Germ Warfare

Fighting the Flu Winter means holiday outings, celebrations with family and friends ... and for expecting moms or new parents, worries about their baby's health. How are you going to keep you and your baby healthy this flu season? Here is what our medical professionals suggest:

• Frequent hand washing
• Minimizing contact with sick individuals
• Cough and sneeze in your arm, not your hand
• Keep surfaces clean
• Know the symptoms of the flu
• Speak to your health care professional as soon as you develop flu symptoms
• Eat healty foods and stay active to keep your immune system strong

Keep Your Newborn Healthy Keep your newborn home for the first few weeks and limit the number of visitors who handle your baby during this time. This is especially crucial during winter, which is prime time for contracting respiratory illnesses, including respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), colds and the flu. Avoid taking your newborn to crowded places such as supermarkets, shopping malls and restaurants. Continue to breastfeed. Breastfeeding naturally protects your baby from many common illnesses by providing him with the antibodies that you already have. What about Breastfeeding with the flu? Any mother who has the flu should take the following steps before feeding and when handling her baby for seven days after the first symptoms appear:

• Put on a surgical mask (they're available in most drugstores)
• Wash your hands thoroughly, then dry them with a clean towel or paper towels
• Keep your breasts covered until you have followed the previous steps and are ready to nurse
• Do not remove your surgical mask until you have finished feeding and burping the baby and have put him or her down

Get Wild in the Nursery

I love uniqueness! I mean how many other nurseries are going to have a rather large elephant with a modern pattern on it. Inke, of the Netherlands, has the most interesting graphics for the nursery, playroom, or really any room in the house.

Each wild animal in this wallpaper line - including the ostrich, giraffe, and lion - is cut from vintage sixties and seventies wallpaper. A brush, paste and instructions are included with each cutout, so you can create your very own wild room.

To Buy:http://www.inke.nl/

Real Parenthood

I have to confess, when I was expecting my first bundle of joy I thought everything was going to stay the same, just be better with a new baby. I know that sounds naive, but that is exactly what I thought. Boy was I wrong. Three kids later and I have realized that nothing is the same but everything is better - it's just really different. Jane Desilets, of Speckles and Weeds has truly captured parenthood with her anecdotical greeting cards.

As parents you have to embrace and laugh at your new life with kids.

To Buy:Speckles & Weeds

Nesting Now & Later

I know it's hard to imagine your little bundle of joy two years from now, but before you know it you'll be moving your babe out of their crib and into a "big kid" bed. I love the Dwell Studio "grow with me" prints, patterns, and colours. Baby Ben's room is the coolest looking room in our house with his Dwell bedding, and in two years from now the only thing I'll need to change is his crib into a toddler bed.

I really wanted to make sure that Ben's nursery coordinated the decor of the rest of my home. It was easy to do this with Dwell's modern textile design.

To Buy:http://www.dwellstudio.com/

Eco Chic and Totally Discreet

Oh how I love thee let me count the ways.... First and foremost the MOM-SHELL is designed to provide chic and discreet nursing. But it is so much more than that. When you aren't using it to modestly breastfeed babe you can wear it simply as a fashionable wrap top - which by the way - offers so many options in itself; left open for that relaxed mom look, tied up for a a more tailored feel, wrapped and secured with the belt for all you haute mamas. Elisa, founder of MOM-SHELL, describes it as the ultimate 'wear everywhere' layer, and she isn't kidding - it works perfectly for your hospital stay, it's a great 'lounge' piece for welcoming visitors, it's the ideal bathing suit cover up, it's perfect for travel, and you can even use it to wrap up babe in the front carrier. This is truly the ultimate in fashion meets function accessory. There is even a 'top up' nursing strap included which is designed to hold mom's top away from baby's face while nursing. These days it's no longer just what you wear but how it's made. MOM-SHELLs are designed for mothers who care about the earth. With fabrics made of certified organic fibers, and low-impact dyes these garments help you nurture your child, yourself, and your surroundings. Great care and detail has gone into this amazingly innovative product. I really believe that it is worth every penny. If you are about to become or already are a nursing mom you have to check this out! To Buy:HauteMama

Bye Bye Baby Belly

For all you first time expecting moms, it is true when they say, after you have your baby your belly will still look about 6 months pregnant. For me, I looked like I was 8.5 months pregnant. I only wish I had heard about the Belly Bandit when I had my babies. The Belly Bandit is an abdominal compression binder designed to help you get your body back to its former fabulousness post childbirth.

Their best selling eco-friendly Bamboo Belly Bandit is inherently antibacterial, moisture wicking and is three times more durable than cotton. Fabric made from Bamboo is one of the softest, all natural, GREENEST, fibers around. Being earth-friendly never felt so good! The Bamboo Belly Bandit is made for the "green" mom who will spare no expense for the environment or her comfort. Best forC Section Mommies! "The Belly Bandit not only helped my tummy, but also really supported my back and helps my posture while nursing".

~ Minnie Driver

To Buy:http://www.hautemama.ca/

Found the Best Coat

I saw it again, and it is a buggaboo of mine, a beautiful pregnant woman wearing her husband's clothes. Wearing 'his' clothing is such a mistake, they are dropping off the shoulders, sagging in the back, and hanging off your bump like a curtain. You lose your elegant silhouette, not to mention that great sense of style. Buying designs that are meant for your belly, but that grow with you are better for your self-esteem and your comfort.

I love this Hatch Maternity Winter Coat. It is the perfect winter pregnancy solution for those icy cold days - it actually keeps that bump of yours covered. Warm, cozy, and most importantly stylish - and you can wear it post pregnancy too. To Buy : http://www.hautemama.ca/

No Spain, No Gain

Friends and family all seem to be wearing fantastically rich nail polish colours this fall. Of course, if I see something I like I must ask where it is from and each answer is 'OPI'. Not only do I absolutely love when OPI brings out a new line of colours, but I love the names of their polishes. My favourite this season is, No Spain No Gain.

OPI's latest collection offers colours that capture the fiery passion of Spain. The OPI Coleccion De Espana - The OPI Spanish Collection celebrates the drama of Flamenco, the excitement of the bullfight and the beauty of a country rich in art and culture. Geez, the description alone makes me want to travel to Spain and get a pedicure. These nail colours work great with the 2009 Fall/Winter maternity collections!

To Buy : http://www.opi.com/