Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Huggies. As always, all opinions are my own.

Nothing can really prepare you for that magical day when your baby arrives home for the very first time and all of a sudden you’ve truly become a family. You’ve spent months dreaming about this day and making sure every single detail is in order. The nesting stage seems to have put you in overdrive when it comes to making sure that everything your baby will need to feel welcomed, safe and loved is all set.

While there are many essentials our bebesitos need as soon as they are born, the reality is that all they truly desire is to be nurtured and cared by you and papá. To be able to fully be there and present for your little one at all times during those critical first weeks of birth, mamá needs to take care of herself and make sure that once you arrive home you have what you need to be comfortable and rested so you can focus on bonding with your child.

Aside from making sure the nursery is fully equipped to welcome baby, make sure you also prepare your home to meet your immediate needs in this new stage of life. Prepare yourself for a few weeks of new emotions, feelings, sensations and a different pace in your life from what you’ve been used to.

Taking some time beforehand to have a few things around the house taken care of prior to baby’s arrival and checking out other details on Huggies Latino’s Respuestas para Mamá, will make the transition smoother for you. Here are six ideas you might not have considered yet, but that can be very useful:

1. Batch cook a few meals to keep in the freezer and heat up to serve a meal at anytime. It’s essential you’re feeding yourself well, especially if you’re nursing your baby.

2. Have plenty of water at hand. Invest in a filter or make sure to have a refillable water bottle to just keep at your side at all times. Hydration is key as you recover from labor and get back into a sleeping routine.

3. Get a notebook and pen, or a good app on your smartphone, to keep a diary of your baby’s feedings, bowel movements and sleep. This is all essential information that your pediatrician will ask you during your visits and the more detailed information you have, the more useful it is.

4. Keep a digital camera or smartphone close to you at all times because these precious first moments only happen once.

5. In advance of baby’s arrival, find an online site that delivers the baby essentials you will need to replenish on a constant basis, such as Huggies Little Snugglers Diapers, Huggies Natural Care Wipes and formula, if needed. Create an account so that you can quickly access it to have your basics shipped to you immediately. Most don’t charge shipping costs and arrive quickly to your doorstep.

6. Create a playlist of your favorite nursery rhymes and soothing white noise to help baby calm down and ease into sleep.

These first days and weeks are the most intense, yet the most memorable and important for your baby’s development. You will definitely be focused on him, but don’t forget to take care of yourself so you can truly enjoy these moments.

Photo credit: Gabi Menashe on Flickr

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Huggies. As always, all opinions are my own.

As soon as the first trimester uneasiness starts to subside, most new moms start to focus their attention on getting ready for the arrival of their baby. A highlight of all that expectation is preparing the nursery and setting up the baby registry. For moms like me that have family and friends spread out all over the country and even internationally, it’s important to have a well-curated list online that allows anyone to be part of the gift-giving to welcome in the little one, and that also meets the needs of new parents entering this stage in their life.

The first time you go through the process of selecting new baby essentials for your registry can be incredibly overwhelming. We worry about safety, price, durability, ratings, comfort, and so many other things. Now there are great tools like Huggies Respuestas de Mamá and the very useful Guía Bienvenida a tu Bebé that provide lists and endless information to help new moms. It’s also wise to spend some time researching and polling your friends for recommendations on the pricier and most-used items like your baby’s crib, car seat and stroller. Besides those three essentials, here are 10 more that all new moms should include in their baby registry list.

1. Diapers and wipes

Of course you know you’ll need diapers, but you probably still don’t realize exactly how many diapers a tiny person feeding on milk can go through in a day. Huggies Little Snugglers and Huggies Natural Care Wipes are essential to stock up on, especially for newborn babies.

2. Onesies

This sounds a bit obvious and you might think that you’ll probably be gifted so many of these that there’s no point to get more. Trust me on this one — you can never have enough onesies. Put on your registry many options from sizes 0 months-1 year. Infants are messy by nature and you’ll be glad to always have a new and fresh onesie in his dresser and diaper bag to grab at a moment’s notice.

3. Swaddle blankets

These are a life-saver. Babies sleep so much better when they are wrapped snug and tight. Stock up on these for the first months and make sure to get the appropriate thickness and fabric for your climate when your baby is born.

4. Diaper bag

This item will become an essential part of your personality and style for a while. The best diaper bags are a bit pricey, but most are worth it. You want a bag that’s durable, easy to clean, that has many easy to reach compartments to keep things organized, and one that both you and your husband will feel comfortable carrying around.

5. Baby swing or bouncy seat

Want a few minutes to yourself to grab breakfast or even attempt to shower? Get a baby swing or a bouncy seat! Babies love the constant motion and laying them in one of these is very soothing to them. Swings may take up a lot of space, but you will not regret it.

6. A set of baby bottles

Even if you plan to breastfeed your baby, you should have a set of baby bottles to use at any time.

7. Baby sling or carrier

There’s no doubt that babies need to be as close to you as possible, and nothing calms them down more than being next to you. However, mom also needs to get things done and use her hands. Make sure you have a few slings and/or carriers and find the most comfortable one for both you and baby.

8. Baby monitor

Nowadays, these come with so much range in technology that you’ll have to select based on your needs. You might consider choosing one with video so you won’t have to open baby’s door to check on her once you’ve finally put her down to sleep!

9. Diaper pail

At first they look like just a fancy trash can, but the reality is that diaper pails are made to keep both the sight and odors of your baby’s multiple daily dirty diapers far away. You’ll want one.

10. Glider or rocking chair

This one you’ll have to test out for yourself before you add it to your registry. It might be a pricey gift for one person, but perfect for a group gift. Make sure the chair is comfortable for you to sit in while holding a few pounds for a while and that the movement is effortless.

Photo credit: Lisa Rosario on Flickr

This post is sponsored by Huggies Latino.

As a first-time expectant mother the list of things to think about, prepare for, rejoice in and even panic over seems to be endless. It feels like every day not only brings you closer to holding your bebecito in your arms, but also takes you on that magical roller coaster of new emotions.

When my belly started growing with my little girl and I started talking more and more to her, I realized that I also had the additional burden of figuring out if my Mexican-born husband and I should speak to her in our native language of Spanish or in English. En la casa sólo hablamos español, so I knew that it would be very odd for my husband and I to switch to English with our daughter — it just wouldn’t be natural for us. At the same time, we knew English would be the language she’d absorb from her environment no matter what we did, but we still wondered if that would confuse her.

We weren’t alone in our fears that being exposed to multiple languages early on could confuse our baby. We did later find out that our fear was based on misconceptions and lack of knowledge. The scientific fact is that the earlier we start exposing babies to a second language, the more flexible their bilingual brains will be and the more they can identify and separate the sounds of the different languages they are exposed to.

The first window of opportunity to expose babies to multiple languages is during their first year of life (and even starting in the womb!). Babies should be exposed through rich interactions to the two languages at home so their brains can absorb all the sounds and retain them by the time they turn a year old and this window starts to close.

So, as you get ready for your baby’s much-expected arrival by checking out tools like Huggies Respuestas de Mamá and the very useful Guía Bienvenida a tu Bebé, you should also think about the many ways you could expose your child to as many languages as possible. His brain is wired for it, the rest is up to you. I like to say bilingualism is a gift we give our children that no one can take away from them. Plus, if you start immersing them in Spanish right now, they won’t be able to complain or rebel against it — it will just be a natural process.

While raising completely fluent bilingual kids is a commitment and takes a real conscious effort, there are relatively simple ways to kick start the baby’s language exposure even before she’s born.

1. Talk as much as you can. Talking to your baby in the womb and as a newborn is one of the best ways to bond with him. He’s getting used to your loving voice and it gives him comfort. If you or your partner speak Spanish, make sure that you speak it to him a lot. Talk about anything, sing, read, recite a poem — ¡lo que sea! What’s important is that he’s absorbing the sounds of the language and recognizing them from you.

2. It takes a village. Start scoping out your family, friends and community and see who can also provide the necessary language exposure to your child. Abuelas and abuelos that speak Spanish are such a blessing to have. Make sure you make them aware of your wishes and have them become your bilingual accomplices.

3. Stock up on Spanish-language books, toys, music and games. If you’re still being showered with gifts or just starting to plan your registry, make sure you also include some books, music and toys in Spanish to start building your immersive and fun arsenal.

Share: When did you start exposing your child to Spanish or your second language? How did you do it?

This post is sponsored by HUGGIES®

My girl is growing up just as fast as everybody warned me she would. Friends and family kept telling me that “that too shall pass” whenever I would get desesperada with the tough moments that are an essential part of motherhood. At the same time, these wise amigas would remind me that the good moments would pass as well and that I needed to remain as present as possible at all times and suck in as much as I could of those beautiful moments that make motherhood the rewarding, life-changing experience it is.

They would tell me to pause and just be.

They would tell me to document as much as possible, because memory soon fails and betrays us.

They would tell me to take the good and the bad as part of the big, never-stopping pendulum of parenthood.

They would tell me to take care of myself too so I could enjoy the good more and be less reactive to the bad.

They were all right.

Camila is now six and the good moments just keep getting “gooder,” as she prefers to say.

When she asks me to tell her stories about when she was a baby and what she liked, I tell her that one of the moments I remember the most was how I would calm her down during her witching hour tantrums. She loved music and still does. She also loved constant movement, and still does. When she was just months old, I realized that if I carried her in the sling facing forward and I put some music on we could dance in front of the full-body mirror in her room and she’d almost always immediately calm down. I had it down to two songs: “Te Mando Flores” by Fonseca and “Me Enamora” by Juanes.

She was as down with them as I was. Maybe because I had been swaying her to my moves ever since she was in my pancita. In any case, by that time of the day my body needed to so desperately move and let go, and she needed the change in rhythm. We both needed the non-diaper-changing, breastfeeding, stroller-walking kind of bonding.

Until this day, pumping up music and dancing together is still one of the ways we connect the most intimately. Although now she totally controls the tunes. Yep, she’s all grown up.

HUGGIES and Babies “R” Us know that we all have stories like mine to share about those treasured moments we have as new mothers. They’ve launched the Celebrate Good MOMents site to help you welcome your baby, create those wonderful memories and treasure them with a free 5×7 photo book that’s easy to create. All you have to do is visit the site here and enter your Babies “R” Us registry information and you’ll get a free download of a lullaby in Spanish, as well as a promo code for your free photo book.

Share: What are the baby MOMents you treasure the most?

Gracias to Huggies Brand for this sponsored post.

Last week I shared with you that I had been invited by Huggies to host the area they had set up in Fiesta del Sol San Diego. I was there last Sunday meeting so many Latino families from Souther California and even Tijuana.

Parents with little ones were super excited to see the Huggies diaper changing mobile station making it’s very first appearance at this festival before it heads out to other cities. They were grateful to have a clean and fully-equipped place to change their baby’s diapers and even to nurse in private (and with AC!)

I had a blast just meeting everyone and especially talking to all the kids in Spanish. Every single child I met was bilingual — and that’s a beautiful thing in my book!

Representatives from the Huggies brand were also at the Fiesta del Sol to make the announcement of the 100,000 diapers they are donating to Project Concern International, which serves Hispanic families in the San Diego and Lemon Grove area.

It was exciting to be part of of this day with Huggies and hope to hear and see more about the rounds the mobile changing station will be making to provide parents a clean space for somethings as natural as a diaper change.

Follow Huggies on Twitter (@Huggies) and the #HuggiesTestTour conversation; connect on www.facebook.com/huggies or www.facebook.com/huggieslatino to chat with other parents and find out about Huggies Brand offers.

Gracias to Huggies Brand for this sponsored post.

This weekend San Diego, CA will be bustling with Fiesta del Sol, its largest Latino festival, and I’ll be joining Huggies there to be part of the celebrations of their newly announced California Puts Huggies to the Test.  This initiative encourages parents in the Southern California area to put Huggies new and improved products to the summer “fest” test.

Aside from providing festival goers with a free mobile changing station (whose tour kicks off  in Fiesta del Sol!), Huggies Brand will provide diapers to local Hispanic families through Project concern International Partnership and donation.

According to a study commissioned by the Huggies Brand, the single biggest frustration for Latina mothers is the poor condition of public diapering spaces. Just think about it. You’re in a huge festival where the line for the nearest portable toilet is unfathomable and stinky. Where do you change your child other than on the floor or a table? Huggies Brand will come to the rescue by providing attendees at Fiesta del Sol and other community events a solution to their diaper changing challenges — access to a free, clean mobile changing station. What a relief! I’ll make sure to take pictures of it and get reactions from those attending to let you know what it’s like.

Huggies gives back to the local Southern California region

To further assist local Hispanic families in San Diego community, Lemon Grove and neighboring cities with access to their latest diapers and wipes, Huggies Brand has partnered with Project Concern International (PCI) to donate 100,000 diapers through the California Border Healthy Start Project which works with primarily Hispanic families in low-income, high-need communities and through other local partner programs.

The diapers will be delivered to the Project Concern International center on July 22 on behalf of the National Diaper Bank Network (NDBN) – a nonprofit organization founded by Huggies® Every Little Bottom to provide clean, dry diapers to babies in need. Since 2010, Huggies has donated more than 80 million diapers to families in North America through the Every Little Bottom program.

Join the Conversation

Follow Huggies on Twitter (@Huggies) and the #HuggiesTestTour conversation; connect on www.facebook.com/huggies or www.facebook.com/huggieslatino to chat with other parents and find out about Huggies Brand offers.

And follow @SpanglishBaby  Twitter and Instagram on Sunday as I visit the Huggies Test Tour in Fiesta del Sol San Diego

Seems hard to believe that it’s been less than three weeks since we celebrated in Miami the launch of our book “Bilingual is Better.”

We finally got the video to share with all of you just how amazing it was to be surrounded with so many friends, bloggers, celebrities and press that were there to support us, the book and, well…you! Yes, you because you are the one making this a movement, a true and bonifide revolutionof parents who are convinced that bilingual definitely is better and that all kids should be given the option.

We need to thank once more Huggies and Fisher-Price for their support and for believing in what we do. Their contributions to making this party a huge success and unforgettable fun are invaluable.

A huge thanks also goes out to Cool-de-Sac, the awesome space in Miami where we had our party, for letting us take over for the day. If you live anywhere close to their locations in Miami and/or Mexico, you must take your kids there!

And now, enjoy the show!

As I shared with all of you yesterday, Ana and I spent all of last week in Miami for our Bilingual is Better press tour, as well as for our super fun book launch party at Cool de Sac. We had an incredible turnout, including several celebrities and tons of little kids who seemed to be having a blast.

In all honesty, it was a bit hard to see all those kids there having so much fun and enjoying la fiesta knowing that our own kids were so far away back home in Denver and Los Angeles. I would’ve loved for Santiago, Vanessa and Camila to be there with us, but it was simply impossible now that they’re all back to school.

The party was a huge succes thanks to our sponsors and today I’d like to share with you some highlights of Huggies® presence at our book launch celebration. We were honored to have two of Huggies® main spokespersons, Jeannette Torres-Alvarez and Poncho de Anda, as guests and in the slideshow below you’ll be able to see a few pictures of them enjoying our fiesta.

But first, let me tell you about the two Huggies® campaigns they were promoting. Early childhood expert and proud mom of two bilingual kids, Torres-Alvarez took the time to explain the features of Huggies® new Facebook app Respuestas de Mamá.

As spokesperson for Pon Huggies® a Prueba, TV personality and father of two, Poncho de Anda shared how the diaper makers want dads to put their products to the test and then tell them all about it.

Thanks to Huggies® for believing in Bilingual is Better and for making our book launch party an incredible event for all!

[Show as slideshow]

As most of you know already, Ana and I are in the process of promoting our first book, Bilingual is Better, which will be officially released next Tuesday, Sept. 18. To that end, we’ll be in Miami all of next week for several media appearances — details of which we’ll be sharing with you soon in case you’d like to see us — and for our book launch party.

Although nothing would make us happier than to have all of you there to celebrate with us, the party is in South Miami and it’s by invitation only. So we’re taking this opportunity to invite ten (10) of our readers in the Miami/Ft. Lauderdale area and their children to the awesome party we’re throwing at Cool-de-Sac, a super fun indoor playground in Sunset Place.

We will have a book signing and other fun activities para toda la familia! This book launch party wouldn’t be possible without our sponsors, Fisher-Price® and Huggies®, who will have many surprises for you, too!

As a preview, Huggies has invited Jeannette Torres-Alvarez, early childhood expert and proud mom of two bilingual kids, to tell you all about their new Facebook app — Respuestas de Mamás.

Fisher-Price will have on-hand for you and your kids some of their hottest toys of the season to test out and play with, including favorite bilingual ones and their Apptivity line.

The party will take place Thursday, Sept. 20 from 4 to 7 p.m. and all you have to do to be invited is sign up using this form. The first ten (10) people to sign up will automatically receive an invitation as this will be done on a first-come, first-served basis. We’ll also be keeping a waiting list and continue to invite people as the spaces become available once we have a final count.

We’re looking forward to seeing some of you out there so we can finally meet in person!

We also wanted to take this moment to thank all of those who pre-ordered Bilingual is Better on Amazon and have let us know you received your copy through posts on Facebook or on Twitter. ¡Mil gracias! We can’t wait to hear what you think about it!

¡Nos vemos en Miami!

Being a mom to one girl might seem from the outside to be “easier” when it comes to dealing with the messes and stresses of parenting. There’ s only one mouth to feed, one body to clean and clothe, one bilingual mind to nurture. Yet, that also means that this one little person depends solely on her parents for everything from playing to venting.

As a mom to an only child, the biggest stressor is that I become that one person my girl needs complete attention from all the time. Yes, dad is there too, but she usually has a case of “mamitis.” We need to be in the same room all the time, not easy when you’re trying to cook or go to the bathroom. I am the one who receives the most lovely of hugs and beautiful words, but also the one who gets the full extent of her wrath because she has noone else she’s close to to take it out on.

And that’s when our life becomes a bit messy. When mom needs a tiny bit of a break, but the girl just needs mom to applaud, cheer, hold, listen, play, dance, sing, feed at.the.same.time! Ha! I am not complaining one single bit, but it is what it is and it is when I feel the most exhausted. Why? Because, as moms do, I just deal with it.

How I’ve decided to deal with it — because giving her an hermanito(a) isn’t a viable option right now — is like this:

1. Keep her entertained with activities she loves. She loves her weekly ballet and swim classes. Now that she’s turning 5, we’re starting her on gymnastics and more dance. We’ll also explore some art and music and see what she gravitates to.

2. Be more proactive in organizing bilingual playdates for her. She loves being with kids and that’s what we’re missing at home. The more we have kids over or meet at organized events, the smoother things go at home.

3. Encourage her independence more. She’s a highly motivated and independent girl, but when she’s home she has a hard time playing alone. I have to be conscious of dedicating her the time she needs to feel just how loved she is, but I also firmly believe that learning to play or just be alone is an important life skill. This is a tricky one because I don’t want her to feel like I don’t want to be with her, but encourage her to find activities at home she feels happy doing and choosing on her own.

My family’s story  is just one example of how parenting is full of messy moments and how we, as parents, tackle them in our own creative ways.

We’ve partnered with Huggies Latino to share this story so you can be encouraged to share your own story on the Huggies Latino Facebook Page.  Put their new Huggies Natual Care Wipes and Snug and Dry Diapers to the test and tell them about your experience for a chance to win a fully-stocked Huggies diaper bag! And while you’re visiting the Huggies Latino Facebook Page you can also check out smile-inducing webisodes and additional videos — all in Spanish — that feature parenting moments  from TV star Poncho De And a and his wife Lina Amashta with their adorable kids.

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post  from Huggies Latino and Latina Bloggers Connect