First Day of School

Here in Israel it was the first day of school. A not so welcome experience for the kids but a more than welcome one for the parents! After a few weeks of having the house turned upside down every day, a semblance of calm can return. School can be quite a traumatic experience for kids and when you speak to adults many of them are still scarred by it. So what can you do to ensure that your kids return to school is as stress free as possible?

• Kids are shy so if you can intervene a bit so they talk to some of the other kids - why not?
• Discuss their day when they come home.
• Maintain a good dialogue with the teachers so they keep you in the loop and vice versa
• Ditto with some of the other parents.
• Be enthusiastic when they share items about school with you

Remember this is the easy part - high school is when it gets tough!

Burn Baby Burn

It's great at this time of year to be out and about but with the sun shining bright it is critical that you take measures whenever you go out. Babies have very delicate skin and if your baby is fair skinned he/she will burn as easily as a marshmallow. So rub cream with a high SPF onto them. Additionally have a hat to keep their head covered.
If you are going into the water, make sure that the sunscreen is water-resistant. The water accelerates the burning process so it might be a good idea to reapply once you dry off. Getting burnt is no fun - even less so for a baby.

Welcome

Welcome to the first post of the Week-1 Gifts blog. Week-1 Gifts wad created so those who know someone in Israel who has just given birth can send a beautiful baby gift or basket.
Our gifts and gift baskets are both beautiful and practical and ease Mom and Baby in the first week back from the hospital - hence the name.

Apart from the gifts, I also wanted to create a community for new mothers. Giving birth is a wonderful, albeit hectic experience and you hit the ground running. You don't always remember everything you have read in What To Expect When You're Expecting or any other "bible" you went by.

What foods are OK and what aren't OK? What should you do if its 3am and your baby simply won't go to sleep? What are the best techniques for giving a bath to a baby who is more interested in getting you wet? So on and so forth. Well stay tuned to the Week-1 Gifts blog and always feel free to write comments and let me know if their are topics you would be integrated to hear about.

See you soon!

Love the Mommies at Week-1 Gifts