Designer Baby and Children’s Clothing Boutique ZaraBella Opens Doors in Solvang, CA

ZaraBella, an upscale boutique specializing in high quality designer baby and children’s clothing and accessories, today announced that it is now open for business in downtown Solvang, CA. The store is located at 453 Atterdag Road and is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10:30am to 5:00pm.

ZaraBella, formerly known as Laura’s Trading Company, was created to fill the need for a fashionable store that carries an extensive selection of high quality, trendy clothing for babies and children, all in one place. Some of the popular brands the store carries include Kissy Kissy, ME TOO, Cachcach, Mish Mish, Mimi and Maggie, Kumquat, Jade Jeans and much more.

ZaraBella offers personal shopper services, an online gift registry and personalized gift giving packages. The store also has a complete web site, located at http://www.zarabella.com/ where shoppers can view the extensive selection that is also available in the store.

First and Only Baby Memory Book For Preemies Now Available

Parents of preemies now have a place to keep their child's milestones and memories. The new Preemie Book of Memories, the first and only spiral bound baby book of its kind, is now available at www.KenziesHat.com (retail $16.99).

The book is designed especially for premature babies. It includes pages to record all of the typical things found in a baby book such as birth date, parent's names, grandparent's names, photos, and many firsts.

It also includes record keeping for memories unique to preemie parents, such as 'my home for awhile,' day-by-day and week-by-week recording, a weight conversion chart and a removable bereavement section. It also features pages for parents to journal and offers ideas on what to record such as the baby's first cry, tear, diaper change and date baby can wear real clothes.

Throughout the Preemie Book of Memories parents will find inspirational quotes and words of wisdom.

The Art of Regifting: Is It Okay To Regift Baby Items?

It is the holiday season, and let’s face it, your baby might get some gifts you don’t want to keep. There are a variety of reasons - the present was something you already had, it doesn’t fit your taste, it is for an older child, the wrong size, etc. However, there is an art to regifing, especially if you want to avoid offending the giver.

Read some guidelines from Parenting Magazine by clicking here.

Hollywood's Most Influential Infants

What comes to mind when you hear the name Shiloh? Chances are it's not the Civil War battleground or the hard-luck dog.

Most likely, it's the oft-photographed child of A-list couple Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, better known by their tabloid moniker "Brangelina." That wide-spread awareness has earned the A-list kiddie a spot at the top of Forbes' first-ever look at which Hollywood babies have the most effect on pop culture.

To determine which tykes were tops, Forbes looked at both Web presence and press clippings for more than 50 A-list offspring (5 years old and younger) over the course of a year. Then, with a whittled-down list, Forbes reached out to Encino, Calif.-based polling firm E-Poll Market Research for both awareness data for the kids and consumer-appeal rankings for their celebrity parents.

See the full list!

Sophia, Aiden top list of baby names for 2007

After three years of Emma, it's Sophia's turn at the top of the class roster, joining Aiden for his third stint.

A growing Hispanic population might be credited for some name climbers on BabyCenter.com's list of the most popular baby names for 2007, to be released today. Sophia has more of a Latin or continental appeal than its proper English successor, Emma. Xavier, Sebastian and Isabella are on the rise, while newcomers to the top 100, to be released next month, include Lila, Maria and Adrien.

But if anything sums up the Web site's latest hit names, it's a hunt for distinctiveness -- a trend that has rendered the annual list way more volatile in recent years than it used to be 10 or 20 years ago, back when Michael could sit securely on his throne for decades.

Experts have seen an influx of untraditional names and alternate spellings, to the point where "unique" has become conventional.

Read the full article

Holiday Travels with Baby

There's nothing more exciting than making the holiday rounds with a new baby to show off — for you, anyway. Your little one may have a different idea. Help him maintain an even keel with these stay-cheery tips:

Be greedy. Well-meaning relatives will be happy to meet the new addition and, of course, will want to hold him. To avoid hurt feelings, say something like "I'm going to hang on to him for now. The truth is he gets overwhelmed by crowds, so we're going to take it slow," suggests Claire Lerner, the director of parenting information and resources at Zero to Three, a national child-development organization in Washington, D.C.

Take a time-out. You may be enjoying chatting up cousin Carla over a leisurely dinner, but if your baby starts working his way to a meltdown, retreat from the crowd for a short time. Take him into a dark, quiet room and softly reassure him. You'll be surprised how quickly he can relax and recharge for the party's second half.

Go with his flow. Sure, you may always put him down for his morning nap at 9:15 and nurse him every two hours on the dot. But when you're traveling, those home routines just may not work. He may sleep a little more (or, God forbid, a little less), or he may feel like nursing more than usual just for the comfort of it. Or he may stick to his schedule like glue... who knows? The point: "Do whatever works in the moment," says Lerner. You'll be less stressed — and your baby will be, too.

Source: Parenting Magazine

A Magical Christmas Baby Shower

Awaiting an extra special present this holiday season? Then invite others to share the warmth of a Christmas baby shower with you. Celebrating the gift of life takes on a magical warm touch as friends and family enjoy the lights and warmth of a Christmas holiday.

This article presents some creative ideas related to invitations, activities, games, food, centerpieces, favors, prizes and more!

An Expectant Mom's Belly is the ‘Star of the Show'

In the old days, expectant mothers had one wardrobe mantra: camouflage, camouflage, camouflage. Bring out the oversized man's dress shirt and the borrowed, ill-fitting dress.

But today the idea is to reveal, not conceal. With Hollywood celebrities leading the way, maternity clothes skim snugly over the midsection. It's all about showcasing the tummy.

Picture pretty velour, knit and silky tunics and dresses in lively prints and interesting colors.

Click here to view the full article.

Baby can be the star of the show too! Dress your little one in the hottest fashions available for the holiday season. Click here for more.

Nicole Richie, Joel Madden Shower 100 Moms with Baby Gifts

Not many kids have a foundation launched in their honor before they're born. But that will be one of the many privileges bestowed upon Nicole Richie and Joel Madden's baby, due in January.

The couple hosted a surprise baby shower Monday for 100 expectant and new moms at the Los Angeles Free Clinic in Hollywood, where they handed out more than $200,000 worth of gifts. "The looks on their faces were priceless," Richie told reporters after the shower. "Some of them didn't even believe us [when they saw the gifts]. They thought we were joking."

The Richie Madden Children's Foundation (at richiemaddenfoundation.com), Madden said, was an idea the couple had when they found out they were expecting. "We grew up in Los Angeles," he said, "and we want our child to be a part of the community, and to know that there's a responsibility to help the community."

Read the full story at People Magazine’s web site.

El Dorado Hills baby a Gap contest finalist

El Dorado Hills has a burgeoning celebrity on its hands. But don't expect the fame to go to Dylan Barnhart's head - he's only 14 months old, after all. Barnhart is a top-20 finalist in babyGap and GapKids' nationwide search for new clothing models, beating out more than 800,000 contestants. Voting for the winner will start Dec. 15.

There were no casting calls or photo shoots to crack the top 20, though. Barnhart entered her son in the competition simply by sitting at her computer. "I was browsing the Gap Web site and saw the online ad for the contest," she said. "I clicked on it, and all I had to do was upload a picture. It was really easy and really quick. Honestly, I forgot about the whole thing for a few weeks."

She forgot about it, that is, until she received an unexpected phone call.

Read the full article!