Playdough 101

We love playing with  playdough in our house – great for building imagination and creativity as well as those all important fine motor skills.  Now that winter has set in the playdough tub is coming out more and more in our house.

Here are two recipes to get you started:

Playdough 

Ingredients
½ cup salt
1 cup plain flour
2 tablespoons cream of tartar
1 cup water
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
A few drops of food colouring

1.  Combine ingredients in a medium sized saucepan.
2.  Cook over a low heat until the dough is workable.
3.  Knead dough so it is nice and soft and ready to play with.
3.  Store in an air tight container.

Gluten-free Playdough

1/2 cup white rice flour
1/2 cup maize cornflour
1/2 cup salt
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 cup water
Food colouring
1 teaspoon cornflour

1.  Mix all of the ingredients together.
2.  Cook over a low heat until mixture congeals.
3.  Let cool and knead.

So you have made the playdough now what do you do with it? 

Here are some ideas that did in my classroom and I now do at home with my toddler:

Early mathematical skills with playdough:

• Make shapes

• Make and count how many
• Making numbers with playdough
• Playdough snakes –“Which is longer/shorter?”
• Patterns with playdough

Early Literacy skills with playdough:

• Tell a story with playdough – read and remake a scene or characters from your favourite story.
• Make playdough letters/words.

Natural playdough prints with leaves, shells, rocks, pinecones etc.

Other great ideas:

• Playdough self portraits. 
• Try adding some glitter to make sparkly playdough.
• Scented playdough –  we have tried adding some lavender and lemon rind  to our playdough.
• The playdough kitchen (making cookies, cupcakes, pizzas, noodles)  

• Construct houses/towers with playdough.
• Make your favourite animal, creature or monsters.

Have fun!

xo Michelle


Author Bio - Michelle - a mum of two beautiful girls, aged 2 years and 10 months.  We live on our sheep farm in rural Victoria. I love cooking and spending time with my family. 

Don't forget to head to our website for some great Practical, Natural, Gorgeous products to help You and Baby along your journey.

Entertaining Baby - Swim school!

Before I had my Baby, Max, I pictured maternity leave to be full of time for my own creative pursuits. Foolishly I even thought I’d be able to write a novel while Baby slept. Haha!

The reality is that Max rarely sleeps for longer than 40 minutes at a time during the day. And when he’s awake.... he wants to be entertained. At around three months old I noticed that he’d get agitated after his first morning sleep if we didn't leave the house. So now, we go out a couple of times every day whether it’s just for a walk or a trip to the shops.

To get some extra variety and stimulation into our week, I signed us up for a term at Baby swim school. And boy does he LOVE it!!! And I'm even enjoying it myself.

Okay so at six months old he’s not going to be mastering the butterfly stroke any time soon... but that’s not really the point. Rather, he is learning to understand and respect the water through play. During the session we sing songs, splash, kick, blow bubbles, and share giggles with about 10 other Bubs and their mums or dads. We also have underwater dunks which scared me to start with... but Max takes in his stride.

While I'm lucky that Max has enjoyed the pool from the first time he go into it... some of the other Babies in the group were less than enthusiastic to begin with. But now, half way through the term, all the Babies absolutely delight in those 30 minutes in the pool.

As a bonus... I often find that Max manages an extra long sleep after all the excitement of his swim. Still not long enough for me to write that novel mind you... but enough time for the occasional blog post like this one!

So if You’re looking for a fun way to entertain your Baby, check out the Baby swim schools in your area. Swimming nappies are essential!!

xo Carla

Author Bio - Carla - a half Kiwi, half Brit chick, who now calls Australia home. She’s currently taking a break from a career in communications to be a first time mum to Baby Max. Carla and Max live in Sydney with Daddy Ben and their two crazy cats, Ash and Pixie. Carla and Ben blog about Max's daily exploits at www.maxbuxton.org..

Don't forget to head to our website for some great Practical, Natural, Gorgeous products to help You and Baby along your journey.

Screaming in the skies

Remember the days before You had kids, when air travel was something to almost look forward to? I used to think of it as enforced chilling out... sitting down, watching a movie, enjoying a glass of wine. But I confess I used to look around at my fellow passengers in the departure gate, picking out the Babies, toddlers, and the sneezing, coughing sick people... and I'd will them to be sitting at the other end of the plane from me.

Carla and Max

So I suppose I had it coming. Fast forward to my life as a new mother and the first time I embarked on a plane trip with my three month old baby, Max. You guessed it, I was THAT woman with THAT Baby who screamed from Auckland to Sydney.

I was organised for my journey with Max. My bag was stuffed with spare clothes, spew rags, toys, wipes, baby Panadol, wraps, dummies etc. etc. I'd prebooked a good seat, I'd read up on how to travel with Babies, I had done everything I could to make it a successful trip. But Max had other plans.

The screaming reached fever pitch as we hit Sydney airport. The queues had never seemed so long and slow. At one point I shoved the suitcase, myself and Max into a parent’s room in a desperate attempt to feed and calm him down. No joy. So I pushed on through and finally made it to the exit ramp where my partner was waiting. And as I flung our screaming first born into his waiting arms he said three words which no woman ever wants to hear in public. “Your tit’s out’. Yes... after my failed attempt to feed Max I’d been walking around with my right nipple on full display to the world. Perfect.

I share this story not to scare the living daylights out of anyone or put You off travelling alone with your baby. In fact, I recently did the journey all over again with Max at six months old and he was an absolute dream!! But I did want to share what the experience taught me, should you ever be in the same situation:

• People, most of them anyway, are kind. I was blown away by how lovely my fellow passengers were as I tackled this screaming terror in the skies. The women around me in particular were sympathetic and constantly offering to help. One gorgeous lady even took Max from me for 15 minutes and tried to settle him, giving me time to fill out our arrival forms and throw back a stiff whiskey (kidding...). 
• Be ready for anything. I was so glad that I was organised and had all the essential Baby supplies I needed to try and salvage the situation. They may not have helped calm him this time, but they gave me something to try.
• Your Baby is his own force of nature. I’ll never know what Max’s problem was that day. Sore ears? Over-stimulation? Wind? Just a bad mood? Who knows. The experience reminded me that as much as I can guide, teach, support and love him... he is own person, even at three months old, and I will never be able to control him. 
• It will end. Like most parenting catastrophes... it was only a temporary blip. I can even laugh about it now!

xo Carla

Author Bio - Carla - a half Kiwi, half Brit chick, who now calls Australia home. She’s currently taking a break from a career in communications to be a first time mum to Baby Max. Carla and Max live in Sydney with Daddy Ben and their two crazy cats, Ash and Pixie. Carla and Ben blog about Max's daily exploits at www.maxbuxton.org..

Don't forget to head to our website for some great Practical, Natural, Gorgeous products to help You and Baby along your journey.

Two births - Two very different experiences

Having a birth plan is such a wonderful thing... It inevitably outlines exactly what WON'T go to plan!

Well maybe not always, but it was certainly the case with the birth of my first Baby. I was hoping for several things, including going into labour naturally (so to not be induced), no drugs (or at least not an epidural) and to use the bath for pain relief. So when I went for my usual ante-natal appointment at 38 weeks and was told my blood pressure was too high so I would be induced the following morning, I had to cross the first thing off my birth plan. I wasn't setting a good start. But the impending arrival of my first Baby was so incredibly exciting (albeit surreal), so I wasn't fazed in the slightest!

5.30am the next morning my husband and I arrived at the hospital. I was so calm and ready. I wasn't feeling nervous or anxious as I was actually really looking forward to the experience of labour (the pain and all - despite not knowing what I was in for!).  We got settled in the birth suite that had the bath (so I was on target for one of my plans) and my obstetrician arrived shortly after. He broke my waters and hooked me up to an IV and gave me the syntocin to kick start this thing they call labour!  Immediately I felt some niggles in my abdomen which was great as I wanted to feel what it was like (and it was barely a niggle, so painless at this point!), but soon I wasn't going to feel anything... I got my blood pressure checked several times and unfortunately it was sky high so not the most ideal medical position for labour. I wasn't given a choice - I was told I had to have an epidural to lower my blood pressure. I was so disappointed.

So by 8:00am, the anaesthetist was inserting a very large needle into the middle of my back!! That was fine, I could handle the needle and the fact my labour would be pain-free as I knew I'd meet my amazing little person very soon. But of course, with this cross on the list also came another cross next to the bath for pain relief. I had very little pain but was attached to drips and monitors and couldn't move from the bed anyway!

It wasn't going to plan at all, but the labour was certainly progressing - just a few short hours later the Baby was ready to come! I was fully dilated and the epidural was wearing off a little so I was feeling things again. But getting this Baby out wasn't going to be easy. Unfortunately his heart rate dropped when I had changed positions and my obstetrician was called in immediately to use forceps to deliver the Baby. Now this process, I can tell You is not pleasant!  If you've seen the size of the forceps You will understand why!  The epidural medication was immediately increased which brought on an immense amount of relaxation so all I wanted to do was sleep right when the crunch time came!  An episiotomy later and a beautiful bouncing boy with a very red little face (thanks to the metal that pulled him out!!) arrived safely. I was absolutely elated and didn't care less what kind of birth we'd just had.

But, the troubles were only just beginning.... Due to the increased dose of the epidural I was numb in my legs and couldn't walk. So I couldn't get up to shower, as I couldn't even stand. I was forced to stay in bed and wait 5 hours before trying to walk. At the 5 hour mark the midwives came down to help me shower. I was able to walk there from my bed but before I even got under the water I collapsed. I had lost a blood clot (of about 600ml, so quite substantial). I blacked out and was laid on my side and came to again. When we tried to sit me up, I passed out yet again!  They called for help and the midwife and my husband carried me back to my bed (with me asking whether my Baby, who was so peacefully unaware and sleeping 'like a Baby', was ok) and my OB was there minutes later. He was taking blood and checking my pulse, blood pressure and temperature and ordering urgent blood tests among other things. I was told I was going on a drip for 12 hours so nil by mouth (my dinner was just being brought in too!) and a catheter was to be inserted and therefore no trips to the loo, in fact no trips from my bed... For 12 hours. I was bed ridden for the first 18 hours of my baby's life.

I was quite overwhelmed with everything that had happened and just had to lay there watching doctors and midwives come and go and check my stats regularly. I was so incredibly uncomfortable as I hadn't had my shower, I had a catheter that was horribly uncomfortable and of course an episiotomy to deal with!  I had to position myself slightly upright in the bed and hope I didn't need to move as it was too painful. But worst of all - I couldn't get up and pick my Baby up to cuddle or feed. He was brought to me by my husband for every feed, but then put to sleep by him. His very first dirty nappy change was done by my husband while I was unable to get out of bed to help! It was an incredibly long night - I was literally watching the clock waiting for 5.00am to roll around so I could finally have my shower (and hopefully feel a bit better). My baby was perfect!  He slept well and I assumed he was feeding well (I had no idea how we were going with the breastfeeding). By the morning I was feeling much better (quite plumpish with all the fluid from the IV - but not lacking energy at least!), so I had my shower and was feeling one hundred times better. I was able to eat some food and walk around.

Things were going smoothly now and we were getting the hang of things. By day 5, I was well and truly ready to not have someone check my stats every few hours (day and night) and get home to start our new life as a little family of three. Of course, my plans were not to be fulfilled again. When we went to be discharged it was discovered that my little baby was too little - too little in the sense that he had lost more than 10% of his birth weight so my breastfeeding wasn't going as well as I assumed. This was so devastating to me as I had desperately wanted to breastfeed but again, my plan was to come crashing down around me. I was incredibly upset and felt so guilty that my little guy had lost too much weight all because of me. I was told the (quite traumatic) birth and the fact it was induced and two weeks early was probably the cause of my feeding issues. But within 24 hours my baby was gaining weight nicely and all was going well again so we were discharged the following day.

I don't discount the experience of child birth based on this not-to-plan birth as my now 22 month old is both happy and healthy despite the dramatic entrance into this world (he just has quite a dramatic and adventurous personality!).

By comparison, the birth of my second Baby was exactly as I would have dreamed. I was hopeful for a more natural experience this time and strangely confident I would get it but also not worried about plans. I was just looking forward to experiencing it again and hopefully differently. I certainly got my wish!!  After a busy weekend of doing odd jobs around the house (like cleaning fans etc) and nesting I was quite exhausted but so happy with the state of the house for the beginning of a new week - the week my Baby was due, I got myself to bed by 10: 00pm. By 11:00pm I was up as my waters had broken. Four days before I was due, so this was pretty cool - I had gone into labour naturally!  I casually got dressed, collected my things and got to the hospital a little after midnight with no pain whatsoever at this point. It was extremely surreal as both my husband and I thought there would have to be more urgency and pain or contractions associated with waters breaking (or at least the start of labour) but I was fine!  I got the CTG machine hooked up to monitor the Baby's heart rate and any contractions. I wasn't having any contractions as such but there was a distinguishable pattern occurring every 5 minutes on the printout so the little niggles I was feeling that I was convinced were just braxton hicks could very well have been contractions. I was taken to my room and told to rest (given it was the middle of the night) until something started happening at which point I would be taken down to the birth suite. Within an hour I was certainly feeling real contractions but they were very minor and more or less painless despite being 2 minutes apart! I told the midwife and she got us set up in the birth suite (the same suite with the bath!) and she checked to see how far I had progressed. I was about 4cm dilated which was quite a shock to me as I thought with 2 minute-apart contractions I would've been further along. But at this point the pain was rapidly increasing and it was really happening. My husband was massaging my lower back to help with the pain and suggested I try the bath which I was very keen to do. So he ran the bath and we used the water on my lower back to help during the contractions that were coming thick and fast now!  The midwife called the obstetrician but suspected it wasn't far off so called out for the other midwife on duty to help out. I was coping so well and before I knew it, I could feel that this Baby was ready to meet us. I was still in the bath and the Baby was coming so a water birth it was to be!! Within minutes his head was out and then the OB arrived! He checked that everything was fine and one last little push and he was on my chest enjoying a cuddle. It was the most exhilarating, magical and beautiful thing I've ever experienced. From being 4cm dilated to having my new Baby in my arms was a very quick 45 minutes!

I felt like a million dollars - I was energised and physically feeling fantastic. Not like I'd just given birth and absolutely nothing like I felt after the birth of my first.  I am so in awe of how magical child birth is and despite a slightly challenging first experience I would do anything to do it all again! I am constantly re-living the experience of my second 10 weeks on and if I was to do it again I would be positive regardless of what lay ahead and look forward to it like I did the first two times.

xo Kellie


Author Bio - Kellie - Living a dream of being a full time SAHM to a toddler and baby boy in the Top End (Northern Territory), whilst trying to dabble in some writing when I can.

Don't forget to head to our website for some great Practical, Natural, Gorgeous products to help You and Baby along your journey.

Toddlers - Sharer or Mine-collector

Sharing is caring when it comes to a toddler, that is as long as You’re the one sharing. My little man is going through a things are mine stage. To the point that he even says mine for most things. My Mummy, my Daddy or my Jono (really trying to get him out of calling Daddy by his name at the moment), my Sukie (one of our dogs), my giraffe, my book, my car etc.

It is cute when he says it, but not so cute when he has gathered a collection of things that are apparently ‘mine’. It doesn’t leave much else for anyone else. It’s a stage, all part of a developmental process, one of those this too shall pass moments. While Zavier at this stage is an only child, it doesn't really make a huge difference at home. That doesn't mean to say we shouldn't be encouraging him to share. Sharing is a skill children need for play and learning through childhood. They need to learn that they can’t have everything and that not everything is theirs.

It is something I have noticed in families with only one child or even in youngest children of families with older siblings, they are less inclined to share with others (because from what I can gather they don’t normally have to). I have been guilty on several occasions (when Zavier has had friends or cousins over) of saying – it’s ok, you can play with that anytime, let someone else have a turn. Toddlers have a habit of thinking the world revolves around them., it’s not in their nature to share. Like most things with children it is something we need to teach them and encourage them to do. Like all things with children we need to lead by example. The great saying – tell me and I’ll forget, show me and I’ll remember, involve me and I’ll understand quote comes to mind.

The more children interact with others, the more they learn. There may be a few meltdowns along the way, but they will get the hang of sharing eventually. Even adults don’t want to share sometimes.

Is your child a sharer or a mine-collector? Are there things as an adult You would rather not share, the hidden block of chocolate perhaps?

xo Vanessa


Author Bio - Vanessa  - is a Blogging Mum, Social Media Marketing Assistant, Avon Sales Representative and occasional Candy Buffet/Event Stylist. But most importantly... Mum to a cheeky little redhead monkey (not literally), and wife to a wonderful husband. For more from Vanessa, head to her blog:  www.pinkbutterfliesblogspot.wordpress.com  

Don't forget to head to our website for some great Practical, Natural, Gorgeous products to help You and Baby along your journey.

Merino Kids Go Go Bags saved our sleep!

From the moment he could wiggle, swaddling was not for my little boy! No matter how experienced the swaddler, William would break free and wiggle about so that there was nothing covering him.  We were worried about his lack of good sleep and how to keep him warm, so I did some research and found the Merino Kids Go Go Bags.


The Duvet Go Go Bag is what William sleeps in at night and through the winter months. It’s designed for temperatures below 20C, perfect for our cold Farmhouse in Gisborne Victoria.  Through the warmer days and nights he sleeps in the standard weight Go Go bag.  They also have an flapped opening in the front and back so you can strap them in and move your warm sleeping beauty from the pram to car to cot, with minimal disruption.

Rebecca's awesome stash of Merino Kids Go Go Bags

William spent some time in hospital at 7 months old and in the emergency dash one of the things I didn't grab was his sleeping bag.  Two sleepless days and nights later I asked my husband to bring in one of the Go Go bags, as soon as I put William in his bag, he rolled over and slept until the specialists needed to see him six hours later.  This also gave me time to catch up on some sleep!

The wool and cotton are perfect for William as he also suffers from heat rash and eczema, but we have never had this problem with the Merino Kids Go Go Bags.  At 19 months old he still fits into the “Baby” sized bag (fits 0-2 years old, there are press studs under the arms for adjustment for smaller babies) but we do have some “Toddler” sized Go Go bags (fits 2-4 year olds) for the next stage.

xo Rebecca

Author Bio - Rebecca - a 34 year old stay at home Mum to a 1 year old boy, William. My husband is a farmer and we live in a farmhouse on the family farm. Currently we are hoping for child number two. Before family life I was a laboratory technician, working in plant and animal disease diagnostics.

Don't forget to head to our website for some great Practical, Natural, Gorgeous products to help You and Baby along your journey.

The Merino Kids Go Go Bags are now available in 5 new colours:

Raspberry

Honey Oat

Mint

Turtle Dove

Banbury

Two Easy Peasy Activities for your Toddler

With a super active 21 month old toddler on my hands I am always looking for new ideas to keep us (yes us, not just him) happy. When he is happy and busy and engrossed then I am happy. I have nothing but admiration for some of the activities that mummy’s are pulling out of their butts out there in parenting land. One eager beaver mummy recently decided to blog about 100different ways to entertain your toddler. Pictures and everything of her lot doing each activity. I bow down to her achievement. This is a mammoth effort and has helped me no end. Her website is my new favourite. There are also some amazing toddler activity boards on Pintrest if you are looking to be inspired. And this website also has some great tips.

I do however like the idea of doing really really simple activities with stuff I have just laying around my house. I intend to make paint from scratch and I intend to buy the paint pots to put it in but those paint pots are still sitting on my shopping list waiting for me to get to the $2 shop. It doesn't happen. It might one day, but for now we are going with what’s in our home already to keep toddler happy. So I was rather delighted when my brain actually returned from its camp out recently to inspire me with these little treats. Master S loved them which is all I can ask for and I made them up all by myself. Hooray!

Scooping and Sifting Flour

Oh the simplicity of it. I got the idea as Master S is always breaking into the baking cupboard and getting out the measuring cups and squeezing the sifter to death. So why not make those things part of an activity for him? The floors were due for a clean so I wasn't worried about getting flour on them so I just plonked his little table and chairs in the middle of the kitchen and set him up. The task was as follows:

1. Scoop flour out of bowl and pour into sifter. Repeat a few times.

2. When sifter gets a bit full sift the flour into the other bowl.

3. Repeat over and over and over again.

This kept him going for a good 20 mins which is a lifetime for my kid. He hardly even got flour anywhere although we have played it since and he has spread it all over himself and the floor (of course that time it was the day after I’d cleaned the floors...). Despite the potential mess it really isn't too bad. We will definitely play this one again.

Chalk Drawings

I don’t know why I had chalk but I did. I think I saw it on sale really cheap one day and thought to myself ‘now there’s something every kid seems to have’ so I bought it. Even though we don’t have a chalk board. We do however have concrete! Perfect! So if the weather is nice we go sit outside and make chalk drawings. Lots and lots of fun. I think it will be even more fun as he gets older. This one requires a little mummy participation to keep them interested but no matter.


If You want to get really creative You can make your own chalk. It’s on my one day I’ll do this list...along with the paint making.

I hope You and your kiddies enjoy these games. Let me know of anything You do that is both captivating and easy. I’d love some more ideas.

xo Rachael


Author Bio - Rachael is a sometimes blogging, always mummying, single mum of a 21 month old little boy. They live a happy seaside life in a small coastal town in northern NSW, Australia. You can check out some of her other thoughts about the world at www.mummyflyingsolo.com

Don't forget to head to our website for some great Practical, Natural, Gorgeous products to help You and Baby along your journey.