Woman World Web

May 10th, 2009 by Jane Bear

There are an increasing number of makers of maternity clothes, but you still won’t find the same variety of styles that you’re used to in regular women’s clothes. So, if you have a creative streak and some free time, supplement your wardrobe with some handmade pieces.

The maternity clothing that you sew yourself guarantees a perfect fit. You will have a wide variety of maternity garments in your wardrobe, that are made to fit your figure, regardless of whether you are tall, short, heavy, thin, or anywhere in between.

But it is usually extremely hard to find beautiful and stylish maternity clothing patterns, especially if you are petite or plus size. So, go for regular patterns that you can modify into maternity patterns just by changing a few simple things. There are also many sewing patterns can be altered to fit during pregnancy. If you’re nervous about making alterations, start with patterns designed for maternity wear.

The various websites on the Internet have a good selection of maternity patterns. You’ll be able to find patterns, which you can adapt to any size, as well as sewing machine information. Also, check out the maternity patterns in the craft stores and discount stores.

Comfort is of paramount importance when making maternity clothing using a clothing machine. Many easy one-piece dress and skirt pattern are available. These types of apparel are good choices as they provide optimum comfort to the expectant mom.

The fabric of the pants should be comfortable and easy to move in, this is important because of the swelling that occurs in pregnant women especially during the summer months. A jumper would also be an excellent maternity clothing article as well as loose style coats and capes. These clothing items should be simple in style and in a dark color, also avoid large fabric prints.

Cotton is an excellent fabric for making and sewing clothing using machine clothing for mothers to be. Whether the weather is cool or warm, cotton is very comfortable, easy to launder, and is a fabric that “breathes.”

Although very inconvenient, the process of modifying your dresses and other clothing is a cost-effective way to increase your maternity wardrobe. Altering your clothes would mean adding a stretchy fabric that you can insert in the tummy area of the jeans or pants; or adding more fabric to your tops.

May 4th, 2009 by Jane Bear

Just as proper nutrition is important for your baby’s welfare, so is hygiene and cleanliness. Babies have little or no control over their bodily functions, so they expel a lot of waste, and keeping them clean can be a daunting task.

It is a fact that, less than thirty years ago, disposable diapers were considered something of a luxury while today they are the norm and people using cloth diapers for their babies are considered to be strange. There are several reasons that modern parents may choose to utilize a cloth diaper instead of a disposable diaper; however, and in some circles cloth diapers are making a bit of a comeback.

The biggest personal reason that a parent may opt to clothe her baby’s bottom in cotton diapers as opposed to disposable diapers is financial. Cloth diapers are simply cheaper than disposable nappies.

Using a cloth diaper is healthier for your child. Babies that use cloth tend to have fewer incidents of diaper rashes. Cotton diapers are made of natural materials, so are less likely to cause skin problems, such as rashes and allergic reactions.

Cotton diapers place less stress on landfills. If thrown into a landfill, cotton diapers decompose within six months. However, with the type of materials used and the amount of processing disposable diapers go through, they remain in landfills for around 500 years.

Gone are the days of complicated folding methods and misplaced safety pins because today’s cloth diapers are pre cut and shaped to cover baby’s nether regions quickly and easily. Now, they also come with Velcro fasteners or snaps for ease in fastening. The best feature of all is that many now have a flushable, biodegradable paper lining that will catch solid waste, allowing it to be easily disposed of in the toilet, so soiled and smelly diapers don’t sit around, and there is no messy job of rinsing the solids away.

Children who wear cloth diaper tend to get toilet trained earlier, since the cloth retains moisture, permitting the child to feel when it is dirty and wet causing them to associate the feeling with elimination.

Only a very small percentage of parents are currently using a cloth diaper but they are still out there and available. Any parent concerned with the cost or environmental impact of disposable diapers should seriously consider going with cloth diapers.

March 29th, 2009 by Paula Heron

Anticipating the arrival of a new baby is highly exciting and also demanding. In addition to making sure the nursery is set up and equipped, one major job is to make sure you have enough newborn baby clothes.

The choice of venues for buying baby equipment and clothes have certainly expanded since the 1970s when I had my children. Not only do stores like Target and Wal-Mart have special baby sections there are dedicated baby stores like Babies r Us so it is one stop shopping. Another resource is the internet so you can choose everything for the new arrival in the comfort of your own home.

Buying baby equipment is fairly straight forward you need: 1 crib, 1 stroller and 1 car seat, obviously you are expecting a multiple birth the numbers will increase accordingly. But if you are a first time parent how do you know how many baby clothes your baby will need for the first few weeks?

Whether you are buying baby boy clothes or baby girl clothes there is no specified number of each garment that is essential. It is important to have enough of the basic baby clothes for a day or two so that you don’t have to be constantly worrying about having to do the laundry every day.

Newborn babies can go through a surprising number of clothes changes in the course of a day so garments that are easy to get on and off make a lot of sense. So which clothes does it make sense to have? Here is a list of articles that are practical for the newborn:

* Onesies: you need at least 5 to 10 of these. In the warmer weather the cute colored and patterned ones are great and the plain ones can always be used under other tops and pants in cooler weather.

* Use baby one piece sleeper suits in the first few weeks during the day - you’ll need 5-10 of these.

* For use during those night-time diaper changes, have 4-5 baby gowns because they make the job a lot easier.

* 5-10 bibs - although babies don’t take solid food they do have a tendency to drool and spit up.

* Buy a large amount of burp cloths so that your clothes can last for more than just one burp session!

* 5 pairs of socks - little feet get cold even in a warm climate.

* Decide which type of hat matches the weather you’re likely to experience and get two of them.

* 1 coat, appropriate to the weather and season where you live.

* Make drying baby easier by having two or three hooded baby towels.

* Avoid the scratches that babies are so good at inflicting on themselves by having at least two pairs of cotton mittens.

Every baby’s needs and habits are different so the list of newborn baby clothes above cannot be exact. In particular, the frequency with which you wish to change your baby will add or subtract from the numbers. Nevertheless, I recommend that you use the list as a general guide to make the jobs of diaper changing and baby dressing as simple as possible, then add to it any additional outfits that you want for special occasions.