Infant

Finding A Nanny

THE BABBLE TAKE Those who hire a nanny for their children cite the advantages of personalised, individual child care in a familiar home environment. There are downsides, too — cost is chief among them. Other potential snags include loss of privacy and the solitary nature of nanny care, which makes trust an even bigger issue than it is...
Infant

Childcare Options

THE BABBLE TAKE Childcare options are a sensitive topic, fraught with class and financial issues. There is no hard data on whether daycare or at-home-care is better for children. Both options have pros and cons, including logistical hurdles. If the at-home caregiver is a nanny, economics will factor in; paying a nanny to take care of a single...
Infant

Antibiotics

THE BABBLE TAKE Small children get sick. A lot. The average young child will come down with somewhere between three and eight respiratory infections each year. Doctors say most of these will be viral and should not be treated with antibiotics. Bacterial infections on the other hand require antibiotics. However, upwards of half of all visits to t...
Infant

Febrile Seizures

THE BABBLE TAKE Febrile seizures (or convulsions as they are commonly known in Australia) can be brought on by the rapid spike in body temperature that happens when a child develops a high fever. The symptoms can be mild, such as eye-rolling, or slight shaking, or they can consist of full-blown seizures with the whole body cramping up in spasm...
Infant

Hives

THE BABBLE TAKE Hives (Urticaria) are red welts with a white spot of raised skin in their centre. They usually appear suddenly, can come and go, and are caused by an allergic reaction of some kind. Illness, food, medicines, or external irritants like pets, laundry detergent, or new clothes are some of the possible culprits. Usually, it isn't p...
Infant

Returning To Work

THE BABBLE TAKE Few parenting issues involve as much culturally inflicted guilt as when and how (and in some circles, if) a mother should return to work, with much anxiety surrounding the topic. Politics aside, working is a necessity as well as a desire for most mothers, and their babies tend to be none the worse for it. Some say mothers who'v...
Infant

Teething

THE BABBLE TAKE Teething is an unexpectedly controversial topic. The degree of physical pain and symptoms attributed to teething has varied considerably over the last century. In Victorian times it was thought to be the leading cause of infant mortality. New teeth are no longer seen as a cause of severe illness, but paediatricians still disa...
Infant

Formula

THE BABBLE TAKE While all paediatricians agree that breastfeeding is the ideal method of nourishing a child, a formula baby can still be well-fed and healthy. All Australian baby formulas are strictly regulated by the Food Standards Board and should contain all the nutrients necessary for an infant to thrive. Paediatricians say there are no ge...
Infant

Sign Language

THE BABBLE TAKE Sign-language is not just for the deaf and that Meet the Fockers kid anymore. Some parents are now teaching their hearing infants to sign before they can talk in an effort to better communicate with their pre-verbal babies. One oft cited benefit is that signing may ease toddler frustration. Sceptics wonder if it is worth the e...
Infant

Solid Foods

THE BABBLE TAKE Most paediatricians say around six months is the appropriate age to start feeding babies solid foods. At this age babies begin to need the extra iron which solids such as cereal and veggies can provide. Prior to the half-year mark babies' mouths and intestines aren't ready to process solids, so there is little point in trying t...

Strollerderby

Bad Mum? Mother Working To Weigh 450 Kilos

9:30 AM Donna Simpson is a world record holder. In 2007 she broke the record for heaviest woman to give birth, at 235 kgs (or as the Telegraph points out “the same as two elephant ca... read more

Teacher Writes “Loser” Student’s Assignment

3:30 PM North Carolina primary school teacher Rex Roland has an interesting method for motivating his students. He calls them “losers.” Mother Patty Clement wants Roland rem... read more

FameCrawler

Where Was Kate Winslet When The Break Up News Hit?

9:00 AM Where was Kate Winslet and her kids when the word got out that she had separated from her husband Sam Mendes? Not crying in her pillow, not on a therapist’s couch but r... read more

Jessica Simpson Has A Back-up Baby Daddy

8:30 AM Now that her younger sister Ashlee has a super cute son of her own, Jessica Simpson freely admits that she has baby fever in the worst way. She’s got it so bad, in fact, that... read more

Droolicious

Green Baby: Dandelion Reusable Utensils Made From Corn

10:00 AM If you’re a green mama, chances are you’ve already heard of Dandelion Earth-Friendly Goods — a stellar option for parents hunting for natural products. One of... read more

Baby’s First Toothbrush

8:00 AM Finding a toothbrush that infants will willingly use is like finding a variety of peas that won’t find their way thrown off the highchair.  And while I’m not quite sur... read more
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