Baby Basics - Books for Baby: Kiss Kiss Good Night by Kenn Nesbitt

Kiss, Kiss Good Night

by Kenn Nesbitt, illustrated by Rebecca Elliott

Snuggle up with this padded board book and find out how mommy animals say good night.

What happens when baby animals need to rest their little heads? Their mothers tuck them into bed, of course! Read along as baby bunnies, lambs, chicks, kittens, and cubs settle down for a good night's sleep while their mommies give them nuzzles, cuddles, and good-night kisses! A lulling, soothing bedtime poem perfect for getting little ones to settle down. 

For more great titles from our partners at Scholastic, visit them online at www.scholastic.ca, on Facebook, or Twitter @scholasticCDA #scholasticmomstown

Baby Basics - Books for Baby: Never Let You Go by Patricia Storms

Never Let You Go
by Patricia Storms

Love is holding on tight — and knowing when to let go.

In this warm, funny book, an adorable penguin learns that Mom or Dad "will never let you go." Safely assured by the steadfast love of a parent, the little penguin can begin to explore its world bit by bit — draw a picture, chase the stars, even throw a tantrum — secure in the knowledge that a doting parent is always waiting in the wings.

Tender but never cloying, Never Let You Go gives a great, warm hug, followed by an encouraging pat as it sets up young readers to take their first big steps on the path to growing up. This story is destined to be a favourite read-aloud for parents and children alike, as the simple but powerful message of enduring love and support is one little readers will take to heart.

ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTORS

PATRICIA STORMS is a writer and illustrator living in Toronto, Ontario. She has created editorial cartoons, comic strips, and magazine covers for Chirpand KNOW magazines, including the monthly strip "Chirp’s Adventures." Patricia’s previous books include The Pirate and the Penguin, 13 Ghosts of Halloween, and Snowy Science. Visit her online at www.patriciastorms.com.

Also available in French language:

For more great titles from our partners at Scholastic, visit them online at www.scholastic.ca, on Facebook, or Twitter @scholasticCDA

Baby Basics: Books for Baby - Giggle by Caroline Jayne Church

Giggle

by Caroline Jayne Church

Laugh out loud with this novelty sound book by Caroline Jayne Church!

There's no greater thing to do
Than laugh and giggle here with you!

With a press of a button an infectious giggle lovingly echoes through this ticklish board book, proving that laughter is, indeed, the best sound in the world. Accompanied by Caroline Jayne Church's bestselling toddlers, Giggle!is a book that will have children and parents laughing and loving out loud.

ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTORS

CAROLINE JAYNE CHURCH is a bestselling author and illustrator. Some of her bestselling titles include I Love You Through and Through by Bernadette Rossetti-Shustak, How Do I Love You? by Marion Dane Bauer, You Are My Sunshine by Jimmie Davis, and Good Night, I Love You. She lives in Surrey, England, but you can visit her at www.carolinejaynechurch.com.

For more great titles from our partners at Scholastic, visit them online at www.scholastic.ca, on Facebook, or Twitter @scholasticCDA

Baby Basics: Let's Talk About Starting Baby on Solids

We kicked off our Baby Basics program this week and enjoyed great discussions in both sessions on Toronto's East and West ends.  This week we talked about transitioning baby to solid food.

At one session we were joined by Kimberly Davidson, CNP, NNCP, Founder of Green Blossoms and Certified Sprout Right Instructor, who shared some great insight and best practices to try when starting to transition baby to food.

Here are some of the great tips Kimberly shared:

Above all YOU know your baby best, trust your instincts and
talk to your doctor about any specific dietary needs for your
child as you make the move to solids.

When & How to Start Solids:

• Recommended at 6 mos
• Remember that breastmilk/formula will continue to provide the nutrition your baby needs as foods are introduced to their diet.  Breast milk and formula remain the main source of nutrition until age one.
• Did you know?   Even as you decrease feedings and increase food, breast milk becomes more concentrated in key minerals and proteins, ensuring baby gets everything it needs through the transition.

       Milk first, then food

• Offer solids AFTER a feed of breast milk or formula; wait 10-15 min after feeding to introduce food.  That way the food doesn't compete with the milk, and they still get all the nutrients they need.
• Try starting to introduce foods at first after lunchtime feeding.  Then add a suppertime feeding, then a morning feeding.  
• As baby's food intake increases, their milk intake will decrease, this is their way of self-weaning.  Let them be in charge of this unless they are refusing milk.  (Moving away from milk too quickly can leave baby deficient in certain nutrients).

Starter Foods:
VEGETABLES: Carrots, Sweet Potato, Butternut Squash, Parsnips, Green Peas, Broccoli, Cauliflower, Turnip, Green Beans, Beets
FRUITS: Apple, pear, banana, avocado, cherries, prunes, apricots, blueberries, plums

• There are different recommendations about which foods to start with first; many doctors say start with rice cereal and more recently meat, but for years Sprout Right has recommended starting with fruits and vegetables.  
• Whichever foods you start with, offer the same food for 4 or 5 consecutive days before moving on.  That way, if baby does have a reaction, its easier to figure out what caused it.  
• If you suspect a problem, wait a few weeks and try again.  Ditto if they just don't like it, that may change too as they acquire tastes for more foods.

Top Gadget Tip:
Squirt, Baby Food Dispensing Spoon by Boon

Throw in your bag, take anywhere, be prepared tool favourite.













PLUS - here's an awesome tip we learned, if you can squeeze it through the squirt you know you've achieved the right texture/consistency in your puree.  (If you're not using the squirt, it should be able to drip off the spoon)

_______________________________________________________________________________

For more information on Sprout Right or Kimberly's company Green Blossoms (which also offers a great meals for moms program btw), visit her online at www.greenblossoms.ca

This fall Kimberly is running some great classes that take this discussion to the next level covering baby's full first year of food and hands-on baby food prep.  Check her class schedule here.

Treating Infant Cold and Flu with Homeopathy

Baby Basics was lucky enough to have Paula join us from Heart & Soul Homeopathy and Wellness Centre to talk about preventing sickness and the homeopathic approach to treating cold and flus in infants.    Here is a guest blog from Paula giving us the lowdown on how to tackle the upcoming cold and flu season.

Treating Infant Cold & FluBy Paula Guilbeault-Roballo DHMHS

Cold and flu season is just around the corner and although you may do everything right to prevent it your little one can still come down with a bug or two this winter. Many over the counter medicines are contraindicated for babies under 6 months old, but your little one doesn’t need to suffer through the sniffles. 

Homeopathy is a 200-year-old stream of medicine that is gentle and safe for babies and nursing mothers. Rather than just suppressing symptoms the remedies work with your body to instigate a healing response affect a cure.  Remedies are individually chosen to cover the unique expression of the illness in a person. Here are some of the more common remedies prescribed for colds and flu in young children:

ACONITUM: useful primarily during the first 24 hours after the onset of a cold. Onset is SUDDEN. Child develops her cold or cough after being exposed to dry cold weather. Wakes from sleep with a dry, hoarse, croupy cough. She has a dry mouth, shortness of breath, and little expectoration. Worse from being cold, drinking cold water, lying on either side, and at night. 

ALLIUM CEPA: child has a profuse, fluent, burning nasal discharge which is worse in a warm room and better in open air. The nasal discharge will irritate the child's nostrils, causing pain from simply wiping his nose. He may also have profuse bland (non-burning) tearing from the eyes. He has reddened eyes and a tendency to rub them. Raw /tingling sensation in nose as well as violent sneezing. The child may occasionally experience a congestive headache in the front part of the head.

ARSENICUM: Influenza with gastroenteritis, vomiting and diarrhea . Fever: High (102-104) following a two to three day onset Typically, the cold begins in the nose and moves down to the throat (once it goes down into the chest a different remedy is usually needed). Face is hot, craves open air yet body chilled. Worse: Midnight or 1am. Noon or 1pm. Thirst for small sips of water. Marked restlessness & anxiety, Needs Company at all times.

BELLADONNA: Sudden high fever.  The state is intense. This is a remedy of congestion so the face will be hot and red yet the feet and hands may be cool. Pupils may be dilated and eyes slightly glazed. Pink eye that is very red. Sudden stopping of nasal discharge and it is replaced by a congestive, usually throbbing, headache and high fever. 

BRYONIA: Slowly progressing influenza severe aching. Fever: Heat with marked perspiration. Tremendous thirst, wants large gulps at intervals. Symptoms aggravated at 9pm. Worse: From the slightest motion, warm room. Restless feeling but intolerant to the slightest motion. Like Belladonna, stopped nasal discharge.

EUPHRASIA:  profuse burning tears from the eyes and a bland nasal discharge. The whites of the eyes and the cheeks become reddened from the burning tears. The eye symptoms are worse in the open air. sneezing, is worse at night, while lying down, and in windy weather. After a day or two of these profuse discharges, the cold then moves to the larynx, creating a hard cough and a hoarse voice. The cough is worse in the daytime and is ameliorated by lying down. 

GELSEMIUM: Influenza with marked debility weakness and sleepiness. Fever: Slow, insidious onset of fever over one to three days. Chills running up and down the back. Tremulous weakness and heaviness of the limbs, eyelids and head. Headache from occiput radiating to forehead. Head heavy hardly able to lift head from pillow. General aggravation 10am. Thirst is usually minimal. Eyelids droopy or half shut

NATRUM MUR: beginning stages of a cold with sneezing. "Egg-white" nasal discharge. Runny eyes worse in open air or wind. Cold sores on lips, vesicles in mouth, cracked lips. Wants to be left alone. A dislike for sympathy. Cold starts with fits of sneezing and a thin catarrhal discharge consistency of the white of a raw egg. Nose maybe blocked with tendency towards developing cold sores.

PULSATILLA: thick, yellow or greenish mucus, and a bland discharge (a discharge that does not irritate or burn the nostrils or facial skin). They have nasal congestion that is worse at night, especially upon lying down, which leads to mouth breathing during sleep. Congestion is worse in a warm room and is more fluent in the open air. Dry mouth but are thirstless. Emotional, sensitive, and easily hurt. They are moody and weep easily. They crave affection and sympathy and cannot get enough of it. Great changeability in symptoms. 

ANAS BARBARIAE: Although this medicine (commonly marketed as "Oscillococcinum") is primarily effective in treating influenza, homeopaths have also found that it can also be helpful in treating the common cold. There are no known symptoms from which to individualize treatment, though it has been found to be very effective when used within 48 hours of onset of symptoms. Consider giving it if you don't know which other medicine to give.

The following is just a basic guideline for dosing homeopathic remedies. For most acute conditions a potency of 30C will suffice, these are readily available at any health food store.

• Do not touch pellets with hands
• Dissolve 2-3 pellets in 1 cup of filtered water. Use a non metal spoon 1 tsp= 1 dose.
• Take 1 dose every 30 min – 2hr until there is action (intensity =frequency)
• STOP the doses if there is any improvement and only resume dosing as symptoms return
• If after 3-4 doses there is no improvement select another remedy
• A cold that has been ongoing for 2 weeks will not resolve in 10 min, therefore try 4 doses/day over 2-3 days.
• Sudden and intense illness responds faster than slow illnesses.

Although homeopathy is fantastic for acute conditions, it is most powerful when taken constitutionally under the guidance of a trained homeopathic practitioner. If you suspect a medical emergency or are unsure of treatment seek medical attention immediately.   For more information on how homeopathy can benefit you and your family please book a FREE 15 minute consult.

 

Capturing your Family in Photos

Baby Basics west Toronto was lucky enough to have a visit from guest speaker Hope Hanson, from H2Photo.  She gave us some great tips on how to make the most of your family photographs.  Following is a guest blog by Hope covering some of the items we discussed.


A Couple of Quick Tips and Ideas for Your Photography!

Besides your camera, the most important tool in taking wonderful pictures of your family is your manual. That will explain to you all the fabulousness of that tiny piece of electronics. Spend some time (like mom’s have enough time to sit down with a real book), but at the end of the day, it will make a real difference in your photography.

Try and remember what you are capturing – if you are trying to capture the cherry blossoms in the spring in High Park, fill your image with the pinks and whites, and have your family be a small part of the image – however if you are capturing that beautiful dimple on your daughter’s cheek, then fill your screen and your image with her smile.

If you are looking at taking your photography to the next level, start practicing taking your camera off the automatic mode. Doesn’t matter if it takes you a while to get the “perfect shot”. Once you are able to use the Aperture – Shutter Speed or even Manual mode, you will find that you will make the pictures that you want. There are lots of great resources out there to use – one of the best is a website called Clickn’ Moms http://www.clicknmoms.com/ Even look up videos on YouTube. There are a couple of great places to take a few classes include Henry’s Camera.

Also, there are a couple of things that you need to remember. BACK UP BACK UP BACK UP. Years ago when you processed your film, if you lost your negatives, you had the actual prints. Some easy ways to “back up” is to never delete your memory card. SD cards are relatively cheap now and you can purchase enough “memory” for probably pennies a day.

The next thing to remember is to PRINT – with the way that technology changes, if your baby’s pictures had been on a floppy disk, by the time they would be in high school it would be next to impossible to retrieve those images. If you had printed them, they would be “safe”. You can even store them in a nice box until you have time to place them in an album or if you are more ambitious scrapbook – but mostly, make sure that you can see them!

And most importantly – don’t wait until you have your hair done, lose a few pounds or get a new top to be in the pictures WITH your children. Your children will look back a the pictures 10-20-30 years from now and see you – the woman that they love and adore IN their lives and not just behind the camera. Go to the big box store just so you can be IN the pictures – do whatever it takes so that years from now your children will have the pictures of you to go along with the fabulous memories you are creating now!

By Hope Hanson
H2PHOTO.CA

Baby Basics get baby photographs taken

Big thanks to our partner H2Photo for visiting our Baby Basics Program and taking the gummy sweet smiles of our youngest momstown members!

Thanks Hope for your time and energy! To read more from H2Photo with their Quick Tips and Ideas for your own Photography.

Tips for Tummy Time

Tummy time!  Some babies love it, most of them seem to hate it, and heaven forbid the drama that ensues when your child finally learns how to roll onto their tummy, but then can't roll back!

One thing is for sure, tummy time is a necessary exercise to build your child's back and neck muscles, and encourage crawling.  We've assembled some tips to help make tummy time a more enjoyable experience for you and your baby.


1.  Start early.  You can start tummy time as early as in the hospital.  In fact, a great way to start is simply by holding your little one face down on you while you lie on the ground or bed.  This will help them get used to being on their tummy and regard it as a normal position. 

2.  Distract!  When your little one is old enough to enjoy colours, or contrasting flash cards, place these in front of them while they are on their tummy.  This gives them something to look at while they are lying on their front.  A mirror is one of the best distraction tools.  You know how much they like to look at other babies!  This way they can look at their own reflection on the ground in front of them, giving them an interesting view during their time on their tummy.

3.  Support.  Help your little one with tummy time if they really hate it.  A receiving blanket rolled into a bolster is good support for your little one when positioned just under their shoulders.  A nursing pillow can also be a good support.  And your legs or arms are always a welcome support for your baby.

4.  Schedule.  It's easy to forget about tummy time every day, especially if your child doesn't like it.  So schedule it!  If you have a smartphone, schedule a daily reminder.  Or let tummy time be just after their bath at night, or when they wake up from their afternoon nap.  However, if your child spits up, or even if they don't, I wouldn't recommend tummy time just after a feeding!

5.  Engage.  As your baby gets older, a fabulous trick for tummy time is supporting them with the front of your shins while you lie back on the ground.  This way they can look at their favourite thing in the world - their parent!   And then add the pièce de résistance.....a song or two!

 

Here are momstown west Toronto's favourite 'tummy time on the legs' songs:

Baby, Baby Way Up High  (to the tune of Twinkle, Twinkle)

Baby, baby way up high

Like an airplane in the sky

Flying high and flying low

A great big kiss from down below

Baby, baby way up high

Like and airplane in the sky

Fly Your Plane (to the tune of Row Your Boat)

Fly, fly, fly your plane

Fly your plane so high

We're zooming up and zooming down

Flying Through the Sky

Zoom, Zoom, Zoom

Zoom, zoom, zoom

We're going to the moon

Zoom, zoom, zoom

We're going to the moon

If you want to take a trip, climb aboard my rocket ship

Zoom, zoom, zoom

We're going to the moon

5, 4, 3, 2, 1.....blast off!

Happy tummy time everyone!

Summer Bubble Fun for Baby

What baby doesn’t love bubbles? Each week at momstown Toronto's Baby Basics program we have lots of fun with moms with babies under a year and often times we pull out the bubbles.

Bubble Fun at Baby Basics momstown Toronto

Round, glistening and floating around bubbles really attract baby’s attention and curiosity. Summer is a wonderful time to play with bubbles and here's how!

Bubble bath for my friends!

Give your animals a bath
Pull out a sturdy container like a dish tub, fill half-full with water and gentle dish soap. Put all of baby’s plastic farm animals in and bathe away! Perfect for a child who can sit up securely and loves to reach and grab. She will love to see the bubbles on her hands and wash the bubbles off her animal friends. Further instructions and ideas here.


How to make Homemade Bubbles
Running out of bubble solution is a no-go in the summertime. Make sure you always have some handy by following these great ‘recipes’ from momstown Oakville.

Ocean in a bottle

Ocean in a Bottle
Capture “bubbles” in a bottle with sparkles, sea creatures and lots of shaking fun! momstown Barrie made these fantastic creations in their little scientist program and you can to with all instructions here.

Splashing is so fun!

Summer Water Play
Read out 6 Cheap and Cheerful Water Play ideas – perfect for babies up to big kids. Wonderful ways to stay cool and create some bubbly fun together.

Cloth diapers? Easier than you think!

My kids are way past the diaper phase, and honestly when they were in the diaper phase, I dismissed cloth diapers as way too difficult.  And besides, I was able to throw disposables in the City of Toronto Green Bin, so they were fine for the environment.....weren't they? 


Cloth versus disposables.  One of the greatly debated issues among new parents, that will draw an amazing diversity in opinions.  After a visit from Comfy Cotton to momstown west Toronto's Baby Basics, I am wishing I could go back about 9 years and rethink my decision.  I had no idea how easy and economical cloth diapers are!  Not to mention all the facts that point to the benefits of cloth diapers.  Here are some of the amazing things we learned.

Cotton diapers are very comfortable for your baby. One of our little Baby Basics members, Charlotte can attest to that!  The soft, natural fibers allow the diaper to breathe more freely, absorb efficiently and contain no plastics or perfumes. Cotton diapers are the natural choice for a happy baby.  And the diaper covers are so darn cute!

Did you know that each baby uses between 6,000 and 8,000 diapers before being toilet trained?  Holy cow - that number is astronomical!  Diapering your baby in cotton not only saves thousands of trees from destruction, but also conserves precious space in our dwindling landfill sites. Disposable diapers are used only once, whereas cotton diapers are reused over 100 times.  And bonus - children in cotton diapers generally toilet train anywhere from four to eight months earlier than children in disposable diapers!  Wish I'd known that, because toilet training was a whole adventure unto itself.

Another interesting thing we learned was the link between male infertility and disposable diapers.  In the past 25 years, there has been a significant decline in male fertility. A recent study by German researchers suggests that the plastic lining of disposable diapers leads to overheating of a baby boy's scrotum, interfering with normal testicular development. This in turn, hampers sperm production and increases the risk of testicular cancer in men who wore disposable diapers as babies.  This is just the heat - the study didn't even look at the strong chemicals used in disposable diapers.

However you choose to diaper your baby, consider all your options.  Disposables are definitely necessary for certain situations, and may suit your family's needs on an everyday basis.  The last things we moms need is more guilt about what we are or aren't doing for our babies....  However, I urge you to check out cloth diapers, and especially Comfy Cotton.  A diaper delivery service makes your life so much easier if you choose to go cloth.  We all know how much laundry a new baby generates without having to contend with diapers as well!  If you decide to go cloth, check them out.  I was really impressed, and wish I'd been more informed when I made my decision about diapering nine years ago.

Making a Father's Day memory

momstown Toronto marked Father’s Day with super cute t-shirts for Daddy!

Happy Father's Day Daddy!

Daddies loved their personalized gifts with wee little hands and feet on their shirts. And momstown loved helping make a memory for each family.

Read about other Father's Day memories from our momstown team:
Is your husband the Daddy you want him to be?
Happy Father's Day with Baby #3 from momstown Guelph
Father's Day after a separation - what's my role now? from momstown Calgary
Ode to a Step-Father from momstown Central Alberta

Family-Friendly Fitness Studio in East End of Toronto!

Some of you have already been out to Beaches Fitness for the Baby Basics Program, and some of you have been able to come out and do a few classes... for those of you who still not had a chance to check out the new family-friendly fitness studio in the Kingston Road Village, this is your chance!  Come out, check out the studio, try a few free classes and join in the Children's Party!  The Kingston Road Village Spring Festival is on Saturday, June 2nd and Beaches Fitness has lined up a day of fun for everyone!

Beaches Fitness is a family-centric fitness studio for everyone.  With classes that suit all levels and personalities, you will for sure find a class that you love!  Most of the classes are kid-friendly, so even a parent can find time to take care of themselves!  The 800 sq ft group fitness studio is open to a large lounge and play area, so the kids are never far away and they can socialize and play with the other children while you work out!  Currently, Beaches Fitness offers Pilates, Yoga, Circuit Training, Pre-Natal Classes, Mom Fitness, Stroller Fitness and Zumba, as well as many 30 minute Power class options.

This Saturday is the Kingston Road Village Spring Festival.  Beaches Fitness is proud to be part of the Kingston Road Village and is excited to offer free classes and a Children's Party all day!  Come on out and try a few classes, there will also be some great specials offered for everyone that attends the Beaches Fitness Community Launch Party between 9am - 5pm on Saturday!

There will also be a few give-aways for some lucky attendees!

For the younger infants, I do have a built-in baby-sitter... but, she is not quite old enough to be left in charge yet.  She is a great helper though and loves to sing to them and bring them toys from the baby toy baskets.  With bouncy chairs, rocking chairs, exercausers, play mats and a swing, there are a ton of ways to keep the younger ones entertained and safe.  As for the older children... well, they have a kitchen, train table and tons of toys to keep them happy through-out the class.  For most of the toddlers, the best part is joining their parent for the cardio bursts and running along side the adults!

For more information about the studio, feel free to check out the website or email Sandra anytime!  Here is a quick run-down of next Saturday's schedule...

9am - FREE Core Strength Vinyasa Flow Yoga

10:15am - FREE Kids Yoga

11am - FREE Children's Party - Games, Crafts and Fun!

1pm - FREE Zumba

2:15pm - FREE Power Core

3pm - FREE Intro to Pilates

4:15pm - FREE Power Circuits

***Please make sure you let me know you are with Momstown Toronto... there will be a special give-away just for Momstown Members!***

Looking forward to meeting a lot of my new neighbours!  See you out there!!!

Sandra

Learning to sign with WeeHands at Baby Basics

momstown west Toronto was privileged to have Karla Velasquez of WeeHands visit our Baby Basics program to teach our momstown mamas some signs to use with their little ones!  Did you know that babies can learn to sign before they can speak? And that sign language gives them a way to express their wants and needs, easing their frustration? It also allows parents to know what their babies are thinking, curb challenging behavior, and have fun “chatting” about daily activities. Being able to communicate with a very young child is thrilling.

During our session, we were treated to a reading of Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?, complete with the signs for each animal.   Plus we learned the ASL alphabet, and how to sing and sign Old McDonald Had a Farm.  Awesome!  I've been incorporating the Old McDonald song with the signs into circle times all over the west-end, and the children love it.

One of the benefits I've witnessed with friends who used sign language with their babies (sadly, I missed the boat on that one and wish I'd looked into it!), is the amazing ability to help your child communicate.  As parents, we've all had the screaming child who obviously wants something, but we just can't figure out what it is.  I'm amazed when I see how much babies are able to convey through signing, often eliminating that trial-and-error process to determine what it is that they would like.  As you can imagine, we learned the sign for MILK!

Here are three good reasons to use American Sign Language (ASL) with your baby:
1. It allows babies to communicate before they can talk.
2. Research supports and encourages its use.
3. The ability to sign enhances learning and may lessen frustrations.
And momstown's 4th reason - it is a lot of FUN!

For more information on WeeHands classes, you can find Karla's website here or you can email her at karla@weehands.com. 

Fogel Photography Teaches Us Their Tips and Tricks!

Want to learn how to get that perfect picture of your baby?  How do the professionals do it?  On Monday, May 28th at 1:30pm, the moms that join the Baby Basics Program will have a chance to learn from an amazing family photographer!  Krista Fogel of Fogel Photography will be coming in and spending some time with the moms.  Learn some tips and tricks that you can use at home or out in nature to capture a beautiful picture of your children.


When my first daughter was born, we received a very generous gift from a close friend for a photo studio session for our new family.  I have never been a huge fan of being in front of the camera, but I was excited to get a family photo done with my new family.  We got there and we were taken to a back room that had cold, hard floors and white walls... it could have been a large closet.  To "transform" the room, we were given the choice of a couple backdrops and some "props".  They even had a few toys for us to prop up with our baby... we had brought her favorite toy, so we opted out of the random toy idea.  When we left this studio, we were happy with the pictures and we did order prints.  Nothing about this was really a bad experience, just nothing special.  What turned us off from the portrait studio was the follow-up service we received.  When we went back in to pickup our prints, they had printed more than we had ordered, plus some weird collage they decided we would love... and it would all only cost us a little more.  My husband stood at that desk fighting to just get the prints we ordered and to get out of there.  They bullied and pressured him until he almost snapped... most tired parents would have caved, which is what I am sure they counted on.  For years to follow, we received phone calls to come back in for an updated photo.  We asked numerous times to be removed from their list, but the phone calls did not end until we moved to another city and changed our phone number.

(Just to be clear, this is not a picture of my daughter's...
just yet another great shot by Fogel Photography)

After my second daughter was born, we wanted to get an updated family photo, but we knew we never wanted to return to a corporate photo studio again.  Yes, there are some great ones out there, but our experience scared us away for a while.  Then, I saw a posting for "mini-sessions" with Fogel Photography at Lil Bean n Green Cafe in Leslieville!  I already spent a lot of my time at the cafe and it was only $40 for a mini-session and 25 Christmas Cards.  What did I have to lose?  So, I signed up.  Krista was amazing!  She hung out with my kids for a while and got so many beautiful and candid shots of my girls.  When she sent me the prints, it was impossible for me to chose just one.  (I had to, but it took me forever!)  Once I chose the shot to use for Christmas cards, I asked Krista for the prices on getting some prints.  There was no pressure and the prices were reasonable!  I ended up getting a 5x7 and I still have it staring at me at this moment.  The picture may be 3 years old now, but it still makes me feel warm and fuzzy.  Just a sweet picture of my girls.  Krista managed to capture the love between my girls, plus highlight their unique personalities and features.  As my 2 girls were on the couch hugging, Krista got a shot from above... you can see the love on their faces and the curl in Elliott's hair... for anyone that knows my girls, their expressions in the shot says it all.


So, to make a long story short, when it came to finding an expert to bring in for the Baby Basics Program, Krista jumped to the front of my mind.  She has a great rapport with kids (and their parents) and she knows how to get some great shots.  Krista has found a lifelong fan in me, so I am super excited to have her come in and teach us some tips and tricks!



If you would like to join us, Krista will be at the Baby Basics Program this Monday (May 28th) at 1:30pm. We meet at Beaches Fitness at 862 Kingston Rd.  If you have any questions or would like to join us, email me at sandra@momstown.ca and I will be more than happy to help you out!


Looking forward to meeting all the new moms and learning from the expert!
Sandra

To check out Krista and more of her work...
Website: www.fogelphotography.ca
Facebook: www.facebook.com/fogelphotography
Blog: www.fogelphoto.wordpress.com
Twitter: www.twitter.com/fogelphoto