Essential oils are highly concentrated plant extracts which can be helpful to aid relaxation and reduce anxiety during both pregnancy and childbirth, provided you are generally healthy. If you’re interested in using essential oils, it’s sensible to check with your midwife first, particularly if you have diabetes or high (or low) blood pressure or any other medical conditions. Or you could consult a qualified aromatherapist. If you experience bleeding during your pregnancy then using essential […]

The background to swaddling your baby When you have a newborn baby, you are likely to be bombarded with advice. Do this, don’t do this! Do that, don’t do that! There are definitely trends in baby care – what your mother did with you, may not be what you choose to do with your baby. One technique which seems to have stood the test of time is that of swaddling your baby. Yes, there was […]

We hear a lot about how important it is for children to get into the fresh air and play outside. But does that really mean you need to fill your garden up with loads of plastic products? We prefer a more natural and simple approach to playing, and one that will inspire your children to use their imaginations (and be less painful on your finances!). Here are our top toys for playing outside. A scooter, […]

It can be easy to feel totally overwhelmed by the amount of conflicting advice you can get as a new parent. There are so many books and website forums recommending different approaches and you find people give you completely different opinions on the ‘right’ way to raise your child. Every parent-child relationship is different and it is important to remember that what works for one person isn’t necessarily right for you. You may come across […]

There is an enormous market for pre-prepared baby food. The convenience and availability of baby food pouches is very tempting but we believe in keeping your baby’s food as natural as possible. Remember that commercially produced baby food can contain high amounts of salt and sugar, so be really vigilant with checking the labels if you do buy it. Why not try making your own at home? Homemade baby food is so much cheaper than […]

Having a baby is a time of immense change in your life. Being pregnant, preparing to be a parent and actually becoming a parent are new and unknown. It’s a time that can be very stressful and difficult to navigate. When you become a new parent it can be hard to talk openly about having negative feelings because you can feel pressured that everything should be marvellously under control and you should be constantly happy […]

If you’ve decided to breastfeed, you don’t need to start a special diet. What’s important is to make sure you’re eating a balanced and varied diet to maintain your energy levels. You will need some extra energy to sustain you when breastfeeding (and of course for looking after your baby, particularly in the middle of the night!). But you don’t need to ‘eat for two’ and can usually get the nutrients you need from eating […]

Becoming a new mum is an exciting time of great change in your life and the beginning of an amazing journey for you and your baby. It’s important to try to be as prepared as you possibly can. Part of that includes knowing what to do once your baby has arrived. Last week we looked at some common ailments your baby may suffer from. This week we’re focussing on what to do in more serious […]

Becoming a new mum is an exciting time of great change in your life and the beginning of an amazing journey for you and your baby. It’s important to try to be as prepared as you possibly can. Part of that includes knowing what to do once your baby has arrived so we’ve put together some first aid tips and advice for you. There’s so much to cover in this vitally important topic that we’re […]

There are so many approaches to parenting. We love hearing about different ideas and try to raise our children in as natural a way as possible. So when we came across love bombing, we just had to find out more. We like the idea of love bombing as it sounds a bit different from conventional parenting advice and doesn’t need to be expensive or difficult to do. Love bombing, as a parenting technique, was developed […]