Congratulations to the following talented February Review Winners:

Emma Whiston

Simone Nabholz

Kellie Norman

You are February’s $50 Virtual bebe Voucher winners. You will be contacted shortly to be advised of your prize and how to claim it.

Here’s to March and more great reviews !

1. I can finally embrace & understand the term “mother instinct”.

2. I can forget about many of the things that used to stress me out so much (read: corporate ladder) because they actually don’t matter at all.

3. A single cheeky grin, or belly laugh can turn an otherwise crappy day into something  blissful.

4. When my baby cries, the mere holding close/nursing calms her

5. I  think about the future in a bigger and more optimistic way - picturing her heading off to school and to her first dance class

6. If I nap/sleep with her, our breathing/heart beats become unison.

7. I anticipate little things like the first time she says “Mumma”, taking those first steps, and cruising in for an un-prompted cuddle

8. My awareness of safety, health and all round responsibility intensifies as I  don’t want to jeapordise a moment of living with this wonderful being.

9. Through my intimate connection and attachment to my baby, I am healing myself of hurts from the past.

10. Following my baby throughout the day as she learns and grows reminds me to slow down and that life is a journey rather than a destination.

Sounds all very serious and official, but actually it’s a heap of fun! Bebe now has over 600 product reviews on our site, and we thought we’d take it that step further and offer more of a personal insight into how our products are used by recruiting some members to our bebe road testing team.

How does it work?

Quite simply actually. We send you  products on a regular basis based on your childs age, you try it out and then you  blog your experience here !

Do I get to keep the product?

Yes, you certainly do. All we ask is for an honest insight as well as a happy snap of your wee one enjoying (we hope) our products! Occasionally you may be offered the option of trialing a larger product (such as a stroller/furniture). In such instances, we would collect the product from you.

What kind of products would I be road testing?

This will depend on the age of your child but anything from essentials such as wraps, lotions, books, carriers. bath toys and clothing to educational toys, decor and strollers.

Am I what you’re looking for?

If you are a parent with a child/children aged 0-5 and have a flair for writing, then yes!

What would be my commitment ?

This would depend on your availability. We envisage sending each person product a fortnight. There may also be paid blogging opportunities available in the future should this be something you wish to branch into.

How do I apply?

Just email carey@bebeonline.com.au with  a little bit about yourself. Please don’t forget the basics - your name, state, number and age of children, as well as a 200 word road test on any of our products that you have in your home. The aim is to maintain a personal element rather than a solely a product review. Here is an example of some road tests that we have written that shares a personal experience with a product.

Submissions are open until March 24th, 2010.

Trying to see things from your toddler’s point of view can help you be patient with them when introducing a new bundle of joy to the family: Imagine that your partner has just brought home a new lover and announced that you are all going to live together. It will be fun! You will be best friends! After hearing that your partner loves you and his new lover equally, you are asked to share all your things with this intruder. It also turns out that you won’t be getting as much attention as you used to because the new lover is a bit upset about something. Anyway, you are such a clever person, you can do lots of things by yourself now. Oh, and by the way, you must be gentle with the new lover! Wouldn’t go down too well, would it?

To help smooth the transition, and introduce the idea of having a sibling during pregnancy use dolls to discuss typical baby behaviour and take your toddler to visit a friend with a baby for a close-up look. After the birth buy a present for the new baby to give to your toddler. In hospital and at home, let your older child help while you feed, change, wash and hold the baby. Set up a corner for feeding times, with special things to occupy your toddler: snacks, drinks, storybooks, a scrapbook and crayons, a CD player with your toddler’s favourite songs. While you’re feeding the baby, tell her (loudly enough to be overheard!) how great it is to have a big brother or sister. When the baby is settled remember that your “big” kid needs mummy time too and enjoy cuddles and activities without the baby.

For more great strategies to help your toddler behave like an angel,  see ‘Toddler Tactics’ by Pinky McKay or check out Pinky’s website here.

We have just added some more new designs to our personalised melamine plate range, and would like to give you the opportunity to win your chosen personalised plates. We are giving two plates away and entering is a synch - you just need to answer a simple question. Head on over to our Facebook Page where you will find the question on our wall. Contest is drawn at random this coming Thursday 11/03/10. Good luck!

In the meantime, you can check our our personalised melemine plate range here…

How many of us actually get the time to do proper birth announcements? Unfortunately they’re not the type of thing you can arrange before the baby arrives, and for me it was one of those things I had all good intentions of doing and … well you know the rest.

Now there’s an online option that is so easy and (yes) cheap, that you’d almost be crazy not to. www.lullabybirthannouncements.com gets you to simply select your design, upload your photo, fill in the text and the designer will pull it all together for you for a cost of US$10. You can then share your jpeg file on Facebook or email and if you want to hang it up on the fridge it costs just 80 cents a print out.   If you’ve passed the birth announcement phase, you can also do baptism announcements. We’re thoping she expands to birthday announcements too! Check out this great service at www.lullabybirthannouncements.com

If you are the parent of a crying baby, it may help to remind yourself that perhaps the stares your baby’s crying elicits from perfect strangers aren’t always glares of disapproval or judgement: it is natural to feel sensitive when your best efforts to protect and nurture your child seem less than perfect, but could it be possible that many of the stares and whispers that surround you and your crying baby are really voices of concern or even deeply felt empathy? After all, empathy (along with humility) can be one of the greatest lessons learned by parents who have a crying baby. You will also learn compassion, tolerance and flexibility as you meet your baby’s needs. These too are strengths to draw on as your child grows. As you attend to his cries, you will discover resources you may never have believed possible: even as you reach the pits of exhaustion, you will gather new reserves of energy. You will learn to recognise when your own reserves are low and when you need nurturing yourself – you will learn to ttake care of yourself as you take care of your child, because you will be forced to.

A crying baby will teach you to prioritise: you will learn that people matter much more than ‘things’. As you sit and rock your baby, instead of becoming restless about that unfinished ‘work’, look deeply into those trusting navy-blue eyes and ask yourself how much these things would matter if your child were taken from you tomorrow. Mostly, by responding to your crying baby you will have an opportunity to heal yourself: to overcome your own feelings that crying is unhealthy, and perhaps to make a connection with your child that you may have missed out on yourself if your own parents were discouraged from holding you close as you cried. And as you hold your baby close in the dark of night, remember too you are not alone: out there, in another home, in another street, across the world even, another mother will also be holding her own baby close. Through your baby’s cries, you are connected through time and space to mothers everywhere.

If you are the parent of a crying baby - why not check out  100 Ways to Calm the Crying by Pinky McKay , Check out Pinky’s website is www.pinky-mychild.com.

We have been waiting a long time for there to be a  double pram or stroller available to Australia that is reasonable in size, weight and stability. We even nagged Silver Cross to (pretty please) hurry up and release one of their nifty double strollers here. We waited patiently, and are rapt to introduce you to the Pop Duo! 

The new Silver Cross Pop Duo is  a zappy double stroller, perfect for two kids up to 15kgs each. The Pop Duo features a handy umbrella fold and independent seat back and hoods for the individual comfort of each child. Headrests, lockable swivel wheels, easy-access shopping baskets and that all-important cup holder are just a few of the other features of the Pop Duo.

Check out the Silver Cross Pop Duo stroller here…

Once your toddler is closer to three, you can begin setting limits at bedtime by telling him how many stories you will read before you start. To minimise delaying tactics and calling out, try to anticipate his needs: before he gets into bed, let him get his toys in order and perhaps choose a soft toy to sleep with; place a lidded cup of water within his reach; before you settle down to read, ask him, ‘What is the one last thing you need to do before stories?’ Help your child stay in bed until he is sleepy by sitting in his room with him.

For more tips on happy bedtimes (and sleep) check Pinky’s books ‘Toddler Tactics’ and ‘Sleeping Like a Baby’. Visit Pinky’s website www.pinkymckay.com.au

 Air fresheners:

 Oven and toilet bowl cleaners:

 These can be the nastiest. Corrosive or caustic cleaners, such as the lye and acids found in drain cleaners, oven cleaners and acid-based toilet bowl cleaners, are the most dangerous cleaning products because they burn skin, eyes and internal tissue easily. We use NZ brand Eco-store which can now be found in most supermarkets.  

Plastic Food Storage Containers:

Knowing that BPA containing plastics can cause all sorts of health problems, we spent a long time seeking out a BPA free plastic food container range . We found a fantastic range in the USA (preserve) , which bebe now stocks.  There is no need to check for codes or not know which part of their range is healthy – the entire range is made from recycled plastic and BPA free, which is great for peace of mind when it comes to left overs, work lunches and of course school lunches.

Canned food:

Bottled water:

Most people buy bottled water thinking they’re avoiding any contaminants that may be present in their tap water. For the most part, they’re wrong. Bottled water can be just as, or even more, contaminated than tap water. In fact, some bottled water IS tap water - just packaged (in plastic that can leach chemicals into the water) and over-priced.  We have invested in  reusable stainless steel water bottles and am alkalised water system which we believe has contributed to great health.

Rubber duckies:

How does such a cute toy end up on a toxic product list? When it’s made from PVC - the poison plastic. Banned in over 14 countries and the European Union, PVC, also known as vinyl, is still legally sold by Australian  retailers although it threatens environmental and consumer health at every stage of its product life cycle.  We’ve sourced some fantastic new  BPA free bath toys which we’ll be launching online and in store in the next 2 weeks – so stay tuned!

Oil-based paints and finishes:

 There are 300 toxic chemicals and 150 carcinogens potentially present in oil-based paint. It’s so common to paint the nursery when pregnant as part of teh nesting process (I did it myself too!), so it’s great to be aware of healthier options. When painting we look for water-based options - ideally those that are low- or no-VOC. We also  explore natural finishes like milk paint and vegetable or wax based wood finishes. Porters Paints offer some of these more natural options.