Happy Days

If you have been feeling low or know of someone who is finding her new role as parent more of a challenge than a joy, you need to know more about PND – postnatal depression or distress. Linda Lewis, research psychologist and author of “When Blessings don’t count”, looks at this issue with great empathy. I think, or should I say, I hope, that when you embarked on the journey of motherhood, at some stage during your pregnancy or after childbirth, you heard about a condition called Postnatal Distress.  For many women it may seem like a foreign concept – “How could...

QUESTION I have a 4.5month old baby who is a terrible sleeper! She wakes sometimes up to 6 times a night. She doesn’t have good day sleeps, she will sleep for about 20 min 3 times a day! She is at crèche so for her to be in a set routine during the morning (I fetch her at 1pm) is a bit impossible! I started her on rice cereal last week, which she has 3 times a day. When it comes to her bottle feeds she won’t finish a full bottle most of the time – when she wakes up at night I give her some milk and she settles quickly and will sleep until she wakes up again! I am not sure if I...

  At the start of each new year, many of us make resolutions; promises or intentions to do something better or to stop something that we feel holds us back. Being a parent adds a new slant to our annual resolutions and for many of us our resolutions are intentions for the year ahead to be a better parent. This year Meg Faure took the Top 10 Resolutions on our Facebook site and wrote a simple ‘how to’ for each one. 1. Establish a routine for my baby. Routines are something many of us long for, to create a little order and predictability in our days. You can start a sleep routine based...

I am regularly asked "When is the right time to introduce cows milk straight from the fridge?" Must we continue with formula milks into the toddler years or can regular cows milk suffice? The answer is complicated and does depend on your individual baby. The main points to look at are: 1. Does my baby have allergies? If so continue on the formula he is on. 2. Is my toddler a good eater? If you have a poor eater, you may need a specially formulated toddler milk for fussy eaters. 3. Is my toddler on breast milk? Breast milk still offers wonderful nutrients into the toddler years.  If your baby is on...

By: Meg Faure, OTR. A few years ago, my husband and I embarked on a three-month trip with a two and four year old. We have camped with our little ones from the time they were 9 months old and taken all three of them on flights from as little as 6 weeks old. I am a big fan of routines and an even bigger fan of sleep so how did we do all this travelling, many have asked. Well the key to travelling with ease and making sure that sleep is not too disrupted is to be prepared. Herewith my top 10 tips: 1. Keep one day-sleep in a consistent sleep space, as soon as you arrive in your new place. This will...