Family and Child

Getting Ready for Baby: Photos, Castings and Cord Blood Banking

There's so much to organize before your baby is born. Here are three essential things to get sorted before the newest addition to your family arrives  

By Michael Small /

Preparing before baby’s arrival lets you allocate time for what’s important – family

Three things you need to organize before baby arrives

Having a baby? Well first of all, congrats! I’ve been there twice and have learned that there are a few things you should get organized before your bundle of joy is in your arms. From my experience, here are three things that need to be arranged in advance of your baby’s arrival. I wish I would have known this ahead of time… it would have meant a lot less scrambling at the last minute!

Newborn Photos

The best time to do a newborn photo shoot is when your baby is seven to 14 days old (and trust me, your mind is mush for a few days after birth so having this set up in advance is really important). In my opinion, Jillian Kirby is the best – I call her the baby whisperer because babies just love her. Kirby has been photographing children and families for over six years and has photographed over 350 newborns.
www.jilliankirbybaby.com

Nira Arora Baby
Get things organized in advance so you can enjoy
your beautiful bundle when he or she arrives

Castings

If you’re looking for an extra special keepsake, consider a newborn casting. Abbotsford’s Memory Castings creates personal sculptures using the hands, feet and bum of your little bundle of joy.

Casting appointments can be arranged for as soon as your baby is born, so plan your appointment before the big day. Castings take about 45 seconds per hand and foot.
www.memorycastings.com

Cord Blood Banking

As parents, all we can hope and pray for is a health baby – and when your baby comes into the world, all you want to do is protect them. Realistically, you can’t protect them from everything, but there are a few things that are within our control, like banking your cord blood. Cord blood contains stem cells that can potentially treat illnesses.

I went through Insception Lifebank, and considering how valuable the stem cells are, it’s pretty shocking how easy the process is. All it takes is one phone call after your baby is born and your cord blood is sent to Insception Lifebank for safekeeping for the rest of their life.  But make sure you look into this in advance and have it all set to go. Peace of mind is priceless!
www.insception.com