JulieBhosaleAchive

We really struggled to toilet train our first son....a number of things went wrong and we didn't know what our next step was. I fumble my way through motherhood most of the time but one thing I have learnt (the hard way) is to ask for help, especially from an expert! Enter Laura Morley of Toddler Talk NZ . Laura was our saving grace! I had a one-hour skype consultation with her and came away with a very clear plan and loads of tips and tricks to build our little man's confidence back up and nail this learning phase! One of the things she strongly recommended (and turned out to be one of the keys to our sucess) was not to use pull ups (or disposable training pants) and use resuable pants like Weepants. Here is a guest post from Laura to tell us why! Laura Morley: Parents at workshops always look at me in horror when I recommend that they take their child out of disposal nappies and put their kids in to underwear for a few hours each day.  It means that their child can get used t...

I have created this smoothie just for little monkeys who are going through toilet training and maybe reluctant to drink water and/or are experiencing being 'backed' up and constipated. It's a problem that is not really wonderful dinner time conversation but it is really common. This is more so in children who do have a lot of processed foods or going through a fussy stage of eating and refusing vegetables. I also see some infants (often around 8-10 months old) in the process of starting solids encounter constipation. This smoothie is packed full of nutritious ingredients to help the gut do its job. In addition, it is made with coconut milk so it's dairy-free which can also help reduce any additional irritation to the sensitive gastrointestinal tract (GI tract), or for those bubs who are intolerant to dairy. Prunes are well known for helping move waste through the gut. In this smoothie I use actual prunes rather than prune juice as they have significantly more fibre (7g/...

Long before Paleo, Caveman, Raw Food and Sugar-Free diets came to the forefront, natural herbs have been used and sworn by for weight loss purposes since before time. The continual rise in obesity (50% of New Zealanders are currently overweight or obese) and subsequent chronic diseases including type two diabetes have highlighted the need for effective natural solutions. Tea in all its forms – including green tea, herbal teas and sliming teas have all been claimed as the ultimate weight loss secret but just how much weight do they carry? The Science Let’s get back to the roots and see what research has to offer us. A good majority of scientific studies have been heavily focused on the relationship between green tea and weight loss (including the British Medical Journal and Clinical Journal of Nutrition). The results to date appear mixed with some studies showing a relationship between drinking green tea and weight loss and some without ( Hutcheon, 2014 ). Scientifically determining if ...

Are meal times stressful? Do you find yourself staring into the fridge hoping inspiration will come? Or does 5pm come around and you realise that you have hungry children to feed (and yourself!!) and nothing is ready?. Planning really is the key - and I know you feel like you don't have time to have a shower let alone plan a weeks meals (I am there too!) but there really are a lot of benefits to planning ahead: *Saves Time! Yes honestly!! Planning ahead means you are far more mentally prepared and efficient in the kitchen. It also means you can make the most of a good time e.g. if child manages to find their toy truck/train/barbie doll interesting for longer than 2 minutes you know exactly what to do preparation wise! *Early Preparation. Speaking of being prepared, planning means that if there are some steps you need to do early on in the day meal wise for example taking the meat out of the freezer or putting a slow cooker on - you are ready! *Cost Effective. How many times do y...

This recipe is so simple it's almost not a recipe! I promise you will win brownie points without even trying! Who say's chocolate can't make a healthy treat! Ingredients: 1 Block of dark chocolate (I use Lindt 90% but if you are still getting used to dark chocolate I would go for 75-85%) 1 Cup of nuts - any variety will do! (Salted peanuts and cashews work particularly well.) Directions: Place chocolate into a microwave safe bowl and melt (should take about 1 and a half minutes). Pour in the nuts and mix together. Pour into a large tray lined with baking paper. Place in the fridge or freezer until set. Take out and cut into rough segments. You can place these all pretty in a box with a bow (total domestic goddess status!). Store in the fridge.   xxx Dr Julie Bhosale

Forget candlelit dinners and roses. True love as a parent really is shown in ways that we would not even have regarded as ‘things’ in life before children. If you are unsure of what to get for your other parenting half this Valentine’s day pick a number from the list below. I assure you it will be the best Valentines gift ever.   1.  Sleep.  A full nights unbroken sleep is a million times better than roses, chocolates, dresses, perfume, shoes and a Gucci handbag – combined. 2. A sleep in.  7am counts. 3. A hot cup of coffee. Finished without so much as moving more than your arm. 4. A shower. For extra brownie points; a shower long enough to wash your hair and shave your legs without being interrupted. 5. Nappy changing duty - all day. 6. Dinner.   Dinner that you do not have to think about, plan, shop for or cook. If cooking is not your thing - do it anyway. Baked beans on toast will be pure gold. 7. A night off dishes. Feel free to stretch this out for a week as the ultima...