Evan Porter

There’s a lot to think about when planning a nursery for your new baby.

As well as choosing the crib, the decor, and whether to include things like a ceiling fan, a mirror, or a TV, you may be wondering whether to include a bed for your dog.

We’re dog lovers ourselves. We’ve had beds for our pups in our daughters’ rooms off and on over the years. They like to be involved in the bedtime routine!

But is it the right choice for you?

Is it okay for a dog to sleep in the nursery? Should you put or leave a dog bed in the nursery?

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I’m always on the lookout for fun toddler activities to do at home with my 4-year-old.

Going out to parks, malls, and birthday parties is great, but sometimes we need a little downtime at home. But if you know toddlers, you know they need stuff to do, even during downtime!

I recently came across KiwiCo.; a company that offers one-off and subscription crates that deliver awesome activities, toys, and games right to your door.

(Think Blue Apron for family fun.)

It sounded like a lot of fun, so I decided to give it a shot. One recent lazy Sunday, my 4-year-old and I sat down and tried the Colorful Chemistry crate by KiwiCo.

Here’s our honest KiwiCo review!

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Finding out you’re going to be a new parent brings all sorts of excitement — and confusion!

What do you need a burp cloth for? What’s up with the sizing of baby diapers? And what’s the difference between all these different contraptions you can sit your baby in?

Yes — you’ll need tons of different places for baby to lay, sit, and play (like bouncers, swings, walkers, jumpers, and more). But which ones do you really need?

Let’s start by looking at baby walkers vs baby bouncers.

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If you’re a new parent, you may have heard or read that tummy time is important for development in newborns.

Tummy time helps strengthen all those muscles around the neck and shoulders to get ready for other important milestones like rolling over. 

Because it’s such an important thing to do, you would think all newborns love tummy time. Unfortunately, some infants hate it!

This leaves parents in a difficult position. Nobody wants to make their baby cry, especially when they are so little!

Maybe you’re desperate to make tummy time easier and asking yourself: can I replace tummy time with putting my baby in a chair, Bumbo, jumper, or bouncer?

What’s the difference between tummy time vs sitting up?

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When planning the nursery for a new baby, parents often might wonder if it’s a good idea to hang a mirror in there.

Whether you imagine a full-length mirror, a smaller mirror that’s placed high above a dresser, or even a mirror on the ceiling, there are some important things that you must consider.

So let’s dive right in! Should you put a mirror in the baby’s nursery?

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Remember those well-meaning relatives that told you that having a baby was a breeze, because all they do all day is sleep, eat, and need changed?

That might be true for a while, but after the first month (or sooner), babies start to need some more entertainment, and they can be quite demanding! 

They need lots of snuggles and age-appropriate play and interaction from you, of course, but you can’t possibly hold them every minute of the day!

That’s where all of your options come in: from swings, to rockers, to walkers, to bouncers, it’s not always obvious to know which is which, when to use them, and which ones your baby actually needs.

Let’s take a look at two popular options: Baby walkers vs bouncers.

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When planning the layout of the nursery for your baby, it can be tricky to know what to put in the room.

A rocker or a glider? A dresser or a changing table? A daybed?

Many parents wonder if putting a TV in the nursery might be a good idea.

You may feel that having a TV in the nursery will help you to get through the long hours spent feeding, rocking, and playing with your baby — especially in the middle of the night.

While some parents wouldn’t be without a television in the nursery, others balk at the idea.

So — should you put a TV in the nursery?

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We’ve lived through this hellish cycle so many times with our kids.

They pick up a bug or virus from school, spend a day (or a week) at home getting better, and then as soon as they go back they bring home another illness!

Sometimes it takes down the entire household.

The never-ending stream of runny noses, coughs, and sore throats can be frustrating for kids and parents alike.

If you find yourself paying for childcare that your child cannot attend due to them being sick — while at the same time, you’re not getting paid by your employer because you have to stay off work to look after your child — it can be a real financial struggle too.

So why are your kids always sick since starting school, and is there anything you can do about it?

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While some babies are happy to drink formula or expressed breastmilk at room temperature (or sometimes even straight from the fridge), a lot of babies prefer their bottles warmed up.

But what’s the best way to heat up a baby’s bottles?

Parents have three main options:

• A bottle warmer
• Sitting the bottle in hot water
• And the microwave

Using the microwave to heat a baby bottle is NOT recommended — you’ll understand why by the end of this article.

But overall, what’s the difference between a bottle warmer vs hot water vs the microwave?

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