When it comes to planning for baby’s arrival, nothing can cause as much excitement, and potential stress, as designing the nursery. There’s the paint to consider, furniture to order, rugs and window treatments and everything in between – all of which every new parent wants to have just right. We love working with clients on this endeavor, and we recently discovered a fabulous product that makes creating the nursery of your dreams so much easier.

“Baby Spaces” was developed by the dynamic decorating duo at Design Yourself Interiors, Melody Davidson and Kathy Wagner. They have made a nursery “kit” that provides parents-to-be with unique, life-sized furniture templates that you can cut, fold and move again and again (and again!) until you have the perfect nursery set-up. The convenient kit comes with five “furniture footprints” including Bassinet, Changing Table, Chest, Crib and Rocker/Glider, making it easier then ever to “place” your furniture to avoid costly and aggravating mistakes.

Their motto is Dream It! Plan It! Live It! and after trying it our ourselves, we say Go For It!

Here’s another one of our FAQ’s. Keep ‘em coming!

I’m trying to be more environmentally conscious, but the whole diaper thing has me confused. Cloth or disposable?
This is a question we hear all the time. The Baby Planners say, split the difference. Stock your nursery with eco-friendly cloth diapers, and your diaper bag with good old- fashioned disposables for when you’re on the go. If you’re really committed to a green life and have the green to spend, there are some great plastic-free disposable diapers that are worth checking out. Remember, whatever green steps you take today, go a long way for baby tomorrow.

If you have a baby-related product question that you’d like to send us for possible inclusion in our Ask The Baby Planners column, please contact us and mention Q&A in the subject box.

We recently had the pleasure of visiting our lovely friends at Storksak – one of our all time favorite diaper bags! We’re in great company, Brad and Angie are big fans, too, as are a host of other A-list celebs. We may not have much in common with these celebrities, but if they’re anything like us, they too, must surely be impressed with Storksak’s attention to details, both aesthetically and safety- wise. We got a sneak peak of their spring and fall lines – let’s just say, the new bags are as gorgeous and sophisticated as ever!

We’ve always been fans of the classic Elizabeth- but now with offerings in such fabulous spring colors as chalk, blush, and grey, we’re feeling positively giddy! Still, even with an adjustable and detachable strap, padded changing mat, thermo-insulated bottle holder, multiple pockets/compartments, all with a wipe-clean lining, it is the newer, more casual Alex Red Label that caught our eye.

Not only is it at a more accessible price point, but it’s got all of the above accoutrements, plus - we love this! – a main compartment that is spacious enough to fit most laptops. It also makes for the perfect “share” bag – meaning it’s just the right fit for both mom and dad.

While our diaper bag toting days are behind us, we’ll be wearing our Storksak bags for the sheer fun, not to mention, style of it!

We recently got in touch with a wonderful, local organization called the Women’s Care Cottage. We were incredibly moved by their program whose main goal is to transition homeless women into complete self sufficiency. They not only provide homeless women and their children with immediate relief from the streets but offer a real home environment for these women in transition.

In addition to the generous donations of clothing and goods they receive for those under their care, Women’s Care Cottage also offers comprehensive treatment from physical and mental health services to intensive career development and job placement, to health education – we say, bravo!

We were also happy to have been involved last December with Nicole Richie and Joel Madden during the launch of their Richie Madden Children’s Foundation. The Baby Planners were there to help surprise and “shower” new moms and moms-to-be from the LA Free Clinic with tons of baby products thanks to the overwhelming generosity of so many people and corporate sponsors.

For those of you who live in the Los Angeles area, please feel free to get in touch with us to help facilitate any donations, big or small, to either of these wonderful charities that we’re thrilled to be affiliated with.

We were recently contacted by not one, but two fabulous post-delivery services that definitely get The Baby Planners Seal of Approval!

The first outreach was by the amazing Jill Starishevsky, the brilliant founder of HowsMyNanny.com. This is a service run by a New York City prosecutor of child abuse and sex crimes who is also a mother of two. Through this site, parents can purchase a license plate for their stroller that enables the public to anonymously report good or bad nanny observations. Registered parents instantaneously receive an email alerting them to the confidential report – how cool is that?! We think this offers great peace of mind whether your children are with their Nanny every day/all day, or for even just a few hours a week.

But…if you have a gnawing feeling that something’s not quite right with your Nanny, or if you’re going through a family transition (divorce, new house, new job, new baby), or you just need a little extra help in smoothing out that ever tenuous nanny-family bond, we say call on Dr. Lindsay Heller, aka, The Nanny Doctor. Dr. Heller, a Licensed Clinical Psychologist, provides a range of services aimed at improving the quality of the relationship between the child and the nanny from an “attachment theory” perspective. She works with families at every stage in their relationship with their nanny to ensure consistency within the family.

While “sleep expert” is not part of their repertoires, we’re convinced that both of these unique services will help you sleep better at night!

Full-time working moms and moms-to-be face a whole set of child care and baby prep issues all their own. We wrote this article for them.

In today’s Los Angeles Times, there was an article with the headline “Baby Lotions Can Carry Risk, Study Says.” Of course, this topic piqued our interest. To paraphrase, “baby lotions, shampoos and powders carry high concentrations of hormone altering chemicals – called phthalates – that might have male altering reproductive effects” all of which enter children’s bodies through their skin. Manufacturers do not list phthalates as ingredients on labels, so it is unknown which products contain them.

We read, we re-read, and then placed a call to The Baby Planners resident Pediatrician, Dr. JJ Levenstein. Not only is she a wonderful Doctor, but she’s the force behind BabySilk, a fabulous skin care line for babies that is also one of The Baby Planners’ Picks.

The good news is, all BabySilk products are 100% free of phthlates, the controversial ingredient cited in the article. BabySilk is also free of the following: petroleum/petroleum by-products, lanolin, mineral oil, waxes and wheat/gluten which is important for kids with serious allergies or celiac disease, which can be exacerbated by topically applied products.

While reaction to this news is still coming in, and we’ll be sure to bring you updates, we’re relieved that our baby skin care pick remains a safe choice.