By 6 months old, babies are learning and developing new skills at a more rapid rate than before and can interact with the world around them a lot more. They become more mobile as they learn to sit, crawl and eventually walk and they can properly grasp, hold and move objects around. Babies also typically start solids around 6 months which opens up a world of opportunities with taste safe sensory play that didn't exist previously.
All of these factors mean babies over 6 months can explore using their senses through play in even more ways. Below is a list of sensory play ideas for babies from 6-12 months old including ideas to delight their senses incorporating sight, sound, touch and taste.
Sensory play is an important tool for developing skills even in children as young as babies. Sensory play builds neurological pathways and helps children to explore and make sense of the world around them by using their five senses, sight, smell, hearing, touch and taste.
I've put together a list of sensory play activities for babies aged 0-6 months that you can do at home to start building their developmental skills and most importantly they're also heaps of fun, for baby and you.
This Easter I Spy sensory bottle {also known as a discovery bottle} is a great tool for exploratory sensory play for children of all ages. The best part is you can assemble it in just a few minutes using Easter themed items you already have. Follow our easy instructions below to put together your own Easter themed I Spy bottle at home or in the classroom.
If you're new to sensory play and want to try your hand at making some sensory rice for home you've come to the right place. Sensory rice is a rather broad term incorporating different types of dyed rice or scented rice. The most popular version of sensory rice is rainbow rice and I'm going to give you step by step instructions to make your own rainbow rice in just a few minutes.
You can also use these directions to make single coloured rice or themed rice e.g. red, green & white rice for Christmas or red, white and blue rice for 4th of July.
If your kids are like mine then painting is one of their favourite activities. My girls would paint every day if we had the time. To keep things interesting I'm always changing up what type of painting we do, sometimes it's regular painting with washable paint on paper, other times we do salt painting, magic paintings, flower painting and more.
I've put together a huge list of 50 different painting ideas for kids to help you get creative with your children at home, or students in the classroom. There's ideas for babies, toddlers, preschoolers and school children. Most of them don't even require a paintbrush.
Painting is a great way to combine sensory exploration as well as creativity. Painting can also be used as a play based learning opportunity to teach children concepts such as letters, numbers, shapes, colours and colour mixing.
We're a little bit obsessed with sensory bottles in this house and we're slowly making them for each and every possible theme. Our latest one is a winter snowflake sensory bottle that was inspired by Frozen. It's perfect for little Frozen fans and sensory seeking kids {and adults}.
Sensory bottles are a great tool to help children learn how to self regulate and calm down. It's mesmerising watching the contents disperse and slowly fall back to the bottom. They're also super easy to make at home with just a few items. My 4yr old actually made our winter sensory bottle and only needed help with a few steps.
This Frozen inspired sensory bottle is great to add to a calm down corner, or to use in some Frozen inspired play. The girls love shaking it to create snow storms all the time. It's like an oversized snow globe and shaking it is pretty addictive, even for me!
I have a confession to make, for years I never made home made playdough because it just seemed like too much effort. I put it in the too hard basket and spent hundreds of dollars on Playdoh and other fancy store bought dough. Little did I know it's actually super easy to make homemade dough, and given how much my youngest loves it {and loves colour mixing it, ugh} it's way more cost effective to make it at home.
If you want to make your own playdough too, you've come to the right place because I've put together a mega list of homemade playdough recipes for you to try! Including cooked and no cook recipes, scented, flavoured and themed specialty recipes and best of all most of them only have 2-3 ingredients and take a few minutes to make!
Wanting to add more open ended toys to your playroom, daycare or classroom, but don't know where to start? I get it, there's so many options it can be a bit overwhelming at first. To help you get started, I've put together a list of the top 12 open ended toys every playroom should have. They're also great for kindy and prep classrooms as well. No matter what age your kids are, these toys will grow with them and can be used in many different ways as they get older and develop more skills.
Sensory play sometimes gets a bad wrap or people immediately close themselves off to the idea because they associate it with mess. Sensory play doesn't necessarily mean mess. Sensory bottles are a great way for kids to engage in sensory play without making any mess. I've made lots of sensory bottles with dry ingredients like rice, beans, pasta and couscous, however even I avoided making water based ones for years {because I was paranoid they would leak}. However, now that we've made one, I wish I had tried it years ago.
Water based sensory bottles are a great way for kids of all ages {and adults} to help deal with anxiety, feel less stressed and less overwhelmed. They're also great to use to calm down before bed and as a screen free quiet time activity. They also provide a great incentive for tummy time for babies and are great for eye tracking as they watch the movement inside the bottle.
If you've been following along on my Facebook or Instagram accounts lately you're probably aware of our sleep troubles with baby girl. To put it bluntly she's never slept well {not unless she's attached to me}. This has been the case since day 1, the night she was born the midwives made me co-sleep because she refused to settle without me. After she came home we tried rocking, shushing, patting, boobing, using a dummy as a replacement boob, the bassinet and the cot, but most nights I'd resort to co-sleeping from sheer exhaustion. There's only so many hours you can rock and shush a baby while functioning on no sleep, at some point it becomes more dangerous being upright holding a tiny human while delirious than it is sleeping together. So that's what we did, until I got to the point I thought my baby was just broken and I took her to sleep school.
When we got home from sleep school things were going great, for about 3 days, and then things started slowly deteriorating until we were back at square one. As luck would have it when things started going pear shaped {again} the Sleepy Glow Bear arrived on my doorstep for baby girl. To be honest when I agreed to review it a few weeks before I didn't even realise it was a sleep aid {shows you how sleep deprived I was}, I simply thought it was an interactive bear toy. So, when it arrived smack bang in the middle of sleep regression hell I was pretty excited! Even though sleep school hadn't really helped {it did while there, just not at home}, I was cautiously optimistic the sleepy glow bear would give us some reprieve, after-all sleep aids were one thing we hadn't actually tried and it couldn't really get any worse.
The Sleepy Glow Bear is a soft and cuddly sleep aid designed to be used from birth. It combines a soft glowing night light, white noise & music options with a soft squishy body for gentle visual, auditory and tactile stimulation to help soothe babies off to sleep. The bear has 3 different touch buttons on his belly that either play loving phrases, sing-a-long songs, white noise or nature sounds {there's more than 70 different sound options}. The volume, light intensity and length of play time can all be adjusted via the control panel inside the bear.
When we first started using the sleepy glow bear I introduced it during day naps because I wanted to test out her reaction to it without further upsetting night time sleep {or lack thereof}. Because it was day time I initially used the bear without the night light option and set the volume as low as possible. I also used the bear in the top corner of her cot as far away from her as possible because she was only 5 months old and I'm paranoid about SIDS. After a few days of figuring out which noise she liked the most {for us it's the first nature sound option} it actually worked really well for day naps. She soon learnt her song and being in the cot meant it was time for sleep and she'd fall asleep with minimal fuss. Hallelujah.
After about 2 weeks of day naps with the sleepy glow bear I decided to introduce it at night time as well since she'd formed a sleep association with it. We also added the night light option on low as she seems to like a bit of soft lighting as she falls asleep at night. For some reason at night she needed to be rocked to sleep while listening to the bear, rather than falling asleep on her own in the cot. Using the bear on low volume, 30 minute timer and low glow night light worked well at night time getting her to sleep, but unfortunately it didn't help her stay asleep during the night {although to be honest I haven't found anything that helps her sleep longer than 2-3hrs}.
I love that the bear has so many different sound options, so you're pretty much guaranteed there'll be one your baby will like. For us the first nature tune is always a winner at bed time and she also likes the first melody from the heart button {but just when playing, not at sleep time}. I love that there's a timer which can be set for demo, 15 min or 30 min, for us 30 minutes was the best option, but other babies may fall asleep fine within 15 minutes. The only limitations I've found is that you can't go through the sound options without continuously pressing the button and working your way through each sound, so if your baby likes the fifth sound you need to press the button 5 times, you can't just pick that tune. It hasn't really been an issue for us though as she loves the first tune anyway. The only other way I think it could be improved is if there was an option to have the sound continuously playing, which may help keep babies asleep longer.
If you have a non sleeping baby like mine and you're looking for a sleep aid I'd definitely recommend giving the sleepy glow bear a try, even though it doesn't help her sleep for longer periods of time, it's definitely helped her go off to sleep which was half our battle. It's also a lot cheaper than other white noise/sleep aid toys on the market so it's a smaller outlay and it can still be used as a cuddly toy if on the off chance it doesn't improve your bub's sleep. Babies are fickle little creatures and what works is constantly changing {especially with every developmental leap, teething etc} so at the moment mine has decided she'll no longer sleep in the cot and prefers to be with me again, but we still use the sleepy glow bear when falling asleep at night {and it's actually quite effective at putting me to sleep too}.
Sleepy Glow Bear is $29.95 and available from Kmart and selected toy retailers. For more information visit www.vtech.com.au or follow VTech on facebook or instagram. To read more VTech toy reviews click here.
Toni x
Disclosure - I received a sleepy glow bear from VTech Toys for the purpose of review. All opinions expressed are based on our experience using the bear. I did not receive payment for this review.
This week Queensland finally realised that its meant to be getting colder around here {only a few months late, but never the less we got there in the end}. I'm not sure if it was Autumn showing up fashionably late or Winter popping in a few days early, but since the start of the week its been decidedly cooler. I'm actually a huge fan of the cooler months, I love nothing more than jeans, socks, layering and lounging on the couch under a warm blanket {not that I do much of that since I had bub, but I can reminisce of days gone by}.
Thanks to our never ending summer this year, the sudden cold snap has come as a bit of a shock, especially at night. Just last week we were still sleeping with the air conditioner on to keep cool. This week we're sleeping with the air conditioner on to keep warm. It's funny how 20 degrees has gone from feeling really cool to really warm all of a sudden.
Bub isn't so lucky in her room though. She's gone from an average of 24 degrees overnight to an average of about 18 degrees. Even though she's nearly 3, I'm still paranoid about whether she's too hot or too cold overnight. Yep almost three years in and I still have anxiety about certain aspects of parenting, please tell me you do too? Thankfully Love to Dream sent me some of their new products for winter recently so we were prepared for the cool change this year.
LOVE TO DREAM NUZZLIN 2.5TOG SLEEP BAG
Love to Dream have recently released the 2.5 tog Nuzzlin sleeping bag, which is perfect for winter. We've been huge fans of the Nuzzlin range of bags so I definitely wanted to try out the new winter bag. The new 2.5tog Nuzzlin bag is nice and cosy for winter, but still quite lightweight like the rest of the Nuzzlin range. It's made from soft knitted cotton and is padded with 100% natural bamboo filling, meaning it's nice and warm, but not too heavy {your baby won't look like the michelin man}. The bamboo filling is also hypo-allergenic so it's great for littlies who have sensitive skin.
Like the 1.0 tog Nuzzlin bag, the 2.5 tog bag does up via press studs over the left shoulder and an extra long double ended zip. I love this system for so many reasons. Firstly it means the bag completely opens up flat making it really easy to get bub into it, especially on the nights she falls asleep before I've put her in the bag, getting a 17kg toddler manoeuvred into a sleep bag while they're passed out can be quite tricky, but having the bag laid flat certainly heaps. Secondly, the press studs above her shoulder mean she can't escape from her bag. Thirdly, the double ended zip {and the fact it goes from her toes to her armpit} means nappy changes are super easy during the night and I don't have to take her out of the bag.
The Nuzzlin 2.5 tog bag comes in three different designs, pink with a stripy penguin, blue with a stripy seal and grey and white stripes with a red whale. Of course we went with pink, because we're a little pink mad at our house, and seriously how cute is that penguin?! The bag also comes in three sizes - 4-12mths, 12-18mths and 18-36mths. Bub is in the 18-36mths size and is almost 3, but the bag is still quite long for her so it will definitely see us all through winter, which I'm so glad about because I'm not ready to give up sleeping bags yet.
BUT HOW DO YOU KEEP BABIES ARMS WARM IN WINTER?
The one drawback I've found with all the sleeping bags we've used however, has been that they don't have arms. Obviously the summer ones don't really need them, but I always worry in winter that her little arms are going to get so cold even with long sleeve pyjamas on. I know I certainly feel the cold in my arms at night and unlike me she doesn't have the luxury of snuggling her arms under a blanket {she would if she'd use them and stay underneath them, but clearly she hasn't learnt how awesome they are yet as she just kicks them off}. I know I'm not the only mum to feel this way either because we've had many chats about this in mothers group over the years.
Thankfully Love to Dream have been working behind the scenes to fix this problem and have now released new arm warmers. Like the Nuzzlin sleep bags, they're made from soft knitted cotton with 100% natural bamboo filling. They come in the signature Love to Dream grey marle with striped sleeves and are available in three sizes {4-12mths, 12-18mths and 18-36mths}.
The arm warmers are 2.5 tog and designed to work with any sleeping bag. They're also a great trans-seasonal item for when its just starting to get cool at night, but its not cold enough to switch sleep bags yet. We've been using these for a few weeks with her 1.0 tog bag before we switched her over to the 2.5 tog bag and they worked a treat. Probably one of the best inventions for babies and toddlers ever.
Disclosure - I was kindly gifted a 2.5 tog Nuzzlin sleep bag + a set of arm warmers for the purpose of review. All opinions expressed are my own based on our experience with the products, as per my disclosure policy. I did not receive payment for this review. Stock images used with permission from Love to Dream.
When I was pregnant one of the first things I was told by midwives, friends, family, drs {and even well meaning strangers}, was that I had to swaddle my baby because it would help them sleep. And boy were they right about that. Swaddling definitely made her sleep for longer. The thing they all forgot to tell me is that swaddling is some what of a complicated art form. You need to practice, practice, practice to get it right... and then hope you don't have a houdini baby like I did. Seriously pretty much every single time I swaddled her she'd get out of it within minutes {unless by some miracle she was already asleep when I swaddled her up}. She'd start by poking out a few little fingers, then an arm, then another arm and then it was party time... sleep, what's sleep?
I remember constantly thinking surely there must be an easier way to do this?
Of course there was {and still is}, I just hadn't heard of it yet. A few weeks later my friend had her baby and when she started sharing photos of him sleeping {as all new mums do}, I noticed he was in this fancy swaddle pouch looking contraption. My first thought was what in the heck is that, soon followed by where can I get one of those for my baby?
After a quick chat with my friend I discovered the awesome swaddling contraption was a Love to Dream Swaddle UP and she got it from a baby shop a few suburbs away. So from that point on I was determined to go get one. However, I was still recovering from my emergency c-section at the time and couldn't drive yet, so I had to wait until I could co-ordinate a lift with my mum. As luck would have it, the day we went to the baby shop they didn't have a Swaddle UP in the right size {I swear this stuff always happens to me}. Instead they convinced me to buy a larger muslin wrap to try and keep her better contained {which I bought because I didn't want our half hour trip to be pointless}, then I went home still annoyed I couldn't buy the Swaddle UP.
What I didn't realise at the time was that I could've bought it online directly from Love to Dream or Catch. Why didn't anyone tell me this? Probably because like me, they didn't know. It turns out it was right at my fingertips all along.
WHAT EXACTLY IS THE LOVE TO DREAM SWADDLE UP?
The Swaddle UP is an ingenious zip up swaddle that allows babies to sleep in an arms up position giving them the same snug feel of being swaddled, but with their arms up they can still self soothe. Without doubt the best feature as far as I'm concerned is that it requires no wrapping at all! Simply put baby in, zip it up and you have a perfect swaddle, every single time. Helle-freaking-lujah.
If that wasn't genius enough, it also has a twin-zipper so nappy changes are quick and easy, no need to take baby completely out. The Swaddle UP design is hip-healthy, allowing the recommended flexion for hips and legs. Using the Swaddle UP also eliminates excess loose fabric in the cot {which is a huge plus for me being an anxious parent} and the covered arm wings prevent baby from scratching their face {no need for mittens, which we all know just fall off anyway}.
But did I mention the best part is how easy it is to use....
By the time I found out all this info though bub was already starting to roll on her side so we went straight to using the Swaddle UP 50/50 which was a lifesaver and a great way to transition her to sleeping bags later. I'm still devastated that I didn't get to use the Swaddle UP Original in the beginning though, because I could of avoided so much stress and frustration trying to contain my little escape artist. I'm definitely getting one for our next baby. {UPDATE: We did indeed get one for our next baby and it was so much easier than wrapping her all the time}.
My friend was lucky enough to use one pretty much from the birth of her son though, so I asked her for some feedback.
What made you decide to use a Swaddle UP?
I was completely useless at swaddling and had seen these previously in a baby store. 3 days after leaving the hospital we picked up a few.
Do you think it helped him sleep better?
He slept really well in them and he slept for longer as he wasn't waking himself up when he wiggled out of the cloth swaddles. We also found we slept better, as we weren't freaking out the cloth swaddles would come loose and smother his face.
What did you find was the best benefit of the Swaddle UP?
It helped Liam sleep longer {and was less stressful for us}.
WHERE CAN YOU PURCHASE THE LOVE TO DREAM SWADDLE UP
The Love to Dream Swaddle UP Original is suitable for babies from 0-4 months {or until they start showing signs of rolling} and retails for $39.95. They can be purchased online from Catch, David Jones, Myer, Baby Bunting and other leading baby boutiques. You can also purchase online from Love to Dream.
Disclosure - I was gifted a Love to Dream Swaddle UP™ in exchange for this post and giveaway, I did not receive payment. As per my disclosure policy I only accept reviews for items we would genuinely purchase and use. The Swaddle UP™ gifted to me is being passed on to a friend from my mothers group who has just had a premature baby. This post contains some affiliate links for your convenience, which means I may earn a small commission at no cost to you, should you make a purchase.
One of the main things I was concerned about when it came to my daughters health, even before she was born, was what vaccinations she would need to have and when. I spent a lot of time reading up on the different types of vaccinations needed and what was involved. I was never considering not vaccinating her, I just wanted to know as much about the process as possible. Before I was given pamphlets from the hospital I really didn't have any idea about childhood vaccinations, apart from knowing that they were available. Today I have a guest post from HealthInsurnceComparison.com.auwhich helps explain the ins and outs of childhood vaccinations (in Australia) in detail for those who may be in the same boat I was in.
KIDS VACCINATIONS
Vaccinations are an easy and effective way to protect children against diseases that could otherwise make them seriously ill or prove fatal. Some of the most frequently recommended vaccinations are covered by Medicare but there may still be some out-of-pocket costs to think about. The situation with travel vaccinations can be a lot more complicated as Medicare does not offer any support for this. Here’s what you need to know about getting your children vaccinated.
Which Vaccinations Do Your Children Need?
Several different vaccinations are needed during childhood - especially in the first few years - to give immunity against dangerous diseases. This includes Hepatitis B, which should be given as soon as possible after birth. The National Immunisation Program (NIP) recommends that the following also need to be protected against:
Diphtheria (at 2 months)
Tetanus (at 2 months)
Polio (at 2 months)
Rotavirus (at 2 months)
Pneumococcal (at 2 months)
Measles (at 12 months)
Mumps (at 12 months)
Rubella (at 12 months)
Meningococcal C (at 12 months)
Varicella (at 18 months)
HPV (at 12 to 13 years)
NB: The MMR vaccine is required at 4 years if the MMRV has not been given at 18 months
Some vaccinations will only need to be given once but some diseases will require multiple vaccinations to provide full immunity such as the Diphtheria-Tetanus-Pertussis (DTPa) vaccination to protect against diphtheria, whooping cough and tetanus.
Medicare and Children’s Vaccinations
The National Immunisation Program (NIP) funds vaccines for 16 diseases. Vaccines covered by the NIP are free of charge to those who are eligible on age grounds or if they are at risk on medical grounds. Be aware that consultation fees for the health care provider’s time may apply, even though the actual vaccinations are free.
Does Medicare Help With Travel Vaccinations?
If your family are going abroad on holiday, you may need to have vaccinations to stay healthy while you’re away. Certain vaccinations may also be needed as an entry requirement in some countries. It’s therefore a good idea to see a healthcare professional a couple of months before you leave to see which kind of vaccinations should be given and when. Depending on where you are going, your family may need to have new vaccinations and/or have booster vaccinations.
Yellow Fever is the only mandatory vaccination needed for Australians travelling to one of the affected countries. Depending on your destination, there may be a risk of various other diseases including hepatitis A and B, rabies, malaria, meningococcal meningitis and typhoid. These are simply recommended, rather than obligatory.
Medicare will cover the costs of a consultation but will not usually extend to the vaccinations themselves. If your GP does not have adequate supply of the vaccine in the surgery, they may write you a script instead. Shopping around at various chemists gives you the opportunity to get the best value for money, and there is also the option to go to a travel clinic (although this will often be more expensive).
As a general rule of thumb, it can cost up to $85 per vaccination. The mandatory Yellow Fever vaccination typically costs around $75 per person. If your family will need lots of different vaccinations, the costs can quickly add up.
Travel Vaccinations and Health Insurance
Health insurance can cover some of the costs of travel vaccinations but not all health funds will necessarily include it in their Extras policies. It’s therefore important to check whether you’ll be covered for travel vaccinations. If in doubt, ask the health fund directly to confirm their stance.
Don’t forget to look at annual limits too. Travel vaccinations are often lumped in with pharmacy Extras cover, which can have a big impact on how far you’ll be covered through health insurance before you go over your annual limit for these services.
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At www.HealthInsuranceComparison.com.au, we’re all about helping more Australians to understand health insurance and find the best cover for their needs and budget. Whether you’re just trying to get a feel for the market or you’ve already got a very good idea of what you need to be covered for, we’ll help you to find a policy that works for you.
It's one we've been pondering a lot for the last few weeks. Seems I've got a serious case of baby fever... I've been so dam clucky lately. Of course my family have been asking when we're having another baby ever since bub turned one. There must be some unwritten law that once your first child turns one you must immediately provide your parents with another grandchild. If you don't you will be continuously nagged at every opportunity until you do provide requested grandchild, at least that's what I think their plan is.
It seems our parents aren't the only ones who have an opinion on when we should have another baby. Checkout chicks at the supermarket and little old ladies at the shops are particularly fond of asking "ohh she's so cute, how old is she?" which is promptly followed by "are you planning on having another one soon?". I get there's a genuine fascination with such things, I do. And that babies make strangers gravitate towards you, but the interest has been particularly heightened now that the Duke and Duchess are expecting again. You see bub and Prince George are only a few days apart... so naturally I had better hurry up and get pregnant again because Kate already is... at least that's what everyone keeps telling me.
Thanks for the added pressure Kate...
Seriously though we have been discussing the issue of when the right time would be for us to have another baby, regardless of what the general public may think. We haven't come up with an answer yet (yea sorry this post isn't a pregnancy announcement), but we have come up with the following list of factors that should be considered.
10 FACTORS TO CONSIDER WHEN PLANNING ANOTHER BABY
1. The age gap. I'm pretty sure this is the first thing that pops into everyone's mind when they're considering adding to their brood. If they're too close it'll be harder, but they could end up being best friends. If they're too far apart chances are they won't be interested in the same things so won't play together much. Then the omg what if I have them close together and I end up with twins factor comes into play. You may laugh, but I know two people who've had this happen and ended up with 3 under 3 and 3 under 2, it does happen.
2. Can baby number one walk & talk? This one is high on the list of factors to consider for me personally. I never wanted to be carrying two babies around everywhere at the same time. Similarly I also don't want to have two babies who can only communicate via crying (assuming I don't end up with twins!). We've overcome the walking barrier and are currently working on the talking part. It's just a case of do I wait until she can talk or get pregnant and hope she can talk a lot more by the end of the nine months? Jury is still out on that decision.
3. The nappy Situation. Everybody is quick to say "don't have another baby until the first one is out of nappies". Personally the idea doesn't bother me that much. She's only using 4 or 5 nappies a day now and doesn't require a nappy change at night so that's not that much to handle compared to a newborn. Also since we moved to nappy pants her nappy changes have gotten much easier and aren't a massive battle anymore. I also think it'd be easier to deal with a newborn while having a toddler in nappies, rather than a toddler who's toilet training and pooping and peeing all over the floor. I could be wrong though as I've never gone through the toilet training experience, but I hear it isn't good. The less time I have to spend cleaning excrement off the floor the better (especially when the squishy newborn will be doing tummy time on said floor).
4. Money. It always rears its ugly head when there's a big decision to be made doesn't it? I figure there's never going to be enough to live the way I'd like to live, but if there's enough to get by comfortably at a standard we can accept then that's ok.
5. Sleep deprivation. Isn't it amazing how we can magically forget all the horrible months of sleep deprivation hell. I've just become accustomed to getting six hours uninterrupted sleep at night and I honestly don't know that my body could handle going back to broken sleep just yet. The thought actually scares me.
6. Pregnancy side effects. I didn't have the easiest pregnancy. Although customers at work were telling me I looked great while pregnant, I most certainly didn't feel that way (at least not at the end). I got psd which means my pelvis was separating from 30 weeks. As you can imagine it didn't feel great, in fact at some points I couldn't walk. I had to finish up work earlier than planned and pretty much stay on bed rest for nearly two weeks until the pain subsided a bit, but then it came back even worse later on. I also ended up with carpel tunnel in both wrists and had to wear braces 24/7 (except while showering). On top of that I got pupp rash in the last week and ended up covered in a hideous, insanely itchy, rash which didn't go away until after she was born. Forgive me for not wanting to jump back into that again anytime soon. Each condition happened randomly so there's a possibility that I won't experience any of it the second time around, but I'm not sure if I'm ready to take my chances yet.
7. Is Kate pregnant?Just kidding.
8. Fertility issues.This one won't apply to everyone, but for us its a reality. It makes the process a little harder to predict because we could end up taking over a year to fall pregnant (or not fall pregnant at all) from the time we start trying. So its a case of do we start trying a few months before we'd ideally like to get pregnant, assuming it'll take that long; or do we stick to our preferred time and then hope it doesn't take months upon months to conceive. Considering it took me nearly four years to fall pregnant the first time, this is weighing heavily on our decision.
9. All the other stuff like will I need to buy a double pram? Will I be able to handle going out in public with two kids by myself or will she just dart off while I'm attending to the baby?
10. Will I lose my mind? When he goes back to work will I just completely lose it having to look after two children by myself all day? Am I likely to get post natal depression again?
In the end I don't really know that there will ever be a right time to have another baby, especially when there are so many factors at play. Chances are we won't ever be able to tick all the boxes at the same time. In the end I think it'll come down to our gut feeling on when we think we could handle adding another little spawn darling to our family and whether we are even able to get pregnant again. Rest assured if when it does happen I will let you all know (yes mum I will tell you first before announcing it on my blog, you don't need to text me).
Easy question, right? (Well unless you're trying to explain it to a small child)
Everyone knows you just need to get jiggy with it and boom you'll get pregnant. Easy.
At least that's what those sex ed teachers told us in highschool. Well technically they were trying to scare us into making sure we didn't get pregnant. "If you have unprotected sex even once you will get pregnant!"Although not many of us paid attention during those classes, I totally believed them that I'd get pregnant the moment I had unprotected sex. All the teenage pregnancy warnings thoroughly scared the crap out of me. Which was probably a good thing because I definitely didn't want a baby back then. A few years later when I was 23, I was ready to have a baby, and I naturally thought it would be as easy as stopping the pill and I'd get pregnant. I didn't think I'd be lucky enough to fall pregnant straight away, but I didn't think it'd be that hard either. Wrong. After 12 months of trying with no luck I started thinking those sex ed teachers had seriously lied to me. I mean hello - I was purposefully having unprotected sex and not getting pregnant and they told me even if I did it accidentally I'd get pregnant. Way to give a girl false expectations. After 12 months of nothing happening we got referred to the fertility clinic at our local hospital.
I never knew trying for a baby was such a complex process. I guess it doesn't feel that way for those who are lucky enough to fall pregnant without knowing all the science behind it all. When you go through a fertility specialist you soon learn just how many factors can actually affect your fertility.
The most important factor affecting a woman's ability to conceive is her age. Once women are over 36 they have half as much chance of conceiving as they would have when they were 20. Age is probably the only fertility factor I was remotely aware of before trying to conceive. Of course at 23, I didn't think my age would be a factor. What I wasn't aware of was just how much cycles, ovulation, egg quality, timing, health and general lifestyle factors also play a part in conception. There's also a number of reproductive conditions that can affect fertility and you might not even know you suffer from them, I didn't.
The infertility rollercoaster was a very unpredictable and daunting process for us at the time. There were lots of emotional highs and lows. To cut a long story short, my ex-husband and I actively tried to conceive for almost 3 years. We exhausted all of the free fertility testing options at the local hospital over the course of a year and still never once got pregnant. Our next step was to be referred onto Queensland Fertility Group (QFG) to look into other options, but our relationship broke down before we went ahead with an appointment. Looking back now I'm actually glad I never conceived with him given how toxic our relationship was. Perhaps destiny somehow had a hand in that, because I then went on to meet T and our journey has had a much better result.
T and I decided to try for a baby, knowing full well that I'd probably have trouble conceiving. Still we decided to go au natural again just to see what would happen. I had this misconstrued theory that maybe I'd magically get pregnant because I was now trying with another man (even though it was me who had the fertility issues). Surprise, surprise that didn't work. After six months of trying and nothing happening we went straight to QFG to check on everything and start fertility treatment. I didn't want to dilly dally around this time. I knew time was ticking away and I didn't want to get past 30 and think gee I really wish I had've done that sooner.
Before I began fertility treatment I was quite apprehensive. The emotional lows of not conceiving made me start thinking it would never work. I was still optimistic, but I let my negative thoughts take over at times. I was petrified of my first visit to QFG, mainly because of the unknown. Our dr made us feel so comfortable and reassured of the process that any apprehension I had before was quickly gone. I came away from that appointment with a whole new attitude - I had a renewed sense of determination and a very positive outlook.
After initial testing I was quickly diagnosed with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS). The short explanation of PCOS is that it means I don't ovulate each month, instead my eggs turn into cysts. At the time I was diagnosed I think I had 13 cysts on one ovary and 9 on the other. Being diagnosed with PCOS was actually a good thing because I finally had an answer as to why I hadn't been conceiving. Knowing what the issue was meant we had a plan of action to tackle it. In our case that meant ovulation induction, which lead to this...
For some of us the journey to conception can be hard, but there is always hope. I'm so grateful that I experienced fertility issues in a time when there are so many medical options available to help. If you're planning on conceiving soon or have been having trouble falling pregnant QFG now offer a free fertility insights program to help you get started on the path to conception. Words cannot express the amount of gratitude I have for Dr Ben Kroon and QFG. They have given us the greatest gift ever and I simply cannot thank them enough. We're currently discussing when to try for another baby and although we haven't come to a decision yet, we have definitely agreed we will be going back to see the team at QFG when we're ready.
Toni x
* I understand its an unwritten law for sex ed teachers to scare teenagers out of having sex by any means necessary. I hereby forgive my teachers for inexplicably creating my false expectations regarding pregnancy. Disclosure - this is a sponsored post for Queensland Fertility Group in conjunction with Digital Parents Collective as per my disclosure policy.
Christmas is such a magical time for children - the Christmas tree, decorations, lights, presents and Santa are all super exciting for kids. A child's first ever Christmas is such a special occasion, despite the fact they probably have no idea what's going on.
Having a baby who's only 5 months old at Christmas time {like I did} means they can't quite comprehend Christmas enough yet, but that doesn't stop them wanting to knock over the tree, pull off all the decorations and put everything in their mouths - because putting stuff in your mouth is the coolest thing ever when you're 5 months old.
Not so cool when it involves tinsel, wrapping paper, gift tags and god forbid electric Christmas lights. So, while Christmas time and decorations are exciting for kids, it's not really that safe for young children and can be a bit stressful for parents, myself included.
I have to admit I'm one of those mums who's overly paranoid about safety when it comes to babies. It could be some type of first time mum syndrome, or maybe it's just a natural instinct when it comes to parenting. Having said that though I don't want her to miss out on the fun of Christmas just because she's a baby.
I've been searching for fun Christmas light ideas for babies for ages, but nothing was quite right so I literally went and scoured the cupboards to find items I had at home that I could use to create my own baby proof Christmas light play. Turns out I had everything I needed to create a great sensory play activity already, and you probably do too.
Hi I'm Toni. I'm passionate about learning through play and creating a fun filled childhood for my two girls. I'd love to share our play and craft ideas with you too.
All activities and crafts featured on Finding Myself Young should be done under adult supervision.
In Love. Funny. Creative. Honest. Trustworthy. Loyal. Outgoing but Shy. A mum. A friend. An Aunty. A Daughter. Appreciating the little things. Smiling on the inside. Finding Myself Again xx
