Following on from my post about stay-at-home-dads, I’ve had a rummage around a few websites and blogs for some reassuring words...

Take five

Or should I say grab five! These tips are brief, so you can blitz through them. The following advice is general, because, no two babies are the same, everyone’s in a different situation and we all have our own ways of parenting. (Recommended accompliment for this read - a cup of tea and several biscuits.)

Avoid loneliness

Realistically, there aren’t the same numbers of fathers who stay at home with their children as there are mothers who stay at home with their children. The support network isn’t the same for Dads, there’s certainly not such an obvious community in existence, and this leaves a lot of potential for isolation.

• One solution might be the online community, there are sites such as Dad at home. Though you might not meet as many stay-at-home-dads as you might like in person, don’t forget the virtual world. These are potential places to make connections, share experiences and advice. 

• Blogs are a great thing to read, the content has generally been written from personal experience, or relevant resources have been conveniently gathered together in one place. Blogs contain personality and reality, making for a more accessible and reassuring read than, perhaps, a handbook might. There's also the opportunity to ask questions, interact with the blogger and with the other commentators.

Get out and about

Don’t pace around the house. If it is dry, and not too cold, then get outside, even if only in the garden or for a walk around the block. It will be a breather for you and for baby, and it may just be the light at the end of the my baby won’t stop crying tunnel.

Prioritise

If, for example, you are trying run a business from home, your priorites will need to change. The business may, temporarily, have to take a back seat.

• Business or no business everyone will have to adjust their priorities. Dividing your attention between computer and baby is unlikely to work, as you'll be unable to fully concentrate on either task, and you'll become frustrated. Hard as it might be, ignore the mobile phone and the email. You could always have an allotted time when you check them, maybe when Mum's home, instead of trying to multi-task and failing on both levels! 

• I'm not completely ruling out multitasking, and I'm more than aware that it's something men are normally given stick for not being very good at. So I'm going to encourage and be positive about its endless possibilities... For example, I think, doing a bit of tidying up would go hand in hand with rocking baby to sleep. This also introduces an added bonus of keeping Mum happy too. 

A sensitive approach to Mum

Busy as you've been with baby, Mum has also been at work all day, and when she walks through the door, she’s likely to be tired and perhaps slightly irritable. This may or may not have something to do with the fact that you have been at home with baby (Obviously a huge job in itself) and she's been at work, or simply that it's been a long day at work...

• She might not want to be bombarded the minute she walks through the door. As much as she will be genuinely interested to hear every snippet of your day's news, it’s about the timing and sensitivity in how you deliver the news. For some reason, writing this has reminded me of The Good Wife’s Guide, published in Housekeeping Monthly on the 13th May 1955, in particular the line, Don’t greet him with complaints and problems, which refers to the moment when husband steps through the front door after a long day at work. The attitudes inherent in the article are obviously extremely dated, but it makes for an amusing read, and I’m assuming some of it's transferable in terms of being The Good Husband!

• There might be the odd day when Mum comes home and without so much as a hello, completely skips over everything you have done during the day, and starts pointing out everything you haven’t done; tidying up, cleaning, washing etc. Try not to take these offhand comments personally. It is common for both parties to think the grass is greener, and that it would be nice to be in the other person's role. That is up until we actually step into their shoes and go – oh.  You can’t compare looking after baby and going to work, they are worlds apart and carry different strains and stresses. 

Ask for help, and accept it

No one should have to cope single handedly if they don't have to. Accept help. From all the blogs I've read, this is the advice that reoccurs the most. A lot of men (and women) said that the help was there, but the hardest part was accepting it. Let people help, whether it's friends, loved ones or neighbours. It might be advice or someone just offering to give you a break. If you're feeling refreshed, you will notice the ever-widening smiles, and be more likely to savour precious moments, without becoming overwhelmed by nappy changes, feeding times and crying.

Photo credits:  Via Flickr  -  Meagan and Jeanine&preston

Roles reverse

There's been a rise in stay-at-home dads, as more fathers embrace the role of primary caregiver.  As a soon to be stay-at-home-dad friend of mine said, ‘In a nutshell - I did the manly thing, by volunteering to do the womanly thing.’  To give you some background, his partner is earning a lot more than him and loves her job, whereas, he hates his, so they both agreed it's the logical thing for them to do. It does suit their situation, especially financially, and my friend didn’t seem to convey any obvious feelings of inadequacy about not being the breadwinner.  But where his partner's concerned, logic aside, I wonder how she really feels about the arrangement, on an emotional level. Lurking behind the practicalities, are there some fears and doubts?  Unusually, in this case, I have been given more of an insight into the male perspective than the female's.

Bonding

Can the bond between mother and baby be simulated by father and baby? Maybe it's more likely to happen if the father becomes the primary caregiver and more prominent figure in the baby's life. I'm not trying to suggest that the normal bond between dad and baby is any less, or that men are incapable of effectively nurturing a child, I'm just guessing that the relationship is different. Maybe it's a common misconception that because, generally speaking, Mum spends more time with baby, we just assume that there will be e a stronger bond between them? Ultimately, cliché as it sounds, if you look beyond amount of time spent with baby, then that leaves the key component in forming a bond, which is love, something that both parents, regardless of their work/home situation I'm sure, will give in abundance. 

Time for change?

The perceptions and pre-conceptions surrounding the roles of motherhood and fatherhood are changing.  I personally believe that this shift in traditional roles can only be positive thing for future parents. Back in January, the government actually announced plans to offer families more choice, essentially making it more feasible for Dads to stay at home, even if just for the initial post-birth period, by allowing them to take up to six months paternity leave.

Calling all Dads

Whether or not you are stay-at-home or always-at-work, you'll be pleased to hear that the lazy husband myth has been quashed.  According to recent research, men contribute more than their fair share to the household. Unpaid work such as childcare and domestic work has been hard to quantify in the past, but according to Dr Catherine Hakim, we now have a much more accurate portrait of how families divide their ‘work.’ This new data has overturned the well-entrenched theory that, as a result of juggling family and work, women work longer hours.

Photo credit - via Flickr:  Emerille and Noam, Jemima & Lila

Scrapbooking is a great way of recording key moments in your baby’s life. Selecting those key moments is up to you, and there is no right or wrong way of doing this.

Where to start

If you have trouble getting started, try and keep in mind the scrap element of scrapbooking, so as not to restrict yourself. Nothing has to be set in stone. At the end of the day, pages can always be recreated, removed or torn out. In times of creative despair, try not to be too much of a perfectionist, and remind yourself who the book is for - for you and, one day, your child. Regardless of how much time you choose to spend creating the scrapbook, it should be fun and relaxing, not stressful. The finished product is important, but the more you can enjoy the making of it, the more satisfying and meaningful the whole process will be. And as it could take years to put together, it is worth making it a past time, and not a chore.

Set realistic targets

Set yourself some targets, it helps keep up the momentum and motivation, and it means you always have something to work towards. But, do be prepared to fall behind every now and again, and don’t punish yourself if you do. Ultimately, if you don’t allow yourself time to make the memories then you will have one very empty scrapbook.

Map out your scrapbook

Don’t put yourself under too much pressure. An occasion or event might trigger some sort of scrapbook inspiration when you are short of time, but as long as you scribble down some notes and put aside any pictures, souvenirs etc, then you can work on the finer details when you do have the time and energy to commit to it. You'll just be adding to your bank of potential scrapbook material.  It is also an opportunity to map out the scrapbook and make decisions on the order and layout. If you are creating a timeline of your baby or child growing up, and you want pages to appear chronologically, then you could mark up potential pages so you can come back to them.  Inspiration and ideas for some pages may come to you more easily than others, but don’t restrict yourself by thinking that you have to create the pages in the order that you want them to appear. If you have any sort of creative surge – just go with it!

Types of scrapbook

• Digital scrapbooking. This usually involves some sort of software, such as StoryBook Creator 3.0 or Photomix Digital, both free to download. These programs help you to organise photos according to subject, theme, event or date, ideal if you have all of your photos stored online. They also provide thousands of potential themes and digital scrapbook layouts.

• Traditional scrapbooking. There is an unlimited range of albums, scrapbooking papers, embellishments and tools. It might be best to start with a kit and then grow your collection from there. Basic kits are generally themed and include; papers, stickers and an ideas book. However, if you know what you want then go online or to a shop and put together your own kit. Be warned, there is a lot to choose from, and there will always a new must have gadget or scrapbooking tool.

Tips

• Start keeping hold of any ribbons, embellishments or paper from gift wrapping, wedding invitations etc, anything that might stand even a remote chance of being put to creative use.
• Collect any handmade cards you receive, they can provide a lot of inspiration for scrapbook pages, especially in terms of general design ideas, colour schemes and layouts.
• If you really don’t know where to start, a good introduction might be a scrapbooking class. There is no need to sign up for a course, you can just go to a one off session and get some tips and ideas.
• There are tons of books and magazines with ideas and themes, as well as the online library that is the internet. If anything, there is too much information. A good thing to do is adapt ideas or themes, simplify them or just add your own twist.

A seasonal idea

Flower pressing.  Pressed flowers are a really nice, simplistic touch. And now is the best time to pick them, while the colourful summer flowers are in bloom.  They work best when picked fresh. Alternatively, for an even deeper meaning, you could just choose whatever flower is in season at the time of your baby’s birth. There is no need to go out and buy a flower press, when heavy, hardback books work just as well.  It’s recommended that you place the flowers between two sheets of paper, before sandwiching them in between two heavy books (or amongst the the pages of a single book), and then it’s just a case of waiting a couple of weeks.

It's never too late to start

My Mum has just started compiling a scrapbook for me. In her retirement she has combined a newfound love of card making with having more time to wade through boxes of dusty photographs that she’s had hoarded away for years. So, if you do suddenly find yourself several years down the line, and running several years behind, then making a scrapbook when your baby has grown up is an alternative option.

Photo credits: Scrapbooking images, dada and t-love, used with permission from RellyAB Dorsolateral via Flickr

With a picture of your baby, Little One Prints can personalise your thank you card on the outside. Why not try injecting some of your personality into the inside...

Stuck for words?

It’s easy to play it safe when writing thank you cards, particularly if trying to compose a message in a hurry, or, if it’s been an embarrassingly long time since the gift was received.  Everyone has their own fixed formulas, which they fall back on now and again, mostly, when they’ve put themselves under immense pressure to ‘come up with something good to write.’  By good, I mean original, maybe even funny. In most cases the standard message tends to open with thank you, closely followed by a polite comment about the recieved present. And then, particularly if writing to a distant relative, there’s a fair amount of padding out, maybe a brief family-news-related comment or two, a we’ve been up to this or, we’ve been up to that. The message usually closes with a polite hope all is well with you or a hope to see you soon.  I’ve definitely written a thank you card or two of a similar ilk, but I’m sure there’s potential to move away from the more formal message writing and write a card that’s not only more original but more personal.

Find something worth saying

In order to make thank you cards seem less mass-produced, place more emphasis on who you are sending the card to. The chances are you’re sending cards to a lot of people though, so realistically you do need to be able to duplicate the message. A way to get around this is to make what you are saying interesting, even better make it relevant...

Tell a short story about baby

You don’t have to be a whizz with words, a poet or a comedian. Just tell a simple a story. There is such a phenomenon as ‘flash fiction’, which is essentially a micro-story, just a very short story. There’s bound to have been a moment within your first few weeks as new parents that is worth sharing!  Just keep in mind - write the highlights and cut the waffle. Think of the story as more of an anecdote, a short account of an interesting or humorous incident. It might be an idea to write a quick, rough draft to begin with, give yourself a chance to run the story over in your head, before putting pen to paper on the actual card.

An example of a short story:

When Isaac met Henry...

By Henry, I mean the hoover. Forget musical mobiles, when Jake starts crying, Henry's switched on and (sigh) silence is upon us once more. Only downside is we do have to keep the hoover running for a while, which isn't ideal for the neighbours at 2 in the morning!

Include a quotation or anecdote

There are quite a lot of unconvincing, overused quotes and sayings flying around.  For every one of these, I can assure you, there is a gem. The trick is finding these rare beauties, which can take a bit of looking around, but once you have found one that you like, you can include it in every card. Voila.  Quotations and anecdotes are a matter of personal taste, here are a couple that I managed to find...

Kindness in words, creates confidence
Kindness in thinking, creates profoundness.
Kindness in giving, creates love.

Mud puddles and Dandelions

When I look at a patch of dandelions, I see a bunch of weeds that are going to take over my yard. My kids see flowers for Mum and blowing white fluff you can wish on.
When I feel the wind on my face, I brace myself against it. I feel it messing up my hair and pulling me back when I walk. My kids close their eyes, spread their arms and fly with it, until they fall to the ground laughing.
When I see a mud puddle, I step around it. I see muddy shoes and dirty carpets. My kids sit in it. They see dams to build, rivers to cross and worms to play with.

Poetry

There is a lot of decent, contemporary poetry that is accessible to all readers. The key with selecting or writing a poem for a card is, again, to keep it short.

Here's a quick acrostic poem I came up with, thanking friends for their gift to baby Jake:

To begin,
How are you?
Ahhh – is Isaac,
No sleep – is us,
Kind of chaotic – is life.

Your gift is great, thank you,
Our translation – Isaac’s noise!
Until he can say ‘thank you’ himself.

The wild card

Just one final and rather modern-technology focused idea. You could record a short video message, upload it to YouTube (It’s possible do this for private viewing, so the whole world cannot see it) and finally, write the link address in your card.

Some other useful resources

Visit a card, gift shop or WHSmiths. They often have small books of sayings and quotes.

• Go online, there’s tons of quotes, anecdotes and poems available
• There are specifically labelled collections of ‘short poems.’ Have a look in your local bookshop, library or go online. The poets.org website might be a good place to start.
• Sometimes, just looking at the messages on the front or inside of bought cards can give you ideas or inspiration.

The core message is – allow yourself to be open minded, adventurous and have more trust in your creative instinct. Whether or not you find a message or write one yourself, these suggestions will hopefully result in a card that you’re really pleased with, and one that hasn’t actually taken you any longer to write.

If you’re wary of being more experimental, then you can keep it simple and just write what you feel comfortable with in the main section of the card. But, there is definitely nothing to stop you from including a separate message on the other side of the card, the side that’s usually, rather disappointingly, left blank!

Photo credit -  Pen and Print - David Herbers Hammer Photography

They say one human year is the equivalent to seven dog years. This would make my dog, Scrap, 70 years old. Pretty old really, when you consider a 2-day-old screaming baby is soon to enter the house. Prior to my baby’s arrival, this was a big concern for me - Just how well was old dog going to mix with new born?

Scrap is a laid back dog, to say the least, but, ultimately animals and children are both unpredictable. As the great comedian, W. C. Fields said ‘never work with children or animals’, a line which has come into my mind many a time during previous encounters with friends pets or little ones... So here are a few suggestions I followed to try and maintain the harmony!

Prior to baby’s arrival...

• An animal is like a child in many respects and everyone, I’m guessing, tries to treat their children fairly. So, I was keen to make sure I didn’t suddenly take all my attention away from Scrap. In the weeks leading up to my baby’s arrival, I gradually gave Scrap a bit less attention, making sure I didn’t cut him out completely. This allowed him a bit more time to adjust to not being the centre of attention.

•  I was lucky that Scrap, being an OAP, was unlikely to jump up or be too boisterous with my new arrival.  But I can understand that dog’s energy levels would be a concern for people with younger or spritelier dogs.  From what I have read, it’s suggested that you ring in the changes as far in advance as possible before baby comes home.  In other words, it’s a good excuse to get round to that dog training, to try and put a stop to jumping up, nibbling, or any other bad habits that your dog might have picked up.

•  If your dog normally sleeps in what’s soon to become the baby’s bedroom, or in a place where the baby is going to spend a lot of time, then move the dog’s bed elsewhere, get it used to other surroundings as soon as possible.

I have to confess I didn’t personally try these last two, but they might be worth a shot...

• Make a tape recording of a crying infant and play this at a gradually increased voulme whilst practicing obedience commands with your dog.

• Dogs are all about smells, so try presenting your dog with a blanket that has your baby’s scent on it, allowing it the time to add the smell to its sniff radar.

The key seems to be preparation. Easier said than done though, when you already have a ‘list of things to do before baby is born’ as long as your arm. I was lucky in that Scrap is a very tolerant, and also quite hard of hearing! I would say it might be trickier with a baby and a puppy, but all the same as long as you err on the side of caution and don’t leave your dog alone to babysit, I’m sure everything will be fine. It has even been reported that if a child and a pet grow together, a brotherly or sisterly bond can form.

Photo credit – Molly and Lisa deanwissing

Being pregnant with my first baby was daunting. I was excited, but I think everyone around me was determined to scare me half to death. All I heard were horror stories about sleepless nights, but I consoled myself with reassurance that my baby would be different.

My baby was not different. If anything, my little bundle of joy was fully determined to prove me wrong. Those first few months passed by in a blur as I tried to adjust to my new, regularly interrupted and reduced sleeping pattern.

Of course I expected this. It comes with having babies, right? But I didn’t expect it to go on quite as long as it did. A friend of mine had his daughter around 6 months before I had my son, and he revelled in telling me how she slept through the night within her first few weeks. I turned to friends, family and the internet to find out if there was anything I could do to help baby sleep easier.

The first thing I learned was that breastfed babies tend to sleep more lightly and will probably wake up more often. It was comforting to know that this might at least partially explain why my son was waking so regularly. I also found out that newborns generally sleep for around 8 hours a night, but this can be broken up into periods of just one hour all the way up to 4 or 5 hours at a time.

I had been trying to get my baby into some kind of routine, but apparently in the first months, it’s more beneficial to ‘go with the flow’. Initially, let them sleep when they need to, and they’ll learn the difference between night and day as they get older.

I looked forward to the end of this initial stage, when I hoped I might start to get some sleep again. But as usual, I was wrong! In my case, as my son got older, he began to have less restful nights and I found it difficult to settle him. I was told this was normal, so I tried to pick up some tips on how to get him down for his rest. I was worried that by staying with him for too long as he dropped off, he might become increasingly reliant on me being there as he got older.

So I set up this routine:

• Bedtime at the same time each night. Before bed, feed and bath him. Make sure that he doesn’t go from lively activity straight to bed, giving him time to wind down.
• Put him down to bed, staying with him as he settles down. Always get him settled in the bedroom and not in other, noisier areas in the house.
• Quietly sit in a chair a few feet away from the cot, and leave after a few minutes. If he cries I return, reassure him that I’m there and follow the same procedure.

Eventually, I hope to be able to put him down and be able to leave immediately. When he’s really tired I can do this already, but not all of the time.

Now he’s nearly 2 years old, he regularly sleeps through the night uninterrupted. I can usually get 6 or 7 hours sleep a night, and I’m finally feeling human again!

Photo credit: Abardwell on Flickr

My big sister has always been an eco-warrior, so when I had my son, she was determined to bring me round to her way of thinking.

When I found out that my baby could get through over 5000 nappies before he is potty-trained, I couldn’t help but think about the impact I was going to have on the environment.

There were two obvious options available to me to try and bring up baby the eco-way. I could choose to use eco-disposable nappies or reusable nappies. I did my research on both before I made a decision, and found out some pros and cons to be wary of.

Eco-disposable nappies

Pros

• Disposable nappies are much less bulky than they used to be, thanks to the super-absorbent gel used to soak up liquid.
• They're also more biodegradable than they used to be. A used nappy is up to 80% biodegradable.
• They're convenient; you can throw them away after each use.

Cons

• The super-absorbent gel in the nappies is not biodegradable as it's made of plastic.
• Disposable nappies that end up rotting in landfill sites give off greenhouse gases, having a negative impact on global warming.

Reusable nappies

Pros

• A lot less waste is sent to landfill sites.
• They're cheaper to buy over time, although the cost of energy for washing and drying should be considered.
• You can use them if you have any more children, potentially saving you a lot of money in the future.

Cons

• You'll need to do a huge amount of washing and drying. Using a tumble dryer will instantly negate any positive effect you've had on the environment!

From reading around about reusable and eco-disposable nappies, I was surprised to find that in some cases, reusable nappies can actually end up creating a bigger carbon footprint than disposables, once you take washing and tumble drying into account. So, there’s not a clean cut option about which nappies are more environmentally friendly.

Initially, I decided to try using cloth nappies, as I’d hoped I’d be able to do all the drying without the help of my energy guzzling tumble dryer. I started by trying a brand called ‘Little Lambs’ that had been recommended to me.

We went with the bamboo nappy option, as they were made from natural materials and were supposed to be more absorbent, but you can also choose from cotton or microfibre nappies. Unfortunately, I found that I was going through nappies so fast that I couldn’t dry them quickly enough. I caved in and started to use my tumble dryer, which proceeded to shrink the nappies so they no longer fit!

At this point, I moved over to eco-disposable nappies as it seemed like the most convenient option. I would quickly point out though, that if you can use reusable nappies and dry them naturally, they’re still more environmentally friendly and also a cheaper option.

Many reusable nappy suppliers will let you buy a trial pack, so before you fully invest, you can always give it a try. Despite my own switch to eco-disposable nappies, I would highly recommend that giving reusables a go!

Photo credit: Richard Fawcett on Flickr

Having read all the books and even studied language at university, I thought I knew when my boy should start talking, so when those first words didn’t arrive as soon as I expected, I immediately began to worry.

Babies will usually start vocalising and making sounds when they’re just a month or two old. I listened out carefully, waiting for my son to start making some noise. But for most of his first year, the only sounds he wanted to make involved screaming and crying. To give him credit, he was extremely good at it!

I learned that the next stage was supposed to involve babbling — where babies start to produce the sounds of the language without attaching any meaning to them. And yet, soon after my baby turned one, he still wasn’t making much noise at all, let alone recognisable sounds.

The most disconcerting part around this time was meeting up with friends and their babies, who were developing nicely through these stages. I noticed in particular that one of my friend’s little girls was already speaking a few words before she’d even turned one. That’s when my panic set in!

The first thing I had checked was my baby’s hearing. But I was confident he didn’t have a hearing problem, as he often responded to his name and the noises going on around him. As suspected, his hearing was fine, and in all other ways he seemed perfectly alert. He didn’t speak much, but he definitely seemed to understand a lot. For example, he would get excited at the mention of ‘swimming’, ‘banana bread’ or ‘we’re going to Nanny’s’.

I was assured by my mum and many parents around me who’d had children before, that all babies develop at different rates and that I shouldn’t worry so much. So I gave it some more time, and sure enough, it came to him eventually. In the past 6 months he has been babbling and saying quite a few words, the very first of which I’m delighted to report was ‘cat’! He obviously takes after his mum, and loves nothing more than giving our big, friendly moggy a cuddle. He’s even started to learn sign language from Mr. Tumble, star of CBeebies show ‘Something Special’. However, he usually just uses it to tell me he wants to watch more Mr. Tumble!

So just bear in mind, if your baby hasn’t started talking as quickly as someone else’s, try not to panic. Babies develop at very different rates, but if you have any concerns, your doctor should always be able to ease them for you.

Photo credit: Joostassink via Flickr

Here at Little One Prints we know how important it is for new parents to have beautiful photographs of their little one to treasure as he gets older and to share with family and friends. Whilst hiring a professional is definitely an option, it can get expensive and doesn’t follow baby as he grows. In this article, award winning Welsh photographer, Eleanor Jane shares her tips on taking gorgeous baby photos.

You don’t need fancy equipment or an expensive camera to be able to make stunning photographs of your baby. Here’s how it’s done.

Be ready

Abide by the first and foremost rule of the boy scouts and always be prepared! Pretty much all modern point and shoot cameras are small enough to slip inside a nappy bag and as you’re likely to be lugging baby essentials around with you for a good while yet, what’s one more item?

Keep baby happy

You know best when your baby is at his happiest. Make sure he is well fed beforehand and comfy and warm wherever you decide to pose him. With a floppy newborn, use pillows and rolled up blankets to position him for the picture but try to keep it natural. Three week old babies can’t sit up for themselves so forcing it can look a little strange and you risk a grumpy baby. Instead, overcome his restricted movement by seeking out new creative angles. Get down low to his level or stand directly above and shoot from a bird’s eye perspective.

The technical bit

Many point and shoot cameras now have a few manual settings that give you even more creative control over your photography. Some of the most useful ones to look out for are;

ISO setting – This changes how sensitive your camera’s sensor is to light. The higher the ISO number, the lower the level of light you will be able to shoot in without using a flash. Higher ISO numbers do result in grainier pictures though so don’t be tempted to go too high. An ISO of 100-200 is perfect for bright sunny days outside, 400 is good for overcast weather or shooting in a brightly lit room and 800 is good for shooting indoors without any natural light.

Aperture priority – The aperture is the hole that light travels through in order to record an image on to the sensor. If you have an aperture priority setting on your camera you will be able to manually adjust the size of this hole. The lower the number, the larger the hole and therefore the more light let through. This also affects the focal range in the picture – what is known as ‘depth of field.’ A low aperture will give you a shorter depth of focus. This is how professionals create the dreamy effect of a focussed foreground and blurry background.

Shutter speed – This is definitely one you’ll want to master once you’re baby is older and whizzing about the place! A slower shutter speed can result in a blurry picture, which is great for a creative portrait, but when you want to keep everything sharp and steady try to stick to a shutter speed of 125/s and above.

Focus – If you’re photographing a very young newborn then lots of sleepy pictures are inevitable. But if your baby is awake make sure you focus on the eyes and try to keep them as sharp as possible. You don’t need a fancy lens – most point & shoot cameras these days have a selective focus option which will allow you to move the focal point to baby’s eyes.

Lighting

Flash wont damage your baby’s eyes but is likely to be uncomfortable for him so be sure to switch it off whenever possible. Instead make use of that big old flash in the sky - the sun! Some of the prettiest natural light falls early in the morning, soon after sunrise, or towards the end of the day just before sunset.

Indoors, you can position baby in front of a large window that lets in lots of light and even hang a sheer white sheet to soften the light if it’s too bright. If you’re interested in getting a little more technical you could even make a simple reflector to bounce light back into the shadowy areas of the picture with a piece of white card or a sheet of ordinary kitchen tin foil. Move it around baby’s face and you’ll see the difference.

Outdoors, resist the temptation to stand in direct sunlight. Although it seems natural to position your subject wherever the light is brightest, this can cause unflattering harsh shadows and an uncomfortable squinting baby. Instead, pick a spot in the shade or wait until the sky is a little overcast when the clouds will diffuse the light in a far more flattering way. If this is impossible, use your flash. Yes, you can use your flash outdoors in the middle of the day! It will fill in any shadows on the face and even out the tones in the picture.

Black and white

No-one is perfect. Even new babies have the odd blemish here or there - cradle cap, snotty nose, blotchy red bits, etc - and while it’s obviously normal and expected it doesn’t always make for the most attractive of photos. Converting an image into black and white can soften the rough patches and transform your picture.

Most compact digital cameras have a black and white mode but for greater impact you could download a digital imaging program and tweak the saturation and contrast levels in post production.

For a classic dramatic black and white picture, zoom in nice and tight and photograph your baby against an uncluttered and very light or very dark background. Get as close as you can and use the opportunity to make a point of your baby’s features that wouldn’t be as prominent in a colour photograph – details such as his long eyelashes, tiny fingernails or wrinkly little feet.

Playing with colour

While black and white is classic and beautiful, a bright pop of colour is super contemporary. Wrapping a newborn in a brightly coloured shawl and placing him in neutral surroundings is so effective. A gleaming white background may be fashionable but seen so often these days it can get a little dull. A natural surface like a rattan rug or a wooden floor is much more interesting. There’s nothing more adorable and chic than a brand new sleeping baby tightly swaddled in cute fabric somewhere organic!

Make a personal statement

Making a baby together is probably the best expression of you & your partner’s combined personalities! But take the idea a little bit further by injecting your personality into the picture through props. Perhaps you’re baking or gardening crazy and have some appropriate props that could make a picture super interesting. I’ve seen sweet (and not at all tacky!) pictures of babies in gorgeous pastel coloured ceramic mixing bowls or sitting in a wheelbarrow.

So now you know how it’s done, it’s time to go and try it out for yourself. We’d love to hear how you get on and of course you can use your wonderful new photos in many of our beautiful templates for birth announcements and baby thank you cards.

When I had my first baby, I couldn’t wait to show him off to everyone. But I underestimated just how many friends and family I had until they suddenly all wanted to visit at once.

Nowadays, the internet and mobile phones make spreading the news of a birth easier than ever. Before you know it, your friends and family have heard about the newborn and of course, everyone wants to take a look. But the first few days of motherhood are overwhelming enough without opening the floodgates to waves of keen visitors!

To introduce a new baby to friends and family, there’s a long standing Christian tradition in the UK for parents to have their children baptised. Friends and family are invited to a church ceremony, usually followed by a gathering to celebrate. But if you’re not religious, why not have a party anyway; what better excuse do you need? I wanted to wait until I had regained some of my energy so I could throw a party myself, to celebrate the birth of my first child and more importantly, to show off how gorgeous he was.

I started discussing party ideas with a good friend of mine, who had spent a long stretch of time living in China. She got to telling me about how the Chinese traditionally celebrate the birth of their babies, and I started to wonder if I could convince my friends and family to take on the tradition here at home...

In China, they don’t celebrate the birth of babies until they are at least a month old. This practice is rooted in history, from a time when babies regularly didn’t survive past their first month (thankfully a rarity now). During this month, the mother is encouraged to rest and recoup her energy, which sounds like a great idea to me. At the end of this time the family throw a big party, where many friends and family will finally meet the baby for the first time. It’s also customary for guests to wish the parents and baby good luck by bringing red envelopes containing money.

I like the sound of the now that I could use a few red envelopes myself! But I suspect we’d all soon end up broke, when I consider that 3 of my friends are pregnant right now. I also like the idea of letting new mum and baby settle down and get to know each other before friends and family are eventually introduced.

I say that now, but when I had my baby, I would’ve needed an armed guard to keep my friends and family away. And in hindsight, I wouldn’t have had it any other way.

Did you or are you planning to celebrate your new baby in a unique way? We’d love to hear about it!

Photo credits : Meeting the grandparents – Izzard on Flickr, Chinese red envelopes – Cliffnotes on Flickr