Night Owl Early Parenting Support

19/07/2018

12/11/2016

This is my favourite How to Dad video

Oi ,subscribe, Cheers. New video every week.

30/08/2016

'Dadvice' because dads like knowing things too.

29/08/2016

Check out this great parenting blog by the beautiful midwife turned mum, Cassie Dowding.

Something happened to me. I have no idea the point at which it started or why, but I do remember when I realised it had.  It was after my second child was a couple of months old and I was deep in the throws of baby-land.

22/03/2016

12/02/2016

Hello!

12/02/2016

This is beautiful... Tissues may be required.

The Last Time

From the moment you hold your baby in your arms,
you will never be the same.
You might long for the person you were before,
When you have freedom and time,
And nothing in particular to worry about.

You will know tiredness like you never knew it before,
And days will run into days that are exactly the same,
Full of feedings and burping,
Nappy changes and crying,
Whining and fighting,
Naps or a lack of naps,
It might seem like a never-ending cycle.

But don’t forget …
There is a last time for everything.
There will come a time when you will feed
your baby for the very last time.
They will fall asleep on you after a long day
And it will be the last time you ever hold your sleeping child.

One day you will carry them on your hip then set them down,
And never pick them up that way again.
You will scrub their hair in the bath one night
And from that day on they will want to bathe alone.
They will hold your hand to cross the road,
Then never reach for it again.
They will creep into your room at midnight for cuddles,
And it will be the last night you ever wake to this.

One afternoon you will sing “the wheels on the bus”
and do all the actions,
Then never sing them that song again.
They will kiss you goodbye at the school gate,
The next day they will ask to walk to the gate alone.
You will read a final bedtime story and wipe your last dirty face.
They will run to you with arms raised for the very last time.

The thing is, you won’t even know it’s the last time
Until there are no more times.
And even then, it will take you a while to realize.

So while you are living in these times,
remember there are only so many of them
and when they are gone, you will yearn for just one more day of them.
For one last time.

-Author Unknown-

Artist ~ Lauri Blank
'Sunday Morning'

12/02/2016

A lot of mums think they should already know how to feed, settle and get their babies off to sleep and think of this as being their sole responsibility.
Part of becoming a parent is you are allowed to learn this stuff as you go along. If there are two parents in the house, you can function as a team, taking turns to shower, eat or sleep knowing the baby is being held and cared for by a loving parent (even if the screaming continues).
If you are on your own looking after a newborn as a single parent (which is my experience) you need to understand it takes a village to raise a child.
It's not healthy for any parent to take 100% responsibility for a new baby 24 hours a day 7 days a week. Be kind to yourself, start building a supportive network of friends or family and talk to an MCH nurse or GP if you are feeling unsupported or isolated. Your new baby is precious but so are you! Xo
http://www.rch.org.au/kidsinfo/fact_sheets/Colic_crying_babies_unsettled_babies_Parent_handout/

Colic is the word used to describe when babies cry a lot or fail to settle for a lengthy period of time. It is now understood that 'colic' refers to the normal range of unsettled behaviour in many babies; behaviour that can be very demanding and exhausting for parents.

03/02/2016

You don't need a beard or musical talent to rock a baby to sleep in a baby carrier...
Cue the sleepy lullaby and for an older baby, facing away from you in the carrier may help 'bore' your baby to sleep. At the very least it will slow your heart rate down and make you feel more relaxed during your settle sessions. This guy nails it.
https://m.facebook.com/BeardedPiano-David-Motola-Music-226471901020778/

Welcome to the offical artist page of David Motola!

14/01/2016

Reassuring article about how it is normal for breastfed bubs to feed overnight. Newborn bubs need to feed when they wake overnight and older babies are often too busy exploring their world to concentrate on feeding properly during the day so that even a bub who has previously been 'sleeping through' may start waking for night feeds again. And remember, the first year goes super fast and that snuggly baby won't need you in the wee hours forever. Take care of yourself and catch zzzzz's when you can. There are no rules in parenting ;-)
http://babyology.com.au/miscellaneous/breastfeeding-expert-says-not-norm-babies-sleep-night-ok.html?utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=SNAP

This expert says there's too much pressure on mums to get their baby to sleep through the night - and it's not a sleep problem if they don't.

26/12/2015

Merry Christmas to all the sleepy Mums and Dads... The early mornings and late nights aren't easy. Hopefully your cherubs aren't too cranky while you try to relax this boxing day!

17/12/2015

Best article I have read all day. House chores, cleaning and lawn maintenance are basically never-ending.. Especially with kids following you around the house pulling things out again. I swear I would have to clean the entire bathroom every day for it to be 'clean' because it only lasts about 5 min!

He thought a messy house was a sign of a lazy stay at home mom. Then he realized two things -- this was their mess, and if the house was clean the kids missed out.