum-to-Be (and at least one or two others) have had to run to the loo because they’ve been laughing so much. It’s supposed be a time where good friends can laugh like hyenas, share stories, and generally have a hoot. We can’t think of a better way to celebrate in advance the birth of a new member of the extended family.

The post What’s All This About Baby Showers? appeared first on ParentsNeed.

Remedies for Morning Sickness

Morning sickness is also referred to as Nausea gravidarum or pregnancy sickness and is a condition that is experienced by women during pregnancy. It may be called morning sickness, but it can be experienced at any time of the day. It is caused by an increase in the estrogen hormone, and results in frequent bouts of nausea or vomiting during pregnancy. It can also be caused by a nutritional deficiency, low blood sugar, stress or irritating smells during pregnancy. It is intense during the first few weeks of pregnancy, but it is not unusual for it to last throughout the pregnancy cycle in certain cases. There are certain remedies you can turn to so as to deal with this discomfort.

Supplements for morning sickness

Vitamin B6 has been documented to have a positive effect on certain women experiencing morning sickness. It has been seen to reduce nausea and vomiting after as little as one week of taking it. A deficiency of Zinc has been associated to morning sickness. Taking a zinc supplement can help as it will help balance blood sugar, stabilize the metabolic rate and deal with balancing your sense of smell and taste. A supplement with 25 mg of zinc a day is enough.

Herbal remedies for morning sickness

Ginger is a well known herbal relief against morning sickness. You can chew on a small piece of ginger, take ginger root in capsule form or grate ginger root over a cup of hot water to be taken as a hot beverage. You can also take plain ginger ale, as well. Peppermint is a well known stomach soothing herb. It can balance secretions in the stomach during digestion and ease flatulence, hiccupping and nausea. However, it is not good for people suffering from gastroesophageal reflux illness. You can take it in the form of herbal tea or suck on a peppermint candy. Alternatively you can rub peppermint oil on your belly using a warm towel.

Homeopathy and acupuncture for morning sickness

Acupuncture is a traditional Chinese therapy that involves the use of needles on certain points of the body to correct certain imbalances in the body that end up causing discomforts or illnesses. There are certain acupressure points on the body that can be worked on by an acupuncturist to deal with morning sickness. By seeing an acupuncturist, you can have your morning sickness issues dealt with by the use of needles on these points. This method has been quite effective with many pregnant women. Homeopathy is a form of alternative medicine that involves the treatment of various ailments by giving an individual certain highly diluted substances to trigger the body’s natural healing mechanism to deal with any ailment or physical discomfort. Each person is treated individually according to their condition, and it can safely be used during pregnancy as long as an expert in homeopathic treatments is used. This is a good remedy to try when dealing with morning sickness.

Foods you can eat or avoid during morning sickness

Taking increased amounts of protein in the diet has been shown to have a positive effect on women suffering from morning sickness. This is related to the effect of protein on blood sugar levels as it is being digested. Protein causes blood sugar levels to drop during digestion, and this minimizes the production of stomach acids by the body that may cause nausea. It is advisable to take a protein snack before going to bed such as cheese on crackers or toast, a handful of nuts such as almonds or some yoghurt. You can also have this immediately after waking up to stop the nausea. Avoid simple carbohydrates and eat complex carbohydrates to keep you blood sugar levels low. Have small frequent meals throughout the day with a good balance of protein and complex carbohydrates to help balance your blood sugar at all times. Keep away from fatty or spicy foods and snack on lots of vegetable, fruits and nuts such as almonds throughout the day. Avoid citric fruits and juices as they may cause acidity.

In addition to these remedies get plenty of fresh air and do mild exercises such as walks to help deal with hormonal activity in your body. Consider using motion sickness bands as they can help deal with the nausea. These are just a few of the remedies you can use to deal with morning sickness. If your morning sickness is unusually severe, consider seeing your doc so that you can confirm that there are no complications with your pregnancy.

The first few weeks of pregnancy is filled with struggles brought by the killer combo of nausea and vomiting. These two make up the symptom called “morning sickness”. This is one of the most common early pregnancy symptoms that is a bit tricky to manage as it can be unpredictable.

You might be wondering why it is called “morning sickness” when this condition can occur all throughout the day. “Morning sickness” is just a label people attached to this occurrence as many women complain about these symptoms especially in the morning. It can ease up a bit but can strike from time to time.

Nausea and vomiting kick in the first trimester usually at 4 to 6 weeks after fertilization. These symptoms get worse as day passes. Morning sickness will continue up until the start of the second trimester, that is about 14 weeks into the pregnancy. Though there will be instances that the nauseous feeling will prevail until the end of the pregnancy.

Morning sickness is caused by spectrum of the many physical changes that happen inside the body of a pregnant woman. The shifting hormones plus the introduction of the pregnancy hormone called Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (hCG) in the body lead to the round-the-lock woozy feeling and vomiting. There is no exact link between hCG and morning sickness but nausea tends to take place when there is a high level of hCG.

The female hormone called estrogen is on a hype during the early days of pregnancy. This elevated amount of estrogen causes expectant women to have a sensitivity of certain smells. Any unpleasant odors can likely cause nausea as well as gagging which can result to vomiting.​

With all these things simultaneously taking place, a pregnant woman can develop food aversions (and cravings, too). You may find yourself not liking the dishes or snacks you used to fancy before you got pregnant. The aroma of freshly brewed coffee or the presence of garlic in your food might be annoying to you now. On the other hand, you might crave for particular food or fruits many times during the day, or sometime late at night.

Dealing with morning sickness is difficult but manageable. The simple rule here is that you need to stay away from stimuli that triggers nausea and vomiting. These tips below can also help your body adapt to this symptom:​

• Keep carbohydrates like soda crackers or bread within reach. These types of food help overcome nausea as they are easy to digest and will keep your body focus on this task. Nibble on a few pieces before you get up in the morning.
• You can whip up a few snacks that can combat nausea. Try heating pita bread and dip these into a bowl of hummus. Or slice apples and cheese and keep these inside a ziplock and eat them little by little the whole day.
• Sip on some ginger tea in the morning to alleviate the nauseous feeling. Ginger is a popular herbal medicine for many illnesses. Other alternatives you can try are gingersnap cookies and ginger candies. Studies show that a gram of ginger a day can prevent vomiting as well.
• Eat small meals throughout the day instead of three big meals. This will help reduce the acid in the stomach since there will be food to digest. The absence of acid will stop the gagging and nauseous feeling. To make this easier for you, write a meal plan to check what snacks you can consume before lunch and before dinner. You can label these food items to keep things organized and eaten according to your diet plan.
• Cold treats like popsicles or slushy drinks are known to relax the acid inside the stomach. Try blending fruits with ice or why not turn sports drink or juices to ice cubes. You can just pop these into your mouth every time you are feeling dizzy. Just make sure to watch your sugar consumption to avoid gestational diabetes.
• Don’t throw away orange or lemon peelings. Keep these inside a container and stash them inside the fridge. You can smell every time dizziness strikes. Use these peelings for one to two days only.
• Hydrate as much as possible. Drink plenty of water during and after meals to keep food fully digested. To push yourself to drink more, fill up two 1 liter water containers and try to finish this up until you go to sleep. A good sign that you are drinking enough water is that your urine is colorless.
• Make a list of the things that stimulate your nausea. It will help you avoid these items especially when you are out in a restaurant or when shopping at a supermarket. Keep in a place where it will be easy to access.
• Keep spicy and greasy food away from your diet. These dishes are found to induce acid in the digestive system.
• Stay in well-ventilated places. Odors and aromas in an enclosed room with can likely stir up your nausea. Try walking or breathing in fresh air when you are feeling dizzy during the day.
• Turn off and don’t look directly on devices like television or computer when you are feeling woozy. It is also advisable to wear an anti-glare when watching videos on these gadgets for long hours.
• You should also avoid reading text messages or scrolling down the Facebook news feed while on a car. Doing this activities while seated on moving vehicle can lead to headache and eventually nausea. Explore the different aromatherapy products you can use to ease your nausea. Scents such as peppermint, orange, or seabreeze bring warm feelings. These essential oils can be used on diffusers. You can also test aromatherapy candles while taking a bath or relaxing at night. There are also available organic products like “spa in a bottle” you can try.
• If you want to try alternative remedy, some health clinics offer acupuncture therapy. Many have testified to the effectiveness of this ancient method to treat nausea and vomiting. Through the use of very fine sterile needles, different points of the body are stimulated to correct the problems experienced by the patient.
• Ask your obstetrician to prescribe you a prenatal vitamin. A recent study shows that expectant women who take vitamin B6 regularly have lesser days feeling weak and nauseous.

Remember that every pregnancy is different. Signs and symptoms might appear similar but it can still vary from person to person. You must be careful in whatever remedies or medication you will try. Bear in mind that you are looking after your health and your precious one inside your belly. Never try your luck and opt for over-the-counter medicines. Here are additional tips you may find useful:

• Seek the advice of your obstetrician when taking any medication or herbal remedies.
• Work only with a certified acupuncturist.
• Read the labels of food items or vitamins to make sure these things don’t contain harmful ingredients.
• Do a bit of research when trying remedies for your nausea.
• Speak with your partner, family, and friends to let them know what you are going through. They can give you advice based on their experiences. They will also know the adjustments they can do make you comfortable at home.

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7 Reasons Why Kids Should Play Sports

Remember the times when you and your childhood friends used to play around the neighborhood knowing every single pot hole, hidden passage, and going to a secret hide out? Those days were fun. You and your friends could only enjoy the happy days under the sun and somehow, you feel like your kid's childhood is being robbed by digital time. It's true. We completely know how you feel. Nowadays, technology took the fun out of outdoor games and put it in cyberspace. It may be interesting but it poses a lot of problems like the following:

• Babble Mouth Disease

Did you know that too much exposure to gadgets can really affect the speech development of your kids? We have to admit that we also commit this parenting mistake of letting our toddler play with our phones to keep them from throwing tantrums in public or from bothering us while we do some errands around the house. Sometimes we even let them sit in front of the TV for hours simply because it keeps them away from trouble, right? Truth is, developing brains gets hampered by all this and your child's language development is delayed because of it.

• Brain Drain Effect

As a child, your little one's brain grows up to three times its original size before your baby hits the age of 5. The brain is completely capable of growing on its own without the help of these gadgets. Brain development occurs more with personal interaction and movement. Overexposure to these gadgets actually causes attention deficit, slow cognitive development, and overall impaired learning.

• Couch Potato Syndrome

The worst we've seen technology hit our generation manifests in couch potatoes. Unfortunately, our kid's generation is far worse than that. Your kid will not only be lazy but will depend mostly on gadgets to replace practically anything they consider is fun. Being lazy is one effect, and as a snowball effect leads to your kids getting fat, gaining weight, being less socially available and being more introverted which are characteristics that kids shouldn't have. These things will lead to bullying in all forms including cyber bullying, social impairment and plenty more.

• Cuss Mouth Disorder

Once our kids get hold of a gadget, we no longer have control over what games they play or what things they watch and do. It can be surprising that they even get to discover more things and do more things on your phone than you can do. A lot of these games come with a story especially for RPGs (role playing games—bet you didn't know what RPG was in their vocabulary until now, right?). It involves a lot of cussing, slang, and language jargons that are beyond our imagination. Your kids will even end up talking back to you and leave your jaws apart because of the kind of language your child is using.

• Sleep Anxiety

Games really are addictive and like so many things people can get addicted to, games can really destroy their body clock. Your child might even sneak into the evening stealing your phone or their gadget just so they can get to the next level. It's been shown through research that kids who are addicted to gadgets and online gaming get 40% less sleep even if they're not playing. They end up having sleep deprivation leading to stress, crankiness, poor social interaction, short attentions span, and an endless list of bad things we don't want to talk about.

• Tantrum Malady

This is fairly common for kids who spend a lot of time on gadgets. They suffer significantly in truly expressing themselves in better ways and just end up throwing tantrums. You'll be surprised that your child is overwhelmed by emotions simply because they dropped their juice box, a spoonful of food, or ice cream dropped on the floor, or any small thing that may happen. They bust their frustrations in many things pushing them to have lesser time for the actual goodness of childhood.

You see, we have control over our kids and letting them be attached to gadgets and appliances like the TV is in our hands. Once our kids get addicted to gaming or watching TV, that would be on our heads and not theirs because we let them do it. Here are some reasons why we should let our kids engage in child-friendly sports and away from modern inventions.

7 Reasons Why Kids Should Play Sports

1. I can make friends!

This is one of the things both we and our kids love! The number of friends they make and the number of pictures we take! The great thing about sports for kids is that it cannot be done alone. Even individual kid sports have teams and each team comprises of different kids working altogether to reach one same goal. And one of the great aspects of sports is that you will find your child more socially interactive and less cooped up in their own little world.

Making friends is a good developmental aspect that your child needs to grow into a more sociable and more open-minded person. It is through friends that children become children and it is through friends that children understand more about themselves. Just think about it, you won't be who you are now because of the fun things you and your childhood friends used to do together.

You and your childhood friends are completely happy doing crazy stuff no matter how bad a punishment you get when you go home completely soiled and dirty. The fun, the crazy antics, the punishments are things you all get to experience together and is still experiencing even now with your current friends. Your child need people to grow up with and in the absence of children in the neighborhood, your child can find a friend with the town's basketball court or soccer field.​

2. I have less stress!

True enough, sports for children is a major stress reliever. It becomes an avenue for your kids to bust out all the frustrations they have about having a low mark on their homework, failing their math test, making mom get angry for painting on the wall, making dad freak out for scratching the car, and much more. No matter how little it is, a child can easily get stressed and what best way to do it than do sports! Sports allow your child to release all the tension in their bodies by engaging in rigorous exercises and fun activities.

Fun fact: Warm-up alone is enough to release 60% of the stress your body is feeling. So, if you are feeling a bit stressed out, join your kid as they do warm-up exercises and you'll feel a load lighter afterward. Your children will be more carefree and have fewer anger issues and anxiety which is one great reason why kids should play sports.​

3. I learn how to work with others!

Individual or team sports, your kid will learn how to work well with other kids whether they like them or not. Teamwork is essential for a healthy social life and your kids will get more than just enjoying their time playing. Team sports are great avenues not just to make friends but to learn how to do things in a team and not to always rely on oneself to get things done.

Kids playing sports teach your child how to compromise. It will also teach your child discipline and self-control and the art of working together. These are aspects of life that are difficult for us to teach our kids, but it’s essential for their growth. And this is one thing that needs a lot of your time, attention, affection, and encouragement.

4. I eat more and play more!

Kids should play sports because it is a way of keeping your child to have a healthy lifestyle. And with an active playful lifestyle, your child eats more and plays more. Your little one has the energy for everything. And with a constantly active lifestyle, your child won't be able to realize it but they are craving healthier stuff over junk food.

Research shows that if you fill a table with healthy snacks and junk food, children with an active lifestyle would lean towards picking healthier food options as compared to children who stay indoors immediately grabbing junk food such as chips and ice cream. It is said that subconsciously, since your child's body requires nutrients from healthy food, the brain tells the body to pick out food as high sources of vitamins and minerals. Hmmm, go figure, right? You can try doing it yourself. Let your kid pick out food from the fridge at any time before enrolling them into sports activities for kids. After a month of enjoyable sports, try to do it again and you'll be quite surprised with the results.

5. I'm having so much fun!

This is practically the one of the many reasons why kids will try sports and will stay in sports—it's a heck of a lot of fun! Who'll ever think that RPGs are more fun than being the center of your own game? Your child is the hero now and he is going to be the one to do the winning shot in real life than in cyber space. Your kid is now leading his own life doing things that he would never have thought he can do because his imagination limited him to cheat codes and repeats once they fail to achieve a mission.

Fun is everything to kids and choosing the right sport is making them realize that they are their own character and that it proves to be more fun and exhilarating. Kids playing sports have lesser frustrations too.

6. I can be myself!

From a gaming addict to a sports athlete, you'll notice a bigger change once your child gets involved in sports for kids that he finds incredibly fun. Your little one will be more like himself, every potential he has will come out whether it be in his grades, his social skills, his artistry, or even in the sport itself. Your child will feel more like himself and the more that you will realize just how great children's sports are.

Children playing sports are more likely to be great at leadership skills because they learn first how to be a member of a team. As they grow older, the push to lead becomes more and more natural. One other great aspect about kids playing sports is the fact that your child grows to become a confident kid.

7. I can push myself to the limit!

Sports also involve tournaments or games against an opposing team. This is a great friendly competition to give kids a bigger goal rather than just playing the sport. Your child will learn how to push his limits and grow stronger. Sports for kids teach children to see beyond what they can do now and reach for a higher goal. Sports can be competitive but with the right mindset and proper coaching, your child will find competitions as a growing curve.

There are more positive effects of sports on kids; however, the problem is choosing the right sport for your child. Another thing to consider is how to encourage your child to play sports at all? Children who are already into gadgets and technology wouldn't want to leave their butts off the couch because they are into their game. How are you going to deal with that?

• Let's go game time via digital time!

If you think your kids have cheat codes, you have one too. If your child is too difficult when it comes to what they want, cheat them into doing something that you want. Use their addiction against them and let your kids start off watching classical movies that involve sports like Karate Kid, Space Jam, Air Bud, and many more! Find something inspiring that your kids may actually want to learn trying this sport out even in his gadget.

• Backyard Practice

Get your kids some basketball hoops, or some toys they can play outdoors. You can start off by actually confiscating their gadget and replace it with a hoverboard, a nerf gun, a walkie talkie, or even a balance bike for your toddler. Once you can get them outside, try and see which catches your little ones interest. Does he like kicking balls, shooting hoops, or running from point A to point B? Just watching your kids alone will give you an idea what he likes. Get your friends to have play dates with your kids as well. Try and gauge if your child is friendly or aggressive with other kids. If your little one is too aggressive, maybe encourage him to do individual sports first.

• Say No to Bench Warmers

The first reason why kids love to play sports is because of the fun. However, the problem is that team sports often have bench warmers. Don't allow your child to sit on the bench in any sport because it will just bust their morale—don't pick a fight with the coach either. Just take your child off the sport and find one that would suit his character even more. We do suggest martial arts and gymnastics as a great starter since these are fun and target each individual in positive ways.

• Find what's fun and available

Of course, enrolling your kids in certain sports need some money. Find a sport kids' love that works well with your effective budget and see which one is available in your town. Don't get too idealistic and find a soccer team in the next town simply because you think it's the best. We have to consider our children's opinions in choosing a sport and never force something on your child. Your little one may have a relapse and end up going back to gaming. Find what is fun for him and focus on that.

In conclusion, let your children be children and involve them in plenty of outdoor activities. Whether it is a sport or simply some fun under the sun, it would give your child time away from the damaging effects of technology. Children sports are meant to create happy healthy children with a great future. Sure, it may just be fun now but you will see how much of a positive a fun sport can do for your kids. So start hiding those gadgets away and let your kids go out and play!

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Top 5 Best Towel Warmers | 2017 Reviews

Judging by the name itself, you already know what towel warmers are-- they make sure your towels are nice and warm and snug. There aren't a lot of people who believe in the need to use a towel warmer or to even keep one in their homes. The reality is, they aren't really a necessity for homes to have but they are indeed home appliances that do more than giving you are really comfy and warm towel just fresh off the shower. There are so many benefits to getting your bathroom a nice towel warmer, here are three reasons why we decided to have one in our homes:

1, once you get off the shower after a really great hot bath, you don't want to start shivering once you put on a cold towel, do you? Towel warmers keep your towels warm and cozy and they really make you feel like you'd love to keep the towel on a little bit longer.

Quick Navigation

Quick Comparison Table

LCM Home Fashion 6-Bar Freestanding Towel Warmer

Warmrails HCC Mid Size Wall Mounted or Floor Standing Towel Warmer

Amba RWH-CB Radiant Hardwired Curved Towel Warmer

Elite Hot Towel Cabi-Warmer (HC-X)

Brookstone Towel Warmer

2, the bathroom is always a damp place, it is a major breeding ground for mildew and bacterial growth and one the places where these tiny critters live to live in for starters are your damp towels. It's a great way to sanitize your towels actually.

3, it is a great way of adding a luxurious panache out of your bathroom. They are lovely and they are really things that make your toilet look like as if they came out of the magazine for featured homes.

These are the main reasons why we love them in particular but depending on the type of towel warmers you get, they have more added features that we think you too will love. So, how to choose the right towel warmer? Don't worry about looking at a long list of towel warmers, we cut the list down to five to make your list of choices much easier.

Quick Comparison Table

LCM Home Fashion 6-Bar Freestanding Towel Warmer	Warmrails HCC Mid Size Wall Mounted or Floor Standing Towel Warmer	Amba RWH-CB Radiant Hardwired Curved Towel Warmer	Elite Hot Towel Cabi-Warmer (HC-X)	Brookstone Towel Warmer
$$$	$$$	$$$	$$$	$$$
35.6 x 21.7 x 13.2 inches	37.5 x 24 x 10 inches	31.5 x 23.6 x 5.8 inches	17.5 x 14 x 10.5 inches	22 x 13 x 13 inches
Freestanding and Wall-mounted options	Freestanding and wall-mounting options	Wall-mounted towel warmer	Cabinet Towel Warmer	Towel Warming Can

LCM Home Fashion 6-Bar Freestanding Towel Warmer

One reason why we ended up getting this particular item is because it really looks chic. It is aluminum-framed with a brush chrome-plated finish. It is really neat and very handy. It is a freestanding towel warmer with a 6-foot-long cord plug but you can also assemble it and mount it on the wall as well. This freestanding towel warmer does the job in heating up your towels constantly throughout the entire day. You can even hang up some swimsuit or mini towels in there too. This assures you that you get to enjoy sanitized towels all the time.

This can also be a wall-mounted towel warmer that is very convenient in keeping our towels dry. The thing is, with the bathroom being such a constantly damp place; a damp clothing or a damp towel in there becomes an easy home for molds and bacteria. This would particularly be a frightening case when dealing with our baby's with sensitive skin. As a baby skin care tip that parents should always remember is that we should always sanitize everything we put on our baby's skin and that includes towels after a bath. It sanitizes our towels, bathrobes, swim suits and other damp clothing.

You can also use it as a dryer for your delicates if you put it in the laundry room. Since this is an electric towel heater, it doesn't need any special wiring or plumbing installation. You only need to plug it in the socket and you are good to go just wait for 30 minutes for it to heat up and you can leave it on as you please. You can leave it plugged on while you're at work but if you are particularly worried about leaving it on you can purchase your own programmable outlet timer.

Since it can warm up to 120 degrees Fahrenheit, it is quite convenient in warming up your smaller room like the nursery or any area that needs a bit of warming comfort. Besides, since it's a plug-in you can move it from one room to another. No sweat. We love that it can easily dry out some rain soaked socks for guests who happened to have gotten wet under a deluge of rain or just a heavy blizzard.

For the many uses you can think of, we found the LCM Freestanding Towel Warmer is our first pick for the best towel warmers.

Details of the LCM Home Fashion 6-Bar Freestanding Towel Warmer
Dimensions	35.6 x 21.7 x 13.2 inches
Type	Freestanding and Wall-mounted options
Heat Source	AC powered
Capacity	3 oversized towels

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Warmrails HCC Mid Size Wall Mounted or Floor Standing Towel Warmer

One of the main reasons why we, as parents think that we really need a towel warmer is mainly for the sake of our children-- our babies actually. One of the things we love our towel warmers are that we can also use them in warming up some of our baby stuff and one of them are our swaddle blankets. When your baby happens to be very fussy even with a full stomach and a clean diaper, your little one might just be feeling a bit uncomfortable. Tossing your baby's best swaddle blanket inside the hot towel heater will provide a more comfortable feel for your little one. Believe us when we say it works like magic, they immediately keep quiet and relax.

The Warmrails towel warmer is freestanding towel heater but is can also be wall-mounted—that would be dependent on how you prefer it really. What's great about it is that it doesn't consume much electricity; it runs practically the same watts as a big fluorescent light bulb. What it does is keep your towels dry and retain its good smell.  

We love that it is a great item to keep those swimsuits dry out and ready again. It isn't really ideal to use bigger clothes to dry on this rack but it is great for drying out small towels, swimsuits, socks and underwear and other smaller pieces of clothing. It is however, great n warming a blanket if you want to snug in it on the couch in mid-winter.

Installation is quite easy; you can simply use it as it is since it does come with a stand but if you want to mount it on the wall. It does come with an instruction manual to set it up on the wall, the downside to mounting them on the wall is that you need to buy the brackets separately, it's not expensive at all but it does add a bit more of a hassle when done that way. With that slight thumbs down, we put this as our second the best towel warmer.

Details of the Warmrails HCC Mid Size Wall Mounted or Floor Standing Towel Warmer
Dimensions	37.5 x 24 x 10 inches
Type	Freestanding and wall-mounting options
Heat Source	AC powered
Capacity	2 regular towels

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Amba RWH-CB Radiant Hardwired Curved Towel Warmer

There is an ultimate guide in bathing a newborn the right way and there is also the right way in patting your baby dry with a towel—a warm towel. Babies are very delicate and we should always consider that after a warm bath anything that isn't war, that touches their skin will feel cold.

That's primarily the main reason they end up crying very after they take a bath. So, the best solution? Grab yourself a towel warmer. The Jeeves Amba Curved Towel Warmer is a delight to work with. We love that it is super sleek and so pretty to look at. On its, own it looks like nice decorative piece on the bathroom wall.

It really does the greatest job in heating up a number of towels since it comes with ten stainless steel bars to hang as much towels as you want. As far as we have tried you can hang about three oversized towels simultaneously. We suggest that as long as you keep it on for 24/7, try as much as possible to fill the bars with towels, delicates, nappies and the like because it can get pretty hot and burn you if you happen to accidentally touch the bars.

You may also have the option of getting a programmable switch with the Amba Curved towel Warmer. This option comes as an additional accessory so you need to specify the need for a programmable switch so that you can set the times when the towel warmer comes on or off. This is particularly helpful if the house is left empty throughout the day.

We love that the item is of great quality too. The stainless steel is pretty thick and sturdy so when we hang on some really damp beach towels in there; it holds it like a boss. We love having it around really especially in drying out baby cloth diapers. Cloth diapers don't take a while to dry up but because a dryer can be harsh on baby delicates, we preferred hanging them on the Jeeves Amba towel warmer making them dry and warm to put back on sweet little baby.

The only thumbs down for these are that they don't come with a freestanding option and that they can get really burning hot. You may also want an expert to install it since there are many common mistakes in installing towel warmers. Still, this is one of our best pick for the best warm towel drying rack making it on spot number three!

Details of the Amba RWH-CB Radiant Hardwired Curved Towel Warmer
Dimensions	31.5 x 23.6 x 5.8 inches
Type	Wall-mounted towel warmer
Heat Source	AC powered
Capacity	3 oversize towels

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Elite Hot Towel Cabi-Warmer (HC-X)

Most of our guests who happened to get into our bathroom thought that we had a mini refrigerator inside the bathroom. The Elite Hot Towel Cabi-warmer really does look like a real mini refrigerator but it does everything opposite.

The cabinet warmer does more than just heat towels up. It can go hot enough to warm spa hot towels, spa stones and even essential oils for massage. And that's what we really need especially in relieving baby gas and how to prevent it—warm essential oils. Just rubbing them over our babies’ tummy and back help completely relieves the gas.

This is the only cabinet towel warmer that we have in our list and believe us when we say that this is the only one we liked out of all of them. One reason why we love the Elite cabinet towel heater is mainly because it really heats towels through and through even if your roll it up. No matter how thick your towel is, it will definitely get warm and hot too. That's because it doesn't rely on heater bulbs like eggs to hatch but with a fully insulated cabinet that lock in the heat in order to warm up your towels and other damp clothing too.

Primarily, it functions as an all around heater for family towels and mostly nappies. It is quite a tight fit inside but folding the cloths would be much easier to keeping it full. We love the fact that even if it is filled with cloths and towels and nappies, it can heat all of them up. It's not like other cabinet spa towel warmers that use metal walls to heat up the towels—which can burn the cloth—but fully insulated padding that can lock the heat in allowing the warming process to permeate the entire towel warmer.

This is relatively a cheap towel warmer cabinet but the price is still over a hundred. nonetheless, it provides great heating for all the cloth inside the spa towel warmer cabinet. And for that reason, it completes our list at spot number four for the best towel warmers!

Details of the Elite Hot Towel Cabi-Warmer (HC-X)
Dimensions	17.5 x 14 x 10.5 inches
Type	Cabinet Towel Warmer
Heat Source	AC powered
Capacity	24 facial towels or 4 oversized towels

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Brookstone Towel Warmer

This is a really cute tub, it looks like a fancy looking waste bin though but it really does the job in heating up two huge oversized towels that's about 4 to five regular towels and up to 30 tiny wash cloths.

We use it more as a baby essential though. We put in baby cloths and nappies and even cloth diapers in there, it is particularly nice during winter and we can't live without it in cold weather. The basics in cleaning a baby includes a constant supply of sanitized warm towels for when we change their diapers on the bed or on any other surface. Or just a nice warm towel to dry our babies off with after taking giving them a bath.

The Brookstone towel warmer can heat up your delicates, towels, robes and blankets in 120 degree Fahrenheit, once it heats up your damp clothing and dries it out it eventually shuts off so as not to overheat. It keeps that towels warm for about an hour after it shuts off, so that's still a definite bonus. It can really heat up smaller towels so if you're feeling stressed out add some facial towels in there until they get toasty hot and put it over your face as a hot towel, it works relaxing wonders.

One other reason we love the Brookstone towel warmer is because of its size, you can keep it inside the bathroom cabinet if you want it out of sight but, of course, as an appliance, you'd want it somewhere you can constantly have an eye on it. We love that it is compact and portable so we can definitely move it around depending on its convenience.

The only downside to the Brookstone mini towel warmer is the auto-shut off. Although it is made as a safety feature it also becomes a problem because it can't keep your towels warm every time you need them. You'll have to wait for bout 6-10 minutes for your towels to warm up and if you happen to forget turning it on once you get in the shower, you'll end up with the same room temperature towel you're dreading in the first place. You must be careful as well in using especially with children around because once it gets hot, it can really get hot. And that is why this is our fifth pick for the best towel heaters.

Details of the Brookstone Towel Warmer
Dimensions	22 x 13 x 13 inches
Type	Towel Warming Can
Heat Source	AC powered
Capacity	Two oversized (40 x 70 inches) towels

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Now you now the benefits of owning a towel warmer. You know what they can do for you and what they can't but it is definitely up to you to choose which one would make a great addition to your bathroom. Hot towel warmers have proven themselves to be very helpful in many ways you can imagine and getting one for your bathroom has more advantages than disadvantages. So, no matter which item you choose from our list, we sure know you'll love every bit of it.

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