JulieBhosaleAchive

Sleep..... Do you have a far off memory of what that was? Five years and counting and sleep still is not what is was like in LBC (life before children). However that first year when bubs arrives into this world hands down takes the cake when it comes to sleep deprivation. An area of sleep for little ones especially before their first birthday which is not often discussed is the relationship between sleep and food. Food of course for babies is in the form of milk (breastmilk or formula) but also the process of moving on to solid food. Now I do have a whole chapter on this relationship in my book The Nourished Baby AND if I am really honest I could write an entire book on the science of sleep - period - for babies (I just might be you know!). However as sleep deprivation is such a challenge for parents I hope the following tips will give you a few pointers and things to try straight away. Sleep is very much hormonally driven. There are a lot of hormonal processes which stimulate the body...

Learning to eat is messy business….for those that have not yet starting solids I am sorry but it is coming! Having navigated starting solids now with both of my two boys something that I had not yet found a solution for was a spoon to help  learn that crucial motor skill of hand to mouth action. When I look back on videos (I have a tone on you-tube for your viewing pleasure) with the tradition long spoons there was a lot of flicking action over the head, chair, floor….you get the picture! This year I found the solution I would have loved to have had with them – self feeding spoons from Kizsingo! These are simple but pure genius. These spoons feature a nice short handle for easy griping those wee hands adding stability as well, and the curve allows for a guided motion up to eager mouths. Babies can close their lips easily around the specially designed head of the spoon. It pretty much means babies can grab and go. Oh the concentration! (Note the double spoon approach too!) You will neve...

Our first baby turning five was a really big milestone and special day for us. I have always tried to hold parties for the boys but in true working mum reality there have been some times that it has just been too hard (cue end of doctoral thesis and also book publishing deadline as examples). While we are still very much in a busy period (is life ever not busy?!) we did plan ahead for this time as some things need to be booked well in advance AND I just did not try to do everything and have everything perfect. Holding a party at home is just a no-go especially as the boys are bigger, cleaning the house top to bottom is actually mission impossible AND space wise if it rains would be a bit of a nightmare. So we booked a local community at a local park which meant if it rained (which it did!) so the stress-factor was zero. One other planning tip that I found helpful was we had an afternoon party. I had not done this before but it meant that I had time in the morning for preparation which ...

At one of my events on the weekend I was asked about the idea of free movement for babies - so I thought it was fitting to write a blog about this! While not a 'new' concept it has become more topical, unfortunately mainly due to babies movement and play being more restricted. It is an important cornerstone of their wellbeing and does impact on their eating, digestive system and energy levels which is why I have a chapter on it in The Nourished Baby . What is Free Movement?  Put simply, free movement for babies is allowing their movement in a way that is free from all restriction. This means not using bouncers, seats, swings, jolly jumpers or walkers, and limiting the heavy use of carriers, slings and strollers - as these still can restrict movement of our babies. This does not mean you cannot carry your baby; rather still providing a lot of chances for their own unrestrained movement each wake cycle. It may surprise you to know that for a baby, the position which allows for th...

The humble egg has been subjected to quite a wide variety of opinions when it comes to introducing it to your baby. It is also classified as a 'high allergenic food', being one of the top eight food allergens. Nutritionally, the egg is packed full of important nutrients. It is a complete protein (containing all eight essential amino acids) plus it contains both saturated fat (approximately 1g) as well as unsaturated fat, including your omegas. Eggs have a significant number of vitamins and minerals including selenium, folate, iron, calcium Vitamins A, E, D, B5, B12 and more! When you look at how much goodness eggs can provide to our babies, it is a food we do want to introduce especially in the sensitive period the first year offers for developing food preferences. However, I know it can be quite daunting when there is such conflicting information and worry considering eggs are a top allergen. So below I answer some of the top questions and de-bunk the major myths on introducin...

Reading baby food labels - this is a topic I am hugely passionate about as many of you know! I am really frustrated at the current state of pre-packaged baby food and even more frustrated that we have major health care providers advocating the such food is nutritionally sound for our babies! So for or my brand new book - The Nourished Baby - I conducted my own research and looked at all the baby food products on the market here in New Zealand, Australia and the UK. I spoke on the AM Show on about this (though could have talked for a lot longer!). The major concern for me was finding that 15% - yes 15% of all products (in all three countries) contained ADDED sugar - this means ingredients like sugar cane and juice have been added into the baby food - marketed at baby food for as young as four months old. This is wrong on so many levels. I also found that a huge percentage - over 50% of the products contained fruit. I go into a lot more detail in The Nourished Baby about fruit and why...

Windy babies is a very common concern for new parents. Wind is the the air in your baby's tummy. During feeding your baby may swallow a lot of air along with her milk when they feeds as well as potentially gulping in air when they cry. While all babies can get wind, some will experience this more than others. Your babies gut is very delicate especially in the early new born days as it is very immature. While the organs of the digestive system are fully formed the upper and lower intestine which make up your babies gut take some time to mature - in terms of the bacteria that gets laid down as well as the enzymes that get processed. It is this process that can take longer for some babies. Some babies may also experience reflux - the technical terms for this is Gastroesophageal Reflux There is a valve at the top of the stomach that keeps food from going back up into the esophagus. If that valve is not fully developed, or opens at the wrong time, the stomach contents can move back, or ...

Nourishment for your body is not just with food. Our skin is our largest organ – what we put on this (and our hair) does really matter. Our skin is very permeable so it absorbs a large percentage of what we put on it. For this reason, I have always used ecostore products, especially the baby range with my boys. The ecostore is a New Zealand based company which began here in 1993 and only uses plant and mineral based ingredients in their amazing range of products. I still get nostalgic about their Baby Sleepytime Bath which I used when the boys were small enough to fit in the kitchen sink! We are well and truly beyond the new born stage (for now!) so I was very happy when the new kids range was launched earlier this year…and now they have another new addition to these products! Taming Wild Locks Both our boys have been blessed with beautiful mops of thick hair. Our first son somehow sprouted ringlet curls which I held of cutting these as long as possible (until he was nearly three). Wh...