Imagine this... 

A large movie poster, 'The Newborn Identity', underneath it is a huge picture of your baby's face, and underneath that in the credits are your names as the proud parents (The Producers)... Believe it or not this method of Birth Announcement does exist! You might not be a fan of less conventional methods, but who else isn't just a little intrigued as to what other quirky ideas there are?

The likelihood is that at some point soon, a Birth Announcement Card will drop through your letterbox. It's a popular way to share new arrival news in a more official way, aside from the multiple phone calls and the status update on Facebook! But, what are the options if you did want to go about things a little differently...

Movie Posters

As mentioned above, you can customise to your liking, so think Top Gun.... Top Son. The fun in this idea for me would be in the changing and adaptation of the movie names. But then I'm a fan of words. There's nothing people like more than spoof pictures, it could be comical to introduce little star as movie star, but it does depend on how far you want to stray from tradition, and whether you are going for keepsake or humour. It is also worth bearing in mind that everyone from the midwife (Director) to the Nurses get a mention in the credits. (I'm guessing those who had more rocky relationships with their midwife might not be as happy about this.)

Music Posters

For the rock and roll, how do you fancy designing your own retro gig poster? Like the movie posters, they're fully customisable and you can design the shape, size and colour, essentially you can create a poster reminiscent of those posted on city streets advertising not-to-be-missed music gigs.

Seeded Paper Cards

The idea of the seeded paper card is that having enjoyed the card, the reciever can then plant it, and the seeds should sprout. grow and flower. I like that it's green and it's more than just a card that's binned and forgotten about. Planting the card gives it a new purpose and meaning. This is why Personalised Birth Announcements are so popular, but in their case it's the photo that makes the card a special keepsake. Returning to the notion of planting cards, I am slightly sceptical as to how many people would actually get around to replanting it. (It could be especially tricky if you live in a 6th floor flat?) Another thing I'm not convinced about is the success rate, how fast the flowers grow, if they grow at all, or, whether it's just like those seeds you get from the garden centre, the 'grow your own Venus Fly Trap', the ones that never actually grow!

The Seeded Paper Card has to be my favourite, a really unique idea that's a bit less gimmicky! I'm sure there are many other birth announcement methods, infact I am going to throw just one more into the mix, The Techie Birth Announcement.

Babies will generally start eating solid foods at 4 to 6 months of age . Cue - some food-related neuroticism, a whole new set of things to worry about. You might find yourself measuring your baby up against others, comparing and questioning is my baby too fussy? Is he eating enough? Is he eating too much? What foods should I feed my baby and when? And the list goes on...A lot to consider, so I've made a start. To begin, here are some  indications that your baby might be ready to start on real food.

•  If your baby’s birth weight has doubled
•  If your baby has good control of his neck and head, and can sit up (with some support)
•  If your baby can indicate he’s full by clamping his mouth shut, or pulling away when you offer food.

How much should babies eat?

The majority of paediatricians will say - feed your baby as much as your baby wants to eat. This is bound to vary from time to time, and much like with sleeping patterns, babies do go through phases.  As a little human being, your baby will have his or her own appetite. In terms of eating '3 meals a day' for example, some babies aren't ready until they are 9-10 months, on the other hand some are ready at 7 months. The following general information may or may not apply, and again reinforces the fact that all babies and parenting methods are different...

• When a baby is eating soft diced fruit or vegetables, they may seem to be eating less than a baby who is being spoon-fed purees.
• When a baby is teething, they may eat less for a day or two, but this should only be temporary, and before you know it the appetite will be back. Often bigger and better!
• When a child is preoccupied or distracted in any way, say for example you have just prized away a favourite toy, chances are she’s not going to be enthusiastic about being plonked in a high chair. So, pick your moments!
• When you want a child to get used to eating at the same time as you, establish this as a routine early on. It might not be an instant success for all families, especially if baby particularly likes to be the centre of attention, or if their feeding requires a lot more of your attention. But if this is the case you may just need to ease them into a family mealtime routine more gradually.

Within a few months of baby eating solid foods, you can start incorporating some of the following; meats, vegetables, fruits and cereal. Cereal being a good one to start with. It's a simple, staple food, and you know what you are getting in terms of ingredients and specific nutrients. Brands that create cereals for babies are Heinz, Bebivita and Cow and Gate. You can get cereal dry or pre-mixed and it doesn’t make any difference nutrition-wise, so whether you are at home or on the go, just choose the most convenient.

Types of cereal for babies

• Rice cereal is a popular choice. The grains have been cooked and pulverized and they contain a good source of thiamine, an important B vitamin. It also adds fibre to baby's diet.
• Oatmeal is another ingredient for baby cereal. Like the rice, it is finely ground and is a great source of fibre.
• When baby has got used to cereal, pureed fruit is always something you can add, or small pieces of banana.  A good way of kick starting the 5 a day!

Watch the salt intake

It is worth keeping an eye on salt levels in all your baby's food. Family cereals have a lot of hidden salts and sugars. Not all of them do though, Cow and Gate for example, doesn't have any added sugar or salt. Babies under a year old should have a salt intake of no more than 1g. Babies up to 3 years should have a salt intake of no more than 2g.

When to introduce fruit and vegetables

Fruit and vegetables are introduced at about 6 months. Many paediatricians will recommend introducing fruit before vegetables, but this is simply because babies are born with a preference for sweets.  But there is no evidence that your baby will take a dislike to vegetables if fruit is given first.
I've compiled a handful of tips for getting baby eating vegetables,

• Puree all the vegetables to begin with. Start with green and then progress to yellow, orange and other brightly coloured varieties. So peas and french beans, followed by carrots, sweet potatoes and squashes.
• A typical serving would be 3 tablespoons twice a day, but again this depends on rate of growth and size of appetite.
• Introduce a vegetable at a time, and allow a few days for baby to adapt to each new flavour before trying another.
• As with cereal, you can by a more convenient pre-made version, or you can strain and puree yourself.
• It’s advised that you don’t serve beetroots and turnips to babies less than a year of age. They contain large amounts of nitrates, and these can cause a low blood count in young babies.

Think vitamins and nutrients

Follow the same principles as you would with your own nutrition, although, your baby’s taste buds are not going to be as developed, so don't be disheartened if there are tastes baby just doesn't seem to acquire, there's plenty of time! Persist, but don't get too hung up on any one particular food, move on and try another, and come back to the stubborn food. There's such an array of vitamin-packed foods to choose from, it’s worth testing out as many as possible and encouraging baby in the right direction. Now's the time to start making nutrient rich choices, it is likely to be the fastest period of growth in their life.

• For Vitamin A – Carrots, sweet potatoes, broccoli.
• For Vitamin C – Red and green peppers.
• Calcium – Broccoli, soy beans and squashes.
• Iron – Spinach and Avocado

A good way to thin out purees is by using formula or breast milk, it not only adds nutrients but it's also a familiar taste that your baby will be accustomed to, which could be helpful if baby isn't really taking to vegetables.

Recipes

A couple of recipes using Sweet Potatoes

Something simple...

Squashed Sweet Potatoes

(for 4-6 months)

For this recipe, the squash and the sweet potato can be served separately, or, they do go nicely mixed together. Squash has a very subtle flavour, so is a good first vegetable to try mixing with others.

Ingredients
1 medium Squash
1 large Sweet Potato

The Squash - directions

1. Cut the squash in half and scoop out the seeds.
2. Bake in an oven at 190 degrees for 30-40 minutes, or until the squash is fleshy and soft.
3. At this stage you can either scoop the flesh out, or food process the squash whole.
4. If you scoop the flesh, you should be able to mash it quite easily.
5. Add water, breast milk or formula accordingly to get a smooth consistency.

The Sweet Potato - directions

1. Wash and prick the potato.
2. Bake in an oven at 190 degrees for 50-60 minutes. (You can microwave if you are short on time. Or even microwave and then transfer to the oven and cook for 30 minutes)
3. There is also the option to cut the potato into chunks, place them in boiling water for 10 minutes, and then mash them.
4. Then you can combine the veg, or serve one at a time.

You could add a simple stock to the vegetables before pureeing, to add a bit more flavour. Be aware of the sodium and additive levels of some of the shop brought brands. You could make your own vegetable or meat stock. For vegetable, chop up onion, celery, a couple of carrots, some thyme and parsley. After chopping the vegetables, boil them for 30 minutes, strain and discard them, and you should be left with some tasty stock.

Something a bit out of the ordinary...

Sweet Potato Custard

(for 8-10 months)

Ingredients
1 cup mashed cooked sweet potato
½ cup mashed banana
2 tbs brown sugar
2 beaten egg yolks
½ tsp salt
¼ cup raisins
ground cinnamon

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, stir together sweet potato and banana. Add milk, blending well.
2. Add brown sugar, egg yolks and salt, mixing thoroughly. Transfer mixture to casserole dish.
3. Combine raisins, sugar and cinnamon; sprinkle over the top of the sweet potato mixture.
4. Bake in a preheated oven for 40-45 minutes, or until a knife insterted near the centre comes out clean.
5. This dish will retain its heat, so you can afford to give it a long time to cool down.

It seems that when introducing solid and new types of food to baby, it's largely a case of persistence, trial and error. It makes sense that babies are similar to us in terms of appetite, it won't always be consistent or predictable. It is also likely that just as our taste buds develop and change, that baby's will do the same. So don't despair, remember - fussy children don't always become fussy adults.

If anyone else has any other baby recipes or would like to share their own experiences of feeding little ones, please feel free to share...

Photo credit: via Flickr -  Qole Pejorian & Laurel717

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