Choosing the Camera & Taking the Best Photos of Your Baby

Here at Simple Baby Necessities, we decided to share with readers this week some helpful tips when it comes to buying a camera and catching those perfect moments.
In this economy it is so hard and overwhelming getting completely prepared for your little one. There are so many things you need for your newborn. There is the bassinet, crib, nursery furniture, and many other baby items. As you did your baby registry I am sure you said to yourself or out loud at least once: "Where are we going to put all of this??" "How are we ever going to afford all of this stuff for our baby and baby's nursery??" and "How could one tiny baby possibly need all of this??" Well you are not alone. There are many things out there that we feel are not necessities (and we will soon write a blog entry on some of these items), but right now we want to write about something that we find to be a necessity for all parents. A camera. Here at SBN, we know you will never regret buying a camera and taking many photos of your baby. Here are some tips to help choose the right camera and take awesome pictures.


Choosing the Camera & Taking the Best Photos of Your Baby

-Choose a camera that takes a fast shot. Some cameras take a few seconds after you hit the button before they take the shot. Go to a few different stores that sell cameras and try the ones they have on display to see how quick it takes pictures.
-Don’t spend a fortune. You are spending enough money on the new member of your family. Don’t feel like you have to get the most expensive camera. I am a firm believer on not having to spend a fortune on a camera to get great pictures. Just be sure you do your research and find a camera that is a good for you and your lifestyle.
-Think carefully about the size. Do not buy a camera that is so big or bulky that you are you going to end up leaving it behind when you go to the park or out for play dates.
-Take lots of pictures!! Now that you have your camera, take many pictures. Take pictures all day. There are so many adorable moments throughout the day that you can capture if your camera is ready. Keep it charged or keep extra batteries ready so you never miss the perfect shot. The more pictures you take, the more you have to choose from.
-Pay attention to the lighting. The best place to take pictures is outside and the best times are right when the sun is rising and just before sun down. With little babies this will not be practical so just be aware of the lighting and experiment with your different flash settings.
-Get closer and take a variety of shots. Get down to your baby or toddler’s level. Get a variety of close ups and further away shots. Also, do not feel like he or she has to be looking at you. Often candid shots come out the best as they are much more natural and pure.
-Keep the background simple. Often times if the background is too busy, bold, or bright our eyes are distracted from the main subject-your sweet little one. For tiny babies a great back drop is your favorite quilt or blanket. As your baby gets older, sitting him/her in a chair, taking pictures outside, or even sitting or standing him/her in front of a bare wall or curtain all work great.
-Save, download, print, frame, and share your photos!!!!! Ok now you have the awesome camera, you have learned how to snap shots often and well. Now you need to use the. You are busy, very busy like most parents, but you need to find time to print, frame and share your pictures. Make a habit to download your photos to your computer often. This way they are not always sitting on your camera. If anything ever happened to your camera or your photo card, you could lose those pictures forever. Always save them on your computer. As you are saving them, pick your favorites to print. Once you print your photos frame some and give some away to friends and family. Try becoming a member of a photo site where you can upload albums and share them online with friends and family like Kodak.com. You may feel korny, but make a Halloween, Thanksgiving, Easter..ok those are necessites but definitely make a photo Christmas cards to send to your love ones. Again this is easy to do at Walgreens, Zazzle, Shutterfly etc. These websites make it very easy to order prints and make photo cards. Make your friends jealous!!

***Here is my routine with the pictures I take of my little girl. ***

*1x a week I save my pictures from my camera onto my computer. Once they are saved, I delete them off of my camera. This way I do not bog down my camera with shots I have already saved.

*Delete pictures that are not great and save the ones that are in a dated folder.

*Choose which ones I want to share and print. Edit and crop the ones that need it and make some black and white or sepia tone. I save the original as I am making changes in case I end up liking the original better. I often print the original and the edited versions. Often the original is better than a cropped version for framing purposes.

*Order prints from Walgreens.com as soon as I get a good coupon through email- they usually send on a week. There are many good printing websites out there. You just join, upload your photos and order your prints. It is so easy!!

*Print, share and frame my awesome pictures!!!

Make a routine that works for you and stick to it!

Easy Stress Relieving Steps

As we were updated our blog this month, we thought about how the vast majority of our shoppers at Simple Baby Necessities are busy, tired and often stressed out moms. We wanted to share with you a few quick steps to help you relax. As you are taking so much of your time and energy to prepare for and care for your children make sure you are also taking care of yourself.

9 Easy Ways for Mom's to Relax

Mothers tend to unconsciously step into a super hero role, caring for family members and pushing their own needs aside. Research tells us that women's health depends on laughter, playing, exercising, relaxing and enjoying pleasurable fun times. As mothers, we should take this information seriously and look at how we live our lives.

Guilt often plays a huge role in a mother's decision-making process. If a mother feels guilty about leaving her child in the care of someone else for an hour while she goes to the gym to exercise, chances are she'll stop going to the gym.

The truth is, instead of feeling guilty about doing something for ourselves, we should actually make it mandatory to take special time for ourselves on a regular basis. Making time to relax and recharge our batteries will make us better mothers. Replenishing on a regular basis will ensure that we have something to give back to our families.

Here are a few simple and quick ways for mothers to relax at home:

1. Light a candle. Lavender, vanilla, sandalwood and spearmint are soothing scents to look for when purchasing special candles.
2. Deep breathe. Inhale deeply through your nostrils then exhale slowly through your mouth. Repeat several times until you begin to feel calm.
3. Five minutes of quiet time. Retreat to a room alone and close the door behind you. Sit comfortably in a chair, on a bed, or cross-legged on the floor and practice deep-breathing. Simply taking five minutes to retreat to your own space can provide a calming effect.
4. Play relaxing music. There are many different kinds of CDs available today with soothing music and sounds. Try a couple of different ones, playing one during the day and one at night to relax you just before bedtime.
5. Read a book. Escape into a different world with a good book.
6. Paint with watercolors. Painting is a great way to relax. Watercolors are especially recommended because there is no "right" way to use them. Allow your mind to relax as you move the brush over the paper and paint away your stress.
7. Go for a 10-minute walk. Nature is extremely relaxing. Put on your walking shoes and enjoy the scenery. Keep your chin up as you walk and remember to breathe deep and take in the scenery around you.
8. Keep a daily journal. Journaling has long been a way for people to "dump" their problems. It doesn't have to be anything fancy. Just grab a notebook and start writing. Taking ten or fifteen minutes at the end of the day to write out your thoughts can be helpful in releasing stress.
9. Use your imagination. Close your eyes and think about some place or thing that makes you feel calm. Hold that picture in your mind as you practice deep breathing. You might also try using imagery to relax while your scented candles burn and soothing music plays in the background. *Excerpt from ContestforMoms.com

StorkCraft Nursery Furniture Now Available!

SimpleBabyNecessities.com is proud to announce that we now offer StorkCraft baby cribs and baby furniture. StorkCraft Furniture is a trusted nursery furniture manufacturer with an excellent reputation for child safety and design. In operation for more than sixty years, Stork Craft has become the epitome of operational excellence. They are driven by a vision and commitment to support by designing safe, quality, and stylish juvenile products, while being sensitive to the environment and responding to needs of customers and employees. All StorkCraft products are Juvenile Products Manufacturers' Association (JPMA) certified, undergo extensive and rigorous testing, and follow strict safety standards and regulations.

Baby Play Yards now available!

Portable Baby Cribs, Play pens and play yards are now available at SimpleBabyNecessities.com! We have a large selection of baby playpens portable cribs to choose from.

When planning a trip with your child you will need a portable bed for him/her to sleep and play in while you are not in your home.

SimpleBabyNecessities.com is proud to announce that we now offer nursery furniture sets. Shop our nursery furniture for anything you will need for your baby's room. Available now for your child's nursery are dressers, changing tables and rocking chairs/gliders.

The SimpleBabyNecessities.com Sales Team is very excited to now offer AFG Athena Baby Cribs. AFG has one simple mission, is to provide "Luxurious, Affordable Baby Furniture." And that's what makes AFG standing here today. All AFG products are intricately designed to perfection, keeping in mind tastefulness and obedience to the safety regulations. All baby cribs meet USA/CPSC standards.

Child Craft acquired by Foundations!

Child Craft has recently been acquired by Foundations Children's Products of Medina, Ohio. Foundations Children's Products is the largest U.S. supplier of commercial cribs and related infant products to child care centers and hotels. This asset acquisition was effective on July 30, 2009. The transition will benefit customers by giving them a greater variety of products from which to choose. Quality, safety and value will still be the backbone of the brand. Stay tuned for new convertible baby cribs as well as portable baby cribs from Foundations.