News

  Baby Made is very excited to have two products nominated for this year’s My Childs Excellence Awards. These awards recognise the best in baby, child and parenting products. The acknowledgment is not just a recognition of the quality and popularity of the products but also gives us great pleasure in the knowledge that families are using these products to create Keepsakes of their little ones that they will cherish for years to come. Both Products nominated are unique modern baby keepsakes. Our All About Me baby book is like no other baby book, it was designed to cater to every type of family configuration , traditional, same sex, single sex or blended family and is written from the child’s point of view. Our Baby Imprint kit is the perfect way to create an impression of your baby’s little hands or feet .There is no plaster or clay so there is no baking or mixing, it uses soft air drying foam that is easy to use and mess free. If you have used these products, we would love your support by voting for the Baby Imprint kit and All about Me Baby Book https://forms.gle/jAbB9StA36n36jCF8    

What is Polydactyly ? Polydactyly is a congenital condition where a baby is born with an extra finger on their hand or an extra toe on their feet. Instead of 5 fingers/toes, baby with polydactyly may have 6 or more.  It is more common than you think and the condition often runs in families. Treatment for polydactyly will depend on the individual case but it may involve surgery to remove the extra finger/toe. Here at Baby Made we have created quite a few 3D casts of the baby / toddler with polydactyly prior to them having their elected surgery. Parents come to us to help them preserve a tangible memory of their child’s unique extra finger or toe in a 3d sculpture before it is surgically removed. It allows them to create a lasting keepsake of their child’s early years and a reminder of their journey.

  You might not know this but our current business ‘Baby Made’ first began in 2002 as ‘Belly Art’ – where we began by creating plaster belly casts of pregnant women’s bellies - and in 2015 our business grew and expanded. We developed a wider range of baby keepsake products and our name changed to Baby Made . Throughout this time we have had a number of varied requests for casts, including women wanting to get a plaster cast of their breasts and torso before they have a mastectomy. This can be a very emotionally challenging time for these women, but by actively addressing the diagnosis in a meaningful way these women take charge of the experience and empower themselves to move forward with strength and resilience. This month I received a call from a lady who wanted to organize to have her friend’s breasts cast before she had her mastectomy. She and a friend of hers wanted to come to our studio with a platter of food and soft drinks and make the casting more of a light, fun experience. The two friends also wanted to do their own breast cast to show support and to try and make the experience less daunting and to take the focus off the friend who was going to be having the mastectomy. They chatted away while each one had the cast done and laughed about the size and shape of the casts and where they would display them. I felt very grateful that I could be a part of creating the casts and share in this experience with these wonderful women. A reminder of the power of friendship and support women have and give each other. They plan to get together and paint designs on the casts or maybe even do another one after the reconstructive surgery. If you would like more information on any of our casting options please call us on 03 95094060 or e-mail us directly at info@babymade.com.au

I don’t know about you but if you’re anything like me, dinner meals are always indecisive. I know some friends who have a routine set in place when it comes to their weekly dinners. You know, spaghetti bolognese on Monday night, taco Tuesday night and so on. However, I’ve never really done that. I like to change it up and try different things if I can (more like, if I can be bothered). Another popular method is using companies like, Marley Spoon & Hello Fresh. I’ve heard how easy it is, it’s all delivered to you and you prepare and cook the meal yourself. It takes the stress out of deciding what to cook for dinner and going to the market to buy all the ingredients. Sometimes I wish I had my own personal chef. Can you imagine eating restaurant-quality food every night?! If I was to ever win the lottery that would be my dream. So, back to reality, what do I cook tonight? Lately, I’ve been making bowls. Well, it’s my take of the poke bowls. The kids love them. I change it up by using different meats and veggies. It’s been my go-to and it covers all the five food groups. The best thing is I make enough so there’s left overs and using the remaining meat or veggies in a pasta dish for another night. What will you be eating for dinner tonight?   Check out this recipe. https://www.taste.com.au/recipes/mexican-chicken-rice-bowl/qph1udte

What is your number? Mine is 10. 10 hours of labour with my firstborn. I will never forget it. The anxiety, the excitement, the fear, the unknown. It didn’t matter how much research and planning when into it, I had no real idea what I was getting myself into. I remember thinking with each contraction as they were getting closer (apart from the excruciating pain) was how am I actually going to do this? It took 10 hours from the time my first contraction started to when my daughter came into the world. Together with the support of my husband and Mum I was able to get through the birth with the good ol’ method of gas. That tube became my best friend I was never letting go of. What also got me through was squeezing the life out of my husband and Mum’s hands as they were taking turns when things were getting intense. Over the years I’ve had many a conversation with other Mums of their birthing experience and the length of their labour. So many different stories but the one common theme with all of them is that they wouldn’t change it for anything. Being a Mum is the ultimate gift. Those 10 hours led to a moment in time that will forever be in my heart, my mind and my soul.

There are so many different thoughts and traditions behind when is the right time to put up your Christmas tree. Most department stores and shopping centres are filled with Christmas bling from October. Tradition states that the tree should go up at the beginning of the Advent calendar which is four Sundays before Christmas Day. Other traditions believe that the tree should go up 12 days before Christmas. In the past it was tradition to put up the tree on Christmas Eve as it was known as bad luck to do it earlier. I have made my own tradition and put our tree up mid-November, usually after my son’s birthday so that we can enjoy the Christmas spirit for a bit longer. All things that go up must come down, so when is the right time for the tree to be packed up? Once again there are different opinions on this too. Some will take it down straight away on Boxing Day. Some will wait until the 1st of January. However, tradition states it should be done 12 days after Christmas. Fake or real? That is the next big question when it comes time to choosing your Christmas tree. Some people love to have a real tree. They enjoy the pine scent that it brings in the home. Others, like myself prefer a nice old-fashioned fake tree. Wherever your traditions lie, Christmas is a special (and stressful) time of year. One tradition I always like to keep at Christmas time is to eat, drink and be merry.

Those tiny little hands and feet don’t stay that tiny for long and what better way to remember how little they once were than by creating perfect prints to keep forever?! It is so easy to capture perfect hand and foot prints using Baby Made’s Baby Inkless Print Kit that we are seeing lots of clever mums creating their own unique records of this precious time.  There’s no end to the gorgeous things you can do with your little one’s prints … from ‘thank you’ cards and 1st birthday invitations to having them applied to our extensive range of unique Print Gifts or framing them to treasure forever! The opportunities are endless but if you need any inspiration to get started on creating your own special memory have a look at what some of our happy customers have come up with...