DIY Life

New babies feed so often, and new moms are so tired that each feed seems to run into the next; I have a hard enough time remembering what day it is, let alone when and how my little one last ate. I'm notorious for forgetting which side I'm on, so I wear a hair elastic around my wrist and switch it with each feed as a reminder. This takes care of getting her on the right side, but I'm still helpless tracking when and for how long she ate.

This is where a nursing bracelet could really help. If you're demand-feeding, it's important that you know how often your babe ate so that they are getting enough through the course of the day.

The nursing bracelet uses little beads with a charm marker to track the frequency and duration of feeds. You wouldn't need it for long, but those early weeks can be so draining, and this would ease some mental clutter. You'll find the bracelets at the counter of most baby boutiques.

They will run you about $15 and look like something you'd find in a six-year-old's goody-bag. Lucy offers these instructions for making your own nursing bracelet. The great thing about making your own -- aside from saving $15 -- is that it can be something you actually like. Choose trendy or classic beads, and modify the design as much as you want, to suite your own needs and taste.

There are tons of adorable clothing options available for little ones, especially for girls. But what if you get tired of cute?

You can buy some really unique handmade baby items out there from places like Etsy, or you could just do-it-yourself.

Lots of things can be done to personalize onesies. You can apply patches, embroidery, or appliques. You can even convert a onesie into a dress, using fabric you may not normally associate with baby clothing. Sugar skulls, corazones, skulls with bows, and many other not-of-the-norm choices are out there.

For this project, you'll only need a onesie, measuring tape, sewing machine, thread, fabric, elastic, and pins. You don't need much fabric, since it is only forming the skirt part of the dress, so this is an excellent way to use up larger remnants.

Be prepared for other moms to flock to you and your child, asking where on earth you got a dress like that. You can proudly respond, "I made it myself."

Our baby is approaching fourteen months of age. She is a walking demolition machine. Before we go shopping for a Christmas tree this year, I figured it would make sense to do a little Web-surfing first, and see what steps I should take to toddler-proof our tree. I mean, is anything safe from a toddler? Maybe not. In fact, the more I think about it, I'm realizing the safest option might be a nice painting of a Christmas tree. Tacked up high out of her reach, naturally, like everything else in the house these days...

Anyway, here are some tips on toddler-proofing your tree from the readers at BabyNamesWorld:

• Invest in a flexible extended-length baby gate or put the tree inside a playpen or pack 'n' play.
• Get a small (two- or three-foot) tree or a small potted tree and keep in on a table. Use whatever you can (e.g. heavy furniture!) to keep your tot's curious fingers away from the bottom of the tree and the electric lights. This is very important for your child's safety!

November's MagKnits went up a few days ago, slightly late. This month brings us seven new knitting patterns, perfect for late autumn and early winter.

Most of the patterns this month are what I would describe as "quietly useful": attractive, without bowling you over. The standouts are the two sweater patterns: Basic Black, my favorite of the new designs, is a stylish v-neck cardigan, while Fibonacci is a slightly more complex cardigan with stripes and a shawl collar.

Read more about the rest of the new patterns after the break! There's a bunch of cold-weather accessories and a few baby items, one of which is an innovative solution to a problem lots of moms have.

High contrast colors captivate and hold baby's attention better than the softer colors that we might find appealing. This sharp contrast is easier for them to see and far more stimulating. You'll notice that many of the new mobiles have come away from pastel moons and stars and adopted black, white and red images with basic shapes and patterns. These modern mobiles can run you a pretty high bill. Why not skip the baby boutique, grab a few supplies from home, and make your own high contrast mobile.

In my post 8 uses for wire clothes hangers, a baby mobile is one of the suggestions. Here's one of those ideas in action: A high contrast baby mobile using only things you'll have around the house.

Halloween is just around the corner and with it comes the absolute need for a really cool costume. Often times your kids want a super trendy costume along the lines of Master Chief, Star Wars, or Spiderman but sometimes they throw you a curve ball and ask to be a carrot or a scuba diver. Spiderman you can easily find at your local Giganto-Mart but a carrot? Not so much.

Thanks to Parenting Magazine's Halloween Central you can easily make your little one into that carrot and oh so much more the DIY way. There are several off beat costumes for both babies and older kids that you can make yourself fairly inexpensively.