In my travels, I have come across others who have started their own small businesses. I am inspired by others who have taken the plunge as well and recommend them to you if you are on the lookout for one of these services.

 

INFANT MASSAGE CLASSES with Alice of Baby Blue Birds  Attention Sydney Mums - are you interested in learning baby massage?  Classes are held by arrangement in Meadowbank/West Ryde area but if you have a group of new mum friends (Mother's Group/Ante Natal Group for example) they may be able to be arranged in your area. Please either email me and I will pass your details on or email Alice directly on babybluebirds@bigpond.com

 

Susans Personalised Candles

Susan's Personalised Candles offer candles that are uniquely designed to capture your special moment. Specialising in weddings, christenings and new baby. Wishing Well hire available.http://www.susanscandles.com.au

 

Groovy Gromets

Your one stop online shop for quality brands of kid's linen and bedroom accessories.  Get with the groove...  www.groovygromets.com.au

 

Cameron Solutions

Contact Lisa for website design, hosting and other IT services. Lisa is the brains behind the workings of my website. She has a terrific knack of understanding the way my brain works and how I want things to look. If you are looking for any help IT wise give her a call or send her an email. (and I get a coffee!!)

http://www.cameronsolutions.com.au/

 

My Utopia

myutopia products are for anyone who wants to nurture their skin and body, kindly & safely. our vegan skin & haircare products are 100% natural and of exceptional quality … utilising pure active plant botanical bases, extracts & essential oils that are captured from the plant kingdom & kept alive for your skin.

http://www.myutopia.com.au

 

Star Allergy Alerts

Does your child have an allergy? ‘Star allergy alerts' are a colourful, modern range of badges, stickers and children's t-shirts. The range of allergy alert products are designed to increase awareness of allergies and medical conditions. They are bright, fun and comfortable for your child to wear PLUS they send a clear alert message to everyone that your child comes into contact with.

 

 "It's a fun practical way to help increase awareness about your child's food allergy or medical condition."

 

Margie's Coastal Treats

If you are ever on the Central Coast of NSW in the Umina/Pearl Beach area and want a really good hamburger, fancy a slice of Lemon Meringue Pie or Quiche and salad and a good coffee then visit Coastal Treats Coffee Shop at 266 West St Umina Beach. Great home made food and fabulous service!

 

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Carelines

 

Carelines are invaluable for parents, helping out with any range of problems. For urgent issues always contact your emergency services or doctor.

 

Karitane (Australia Only) : 1300 227 464

The Karitane Careline is a 24 hour Telephone Information Service. Child and Family Health Nurses are available for consultation on a wide range of non-urgent issues concerning infants and children from birth to five (5) years of age including; feeding problems (breast, bottle or solids), sleep and settling routines, immunisation information, weaning, toilet training, management of gastro-oesophageal reflux, developmental milestones, toddler behaviour management, information regarding common childhood illness/problems, postnatal anxiety, stress and depression.

 

Tresillian (Australia Only) : 1800 637 357

Tresillian’s four Family Care Centres located across Sydney at Belmore, Penrith, Willoughby and Wollstonecraft, cater for families with a baby or young child who are needing guidance on parenting issues such as breastfeeding, settling and sleep or post natal depression. They also provide a 24 hr telephone Information Service.

 

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Whilst researching products for Belles Familles, I received quite a bit of feedback from some questions that were asked of my friends & their families. Below are a few tips & tricks direct from other mum's and their kids.

If you have a tip or trick to add, email it to us at enquiry@bellesfamilles.com.au.

Question: What are the 5-10 best baby products you have? Anything, brand of cot sheets, particular toys, bath toys, skin products, clothes etc...

• "My boomerang nursing pillow - used till about 8 months of age & wrap around slippers - still use  as they don’t fall off feet like socks", Greer and Dylan
• "Wraps, large wraps, the largest you can find! Babies grow so fast the smaller sizes seem to last no time at all, dont bother with anything less than 120cm x 120cm!", Lisa and Isabella
• "Amelia was sent a ‘Whoozit’ which we dangled from her play gym. The colours on this toy kept her amused from the time she was 6 weeks old with the black and white back patterns and the splashes of yellow. Sarah and Amelia
• We were bought a fantastic change table, the tallest one on the market. It has handy storage baskets either side of the table and towel hanging rails on the sides. It can be used afterwards as a drawing table by the child, a piece of furniture that grows with the baby", Sarah and Amelia
• "One of the most useful products I have is the baby sling/pouch/carrier (whatever you want to call it). It beats lugging a pram around any day (as long as the child isn't too heavy to carry), and allows the baby to be close to you. I've used a couple of different types, and each was suitable for different age/weight of the baby, so you have to choose one that will suit your child's age/weight. I wouldn't recommend a particular brand because different pouches will suit different people/babies. You would have to try it out (with the baby) to know if it is the right one for you both." Harriet and Michael
• "The best clothes for up to 18months I found was the Sleeping Bag pyjamas, kids always find a way to kick off the covers and in the middle of winter this means screaming in the wee hours when they are freezing. The sleeping bag helps avoid this as even if they do kick off the covers the bag keeps the body warmth in (makes for some great photo’s when they try to walk in it) – even when they got too tall for the sleeping bag pj’s I cut the feet off and make a hem – hey presto, very warm pj’s", Mandy, Kimberly and Tony

Question: Is there anything you had bought for you or you have purchased that you wish you hadn’t or have never used?

• "Didn’t really use a Bottle sterilizer easier to do in saucepan/sink", Greer & Dylan
• "In the early days of formula feeding, I was under the impression that the milk should be given warm (naive first-time Mum). So to cater for feeds when we were out and about, I bought a bottle warmer (just the type that you put a bottle of hot boiled water inside, and it keeps it warm for about 4 hours). Once I realised that it is ok to give milk at room temperature, I quickly gave up carting around hot water in the bottle warmer. Now I just carry around boiled water in bottles at room temperature, so I can make up milk any time I want without trying to keep the water at a certain temperature. The bottle warmer never gets used anymore", Harriet and Michael
• "We were given a bouncer as a baby shower gift by a family member so we felt obliged to use it. Unfortunately Amelia didn’t really enjoy being in the bouncer as much as we had hoped so it didn’t get used as much as we thought it would. It was handy when Amelia started being awake at our meal times, she liked being on the dining table while we ate. It was also handy when we started giving solids before we got her high chair", Sarah and Amelia
• "I did have some problem fights for the kids, Kimberley was given a porcelain clown when she was only 1 years old, it was musical and she loved it, unfortunately I had to hide it away as I didn’t want it getting broken.  Few tears and tantrums for a short while, they forget about things fairly quickly when young. That said she still has that clown and it is a treasured memory now"
• "For some reason people think young boys (2-3 years old) need to have a cowboy outfit (complete with guns) I know some people don’t have a problem with this kind of toy but I refused to have any guns in the house, so once again something I had to hide away (actually I threw them out)", Mandy, Kimberly and Tony

Question: What hints or advice would you give you a new Mum?

• "Sleep when your baby sleeps and PUT A NOTE ON THE FRONT DOOR with a pad and pen so visitors LEAVE YOU ALONE!!!! And remember to say NO if you don’t want to see people", Sarah and Amelia
• "Don’t wake the baby to feed it - he/she knows when they are hungry and will let you know. Don’t listen to critics on when to start solids - your baby will let you know also all babies differ in size and needs", Greer and Dylan
• "Get your baby weighed on a weekly basis in the beginning and on the same scales. Build up a rapport with your community clinic nurse as they are a Godsend when things turn to custard! We had problems with Amelia was first born with vomiting and not putting weight on. My weekly visits in those first few weeks to see our clinic sister have been invaluable. They got me out of the house and talking about the fears I had for our daughter", Sarah and Amelia
• "Enjoy as they don’t stay little for very long, just remember when there is a tantrum or you can’t stand up anymore because you are so tired that all too soon that little bundle of joy will grow up and leave home. Once they hit the six month mark, pick everything up off the floor it is a very strange feeling to come back into a room where you have left baby on the playmate/carpet or whatever on the floor only to find them gone (hint: look under lounges, up the hallway etc) from six months onwards they start rolling/sitting up etc", Mandy, Kimberly and Tony
• "Prepare BEFORE the baby arrives. Especially food - load up the freezer with meals (just do batches of cooking and package them in single serve chinese-take-away-style containers in the freezer). This gives you a break from cooking meals for a while when the baby arrives"
• "Try and get someone to do the housework for you in those early weeks so that you can relax and concentrate on looking after your newborn, and get yourself some much-needed rest. People will tell you to 'sleep when the baby sleeps and forget about the housework', and if you do this then (most likely) your home will quickly turn into a mess. When you are a new Mum and most of your waking hours are taken up with caring for your newborn, having the housework pile up and up and up will do nothing but stress you out. It is very hard to 'forget about the housework' when everything around you is a pig-sty! So try and get someone (or a few people) to take care of the housework so that you really can 'sleep when the baby sleeps and forget about the housework'!", Harriet and Michael
• "Those early weeks I think the most helpful thing would have been a laundry service for all of those nappies (mind you these days most Mums seem to use disposable so I suppose that idea is outdated) – I was one of the lucky ones with Kimberley, I was actually bored in the first few weeks once I got a routine going that is.  She slept the recommended 4 hours between feeds, was only awake long enough for a bath, change, little play then feed and back for another 4 hours.  I actually disinfected her bedroom every day, just for something to do… Tony on the other hand – after the first 6 weeks – hardly slept during the day (the trade off was he slept 12 hours every night) so I found the hardest thing with him was getting any rest – when I put Kimberley down for a nap (she stopped having these six months after Tony came home) I would put Tony on the floor with mobiles or whatever I had on hand to keep him amused then lie down beside him so I could get half an hour.  Most of the time I didn’t get a sleep but the rest was helpful", Mandy, Kimberly and Tony

Question: And what about for a Mum who was having a hard time at a particular stage?

• "If you find your baby isn’t sleeping through the night at six months and up, they are probably waking up due to habit.. a child at this age shouldn’t need a feed in the middle of the night.. I found after letting Dylan Cry it out for one night he quickly learnt how to get himself back to sleep and now will stir through the night (like all of us) but will soon get himself back to a sound sleep.. There are always some night that they will want you but it shouldn’t be every night, they are very smart and learn that if you run to their side every time they cry , they will keep on doing it", Greer and Dylan
• "I think the best thing I did was get help when Ben kept waking up for a feed and was just using me as a dummy. I went to Presbyterian Social Services (NZ) and they just gave me permission to let him cry. Weird isn’t it? I think it only took 2 nights and he slept through!  But what works for one doesn’t always work for another. And the other thing was going out of the house helped. I found I couldn’t do anything while I was in the house because I was so busy with the boys that I would just pack them in the car and GO and visit someone, that kept me sane too", Kathie, Kevin and Ben
• Talk to your clinic sister, that is one of the reasons she is there. She is trained and qualified to help you! Sarah and Amelia
• "Chat to some other mum's (especially ones with babies or children the age of yours, you would be surprised just how many other people are going through the exact same thing!", Lisa & Isabella

Question: If there was ONE thing that someone could have brought for you in those early weeks (remember those??!) what would it have been?

• Ready prepared meals! – All new Mums!
• "A maid!", Greer and Dylan
• "Bring me some firm advice to go and get my child weighed each week in his first few weeks of life, to make sure he was gaining weight, instead of relying on the midwife's advice that 'everything is fine'. This would have prevented my child's dehydration, weight loss, hospitalisation, etc.", Harriet and Michael

Question: What bath toys do you buy?

• "Coop’s loves his ducks – boring I know. But I think the bright colours etc, and the fact that he can pick them up easily is good for him. He loves shoving them headfirst in his little mouth.  Other than that he has these musical hippo’s that whistle when you bob their heads. I like these as the hippo’s are hollow and I can fill them up with water and use them to wash his hair etc.", Fiona and Cooper
• "Well, it's stuff you can't sell on your website! Michael always amuses himself just with the water and his hands and legs. Lots of kicking, splashing, rolling, and plenty of smiles and fun. I was given a set of bath ducks which I sometimes put in the bath, but I found that he has much more fun just splashing around and playing with the water itself", Harriet and Michael
• A mobile over the bath is a great idea as you can get the kids to look at the mobile while you clean their necks! Sarah and Amelia
• Most mothers we spoke to agree that the face washers are a great source of amusement and a fantastic teething or biting toy!

Keeping kids amused... some ideas for days out

• If you live near a sports field and have a cranky toddler, take them to watch a game of football. Kids love the movement and the colours on the teams’ jerseys.
• Keep a spare bread bag in your freezer (if you have the room). Each end of the bread you would normally throw away and the crusts you cut off sandwiches pop these in the spare bread bag, you will be amazed at how quickly you have enough bread to amuse your little ones at the duck pond or Local River.
• Keep a picnic blanket in the car and a bottle of sunscreen in the nappy bag, you never know when the perfect picnic spot will materialize!
• Soft play areas are great for kids and mums! Kids can get together and play whilst parents can chat and have a coffee... perfect way to tire little ones out! Be on the lookout for ones that offer other services as well like hair dressing etc…
• For those in Sydney, Fox Studios has a baby animal petting area on Wednesday and Saturday (same day as the food markets)... great for little ones first experience with farm animals. For everyone outside of Sydney, check your local tourism information and they can point you to one in your area.

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