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By Nicole Mabry, Itsabelly Atlanta Baby Planner

Recently, I had the pleasure of having a great conversation with childbirth educator, Barbara Negelow of Ready Birth. She’s a fascinating woman— a world traveler, a gardener, a motorcycler and a grandmother to eight. In addition to all of these traits, Barbara was recognized this year as a Nurse of Excellence by the Atlanta Journal Constitution.

After exchanging pleasantries about her recent trips to India and Turkey, we talked about Ready Birth, Barbara’s 25 year childbirth education business. Ready Birth is unique because Barbara provides private lessons only. Each course is 2-3 hours conducted in a one day session that is tailored to for each set of expectant parents. If you are a student of Ready Birth, you won’t find yourself in an impersonal classroom setting with ten other sets of parents with ten other sets of agendas for the day. Your childbirth class experience with Ready Birth will be all about you. The one on one setting allows parents-to-be to ask questions specific to their situation without fear of embarrassment or judgment.

Barbara provides support and education in a non-judgmental way and teaches couples any childbirth method that they would like to learn. In all of her years of teaching, she has never had a dissatisfied customer. In fact, she makes mention to her students that if they do not learn all that they need to in their session, then she will schedule a second session free of charge. It is her excellent teaching ability, wealth of knowledge and confidence that encourages her students to develop long term relationships with her and to call back years later when parenting questions arise.

As far as childbirth and parenting styles go, Barbara has seen and heard them all and supports parents in whatever styles they choose. Barbara reminds first time parents that not only is this their first experience with a child, but it is also the child’s first experience with parents. It’s all a learning process for parent and child.

If you are an expectant parent in the Atlanta area and are in need of personalized, one on one childbirth education classes, Ready Birth should be at the top of your consideration list. Special discounts will be given to Itsabelly Atlanta clients so don’t hesitate to call us today!

By Nicole Mabry, Itsabelly Atlanta Baby Planner

The old adage, "One man's trash is another man's treasure" is never more true than after you have a baby.  One of my favorite green parenting tips for new parents is to NOT throw out the trash....at least not until you look at emptied containers to see which ones your baby might like to play with!

First, be sure to make sure that the container is safe to play with.  There should be no small pieces, sharp edges or broken parts.  Some of the best baby toys are canisters and plastic jars.  Second, clean the container and make sure there all of the food is cleared away.  Remove any removable labels or stickers.  I usually give mine a good spin through the dishwasher.  After being inspected and cleaned the containers are ready to give to the baby!

Now that he's crawling, my son loves to watch canisters roll across the floor and chase after them.  I watched his eyes light up as he looked through the clear, clean jar that once held peanut butter.  When he's a little older, we'll turn egg crates into painting palates and paper towel tubes into horns.  I feel good about giving my containers a second useful life and not having those items sitting in a landfill.

As with all toys you give your baby, be sure to periodically inspect your reused/recycled toys for wear and tear.  When they are worn or damaged, you can recycle them.

By Nicole Mabry, Itsabelly Atlanta Baby Planners

Stepping inside the door after being greeted by a giant topiary bunny and bear, I immediately knew that I was being transported to another land.  B Braithwaite, located in the Westside Provisions District is a chic baby boutique inspired by a Parisian boutique - yet amazingly warm with Southern charm.  You'll find that the ladies who work there love babies and babies love them in return!

There's more to love than just great company to enjoy, B Braithwaite is brimming full of luxury products for baby and nursery.    There is also a great selection of green products that prove that "green" doesn't have to be blah.  You'll find a great selection of Itsabelly approved products found in Itsabelly's Guide to Going Green With Baby including Uppababy and Orbit strollers, furniture by Stokke and bottle feeding supplies by Adiri.  You can dress your little one in organic cotton clothing by Seedling Kids and provide organic and natural toys by MiYim and Dandelion.   There is also a fabulous selection of organic cotton crib bedding and bath towels as well as organic crib mattresses.

I had a chat with store owner, Chaffee and she told me that her hands down favorite stroller was the earthfriendly Uppababy G-Luxe.  Itsabelly Baby Planners love Uppababy because of their commitment to the environment; they recycle materials in old strollers and will even help parents to donate or recycle their used strollers - even those that aren't Uppababy's!

Chaffee let me take the G-Luxe on a little test drive around the store.  I found it to be completely "luxe" and loved the lightweight frame and awesome functionality.  When I decided to buy one (I'm a bit of a shopaholic!), the ladies at B. Braithwaite assembled it for me in record time, gave me a "mini class" on all of it's features and carried it out to my car.  Try getting that level of service at one of the "big box retailers"; I can personally remember being 7 months pregnant and having to carry my own unassembled stroller - box and all out to my car!  I was truly in need of a baby planner!

If you're interested in planning a nursery that cradles your baby in the lap of luxury with many green options and amenities, make sure to visit B Braithwaite.

By Nicole Mabry , Itsabelly Atlanta Baby Planners

Located in the Westside Provisions District on Howell Mill Road, is one of Itsabelly Atlanta’s favorite green children’s boutiques – Sprout – A Children’s Store.

The shop carries some of Itsabelly Baby Planner’s favorite brands, including some mentioned in Itsabelly’s Guide to Going Green with Baby.  In the store, you will find an assortment of toys by blabla, Haba Toys and Viking.    On my visit, there, I simply couldn’t resist buying a Viking Truck for my little boy.  Though made of plastic, Viking’s parent company, International Playthings continually scrutinizes its products their materials for lead and other harmful chemicals.  Viking toys are billed as “strong, sanitary and simple” – if they happen to get dirty (a likelihood with little boys!) then parents can just toss them in the top rack of the dishwasher.

In addition to fun toys, Sprout also carries functional, eco-friendly and beautiful furniture.  Some examples include the HiLo chair by AGE Designs, nursery furniture by Oeuf and textiles by Zid Zid Kids.

Once baby is entertained and the nursery is outfitted, the last to be outfitted is your little one.  Two of this baby planner’s favorites – shoes by See Kai Run and great casual clothing by Tea Collection are available at Sprout.

Just a short stroll across the bridge and you’ll find yourself at Sprout’s sister store, Seed Factory – a children’s store for older children.  Seed Factory is a store and more!  Seed Factory has a great play and learning area and holds storytimes and creative classes each week for children from 2 to 12 years of age.

By Nicole Mabry, Itsabelly Atlanta Baby Planners

A great green parenting tip is to make sure you join a Freecycle group in your area. While Freecycle groups aren't just for parents, they're a great way for any household to go green.  Freecyclers post messages about items that they have in their homes that they no longer want and want to give away for free rather than disposing of them.  Instead of ending up in a landfill, the items are recycled into someone else's home.  Once you join a Freecycle group, you can post your unwanted items and view the things that others in your group have to give away.

As our babies are only babies for a short time, there is never a shortage of baby items on Freecycle.  Most of the items are gently used and some have never been used at all.  In cases where the items are not in pristine condition, the poster usually will usually state the condition of items up front.

Think of all of the things around your house that could end up on Freecycle instead of in a landfill!  You don't just have to think of the big things like the bouncy seat your sister in-law swore your baby would love, but just causes him to scream; things that would normally be thrown into the trash, like baby food jars, a hundred plastic hangers from baby pants and the samples of infant formula you received from the hospital can be Freecycled.   Even broken items can be Freecycled; just be sure to state your item's condition in your post so that the recipient knows that they may be getting a fixer-upper.

There are over 100 Freecycle groups in Georgia - many for different Metro-Atlanta cities, counties and neighborhoods.

By Nicole Mabry, Itsabelly Atlanta Baby Planners

Some of my happiest memories as a child involve visiting the library with my parents and grandparents.  It was at the local public library that I learned that books could open up the world to me and the more I learned, the broader my horizons would be.

Since I'm the mommy now, I've started taking my baby to story time at the library.  I can already see that at six months old he's developing a love of books and stories.  He also loves meeting the other babies; I've got quite the social butterfly on my hands.  The librarians work hard to create a fun environment that incorporates learning opportunities, rhythm, activities, fun and fosters a love of reading.  Another added bonus of attending library story times -- you will have the opportunity to meet parents of children that are in the same age group as yours.

Why don't you plan to take your baby or child to one of our Atlanta public libraries for a story time?  Each metro county has plenty of story time offerings for different age groups - from birth through school aged children.  Check out these links for several metro-Atlanta counties' story times:

Atlanta/Fulton County Public Libraries
Cobb County Public Libraries
Gwinnett County Public Libraries

Some library branches require advance registration, so plan to contact the branch before attending a story time with your baby.  Most Cobb County story times are cancelled during the month of May so that the librarians can go into the schools to promote the summer reading program.

A trip to the library can be a green adventure as well.  Libraries are dispersed throughout our communities, so there isn't likely to be a long drive.  Perhaps, you even live close enough for a stroll to the library.  You'll get to ditch the use of your personal utilities for an hour or so and make use of the lights and air conditioning being used at the library.  With frequent visits to the library, you can stop your subscriptions to magazines and catalogs as the library has many of the periodicals available to share.

Story time a one of our Atlanta area Public Libraries - what a fun and FREE way to spend a morning or an afternoon!

Want more information on library story times or more fun, green and FREE activities for you and your baby in the metro Atlanta area?  Contact: Nicole Mabry Baby Planner - Itsabelly Atlanta at nicole@itsa-belly.com or by phone at 678-920-2337.

By Nicole Mabry, Itsabelly Atlanta Baby Planners

When planning for my own baby, I intended to use cloth diapers with him.  With all of the hustle and bustle of welcoming a new baby, I let this priority slip down my "to do" list.  While changing the umpteen-millionth disposable diaper a week ago, I reminded myself that cloth diapering was an important environmental responsibility.

I immediately went into research mode.  There must be a cloth diapering resource somewhere out there!  Fortunately, I was able to locate Atlanta Cloth, a community of cloth diapering parents in the Atlanta area.  Not only is there a website and a forum for cloth diapering parents, but there are also workshops held monthly where parents can get together and learn more about cloth diapering.

I was very excited to attend my first workshop with Atlanta Cloth!  I found Rachel, the moderator, to be extremely knowledgeable.  She had every type of cloth diaper available for me to see and feel.  First she went through the different types of diapers - All in Ones, All in Twos, Fitteds, Pockets, Prefolds and Covers, you name it!  Next she covered the different diaper folding methods for prefolds and encouraged me to try on my own.  Finally, Rachel shared with me some of her secrets and tips for cloth diapering such as the "Jelly Roll Fold" and how to eliminate "baby plumbers' crack".   If you live in the Atlanta area and are planning to cloth diaper your baby, I recommend that you make time to attend one of these informative workshops.

Atlanta Cloth Workshops meet monthly in various locations throughout the metro Atlanta area.  Visit www.atlantacloth.com for more details.

By Nicole Mabry, Itsabelly Atlanta

Atlanta is home to the hospital that delivers the most babies in the United States each year. Now Atlanta is also a new home for Itsabelly Baby Planners!

When I first heard of baby planning – businesses that help expectant families with all the preparations that come along with a new arrival, my first thought was “Why isn’t anyone doing that?” My second thought was, “Why am I not doing that?” Thus, Itsabelly in Atlanta was born.

I’m Nicole Mabry, a new mom and baby planner serving the Atlanta area. When I was expecting my first child, I found myself wading through volumes and volumes of information to make the best selections of products and services for my son. I wanted to be sure I was making the safest, healthiest and most green choices for him. Sorting through that volume of information can be overwhelming for many families, but since research is my passion, I soaked it all up and soon was passing along my findings to other expectant families. Essentially, I was baby planning for friends and family, I just didn’t know it yet!

My educational and employment background is in communications and marketing, but my passion has always been planning, organizing and helping other people succeed. So far, my most important job title has been “Mommy.” I think of baby planning as being a professional “expectant mommy”. I take planning for every new arrival as much to heart as I took my own as all of our babies are precious. I truly love learning more each and every day about supporting new families in their pregnancies, with their new babies and beyond!

If you or a loved one in the Atlanta area are expecting a baby, give Itsabelly a call! We’d love to assist you with all of your baby planning needs and help you get ready for and go green with baby!

To inquire about Nicole’s services please email her at nicole@itsa-belly.com. You can also reach her by phone at 678-920-2337.