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I was given the BabyBjorn Original Carrier from my sister who had used it for her first child 8 years ago!

Like most well designed products the BabyBjorn Original is durable, aesthetically pleasing, timeless and highly functional. Baby sits securely in the outer shell and can face inwards or outwards. I must say both Baby and Dad look cute when she is facing outwards. The straps which cross around the back are secured safely at the base and side of the shell. The BabyBjorn can be adjusted as baby grows in length and the Original is suitable for baby’s up to 11kg.

I find the design ergonomic and combined with the well stitched durable light weight fabric – Baby feels lighter in the BabyBjorn than when I am balancing her precariously on one hip!

The BabyBjorn has been fantastic when traveling by plane as I have my hands free to carry my onboard luggage and I can weave my way through the airport terminal knowing baby is securely next to me. Baby found it so comfy on my last plane trip that she fell asleep while in it.

A cute accessory I have recently used is the BabyBjorn bib. Baby is currently teething and quite the dribbler, the bib protects the carrier from the dribble – smart thinking by those Swedes.

During my last ultrasound the technician commented that we should expect a baby with lots of hair.

We weren’t disappointed when Baby arrived with a full head of dark spikey hair, earning her the nickname of “Punky” during our hospital stay. After comments about Baby’s abundant hair, the nurses often asked if I experienced reflux during my pregnancy and in fact I hadn’t.

I think I was the only mother who had a baby grooming kit in her hospital bag. The baby grooming kit is made by Safety 1st and includes a comb, hairbrush, scissors, emery boards, nail clippers and a toothbrush, all in a neat clear little bag.

I used the comb and hairbrush from Day 1! The scissors have been used for baby’s numerous haircuts – five in as many months. And I prefer using the emery boards for filing baby’s nails than using the nail clippers. Too many stories of parents accidentally missing the nail – ouch.

I am yet to use the toothbrush, although my Punky is displaying signs of teething – so I’ll keep you informed of her progress!

This morning I woke to find baby standing in her cot looking at me with a big grin on her face. Her sense of accomplishment was clear, she had managed to maneuver from a crawling position, to a sitting position and then grip on her cot railings to pull herself up.

There was no doubt, baby had reached another milestone in her development and it was now time to ‘raise the bar’ – physically and metaphorically.

Her cot made by Boori Country, has the functionality to raise and lower the mattress, as well as raise and lower the bar. It was now time to lower the mattress and raise the bar.

Baby’s current stance means that as a parent I will need to ‘raise the bar’, be more attentive and aware of baby’s physical capabilities. It feels like it won’t be too long until my baby is walking and I’ll be pleased that I have baby proofed the house!

Organisations such as the Australian Breastfeeding Association (ABA) are fantastic for promoting and supporting breastfeeding in the community.

Regular meetings are held in local areas throughout Australia, which are facilitated by an ABA Counsellor. I’ve found these meetings to be invaluable to discuss experiences with other new parents and get advice on breastfeeding. The meetings provide encouragement to persist with mastering a skill, which can be difficult to establish at first, but can have amazing benefits for feeding your baby naturally and connecting with your babe.

The ABA offers advice on the Breastfeeding Helpline, 1800 mum 2 mum (1800 686 2 686). This toll free service puts mothers and caregivers in touch with a trained volunteer breastfeeding counsellor 24 hours a day (that includes 3am in the morning)!

You can go along to your first meeting without being a member. If you become a member of the ABA, you receive a subscription to the entertaining magazine ‘Essence’ and you receive a complimentary copy of the book ‘Breastfeeding Naturally’. This book has some good tips on establishing breastfeeding. To learn more about breastfeeding before your babe is born, you can take part in a workshop and there are ABA shops where you can browse through products for your babe.

A product I found wonderful when feeding my newborn babe was Lansinoh. It is lanolin based cream and is amazingly soothing. To find out about other ‘Lotions and Potions’ for you and your newborn babe, click on the Newborn page.

Breastfeeding…there I’ve said it.

This term can evoke so many different reactions in people, from an uncomfortable chuckle to a supportive smile.

Facebook seemed uncomfortable enough to remove the page for The Leaky Boob – an online support group where nursing mothers can discuss the demands of breastfeeding. The founder of the page was informed, “hateful, threatening, or obscene [pages] are not allowed”. The Leaky Boob has since been reinstated, with Facebook saying it was a mistake.

So why all the fuss? Isn’t breastfeeding a natural way for a mother to feed her baby?

Baby’s movement has progressed from rocking side to side, to her first roll, to lying on her tummy resting on her forearms, to finally placing a hand in front of each knee and successfully crawling. Yes, we have a crawler in the house!

To encourage this new skill, I am placing a toy in front of baby and watching her try to reach the toys with whatever movement she can muster. At first there was a combination of commando rolls and awkward crawls to reach the toy. Now, she has figured out that crawling is by far the most efficient method of travel and her speed is increasing by the day.

With this new found skill, comes the responsibility of parents to ensure a thorough ‘baby proofing’ of the house has been completed. I’ve found Kidsafe Australia to be an organisation that provides a great deal of quality information. You can visit a Kidsafe House to see everything you need to babyproof your house.

Talking of health and safety, we hope all those in Queensland and Northern NSW, who have been evacuated from flooded houses or who are currently in their houses but without electricity, stay safe over the coming weeks.

I realised baby had mastered the art of sitting, when she managed to sit in a highchair and hold a menu at the same time!

The quest to develop the skill of sitting, started on her Mamas’n’Papas playmat. Baby maneuvered from a crawling position to a sitting position, by rolling over and propping herself up on her playmat. She was a little shaky at first, but with lots of practice and encouragement, she began to improve.

To assist baby in her pursuit to sit, we bought her a Prince Lionheart Bebepod Boost Seat. It has a soft plastic moulded seat which allows baby to sit comfortably and is easy to clean. It comes with a compatible tray, placemat and toy. The seat has a three point child safety harness and best of all is the dual strap which allows the booster to be strapped to an adult chair.

We found the Bebepod to be wonderful when we were travelling, as we could transform any adult chair into a baby high chair and could feed her wherever we stayed on our roadtrip. For more information on tips for baby’s road trips, see Baby Car Travel.

I’m proud to announce that my baby’s first word was Mum at five and a half months old.

I was preoccupied organising baby’s clothes when she loudly, clearly and intentionally said “Mum”. I ran to her cot, picked her up and asked her to say it again. She gave me a broad smile, as if to say, I’ll be using that word when I need to get your attention and continued playing with her toys.

The next word proclamation was Dad at 6 months old. This time it was 3am and again we were preoccupied, this time trying to sleep (funny that). Of course this word was met with big cuddles and encouragement from Dad.

Yesterday, while staying at Grandma’s house, baby decided it was time to impress Grandma. While baby was getting ready for her bath, she said the word “clap” and began clapping her hands! Well of course that received a standing ovation from myself and Grandma. I think baby is starting to understand the power of her speech and the positive reinforcement it receives.

With the festive season coming to an end, those that have celebrated Christmas and New Year with baby away, will be travelling home. Here are some tips to help make a long car trip home comfortable for you and baby.

In my experience, a young baby can only travel comfortably for about 3 hours. My baby loves sleeping in the car and I try to plan the drive to coincide with sleep times.

For protection from the sun while on the road, organise detachable car shades which can be repositioned on your rear windscreen for baby, Tommee Tippee manufacture a good range of sun shades for the car.

Ensure baby is sitting comfortably in the car seat or capsule. I hired a Safe-n-Sound capsule from the Queensland Ambulance Service, to enquire contact Smart Services Queensland on 1300 369 003. My baby is so comfortable in her capsule, that she often falls asleep in the car and I can carry her inside in the capsule where she may sleep for another hour – if I’m lucky!

Pack baby’s clothing, bed linen and blankets in a soft bag to maxmise space in the boot. I generally pack over a few days to ensure I don’t forget anything when we’re ready to leave. A well planned roadtrip will be easier for you and baby.

My baby is finding her musical side this new year. She can clap in time to a rhythmic beat, attempts to sing along to nursery rhymes and loves to play musical instruments.

The baby piano by Imaginarium (posted by Aaron as baby’s favourite Christmas gift) is a sophisticated first instrument. The piano keys are a good size for baby and the piano has more than one octave for baby to play a cute tune.

Fisher Price makes a good range of baby instruments, including the Laugh and Learn Baby Grand Piano, Baby Xylophones, Baby Bongos and Drumkit.

You can make your own musical instruments too! An empty biscuit tin can make an excellent drum when covered with cardboard on one side. An empty milk container can be half filled with rice to become a shaker and you could attempt to make a tambourine to have your baby spellbound.

So tap into baby’s musical side and have some fun at the same time!