Moses Basket Covers Only – Where to find them online

§ November 27th, 2010 § Filed under Baby, Uncategorized, moses basket, moses basket bedding, moses basket covers § Tagged , , , Comments Off

moses basket covers

Lollipop Lane Moses Basket Covers

If you have looked at our main site, you may have read the article on moses basket covers. This explained that moses basket covers only, (i.e, if you already have the basket itself), are actually pretty difficult to find – type in an online search and you’ll get a lot of irrelevant results or spam. We recommended trying eBay, which will give you a choice of both well known brands, such as Lollipop Lane, and individuals who specialise in homemade moses basket covers. In the interest of offering the best and most useful possible information to our readers, we have made an exhaustive search of online UK stockists and have published our findings below.

Moses Basket Covers on eBay

If you are familiar with eBay, this is probably the first place you should look because they often have some good deals. As well as pretty handmade moses basket covers you can normally find branded products, and even unusual designs such as Liverpool FC covers (available in red or pink)! There are also some eBay stores specialising in baby products who also stock them sometimes:

Bits and Bobs for Baby

Bits and Bobs for Baby is an online eBay shop run by a seller called ‘Quackles’, who has an excellent satisfaction rating of 99.8%. They have a very good track record of quick dispatches and high levels of customer service.

Bits and Bobs for Baby regularly stocks covers for moses baskets. At the time of writing this article they had 7 designs in stocks – 4 designs by Lollipop Lane and 3 broderie anglaise styles.

Moses Basket Covers from Online Retailers

For many parents, their first online stop for baby items are the big retailers such as Mothercare or Babies ‘r’ Us, but they do not stock covers only. These are the online shops we could find which do, (please bear in mind that we have not personally used these companies and cannot vouch for their reliability or quality of service).

MosesBaskets4U.co.uk

Moses Baskets 4 U describe themselves as “a small, independent business based in the heart of East Anglia”, and have been in business for over 10 years. They specialise in dressing moses baskets and although they sell the finished items as a package, they are also happy to sell the moses basket covers only if that is all you require. Their style is very traditional and there are plenty of designs available.

CotWorld.co.uk

This retailer are part of a company called WorldStores Ltd. Cot World sell moses basket cover sets at a good price. For example, a blue Lollipop Lane “Lollipop Farm” set comprising of a hood, basket cover and quilt costs £15.99 (RRP £20). Shipping is 1 to 2 weeks.

4 Weeks Pregnant

§ November 22nd, 2010 § Filed under Pregnancy, Pregnancy Week by Week, Uncategorized § Tagged , , Comments Off

Maternal Pregnancy Symptoms

Week 4 is usually when the fertilized egg will implant in the lining of the uterus, (the endometrium), which can lead to one of the early symptoms of pregnancy – implantation bleeding. bleeding. The tissue which cocoons the egg burrows into the endometrium and starts to build links between the forming baby and the mother’s body. This will become the placenta, which is absolutely essential for the baby’s development and survival. The placenta allows blood and nutrients to pass from mother to baby, and eliminates waste.

It is estimated that implantation bleeds happen in a third of pregnancies. The implantation bleeding takes the form of light spotting, which will be either brown in colour or a pinkish discharge. It only lasts one to three days and is intermittent, neither getting heavier or changing colour. Many women mistake the spotting for the start of their periods as implantation occurs 6 to 12 days after conception, when they will be expecting menstruation to start.

There are other early signs of pregnancy you can look out for. Many of these are similar to pre-menstrual symptoms, such as breast tenderness, fatigue and mood swings. So if you are experiencing sore breasts in the week before your period is due when it is not a typical pre-menstrual symptom for you then it may be an indication that you are pregnant. However, if you are trying for a baby it is worth remembering that you will be more in tune with your body than normal and may be magnifying small sensations you would normally ignore. If you want something really badly, a degree of wishful thinking may also come into play and psychosomatic early pregnancy symptoms are not uncommon in someone trying for a baby.

It is actually very common for a pregnant woman to experience no pregnancy signs at all before her missed period. Sometimes this can be an indicator of pregnancy in itself. If you usually have mood swings and light cramps before menstruation starts, for example, their absence may mean you are expecting a baby.

The only way you can be certain that you are pregnant is to get a positive pregnancy test. Home pregnancy tests work by measuring HCG levels in your urine and can generally be used from the first day of the missed period, although there are also early response brands which are fairly accurate from 7 to 10 days after conception. A positive result on a home pregnancy test is almost certainly correct, but false negatives do occasionally happen. If you believe you are pregnant even after a negative test, wait a few days (preferably a week) and test again or make an appointment with your doctor.

Fetal Development

The fertilized egg has implanted in the lining of your uterus and is now called an embryo. It is already around the size of an apple seed. The beginnings of the organs, the brain and the circulatory system are starting to form.

3 Weeks Pregnant

§ November 15th, 2010 § Filed under Pregnancy, Pregnancy Week by Week, Uncategorized § Tagged , , Comments Off

Maternal Pregnancy Symptoms

For the majority of women, conception occurs in week 3. Your pregnancy will be calculated from the first day of your last menstrual period as it is usually easier for a woman to work out the date she menstruated than the day she ovulated. So when conception occurs between day 14 and 18, (an average menstrual cycle is 28 days), you would already be considered 2 or 3 weeks pregnant.

During week 2, oestrogen causes the uterus to form a thick lining of tissue and progesterone prepares the womb for supporting a fertilized egg. The ovaries ripen eggs in the follicles, which are small fluid filled sacs, ready to release an egg at the mid-point of your menstrual cycle. Somewhere early in week 3, the egg is released and descends into the fallopian tube where there is a window of 12 to 24 hours in which it can be fertilized. The average man has 350 million sperm in his ejaculation, but the chances of one fertilizing the egg (assuming sex occurs during a woman’s fertile period) is still only 20 to 25 percent.

Some women claim that they knew almost immediately that they were pregnant, but it is highly unusual to have any physical indication of pregnancy in the days that follow conception. The early signs of pregnancy that many women have – such as sore breasts and nausea – often do not start until 4 to 6 weeks pregnant.

Perhaps the women most likely to have an inkling that they are pregnant are those that usually have strong pre-menstrual symptoms such as breast tenderness and mood swings (pre-menstrual tension). Often the earliest indication that conception has occurred is not so much early pregnancy symptoms as an absence of normal pre-menstrual symptoms, (so their breasts feel normal and they do not experience their normal mood changes).

Fetal Development

The sperm has a penetrated the egg and is now what it termed a ‘zygote’. The egg will immediately close its outer membrane so that it becomes impenetrable to the rest of the sperm. It will start to divide into identical cells – during the early weeks of pregnancy your baby will be growing at an amazing rate. The zygote moves down the fallopian tube to the uterus, where it will implant and spend the next 9 months.

2 Weeks Pregnant

§ November 8th, 2010 § Filed under Pregnancy, Pregnancy Week by Week, Uncategorized Comments Off

Maternal Pregnancy Symptoms

For the majority of women, week 2 is when your fertile phase starts. In a woman with a 28 day cycle ovulation will occur between day 14 and 18, counting the first day of the last menstrual period as day 1. The length of time you are fertile for is down to individual differences but is generally 4 or 5 days, starting several days before and including the day you ovulate.

As you approach ovulation, your cervical mucus should increase in quantity and will become more stretchy and slippery, (it is often compared to the consistency of egg whites). This type of cervical mucus will optimise the chances of the sperm reaching the egg. If ovulation has not yet happened, there is still a chance of conception occurring as sperm can survive up to 5 days. Once the egg has been released by the ovary there is a 12 to 24 hour period in which fertilization must occur otherwise the egg will become unviable. If you find monitoring your cervical mucus changes difficult, there are ovulation predictor kits which can help tell you when you are fertile and when you have ovulated.

Some people believe that abstaining from sex until the fertile period will lead to an increase of sperm – and therefore a greater chance of conception – when the man ejaculates. This is not scientifically backed. In fact, most scientists agree that abstaining for more than 10 days actually negatively affects the quality of sperm. Having regular sex is the best way to conceive a baby, although this can be every two to three days rather than every day.

It is a bit of a taboo to say that you would prefer a particular sex of child, but anonymous polls have shown that approximately 40 percent of couples would choose the gender if it were possible. There are plenty of theories about how you can increase the chances of a girl or a boy. The most popular theory is the Shettle’s method.

If you are familiar with your menstrual cycle and can pinpoint you fertile period and date of ovulation, the Shettle’s method claims that timing sexual intercourse can help produce a specific gender. To conceive a girl it is said you should have sex 4 or 5 days before ovulation, the idea being that male sperm do not survive as long and only female (X chromosome) sperm will remain when the egg is released. To conceive a boy you should have sex on the day of ovulation as male (Y chromosome) sperm are faster swimmers and will reach the egg first. Most scientists dismiss the theory and more recent studies have not duplicated Dr Shettle’s results.

Even if you do everything right, getting pregnant often isn’t easy. With perfect conditions and timing, the odds of succeeding are still only between 20% and 25%. But the majority of couples will conceive within a year. If you are under 30 and have been trying for 12 months or more, make an appointment with your doctor to check that there are no underlying medical issues that are affecting either partner’s fertility. If you over 35, you should seek medical advice after 6 months of trying unsuccessfully.

Fetal Development

The egg is likely to be released into the fallopian tube at the end of this week – or early next week – ready to be fertilized.

1 Week Pregnant

§ November 1st, 2010 § Filed under Pregnancy, Pregnancy Week by Week, Uncategorized Comments Off

Maternal Pregnancy Symptoms

If you came to this page looking for early pregnancy symptoms in the days following conception, we’ll be covering that soon in a post entitled “3 weeks pregnant”. Since it easier for many women to pinpoint the date of their last menstrual period than it is to estimate the date of conception, pregnancy weeks are counted from the first day of the last period. This means that if you have an average 28 day cycle conception usually occurs on what would be considered the end of week 2 of the pregnancy, or the start of week 3.

During week 1, you should be preparing your body for conception. It is recommended that all pregnant women should take folic acid supplements during the first trimester, as taking 400mg a day has been proven to significantly reduce the risk of the baby developing neural tube defects such as spina bifida. For greatest benefit, you should start taking the folic acid as soon as you start trying to conceive rather than waiting for a positive pregnancy test. You can also boost your folic acid naturally by eating more beans, pulses and leafy green vegetables.

A healthy lifestyle can slightly increase your chances of conception and will also get your pregnancy off to a good start, so before you and your partner start trying for a baby you may want to ensure you are eating a balanced diet and taking regular exercise.

While many people carry on drinking alcohol while trying to conceive with no problem, there is evidence that even moderate intake does decrease the odds of conception to some extent. For example, in a study of 430 couples over the course of 6 menstrual cycles, 64% of women with a moderate intake conceived while 55% of women drinking in excess of 5 units per week conceived. This trend remained even when other factors, such as body mass index, medical conditions, etc, were considered. So if you are serious about getting pregnant, it can be beneficial to look at your alcohol intake.

If you are a smoker and haven’t already started trying to quit, speak to your doctor for advice about stopping now. Not only is smoking during pregnancy linked to a higher risk of miscarriage, pre-term birth and low birth weight babies, it can decrease the odds of falling pregnant in the first place. Studies have shown that male fertility is also negatively affected by smoking so ideally both partners should try to quit or cut down.

Fetal Development

Using the medical definition of “1 week pregnant”, your baby does not yet exist. For most women, their fertile phase has not started and the egg will not yet have been released by the ovary. The exception to this is women who typically have very short menstrual cycles (from 21 days). If you have regular periods you can estimate your ovulation date and fertile period by deducting 14 days from the date your next period is due. This is because ovulation is followed by a 10 to 14 day luteal phase, which is when the corpus luteum secretes the progesterone necessary for the endometrium to prepare itself for the implantation of the newly formed embryo. Your fertile period is the 4 to 5 days prior to ovulation. By these calculations, a person with a 3 week menstrual cycle may already be fertile in the days following menstruation and can start trying to conceive. A woman with a more average 28 day cycle will need to wait till week 2 before trying for a baby.

Pink Moses Basket Bedding

§ October 5th, 2010 § Filed under Uncategorized Comments Off

Just a quick not to say that we’ve added a new page on our website devoted to pink moses basket bedding.

If you are expecting a girl, it is a great opportunity to splurge on some unashamedly pink and girly baby items! So please take a look at our favourite pink blankets, and our recommendations for the best girly basics.

No Pregnancy Symptoms but Pregnant

§ October 5th, 2010 § Filed under Pregnancy, Uncategorized § Tagged , , , Comments Off

Read any pregnancy website, book or magazine and you will find a lot of information about symptoms you “should” be experiencing, such as morning sickness and fatigue. So if you have had a positive pregnancy test but have no pregnancy symptoms at all it can cause a lot of anxiety, with common concerns being the possibility of a missed or imminent miscarriage.

However, having no pregnancy symptoms is not necessarily a bad omen – contrary to popular belief, the strength of your morning sickness and other pregnancy symptoms bears no correlation to how healthy the pregnancy is. If you are still in the early stages of pregnancy, having no symptoms is not even unusual. Often the typical signs of pregnancy do not start until a month, or sometimes longer, after conception. No pregnancy symptoms at 5 weeks is very normal, and no pregnancy symptoms at 6 weeks is still quite common. Even if you have no symptoms at 7 weeks it does not mean that you will never suffer from pregnancy nausea or fatigue, just that you may have ovulated (and conceived) later than you thought or that the hormones need to reach a certain level before they effect you personally.

Alternatively, you may simply be one of the lucky few women who just don’t feel that unwell in the first trimester and have a relatively symptomless pregnancy. Pregnancies are very different from each other, so it is not even a reason for worry if you are on your second pregnancy and had very strong symptoms last time round. If being pregnant with no symptoms always indicated a problem with the pregnancy or baby there would never be news stories about mothers going into labour having never realised they were pregnant. A routine ultrasound should set your mind at rest that the baby is fine, and once you start to feel the baby’s movements the lack of symptoms should be less concerning.

The only time when no pregnancy symptoms may be a warning sign is if you were suffering from pregnancy ailments such as fatigue or morning sickness but your symptoms stopped very suddenly. Occasionally, symptoms ceasing abrubtly is a sign of miscarriage even if it is not accompanied by cramps or bleeding. However, it should be stressed that it can also be normal for an individual’s symptoms to come and go. So if you have been feeling sick a lot it can still be completely normal to have the odd day where you feel absolutely fine. If you are concerned – or if you cramps, bleeding or dizziness – then contact your doctor or midwife.

Newborn Sleep Tips

§ October 1st, 2010 § Filed under Baby, Uncategorized § Tagged , , , , , Comments Off

The sleep patterns of a newborn baby will be very different to that of an older baby. Newborns essentially will sleep if they are tired and cannot easily be coaxed into sleep if they are in a wakeful period. The length of time they remain asleep will vary greatly from infant to infant, but can be very short in the early weeks as their tiny tummies necessitate small and frequent feeds. While some parents may be lucky and get a newborn who goes around 4 hours from the start, it is very normal for new babies to wake for feeds around every 2 hours.

The period your baby remains asleep for should start to increase when they are about a month old and some babies will start sleeping through. Unfortunately, the definition of “sleeping through” is a stretch of 5 hours (so around midnight to 5am), and doesn’t mean your baby will go down at 7pm and sleep till morning.

Parents do find they get used to the sleep deprivation but it can be particularly hard in the early weeks, especially for those with a fussy baby or one whose natural sleep pattern means they sleep through the day but are wakeful at night. But there are things you can do to keep your newborn calm and comfortable, which can help him sleep for longer.

White Noise

This is a tactic which will soothe many crying babies and help others keep calm and comforted as they drop off to sleep. The theory is that silence can feel quite unnatural to a newborn because the womb they have spent 9 months in is a surprisingly noisy place, (for instance there is the constant background noise of blood pumping through their mother’s body). Therefore white noise makes their surrounding feel more familiar and safe.

The easiest way to use white noise to soothe your baby to sleep is to purchase a womb sounds CD designed for the purpose. This is not the only option, however. If you purchase a home fetal Doppler (baby heart monitor) during your pregnancy you may find there is a function to record the sound of the mother’s heartbeat. This can then be played to your baby to calm them after their birth. You may find certain sounds from around the home can pacify your baby, such as the vacuum cleaner or kitchen extraction fan, although these are not practical to use every time you want your baby to nap.

Swaddling a Baby

Like the white noise, swaddling works for many babies because it reminds them of their mother’s womb. Keeping their limbs tucked securely next to their body also calms the moro reflex (startle reflex), which can shock a baby into wakefulness.

Any square blanket can be used for swaddling, and there are also a growing number of specially designed swaddle blankets, such as the Miracle Blanket, which can make the process easier. How to swaddle a baby is covered in our article on swaddling blankets.

Rocking

Rocking soothes and aids falling asleep because, like the two previous suggestions, it mimics the conditions of being in the womb. When you were pregnant you may have found your baby slept most when you were active, and kicked and moved about more frequently when you were still. This is because your movements were lulling them to sleep. Babies will often fall asleep in a buggy for the same reason.

Holding your baby in your arms or on your lap and rocking them to sleep may work, but a baby will typically wake as soon as you try to put them down. Buying a cradle or rocking stand for your moses basket is a better solution. Unlike the two previous methods, rocking is not so effective as a sleep aid. Although it helps a newborn fall asleep it will not help maximise how long they sleep for unless you carry on rocking them till they wake.

Remember, no two babies are the same. The three newborn sleep aids mentioned above work for many parents, but there are always exceptions. Persist with a method for a while, but if it is not working it is not your fault, your individual baby just needs a different approach. Also bear in mind that while sleep deprivation is hard, this stage will pass.

Baby Sleep Safety Tips

§ September 30th, 2010 § Filed under Baby, Uncategorized Comments Off

New parents can sometimes be a little anxious about the safety of their baby while they are sleeping. These fears mostly relate to the small risk of sudden infant death syndrome. However, there has been a great deal of research into this area and there are many things you can do to help keep your baby safe. The following sleep safety tips include guidelines released by the FSID, along with other recommended safety measures.

  • Place your baby to sleep on their back. Babies may prefer tummy sleeping once they learn to role, but by then the danger is mostly considered to have passed and should not cause too much concern.
  • Put the baby “feet to foot” in their cot, unless using baby sleeping bags. Putting your baby down at the foot of the cot makes slipping underneath the covers less likely.
  • Do not smoke around your child, especially in a room where they may sleep. This can increase the risk of SIDS.
  • Never fall asleep with your baby on the sofa.
  • If you decide the benefits of co-sleeping outweigh the risks, never do so if you are excessively tired, have been drinking alcohol or are taking medication which causes drowsiness. You are less likely to wake if you roll onto your baby.
  • Do not use a pillow.
  • Use a firm mattress in your cot or moses basket.
  • If the cot or moses basket is second hand, replace the mattress before use. Used mattresses have been linked to a slightly increased risk of SIDS, even if the mattress was previously used by a sibling. This risk is further increased if the mattress previously belonged to a non-related child.
  • Wrap your baby according to the temperature of the room. Babies generally like it slightly warmer than adults as they are less able to regulate their temperature. But keeping them too warm puts them at danger of overheating.
  • Do not use cot bumpers or put cuddly toys in the cot or moses basket until they are at lease 4 months old. They pose a small suffocation risk.
  • Use a baby monitor if your baby is asleep in another room.
  • Keep pets out of the room unless you are there, even if the pet is docile and good with children.
  • Never place a moses basket on an elevated surface, other than a stand designed for the purpose.
  • Don’t place the cot near objects like a curtain or blinds pull cord, particularly once the baby is old enough to be mobile.
  • Following these simple safety guidelines will minimise the chances of your baby getting into difficulties while sleeping.

    Is it a boy or girl? (Chinese gender predictor)

    § September 29th, 2010 § Filed under Pregnancy, Uncategorized Comments Off

    Below you will find a Chinese gender prediction chart. Mythology states that the chart dates back to the thirteenth century and that the gender of a baby can be determined based on a lunar calendar and maternal age at conception.

    To predict the sex of your baby, cross reference the mother’s age at the time of conception with the month the baby was conceived (scroll down for July to December).

    We make no guarantees of the accuracy of the Chinese gender calendar and provide it for entertainment purposes only.

    January February March April May June
    18 Girl Boy Girl Boy Boy Boy
    19 Boy Girl Boy Girl Girl Boy
    20 Girl Boy Girl Boy Boy Boy
    21 Boy Girl Girl Girl Girl Girl
    22 Girl Boy Boy Girl Boy Girl
    23 Boy Boy Boy Girl Boy Boy
    24 Boy Girl Girl Boy Boy Girl
    25 Girl Boy Girl Boy Girl Boy
    26 Boy Boy Boy Boy Boy Girl
    27 Girl Girl Boy Boy Girl Boy
    28 Boy Boy Boy Girl Girl Boy
    29 Girl Boy Girl Girl Boy Girl
    30 Boy Boy Girl Boy Girl Boy
    31 Boy Boy Boy Boy Girl Girl
    32 Boy Girl Girl Boy Girl Boy
    33 Girl Boy Boy Girl Girl Boy
    34 Boy Boy Girl Girl Boy Girl
    35 Boy Girl Boy Girl Boy Girl
    36 Boy Girl Boy Boy Boy Girl
    37 Girl Girl Boy Girl Girl Girl
    38 Boy Boy Girl Girl Boy Girl
    39 Girl Girl Boy Girl Girl Girl
    40 Boy Boy Boy Girl Boy Girl
    41 Girl Girl Boy Girl Boy Boy
    42 Boy Girl Girl Boy Boy Boy
    43 Girl Boy Girl Girl Boy Boy
    44 Boy Girl Girl Girl Boy Girl
    45 Girl Boy Girl Boy Girl Girl
    July August September October November December
    18 Boy Boy Boy Boy Boy Boy
    19 Boy Girl Boy Boy Girl Girl
    20 Boy Boy Boy Girl Boy Boy
    21 Girl Girl Girl Girl Girl Girl
    22 Girl Boy Girl Girl Girl Girl
    23 Girl Girl Girl Boy Boy Girl
    24 Boy Girl Boy Boy Girl Boy
    25 Girl Boy Girl Boy Boy Boy
    26 Boy Girl Girl Boy Girl Girl
    27 Girl Girl Boy Girl Boy Boy
    28 Girl Boy Girl Girl Boy Girl
    29 Girl Boy Girl Boy Girl Girl
    30 Boy Boy Boy Boy Boy Boy
    31 Boy Girl Boy Girl Girl Girl
    32 Boy Girl Boy Boy Girl Boy
    33 Girl Boy Girl Boy Boy Girl
    34 Boy Boy Girl Boy Girl Girl
    35 Boy Girl Boy Boy Girl Boy
    36 Boy Boy Girl Girl Girl Girl
    37 Boy Girl Girl Boy Boy Boy
    38 Girl Boy Girl Girl Boy Girl
    39 Boy Girl Boy Boy Girl Boy
    40 Boy Girl Boy Girl Girl Boy
    41 Girl Girl Boy Girl Boy Girl
    42 Boy Boy Girl Boy Girl Boy
    43 Boy Girl Girl Girl Boy Boy
    44 Boy Boy Girl Boy Girl Boy
    45 Boy Girl Boy Girl Boy Girl

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