Hey moms and dads,

We wanted to let our new blog readers know that there’s even more Baby Einstein available online. Check out our official YouTube channel with your little one for clips of your favorite programs, fun videos, wacky puppets, tips and more. You can preview DVDs that you may not have seen yet and share videos with fellow parents to friends. So check it out and prepare for a few giggles out of you and baby!

A Year of Firsts- by Blue-Eyed Bride

When our baby boy was first born, it was hard to imagine him doing anything other than sleeping and eating. Sure, I knew that someday he’d say his first word and take his first steps, but those days seemed such a long way away when we were in the middle of 2 a.m. feedings and diaper changes.

I did know, though, that I wanted to make sure that when those first moments happened, that I was there to see them, marvel over them, record them, and put them in his baby book.

Over the past 14 months, we have been so fortunate to witness all of his firsts. He took his first steps toward his teacher at The Little Gym. His first word was “daddy” and many more words have followed since then. His first trip to the beach was a month after his birthday and he couldn’t get enough of the ocean.

More recently, over the weekend in fact, we took him to get his first haircut. I had been dragging my feet on getting his hair cut because little boys don’t look like babies anymore after they get their hair cut. They look clean cut and like little men.

I had become so attached to the little curls at the top of his neck. And I was starting to get attached to the little mullet that was starting to grow down his neck. That was when my husband put his foot down and decided that it was time to get his haircut.

I decided to take him to my salon because I felt like I could have a little more say in the cut because I know and trust my stylist. I’m positive that I overpaid for the haircut, but that’s okay.

He sat in the adult chair on a little booster and he wore an adult-sized smock. His little blond head looked so tiny in the big black smock and I almost cried when he just sat there calmly looking around. He looked so small, but so grown up.

I fed him snacks to keep his attention and to help keep him still while my mom snapped photos. My husband couldn’t get away from work and I was thrilled that my mom came along to take pictures for us.

As soon as the hair on his forehead was trimmed, I saw this image of a growing boy, not a baby. His little face transformed in an instant and I wanted to cry. But I didn’t. Mostly because I was worried my stylist would think I had lost my mind.

Then his little curls on his neck were snipped off and he had a clean little boy haircut. We got the pictures and we even saved some of the hair from his curls to put in a little envelope in his baby book.

Each little “first” moment is a little bittersweet. I’m so proud of him and everything he can do. He can run, he can talk, he can throw the ball. He knows what we’re saying a lot of the time and responds to us. But each time something happens for the first time, I realize that it will never happen for the first time again. I’m just grateful that I’ve been fortunate enough to witness most of those sweet “first” moments that are most certainly more special to me than they are to him.

You can check out more by The Blue-Eyed Bride at her blog.

What has your most simple yet memorable first been with your baby this year?

 

We recently asked our social media moms and dads for their advice on which Baby Einstein product they would recommend as a must have for an expecting mom to include on her registry. They gave us tons of great suggestions on Facebook and Twitter!

Since you may be asking the same question, we thought we’d share some of their tried and true recommendations for the products mom, dad and baby can’t live without.

Frannie08 tweeted, “any of the dvd’s r great for my almost 2 y.o when we are traveling! She loves the World Animal Adv.”

Jane Lewis said, “My son loved Baby Galileo. I’d recommend the Tug and Teethe Pals too! And of course the puppets. The cow puppet is really cute.”

Imperfectmomma tweeted, “The nighttime cd & the traveling cd too . . . best investments we ever made.”

Mica McDole Wiemann said, “Definitely the exersaucer- my 9 month old still loves it.”

MommyLiving tweeted, “My 16-month-old can’t get enough of the Numbers Nursery DVD when going for a drive. She loves watching it over & over.”

Lori Bassford de Leon said, “The Baby Einstein Jumper! My youngest loved playing in it.”

Ruth Kobrin said, “Your music CDs . . . my boys love them and they’re now 5 and 3.”

LKWHTMomFound tweeted, “The board books are my fave; colorful, sturdy and eye-catching.”

Still not sure what to get the new mom-to-be? Try the You’re Expecting gift set or use our gift finder to discover the perfect gift.

A big thank you to all those who gave these great suggestions. We are sure that fellow parents will be grateful for the tips. And congrats to our expecting moms on your new arrival!

You can trade in that bulky baby bag for something way sleeker thanks to our new app! Download My Baby Einstein and turn your iPhone or iPod Touch into a handheld playground filled with discovery cards, a memory book, music and videos to engage your baby when you’re on-the-go. It’s everything that you both love about Baby Einstein in the palm of your hand. Curious to see what you’ll get? Let’s dive in!

Discovery Cards are interactive flash cards that let you and your baby explore pictures of different themes. A card pops up as a narrator gives you simple facts. There’s even a feature to create your own, personalized flash cards that will keep your baby happy
on-the-go. Here’s a fun tip- if your munchkin misses daddy while he’s at work, you can make a card with his photo and even record his voice to share a personalized greeting!

The Memory Book allows you to capture baby’s every adorable memory as it happens with audio, video and photos. You can customize photos of your little one by adding Baby Einstein characters and text. You can save photos to a photo album or upload them to Facebook to share (and show off) instantly!

The My Baby Einstein app would be incomplete without our award-winning Baby Einstein DVDs that keep baby engaged and put a smile on his face! There are 3 Baby Beethoven videos and 3 Baby Neptune videos included for you to enjoy together.

And of course there is music! From the grocery store to the waiting room, fill any daily destination with music and sing along with your baby to popular songs from the Baby E series! You can choose from popular favorites including the Itsy Bitsy Spider, Wheels on the Bus,
B-I-N-G-O, and more.

For just $3.99, you can download through iTunes or directly on your device. And you’ll be really excited to know that the app will grow with your baby as he develops. If you notice that he’s really excited about animals, nature, a certain type of music or a DVD theme, there are add-ons being constantly added to the store.

Talk about the app with other moms on our Facebook Page and check out Tanya’s review on Mommygoggles.