baby having a baby

**blink041** · 10-15-2005, 10:37 AM

im going to a baby shower on october 24th for the daughter of a girl i used to work with. got the invite yesterday in the mail and had to read it a few times to get the jist of it--had no clue her daughter was pregnant (she is very young and still in school) so i called her up and it's for real. fortunately she and her husband (stepdad) are support(ing)(ive). i actually happen to know the other family too. i hated to hear it and i guess her daughter has went thru some embarassment with her peers. i think she is sort of embarassed too (but she has a real strong personality) i don't see  them very much at all since i don't work with her  anymore, so it made me feel good that she thought of me.i always liked both of her kids and i think it made her feel good that i called and told her i definitely wouldn't miss it.

 any frugal ideas? i want to show her daughter my support and also get  something different than other ppl thats creative as well as being useful.

**graci42** · 10-15-2005, 11:12 AM

Not frugal but necessary...A laundry basket filled with supplies...You can get together w/ another or several guests and build this gift between you. I guess that would be the frugal part.

Hope that helped ...got to get ready for work...will think it over and get back to you!
Graci

**pammy** · 10-15-2005, 11:22 AM

Homemade baby wipes, with instructions on how she can make them herself in the future while saving herself money.

pammyboat

**Valerie in WA** · 10-15-2005, 11:30 AM

Not frugal, but... I wonder if there's a 'how to take care of a baby' book that's geared toward very young mothers.

Or maybe a 'baby book' where she can record her baby's milestones & accomplishments. Since you mentioned her embarassment, a book that celebrates the baby may provide an emotional boost to her.

Could you give her baby sitting 'coupons' - promise to watch her baby after it's born?

Hmmm...I'll keep thinking.

BTW, I love your siggy!

**canadian gardener** · 10-15-2005, 12:33 PM

A book I love is Slow and Steady Get Me Ready (Paperback)
by June Oberlander.

It has so many practical cheap fun things for a new mum to do with her baby and toddler that work to help the child grow properly and are fun. It will help her bond and help her do good things for her baby.

[ame="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/159160236X/qid=1129393152/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/104-1814717-0422350?v=glance&s=books"]Amazon.com: Slow and Steady Get Me Ready (9781591602361): June Oberlander: Books[/ame]

Here is the blurb slightly edited for brevity:
LEARNING BEGINS AT BIRTH! Research on brain development has shown that any attempt to maximize intellectual growth must begin the first three years of life; the younger the child, the stronger the effect. Beginning education at age five is too late!

The new, large (8 ½ x 11 inch), 352-page 4th edition of SLOW AND STEADY GET ME READY includes 260 weekly, age-appropriate developmental activities that are easy to understand and do. This unique book is your answer to early childhood education and now contains updated illustrations, Measurable Parameters To Profile Child Development, Tips For Solving Behavioral Dilemmas, The Early Brain and Important Points.

SLOW AND STEADY GET ME READY is a highly recommended early childhood developmental parenting resource that tells you when, how and what skills to develop, provides an inexpensive phonetic approach for reading and spelling, contains a complete readiness curriculum full of ideas, enriches the parent child bond with close interaction and develops preschool skills, painlessly and in proper order.

It only takes only about ten minutes for each activity.

This wonderful, helpful book now provides an easy, cost-saving method to measure the progress of a child to determine when the child should be ready for kindergarten.

A simple checklist guide of developmental characteristics has proven to be a useful tool for parents and childcare providers to monitor progress by observation for children from birth to age five. This guide is useful for parents, teachers, Head Start, etc., because there is little paper work – just a checklist.

Unfortunately, children are often still regarded as second-class citizens around the world. We hope that by interacting with them closely in an appropriate manner, as recommended in this book, parents will realize children are their most precious asset and will treat them accordingly.

This valuable, but inexpensive, resource has been found to be useful for children with special needs (e.g., autism, learning disabilities, Down’s Syndrome, etc.).

SLOW AND STEADY GET ME READY is an inexpensive book that provides 5 years of activities at approximately a penny a day!

The best thing to spend on your child is your time!

SLOW AND STEADY GET ME READY Activities Help Newborns Develop:

· Interest in interacting with another person
· Beginning listening skills
· Enhancement of sense of touch
· Awareness of body parts
· Skill in grasping an object
· Interest in rhythm and repetition

SLOW AND STEADY GET ME READY Activities Help One-Year Olds Develop:

· Confidence and independence
· Eye/hand coordination
· Awareness of left and right
· Ability to follow directions
· Vocabulary
· Gross motor skills

SLOW AND STEADY GET ME READY Activities Help Two -Year Olds Develop:

· Knowledge of different shapes
· Skill in color matching
· Memory recall
· A desire to help
· Awareness of similarities and differences
· An understanding of obedience and responsibility

SLOW AND STEADY GET ME READY Activities Help Three-Year Olds Develop:

· Observational skills
· Skill in making a decision
· Problem solving ability
· Ability to reason
· Freedom of Expression
· Role playing ability

SLOW AND STEADY GET ME READY Activities Help Four-Year Olds Develop:

· Knowledge of numbers
· Awareness of telling time
· Recognition of letters and their sounds
· Skill in forming shapes, letter, numbers
· Ability to think and associate
· Awareness of patterns
· More confidence and independence

From the Publisher
SLOW AND STEADY GET ME READY is a highly recommended early childhood developmental parenting resource that has achieved recognition in both the educational and medical communities. This resource was awarded the seal of approval from The National Parenting Center and is listed in the Head Start Education Resource Directory.

The Harvard Family Research Project recommended SLOW AND STEADY GET ME READY to the United States Department of Education, where it appears in the Educational Research Information Center (ERIC) database and the CLAS Early Childhood Research Institute – Office of Special Education Programs.

SLOW AND STEADY GET ME READY has been endorsed by Mary Pride, a leading home-school educator and author. This guide has been listed in the Journal of the American Medical Association as a pediatric reference.

SLOW AND STEADY GET ME READY has also been recommended by pediatricians and it has been used by hospitals and churches in birth and family education programs.

SLOW AND STEADY GET ME READY has become a worldwide reference standard for parents. It has been translated and published in Japan, Romania, Korea, China, Indonesia, Malaysia, India (3 languages), Lebanon (Arabic) and Mexico (Spanish).

SINCE BABIES DON’T COME WITH DIRECTIONS, USE SLOW AND STEADY GET ME READY TO GUIDE YOU.

**Telephus44** · 10-15-2005, 01:44 PM

One thing I always give at baby showers is something for the mom - since I know all of her time and money will now be spent on the baby. I try and give something like tea, coffee, chocolate, bath lotion, perfume - something that I know the mom would like for herself, but probably won't go out and buy.

I also wonder is the mother going to be living with her parents? And what kind of financial arrangements do they have with their daughter? Is she going to be responsible for diapers, baby food, formula, laundry detergent, etc? If she is, I would give her those "disposable" kinds of things (as opposed to clothes or toys).

**kmsinsa** · 10-15-2005, 01:54 PM

Here's a freebie book for her
http://www.sf.pii.orders.com/events/birth/
I got it when my daughter was born and it's been a great source of info.

Also, tell her she should sign up at all of the baby products websites. my daughter is now 3 and I still get stuff from them.

**KKCondrey** · 10-15-2005, 02:10 PM

That book in Kristi's post is great. It was one of the first things I signed up for when I got pregnant last year and when it came I read the whole thing. I still look thru it as it is geared towards the whole pregnancy and the first year of the baby's life. If the shower is a few weeks away, try filling in the info yourself and give it to her......can't get more frugal than free

Also, some of my favorite gifts were diapers when I had my baby, I don't think I bought any for at least a month or so because I got some as shower gifts.

I have a lot of links to freebies in my e-mail address as I sent them to a pregnant friend a while back and kept them for future use. If you'd like those pm me your e-mail and I'll send you the links so you can forward them to the girl or her mother.

Let us know what you come up with.

**blink041** · 10-15-2005, 02:27 PM

wow

thank you so much everyone

**Jerseygirl** · 10-15-2005, 05:31 PM

Set her up on all the mailing lists, use all your coupons to buy diapers, wipes, bath products, look at garage sales for baby einstein videos, the book "What to expect the first year" I love the babysitting coupon idea.

**slowtypinwoman** · 10-15-2005, 06:37 PM

Could you make her a mommy blanket? HM diapers? Those with the HM baby wipes would be a great gift.

**kmsinsa** · 10-15-2005, 07:37 PM

Also one of the no-sew fleece blankets would also make a great inexpensive gift.

**Lori Biever-Launder** · 10-15-2005, 10:23 PM

I often buy babyproofing supplies for the home. Most people odn't think of these. OK, they are NOT cute like little outfits, but they could save a life! You can often find the outlet covers and the like at the dollar stores.