Although I am sure we will all miss our old printed magazine, there are lots of advantages to moving to the online version. As well as saving us heaps of money in printing and distribution costs, the online version also provides an archive of all our content which can be easily searched for using the search function (towards the top right). It also allows all the readers to contribute their own knowledge and experiences, making for a far richer resource that parents and parents-to-be can tap into.
You can comment on any post by clicking on the comment section at the bottom of that post. You do have to have a name (but it can be a pseudonym if you prefer). We would love everyone to contribute.
To get things started, I thought we could create a post that helps new parents to decide what they really need. I remember being totally overwhelmed by my first visit to a large baby store at all the things available. I didn't realise there were so many things you could possibly buy. I had been living in the desert for 10 years and had never seen 50% of what is available here.
One thing that we had for Arthur that I would absolutely never be without was the hammock. I had seen several friends using these down under. There are a couple of different types, but I ended up going for this one by Moffi, New Zealand.
It's really portable so my baby could be where ever I was. I had a hook in my bedroom, one in the nursery (but never used it) and one in the lounge. There is also 'love handle' which enables you to attach it to any door frame, so perfect for visiting and holidays. It's on a spring, so you can gently bounce your baby to sleep. Also as your baby moves, he rocks himself back to sleep. Baby sleeps with his head slightly higher than his feet too, which was great for Arthur as he had reflux. It also keeps the baby sleeping on his back, but without the risk of developing flat head syndrome.
I did co-sleep with Arthur at night most of the time, and had the hook in my room over my bed. This meant that I could put him to bed before I went myself, knowing he was safe, but when I got into bed he was right there and I never had to 'get up' in the night.
It was brilliant. The only problem we had with it was getting Arthur out of it when he grew too big for it and had to transfer to cot (this was when he was about 9kg and starting to pull himself up). I would totally recommend this to anyone thinking about how and where their baby is going to sleep and would be happy to answer any questions people may have.
So, what was if for you?
Help us build our online resource for parents and parents-to-be by commenting on this post, telling us about one thing you wouldn't have been without and why.
