News and Updates

Sorry it has been over a month since we last blogged! We have been extremely busy trying to get everything on Supermommy's Superstore, as well as add new products. We have successfully merged our sites and you will find (almost) everything previously available at Belly Rubs 2 Baby Hugs on Supermommy's Superstore. There are still a few items not there and if you cannot find an item that was previously on Belly Rubs 2 Baby Hugs but has not yet been added, please contact us and we will be happy to add it for you.


New arrivals:
There are a lot of new things on Supermommy's Superstore!

First is the arrival of Adiri's 3 Stage Multi Pack. This pack includes 1 of each stage bottle and is priced at $34.50.

Baby Kaed bags are now available, including the new Dhara, Sheri, and Shanti Bags. We also have the Dali Daddy Bag, which has become very popular choice for those men who go from Dad to Executive because it accommodates your laptop, too.

Next up is L'ovedbaby Cotton Basics Clothing. We have stocked spring and summer styles in a variety of colors. We also have the new L'ovedbaby receiving blanket to complete your layette.

Also a hot seller is the Bumpil On The Way Combination Pillow. This multi-functional pillow serves as a maternity support pillow, feeding support pillow, incline baby positioner, tummy time, and can be opened to form an infant play area. Priced at just $68 with free shipping, you will get plenty of use for your money!


Coming soon:
bumGenius diapers are on the way and we are currently accepting pre-orders. We also have an excellent starter pack available for first time parents or to send as a awesome baby gift.

Western Chief Kids will also be arriving later this month. We will have a full line of products include boots, umbrellas, and raincoats. Toddlers and preschoolers love to wear this character gear...and look too cute, too!


Just a note: If you have previously shopped with us before, you will notice a change in our shopping cart at checkout. We have recently made a few changes to make your shipping rates more accurate based on your location and allowed us to offer several shipping options to best suit your needs. All rates shown are actual shipping rates plus our small handling fee. We have always worked to keep our shipping rates in check and we feel this new shopping cart will be very beneficial in allowing you to choose your preferred method of delivery based on estimated delivery time and cost.


As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact us. Have a great weekend!

Gina, owner
Supermommy's Superstore
www.SupermommysSuperstore.com

Belly Rubs 2 Baby Hugs to join Supermommy's Superstore

Beginning April 1, 2008 Belly Rubs 2 Baby Hugs will begin merging with our parent company's site, Supermommy's Superstore. This transition is expected to be completed by May 1, 2008. All products and inventory will be added to Supermommy's Superstore during the next 2-3 weeks.

We will still offer the same exceptional customer service as always and will continue to process orders through Belly Rubs 2 Baby Hugs, however, you will not notice any new items appearing. Eventually, Belly Rubs 2 Baby Hugs will be redirected to Supermommy's Superstore.

We invite you to visit Supermommy's Superstore and check out the new items we have in stock. You find a complete line of Earth Mama Angel Baby and our newest addition, Bumpil's On The Way Combination Pillow. We are in the process of adding the entire line of Avent, L'ovedbaby, Mamma's Milk, and the Heart-n-Sole Diamond Necklace Collection. We will also be adding SnoPea clothing and The Mommy District's Nursing Covers in the next couple of weeks.

We thank all of our Belly Rubs 2 Baby Hugs customers for their business and hope you will continue to shop with us at SupermommysSuperstore.com.

New Parent Tip-of-the-Week: Helping Newborns Sleep Better

Does baby sleep like an angel while in your arms or lying your chest but not in bed? We have three tips to help baby sleep like an angel in bed, too.

• First, baby is lulled by the sound of your heart because this is a comforting sound. This sound lulled baby to sleep for 9 months and baby came to rely on it. Today's technology has made it very easy for you to offer baby this same comfort outside of the womb with modern soothers like Cloud b's Sleep Sheep. The sounds produced by Sleep Sheep replicate those of mommy's heartbeat and offer baby the same comfort as mommy's tummy.
• Secondly, baby's sense of smell is very keen, even early in life. The smell of mommy and daddy are also comforting to baby because these are the first smells baby experienced and they quickly become very familiar to baby. Baby knows these smells offer security and comfort. To help baby know you are still close by, place a shirt mommy or daddy has worn near baby but out of reach (over the railing of the bed or at least a foot away from baby's body). Baby can still smell mommy or daddy and know comfort is close by, making baby more relaxed and apt to sleep. If placing a shirt near baby is not an option, sleep on baby's sheet one night and then place the sheet on baby's bed. This has the same effect as the shirt and is a good option for fidgety babies or babies which can roll. If you sleep on baby's sheet, be careful not to get lotions, colognes, perfumes, night creams, or other irritating substances on baby's sheet.
  
• Lastly, lay a heating pad in baby's bed while you are preparing baby for bed (i.e. feeding or bathing). Turn the heating pad on the lowest setting. This will gently warm the spot in which you will place baby. A cold bed/sheet can be startling to baby, especially after being in warm arms. Never lay baby on the heating pad or overheat baby's bed! Always completely remove the heating pad and cord from the crib before placing baby in the bed. Make sure the heating pad is turned off immediately after using. If you are worried about leaving the heating pad on, you may want to plug it into a wall timer so it will automatically shut off or purchase a newer model which offers automatic shut off.

We hope these tips help baby and parents receive some much needed shut eye. Goodnight!

Parent-to-be Tip of the Week: Prepare your electronic birth announcement in advance

If you are like many families, you have family and friends in other states and possibly even other countries. If you communicate via email, you will want to announce the birth of your new arrival this way as well. It is an instant way to share pictures and information about your new bundle of joy.

Get ready to tell everyone by creating your draft email a few weeks prior to your due date. This allows you to customize your announcement and have everything ready except adding your delivery information and pictures. Go back to your draft a couple of times after creating it to make sure you have included all of the information you wish to share and to make sure every recipient is listed. After baby arrives, just type in the final details and out it goes without the worries of forgetting to email it to someone important or omitting information you wanted to include but forgot.

Happy Spring!

Parent-2-be Tip of the Week: Helping Pets Adjust

If you have pets, you may worry about how they will adjust to your new arrival. Here is a tip we received from our pediatrician before our first child was born:

Wash two receiving blankets in baby's laundry detergent and offer one to your pet to smell, rub, and lay on before baby is born. Take the other receiving blanket to the hospital in your bag. After baby is born, wrap baby in the receiving blanket you brought from home. Once baby's scent has well covered the blanket, have Dad or another family member your pet is familiar with take the blanket home a day or so before you bring baby home. Allow your pet to smell, rub and lay on the blanket. This will familiarize your pet with the smell of the baby before baby comes home. This will also help ease your pet's anxiety about a 'stranger' being in the home and begin to ease your pet into the transition of another family member being added to the house.

When you arrive home, greet your pet without baby in arms so your pet knows you still love them and baby is not suddenly replacing your pet. Once your pet has calmed down, allow your pet to greet baby, making sure someone is around the control the pet while you hold baby. Increase baby's exposure to your pet over several days, making sure your pet still receives adequate love and attention. If possible, have someone care for your pet for those first few days while you adjust to the extra demands and exhaustion of having baby home. In no time, your pet and baby will become faithful companions!

Best wishes from our four furry friends!

Adiri Stage 1 Nursers back in stock

Just a quick note to tell everyone Adiri Stage 1 Nursers are back in stock. We have all 3 Stages available for $11.50 each with FREE shipping all orders over $75. Thank you for your patience as we restocked!

Gina
Belly Rubs 2 Baby Hugs
--A Divsion of Supermommy's Superstore, LLC

Parent-2-be Tip-of-the-week: Take a vacation before baby is born

Your friends and family may have mentioned this to you, but you shrugged it off. We'll say it again, take a vacation, even a weekend getaway, before baby is born. You will enjoy the relaxing time before the stresses and sleep deprivation of new parenthood set in. Many couples fear traveling with baby and often avoid it so you will be glad you took the trip if you don't think you will be traveling again for a while.

If you have children already, you may choose to take your children to spend some great family time before your new arrival debuts or you may choose to travel as just a couple. Parents often forget to take that very important couple time after they begin having children. If you have reliable, trustworthy child care, take advantage of the couple time. If strengthens your relationship and offers you time to focus on each other without the daily demands of caring for a child/children.

Of course, as with anything, check with your doctor to confirm it is okay to travel. If you are traveling by car, stop every hour to stretch your legs and walk around so you reduce the risk of blood clots. If you are traveling by plane, choose an aisle seat so it will be easier to excuse yourself when you need to use the restroom and will also allow you to walk, again to reduce your risk of developing blood clots in your legs. Mommy-2-be should also drink more water than usual to keep yourself hydrated.

Now, book a room and relax--it will be your last time to do nothing for several weeks!

Great sale through this weekend!!

Hi Bloggers!

Since we have been behind on blogging due to issues on the homefront, we are going to offer free shipping on all purchases over $50 through this weekend. Discount is automatically applied at checkout. Discount good on shipments in the US only.

Have a great rest of the week!

Parent tip-of-the-week: Mini bag for your car

If you are like many parents, you received a mini diaper bag for a baby gift. However, it seems when you first start out, all of that 'stuff' just won't fit in such a little bag, even for a quick trip. You can still put those mini bags to good use. Stock a mini bag with 2-3 diapers, wipes (stored in a ziploc bag so they don't dry out), onesie, receiving blanket, change of clothes and a plastic bag. You can also include a pacifier and empty bottle if baby uses them, or any other necessity you may need away from home. Breastfeeding moms may want to include nursing pads. Now stash this bag in your car, truck or van for emergencies. You don't have to worry about running out of diapers or having a messy outfit without a change of clothes. We have a bag in each of our vehicles and they have come in handy on many occasions. Just don't forget to change out clothing and diaper sizes and baby grows!

Checking in...

Hi BR2BH blog readers!

We hope everyone is safe and well after the bad weather that has ripped through the U.S. this week. It has been a pretty crazy week for our family, as we were affected by the storms that ravaged our area. We have been out most of the week trying to clean up and salvage what could be saved. Rest assured, all orders are still being shipped on time, most next business day and all emails are being answered promptly. However, we have not posted any new items to our site or to our blog. We hope things settle down a little bit next week and we will have more to post.

We do have a special offer this week and we also have our parent company's Grand Opening. Enter the voucher code 'blogit' for 10% off of your order at Belly Rubs 2 Baby Hugs. Shop our parent company's site, SupermommysSuperstore.com, and receive a coupon for 10% off of a future purchase.

See you next week!

Parent-2-Be Tip of the Week -- Return to work mid-week

Like many parents-to-be, you may be thinking about your maternity/paternity leave and planning how long you would like to be off. First of all, be sure to contact your employer or employer's human resources department to confirm your employer's medical leave policy and if you qualify for FMLA (Family Medical Leave Act). Once you have your employer's information in hand, plan how long you would like to be off from work, adjust your finances to accommodate this leave, then notify your employer of your plans. Make sure you and your employer are in agreement so you will have a job to return to post baby. Of course, unless you having a scheduled birth, your delivery day may change but at least your employer will be prepared for your leave.

Okay, I'm sure you've already heard most, if not all, of the above information. One thing most parents do not take into consideration is the day of the week they return to work. This was not something anyone told us about or offered any great tips on so we just did what we thought would work. However, when that Monday came for my husband to return to work, the trying times set in and I thought 'I have the whole week to do this solo.' Then came time for me to go back and the thought changed to 'I have to do this all week'. We quickly realized that a Monday return is not the best choice for neither Mom or Dad's return unless you are lucky enough to have someone come over and help out. We weren't that lucky! :(

So when baby arrives and you call to tell your boss when you will be returning, make sure it is a mid-week return. This eases you back into the work routine and makes time away from baby a little more bearable because you know the weekend is coming soon. It is also easier for breastfeeding moms because it is less stressful to return for a couple of days than an entire week. Less stress means less of an impact on mom's milk supply, too.

Enjoy those early days with baby, take notes, take even more pictures and remember, you can do this!

Back up and running

Just a quick note to let everyone know we are back up and running. It took a little longer than we expected but we believe all of our server issues have been resolved.

Sorry for any inconveniences anyone may have encountered. If were trying to place an order before and were not able, please try again. If you experience any troubles, please contact us so we can get the problem fixed.

Thanks to all for your patience!

Gina, owner
Belly Rubs 2 Baby Hugs
--A Division of Supermommy's Superstore, LLC

International Shipments

Effective February 1, 2008, all international shipments, including shipments to Canada will be shipped via USPS Priority Mail International. We realize this is more expensive for smaller, lighter shipments, however, the deliveries arrive in a more timely manner, include partial or full insurance coverage and provide tracking. As before, all international shipments incur shipping charges. Even if shipping charges do not appear in the cart at checkout (i.e. purchases over $150), shipping charges will be added to your total amount and charged to your card. We apologize for any inconveniences this may cause but we made this decision in the best interest of our customers and to insure we are offering the best customer service possible.

Thanks to all for your business!

Gina, owner
Belly Rubs 2 Baby Hugs
--A Division of Supermommy's Superstore, LLC

New Parent Tip-of-the-week: White Noise

Hi everyone! Sorry for the delay this week! Our site has been up and down all week so we have exhausted ourselves trying to get it back to full speed. We apologize to anyone who has had trouble contacting us or placing an order.

This week's tip is to help baby (and parents) sleep better. Doctors and scientist have said that white noise soothes babies and helps them sleep better and longer. We have found this to be true at our house and have found an inexpensive item to create white noise and help your baby (and you) sleep better.

Visit your local department or hardware store and buy a small fan--the noisiest one you can find. Wal-mart and Target often have smaller fans, less than a foot in diameter for under $10. Place fan in baby's room well away from the crib and baby monitor. Do not turn the fan's airflow toward the crib either. We recommend a wall mounted fan or place the fan on a dresser out of baby's reach, making sure all power cords are tucked away and outlets are covered. We have our fan turned straight up so the air is blowing toward the ceiling.

Now, find the setting that offers a gentle hum but not so loud that it drowns out baby's sounds over the monitor. You may want to test out the settings while baby is down for a nap so you become acquainted to the sounds over the baby monitor. Not only does the fan create white noise but it also blocks out the sounds of traffic or in our case, the neighbor's barking dogs. This also allows parents to do work around the house without worrying about the noise waking baby.

We have been using fans in our children's rooms since they were infants and we have all slept better. Our babies took longer naps and slept for longer periods of time during the night. We even take our small fans on vacation to block out the noise of people in the hallways. Hope it works for you, too!

Sweet dreams!

Site problems

Just wanted to let everyone know you may encounter an occasional error message when shopping over the next couple of days but if you allow a couple of minutes and then refresh, you should be able to continue shopping. Our email is also running extremely slow so if you do not receive a reply from us within 24 hours, please contact us again. Our web hosting company has had so many problems in the last week that we were forced to change companies so we could get some new products added to our site. We hope to have everything back to normal by Monday.

Thanks in advance for your patience!

Gina, owner
Belly Rubs 2 Baby Hugs
--A Division of Supermommy's Superstore, LLC

Our parent company's site Grand Opening

Our parent company, Supermommy's Superstore, is having their web store Grand Opening this week. Although our web store is fairly new, our parent company has been in business for over a year. Supermommy's Superstore features products for infants, toddlers and preschoolers. When your tots have outgrown Belly Rubs 2 Baby Hugs, you can visit us at Supermommy's Superstore for more great items.

Grand Opening special: Every customer making a purchase this week at www.SupermommysSuperstore.com will receive a coupon code for 10% off of their next purchase at Supermommy's Superstore. We still have lots to add to this site so shop with us today, add us to your favorites and check back often as our list of superb products grows!

Parent tip-of-the-week: No more lost baby socks

We were always 'losing' baby socks in the laundry because they would get stuck in shirt sleeves, pants legs, and even in other socks so we found an easy solution to keep baby socks together and make putting them away a cinch.

Use a safety pin to pin the toes of the socks together before throwing them in the hamper. This keeps socks together in the wash and make it simple to find the mate when putting them away. This tip also works well on mittens and gloves.

Please note: Keep all pins out of reach of children at all times. Never use a pin on a young child's clothing while clothing is on the child. This suggestion is only meant to be used on clothing off of baby's body.

Belli has arrived!!

We are proud to announce we are now a Belli Cosmetics retailer!

Belli is the only skin care brand in the world that utilizes a teratology screening process to screen for teratogens--any substance capable of interfering with the fetus causing birth defects. This ensures that no ingredients in Belli's formulations have ever been linked to birth defects. Many commonly used skin-care ingredients are teratogens, even some organic ingredients are teratogens. Belli's Baby and Motherhood lines are also tested for teratogens:

• Belli Motherhood is LactMed screened to avoid ingredients linked to harmful effects during breastfeeding.
• Belli Baby is screened for xenoestrogens—chemicals which can act like hormones that interfere with normal development of the reproductive system.

So no matter which Belli products you use, you can have peace of mind erring on the side of caution. Every Belli porduct is also allergy tested, free of synthetic dyes and paraben preservatives.

We have a full line of Belli products in stock including Belli Baby, Belli Motherhood and Belli Pregnancy. If you have never tried Belli, check out one of their gift sets. They make the perfect gift or an excellent sampler for yourself!

Parent tip-of-the-week: Always carry crayons!

~You're waiting for dinner and your toddler is getting very restless.
~You're standing in line at the grocery store but still have 3 more customers in front of you.
~You're at the doctor's office and finished flipping through every magazine/book in the room and still have to wait. These are all scenes that we have played out with a bored toddler.

Here is a cheap, easy-to-carry tip to keep your toddler occupied when everyone's patience is wearing thin. Always carry a small bag of crayons in your purse or diaper bag. We use the snack size Ziploc bags with 4-6 crayons inside. Tuck a couple of sheets of paper in your bag and you're ready!

Children as young as 12 months (possibly younger depending on fine motor skill development) can scribble and find coloring to be entertaining. Draw pictures for them and create a learning moment in the middle of Wal-mart. If it gets you through the checkout without a meltdown, who cares what people think about your artwork. Your child will love it!

When you are at the doctor's office, your toddler can color on the paper across the exam table while you're waiting to see the doctor. When the doctor or nurse arrives, your child can show off his/her artwork. (Our eight year old still loves to draw pictures on the paper.)

Forget your paper? Most restaurants and offices will gladly give you piece of paper so don't be afraid to ask.

Hope you find this tip helpful! See you next week!

No tip this week

We will not be posting this week because our daughter is ill and our time and energy are going to our family. We will be back next week to resume our tip-of-the-week. Thanks for your understanding!

At this time, all orders are still being shipped on time.

Do check out our site for some exciting new arrivals coming soon, as well as our recent newcomers: Earth Mama Angel Baby and Moby Wrap.

Have a great weekend!