This is a guest post by Lisa Friedman, owner of SomeoneSpoilMe.com and an expert in giving and getting fabulous gifts. If you haven’t browsed her site yet, trust me when I say you want to. You really, really want to. And you also want to email the link to your husband, mother in law and best friend. Now.

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Baby season is here!

Since summer months = baby months, we thought we would share some helpful advice on fabulous gifts to give the new mom. Yes, in addition to a gift for the baby, it’s also nice to give a gift to the new mom (and for Dads, this is not optional). Here are some of SomeoneSpoilMe.com’s top gifts for the new mom.

Charm Necklaces: Ease postpartum pain and help her look fashionable with the Helen Ficalora Charm Necklace. A perfect gift for the new mom is the “MOM” charm and the child’s initial. Now she will always have her child close to her heart (without the extra 30 pounds).

Brag Books: Mom’s may have different hair color, personality, and traits, but one thing they have in common is that they LOVE to brag. Why not give the new mom an easy way to brag with the Aimee J brag books. Pick a color and personalize this luxurious album.

Photo Stones: While she may have bought a ton of décor for the nursery, she probably did not have time to buy any for her room. A thoughtful and personalized gift is the Keepsake 8×8 photo stones. The toughest decision you will be faced with is deciding which photo to send in.

Momager Cards: Being a mom is a lot to juggle and a lot of responsibility. Help the new mom do it all with these adorable Momager cards. List her baby’s name, her cell and her email. Playdates and carpool arrangements will become so easy.

For more gift advice check out our friends at SomeoneSpoilMe.com.

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SomeoneSpoilMe.com is THE trusted source for giving and getting fabulous gifts. From timeless classics to the latest and greatest must-have items, Someone Spoil Me has expert recommendations sure to “WOW” even the toughest critic. (Your hard to please mother-in law included!) Since it is impossible to buy for friends without spoiling yourself, you can create your very own Wish List by adding items from the Spoil Me Gift Guide or any site on the web. Share your Wish Lists with friends, get the gifts you have been dying to have, and see what your friends want. Gift giving AND spoiling yourself has just become fun, fast and hassle-free!

This is a guest post from Jody Graziano-Jonas, opinionated parent and owner of the fab BabyBam Collection reviewed here.

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How many of us have felt proud that we are keeping our babies best interest at heart when we buy “tear free” shampoos? A lot. Myself included.

However keeping baby’s eyes from burning and stinging is just the beginning!

Did you know that a lot of the “gentle” products on the market actually contain many harmful chemicals? Yes, that’s right.

If you are wondering how safe your diaper rash cream or lotion is, check out The Environmental Working Group’s Children’s Product Guide. They do a great job of wading through the products and rating them on a “hazard” scale.

They warn you about ingredients to avoid such as:

DMDM Hydantoin - Allergen and irritant that can form cancer-causing contaminants
Fragrance - Allergens that may contain neurotoxic or hormone-disrupting chemicals
Ceteareth and PEG compounds - Petrochemicals that may contain cancer-causing impurities

And remember our Little Lathers collection is 100% organic, handmade of only the finest all natural ingredients!

Here’s to keeping baby’s eyes, skin and bum healthy!

This is a guest post from Tiffany of Nature Moms. At her fabulous blog, you’ll find tons of tips for natural and green living as it relates to raising a family.

Easter Sunday is two weeks from today. Here are some great ideas from Tiffany for making it a little more eco-friendly!

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What is eco friendly about Easter? Hmmm…not much. Cheap plastic eggs, plastic grass, candy with too much sugar and loaded with artificial coloring and flavors…. well at least most Easter egg hunts take place in the great outdoors. That is a start.

One of the first steps to having a greener and more eco friendly Easter is too make your own baskets. The ones you can by at the supermarket or Wal-Mart are just a bunch of cheap crap I find. It is not hard to gather little toys and healthy candies to make a quality basket on your own. In fact you can even grow real grass for them. Or use a paper shredder and shred some paper you have around the house. I also found really pretty paper grass you can buy too.

Don’t want to make your own basket? Check out these natural and fair trade Easter baskets.

Next up…consider ditching those conventional egg dying kits and dye your
own eggs using natural coloring techniques. I wrote a post about this last
year with instructions. But in general here is what you use for colors:

For pink and red colored eggs use cranberry juice, beets, or raspberries.

For yellow eggs use saffron or tumeric

For purple eggs use red wine.

For blue eggs use red cabbage leaves or blueberries.

For brown eggs use grape juice, rosehip tea, or coffee.

For orange eggs use yellow onion skins.

You can also use wool eggs! These are sooooo cute. Make your own or buy some from a mom knitter. Here is another cool link using plastic eggs as a form to make wool ones….youare still buying the plastic eggs but they will last for years with a nice wool covering on them.

They don’t have candy in them but… hey that’s a GOOD thing. And they are more expensive but they can be reused again every year. Have your kids find them and trade them in for some treat of your choosing. But make sure keep track of everywhere you hid them because you’ll want to pick up any they didn’t find.

Also, make sure to invest in quality baskets that you can reuse every year. I have an Easter basket collection going in my basement so in a week or so when I start to put my baskets together I will just go down there and grab a couple.

Perhaps the biggest struggle for natural parents on Easter is candy. I know I can’t afford to slip up too much with unhealthy treats or my kids will have a melt down…especially my daughter…it isn’t pretty. There is nothing like a beautiful little princess in her Sunday best throwing herself on the ground in a tantrum because she wants one more Tootsie Roll.

For healthier candy options try these:

Yummy Earth Organic Lollipops

Fruitabu Organic Smooshed Fruit Rolls

Squirrels Nest

Non-candy treats and gifts to consider:

Pineapple Flavored - Recycled Pencils

Soybean Crayons

Basura Coin Purse

Natural Finger Paint for Kids

Kids Gardening Kit

Bunny in the Box

Egg Shaped Chalk

Barefoot Books

Homemade Play Dough, Bubbles, or Silly Putty

Wool Flowers in a Metal Pot

The Velveteen Rabbit

Funky Stuffed Animals

Have a happy and green Easter everyone!

This is a guest post from Jody Graziano-Jonas, opinionated parent and owner of the fab BabyBam Collection reviewed here.

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Have you been wondering how safe the teether is your baby is using, or the dump truck your toddler loves, or how about your little girl’s favorite Barbie?

With the recent scares of lead poisoning, etc., The Consumer Action Guide has created a website where you can check the toxic chemicals in your kids’ toys.

No more wondering if your kids toys are safe or not!!