Mum Zone Newsletter No 29 - October 2008 (1)

New Parenting Articles

Guide To Buying Baby & Toddler Shoes
So you've decided to buy the first pair of shoes for your bub? You know it should be a fun trip to the shops but there are so many questions flying around your head... When is the right time? What is the correct type of shoe? Do I have to spend a fortune if they are going to outgrow them so quickly? What about soles?!!... read more

Colic or Reflux or Just Overtired? What's making your baby unsettled?
Many parents seek help and relief for their "unsettled baby" who "cries all the time" and report that the baby has "colic" or "reflux" and sometimes both! I immediately ask the parents if the colic or reflux has in fact been diagnosed by a paediatrician or their General Practitioner. Often the answer is "no"... read more

View More Parenting Articles

Latest Media Releases

The Mother's Choice World's Greatest Pram Stroll
Encouraging families to connect and be active
The People and Parks Foundation in-conjunction with Mother's Choice are pleased to announce that Kim Watkins and Shane Wakelin will be this year's Ambassadors for the Mother's Choice World's Greatest Pram Stroll set to take place on Sunday 19th October 2008... read more

Nine out of ten Australian women wake up tired
Australia is a nation of sleep-deprived women according to new research. As many as nine out of ten women are regularly waking up tired and too exhausted to get out of bed, prompting calls by health experts to wake up and get help... read more

Go Ga-Ga Australia and take National Babies Day seriously on October 17th
The Bonnie Babes Foundation is a non-profit volunteer based charity established for the health and well-being of families. Sadly, one in every four pregnancies ends in a loss. Over 17,000 babies are born prematurely, many of them often struggling for life... read more

Worldly Kids launches Mi-House
Australia's first environmentally sustainable cubby house
Forward thinking children's product company, Mi-House, has answered the concerns of an increasing number of environmentally and socially conscious parents and launched Australia's first environmentally sustainable and educational cubby house.
Win a Mi-House - 5 up for grabs!... read more

View More Media Releases on Mum Zone and Babynews

Pregnant? To buy... or not to buy?

With so many products and choices to choose from, it can be difficult to decide what you really do and don't need to buy. Amanda Jephtha from Planning for Babe writes this objective series to help you decide - with confidence.

To buy... or not to buy?
Part 3: The Baby Bath
From baby baths with stands and shelves, to womb-style tubs and bath supports, baby baths come in all shapes and sizes. But do you actually need one?... read more

Are you pregnant? Track your pregnancy - sign up to our Mum Zone fortnightly pregnancy newsletters.

Visit Baby Business, our new Baby Directory

Baby Business is Mum Zone's new pregnancy, baby, toddler and parenting directory developed just for busy mums like you! Visit www.babybusiness.com.au.

After the Latest Babynews?

Check out Babynews to keep up to date with the latest Baby, Parenting or Family news, products, information and websites. Sign up to the Babynews newsletter for monthly updates!

Some of the latest Babynews includes:

Safety first is every parent's priority
Did you know that unintentional injuries are the leading cause of death for children fourteen and under? With National Kid Safe Day on Monday 20 October (the first day of National Children's Week), it is a good time to remind parents of the importance of safety in the home... read more

Breastfeeding gets funky this spring!
New mums can now feel 'funky' breastfeeding in public with the latest hoodie look from Nuvo Maternity. The Funky Hoodie breastfeeding top is designed to help breastfeeding mums feel stylish, confident and comfortable breastfeeding in public... read more

Need Some Advice?

Mum Zone's new resident Life Coach Kirsti is available to answer some of your questions about a variety of life related issues. Topics include feeling down, work-life balance, getting enough sleep, spending enough time with your kids, the direction of your relationship, pursuing your dream job, learning to put yourself first, establishing your own identity and many more.

Check out our new Life Coaching for Mums page now!

Kirsti is currently running workshops in Sydney with a leading Aussie fashion designer on the 8th November for mums and women of all ages: the 'Real Bodies, Real Life' campaign.

One Mum's Story

Vicki-Lea, Tasharni & Ryan's Story
Mother of five Vicki-Lea had three normal pregnancies, but the last two weren't so easy. When baby Tasharni was born the placenta was black, which suggests that she had mercury poisoning. Whilst pregnant with baby Ryan, Vicki-Lea discovered she had gestational diabetes amongst other complications. She has shared her experiences to help other mums become informed... read more

If you are a Mum who has a story to tell or you know of one, contact us at admin@mumzone.com.au. If you have a photo feel free to include it in your email.

View Our One Mum's Story Page

New Parenting Tips

Be aware of nut oil in nappy rash creams
When using nappy creams please be aware that a lot of them have nut oils in them, even some well-known and commonly used commercial brands contain oils such as almond oil and peanut oil. If your child has allergies please be very aware of which products you buy, also if your daycare centre is a nut free environment maybe you could make them aware it this too.
* Contributed by Emma, Queensland
Editor's note: Please seek expert medical advice for individual products in relation to nut oil contents.

Keep it balanced with bottle feeding
If you bottle feed, change sides every feed. This will help your baby's muscles to strengthen evenly on both sides. It will also do the same for you!
* Contributed by a Mum Zone Reader

View More Parenting & Pregnancy Tips

Latest Baby Names

The 6 latest baby names from Mum Zone members are:

Share your favourite baby names with other Mum Zone members or find the perfect baby name with our Baby Names Alert! service!

Discussion Issue

How well does your child cope with changing to or from Daylight Savings?
Changing to or from daylight savings can be enough to confuse anyone's bodyclock. Babies and kids tend to have set routines so the change can be quite unsettling for them in particular.

If your state has daylight savings, have you found/do you expect your child to cope well? If not, what problems were there? How long did your child take to adjust?

Discuss this issue with other mums in our Discussion Forum and cast your vote!

Send this Newsletter to a Friend!

Send this newsletter to a friend so they can sign up too and receive great information and resources in their inbox every fortnight!

Send this newsletter to a friend NOW!

This Month's Competition

This month we have 2 great prizes!

1 of 3 BabyBlinks DVD Packs (3 per pack) Kindly donated by

~ AND ~

$50 worth of Bub Grub Baby Food + a Cooler Bag Kindly donated by

To enter simply subscribe to our newsletter! All current subscribers are automatically entered into the draw.

Send this newsletter to a friend so they can sign up and enter too!

Congratulations to our September competition winners:

• Diane of SA won an 'and me too' Kids Clothing Voucher
• Phoebe of ACT won a Cushie Tushies 'Give 'em a go!' Cloth Nappy Trial Pack

Featured Advertorial

Win a Trip for 2 to Paris with Lancôme 
Lancôme is giving you the opportunity to experience some "Magnifique Moments" in Paris, the setting of our beautiful new fragrance Magnifique. Your prize will include a 2 plane tickets to Paris as well as 5 nights luxury accommodation... read more

Part online store - part information site, Little Explorers is a resource for parents and children who love to be outdoors!

Visit the online store featuring a huge range of fabulous products for being out and about, including kids swimwear, floatsuits, child carriers - anything to do with the outdoors and travel.

Browse the directory of child-friendly facilities and attractions including parks and playgrounds, beaches, eating out, and places to stay all across Australia.

Check out the Little Explorers Weekly Specials for major savings on the cutest swimwear!

It's the only tool you need when planning a great day out! www.littleexplorers.com.au

Enjoy a family outing and support local business mums!

The FBA Family Expo takes place at Canberra's National Zoo & Aquarium on Sunday, 9 November.

It's a fun family event filled with new ideas, products and solutions to amuse the kids, plan a party, start a fitness program, design a dream garden, look 5 years younger, choose Christmas gifts and indulge your travel bug.

Entertainment, great food and demonstrations will keep the whole family entertained. Keeper talks and animal interaction make the day complete. An extra bonus is the limited number of discounted tickets.

Visit www.fbafamilyexpo.com.au to find out more.

Featured Businesses & Events

Modern Little Munchkins Grand Opening Sale!
MODERN LITTLE MUNCHKINS is a new online store selling designer fashion and accessories for babies and kids plus organic and eco-friendly products for the whole family. Our designers include eight3one, Heavenly Creatures, Abe Jones Designs, Willow and Finn, Wonderboy and Itch Design. Register your interest now to receive notification of our GRAND OPENING SALE.
www.modernlittlemunchkins.com.au

Mum Zone Special Offer @ La Femme Boutique
La Femme Boutique sells an exquisite range of quality handcrafted designer jewellery created using freshwater pearls, swarovski crystals and gemstones. We are offering Mum Zone readers an exclusive $10 evoucher for use on any products in our store, valid for 2 weeks until 21 October 2008.
www.lafemmeboutique.com.au

View Baby Business baby directory

After Special Offers, competitions and Promos?

Check out the great range on our new Special Offers and Promos page exclusively for Mum Zone members! Sign up for great competitions and discounts from Mi-House, Bosisto's, Fisher-Price, Gift Designs, KissKiss HugHug, Lizzy C Photography, Nuvo Maternity and Total Luxury.

New Product Review

BagButton
The BagButton is a great way to use inexpensive bags to vacuum pack clothes, sheets, towels etc. that you need to store. With a few simple steps using a vacuum the reusable BagButton vacuum seals your items... read more

View More Product Reviews