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Six months ago, my family of 5 swelled to include a new baby - of the fur variety! Duke is a Bernese Mountain Dog cross and has brought so much joy, laughter, mess and activity to our family. Thankfully, we felt prepared to introduce Duke to our family through our conversations with Mel from Cooper and Kids.

Baby poo colour - what it means. Mustard yellow: Normal breastfed-baby poo, pasty or seedy. Breastfed babies can also have looser brown or green poo.

Adjusting to the daylight savings time change can be a huge stress for some families and it’s pretty common to be concerned that your baby or toddler’s sleep will be impacted in a big way. There are a couple of ways to go about helping them adjust to the change.

Forcing a child to toilet train when they aren’t developmentally and emotionally ready can result in withholding behaviour and ultimately cause constipation too.

Fussy toddlers/preschoolers are the WORST. You spend so much time prepping beautiful healthy food only to have it sit there. Remember like many things in this age cohort toddlers & preschoolers are testing boundaries and trying to gain autonomy.

From about 2 years onwards children have a developing autonomy, that sees an increase in their desire to make their own decisions and control their own lives. 

Seldom does a consulting day go by without someone asking my opinion regarding the Snoo. This space-age bassinet was designed by a US paediatrician to simulate settling methods (swaddling, rocking, etc) intended to elongate a baby’s sleep and help them overcome unsettled behaviour.

RUOK?  An important question for new parents too…Welcoming a new baby into the family is usually a time of joy, wonder and excitement. However, for a proportion of mothers and fathers it can also be a challenging time. 1 in 7 mothers will experience Post Natal Depression (PND).  So, as well as saying “Congratulations on your new baby” it is also a good time to ask “RUOK?”

Reading to your child is one of the joys of parenthood - in this blog I discuss: Some of the reasons reading to your kids is great; Some tips/hints for reading; You don’t have to even read - just simply singing and talking to your kids improves literacy outcomes later in life; Plus 3 of the absolute favourite books in our house!  

Personally, I was excited to become a father, after watching my two older brothers welcome 5 nieces and nephews for me to practice on. I was training to become a paediatrician and there was an expectation – mostly self-assigned – that I would cruise through this newborn journey with aplomb, enjoying perfect babies that waltz out of their womb and sleep soundly through the night from day 1. The crash to reality was rapid, brutal and unlike any other physical or emotional challenge I’ve ever experienced or conceived of.

Eczema - or atopic dermatitis - causes dry, red and scaly skin - almost anywhere on the body. Eczema is extremely itchy and is a relatively common contributor to unsettled infant behaviour.

Babies aren’t born with impressive head control - it’s why we need to always support the necks of newborns when we hold them, and why we need to help them build this independent strength over time. In addition to neck strength, tummy time is also wonderful for promoting development, interacting with your baby and enjoying some time without a focus on feeding or winding.