Mothercare launches innovative feeding range

MANILA, Philippines - Mothercare’s new feeding range Innosense is a carefully researched and expertly developed range of feeding products that include 31 completely new lines to help parents find everything they need to feed their baby, in the way that comes most naturally to them.

Created with three years of expert insight, vision and passion, and in collaboration with renowned industrial designer, Daniel Weil, the innovative range has 21 design registrations and five patents pending.  Part of this innovation is the unique bottle with an off-center teat designed for better eye contact for bonding between parent and baby while minimizing air ingestion.

Paul Walker, Mothercare head of design, says, “Over the years bottle shape has evolved in the search for the perfect bottle but each has had its pros and cons.  We’ve worked closely with industry experts and mums, and gathered all our innovative know-how to produce this new and unique Innosense range.”

In independent two-week user trials of 210 babies using the new Innosense bottle, 84 percent of parents found the off-center teat helped to reduce burping and winding, 90 percent of parents stated the bottle was “easy” or “very easy” to use and 84 percent of parents found the bottle was “as good” or “better than” their current bottle.

The new Innosense range is available exclusively at all Mothercare stores in Bonifacio High Street, Greenbelt 5, Robinsons Galleria, Robinsons Magnolia, Shangri-la Plaza Mall, SM Masinag, Trinoma, Abreeza Mall Davao, Centrio Mall Cagayan de Oro and Harbor Point Subic.

source: philstar.com

Last-minute bets pour in for British royal baby

LONDON - A flood of last-minute bets on Britain's royal baby poured in on Monday even as Prince William's wife Catherine was in hospital in labor.

Most of the money was going on the name of the third-in-line to the throne, with one bookie suspending betting on the subject.

"The money really is pouring in. We have taken about £30,000 ($45,000, 35,000 euros) in the last three hours. It's unbelievable," Rory Scott, a spokesman for Irish bookmakers Paddy Power, told AFP.

"The majority of that is on the name. We have suspended betting on the date."

Speculation that the baby is a girl, based on a misheard comment by Kate in March, means girls' names are most popular with the punters.

"There is a clear view that the baby will be a girl so there is lots of activity around girls' names," a spokeswoman for British betting firm William Hill told AFP.

"Alexandra and Charlotte are the most popular."

Other favored names are Diana, William's mother's name; Elizabeth, after the current queen; and Victoria, after Britain's longest reigning monarch.

Those who think the baby will be a boy have plumped for George and James.

James is the name of Kate's brother but George has been the favorite "from day one", say the bookies.

Bookies say they have taken more than £1 million in total on what they have called the biggest novelty (non-sporting) market of all time.

Bets have come in from around the world with one Austrian man placing £1,000 on a male baby.

Scott said the amount of money is "quite staggering" and compared to what would be placed on English football's FA Cup final.

"We have taken about £10,000 a day over the weekend," he said.

The most bets by volume have been on the name Diana but they have been smaller amounts of money and it has drifted out of the odds, he said.

The date itself seems nearly certain with firms suspending the betting on Monday now that the Duchess of Cambridge is in labor.

In the run-up it was an unpopular choice of day, though.

"The 17th was the most popular. Only five percent of the bets were placed on today -- today was an outsider," said the William Hill spokeswoman.

"Everyone seemed to think that the baby would come last week."

Even after the birth there will be no rest for the betting firms, with people now betting on Kate's sister putting in an appearance.

"We are running bets now on the colour of the dress Pippa will be wearing on her first visit to the hospital and how many times Pippa will run the media gauntlet, how many times she will enter in the hospital and who will be holding the baby on the steps. The current favourite is William," Scott said.

There are also bets on the godparents with "the usual suspects -- David Beckham, Prince Harry, and Pippa" among the favorites, said the William Hill spokeswoman.

And the betting bonanza could go on for years -- firms are already taking wagers on baby number two.

source: interaksyon.com

This baby stroller is engineered for total safety and ultimate childcare

Buying a stroller is not just for taking the baby on a sweet and smooth ride apparently, but also ensuring the stroller itself is built according to the child’s development. The latest buzz on strollers is the all-new Aprica Karoon Plus stroller that has been upgraded with science-based features and functions that doesn’t just ensure complete protection but is also built to properly pace with your baby’s natural growth and development.

It’s all in the stroller’s “8-5-8 Principle,” which is found in every Aprica product’s design and function. Manufacturers claim they have identified 8 childcare factors to help ward off 5 dangerous risks that can threaten its young rider’s health: oxygen desaturization, shaken baby syndrome, sudden infant death syndrome, sleep disturbance, and risk from increased walking disorders that may interfere with the child’s development and adversely affect his growth.

The eight childcare factors, on the other hand, are: the baby’s head and neck with delicate bones that have yet to merge and be given full protection; the cervical vertebra that babies aren’t able to support on their own yet; the spine that remains vital to function, form and life even into late adulthood; and the lower limbs and hip joints that need extra care during the first years of life. Other factors include the skin, which is very fragile; baby’s respiratory-connected breathing and posture; heart regulation; and lastly, the baby’s biorhythms. Karoon Plus’ double-thermo medical system is said to address these problems. It provides heat protection and a 3D suspension that ensures proper ventilation and smooth movement.

All Aprica products fill the eight essential Key Points of baby care, namely: laying your baby in the supine-flat position, ensuring freedom of respiration with proper posture, regulation of body temperature, protection of feet and hip joints, protection of your baby’s head, neck and spine, ensuring natural sleep patterns, protection from direct sunlight, and having correct gait and posture.

Another handy feature is that it’s lightweight and can be carried by an adult by one hand.

Aprica’s products are available in leading baby stores and department stores in the Philippines.

source: interaksyon.com

Singer Shakira, soccer star Gerard Pique welcome baby boy

BARCELONA – Singer Shakira gave birth to her first child, a boy, on Tuesday in Barcelona, the Colombian pop star said on her website.

The “Hips Don’t Lie” singer and her boyfriend, the Spanish soccer player Gerard Pique, named the six-pound, six-ounce boy Milan.

“Milan (pronounced MEE-lahn) means dear, loving and gracious in Slavic; in Ancient Roman, eager and laborious, and in Sanskrit, unification,” the star said in a statement posted on her website.

“Just like his father, baby Milan became a member of FC Barcelona at birth,” the couple joked in a statement. Pique is a defender for Spanish La Liga runner-up FC Barcelona.

Shakira, 35, announced her pregnancy in September after bowing out of a performance in Las Vegas.

The couple last week asked fans to donate gifts such as mosquito nets and vaccines to help needy children in an online baby shower. Shakira is a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador.

Shakira has signed on to be a judge on the upcoming season of the hit singing contest “The Voice,” which is broadcast by U.S. network NBC. She and R&B singer Usher will replace judges Christina Aguilera and Cee Lo Green.

The singer fist met Pique, 25, in 2010, but only confirmed that they had been in a relationship in March 2011.

source: interaksyon.com

Baby J. Now Has a Net Worth!

Awww yeahhhhhh! Go Baby $ Go Baby $ Go! Or is he Baby J. now? I dunno… Either way, he’s a baby with over $3,000 to his name now! ;) He just opened up his first two financial accounts and I can tell by the way he’s looking at me now that he’s feeling pretty good about it, haha…

1st Account: Savings – $605.01

We had been collecting a few checks that people have sent over when he was born, and it only recently occurred to me that we couldn’t cash them! We have no accounts with the baby’s name on it, haha… Oops. It never crossed my mind until I sat down to deposit them (which is kinda weird, really). But we cleared that up real fast with a quick call to USAA, naturally, and 3 minutes later he had his first official account – Woohoo!

$350 of it came from my winnings of Ramit’s $1,000 Giveaway the other month (I was going to put it into Baby J’s college account, but decided to *match* it instead. Something I’m thinking of doing in the future when he’s old enough to start being taught about money :)), and the rest from friends and family. Not too bad for a 4-month old! That’s more than a lot of people keep in savings unfortunately :(

2nd Account: A College Savings 529 Plan – $2,500.00

I finally decided to make a decision one way or the other with saving for his college, and we went with our state’s 529 plan because they allow you to deduct up to $2,500 a year of what you put in! Which is FREE money right off the bat – making our decision much easier in the end :)

I had originally thought we’d just open one up with USAA so I could have everything in one spot which I thoroughly enjoy, but it turns out you have to do it with whatever financial institution the State has set it up with. Which unfortunately is not USAA… But that’s fine, the money saved with taxes totally makes up for it. At least for as long as we live here (once/if we move, I’ll then see what *that* state offers and if it’s equally good I’ll just roll it all over into a new one with them. And if it sucks, I’ll then go with USAA until/if w move again… No point in throwing away free and EASY money, right?)

And then once we decided on opening the account, it was hard of course to *only* put in the $350 I  had initially set aside for it (that same one from Ramit’s Giveaway I won), so we just said “F it” and poured the full $2,500 into it so that we can max out those tax benefits for the 2012 year. It’s just SO HARD to pass up deals like that! Especially since we have the money sitting there in our Savings just doing nothing… It would be a different story if we didn’t have those reserves and another great reminder of how cash gives you OPTIONS later! It may sit there waiting for opportunities for a little time, but then when you’re ready to move you can just jump right in and work it :)


So Baby Money starts his life out with a few grand to his name! We’ll probably end up doing automatic deposits of $200/mo starting in 2013 to hit our $2,500 goal going forward as well. It’s not the $400/mo or so that “professionals” recommend (ya know, cuz college will be like $3 Billion dollars for everyone then), but it’s a good enough start for now… Maybe we’ll get lucky and our investments will return 15%+ a year to make up for it ;)

Oh, and speaking of which, I just chose one of those Target Date funds for now where all the money will be going… I thought of picking one of the more aggressive stocks-only plans, but I know the wife would worry about it too much so we’re going the more safer route instead ;) Only time will tell if it worked! (And we can change it once a year if we decide to too, which is nice)

Now a question for you: Should we include this in *our* Net Worth updates going forward? Or no?

I know this post is all about the baby having his own net worth and all that, haha, but I’m wondering if it makes sense to still keep it in ours instead? Since really it’s our money that’s allocated to him for later use? (Except for gifts that were directly for him, of course)

I guess it wouldn’t be the end of the world to start tacking two net worths going forward, but I just can’t tell which side makes the most sense anymore… I mean, if  he never uses the college money for whatever reason, wouldn’t it still be OURS? To either give to someone else or cash in and take the penalty hits? My brain hurts from thinking about it… Curious to see what YOU would do.

source: budgetsaresexy.com

Chris Hemsworth and Elsa Pataky Welcome a Daughter

Thor's a dad!

Chris Hemsworth, who flexes his superhero muscles in The Avengers, and his actress wife Elsa Pataky welcomed a baby girl on Friday.

They named their first child India. "We love the country and love the name," Hemsworth, 28, tells USA Today.

Hemsworth, who also stars in the upcoming Snow White and the Huntsman, and Pataky, 35, who appeared in Fast Five, tied the knot in 2010.

When she announced her pregnancy, the Spanish beauty had some other news – for Hemsworth. – saying he'd better brush up on his language skills.

“I’m only going to speak to the baby in Spanish," she said in an interview in Hola! magazine. "I already told my husband, ‘Get ready fast with Spanish because, if not, you’re not going to be able to understand what we say."

source: people.com

Declared dead, baby found alive in Argentine morgue

BUENOS AIRES—A premature baby who had been declared dead was found alive 12 hours later in the morgue, a health official in northeastern Argentina said.

The parents of the baby, who was in serious condition, were going to name her Luciana Abigail but have changed their minds and are calling her Luz Milagros instead, her middle name being the Spanish word for "miracles."

The newborn was determined to be alive after her mother insisted on seeing the body of her daughter at the Hospital Perrando, in the city of Resistencia, Rafael Sabatinelli, the health undersecretary of Chaco province, told the local press Tuesday.

"At night I went with my husband to where the little box was. A man pried it open. I suddenly heard a whimper. She was all covered up and full of something that looked like frost," Analia Bouter, the baby's mother, told the local press.

Sabatinelli said an investigation has been opened to determine who was responsible for mistakenly pronouncing the baby dead.

Five people, including doctors and nurses, have been suspended pending the outcome of the investigation, he said.

"The baby is gravely ill, in critical condition," the official said, explaining that the infant was born prematurely at six months gestation and weighs only 800 grams (1.76 pounds), he said on television. —Agence France-Presse

article source: gmanetwork.com