Health

No parent enjoys changing nappies – I know it's not something I do for fun! But the prospect of teaching a toddler to use the toilet can be daunting: accidents on the floor, and convincing a little person to do as you ask when they're more interested in expressing their own independence.

If you're planning a home birth, you'll want your family to understand and be supportive of your choice. Here are some books that might help:

We're Having a Homebirth by Kelly Mochel - this is a new US picture book to help small children understand the arrival of their new baby brother or sister. Colourfully illustrated and informative.

Trying to raise a healthy, happy baby with as little environmental impact as possible doesn't have to be tricky. Here's the list of everything you DO need for a newborn baby, and nothing you DON'T.

Got a bag of soap nuts for the laundry? Soap nuts are an eco-friendly alternative to chemical laundry detergents in both front and top loading washing machines. But you can do a lot more with soap nuts than just wash your clothes. Make your own shampoo, head lice treatment, silverware cleaner, insect repellant, and lots more. Soap nuts don't lather like commercial soaps and cleaners, but the fruit of the sapindus mukurossi (soap nut) tree contain natural saponin - yes, soap. Soap nuts are also traditionally used in Ayurvedic treatments for excema and psoriasis.

• Better bonding between baby and parent - daddy can do it too!
• Less crying.
• Helps settle baby to sleep.
  

Canberra women can drop in to see a qualified doula in the sitting room at the Brindabella Baby shop. This free service does not require an appointment. The service is available from 12pm til 2pm on the second Wednesday of every month.

If you've been using cloth nappies on your baby, it makes a lot of sense for mum to use cloth pads too.

Celebrate being a woman, instead of dreading that time of month! They're safer, economical, better for the environment, more comfortable, and look nicer than disposables.

If you have twins, or if your children are close together in age, you may find it useful to know how to carry more than one baby at a time. With my first two only 17 months apart, and the second two being 21 months apart, I've done a lot of carrying more than one child at a time. Even when they can walk, it's sometimes safer to just put a toddler on your back so they can't run onto the road or get tired legs on a long walk.