The Itsabelly Blog

Introducing Your Newborn to the Furry Family Members

The Pacific Northwest is full of animal lovers, which reminds me just how many families include animals.  We have two yellow labs that have become Isabella's favorite playmates.  As a new parent I was interested in learning how I could make the transition into life with our newborn easier on our furry friends.  So, here are some tips to help you.

Introducing your new baby to your current children takes planning and research, but don’t forget about your furry family members.  There is a lot that can be done to help ensure the whole family enjoys this event to the fullest.  Below you can find a condensed list of the recommendations for things you can do before the baby arrives from the Humane Society that is echoed by parenthood.com.

* Get your pet accustomed to spending less time with you.  Because your new baby will demand a lot of time and energy, you won’t be able to spend as much time with your pet.  A sudden, drastic decrease in attention coupled with frequent scolding of your pet after the baby comes home will likely stress your pet.

* Ensure your pet has a close relationship with a family member besides the mother-to-be. That way, the pet can still feel loved and provided for while mom is busy with the baby.

* Ensure your pets are current with their yearly exams, vaccinations, and are spayed or neutered.  Sterilization is particularly important because it tends to result in a calmer pet with less reproductive health issues.

* Consult with your veterinarian and pediatrician to resolve any concerns you have around your pets and the baby.  Resolving these problems early will ease your mind and smooth the transition.
 
* Ensure you have good control of your canine companion. Consider enrolling in an obedience training class with your dog if you have any specific issues or need better behavior.  Get help from an animal behavior specialist for any of the more difficult issues, for example a pet exhibiting fear and/or anxiety.

* Train your pet to remain calmly on the floor beside you until you invite him on your lap, which will soon cradle a newborn.

* Trim your pet’s nails regularly to minimize potential scratching.

* Ask friends with infants to visit your home to accustom your pet to babies. Remember to supervise all pet and infant interactions.

* Familiarize your pet with baby-related noises. For instance, play recordings of a baby crying or turn on the mechanical infant swing. Make these positive experiences for your pet by offering a treat or playtime.

* Apply double-stick tape to the furniture to discourage your pet from jumping on the baby’s crib and changing table.

* Block the entrance to the baby’s room with a sturdy, removable gate high enough to keep your pet from jumping over it. By doing this, you will teach your pet that the baby’s room is off limits.

* Talk to your pet about the baby, using the baby’s name regularly if you’ve selected one.

* Have your pet sniff baby's blanket and toys so she becomes familiar with these new smells.

* Plan ahead and make sure your pet is cared for properly while you’re at the birthing center.

* Carry around a swaddled baby doll to help your pet get used to the real thing.

Baby Colors? Add Green to Classic Pink & Blue...Front Page Headlines for Itsabelly

Last week was a wonderful week for press related activity when Itsabelly landed on the front page of The Oregonian's "How We Live" section of the newspaper in the article "Baby Colors?  Add green to classic pink and blue" written by freelance writer Emily Puro.  Thanks Emily!!
 

We also aired on Fox12 BetterTV sharing tips on how to Create an Organic Nursery.  We're so excited to see our Itsabelly brand continue to grow and great interest in such an important topic of "going green with baby".  Itsabelly believes that there are two very important reasons to go green even in the smallest of ways and those are to protect our babies and our planet.  We are so happy our message is getting heard on front page headlines!

Itsabelly Making it into International Headlines, Hooray!

We're truly excited to share with you that Itsabelly has made it into international headlines!  Our latest piece of press was on April 21st in the world renowned Springwise newsletter.  Calling us the "Baby Concierge Service with an Eco Twist"...a total surprise to us and since then our web and blog statistics have gone through the roof!! 

So, if you're sending in an inquiry and we don't get back to you right away you'll know why :) but no worries you'll hear back from us,we promise.

One word describes how we feel about Springwise's feature, "hooray"!  Thank you to Nancy Grossman of Back Channel Press who submitted our story and to Springwise's editor.

Two Cool Giveaways Right Here on Itsabelly!

Just a quick post to let you know Itsabelly's lucky iPod Shuffle winner will be announced shortly so stay tuned. 

Additionally, we're hosting one more giveaway contest to win Earth Mama Angel Baby's "I Love My Mama" gift set valued at almost $50.  You can enter until May 7th, 12:00 am PST by commenting on this blog, signing up for our blog through Feedblitz in the right hand corner of this page or signing up for our newsletter at the bottom of our home page here.  If you haven't already entered you have up to 3 chances to enter your name into our drawing as noted above.

So, what are you waiting for?!  You may win something really nice for the special mom or friend in your life just in time for Mother's Day!  Prize will be shipped to the winner on May 8th to arrive just in time.