The First GentlyMade Giveaway!!!

I am so happy to announce the first GentlyMade Giveaway, just in time for the holidays! After receiving a very generous donation of some gorgeous sweaters, I decided to pass along my good fortune and stitch up a cozy and luxurious sleep sack for some lucky baby to enjoy. This holly-adorned cashmere wearable blanket is sure to keep your little one warm and festive. This will fit through most of the first year. Pull it up over your baby’s tummy to keep their whole body warm when they are small, and move it down to the waist as they grow.

The rules are simple. “Like” us on Facebook, respond to the post announcing the giveaway, and tell as many people as you can! We are working on the honor system here, so please help us spread the word about GentlyMade as best you can. Oh and I also want to mention that you need not be a mama to enter. This is open to all. So if you know anyone who would enjoy this sweet blanket, please enter on their behalf!

The winner will be chosen by a random number generator on December 4th and announced on Facebook. Happy Holidays from GentlyMade!

Homemade Teething Biscuits

I came across this recipe in Wondertime Magazine (January 2009). At the time my son was too old for teething biscuits so I stashed it to use when the next teether came along. I had no idea what I was missing. I made a batch Friday morning and not only were they great for my almost eight month old, the older kids loved them with their milk. I even snagged one to dunk in my tea. They were so easy to put together that they may become my go-to kid treat. We used a little less maple syrup and a little more applesauce. The dough is very dry, but our biscuits held together surprisingly well.  Enjoy!

Maple Teething Biscuits

 

1 ½ Cups unbleached flour
½ Cup whole wheat flour
½ Cup of maple syrup
3 Tablespoons applesauce

Heat oven to 300. Place all ingredients in a medium bowl and stir with a wooden spoon until dough begins to hold together. Dust counter with flour, then transfer contents of bowl to counter. Knead lightly until the dough is smooth, about 3 minutes. (If the dough is difficult to handle, dust with a little more flour.) Roll out with a rolling pin until 1/3 inch thick. Cut into biscuits using an inverted cup and a clean soda-bottle cap (or your thumb) for the hole, or use a doughnut cutter ($3 for 2.5 inch cutter, cooksdream.com ). Transfer biscuits to a greased cookie sheet. Bake until barely browned, about 35 minutes. Let cool completely on a cookie sheet. They’re ready to eat now (under supervision, of course) They’ll harden slightly more if you leave them out overnight. Store for up to 2 weeks in an airtight container.

As always, make sure that you discuss introducing solids and finger foods with your pediatrician and never give them to a baby unsupervised.

Quick and Easy DIY Baby Leg Warmers

 

We love Baby Legs at our house. They are a perfect extra layer for my little guys during the brutal Ithaca winters. They are wonderful “knee pads” for my little scooter. And they are just plain cute. We have several pairs that rotate between the boys, but I wanted to find a way to make them myself so I could add some cute holiday fun without spending tons of money on something they can only wear for a month or two. So I was super excited to come across this idea and decided to give it a try. I think they came out really well and will make a great Halloween treat for the little ones in my life.

Start with a pair of cute socks. The ones shown here are knee socks. They make nice long legwarmers for older toddlers. Babies will do better with regular ankle socks.

Cut just above the heel, so you have a long tube.

Next cut the toe and heel off of the foot of the sock.

You should now have four pieces.

Fold the foot of the sock in half. This will be your cuff.

Pin the cuff to the leg of the sock, making sure to have the patterns facing the correct way and sew in a straight stitch, pulling gently as you go so you leave a little room to stretch.

At this point, I like to reinforce with a zig zag stitch so nothing frays. This is optional.

Repeat with the other sock and TADA! Cute baby leg warmers to add a little flare to your baby’s wardrobe!

 

Gently Growing for Toddlers

The Gently Growing Toddler Movement class is designed for children who are walking confidently and are under three years old, and their caregivers. This class will focus on imagination and learning how the things around us move. This class will include some yoga and dance along with more interactive activities to encourage independent movement and exploration. This class will take place from 9:45- 10:15 am on Wednesday mornings at Jillian’s Drawers on the Ithaca Commons starting June 16th and on Thursday mornings at 9:15 am on the second floor of  213 Aurora Street. Come and join in the fun!

Gently Growing for Babies

The Gently Growing for Babies class is designed for babies (pre walking) and their caregivers. We will be focussing on connecting with your baby through touch and helping him/her explore how their body works. Combining elements of baby massage, yoga and tummy time with rhymes and songs, this is a great way to enjoy the early days of your relationship with your child and to meet other families with young children. This class will take place on Wednesday mornings at Jillian’s Drawers on the Ithaca Commons starting June 16th and on Thursday mornings at 10:00 on the second floor of  213 Aurora Street. If you have an older child be sure to check out the Gently Growing for Toddlers class!

The New Look Of Gently Made

Our new logo is finished! After our computer died, taking all of our files and pictures with it (I know, I know. We should have backed it up!) it was either try to recreate the old logo or give Gently Made a facelift. I voted facelift and started drawing. After many drafts, fights with Artrage, and lots of help from hubby… tada! The new look of Gently Made!

Gently Growing Baby and Toddler Movement Classes!!!

Ithaca parents, if you are looking for a great summertime activity for your little one look no further! I am so excited to announce that Baby and Toddler movement classes are open for enrollment! The first session will start June 2nd. These classes will help you guide your baby in their first explorations of their bodies and the world around them. Share precious moments with your little one with songs, rhymes, dance and baby massage. Space is limited so email Garbi at gentlymade@gmail.com to enroll today!

Baby Cookies

I love to bake. I love the smells, the feel of the the dough, and thinking up new ways to make nutritious treats. I especially love baking for babies. Something about feeding children is just so satisfying.
As soon as my little one was ready for solids, I started looking for recipes. Baby mum mums were a great occasional treat, but they have so much sugar. Dried mango was another option. He loved to suck on it, but I wanted something better. Something comforting. Something homemade.
So here is my recipe for baby cookies. They can be changed around to fit your baby’s needs and tastes.

What you need:
1 cup baby cereal (plain or flavored)

1 cup flour (white, whole wheat, rice…)

1 cup liquid (juice, water, formula or breastmilk)

2 or 3 TBSPs oil or apple sauce

What you do:

Preheat the oven. More options here. Put the oven on 200 for hard teething buiscits, 350 for softer cookies.

Mix liquid and apple sauce or oil. Add the cereal and mix well. The dough will be sticky.

Grease a cookie sheet. You can drop the dough by small spoonfuls on the sheet. You can roll it out and cut out shapes (use lots of flour on your work surface first). OR you can put the dough into a pastry bag (or a plastic bag with the corner cut off) and pipe the dough into rings or logs.

Then bake until they are done. I know that that is vague, but because the recipe has so many options so does the cook time. For hard biscuits cook on 200 until they dry out. If you want cookies bake at 350 until just brown.
Make sure to let them cool all the way before you put them into little hands. These, freeze really well. In fact I used to give them to my teether still frozen to sooth his gums.

Our favorite combo was plain rice cereal, apple juice, rice flour, and apple sauce. The rice flour makes the cookies dissolve quickly.
ENJOY!

The Summertime Challenge

The warm weather is finally making it’s way to frosty Ithaca, NY. The sun is shining, and babies all over town are stretching out their legs, finally free of snow pants. It is time to put forth my summertime challenge.

Most cloth diapering parents can get on board with wool covers. Natural fibers, breathable, recycled… what’s not to love? But when the warm weather comes rolling in, most bail on their woolies. Those sweet little sweater butts lose their appeal when it is 75 and sunny.

I understand, really I do. I mean who would want to wear a wool sweater on a sunny day? Not me. But I’d choose that wool sweater over a trash bag in a heartbeat.

That is the part that is so easy to forget. It is not wool versus cotton. It is wool versus vinyl. So give your woollies a shot. Your baby will thank you. Since wool is so breathable, your baby will not overheat. And look how cute they are!

Officially A Toddler

My little one is now officially a toddler. Yes, he has been walking for months and is babbling up a storm, but I really put his toddlerhood to the test today.

We went to toddler storytime at the library.

I was worried that we’d get dirty looks from the parents of more established toddlers whose children sit the whole time and listen intently to the story. We have been going to “Baby, Books and Bounce Time”, where babies are expected to make noise and crawl all over the place. We love it, but when the “new generation” started coming in and my little walking, talking, gotta check everything out, 15 month old boy was up against a handful of 2 month old babies, I thought it was time to move on.

So we made the leap and to my shock, he sat and listened to the story while the parents of those big kids chased their children around trying to coax them to sit. He checked everyone out with his little legs crossed, like a perfect little sweetheart.

For almost 15 whole minutes.

I was so proud I could hardly keep from smiling when he had finally had enough and made a dive for some little girl’s goldfish.