My daughter has no shoes..

My older daughter left hospital wearing shoes. Literally wearing shoes. Yes my nipples were bleeding and I had those sore, hot, hard, porn star boobs but I still managed to whip out some fab shoes. Oh and not to mention that and I had 2 stitches in my who-ha and the thought alone of going to to the toilet made me want to curl up in feotal position myself.. but I actually had the time to put shoes on my daughter. Don't believe me? Here's the photo to prove it.

This is Mikah, 4 days old, sitting in the hospital cafe in a gorgeous Petit Bateau little number, Bonds leggings and Country Road booties. Well don't mind if I do! She was my real life doll and I had dressed her up and loved every second of it.

Rafaella has worn shoes twice EVER (she's one in 2 weeks). Once it was my birthday and we had a birthday party so I felt the need to at least look like everyone was presentable and that I was totally coping, and the other time I run out of clean socks and I was worried about her little piggies getting cold. 
 And to me this symbolises the difference between having one child and two. The first child wears shoes. 

My baby girl Rafaella is turning one in two weeks and I've been racking my brain about what I can get her as a present. It's been a tough year given that my age gap wasn't nearly as big as I had wanted it to be, my baby-dadda was away for the first few months of her life and then the worst part was that she had what I now call the tri-fecta.. Reflux/Allergies/Asthma. O-M-G. I really wanted to think up something nice, that she didn't have to share with her sister, that she could have now and later and something I thought she would actually appreciate..Hard criteria right? Well I decided that my present for her would be that I would make her nursery beautiful. Enter judgement looks now. This was something I had loved doing for her older sister throughout my pregnancy and then with my second - it had totally been overlooked.

When I was pregnant with my first, I looked at magazines to draw inspiration for wallpapers, wall stickers, different cots and change tables, a beautiful hanging mobile that all tyed into my wonderful owl theme. I thought about this and then felt guilty looking around my little one's room. A cot, a change table, a nappy bin, a sofa couch because we didn't know where else to put it and wait for it.. yes there were baby photos of her older sister framed on the wall. Shocking I know! 
It made me start thinking about the differences between a first and second child.

1. Photos. Starting with the ultrasound photos, First child were collaged very neatly on the fridge. With the second, you don't have any..not because you can't find them - you didn't feel the need (or have the time) to go to the scan! The baby was thank g-d kicking around in there so you didn't need them so often. You would after all meet them soon enough. Which brings me to another difference. I sent hubby out the morning I had my first. Yes, I knew labour was coming on but I still beared the pain alone at home so that he could go and buy a new camera. What did number 2 get... Just a few quick snaps on the Iphone.

2. Classes. By the time my first was 1 she had attended 2 terms of weekly swimming lessons, been to a regular rhyme time at the library and was already considered quite musical from all the instruments she had been playing. She was also so social from the TWO different mothers groups I had joined. Number 2 sees other children when I have coffee with their mothers. A.much.needed.coffee. I continue to justify that she has a sister to play with - what do I need all those drooly babies over at my house with their snotty germs and sticky fingers!

3. Well read and researched beliefs. With my first, I felt very strongly about certain issues like steralising, breastfeeding VS bottle feeding, baby led weaning, helicopter parenting VS tiger parenting, quiet time before bed, baby massage, home made food......I'm actually laughing as I'm writing this because its hilarious to me. It's not that I don't care, its that I'm too tired to feel strongly about absolutely anything really. It is survival mode now. Whatever get's you through the day - that's what I feel passionate about now! (Who even has time to read anything other than children's books now).

4. Toys. First child had every educational toy out there. I made sure she had a range of toys that would help develop language, fine and gross motor skills, hand/eye coordination. No aspect of play was random. Now, my little one's favourite toys are a packet of wipes and my keys. Practical things that are always on hand and that her older sibling doesn't swipe from her.

5. Feeding. When I was breastfeeding my first this was bonding time. I would sit quietly at home and just look down at my beautiful baby. If I had to feed out, I would take out my beautifully clean breast feeding cover and order a coffee and modestly sit at a cafe while I took an hour to feed, burp and then feed some more. With number 2, I would often look at myself and wonder what had happened to me. I often looked at myself in this crazy state, boob slung out the top of my singlet, feeding..while pushing the big one on the swing AND throwing the ball to the dog. Another time in Coles..pushing the trolley with the big one inside the trolley holding on for dear life to the eggs and the little one in the Bjorne feeding away. Can you actually imagine! Nothing emotional about it...means to and end. She needed a feed and I needed to do things. And now dinner time is all about plonking a whole heap of leftovers on the tray of the highchair and hoping its somewhat nutritionally balanced.

6. The Dr. Baby number one can often learn the names of all family members and included in that is often your local GP's name. I think mine was even on speed dial. Baby number 2 gets every sickness from their older sibling and still only will get seen to if it happens to be around vaccination time. Which is often weeks late because you either completely forgot or wern't quite sure how many months old they actually were.

7. Sleep. Ok this one is hard for me to admit given that I am a fab sleep consultant (if I may say so myself). I advise all my clients of the perfect routine for their age group, I know it inside out by now. And let me just state for the record before I go on that BOTH my girls are brilliant sleepers (thank gd!). My first had a perfect routine..it was printed up on the fridge and all grandparents were given a copy so there was no confusion. GULP! Here goes...Here's my confession - the days that I have both kids I make sure my baby pushes through all morning so that she is on the same schedule as the older one so that I actually get a break. (see point number 3 - its all about survival). Well that's not completely true, she has 2 choices. Either she can wait till lunch time to have a sleep OR she can choose to fall asleep wherever she can find some peace and quiet, be it the car, the floor, wherever! But she is not going into that cot or they will be tag teaming all day with their sleeps and I'll never leave the house. 

8. Milestones. I remember a couple of years ago changing my facebook status to "I HAVE A CRAWLER!". I wanted everyone to share my excitement that my baby was navigating her own way around now. I used to sit on my couch and just watch those chubby rolly polly legs and fat little fingers pivot around the lounge room to her many toys. That was for my oldest. For my youngest, the day she started crawling I actually mourned for myself. Every sentence started with "I won't..." or "How will I..." I won't be able to go to the park and leave her on a blanket.. I won't be able to have a shower anymore and know she is sitting outside safely. How will I do the washing while she is awake. How will I ever sit down again". I wasn't excited for her, I worried how I could cope with the status change.

All I can say is G-d help my third child! (Hubby if you are reading this...don't worry its in a looooonggg time! Really this time). Yes there are very clear differences between number one and two, more than I can ever write. But I wouldn't change a thing and neither would they. At the end of the day I have given them both the best gift ever and that is each other. There is NOTHING in this entire world that is better to me than when I can sit back and watch them laugh and play together. They are the priceless moments that sometimes really help me to cope. 

Sweet dreams, (and a massive congrats to my friend Shoonks who had her 2nd little boy today)
 
Bec x

www.belliesandbeyond.com.au. Please like my page on Facebook Bellies and Beyond.
Rebecca has implemented an easy-to-follow and gentle approach for both parent and child. Taught by sleep guru Kim West (author of Good Night, Sleep Tight) she believes she will have the sleep solutions you exhausted parents are looking for.Drawing upon her training as an early childhood educator, infant massage therapist, pre- and post-natal doula and sleep consultant, she has a uniquely multidisciplinary approach to your issues and thus can help you and your family develop a personalized and holistic sleep plan that suits you and your child

No mother has her shit together.

What I thought I would be like as a
 mother before having kids

I know the comment should have made me feel like I'd finally made it as a mother and for a second it did, but the next second I realised that I had done a shocking thing.. Here's the comment I received after one of my last blogs "you seem to have it so together. You even write articles about it". I bet even if you reread it you won't even be able to work out why I was so upset about this statement. There were more, and one by one I felt more disappointed in myself "Bec, your an amazing mother, you have the most wonderful take on parenting", "How good are you" and it went on.. And as the comments kept rolling in I felt more and more ashamed. Here's why....

Motherhood is tough. It's no joke. Yes it about loving these beautiful tiny humans that I take pride in having created but I don't have time to sit and dwell on that during the day because I'm just too busy. Busy wiping bums, looking for a lost shoe, being ordered around by my 2 year old, stopping my 10 month old from putting another leaf in her mouth (my friend actually found a flower in her mouth the other day - true story), singing to annoying songs that get stuck in my brain for days and participating in pretend play for so long that I do start wondering whats actually reality. 

Sometimes motherhood is just about coping. Its being able to laugh at yourself when you reach into your bag to get your business card and you pull out a half eaten cruskit, a crayon, a used wipe and something else so sticky and you don't even know what it was. I've had days where I put them to bed at  night and just congratulate myself on having fed the children three nutritious meals and kept them alive another day. I shut their doors and expect a standing ovation and some kind of award ceremony. I don't congratulate myself on how I taught them to be upstanding, god fearing, well rounded, well adjusted, happy children. No I congratulate myself for KEEPING THEM ALIVE peoples! Because sometimes that's all that I can hope for. 

So I realised that I've committed a few sins and I'm going to fess up to you. I've made you believe that I have my shit together and I really don't. 
SHIT TOGETHER LIE #1: Dry Shampoo. I go through a bottle a week. So when you ask me how do I get time to get the girls ready in the morning, get dressed and shower and wash my hair. I didn't. Fake it till you make it. Dry Shampoo it all the way. 
SHIT TOGETHER LIE #2: Instagram. Just remember I'm not posting photos of Rafaella's reflux vomit  artistically painted all the way down my back. No, I'm posting photos of being out for drinks with my husband, or chilling at the Western in Seminyak. 
SHIT TOGETHER LIE #3: I cope with the balance of work/motherhood. This is where I feel like I have failed all Bellies and Beyond mothers and I am completely all about the working mother. I raise my fist and say power to the working mama! I have received a few messages asking me how I have managed to work and have kids. Those that also know me well know that my hubby (Gd love him) works insane hours. Let me tell you, I.HAVE.A.POSSE.OF.HELP behind me. I have a might ducks formation of fam backing me up. I am so lucky that I am surrounded by people that love to take care of my kids. So lets shut that one down right now..my shit is only somewhat together because of the posse.

This is what I've decided. Next time your at a play date and the mother pulls out her homemade bread with her homemade half peanut butter, half free-nut butter, take a deep breathe and don't go into the head space of omg how does she get time for everything...remember whats important! And the next time your giving your child delicious, processed packet food and the other mum giving their child organic, wheat free, gluten free, salt free, sugar free, everything free snacks.. don't let her give you those judgemental eyes and make you feel like a neglectful mother. Don't be down on yourself because you didn't think of that. Yes she's got the food thing down pat but she probably doesn't have her shit together in so many other ways. 

From now on I want you to look at me and see my tired eyes because my baby needed a few extra cuddles throughout the night, I want you to look at my clothes and realise that yes I might be wearing a Sass & Bide top, but I also wore it yesterday (and possibly even the day before) because Rafi was too frustrated on the floor to play so I had to hold her and I didn't have time to choose a new outfit. Look at my house and you'll see its a mess.. I couldn't get my shit together to clean my dishes because half way through it Mikah wanted to have a tea party with me and I couldn't (and didn't want to) say no. You'll see loads of dirty laundry piling up because I dug a hole in the dirt and made it mud so we could all have fun making mud cakes together..

Can you see what I'm trying to say? Mothers who don't have their shit together make for the most fantastic mothers. They are the ones that are spending every waking minute wondering how they can make their children's lives that much more magical. They are the ones that are trying to enhance every moment and make memories that last forever (for both mother and child). They are the ones that are not the teachers but rather the students, they are learning from their children about whats truly important in life. 

So next time you are overwhelmed and comparing yourself to the mother who seems to have it all together, just remember - Mothers who don't have their shit together are the best mothers of all. 

Sweet Dreams, 

BEC x

www.belliesandbeyond.com.au

Rebecca has implemented an easy-to-follow and gentle approach for both parent and child. Taught by sleep guru Kim West (author of Good Night, Sleep Tight) she believes she will have the sleep solutions you exhausted parents are looking for.Drawing upon her training as an early childhood educator, infant massage therapist, pre- and post-natal doula and sleep consultant, she has a uniquely multidisciplinary approach to your issues and thus can help you and your family develop a personalized and holistic sleep plan that suits you and your child

Daylight savings is your friend..Embrace it! (Tips to calm your nerves)

Daylight savings confuses the crap out of me.. I can never remember which way we are turning the clocks and what it all means to our kids. Let me give you the key line to this whole blog straight up in case your too tired to read the whole article. YOU WILL GET A NICE SLEEP IN FROM YOUR CHILDREN. Your welcome!

For all the mothers that have had issues with waking early - you'll love this time! BUT be warned, the flip side is that we have to get our kids to bed at what is a whole hour earlier and for some, the sun may still be shining which will confuse your baby and aggravate your toddler so for all mothers of 2/3 year olds - expect the stalling to be extreme. The requests for an extra glass of water, (then a change of pajamas when they pour the water all over them) or an "extra book please" or my daughters favourite "a poos coming"..your going to hear all of them because they are simply not so tired.

So here's some tips for all you stressed out mummies..
1. Make sure napping in the lead up to the change is adequate - you really don't want them to be overtired before we even make the change.
2. Make sure to take your baby outside first thing in the morning and throughout the day. Ensure that they get as much fresh air as possible so you can start to reset their internal clock.
3. Know that it is likely only going to take maximum a week to adjust. Thats not too bad huh! Try and be a little flexible and patient with them. It's even hard for us as adults to get out heads around it..cut them a little slack.
4. If you think the light is making it difficult for your child to fall asleep then consider investing in black out shades. My girls both have rooms that is so dark its like the casino - you never know if its day or night :) You can get these at any good baby stores that suction onto the window or just buy the material from spotlight and stick it up with double sided tape.
5. Watch for sleep cues! You might have to look for them a little more carefully than normal.
6. If possible dim lights in the house and start wind down time a little earlier, you can't expect them to be playing outside in the sun one minute and the next marching off to bed.  
7. Just pretend that nothing has changed. In the past, I had felt that for the weeks leading up to it you can slowly change sleep times by moving it in 15 minute incremements but what I find is that you just have several bad weeks, its not worth it! Just do whatever you normally do, mealtimes and naptimes will fall into place after a few days. 

It really isn't going to be as bad as you think it will (we'll talk in a few months when clocks go to the other way...)

Sweet Dreams,
BEC

www.belliesandbeyond.com.au

Making sure my girls are getting lots of fresh air...

The day my 2 year old had her last smoke...

Ok not really. But it felt like that. 

I am a sleep consultant that is pro dummy. Very. Pro. Dummy.

I truely believe that when it works for you and your child can "replug" as I like to call it - then it can be the best invention since sliced bread, possibly even better because lets face it sliced bread doesn't help you sleep at night and the dummy does. BUT if you decide not to wean them off it as a baby then you need to wait until they understand they are getting rid of it. When you can negotiate it and do it on their terms. 

So let me tell you Mikah's Terms and Conditions..

She asked me for a Big Girl Bed and I told her that she could have a bed when she was ready to stop the dummy (which she called her Diddi and so thats how we are going to refer to it from now). I told her that blankies can go to the big girl bed but a diddi definately could not. So she thought about this for a few days and then woke up one day and told me she wanted her big girl bed and no more diddis. PANDAEMONIUM! So much to do....

But just before I got people into build the bed I just wanted to make sure she understood me and knew that also meant throwing away all her diddis. I asked her "If you want a big girl bed you then there's no more diddis, ok?". She nodded. I said "Mikah, we are going to throw them in the bin after your next nap time then?"I looked at her little face and it was hurt. She was offended and I realised very quickly why.. these dummys were her comfort for as long as she could remember, she had them in bed with her for every sleep and really loved them..who was I to throw them in the bin?!?!? 

So then I gave her some options: (Feel free to steal any of these ideas for your own toddler)

"Mikah would you like to take them to the little room at Kindy and give them to all the babies that might need them?' "Nooooooo" was her answer. 

"Mikah would you like to put them in an envelope and post them to other children that don't have such beautiful diddis". "NO!" she said very quickly.

"Mikah would you like to throw them in the ocean so the fishies can have diddis to help them sleep?" "Nooooo mummy thats silly, fishies don't need diddis". She laughed at me.

I knew I had to get it now.. I started worrying she was going to call the whole thing quits. So I said "Mikah would you like to bury them in a hole in our garden so that we can grow a diddi tree?""YESSSS mummy"she shouted so excitedly. "And Mikah would you like to have a party so that everyone can come and see what a big girl you are?" "YESSSSSSSSSS". 

Phewwwwww! So Mikah and I got to making invitations for the family to come over and see our Diddy Burial Ceremony. I felt that she needed to be a part of all of this.

                                                

So we spent the morning talking about it (and me quickly trying to organise people to come and build the bed that had been in the box in my garage for weeks and then going and buying sheets and all bed paraphernalia). I knew that it all had to happen TODAY. She had decided that it was time and I had to respect that and support her on her first big life decision she had ever made. 

Nap time came and I reminded her it was her last time in the cot and with the diddis and after she woke up it would be time for the Didi Burial Ceremony and then she would sleep in her new bed. She nodded excitedly.

In all the madness of getting everything organised I hadn't stopped to realise what a big deal this was. Thank g-d my family is so supportive and came straight after work. It was time. Mikah came to me and said "Mummy I don't want to be a big girl anymore. I want to be a baby". I almost broke down in tears at this stage but kept it together for her. "Mikah mummy is so proud of you. Just so proud". We then had the ceremony and let me warn you before you see these photos, they are graphic. 

Walking to the hole with dummys and shovel

All going well with Mikah throwing them in

Until the very last one.

"Not yet mummy. I want one"

"Let me have one more suck mummy"
This was when I realised that it was like her last smoke. She was trying to make it last.

By this point my guilt was at a maximum. I had done this to her and now I was the one taking it away. I just kept reminding her that I was so proud of her and that I loved her so much. I decided that once the last one was in I would give her a cuddle and then we would turn it in to something really positive and focus on the excitement rather hanging around with a dirty mess and diddis gone forever. So we ran inside to see the Big Girl Bed and everyone got building it and again we included her in the process. 

Eventually the bed was done and it was sleep time. We said goodbye to the family, Mikah admittedly was overtired and overwhelmed from the really emotional day. She wanted to be cuddled and I was happy to just hold her. Remember that in the grand scheme of life of course this is not a big deal at all but in her little life this was the biggest and hardest day. After 20 mins she allowed me to leave her with the promise that I will come and check on her (something she had never asked for her before) and then an hour later I checked on her and she was finally asleep.

She stayed asleep all night and was so proud of herself the next morning. "I slept with no diddis mummy, I'm such a big girl". So proud of my daughter that kicked the habit...

So I know you don't read this just because you like to know about my kids, (except for you mum and dad...hiii!) you read this because you want to have learnt something. So what can I offer..?

Well I'm going to share my answers to questions I've been asked about transitioning to a bed. 

Q: My child loves the new freedom and keeps getting out of bed. What do I do?

A:  From the get-go don't stand for this. Give them a quick hug and return the child to bed. It may keep happening but persevere. Don't talk to them, don't reason, don't explain, don't get angry but make sure they know its not cute either. Do not make a game out of it. Keep it predictable and boring and they will tire of it pretty quickly. 

Q: How do I know when my child is ready to transition from the cot to a bed?

A: Your child should be approximately 2.5 give or take a few months as this is the average age a child has the cognitive ability to understand the rule of staying in bed all night. Much earlier than this and you can't expect them to stay in and not get out.  They should be good sleepers and are sleeping through preferably. If they climb out of the cot you have to make the transition for their safety and lastly the best sign about being ready is that they want to do it. 

     Q: What kind of sheets are best?

     A: I am actually asked this question and let me tell you, it doesn't matter. Just let them be involved in choosing them. (and then be prepared for Dora or Ben Ten sheets). 

     Q: Ok I'm going to do it tonight...anything else I need to know?

     A: Just make sure the room is safety proof now that they can get out. Make sure there is nothing that they can climb up or that can fall on them. 

   That it from me, 

   Good Luck and Sweet Dreams, 

   BEC

      If you would like to ask any sleep advice for your infant feel free to contact me but liking my page on Facebook Bellies and Beyond or through my website www.belliesandbeyond.com.au

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Today I got stuck in the shower.

No jokes. I was stuck in the shower. I couldn't get out. Hot water was running down on me and I could not move.

Ok, I wasn't literally stuck, but almost. You see the way the mornings play out in my house is that my girls wake up at about 7, upon hearing them I get up and go in the shower while they both talk and sing in their respective cots (more about this later). Then I get out the shower, get dressed and then the day begins. Bottles, breakfast, getting both dressed, nappies off, toileting, vomit = change bubs clothes, Playschool, Play Do, vomit again this time on me = change of clothes (I totally just lied - I just give it a good wipe!) and whilst I love my girls to pieces.. today I just couldn't face the sometimes ground hog day way of living. So I stayed in the shower. 

While I was in there, it was my little dream world. It was quiet, I didn't have to hold anyone, I didn't hear crying and my favourite was that I didn't have to answer the non-stop flow of Why questions. (Grrrr!) To put it simply I wasn't responsible for anyone else other than myself and let me tell you - it felt AMAZING! The only thing that did ruin my shower just a little, was my guilt. I knew they were waiting for me. So I washed myself again, reasoned with myself why I had to conditioner my hair again and then I got out. And it begins...........


In order to make this somewhat informative for you, my sleep tip for this blog is really an awake tip. From about when your baby is 4 months old and over that ridiculously starving cry that newborns get, my advice is that you don't rush into them every time they wake up. Let them lie there for a little while and start conditioning them to wait a little. I love listening to my girls through their monitors. Mikah will talk about whatever is going on her head and reveals all sorts of wonderful things and Rafaella just makes all those cute little noises and shrieks and plays with her blanky. It is really good for your kids to have this time and it is golden time for you. 

And let me tell you what I heard this morning through the monitor "Daddy didn't brush my teeth and he said shsh don't tell mummy, it our secret". Earl if you are reading this - BUSTED!

Sweet Dreams, 
BEC xoxo

www.belliesandbeyond.com.au

Travelling with Tots.

I feel that I'm a (relatively) competent mother. I'm by no means perfect but I'm not worthy of social services attention either. My kids are pretty well behaved, tantrums are kept to a minimum, they can sit acceptably in a cafe and even score some smiles from strangers. BUT the days leading up to flying internationally with them really got me freaking out. It is a well known fact that toddlers and aeroplanes are not a good combination. 

In my head I tried to tell myself - who cares what the girls are like, you will never see these people again, or everyone knows that kids act out on planes... But even knowing this, I won't lie.
I was crapping myself.
I tried to prepare myself for every possible scenario both mentally and physically.

Well let me tell you (without meaning to blow my own trumpet) both baby and toddler were FANTASTIC. We managed to score the bassinet for Rafi who not too long into the flight went to sleep  and my toddler didn't sleep but happily played the whole time.

Ok mothers, let me be graphic for one second. You know those poos that our babies do that are just tragic? Well we had one of those on the flight. It was while she was lying on her back asleep so it seriously travelled far. I kid you not - I was wiping her shoulder blades! And it gets worse..she was wearing a top that clipped up in between in her legs. So for all those people that advised me to put in one to keep her tummy warm because the aircon is so strong - you didn't think about this one did you! Yes I had to lift this rather soiled top up over her head. Am I painting the picture for you? It wasn't pretty! As I wiping crap from every inch of her chubby little body I secretly thanked myself for being such a wipe snob. I have tried and tested every brand and by far the Red Nose Baby Wipes are the best. Not only are they large and moist, but they support a cause thats important to every mother, SIDS. (5% of all sales go to the charity SIDS and Kids, how amazing is that!). Well lets just say I seriously contributed on that flight.. In order to be quick and thorough I whipped out as many wipes as my fingers could before that stank made its way around the cabin. Side note, whoever says baby poo doesn't stink, wasn't standing in a confined space with it!. 

But back to the flight....

Other than the poonami... all was actually totally fine. I'll give you my advice (for what its worth) on 5 MUST HAVE items for a plane...

1. Familiar blankets to your children...Be it muslins, wraps..whatever! Don't rely on the gross dark brown blankets that they provide you with. Take some that your children use already.
2. Make sure to use the same sleep cues you use at home. I use music with Rafi which I put on my iPhone so that she could hear it in the bassinet (screw the other people around you, what would they prefer lullabies or screaming baby?!?) Dummys, blanky.. and spares. Don't risk being without them, that's simply asking for trouble.
3. Pegs... Weird I know but pegs when travelling always come in handy. I used them to put a blanket over the bassinet to make it darker for Rafi. Particularly on a day flight this is important. I promise throughout your holiday you will find a million more uses for them! (e.g. on prams, porta cots, hanging washing..)
4. Ipad. If you don't have one, borrow one. If you don't have someone to borrow from then steal one. Whatever happens, don't board that flight without one. Trust me - this is a lifesaver. No words. 
5. If you have a baby - a dummy clip. Normally I have a 10 second rule when it comes to the dummy falling on the floor, it also depends where I am and how it lands etc etc (there's a whole criteria for the dummy drop), but in an airport I wouldn't take any chances, anything that falls on the floor would be sanitised pronto. So that's why the dummy clip is perfect. It attaches to the clothes and keeps things clean the whole flight (except if your baby shits everywhere but that's just bad luck really). Even if your bub isn't a dummy sucker - use the clip for whatever rusk they may be sucking on or even so that Sophie La Giraffe doesn't hit that germ-infested disgusting floor. 

When the Pilot said his thank you speech and turned the seat belt light off and I was disembarking the plane, I felt like I should get a round of applause or at least a pat on the back. I didn't. But I should have!

Sweet holiday Dreams, 
BEC. 

Food Glorious Food

There are things that I love about being a mother - namely my two daughters Mikah and Rafaella..I love that Mikah is a little feisty rock'n'roll superstar, I love the laughs that she gives me, I LOVED painting her nails pink last week and although we have hit the terrible two's, I'm kinda savouring every moment of this phase. I love that Rafaella has just really started showing me her sweet personality, I love how she smells (pre vomit. pre poo), I love that when I change her nappy her chubby hands reach up and touch my face and I especially love that everyday she and I discover something new about each other.

But anyone that knows me, would know there are things I definately do not love about being a mother..The first is the never ending story of washing that I just can never seem to get on top of and the next is cooking. Yes I know what other mothers say about it "It's so nice being able to feed and nourish my family with my delicious cooking" and "I love seeing the look on their face when they enjoy my food". Blah blah blah. Maybe its because its so rare that I actually see that look on my family's face.. Let me paint the daily picture for you. I put the food down in front of my toddler and before the bowl is even in front of her she looks at me and says "I no yike it mummy, take it away". How did she know! One down. I then put a bib on miss 6 month old Rafaella and load the spoon up and she even has that look on her face like seriously mum! seriously?!? This crap again! Where do you get these combinations from..would YOU eat pumpkin together with pear!" Two down. My husband then comes home from work and takes one look at the kitchen with dishes piled high in the sink and food scraps covering the walls, he then looks at me and sees how defeated I clearly am and gets stuck into making omelettes. (God Bless him).

And then I came across Baby Bites by Luke Mangan. Enter angels singing from the heavens.

I organised for 8 Bellies and Beyond mothers (and one father - high five to him) to come with me to their kitchen on Dank Street. We walked in to be greeted by lovely Justine who brought us all much needed coffee. We then met with Luke Mangan's head chef, Heath who did an amazing demo of some of the cooking and the babies taste tested as he whipped up amazing recipe after recipe. Well every baby except for mine who slept through the entire thing..she is a sleep consultant's baby after all! 

Who would have thought of using parsely or throwing in chia seeds when cooking for a bub? Other recipes include pearl barley, rosemary powder, paprika, all things that I would have never in my wildest dreams used. I didn't want sleeping Rafaella's go to waste so I tried it...and let me tell you, it's better than the food I dish up any day!

I am definately going to be taking more mothers to the ah-mazing kitchen so feel free to contact me and tell me if you'd like to join in. I am also going to be keeping a very close eye on the Baby Bites by Luke Mangan range..I think it's going to make one less job for me to do. 

Now if I could just find someone to do the washing...

Sweet Dreams, 

BEC

Want to chat to me? You can contact me via www.belliesandbeyond.com.au or like my facebook page Bellies and Beyond. If you want to know about the Baby Bites by Luke Mangan range go to www.babybites.com.au and you can find the best place to order from.

As requested by YOU: Transitioning naps.

So I asked you mamas what you wanted to know about most.. and it seems that a few of you are struggling with transitioning..particularly with day sleeps 3-2, 2-1. I pray for all of you that you are not battling with 1-0 sleeps during the day - How would dinner get cooked, how would the washing get done and most importantly how would you cope with going to the toilet and having no one watch you?

Ok let's get down to business.. What you want to know is when is the best time to cut down on a nap? How will you know its the right time? What age should they be? How do you do it?

So the first thing I want to tell you when making the changes is to expect for your life to be out of wack for a week or 2 and expect a les MISERABLE baby. Just deal with it. It shouldn't really take too much longer than a couple of weeks to sort itself out and in the long run bub will be much more content.

So generally speaking babies go from 3 naps to 2 at about the 6-8 month mark and they stay with 2 naps a day until (hopefully) the 15-18 month mark (a little on either side is fine though).  But I'm only telling you that because I know mothers like to know age/stage points of reference but to be honest I don't actually ever go on age. I never like to count months on fingers but rather to just look at the child. I know your thinking that you do watch the child (obviously!) but your still not sure. So heres some give aways that your child is ready to transition from 2 naps to 1.... Go through these and tick them off.

1. At least 11 hours of good solid sleep a night.
2. Takes a long time to fall asleep for the morning nap.
3. Refuses an afternoon nap
4. You have that feeling "one nap just isn't enough but two is too many"
5. They aren't going through any particular physical milestone at the moment.
6. They are healthy - no concurrent respiratory/viral/tummy issues

Tick! Tick! Tick! Tick! Now what? Slow is key here. Slowly push the morning nap later by 20-30 minute increments. Do it over a few days. Enter miserable baby. You know your baby, push them as far as you think they go but not too far. Too far and you'll end up with a baby fast asleep in their high chair or screaming blue murder. Try to avoid being in the car or pram at this time as they will just nod off. So over a course of a few days slowly push the sleep back to at least 12pm. 1230 is ideal.

Obviously evening bedtime will have to be made a little earlier because chances are they just won't make it.
Be prepared that sometimes there will be days when your bub just can't do it. Don't push bub too hard unnecessarily - allow them to have those days. It doesn't mean they aren't ready for one sleep a day, they are just having a sleepy day. I would kill for one of those!

Until that day comes...sweet dreams!
Bec x

My chat with HottyMama

Last night I had a call from a desperate mother. She is going to read this post I'm sure of it - so lets rename her HottyMama so she doesn't get annoyed at me writing this.  "Bec, I need help! My daughter is waking up in the middle of the night freaking out".. So she told me the story of how her 3 year old used to be an amazing sleeper and all of a sudden wakes up screaming. We went through the routine, the thumb sucking, the blanky, the change from cot to bed..all sounded relatively kosher to me. And then she said 2 things that made my alarm bells go off like a fire alarm in a room full of smoke...

HottyMama said "Most the time, she falls asleep by page 3 of the book, I wait a few minutes for her to go into a deep sleep and then I carry her over to her bed and walk out, brilliant right?" WRONG. 
Just imagine you fall asleep watching TV on the couch and then you wake up and you're tucked in to your bed. Trippy! You would totally freak the *%$# out! That is exactly what is happening to Miss 3. She falls asleep in her chair sitting up reading with her mum and then wakes up a few hours later lying down in bed by herself. As soon as I said it aloud HottyMama realised how much that made sense.

The next thing HottyMama said to me was that sometimes she stays 2 minutes in the room with Miss 3 but then Miss 3 obviously wants more time. So here lies the problem. Miss 3 doesn't know what 2 minutes are, what 10 minutes are..What is a clock anyways? Unless you are prepared to wait there until she goes to sleep (which I don't advise!) then don't make promises that they can't understand. 

I'll keep you updated with how HottyMama and Miss 3 go..
Until then, 

Sweet Dreams, BEC x

My GNO Blog.

For so long now I know that I have needed to start writing a blog. Seriously, anyone that wants to be anyone needs to think that other people will care about what they have to say. And that is where my problem exists. What was my blog going to be about? 

Yes I could interest mothers by dishing out some sleep tips, and I could be a blogger that has a rant and rave about all things wifey.. But neither would captivate interest for more than a few entries. So this is what I came up with...

My blog is going to be like a Girls Night Out. At an average GNO girls will talk about EVERYTHING. From the ridiculous things our husbands have done to Pottery Barn, to the mystery of what has happened to our boobs, to the Kardashians (obviously) to the latest way we can sneak some more veggies into the kids food and all that is before we have even managed to look at the menus. And yes I will also hand out a sleep tip here and there just so you feel like you have learnt something. 

So there it is, I am no longer a blog virgin. Many more to come.. 

Sweet Dreams, 
Bec