by Pinky 

It’s five o’clock - arsenic hour! Your child is fractious and you want him in the bath because you know this will help him (and you!) feel calmer. How do you get your toddler into the bath without a fuss?

-Low blood sugar can make any parental request seem unreasonable. If you need to interupt a game, take children a snack and then announce, “I’m running your bath.” Then they’ll have a few minutes to get used to the idea and move on.

- Are there fairies in your bathroom? If there’s fairy dust around your bathtub, your little ones might believe there are. Sprinkle some glitter around the rim of the tub, when you fill the bath, then call the children in to look for the fairies.

- How about a magic color bath? Add a few drops of food coloring to the water. Of course, if you want to bath two children together, you can be certain they’ll want different colors. No problems. Let them watch Jack’s red water mix with Mia’s yellow water and see what happens.

- Bath toys don’t need to be commercially available ‘educational’ products. Empty plastic bottles, sponges and blocks to flat can be just as entertaining -and educational.

 For more tips to engage and play with your baby (so she doesn’t grizzle from boredom), see 100 Ways to Calm the Crying  and Toddler Tactics by Pinky McKay . www.pinkymckay.com.au

We just couldn’t resist this brand new super cool Walking Elephant from Plan Toys. Very Eames-esque, and something that you know will look great in your childs room once they’ve outgrown playing with it.

The elephant actually moves forward so your child feels like they’re riding an elephant. Children will learn how to make the elephant move forward by rocking side to side, which enhances their balance, gross motor skills and co-ordination.  Like all Plan Toys the walking elephant is made from non chemically treated recycled rubber wood. Click here to find out more or purchase the Plan Toys Walking Elephant.

My 9 day old  baby (that’s her in the pic looking ever so cosy) has been very up-front in showing us her favourite bebe product. Our Nurseryworks Sleepytime Rocker  has quickly become one of the best tools for settling her, which has suprised us as its proven as much a settling rocker as it  has a nursing chair. 

For parents of a crying baby a rocking chair has to be high on your list of nursery furniture - up there with the car capsule and a baby carrier. Whether bubs is crying from boredom or tension, snuggling together in a rocking chair has a calming effect (on both of you).    I’m in this chair at least 8-9 times a day, whether it be for daytime feeds, pre-sleep settling, or sleepy twilight feeds in front of Foxtel’s Will & Grace re-runs.  

 What Im loving about my Nurseryworks Sleepytime Rocker -

POST-OP COMFORT -

Having had a c-section means pacing the house carrying  bubs is not an option. The rocker fully supports my back, and allows me to spend precious mothering time without being on my feet.

NURSING MADE EASY -

With an upright back and big wide arms that are at a low height, nursing finally feels comfortable and is not a strain on my back or neck. A good feeding pillow and/or cushion is also a must for optimal nursing ergonomics.

SOPORIFIC EFFECT-

The rocking motion works well to calm Harper, by distracting her from tummy pains during un-settled periods. She knows when it starts rocking that its “sleepy-time!”

LONGEVITY -

I know that we wont be out growing this rocker anytime soon (my five year old  already loves it!). Going forward I can see us rocking and singing, rocking and reading or simply rocking whenever there is a need to dissipate tension (with or without child!).

Did I mentioned it looks great ? Our Sleepytime Rocker fits in beautifully with the decor of our home. With its modern lines and neutral Mocha tone, its a very inviting chair for anyone to experience.  This one’s got the whole family’s vote.

by Pinky

Debra’s baby is three months old and it’s been a rewarding but tough trot. Busy days, broken sleep, a few hiccups with breastfeeding, babies had a cold. She’s run down. She plops down onto the sofa next to her husband after finally getting bub asleep and a really long day (he’s been on a work trip - again!) and he can’t take his eyes off a curvaceous blonde on the screen. Feeling like a handful of very small change compared to the on-screen babe who looks like a million bucks, she loses it.

Of course, Debra is exhausted and overwhelmed by the relentlessness of caring for a baby and a mountain of domestic responsibilities as well as an absent husband. Her partner sounds like many men who are exhausted themselves after working long hours. He may even have the notion that she has the easy job, a whole day to herself, sipping lattes with her mothers group.

While it doesnt help to have your man ogling a babe on the television when you cant even recognise the body you see in the mirror, it is a sad reflection on the pressures women with new babies face when you feel that you need to live up to some ideal of a yummy mummy as well as perfect mother and domestic goddess.

According to relationship counsellor Lisa Fettling (www.lisafettling.com.au), Debra’s reactions and concerns speak volumes about her own self image and the state of her relationship. Lisa, who specialises in helping new parents says, “a new mother has her eye on every ball at once, and she can’t take care of the baby unless she is cared for herself. She needs to be able to sit with her partner and talk about how she feels and to ask for the support that she needs for him - and to be understood. After caring for a baby all day, many new mothers want to ask for a cuddle, but they are afraid that this will be a green light for something more, so instead she either withdraws or gets angry and a wall goes up between the couple. Nothing is going to happen unless she is feeling emotionally supported by her partner.”

If you are feeling less than a wee bit ‘hot’ right now, let go of the pressure. Perhaps comments in a recent interview with Angelina Jolie might help. Angelina said “I’m with a man who is evolved enough to look at my body and see it as more beautiful because of the journey it has taken.” And, if your man seems less evolved then you would like, consider- do you think he is comparing himself to Brad Pitt and wondering even the tiniest bit how he might measure up in your eyes?

Pinky McKay is an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant, Infant Massage instructor and mother of five. Her books include ‘Sleeping Like a Baby’, ‘100 Ways to Calm the Crying’ and ‘Toddler Tactics’ (Penguin), For Pinky’s private consultations or classes  for parents, visit www.pinkymckay.com.au

Having a baby has to be one of the most wonderful experience in one’s life. It’s what life is about, after all and choosing a baby name is one of the great pleasures new or expectant parents get to experience.

With celebrity being the new royalty, celebrity baby names are increasingly finding their way into ‘normal’ society. The NSW Government’s  100 years of baby names  have taken the inspiration of US site name voyager in allowing you to plot the history of name popularity over the last 100 years in NSW. Using the tool, try entering the baby name of your choice and see graphically the number of boys and girls who were given that name. Try a few celebrity baby names and you’ll see how they match the fame of the celebrity – for example ‘Kylie’.  

My partner and I are about to become parents (again) in just three days time, and still don’t have a baby name confirmed.  It seemed pretty straight forward last time around, as we thought we’d picked something very original. My son is now affectionately  known as “Liam B” at school due to many parents having the same thought as us back in 2003. There are bigger hurdles Liam B will have to face in his life, but we’d probably prefer the next child have something a little more original!

One great  baby name site (American) is at parenting.com. Their  baby namer not only allows you to search by name, but also by all sorts of fantastic categories including  ‘pop culture’, ‘the classics’ and ‘imaginative’. Once you’ve narrowed your selection down to an individual name, parenting.com gives you the meaning and origin of the name as well as the popularity rank over time.  The site uses data collected in the US, but Australian name trends tend to follow those of the US.

Of course, it is useful to draw up a short-list of your favourites. The parenting.com baby namer helps you do this by allowing you to maintain an online favourites list that you can keep up-to-date until the big day arrives.

But sometimes when the little one arrives, the name at the top of your list somehow doesn’t seem right. This happened with our first child – she just didn’t look like her name. But inspiration kicked in and we plucked a name out of the air that we’d never even considered – and it fits perfectly.

Whenever you’re choosing a name for your baby don’t be too daunted. Use the online tools that I’ve mentioned to help you out. And remember – despite the importance of the task rest assured of one thing – you’re the best people in the world for the job!