This just in…we’re a Lilaguide.com 2008 “lilapick”

Lilaguide.com parents have chosen Bellani Maternity as a 2008 “lilapick” – one of the best businesses or products in the baby industry

So what are people saying about Bellani:
Bellani is great- the staff are friendly and helpful and will answer any questions. We took a great “intro to baby” class and are currently in the Itsy-Bitsy Yoga- both great!

I was pregnant with my second child when I discovered Bellani Maternity. It has been wonderful having them here in RI! They have a wealth of information for expecting mothers and moms in general. Being a member they include a vast amount of member benefits! I have taken my breastfeeding class there, which I learned an amazing amount even after already having one child. I take prenatal yoga there which has been unbelievably beneficial during this pregnancy and I’ve been able to demo products that are durable and “worth while” as a parent. They are also a great support group, having lactation consultants, will answer any questions you bring to the forefront, having mom/child support groups, a library for members, scale for weighing newborns (invaluable, especially breastfeeding)and many classes for mothers and children of all different ages. I don’t know how I survived without them! Thank you Kelly and Shanon and all the staff at Bellani!

R.I. was long overdue for a business that is dedicated to providing education and support for couples who are pregnant and for new parents. There are many fabulous classes that allow you to connect with others in your community. The retail aspect is very unique as well with many products you just don’t see anywhere else.

Read these and more reviews at lilaguide. While your there join our group at lilaguide/Bellanimaternity.

Lilaguide is a pretty new concept to our little state. Not that many RI moms know what the lilaguide is when you ask them. But now you’ll be able to find out what the “big” cities are doing. We may be small, but we have some good stuff in this state. By the way, while your there feel free to write your own review.

32 Hours of Education in Car Seat Safety???

Yup…32 hours is the typical amount of time certified car seat safety inspectors spend learning about the proper way to install and properly use car seats. Which is why it is super important to consult a CCSSI (thats my made-up abbreviation for these people) in order to ensure your child is strapped in as securely as possible…here’s some facts and statistics (I’m sitting at the URI library writing this so if it comes across as “academicy” that’s probably why! I’m in the “zone”) :

-Your baby’s risk of death or injury increases tenfold when your car seat is improperly installed or misused.
-When used correctly, your baby’s odds of surviving a bad wreck increase 71%.
-When you are in a car crash, the force your child bears is equal to the weight of the child times the speed before the crash. So for example if your baby weighs 20 pounds, and you are driving 40 mph when you crash, your baby will undergo 1600 pounds of force in just a second. That force can be fatal.
-The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recently reported that up to 82 percent of infant car seats are installed incorrectly, increasing the risk of severe injury or mortality if an accident occurs.

So how do you go about getting you car seat inspected if you haven’t already???

Well you could come join us for Bellani’s 2nd Birthday Bash on October 12 from 1-3pm!!!! We will be having a CCSSI in attendance that day!! (Not to mention lots of other fun activities!!!)

However if you can’t join us on the 12th it still is super important to make sure you car seat is installed and is being used properly! By checking out www.seatcheck.org you can type in your zip code and they will give you the location of where you can have your car seat checked! Or you can also call 1-866-SeatCheck!

Have a great week!!!

Maryann

Beware of the vacuum cleaner

The day the vacuum cleaner ate my little mans hand…….Paxton loves the vacuum cleaner. He crawls around chasing after me as I vacuum the floor. He is very interested in all things to do with the vacuum cleaner, the moment I take it out of the closet he is ooh and ahh in excitement. And then one day, I was using the attachment, so the vacuum was upright and still and he crawled up to it and stuck his hand under it. The spinning of the brush pulled off the first two layers of skin, leaving him with a 2nd degree burn on his hand. You never would of thunk??? Thats why I’m telling this story. He is a tough little man, It’s been 3 weeks and he is healing well.

Jamie

New Moms of Rhode Island

we welcome you! We have another New Moms Group getting ready to begin, and wanted to give everyone a better idea of what to expect when you join a group. The group (anywhere from 4-8 women) meets for eight weeks. A facilitator, a real mom, will be with the group for an hour and a half, but most groups stay for hours in the space once the facilitator leaves. Each week has a topic, whether it be moving past your birth experience, to developmental milestones in newborns, this is just a starting point each week. Moms talk, share, laugh, and sometimes cry. All the while they learn that there are others out there going through this with them. Moms in these groups then meet for coffee, set up playgroups, exercise together and do so much more. We want New Moms in RI to be supported, join us today, our next group begins on October 14, and runs on Tuesdays from 12-1:30 pm

Those moments…

I am sitting here at Bellani in an empty classroom. Here is something I don’t do often! This room is usually bustling with busy toddlers or sweet babies. At the end of a day – I love to take a look around the room and have a quick reflection of what happened inside these walls. I did that as an elementary school teacher as well. After getting prepared for the next day, I would always have a quiet moment before turning the lights out and heading home. I guess I would call it my shavasna – my time to reflect – perhaps have a laugh over something we did (or even a sigh of relief that bed time is getting closer!)
Each week I teach 14 classes. This week alone we had wonderful moments of friends (little tots) hugging friends, a child doing their first forward roll, a nanny’s name being passed on, some great advice on teething, empathetic ears listening to trying times in a Mom’s life, laughs amongst friends, participation for children that spent the first week of the session hiding behind Mom…the list can go on and on. The smiles were many and the moments were what makes my job here the best. This is what I think about in these quiet moments and it comforts me to know that others that I saw this week – may have that “quiet chance” and think about a moment that brings them a laugh or a sigh of relief.
Best, Miss Lisa

Bellani does Birthdays!

Are you looking for a great place to host your child’s Birthday party
that has all the fun without any of the stress? Beginning in November,
Bellani will begin hosting Birthday Bashes.

My name is Stephanie, many of you have seen me at Bellani with my
family and now I will be your Birthday Hostess. I love parties,
especially parties that are fun and entertaining for the whole family.
I have put together an array of fantastic party packages to choose from
to help celebrate your little one’s special day. The best part for
you, other than having your child’s Birthday at a place you love, is
that after you select the package I’ll take care of everything else,
including the clean up! It is a completely stress-free experience for
you. The only thing you’ll need to do is have fun on this memorable
day.

Be on the lookout over the next couple of weeks on the website and in
the store for all the details. I am looking forward to sharing in your
child’s special day! If you have any questions about the parties,
please let me know. Email me at stephanie@bellanimaternity.com

Haba Haba Haba

So, I spent my day yesterday at Bellani unpacking big boxes of new HABA toys (amongst other cool stuff, like little lady bug wheely cars). I’m really going to have to figure out how I’m NOT going to spend my whole paycheck here at Bellani Maybe if I say they are for Christmas I can make myself feel better. You should come in and check out the new stuff, including the infamous Kringelring rattle, the one that helped our Bellani dad to victory, we have them back!

Jamie

OUR BIRTHDAY BASH

Can you believe we are turning two??

Two years ago (maybe two years and two weeks ago). I walked into Bellani’s back door for an interview. Yes, I said the back door. I was running late and Shannon had told me on the phone that they were “behind” Staples. I guess I took it literally. We exchanged names and a few stories and discussed what I could bring to Bellani. I am sooooo happy that I got that call!
The walls were painted but the rooms were all still full of boxes. I was amazed that they felt they were going to open in two weeks. But, you know what? They did and anyone that came on the opening day would never know what it looked like just 14 days prior! I continued to be amazed by what Kelly and Shannon do to support and nuture their customers and store!
So I think we should celebrate with them on October 12th!!
I am helping to plan this special event and it will mean the world to us to have the new and old (if we can call you old after two years!) faces here to join us!
Bellani is turning two and we want to thank all of you!

Sunday, October 12th 1pm-3pm
Two years of service, friendship and care! There will be something for everyone! Music, face painting, a bouncy house, car seat safety checks, a fire truck and a one-time only – Wheel of Fortune! Spin it to see what amazing sales you can earn. From 10% off your purchase to a free session of classes!
Please remember to bring a donation for the Hasbro Children’s Hospital. We want to stock their playroom so that each and every child in their care can have fun.

HERE IS THERE WISH LIST!

Wish List
Child Life services provides opportunities for recreation and relaxation and welcomes donations that keep the playroom fully stocked and the patients happy.

Coloring Books
Suduko/Crossword Puzzle Books
Crayola 8 & 16 pack Crayons
Colored Pencils
Markers
New Release DVDs
(rated G, PG, PG-13)
New Release music CDs
(non-violent)
Video Games (Rated E)
Construction Paper
8 1/2 x 11 White Drawing Paper
Playing Cards
Uno/Phase 10/Quiddler Card Games
Teen Magazines
Bubbles
Rattles and Teethers
Cars and Trucks
Arts and Crafts Kits
Plastic Baby Dolls
Musical Toys
Musical Crib Attachments
Board Books
Barbie Dolls
Latex Free theme BandAids

Gift Certificates are especially appreciated. We strongly recommend the following:

Walmart
Bookstores – Borders/ Barnes and Noble
Bath and Body Works
Target
Toys R Us/Babies R Us/Bellani Maternity
Movies – Hoyts/ Showcase/ IMAX
Old Navy
Any Playskool, Sassy, Baby Einstein, Sesame Street or Disney items are appreciated, as well as items from Lego or Li’l Tikes.

Thank you for your generosity.
SEE YOU THERE!

Have we met?

Well, you can call me Miss Lisa or you can call me the yoga teacher but there is a new title I would like you to use from now on (those of you who know me – first of all expect me to ham this up and secondly know I am totally joking – kind of!) OK, so here it is, my new title: Director of Child Development Programs! Sounds good – uh? What does it all mean? I get an office with a window and then my own hand selected company car! Really it means I get to continue doing what I love – working with the families at Bellani with some added responsibilities like further developing our curriculum (Recently, I attended a training in the Boston area hosted by USA Gymanstics), working with other instructors and planning some fun events (including our birthday bash!)

I am already loving my fall session with all of you in Itsy Bitsy Yoga, Tyke Yoga, Little Explorers, Inchworms and Busy Bees! When we run into one another – please address me appropriately – Hee, Hee!

MyPyramid.gov’s new feature for Pregnant and Breastfeeding Women!

Some very exciting news for all of you nutrition enthusiasts out there…MyPyramid.gov recently added a special feature specifically devoted to pregnant and breast-feeding women. Those of you looking for an interactive way to learn about some dietary guidelines during these times might find this to be a really useful tool! For those of you who are familiar with the Food Guide Pyramid of the past, MyPyramid replaced the old food Guide Pyramid in 2005 as a gold standard in nutrition. MyPyramid creates a personalized food guide pyramid for you as an individual. It is a government regulated website so you know that nobody is out to try to get you to purchase certain types of foods and you can trust the fact that it is a credible source of information. It also emphasizes a balanced diet revolving around moderation (for people like me who love their carbs this is a good thing!). And last but not least, it’s free…and there is not one advertisement on the whole website! Just figured I’d share this information with everybody I was sitting in class today learning about this and knew I had to blog about it! Within the next few months they are also going to be adding a feature to create a healthy lifestyle plan for children under 2 years of age.

Maryann