Must-Have Gender Neutral Baby Supplies Every New Parent Needs

This spring has been a wild and crazy time for our family! My sister, my sister in law, and my cousin's wife all had newborn babies. What a blessing these little ones are! 

Since my kids are no longer babies, I miss the baby gear - cute outfits, sweet little toys, and the super-soft blankets. Fortunately, with the arrival of these new bundles of joy, I get to do a little shopping for some cute baby gifts. None of the moms found out what they were having, so when I was looking for a gift, I had to keep it gender neutral. 

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Advice for New Parents

As a new parent, sometimes you can become overwhelmed by all the options available for a new baby. So you might be asking "What do I really need for a newborn baby?" I remember asking myself this during moments of feeling overwhelmed. After having my first baby and then, preparing for my second (and third and fourth), my list of "Must Haves" became much more simplified and practical. I approached the newborn stage with a mindset focused on survival and the "less as more" mantra. 

Here are my recommendations for what a newborn (and rookie parents) will need as they welcome their bundle of joy home.

"Must-Haves" for Newborn Baby

1. Diapers (lots and lots of diapers) 

In the early days, you are supposed to track wet and dirty diapers to make sure baby is getting enough nourishment. Newborn babies go through a LOT of diapers. Also, some brands of diapers worked better for my girls and not my boys and vice versa. The best diapers for my girls were Pampers and I used Huggies for my boys.

2. Onesies / Bodysuit 

My babies wore onesies all the time! They wore a onesie under everything from jammies to jumpers. My pediatrician always recommended dressing newborns in one more layer than what you are comfortable wearing. 

My daughter was born in the summer and wore a onesie by itself on hot days and seemed quite comfortable. A new mom needs a collection of these since babies tend to go through them quickly! I didn't go through their onesies quite as fast as diapers, but still be prepared to change your baby's onesie 3-8 times per day. 

Here are some cute gender neutral bodysuit (onesies) I recommend from Burt's Bees:

3. Infant Car Seat 

Obviously, safety is your number one concern when bringing baby home from the hospital. The right car seat that is installed correctly is so important. If you have never installed a car seat I recommend checking with your local fire or police department to see if they have a certified car seat education program. Many times you can just stop into the police or fire department, and they will check to make sure your infant car seat is installed correctly at no charge to you. 

We used Graco brand car seats with all four of our kids because they had good safety ratings, were easy to lug around, and worked with our stroller. We also bought additional car seat bases so we could use the same car seat in multiple cars or give one to grandparents to install in their car. 

4. Sleep sack or layette 

Newborn babies don't need a lot of clothing at first since they spend a lot of time tucked into mom's arms, eating or sleeping. I found that having a good supply of sleep sacks or layettes handy was what my babies wore for the first few months outside the womb. 

The advantage of the sleep sack is that you can change the baby's diaper without disturbing them too much.

Hopefully, these suggestions will help reduce your anxiety and help prepare you for a new baby! Remember that becoming a new parent is a process that you will learn to grow and adjust to. Enjoy your new baby and all the cuddles, snuggles, and time you get to spend with him or her! 

10 Easter Tablescape Ideas

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Our Easter tradition has changed over the years to include a celebration with friends rather than an extended family party. A couple of years ago some close friends invited us over to their house after our Easter church service to have dinner - it was a blast!

Fast forward a few years and this Easter the friend celebration continues. We've added a few more friends and have changed locations a few times but the good food, friendship and fun has remained the same.

Our kids love it too -especially since the families we invite have kids their ages and the day is filled with friends and playing. This year is no exception. We have invited five families over this year to enjoy a good meal, spend time building relationships and playing hard (praying the weather is nice!!). Did I mention that this group consists of 16 (yep) kids!!! So of course I hope the weather is sunny so they can play outside.

With one week to go before the party I'm working on planning some of the details like the table scape, menu and kids games. Today though I wanted to share with you the amazing table scape ideas I've gathered. There are just so many beautiful ways you can decorate for spring and Easter! I also want to be sensitive to the budget so most of these ideas you could totally pull off by using what you have around the house and adding a few store bought (think Dollar Store) items.

10 Beautiful Easter Tablescape Ideas

via: Centsational Girl

This table scape incorporates the Easter eggs you colored (I hope) + a large chocolate bunny (which I hope you haven't already devoured!) to make the table look festive. I'm sure you could really get your kids to finish all of their veggies if you promise to let them eat the chocolate bunny after they finish! 

via: Liz Marie Blog

Did you notice those tin cans? I love decorating with empty (and clean) tin cans. I've used them in the past to hold silverware - one for forks, spoons and knives. To make them pretty I've even taped a piece of colorful scrap booking paper around the can which can be changed depending on the type of party (fall, summer, birthday...endless possibilities). 

via: homemade modern blog

This idea is so beautiful and powerful all on its own! If you wanted to dress it up a bit you could put a table runner under it or add some flowers and votive candles around it. This would be an easy to make DIY centerpiece that you could have your kids help create too. 

via: The Chic Site

Being the practical girl that I am I can guarantee that this centerpiece would end up as roasted carrots the day after Easter! I love the organic look and the added calla lilies added to the top for an extra pop. 

via: instagram

Can't you just smell the sweet fragrance of hyacinths and other spring flowers when you look at this table scape? 

Found Here

I think any shaped bowl filled with a little bit of shredded paper, topped with colorful Easter eggs could really make your table scape look beautiful. 

via: Two Twenty One

I actually used this similar idea at Christmas time only I used red candles to make it a Christmas theme, Any size glass bowl or vase looks lovely with split peas in them. If you want to make it more colorful you could add a ribbon or change the candle color. Definitely an easy and budget friendly idea. 

via: Etsy shop CreativePlaces

Such power and truth! This great Etsy shop has all kinds of table runners available  - check it out. If you like to DIY I think this would be a fairly simple project with minimal supplies or time needed. You could even do a smaller version to hang on your wall.

via: The Casual Craftlete

You know how the saying goes - "Don't put all of your eggs in one basket", well I think this should be the exception! Pastel speckled Easter eggs in an antique wire basket topped with baby's breath makes for a lovely centerpiece and table scape.

via: A Pumpkin and a Princess

Succulents are so easy to care for and look pretty all dressed up in these cute pots for Easter. They are fairly cheap to buy so you could give small potted ones that you used as your table scape away as gifts to your guests when they leave.

I pray you have a wonderful Easter celebration with your friends and family! Drop me a note to tell me what you did for your Easter table scape - maybe you tried something not included on this list - I'd love to hear from you!

Erin

5 Fun Easter Bunny Craft Roundup For Kids

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Celebrate Easter with these cool Easter bunny craft projects your kids will LOVE!

Does your family have Spring fever? We do - bad! The weather just can't seem to make up its mind - warm(ish) one day and freezing the next, sunny and bright then gray and cloudy, snow then rain - this cycle is maddening, yet hopeful! Hope in knowing that real spring weather is on its way.

I actually saw a robin in the tree outside of our office window the other day. Now there is a true sign spring is almost here, right?! The next day it snowed (blah!) and I had to go brush off the snow that covered the bird feed in our bird feeder. I just felt bad for the robin. 

Well even if the weather outside isn't quite spring(ish) at least we can bring some spring of our own inside. 

How you ask? Crafting of course! 

My kids love crafting and I enjoy watching their imaginations grow. Sometimes just doing a few spring themed crafts gives them a little break from that awful case of Spring fever they have. 

We like crafts that use everyday household supplies, are quick/simple and give the kids room to use their imagination to really make it their own. 

I put together a list of 5 bunny themed crafts that have inspired us and I hope will inspire you and your family as well. 

Happy Spring Crafting!

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5 Fun Easter Bunny Craft Your Kids Will Love

1 - Foam Cup Bunnies 

crafts by amanda

Wouldn't these little guys or gals look super cute sitting on your mantel or a shelf? Don't those ears just give them such cute personalities? These look simple to make.

Supplies to make these little bunnies are plastic or foam drink cups, pipecleaners, craft glue or hot glue and craft paper. I bet you have most of these supplies on hand already!

2 - Plastic Spoon Bunny

by Krokotak

Having an Easter brunch? Wouldn't these little bunnies look cute as a place setting decoration? All you have to do is attach a name tag to each bunny and place one at each place setting on your table. Guests can take their bunny spoon home as a party favor too!

Grab a handful of white plastic spoons, some hot glue and construction paper and let the bunny making begin.

3 - Pipecleaner Bunny Whiskers

via a kailo chic life

Have you ever done an Easter photo shoot? Here are the perfect photo props! Make one for every family member, gather together and shoot the coolest Easter selfie ever. 

4 - Plastic Easter Egg Bunny

via Tips Aholic

Do you have an ever growing pile of plastic Easter eggs? We do! The seem to multiply every year. Here is a simple and fun project to do with some of those extra plastic eggs. 

5 - Handprint Bunny

via Crafty Morning

These bunnies come in all sorts of sizes when everyone gets to make their own. Compare Daddy's handprint bunny to your child's and encourage them to describe the difference! 

I hope these cute, simple and Spring themed Easter bunny crafts got your imagination and crafty side inspired! I know we are going to enjoy bringing spring inside through our spring crafting.

Have any spring crafts you just love and want to share? Please leave a comment or link to share.

Easter Egg Decorating Ideas

Looking for some new ways to decorate Easter eggs? Here is a list of 10 ideas for you to try out!

5 Easy Spring Cleaning Tips To Keep Your House in Top Shape

Spring time and spring cleaning go hand in hand! Cleaning doesn't have to be a back breaking dreaded job. Get your spring cleaning done faster and easier with these 5 tips and tools!

Happy 1st Day of Spring! (meteorologically speaking) For me, the start of spring always gives me a little extra energy knowing that warmer days and more sunshine is just around the corner! With the extra sunshine I also start noticing things - dust, dirt, cobwebs and fingerprints YIKES! 

I'm pretty good at keeping on top of the house cleaning but when the horizontal blinks look "velvety" from the accumulation of dust I know spring is here and that is one of my first spring cleaning jobs I love to tackle head on. 

Our house has 24 horizontal blinds! I'm grateful for all the windows and natural light but geesh 24 blinds is a lot to clean! 

I've put together the following list to help make your spring cleaning a little easier.

This post may contain affiliate links which means if you click on a link and make a purchase I may receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. Please see my disclaimer link for more information.

5 Easy Spring Cleaning Tips & Tools To Rock Your House Cleaning Routine

1 - Norwex Dusting Mitt - 

This little baby ROCKS and I have the blinds to prove it. I used to dread dusting blinds. I've tried almost every gadget available and none of them work as well as this microfiber dusting mitt - nothing! 

If you don't have one, get one. 

It makes dusting blinds so easy and fast. I dust a few rooms at a time, toss it into the laundry and it is ready to go once again. 

No more dangerous chemicals or a gazillion paper towels - just a simple mitt that you put on your hand to wipe away the dust.

 

 2 - Magic Eraser  For Your Floorboards

It doesn't get any easier than this people - a bucket of soapy warm water, a splash of vinegar mixed in and your magic eraser is all you need to get the floorboards in your house clean and dust free. 

Your poo floorboards take a beating all winter long and need a good scrub. Let the magic eraser work its magic as the grime and streaks wipe right off. 

*(Be careful not to scrub a painted surface too hard or the magic will be too strong and cause the paint to rub off)

3 - Use Dryer Sheets to Remove Buildup on Glass

We have this wonderful glass enclosure for our shower - I have a love/hate relationship with the darn thing. It looks amazing when it is free of the soap build up but not so good when clouded with that nasty scum. 

I found a simple and easy trick to keep the buildup at bay! All you need is a used fabric softener sheet plus a few drops of water.  Just wipe the soap scum away and toss the fabric softener sheet away. 

It does the tough cleaning for you!

 

 4 - Use A Broom As A Long Distance Extension Duster

Those beautiful high ceilings and chandelier lights look so pretty until those early spring rays of sunshine put a spotlight on the dangling cobwebs and dust in places that are hard to reach. 

All you need to do is grab your broom, a hand towel (preferably a rag) and a big rubber band. Put the hand towel over the top of the broom head and secure it by stretching the rubber band around the broom head and towel. This should give you just enough distance to easily and quickly swipe away those pesky cobwebs. 

No need to risk life and limb climbing a ladder to dust those cobwebs away! 

 

 5 - Clean Your Window and Slider Tracks with Vinegar

As I mentioned before we have 24 windows with horizontal blinds which means I have 24 windows (plus some doors and a slider) that are mounted on a track of some sort. 

After I clean the layer of velvety dust from the blinds and wash the windows it is time to clean the track. 

Using vinegar and Q-tips is the easiest way to get this job done. For detail instructions and pictures visit Ask Anna Moseley.com. She gives great tips not only on cleaning the tracks but also how to get a streak free window. 

(please do not try to clean windows like this at home!!)

I wish you the best as you tackle your spring cleaning to-do list! If you have more tips to share I'd love to hear from you - please leave a comment with your tips and ideas.

What are some of your cleaning tricks? Got any tools you just can't clean without? Share your ideas and must-have tools in the comments.