I don’t think there are many people out there who would disagree with the statement that babies are just super cute, right?! And I know that us mums, just LOVE to photograph their babies as much as possible (at least I do). Anyone else catch themselves looking at photos of their babies when they’re sleeping. I’m so guilty of this. But lets be honest, photographing insta-worthy pics of our little babes can be super tricky. Often, they don’t cooperate, they’re not in the mood and it can take longer than you thought it would and you both just end up getting frustrated. At least, that’s what I’ve found. So I decided to write up a post about some tips and tricks that I’ve picked up over the last few months of being an insta-mum.

[1] Use Thoughtful Props

It’s all good and well snapping a picture in the moment, but this post, is all about those staged insta-worthy baby pics. I received 5 gorgeous quirky baby onesies from LavenderSun and decided to use these as my starting point for the following snaps. They all had super cute sayings on them. And I took the sayings into consideration for the picture. For example

“Started from the Belly Now I’m Here” Obvs this is a play on the lyrics from Drakes song right, so I got some headphones to use as a prop, because it’s relevant to the theme. I also used an ultrasound picture of J as a prop because that was literally him “in the belly” I think you get where I’m going with this.

Another example is “You are so Loved” I used a rose and a chalkboard love heart to amplify the onesie’s message. You would be surprised with how many props you have just laying around your house. Especially when it comes to babies. A lot of their toys, or cuddly toys, nursery decor can be doubled up as photography props. All you need is a bit of creativity, have fun with it!

[2] Plan and Prepare Beforehand

Don’t ever try to take a insta-photo if you haven’t already got it set up, the baby should literally be the last thing you add to the photo. If you’re trying to get it all set up and entertain baby, it can be stressful for both of you. I like to get my photo set up while little J is sleeping, so that when we’re both ready, all we have to do is pose for the photo, click the camera button (a few times!) and voila, we’re done. I always try to think about the look and feel of the photo before I take it. That way, I know what props to use, where I’m going to take the picture, I can set up the camera on the tripod if needed all in advance. It’s so much easier to do it this way (for me at least).

[3]  All About Timing

Speaking of planning, plan WHEN you are going to take the photo. This point is two-fold. The time of the day is important, because you want to make sure you have enough natural light. But, more importantly, is when in your baby’s routine. If you try to take it before a feed, they might be grumpy, if you do it straight after a feed, it’s very likely that they will spew up on your set-up. I like to time my photos 20-30 mins after a feed. That way little J has a full tummy, a clean bum, and he’s generally quite awake and happy.

I find I get the best smiles then as well. That being said, if you are going for a sleepy baby photo, then you might want to time your picture to right when the bubs has fallen asleep, position them on your set-up, snap your pic and then put them down for the nap. I have given up on sleepy baby photos with J, it was way easier when he was a sleepy newborn. Now he’ll wake if I try to move him, and I prefer to have him sleep in his Nursery in his cot than on a photography set up. SOMETIME I try to snap a million photos and I’m lucky to get a blinking one that just LOOKS like he’s asleep. But that is VERY rare hahah!

[4] Use Music or Toys for Smiles

I find if I’m home alone with bub, that I’ll put on some fun music in the background so that it’s not super quiet. That way I can sing-a-long to the songs and dance, and little J will feed off that energy. Typically you’ll hear me saying things like “Jasper, JAAASPER, JAAAAAAASPER, Where is your smile?! WHERE IS YOUR SMILE! THERE IT ISSSSSS!!! aaaaand click! smile captured! You know your baby best, so you’ll know what makes them smile. If you want them to look in a certain direction, try to dangle a musical toy or rattle in that direction (it really helps to have a second pair of hands for this!)

[5] Add Texture with Rugs, Blankets and Pillows

I find the key to creating depth for insta-worthy baby snaps is to add texture along with the props. Have baby laying on the carpet, but then add a blanket and a few cushions or teddy’s down to create depth.

Try not to overdo it with too many patterns clashing. I’ll often use a pattern and then add two or three neutrals (greys, blacks, whites – for my insta-feed). The different textures of the rugs and blankets really help the picture pop. If you have a baby basket, dockatot or even your change table mat, you can lay your baby in there and then add the texture around them, and tie it all together with a blanket going over the carpet, and then baby. Play around with what works while you are setting up. Take a few practice shots without the baby and look at them on the camera.

[6] Bonus Tip

After you’ve gone through all the effort of setting up your picture, choosing the right props, planning the right time to snap it, make sure you photograph from a few different angles. I find that often what I have in mind looks great, but it’s the pictures and angles that I didn’t plan to take that I love the most. Get closer, move further away, stand on a chair. Try include yourself (hands, feet) do ones without you. The opportunities are endless. Make the most of the photo-op while you have it.

And that is basically it. I gotta say, I’m loving the baby onesies that I got from LavenderSun, they have SO many cute ones to choose from. And they’re great for generating some cool ideas for photos if you’re ever stuck. The quality is great, and I promise, they’re not ALL black and white (I just love the B&W ones, because they match my feed on Instagram).

The Onesies

I had Boobs for Breakfast – click here
I am so Loved – click here
Gangsta Napper – click here
Best Day Ever- click here
Started from the Belly – click here
Other Baby Onesies – click here

Do you have any tips that you use when taking fun pics of Insta? I’d love to hear about them in the comments!

The post 5 Tips for Creating Whimsical Instagram Pictures with a Baby appeared first on Megzie.

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Brands mentioned in video:

[1] LavenderSun

Visit the store here.

I got five gorgeous black onesies, all of them with quirky sayings on them. I love shirts like this, because they are super cute and you can have a lot of fun with them in photos. A

[2] Tipone

Visit the store here.

I am a sucker for anything customised! Tipone makes seriously gorgeous onesies and t-shirts. I am in love with both of these!

[3] Best & Less

Visit the store here.

My go-to store for trendy baby clothes on a budget. I mean $5 pants, you can’t go wrong. It’s nice to stock up on basics from stores like these, because babies grow way too quickly!

[4] Bonds

Visit the store here.

Ahhh, I love me some Bonds! Especially the Zippy Wondersuits. They’re perfect for bedtime becuase they’re warm, and they have feet and hand cuffs that can turn into socks and mittens. I’m in love. The quality is so amazing as well.

[5] LTL PPL

Visit the store here.

I found these guys on Insta and I”m obsessed with them. They’re a monochrome basic-wear mama’s dream come true!

[6] Cotton On

Visit the store here.

Because mama deserves some loving too. I recently purchased this oversize sweat and it’s amaze. I feel like it’s the perfect winter lounge wear. It’s super cozy and comfy!

The post Monochrome Baby Haul appeared first on Megzie.

I often get asked where I bought my Nursery prints from. Truth be told, I drew them myself (inspired by some that I saw on Pinterest). Anyway, I’m super excited to share that I’ve teamed up with Prints by Della who has very kindly digitised them so that anyone who wants them can now download and print them.

[1] Zebra

Download here. 

[2] Koala

Download here. 

[3] Panda

Download here.

I hope you have as much fun decorating your nursery as I did mine! It’s such a fun time!

The post Free Nursery Animals Printables appeared first on Megzie.

I absolutely love this room. I went for a simple monochrome look & feel and I feel like it suits us perfectly.

The room that we chose for the nursery is SUPER small, so it was really important for me to have as little furniture as possible, so that it didn’t feel crowded, cluttered and even smaller than what it is.

All I basically have on the floor, is the cot, a chest of drawers, which doubles as a change table, and a feeding rocking chair. Plus the laundry basket, toy basket and the lamp table.

The rocking chair, is that super cheap one from Aldi. I got up mega early and queued up outside the store to be sure I could get my hands on one of them – massive thanks to hubby for helping me with this one. I love it, it looks great. That being said, I’m not super happy with how easy (or not so easy) it rocks. I’m contemplating getting a more practical chair in this room, but we’ll see – I do love the look and feel of this one. Oh also, my sis-in-law made me this awesome Baby Cronje throw pillow, HOW CUTE IS IT!

The peg board on the wall is from Kmart, and I just put a bunch of bits and bobs on it. Me and the hubs are super into techy stuff like photography and the latest iPhones, so it only made sense to give the little guy his own wooden versions of our favourite gadgets!

I’ve organised all of baby’s clothes in the drawers using those collapsable box things that you get from Ikea. I love how easily they fit into the drawers and it’s super easy to find what you’re looking for, thanks to a folding method I found on good old Pinterest.

I’d seen a few drawings, like the below, on Pinterest, and I fell in love with them. I decided to draw my own versions. Both the hubs and I were born in South Africa. He grew up here, in Australia, and I grew up in Hong Kong. So the Zebra represents Jasper’s South African heritage, the Koala represents his Australian, and the Panda is an ode to my background in Hong Kong. I’m super happy with them, and I love that he has artwork on his walls that have special symbolic meaning.

We added some shelves to the built in wardrobe, and are using this for storage for things like diaper boxes, blankets, wipes, books and large toys. It’s nice to have a place for these bulky items thats both easily accessible but also nicely hidden.

And that’s it! Jasper is yet to spend a night in this room, as he’s still sleeping in his bassinet in our room because I’m breastfeeding and it just makes sense to have him close by for the middle of the night feeds, at least for the start.

I seriously love this room so much, and had so much fun putting it together while I was still pregnant with J. It was fun to decorate it, whilst thinking about what he would look like, and the thought of him actually being here was super exciting.

I still can’t believe that he’s actually here! eeeee!

The post Nursery Reveal appeared first on Megzie.

Confession: I love to shop, and I’ve had to seriously restrain myself since we found out we’re expecting our first bub. It’s can be so tempting to go overboard with loads of new clothes, accessories, toys, nursery decor! I’ve been trying to live a bit more minimalistically (is that even a word?), so I’ve been taking a lot of care when it comes to buying clothes for our baby.

Also, I found out very quickly, that being pregnant, makes you tired… OH SO TIRED. Going to the shops, and walking around from one store to another to find the right clothes is something that I just don’t have the energy for these days. So I turned my sights online (thank you internet!)

Buying online can be tricky sometimes, because you never know exactly what you’re going to get. So I thought I’d share a couple of things that I look for, before I take my credit card out and click on that wonderful “purchase now” button.

[1] Store Credibility

The last thing any of us want, is to be scammed. A couple of things that I look for on a website is things like customer reviews, customer care options, is the payment option secure etc? What I love about Lavendersun is that they offer secure shipping, a 90 day back guarantee and have a super easy refund/exchange policy. You can also contact them at anytime and they’ll get back to you within 24 hours.

[2] Shopping Experience

Responsive Site – I don’t know about you guys, but I switch from browsing on my laptop to iPhone a million times a day. It all depends what I’m doing, so for me, it’s nice to find websites that work on both devices just as easily and seamlessly. Lavendersun is a fully responsive site which makes all the difference.

Filtering Options – What I also love about this site, is the ability to filter by Apparel / Sex / Sale. I know I’m having a boy, so I’m not super interested in the girls apparel. I could quickly filter by Boys and the Baby Boy so that the clothes I’m looking at are relevant. You can even filter down further by price, date, alphabetically etc which is awesome.

Free Worldwide Shipping – One of the biggest roadblocks for me is when I find a site with awesome, affordable clothes, and then I’m surprised with an extra fee at the end, for shipping. Lavendersun offers free shipping worldwide, which is awesome! Because the prices listed on the site, are what you get. I love that it’s worldwide shipping as well; so many times, being in Australia, I’ll find amazing clothes online, and then see free shipping, and realise that it’s only for the country of the store (all my American readers, YOU ARE SO LUCKY!)

Affordable Prices –  A big thing for me, when buying baby clothes online, is looking at the cost of the actual clothes. I’ve read online everywhere, how quickly our babes grow up, and how so many mothers give away clothes that their baby never even had the chance to wear because they grew out of the size so quickly. I’d hate to waste money on clothes that may not even get worn. I was super excited when I saw how affordable and reasonable the prices are at Lavendersun. You can change the currency to whaterver country you’re located in, so you don’t have to waste time converting rates either – win win!

[3] The clothes themselves

Lastly, and most importantly, when I’m buying baby clothes online I like to find sites that stock clothes that I like. It’s all good and well having a great website, store policies and prices, but if the clothes aren’t for me, then they’re not for  me. Lavendersun has a huge variety of clothes to choose from, but what I loved is their basic black and white selection. I also really love how they sell clothes in sets (so the pants and the top, and sometimes even a beanie to match). It makes things so much easier.

I ordered these two outfits from Lavendersun  and I can’t wait to dress my lil man in them. They’re super cute and the quality was great too. I ordered slightly bigger than newborn, because I already have so many newborn clothes, these will be for when he’s a few months bigger, and will definitely have a little milk belly by then – haha!

I only have about 2 weeks left until baby’s due date! It’s so crazy to think that he’ll be here any day now. I can’t wait to meet him, and see what he looks like. I also can’t wait to bring him home, give him loads of cuddles, get to know him and dress him up!! We’re moving into winter soon, so I’m expecting lots of cozy days on the couch snuggling. Which will make being pregnant in summer SO worth it!

If you’re expecting, or already have a bubs, and are looking for clothes; definitely check out Lavendersun. You can use the code MEGZIE10 at the checkout to receive 10% off your purchase as well! Happy Shopping!

The post 3 things I look for when buying baby clothes online appeared first on Megzie.

OH wait, it’s a top too??

This dress was the very first item I bought; and it was only by total accident that I realized it could be worn as a top as well! woooooop! So this is my day to night look, if you will, for the beautiful Mini Bardot Pencil Dress with Ruffle (only $44!)

What I love is that the dress (or top – wink wink) can be worn both on and off the shoulder. This makes it even more of a versatile look. I also just love the Ruffled look – ladies, real talk, the boobies get so darn big when you’re growing a human, it’s nice to have an outfit that somewhat takes away from that – well, for me at least.

Oooh what’s that, it’s turning to night time or I have some fancy event to go to like a wedding?

Let me just throw my Kmart jeans to the side, pull down the dress, and slip on some nicer shoes and voila! You have a nice night look.

Here’s one with me with a hat on too, because, why not! I seriously love this dress. And it’s honestly so comfortable, it breathes well and it looks fab. It also makes your bump pop out really nicely too, which I love.

I feel like I hit the clothes lottery buying this dress first, because it’s so versatile I’ve been able to dress it up and down to several occasions now. Also, it’s black, which is like, my all time favourite colour when it comes to clothes.

If you’re expecting and ASOS is still selling this dress, I’d highly highly recommend that you treat yourself!

The post The most versatile maternity dress appeared first on Megzie.