There she goes, the beautiful Harper aged 4 months and absolutely going for it in the Baby Bjorn Bouncer with toy set. As all parents go, we were wondering (read: apprehensive) how she would fare in the bouncer as most little ones have the attention of a domestic pet. Harper went in on the first occasion, looked at us, looked at the toys as she was away. We place her in the bouncer in the kitchen, where we exercise, or eat, and she is in her happy place watching us, concentrating furiously on what the heck those toys actually are and how they taste. We are left with our movable arms and 8kgs less to carry around for while. Win win. The beauty of this bouncer is that once Harper is older we remove the skin as shown, turn it around and provide her with her own first bouncing chair. Those Scandos always look at the longer term.

We love this new Skip Hop Activity Mat for its colour, fun and interactivity! This week we’re giving away this new playmat (valued at $149.95) to one lucky member of the bebe online community.

We want to know what other pregnancy/baby/parenting websites you love (other than bebe, of course!). To go into the draw to win one of these fab new playmats, email us (competitions @bebeonline.com.au) the answer to the following question:

What are your three of your favourite pregnancy/baby/parenting websites?

Please just send us a total of three websites from one or more of the categories above. Websites may be blogs, forums, online stores.

Entry is drawn on Thursday 10th September at midday, with winner announced right here! If you purchase one of these playmats and happen to win the competition, you will receive a gift voucher valued at $149.95.

Congratulations to Nicole Gatt of Victoria who is the lucky winner of last weeks Newsletter competition to win a $400 Bajo toys prize pack.

Bebe online’s fortnightly newsletter features new products, bebe news and subscriber only competitions and offers. If you’re not already a member, sign up here.

Congratulations again to Nicole!

Harper has become on of “those models” that insist on inheriting everything that she touches during a photo shoot.  This teething rattle been become quite the source of entertainment for her as it has endless bits that she can chew on as she enters her  “oral phase” which  from memory, lasts a number of months. Anything and everything gets put into her mouth for exploration these days, making the Mamas & Papas Fleur Teething Rattle quite the handy hand bag toy.

Here’s where you will find the latest pics of celebrities and their strollers, with accompanying special comments. We will try and keep the special comments to a minimum as we know that noone finds us anywhere near as witty as we do.

This one features ex-90210 star Tori Spelling pushing what appears to be a pumpkin in her Stokke Xplory stroller.  We are sure there is a story behind the pumpkins (early halloween shopping, perhaps?). Either way we think she looks pretty cool, thanks to her “wheels”.

By Pinky

There is evidence that allowing babies to feed according to their own appetite, rather than imposing rigid feeding schedules, is more compatible with the biology of mothers and babies. Although breastfeeding according to schedule may seem to work at first, many women who use strict feeding schedules in the early weeks find that their milk supply dwindles and their baby may be weaned by about three months. By restricting feeds or repeatedly spacing them out with dummies, you will not only reduce stimulation that signals your breasts to make milk, but you may limit the development of the hormonal process that enhances ongoing milk production. This translates to: early and frequent breastfeeding will promote a continuing milk supply, which means that your baby will gets lots of milk so he is less likely to cry because he is hungry.

Another reason for watching your baby, rather than the clock, is that mothers have varying breast milk storage capacities: ultrasound studies by biochemist Dr Peter Hartmann and colleagues at the University of Western Australia have shown that the breast milk storage capacity can vary up to three times as much between individual women (this is not necessarily related to breast size and doesn’t influence milk production ability). This means that while some women who have a large storage capacity will be able to feed their babies enough milk to go three to four hours between feeds (providing their baby has a big enough stomach), other women will need to feed their babies more often. For women with a smaller milk capacity, a three- to four-hourly feeding schedule could result in a hungry, unsettled baby and a mother who questions her ability to produce more milk when really, it is the schedule that is inappropriate, not the mother’s feeding ability. Instead of becoming stressed about how much milk your breasts are making or storing, think in terms of drinking out of a cup- you can still drink a litre of water whether you drink it from a large cup or several small cupfuls. If you allow your baby to nurse whenever he lets you know he is hungry, you will never have to worry about your milk storage capacity.

For more information about soothing babies cries, see ‘100 Ways to Calm the Crying’ or Pinky’s ebook Breastfeeding Simply 

About the author - Pinky McKay is an Internationally Certified Lactation Consultant, a Certified Infant Massage Instructor with Infant Massage Australia and respected parenting author.   For more information about Pinky please visit www.pinkymckay.com.au.

When my eldest child was 2, my poor husband was very much accustomed to the daily phone call from me at around 3pm – “how much longer until you’re home? I’ve had a gutful of this endless drudgery! Cant you just  leave work NOW?”. Soon after this we swapped roles – I went into work and he stayed home (“Mr Mum” style). It was only a few months before I was receiving that same phone call from him.

We knew there had to be a better way – and that way was shared parenting. We’ve been sharing the role for 3 years now and have never looked back – our kids have happier, more balanced parents and neither of us dread our Monday mornings.

This parenting style has an official name (and of course an official acronym). It’s called “Equally Shared Parenting,” or ESP for short.  The philosophy behind ESP is that neither spouse acts as understudy or manager to the other, that both are equally competent and responsible in all areas of family life. “ESP couples feel that their lives are happiest if they can both spend about the same amount of time on average in paid work endeavours, in caring for their home, in taking care of their children, and in their own outside interests” says Amy Vachon, author of soon to be released Equally Shared Parenting: Rewriting the Rules for a New Generation of Parents

 Sounds good? Some of our friends have joined the ESP club too. Here’s Amy’s suggestions for making such a life work:

It’s not about the laundry. Too often, Amy says, people hear about the concept and immediately think it’s about getting a lazy dad to do more. “It’s not what we are saying at all. I presume (fathers) are working as much as their wives are, and there’s a need to reshuffle things and work as much as you’re working now, but get balance and equality back in your life. It’s so you can live in a place where you like your life, instead of trying to get through life.”

For true equality, both of you work outside the home, in paid jobs. While Amy  stresses that the ESP model isn’t a the right answer for every family, it requires that the breadwinning burden is shared as much as all the other aspects of running a family. And there are benefits to that as well. For example, both partners working  part-time schedules to allow them more time for everything; having just one of them be the breadwinner wouldn’t allow such flexibility. “

Look at the recession as an opportunity. While the conventional wisdom says “show up early, stay late, take on extra work” to prove your value to an employer, asking for more flexibility might actually be a good idea in these times, Amy says. Companies might not be able to offer raises, but they might jump at the chance to keep a valued employee at a reduced schedule — and corresponding salary cut. “If our companies are faced with a decision between layoffs and reducing employees hours, we might be able to jump at the chance to try out a new work schedule that could lead to an epiphany about the value of money versus time,” Amy says.

Rethink what work means to you. Is it part of a balanced life, or is it at the center of your life? Some successful ESP-ers have actually stepped back from the career treadmill  before having kids and working a reduced schedule,  in order to have time to pursue other interests and actually enjoy both their job and their life, a pattern that fits well once children come along. This means one would have to be okay with the reality that they may never get their corner office or company car spot.

Embrace your own competence as a person, partner and parent. That goes for both partners, and it’s key to the whole idea of equally shared parenting. If you trust your partner to handle things at home as well as you would, that means you can wander off for a bike ride or yoga class without feeling guilty, especially since your partner will be getting the same freedom and accommodation of their interests as well. “Neither of us has to do any preparation in order to leave the house or the kids in the capable hands of our spouse, and therefore we are then able to concentrate on simply finding the time to get out,” Amy says.

Communicate with each other and adjust if things are getting out of balance. The first six months of babydom involves so much sleep deprivation and potential anxiety, and is often a set-up in our culture for women to take on the lion’s share of the caregiving, so you have to be pretty cognisant of staying the course. Equally shared parenting does not, alas, lead to a partnership and life blissfully free of conflict. ESP-ers ave to deal with all the same stuff most couples have to deal with. Many find that their communication framework forces them to talk about things instead of letting it simmer.

Perhaps most importantly, remember that you’re on the same team — Something the traditional model of parenting, with its separate spheres for each spouse, does not emphasise. Part of what inspired Amy and her partner to come up with this model of parenting was the negative image of parenting in much of the literature. “Those mummy-misery books scared me, and at the same time made me angry because they never seemed to mention men,” Amy says. “I realised that Marc’s role was entirely invisible in these angry depictions of the state of… motherhood, and I held onto the ideal of an equal partnership for dear life all through my first pregnancy.”

At heart, Amy says, it’s that neither parent gets an exclusive hold on the “good stuff” — whether that be career satisfaction, time with the kids, or time to themselves. “ESP is not about scorekeeping or making sure the time comes out exactly even; rather, the couple is sustained by the idea that a happy partner makes for a happy relationship, which makes for a great life — and they want to make sure their partner gets his/her fair share of the fun.”

Check out Amy’s website Equally Shared Parenting here

It’s been a week since the launch of bebe’s Handmade to Retail Trade Challenge, and we’ve had a few questions over email. Whilst we have been respomding to these individually, we thought these answers may be beneficial to other entrants. Please keep your questions (and entries!) coming and we will respond within 25 hours.  For those entries already posted, we are sending emails to confirm receipt of entry. Good Luck :) 

Q: Hi there, I am VERY excited about your competition to have a retail presence in store, but I would like to ask whether more than one entry would be accepted?

A. Yes, you may enter as many products, and in as many categories as you like.

Q. Hello, I’m not sure if I’m eligible to enter. I sell our products on an online craft store.  My wholesale prices are a 50% off our “retail” price shown on the website. Am I still eligible to enter?

A. Whilst the rules specify that your product/s is ineligible if currently sold on an online store, we are making exceptions for products sold on stores such as etsy/made it, as the idea of the competition is providing the opportunity to launch into a store front retail environment.

The key here is in the pricing. We will only accept such entries  if your products are priced to allow for wholesaling. Ie your wholesale pricing is 50% off your retail pricing.

Q. I was just looking at your upcoming competition and am wondering if it is possible to enter with a machine knitted product?

A. While it specifies the product must be hand made, we will accept something that is machine knitted for high volumes. 

Q.  Our products are priced to allow for wholesaling and are stocked by a store in New Zealand and 2 small bricks and mortar stores in Australia.  All stores sell at the RRP including ourselves. Am I eligible  to enter?

A. As you are selling through a shopfront store you would in fact be ineligible as your product is sold in 2 shop front stores. The idea of the competition is to provide an opportunity to people not currently retailing in a shop front environment.  That said, if you would like to forward us your catalogue and price list we can review it for the store.

Q. I am based in the USA and purchase from bebe all of the time. Would I be eligible to enter providing my pricing etc was in $AU

A. Unfortunately you are ineligible to enter. We are encouraging Australian designed/made products – therefore making it an Australian only competition.

Q. I am preparing my entry for the competition and was wondering whether you have a preference for email or mail entries? I know that we don’t get our sample returned, which isn’t a problem – I just don’t want m entry to get “lost in the clutter” and think perhaps supplying an actual sample would help?

A. It is entirely up to you as to which method of application you choose. Obviously providing a sample to touch and feel does allow us to connect more with your product and assess craftmanship, but there will not be any preference given to those that use this method.

Q. I have a product that is very similar to something you sell in store. Would my product still be eligible?

A. Without seeing the product it is difficult to answer. Providing it is an original design (and not copied from any other designer), then yes.

Had a lovely visit from beautiful Donna today (thats her above having a cuddle with my 4 month old bubba). Donna is known as ”Wise Mumma” to many of her clients - women who may once have felt un-prepared and anxious about the birth of their baby… until they experienced Donna and her childbirth preparation.

Hospital pre natal classes generally have a strong focus on the physical preparation for birth, and many mums put off much of their parenting preparation thinking all will be covered in these classes. I know from experience with the birth of my first child,  that the hospital pre-natal classes had me feeling prepared on one level, however it was a different story once the reality of the birth process un-folded and I was left feeling some what powerless and vulnerable with the process.

Donna’s childbirth preparation classes not only fill the information gap left by many hopital pre-natal   classes, but most importantly fill couples with confidence and inspiration about the choices that they have made for their birthing journey. Donna works very much on a “heart-level” in her work, encouraging participants in her class to trust their intuition and go forth in choosing care providers who meet their needs, and encouraging new parents to be well prepared for the journey ahead.

Donna’s Spring/Summer one day workshops are commencing soon. For busy couples who cant commit to a full day, Donna is also available for one-on-one education about birthing and early parenting in the comfort of your own home. Donna’s current worskhop schedule and contact details can be found at www.nurturebirthsupport.com.au

Do you remember going to the park and climbing on the jungle gym? Or climbing trees in the backyard? Although most toddlers start their climbing careers with a jaunt up onto the dining room table, possibly even before they can walk (and try not to shriek out loud in shock the first time that it happens!), there seems to be less and less time and freedom for most children to climb safely outdoors.

This is a pity because all that tree climbing, along with swinging and hanging from monkey bars and trees, helps children develop upper body, arm and shoulder strength that precede the fine motor skills required for writing, painting and sorting blocks into shape sorters. Climbing also helps develop hand-eye and eye-foot coordination, body control, muscle tone and cross patterning (opposite arm and leg movement), as well as spatial awareness and concepts such as up, down, low and high.

As your toddler begins to climb- up and down stairs, up into chairs and sofas or even onto tables (for safety’s sake, you may have to remove the chairs when you can’t supervise), teach him to turn around and climb down backwards feet first- use a single word such as ’safe safe’ as you turn his body around. With lots of consistent repetition, he will eventually be able toclimb safely- up and down!

Although you may feel your heart in your mouth and a sense of panic as your little one climbs, it is really important not to transmit your own fears, so mind your language and resist the urge to tell him ‘be careful, you will fall!’, This could distract him and may even cause him to fall or he could lose confidence. If he is free to concentrate with you nearby to break his fall if necessary, he will attempt just what he is reasonable capable of and he will develop so much confidence you will soon be wondering if he has monkey glands.

As well as (or in preparation for) climbing, you can help develop upper body coordination by playing ‘wheel barrows’ with your toddler supporting your child’s body horizontally as she ’stands’ or ‘walks’ on her hands - and letting her hang and swing from bars (or safe, smooth branches). Even a one year old can swing from a horizontal bar (preferably safer alternatives than the door or towel rails!) or a trapeze with support (hold him around his hips), but do teach your child to grip with his thumbs underneath this bar as this is a stronger, safer grip.  Incidentally, it is also the correct grip to hold a pencil later on.

About the author - Pinky McKay is an Internationally Certified Lactation Consultant, a Certified Infant Massage Instructor with Infant Massage Australia and respected parenting author.  Check out Toddler Tactics by Pinky McKay  and Pinky’s Melbourne Toddler Tactic Seminars here.  For more information about Pinky please visit www.pinkymckay.com.au.