Everyone should have a chicken soup recipe up their sleeve. It’s a cure all, wholesome and warming, and exactly what you need when you’re not feeling your best. Keeping up with my current theme of things to eat when you and baby are sick (sadly we’re not getting better very quickly), this is a chicken soup recipe that I’ve adapted from the one I make at work. We make about 60 portions per week but it sells out within days. You could skip the first three steps and use store bought chicken stock, but personally I recommend making your own chicken as it allows you to control the flavour and sodium levels. It does mean starting out the day before or starting dinner a few hours in advance, but this is such a simple recipe. It’s a great thing to make if you’ve roasted a chicken the night before. This is so easy to make that Josh cooked it last night while I shouted instructions from under a blanket on the couch. If he can do it, then anyone can.

Chicken Soup

1 chicken carcass

1 chicken breast (you could save one from the roast chicken)

2 onions

4 cloves of garlic

sprig of thyme

4 carrots

half a bunch of celery

small coin sized piece of ginger

2 spring onions, finely sliced

1 cup of frozen peas

1 cup of small pasta for soup, like risoni or stars

salt and pepper

olive oil

1. If you have purchased a chicken carcass or de-boned a chicken yourself, place it in an oven dish with the chicken breast, a large carrot roughly chopped and an onion, halved, skin on. Roast this in an 180 degree oven for about half an hour until it the carcass is caramelised and golden brown and the chicken breast cooked through. If you’re using the carcass from a roast chicken and a saved chicken breast then don’t worry about it!

2. Place the roasted carcass, chicken breast, carrot, onion, two cloves of garlic, thyme, piece of ginger and a couple of celery ribs from your half bunch into a large pot and cover with water. Add two pinches of salt and a some cracked pepper or a few of peppercorns.

3. Bring the water to the boil and then reduce heat and allow your stock to simmer for at least 3 hours. Remove carcass and chicken breast. Remove any meat from the carcass and reserve with the chicken breast. Discard other solids in the stock by straining stock through a sieve.

4. Shred chicken breast meat.

5. Dice remaining carrot, onion, and celery. Finely chop garlic. In another pot add a slug of olive oil and sauté onion, garlic, carrot and celery until the latter two are tender and the onion is translucent.

6. Add your chicken stock and bring to a the boil.

7. Add pasta to soup. Keep and eye on it and keep stirring as this sort of pasta easily sticks to the bottom of pots.

8. When pasta is cooked add shredded chicken meat and frozen peas. Cook for a further five minutes and then remove from heat.

9. Season with salt and pepper to taste, garnish with finely sliced spring onions.

Steps 1-3 can be done up to five days in advance. This makes three adult portions of soup plus 2 baby serves enough for a large dinner and lunch the next day. Soup will keep for up to a week. This recipe multiplies extremely well!

When you are almost two, you don’t need to carry a lot of stuff around anymore.  OK, maybe a few spare nappies and a pack of wipes.  And maybe a bib.  And maybe a no-spill cup or water bottle.  And maybe some snacks.  Oh, and maybe a toy.  Or two.  And a book.

And when you are almost two, you are also trying to be independent.   If, then, there was a backpack that was cute, was just big enough for everything you need to carry, and had padded adjustable straps to make carrying it comfortable, you’d just have to have it, wouldn’t you?  When the clever people at Skip Hop designed their range of kid’s backpacks, it seems that’s exactly what the came up with.

There was great excitement when we opened our Monkey Zoo Pack - with such an adorable monkey face, you’d be hard pressed to find a cuter bag for your little one.  With tactile corduroy ears and cute banana zip pulls (just big enough for little hands to use) this little backpack has made quite the impression on our almost two year old Charlie, who insists on carrying his ‘monkey’ everywhere.  A mesh pocket on the side for easy access to a water bottle, enough room inside for everything a little kid requires, an insulated pocket, easy clean surfaces and quality manufacturing mean that Charlie will be toting this around for quite some time yet.

And if you just happen to need more than one adorable backpack in your life, well you’re in luck because as well as Monkey, there is also Penguin, Mouse, Owl and Dog to choose from.  Good luck choosing just one! Check out the Skip Hop Monkey Zoo Back Pack here…

I have lost count of the number of bibs I’ve bought since Grace was born.  I seem to be constantly on the look for that elusive, perfect one. The issues I’ve encountered with bibs are many and varied.  Everything from velcro losing its stickiness, being too thin to absorb mess, looking awful once washed and not to mention naff pictures and slogans. As one of my friends said the other week in mothers group; “Why can’t you buy a nice plain bib that does what it’s meant to and doesn’t have something embarrassing written on it like “quack if you love mummy!”"

So it was with great excitement that I opened my Road Test package to find two Eeni Meeni Miini Moh bibs.

The attraction was instant.  Firstly, I loved the muted, tasteful colours that you so rarely find in bibs.  Usually bibs are pink or blue, presumably to help strangers identify the gender of your child?

Secondly, you can immediately feel from the material that this is a high quality bib. The back consists of a very lush towelling material and the front is super soft cotton.  Much to my delight, the material gets even softer the more they’re washed.  Imagine your comfiest pair of trackies and that’s what they feel like.

The press stud closure at the neck gives the bib much greater longevity compared to its velcro counterparts. And the wide shoulders give added protection to clothing.  This is essential for us as Grace often gets distracted and looks over her shoulder during meal times to see if the television is on (it isn’t), getting food all over her clothes.

But most importantly, these bibs are super absorbent.  This is crucial if you have a little one like mine who delights in taking copious swigs of her sippy cup and then proceeds to let the water run right out of her mouth instead of swallowing it.

So, do the Eeni Meeni Miini Moh bibs tick all the boxes?  Let’s run through the criteria.   Large enough to protect clothes? Tick!  Does up securely at the neck? Tick!  No naff colours/pictures/slogans? Tick!  Looks stylish? Tick!  Will last the rigours of daily washing? Tick! Super absorbent? Tick! The Eeni Meeni Miini Moh bibs definitely tick all the boxes.  I wish I had a whole drawer full of them.  Well, I have four and counting…

A good pair of boots goes with most things in your wardrobe, a great pair of boots goes with everything in your wardrobe - or nothing if you love your boots so much you insist on wearing them sans clothing as my daughter does.

It’s fair to say that my daughter’s wardrobe is more varied, stylish and comprehensive than mine, except when it comes to shoes. It’s not that I have a particular fetish, well no more than the next woman, but it’s very hard to find shoes for little feet.

When I’m shopping for tiny shoes it’s not just about the way they look (although I admit it’s part of the equation), it’s also the way they feel; wear - or at the very least stay on; support walking, running, feet scraping and general play; and most importantly don’t restrict the development of precious little bones.

Which is why I am delighted to have found the Skeanie Booties, they meet all the requirements and more:

Look

Beauty is in the eye of the bootie holder, but the comments we get on the street every time they’re worn have convinced me that my daughter and I aren’t alone in thinking they’re sweeter than toffee apple.

2. Feel

The genuine leather outside and softer than teddy-bear faux fur inside ensure these booties are the softest, warmest, most comfortable shoes my daughter owns.

3. Wear

The cute but practical grip sole makes climbing, slipping, tripping and skipping a little less hazardous than on any other given day.

4. Growth

High quality, genuine leather lets little feet breathe and grow naturally, while the elastic ankle support keeps boots in place when chasing adventure.

5. The Freebie - Environmental Sustainability

Skeanie boots are Fair Trade Made meaning we don’t just look good, we feel good.

All in all, we absolutely love the booties and are deciding which other colour would best compliment my daughter’s rapidly growing winter wardrobe.

The infants answer to Jimmy Choo’s has arrived!

Before baby it’s all about mummy’s shoes. Who by, how many, how high and how much. Oh, how our lives have changed.  Now it’s flat shoes, practical outfits and nappy bags. Thank goodness Skeanies have proved you can combine comfort and function with style.

My baby Gus celebrated Autumn by turning one and commencing to walk. After a month of slipping & sliding around the house in socks & cold feet, I bought Gus some shoes to help with traction- if only he would keep them on. It was time for a new idea.

When his new Skeanies arrived in the mail I was excited to try the shoes because they looked great, but also curious to see if he would keep them on for longer than 5 minutes. As a distraction we slipped them on him & headed straight outside into the winter sunshine. One shoe fell off in the excitement and Gus picked it up, brought it to me and then sat waiting with foot outstretched (now that’s a first).  Ah.. the answer to my prayers - style and comfort that HE wanted to wear.

Gus loves his Skeanie leather boots, But why these shoes? If you look inside & feel they have a soft fluffy layer with protective leather skin. What a change from the unlined shoes we were forcing him to wear (ok so they didn’t stay on long enough to class it as wearing).

It’s great to know his little feet are snug and warm while being well supported on any terrain. They are great for indoors - they don’t scratch my timber floor, while making it easier for him to get a grip. I also love the fact Skeanies are made from soft natural leather as he has a tendency to suck on things.

Now Gus brings me his shoes when we are getting ready to go out & waits to put them on- now that’s a vote with his feet.

No longer do I worry about Gus losing a shoe when we are out, but I will be keeping a wary eye on my sister “the family fashionista”, she thinks they are so stylish & easy coordinate with outfits, that she wants them for her little boy.

Be warned Aunty L we are watching you

Baby A is 7 months old and we are drowning in a sea of drool! From the moment those first two teeth poked through at 5 months, the flood gates opened, soaking everything in sight. I quickly realised that no outfit, no matter how cute, or carefully colour coordinated, would last more than 5 minutes before being soaked through. Not keen to change his outfit every 2 hours, a bib became a wardrobe staple. I was completely unprepared for this and had on hand only these ridiculous plastic backed bibs I’d bought before I had my baby and had absolutely zero idea of what I actually needed. Sure, they absorbed the dribble, but each lent nothing in the fashion stakes. My search for a ‘fashion bib’ as it had come to be known, was futile. They were all either plain old white towelling (fine for at home, but not for going out), or bright colours with ridiculous slogans on them. No thanks.

Then we began that glorious milestone of introducing solid foods. True to his Greek heritage, Baby A devoured anything put in front of him with mess free gusto, until we got to pumpkin and then my initiation into the world of mess was complete. 8 weeks later, and I still can’t quite understand how, if I’m aiming the spoon for his mouth, does food end up on his shoulders, his legs and in my hair? These teeny little baby bibs just couldn’t cut it.

Enter the Eeni Meeni Miini Moh range of bibs. Before I review their efficiency at keeping a drooling, messy eater spick and span, let me just gush a moment on the colours. Oh the colours! Not even their names are boring. Sapphire, Twilight, Sarsaparilla, Fleur and Paris Pink to name a few. There’s certain to be at least one that will compliment your child’s clothing, rather than just protect it. Made with a super soft cotton jersey front and a thick terry towelling back, they can handle any mess be it lentils or liquid. From the way Baby A was sucking on his, it would seem that we can add ‘teether’ to the list of features! The neckline is a gorgeous soft herringbone cotton, with a snap opening at the back. Easy on, easy off. I still end up with food in my hair, but the length and width of the bibs means that Baby A’s shoulders, legs and tummy remain food free at each meal time. No outfit change required.

Life with babies is messy. Until Baby A starts to feed himself, I’ve no-one to blame but myself for my inability to get the spoon from bowl to mouth with no spillage. Until Baby A finishes this round of teething, he’ll continue to resemble the creature from ‘Alien’. At least in the Eeni Meeni Miini Moh bibs he’ll be the most fashionable, colour coordinated, drool dripping Alien on the planet!

We must apologise for being so late in announcing bebe May Review Winners, but on the up side, it will not be long before we announce the bebe June Review Winners!

The May Review Winners are:

Lavina Mandy,

Alda Di Genova, and

Leanne Cotte.

We will be in touch shortly to advise you lucky three claim your bebe $50 vouchers. For the rest of you please continue to submit your reviews for June.

Find out how to submit a review here.

When I was a young teenager at school I remember there being two distinct groups of people. Those who preferred a button fly on their levis and those who preferred a zipper! Fast forward 20 years and most of my clothing choices these days revolve around bubs …. isn’t it funny how things change!

Perhaps they don’t change that much. Speak to any mother and it seems to be a similar story with bibs - just a few more categories: velcro, tie up, press studs, over-the- head, etc. It’s quite amazing how much detail a Mum will go into if you ask her the simple question “What type of bib do you prefer?” When it comes down to it, most Mums will say it has to do the following things:

- Stay on!

- Wash well

- Be absorbent

- Keep clothes clean

The Nature Baby Organic Free Range Bib ticks all of the boxes. The press studs are super strong, even when I challenged Siena to try and pull the bib off she couldn’t - unlike her other bibs with press studs! The material is a gorgeous, soft, organic cotton which is absorbent, washes well and dries quickly. It is a great size. I have the 6 month plus which covers Siena (14 months) well. It is also nice and wide so when she flies her spoon around in the air it protects her shoulders. It’s an added bonus that functionality matches style … really great neutral colours and beautiful animal prints. Perhaps the most important judge of the bib is Siena …. she loves them! She even pats and tries to feed carrots to the rabbit.  Chwck out the Nature Baby Free Range bibs here…

I’m a huge believer in the benefits of swaddling a newborn.  I used to love wrapping Grace so that she was snug as a bug in her little cocoon.

And all was going well until she learnt the joys of rolling over in her cot.  She then decided, frustratingly for me, that the comfiest sleeping position she could find was no longer on her back, but on her tummy.

So this led me to find other ways to recreate this cocoon-like experience while keeping her arms safely free.  Grace has used a sleeping bag since she was eight weeks old.  But, trying to stick to a consistent routine, I only ever use it at night.

So I was intrigued to see how she would go using Nature Baby’s Organic Cotton Sleeping Gown for one of her day sleeps.

When I unwrapped the gown, the first thing I noticed was the softness and warmth of the fabric, it felt silky smooth to touch.

Being a very cold day in Melbourne, I slipped the gown over her play clothes and used the drawstring at the bottom.  This ensured that her little legs were safely cocooned (a recent favourite activity of Grace’s is to wedge her legs between the bars of the cot!).  The drawstring also makes it very quick and convenient if a nappy change is needed.

The sleeves have fold-over mittens, which would come in very handy for a newborn but weren’t needed for little G who had just had a manicure courtesy of me, that morning.

Once in her cot, Grace kicked around for a minute or two but then realised that she couldn’t reverse back and wedge herself on the bars, so she decided to go to sleep instead.  And as you can see, she woke up feeling pretty good.

The verdict?  Well, the Nature Baby sleeping gown is now a permanent part of daytime sleeps.  We like it a lot.  It’s beautiful quality and great value.  In fact, it’s now on my list of favourite gifts for a newborn.

Recently my 3.5-year-old Fin was whisked into emergency surgery only twelve hours after a quick visit to the doctors. He had initially been unwell, starting with vomiting then a high temp for days. His blood test results had came back abnormal and we were referred to Royal Children’s Hospital emergency department with a suspected bacterial infection.

Upon arriving at the children’s they diagnosed a perforated Appendix requiring immediate surgery.  The process was all so quick without time to think or discuss it with him. As a mother I was questioning I could possibly have prepared him better.

You  never know if or when your child may require an emergency trip to hospital. Here are some ideas on how to make the experience easier.

• Take familiar items from home such as a favourite toy, pillow, or blanket. Fin had not let his pillow or bears out of sight for days.
• Talk about doctors and what they will do or are doing. Use simple language - “the doctor is feeling your tummy to see where it’s sore”, “they want to listen to your heart”
• Role play what happensfor example with  temperature taking. A toy doctors kit is great to familiarise children all the equipment.
• Read books together about the doctors and hospitals during normal story times. Our our favourite is “Maisy goes to hospital”
• Be honest. If it might hurt let them know. It’s important to keep their trust. For example a  blood test that may have to be done again soon.
• Distraction- use toys, books, music, movies, games to distract from what the medical staff are doing.
• Don’t let them eat or drink until you have the doctors or nurses ok. They may require fasting before surgery or tests
• Hugs and Kisses - offer plenty of reassurance and love
• Be prepared to wait - doctors and hospitals can take a long time for simple things, remember the sickest child is treated first
• Ask questions- find out what’s happening and prepare to advocate for your child
• Use your gut instinct- you know your child best. If you are not happy with the answers keep asking or get a second opinion.