a magazine subscription. There are
two relativ
unknown but informa
tive, reassuring and thought-provo
ing magazines called The Nurturing
• Parent (1-800-810-8401), and
Mothering (1-800-984-81 16).
If you look in the yellow pages
under Safety Consultants, you will
find several companies that will
come to a house and make it safe
for a baby. It's a service new par-
ents might not normally consider for
themselves, but would
gladly accept as gift.
Or you can order-
the Family Safety
Video Series, a
collection of three
videos with safety-
proofing how-to
• tips for new par-
ents. Produced by
SafetyTech of
Plymouth Township
(1-800-723-3637),
the tapes were cre-
ated by Farmington
fire fighter John
Zylka.
They con-
*
tain informa-
tion that
Zylka says
every fire
fighter wished every new mom
knew," and are intended to help
minimize or prevent household
emergencies.
A few miscellaneous, but creative
gifts can be found at the Right Start
store at Somerset Collection or
Twelve Oaks Mall.
Anyone who has ever given a
bath to a baby would appreciate
the Bathe'r Save'r. One of those l-
wish-they-had-it-when-my-children-
were-little gifts, it consists of a pad
for an adult's elbows and knees.
Right Start also carries a reference
book, Babycare for Beginners that
new mothers would enjoy.
For natural, personal care, such
as stress relief or body creams and
lotions, the Right Start has Murad
products, imported from Italy and
unavailable anywhere else. A baby

"

*

sling or the Baby Hold Me Safe (a
seat that attaches to a grocery cart)
are great gifts any mother will cher-
ish as she quickly realizes that her
title of "mother" also means she no
longer has use of both hands.
To complete the look of a nursery,
Kinderware of Keego Harbor sells
hand-painted baby furniture, tiles or
accessors, or you can hire the

store's artist (by the hour or the job)
to custom paint a mural on
the walls of the nursery, or
designs on various pieces of
-furniture.
A photography gift cer-
tificate is a novel idea
that both helps defer the
cost of photos and
encourages parents to
get their baby's picture
taken. You can call a
traditional studio, or
opt for more unusual
ones such as Seeger
People in
Birmingham. For
their "In and Out"
special, the new
mother and baby receive a three-
dimensional photographic sculp-
ture or "figurine" of themselves.
The Heart and Sound
Soother with Timer, available at
the Sharper Image at Somerset
Collection or Twelve Oaks,
has five restful
sounds, including a
babbling brook and
summer night lullaby for
mom, and a heartbeat
for baby, which includes a
timer that turns off after 45
minutes. The sounds are
intended to mask traffic
noise, barking and stereos.
What sleep-deprived
mother wouldn't
appreciate -the pos-
sibility of a few
more minutes of
rest?
As the song
goes, "Some of the
best things in life are
free," so don't forget
thoughtful gestures like
a handmade coupon
book or gift certificates
for meals, videos,
snacks, entertainment,
errand running, chat
sessions (with frequent
reassurance for the first-time moth-
er) and of course, baby sitting. ❑

10/31
1997

71

