The New Parents Guide Blog

Looking for a unique gift for a baby shower or a newborn?  There are lots of ideas on our Gifts for Baby page as well as our Organic Gifts page.  One of these is the super-cute Baby Bunch Organic Bunch in Apricot.  What new mom wouldn’t love receiving this adorable bouquet?

Those are not real flowers–the bouquet contains a bib, hat, socks and a one-piece, all made of 100% organic undyed, unbleached cotton in a natural buff hue.  These clothes are sized for babies up to 16 pounds (0 to 6 months).  The bunch is accented with recycled paper and wood rosebuds and leaves and packed in a beautiful presentation box.

Best of all, there’s free shipping on your entire order when you purchase a Baby Bunch!

If you’re planning a baby shower, don’t miss our article on Unique Baby Shower Invitations for cute and clever ideas!

BASKET OF BARGAINS

15% off New Customer orders at Diapers.com
Enter promotion code AFF15PCT in your shopping cart.
You may need to log in to use this coupon. Diapers.com reserves the right to limit quantities. Valid while supplies last.
Valid through: August 31, 2010
See other diapers.com coupons!

15% off your order at Kohls.com
Enter promo code LOWPRICE15 during checkout.
Online only. Offer not valid to purchase gift cards or for payment on a Kohl’s Charge account. Offer also not valid on purchases of Kohl’s Cares for Kids merchandise or other charitable items. Offer cannot be combined with other percent-off discounts. Excludes sales tax.
Valid through: August 28, 2010
See other Kohl’s coupon codes!

It’s always important to have the right tools for the job.  Quality tools are important as well.  So send your little scholar off to school with the right tools–art supplies from Faber-Castell. This supply kit includes jumbo triangular colored ecopencils with sharpener, a set of 12 broad line jumbo markers, a set of 24 jumbo triangular grip crayons, recycled newsprint paper roll, and children’s safety scissors.

The pencils in this art set are eco-certified–made from reforested wood that preserves natural forests.  All the items are specially designed to fit small hands and to be easy to grip.  The markers contain washable ink–I can’t tell you how important that is.  And the safety scissors can be used by “righties” or “lefties.”

This set of art supplies would make a great gift for a budding artist as well as a great back-to-school purchase.

BASKET OF BARGAINS

Free shipping on orders of $25 or more at HearthSong
Enter promotion code SWRS during checkout.
Valid through: September 6, 2010
See other HearthSong coupons!

40% off your order at Justice
Not valid on electronics, music, media or gift cards.
Enter coupon code 377.
Valid through: September 6, 2010
See other Justice coupon codes!

Is this bag fabulous or what?  (I’d carry this as a purse!)  The Banana Fish Milan diaper bag is a super-stylish bag that looks more like a designer purse than a typical diaper bag–and that’s a good thing.

Just because your typical diaper bag contains diapers, wipes, a spare onesie and a bottle or two doesn’t mean it has to be a pastel bag with Beatrix Potter characters all over it.   After all, diaper bags are for the parents.  Save the baby-themed prints for crib sheets, bibs and sleepers.

This jacquard bag boasts leather accents and hidden loops to attach it to your stroller handles.  There are also two insulated bottle holders and two interior pockets for organization, as well as a matching changing pad and dirty-duds pouch.

You may be a parent, but that doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice style for function.  This diaper bag proves you can have both!

BASKET OF BARGAINS

Buy 2 Allykats Beauty Products, get 1 free at Toys R Us
Discount will appear in your shopping cart.
Save on shampoos, hair detanglers, and more from Allykats!
Valid through: August 28, 2010
See other Toys R Us coupons!

15% off orders over $40 at Miles Kimball
Cannot be combined with other coupons. Not valid on previous purchases.
Spend $40 or more and receive 15% off your order.
Enter coupon code 10619101002.
Valid through: September 15, 2010
See other Miles Kimball coupon codes!

Adding a new member to the family, no matter how adorable, means that you’ll need to rethink even the most well-established household routines.  And new members of the family, no matter how tiny, always come along with a whole bunch of stuff.

Where is it all going to go?

Jennifer Ford Berry, author of Organize Now!, understands the concerns parents have–she’s a parent herself.  She’s dealing with kitchen clutter and toy clutter and papers brought home from school as well as junk mail, pantry storage and even the home office.  Organize Now! is a week-by-week guide to organizing the stuff you have into the space you have, and to deciding what you really need to keep (and where best to keep it.)

I’m reading this book now, and I find that she has broken down tasks into manageable chunks.  You don’t have to do the whole house right now.  You can start at the beginning and work right through, or you can choose a chapter and jump right in to organize the space that needs the most help right now.  Everything is laid out step by step, with easy-to-follow checklists, common-sense tips, and even space for notes.

Even the construction of the book is well-thought-out.  It’s spiral-bound with a spine covering the spirals so they won’t get caught in something and unravel.  And because it’s spiral-bound, it lays flat on your desk or table.  The paper is very sturdy, and it’s a very pretty book, decorated with colorful borders on each page.  It’s made to look like a planner because it works like one–it’s your organization planner!

Enjoy your weekend–I’m planning a family picnic on Mr. College Bound’s last weekend at home.  See you Monday with a fresh basket of bargains!

If you’re expecting and wondering exactly what your baby looks like during each phase of your pregnancy, National Geographic has it all covered for you with the In the Womb DVD.  This high-quality video (what else do you expect from National Geographic?) gives you want a book of still pictures can’t.   It includes month-by-month stages and developmental milestones.

National Geographic combines computer images with 3D and 4D ultrasound to achieve a comprehensive picture of conception and pregnancy.  The video concludes with a birth scene.

If you’re interested in how the unborn baby develops, and you’re not into books, this video is for you.  It’s a great gift for expectant parents as well!

BASKET OF BARGAINS

15% off Storage purchases over $50 at Kmart.com
Valid online only. Cannot be combined with other coupons.
Enter coupon code STORAGE15.
Valid through: September 4, 2010
See other Kmart coupons!

Up to $15 off Towels at Cost Plus World Market
Discounts will appear on item pages.
Valid through: August 22, 2010
See other Cost Plus World Market coupon codes!

When you’ve had enough of the too-serious, too-competitive and too-high-pressure attitudes about raising your children, the first place you go is to a like-minded BFF who can tell you how to take it easy.  No BFF nearby? Then grab The Perfect Baby Handbook and get a good laugh.

This is truly funny stuff.  Sure, on the outside it looks like it’s a serious reference manual–but get a load of the subtitle:  “A Guide for Excessively Motivated Parents.”  This book spoofs everything from designer fashions for babies to baby names and minute-by-minute schedules.  You’ll find chapters on competitive breastfeeding and socioeconomically-appropriate strollers, as well as how to perfectly place baby silverware in a formal dinner setting.  In other words, everything is covered, and skewered, by author Dale Hrabi.

Whether you’re an expectant parent or already raising your children, you’ll enjoy this wickedly humorous spoof on the perfect-parenting genre.  Because all parents need a good laugh every now and again, even (perhaps especially) at their own expense.

Have fun this weekend, and visit again on Monday to check out the new additions to our Basket of Bargains!