Baby Toys and Activities

When babies play this reflects the development of the brain areas. The best ways for baby to learn about the world are through sight, sound, touch, taste and smell. Brightly coloured toys to rattles and soft squeaky toys teach the dexterity and the concept of cause and effect.

My little one who just turned 1 year is now in the stages of playing with shape sorters, stacking rings, large blocks and books. He's getting the hang of matching the shape and pictures with different blocks putting them into the correct slots! He's also recognising different numbers and shapes and loves the animals in his books. My baby loves to show us the number one on his finger, I think that's his favourite number ;)  These are some proud moments that I'm sure most parents experience as well!

What stage is your LO at right now and what milestones are being reached?

The End to Bottle Feeding

When is it time to say 'Bye-Bye' to bottle feeding? I've read that many pediatricians recommend that around baby's first birthday he/she should depart from the ever comforting bottle and switch to the cup.

Some reasons that are given are because of:
1. Dental hygiene - sticking with the bottle can prove damaging for baby's teeth and could lead to tooth decay.
2. Health and Nutrition - there will be little room for nutrition if baby loves bottle and sips from it non-stop.
3. Development - if baby has the bottle in his/her mouth constantly he/she cant use his hands to play and explore.
4. Habit - it will be much harder to get a toddler to give up the bottle than a one year old as babies are easier to convince, so breaking the habit sooner than later will be easier on mom and dad and baby.

At what age did you stop giving your little one the bottle and was the transition a difficult one for you?

The true definition of Motherhood!

This is so true! And so worth it as well.

How to Bathe your Newborn Baby

Bathing baby especially your newborn can be a scary experience! Here's a video showing you how to give your baby a bath.

Video Credit: Epworth Healthcare

Guidelines for Manners

I saw this online and found it to be so interesting especially now more than ever as we see how society is ever changing where simple kind words and manners are becoming a thing of the past. This is a good thing to teach our young ones before they go out into the world.

Baby Hacks - Baby/Child Proofing

I have reached the stage where it's time to baby proof the house. Baby is so mobile now and one of his favourite things is to try to stick his finger in the power outlet. Nowadays, there are so many gadgets parents can purchase to child-proof their home. My time is finally here and I like so many other parents have to research to find what I need to protect baby from his inquisitiveness.

What are some of the tricks you as parents use to avoid your little ones from slamming that door on the finger or throwing that expensive tablet/phone of yours in the "you know what"?!!

Here are some of the things I came across when doing my 'research'. I hope this helps for when your time approaches!!

Finger Pinch Guard for Doors to
prevent slamming baby's finger

Toilet Lid-Lock

Universal Outlet Cover

Corner Guards for a table's sharp edges

Doorknob Lock

Gates for Stairs and Problem Areas

Hospital Bag Checklist

This post is for the expectant mummies.... and daddies who are approaching term and the pregnancy journey is almost at its end!! I know, this is an extremely exciting time yet probably the most scarey part of pregnancy.... but we still have to be prepared for that special moment when we get to meet baby for the very first time!

Below is a checklist to help when packing for the hospital or wherever you choose to deliver your little bundle of joy. 

Source: Baby Centre

Baby Hacks - Irritable and Crying Baby

Have you experienced a time when your baby was crying and so miserable and no matter what you tried to do to stop the crying nothing worked? Well I have gone through this so many times as well and one time my husband decided to try something different. So many parents did the same thing as well and said it worked like a charm. Baby stopped crying instantly!!

The video below posted by LittleBabyBum solved our baby crying problems and I hope it eases your little one as well when he/she is miserable!

Baby on Board!

I found this to be so informative for all those mummy and daddy drivers out there! I bought one for my vehicle soon after I saw this.

Reading to Baby

How many of you parents have heard that you should read to baby even before he/she leaves the womb? How many of us have heard that reading encourages the child to like books and makes them more intelligent? Do you believe this is indeed a fact or just a plain myth?

Swaddling Baby

Swaddling is a technique I used for my baby boy when he was a new born. It helped him fall asleep faster as the snuggled feeling reminded him of the warm and restricted space while in the womb.

What do you think about swaddling your baby? Did it help baby fall asleep easily or do you think that it really didn't make a difference?

Not too sure how to swaddle your newborn baby. The picture below guides you on how to master the art using a regular blanket!

Baby Hacks - Sleeping

So baby is cranky and you're not too sure what the problem is. The baby's fed, checked the diapers and it's clean so what's the issue??? The chart below may be able to help you when it comes to baby and his/her sleeping time requirements.

Baby/toddler sleep requirement chart (based on Weissbluth's Healthy Sleep Habits).

Baby Hacks - Teething

So baby is in the teething stages and you're not sure the exact location of the pain. Here is a picture to help with sourcing it so you know where to rub that soothing gel to help baby cope with that uncomfortable feeling. It shows the age of baby and where teeth are emerging at each stage. Hope this helps!

Feeding Baby

My LO is approaching 12 months already! How time flies! When it comes to his belly he doesn't mix matters. He loves his food. I introduced him to solids at about four months. His dad and I started him with the store bought bottle foods which were made to a very 'liquidy' consistency. This way made it easy for baby to swallow. By six months, I started making foods at home for him such as sweet potatoes, pumpkin and carrots which were steamed and then mashed till all the pieces were crushed. For snack time I would cut up pawpaw (papaya) and blend or mash with a fork as well till it was soft enough for baby. He also loved bananas and seedless grapes which I would have to peel before crushing. At 9 months I introduced him to yogurt and he loved it (probably because it tasted somewhat like ice-cream)!

Don't forget that water is also very important for baby as we live in the tropics where it can tend to get very hot and baby can become very dehydrated. Water is essential!

What are some of the methods you use when it comes to feeding your baby?

A Baby's Intelligence

How many of us as adults underestimate the intelligence of babies?

Check this video out! What do you think?

A Mother's Life

How many of us moms..... (and dads!) agree with this and wish that others really knew the 'truth' about stay at home moms and the working ones as well.

Shopping for Baby

As parents we would love to give baby everything that he/she needs. All the best baby gears, accessories, gadgets, clothes and especially those toys to keep baby occupied and entertained. But do we really think about how much we spend on those clothes and toys? Are you 'overbuying' and overspending on these products? Do you really need to get that baby monitor if the house is small and baby screams so loudly anyway that you can hear him/her from anywhere inside the house?

Do you ever find yourself in that position where you're cleaning out baby's closet and you come across clothes that your baby hasn't even worn 2 times? It's only after you go through this then you realise that your baby is growing so quickly that he/she can't wear all the clothes that you bought!

What about those toys? How many times have we heard from others that kids rather play with the box than the toys that come inside them? And when they do play with their toys they get tired of them quickly. We just never seem to ever listen to our 'advisers'!

Here are some tips to help you save money:

• Avoid overspending on expensive clothing.
• Avoid buying too many pieces of clothing for any age bracket (i.e. 0-3 months, 3-6 months, etc.) 
• Don't buy too many toys for baby as they would eventually outgrow them and you may just end up with a room full of toys that baby may not be interested in anymore.

A Baby's Foot!!

Baby Stages - Teething

Teething....teething. My baby began this stage at about 5 months old. Ohh the number of times I had to change his clothes and his bibs was ridiculous. There was drool EVERYWHERE!! Thank God he wasn't all that fussy and irritable, but anything he saw within his reach he would try to put it in his mouth to soothe his itchy gums. I tried with the teething rings (the ones to freeze as well). Some people even suggested gels to rub on his gums to soothe them.

What was your experience like with your baby and how did you remedy the situation??

Baby Stages - Newborns and Colic

Many newborn babies suffer from colic. I was one of the many mothers that had to deal with the uncontrollable crying baby in the middle of the night. This lasted for about 2 months with my newborn. I must say it was a frightening and worrying time as it seemed that nothing could soothe him and ease the pain that he was going through. Most times I felt helpless and it drove me to tears knowing that I couldn't detect what the problem was and how I could make it stop.

Did you have to face the same trying times and what did you do in your situation?