Brazenmom

I’ve had so many parents ask me where to start with potty training. First of all let’s change those words to toilet training because the easiest and quickest way to toilet train your child is to skip the potty step. I’m just not a fan of the potty, it’s a bit gross and also it isn’t the end goal for your child – once they have mastered the potty, they have to start all over again.

Toilet training can take a matter of days if you start at the right time. A child needs to know that something is happening down there. This can sometimes be encouraged by putting underwear on your child, and therefore when they do their business they will feel it. If your child is showing an awareness while still in nappies they may hide when they feel the urge or they may start to walk funny or even look down. Read the rest of this entry »

As well as water and milk, Rooibos tea has become a staple drink for my fourteen-month-old daughter. She has it with breakfast, lunch and dinner and thinks it’s DElicious. Rooibos, more commonly known as ‘Redbush’ in the UK – a direct translation from the Afrikaans “Rooibos” (pronounced Roy-Boss) – is a flowering shrub that grows in the Cedarberg mountain region in South Africa’s Western Cape, about 250 km north of Cape Town, and is thus popular in the region of southern Africa. Read the rest of this entry »

Zombie – a term that has embedded itself in my vocabulary since the birth of my fifteen-month-old daughter. I love my little lovely most dearly but she has done nothing to improve my complexion. Bags and wrinkles are the story of my life.

In light of the aforementioned I think that I can safely assume that cosmetic brand ZombieMomz is designed especially for moms like me – to remedy that all too familiar Night of the Living Dead look. Read the rest of this entry »

At one of our antenatal classes we were shown how to bath a newborn baby. Our teacher used a plastic doll who was, of course, obligingly still. In the hospital, the nurse demonstrated with our very own baby. In her very capable hands, bathing looked easy. When we got home, my husband took on bath duty so that I could have a bit of free time. (And in those early days, free time meant nap time.) Imagine our delight when Angelique was as still as the plastic baby when Hubby bathed her. Read the rest of this entry »

Some days it’s just not worth chewing through the restraints, you know? My princess is teething – of course, she’s been teething for weeks but those little buggers have yet to make their appearance – so her sleeping routine is all topsy-turvy. Once upon a time, my baby slept through the night and had nice, long midday naps. Now those days seem like a distant dream. Sigh.

Last night was particularly bad. Angelique woke up three times, refusing to return to sleep unless she was on the boob. Too bad I’m the only one in the house with any. By wake up call number three, I didn’t even try to fight her. I just stumbled into her room, managed to sit on the chair instead of collapsing onto the floor, latched her, and tried not to fall asleep before she does. Fun times. Read the rest of this entry »

Children are weird. Or perhaps it’s just my child (I blame the Irish gene). I have been changing my fourteen-month-old daughter’s nappy for – you guessed it – fourteen months. Logic dictates that, a year down the line, this daily occurrence would be a ‘wham bam thank you mam’ affair. Sadly, logic and toddler-brain are not two patterns of thought that mix particularly well.

Over the past couple of months I have come to learn that the whole ‘establishing independence’ thing also means that nappy changing is just so last year – in other words; wallowing in excrement is the current toddler trend. Amelia doesn’t always kick up a fuss; as long as I am singing “Old MacDonald” or I have a nappy on my head. Yes… a nappy on my head. Desperate times… Read the rest of this entry »

There are many things I love about breastfeeding. It’s a special bonding time for me and Angelique. It’s time to relax (because there’s not much else you can do at the same time). It also requires absolutely no preparation – no sterilising bottles, no mixing formula, and no worrying about whether there’s still enough formula in the cupboard.

Of course, there are some things I don’t love. Angelique doesn’t have teeth yet but she knows how to bite. Sometimes she has this look on her face that leads me to think she knows she’s about to inflict pain – and doesn’t care one whit. I have, on occasion, been reduced to tears by an unexpected attack. (I then promptly hand the baby to her father and seriously contemplate sending him out for a tin of formula.) Read the rest of this entry »

At my baby shower, I was given a preggy roll by one of my friends. “What is a preggy roll?” you ask. Picture a large banana-shaped pillow. You sleep with one end between your legs, one end under your head, and the curve supporting your belly. It sounds a bit strange, but it’s amazing.

After the first night I used it, I couldn’t believe I’d spent seven months of my pregnancy without it. By that point I was so large and uncomfortable that trying to find a good position to sleep in was an exercise in futility. I’m still not sure how Hubby managed to sleep through my constant tossing and turning. (Probably the same way he sleeps through our daughter’s chattering on the baby monitor in the wee hours of the morning. On weekends he has the night shift, and I have to wake him to go settle the princess back to sleep.) Read the rest of this entry »

One has to wonder if George Romero had any children. I can easily imagine that he was inspired to create his zombies when he looked at himself in the mirror after a few consecutive sleepless nights. I know that when I looked in the mirror recently it was a few seconds before I realised the zombie staring back at me was just my reflection.

I once had a baby who slept through the night. It was bliss. For those few weeks I was happy and rested – and I should have known it was too good to last. Then, suddenly, for three awful weeks Angelique was waking up two (sometimes three) times a night demanding to be fed. Since she can’t actually tell me why she suddenly turned into an insomniac, my best guesses were: teething, a growth spurt, hunger, or a combination of all three. Read the rest of this entry »

My poor baby girl is suffering from her first cold. At the first sign of sniffles I reached for the saline drops, confident and in control. Angelique seemed confused the first time I put the drops in her nose but she didn’t protest.

By the evening of the first day, I was also starting to feel the tell-tale symptoms that a cold was developing. I dosed myself with orange juice and chicken soup and climbed into bed. The next morning both of us were miserable, and when I tried to give Angelique the saline drops she screamed as if I was trying to murder her. Read the rest of this entry »