HOW OFTEN SHOULD I CUDDLE MY BABY?

Don't believe the old wive's tale that giving a baby too many cuddles will make him more needy - that's not true at all.
Instead, by offering reassuring contact on a regular basis - when you are happy, sad, he is tired, excited, and so on - you help build an instinctive confidence in your child that will enable him to feel, as he gets older, that he can rely on you to come when he really needs you, he won't panic when you are not around or fret that you have not cuddled him for a few minutes.
In the early months, your voice with soothe him, but nothing beats regular cuddles or stroking, especially because he can sense your smell as well as recognise your words.
It is certainly worth bearing in mind that sometimes a baby who is only grizzling or stirring from sleep does not always need to have you dash to their side - he may settle himself down again, and this small independent step is a very promising experience for him. You do not need to let a baby cry hard before going to him when you detect a real need.
Even if or when you are going through a phase where you are trying to get your baby into a sleep routine reassuring cuddles or a touch will be part of the plan.

There will come a time when you need to gauge your child's behaviour and read new signs (toddlers who are naughty or get upset in order to gain attention rather than because of genuine need, for example) but that is a long way off and in the first year of your child's life, reassurance, kindness and cuddles are the best experience for both of you! NOV 2008

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF ORGANIC FOOD?

"Organic" is a term defined by UK law. Organic foodstuffs are produced by registered growers and are manufactured free from synthetic pesticides, herbicides, or chemical fertilisers. Due to their rapidly developing organs, babies are thought more vulnerable to toxins in food, which is why an organic diet could be good for them. Foods which are certified "organic" have to meet very stringent standards at all levels of production. The use of GM foods is also forbidden.

Organic baby foods are becoming increasingly popular. Sales of organic food now account for half of the entire baby food market. Organic baby foods are not necessarily an improvement on organic home cooking, but are more convenient. It is worth noting that descriptions on products -- such as "natural," "traditional," or "environmentally friendly" -- do not mean they are organic. OCTOBER 2008

A FEW HELPFUL TIPS & HINTS FOR NEW DAD!

There are, unbelievably, men who continue to live life as if they’re in a 1970s sitcom, slipping out of the house and disappearing to the pub when their child starts crying. The truth is that there are plenty of things all fathers can do that are of huge help to a shattered partner and a helpless child.  In terms of basic things to do with the baby, these might include:

• changing nappies 

• burping the baby (it’s easy, and it can be the start of an important bonding session between you)

• rocking baby to sleep (important because, unlike your breastfeeding partner, you won’t smell of milk and so won’t have a fully-fed baby demanding more)

• reading stories (baby won’t understand a thing, but it’s important to introduce the concept early)

• keeping baby occupied through play (you’re the FUN parent, remember)

• talking to baby (they can't talk back but it gets her familiar with grammar and vocabulary).

Even if the whole baby thing is getting you down, the following easy tasks might provide light relief:

• doing the washing up

• cooking food for your partner and child

• loading up the washing machine and hanging the clean clothes out

• tidying the house now and then

• doing the shopping

• waiting on your partner, hand and foot.

You can’t give birth and you can’t breastfeed. There, you’ve lost the two key trump cards in any argument with your wife. You can, however, change nappies. This is truly a man’s realm.

Finally, a warning...

"Nobody will ever tell you this," a new father friend whispered to me, shortly before the birth of my first child. "But just remember – the first few weeks are ABSOLUTE HELL. Prepare yourself for total madness and it won’t seem so bad."

It was the best advice any expectant father could have. The truth is that those first few weeks and months are hell. Your home will look like a bomb site. You'll be surrounded by piles of dirty nappies, filthy clothes and mountains of washing up. You'll be woken up throughout the night by ear-splitting baby cries. You feel as if you'll never get a decent night’s sleep again. Suddenly, the boring job that you’ve wanted to quit for years seems like bliss!!   SEPTEMBER 2008

WHY DO SO MANY BABIES HAVE OLD PEOPLE'S NAMES?

As if by magic, the Floras and Doras of Britain are no longer just the ones hanging out in bingo halls. They're in playgrounds, prams and pushchairs, proudly bearing the monikers of their grandmothers and great-grandmothers. The older Georges and Alfreds and Stanleys of the world now have miniature namesakes, little grandsons and great-grandsons named in their honour. And with Alfie the 22nd most popular boys' name in 2005, Emily at the top of the girls', new parents all over the UK are showing that "old-lady chic" and "grandad cool" have well and truly arrived.

Just like flares and hairstyles, baby names seem to come and go in cycles. But why should this be? Names our own parents might never have dared inflict on us: geeky, awkward ones like Edith, Reggie or Florence: have emerged from the charity-shop box of names, transformed, with a definite whiff of vintage glamour. AUGUST 2008