Our son was born early – not the kind of early, thankfully, that means heartrending weeks of incubators, monitoring and uncertainty – but early enough that our breastfeeding relationship got off to an extremely rocky start. I’d always planned to breastfeed, but while antenatal classes had prepared me and my partner well for the birth, … Continue reading 889 days of breastfeeding – What I learnt and what I wish I’d known
Like most two year olds, our son loves to sing, he loves to dance and he loves to rhyme. He never gets sick of the songs and rhymes he knows well and nothing captures his attention more than when he hears something new. While he loves those that are set to music, he also enjoys … Continue reading Beware the Jabberwock! – Rhyme and cognitive development
The interest in calm parenting approaches that deliver happy, well behaved toddlers is seemingly never ending and has provided rich fodder for parenting gurus and an extensive literature. Recent additions to this stable include ToddlerCalm: A guide for calmer toddlers and happier parents" target="_blank">Toddler Calm and No Bad Kids: Toddler Discipline Without Shame" target="_blank">No Bad … Continue reading Another view on finding the Holy Grail – 4C parenting for calm parents and happy toddlers
We have ‘worn’ our son (using different soft slings and woven wraps as he’s grown) since he was three days old and still do, now he’s two, when we’re out and about, or at home on clingy, cuddly days. We would have worn him earlier had we been more prepared for his arrival. It was … Continue reading Baby monkeys know what’s what – an unusual case for babywearing
A few weeks ago I had the privilege of supporting a friend, alongside her husband and a great midwife-led team,* through the birth of her second child. After a first labour that, in a number of ways, hadn’t gone exactly to plan, she was approaching the second birth with optimism, but an understandable degree of … Continue reading Good births – the importance of letting go
