I am always surprised at how many parents are not educated in exactly what healthy food is. We all know fruits and vegetables are healthy but many parents aren’t aware of hidden calories in foods especially processed foods and can often be fooled by creative marketing and packaging.

I always read labels not so much to find out the fat content but more to see what preservatives are used, how much sugar it contains and any other nasties that are not good for my family.

While I was shopping recently I was in the canned fish aisle and picked up some “Kids Tuna”. I was in a rush so I put it in the shopping trolley without reading it and assumed that by saying “kids” it was perhaps softer than normal tuna or maybe had a milder taste. How wrong I was!

When I got home I read the label on the tuna, to my horror it contained more than double the fat, triple the sugar, triple the carbohydrates and double the salt than regular tuna!

For years companies have been selling products that we all assume are kid friendly because many people do not know how to read labels or don’t bother to read them.

In school we all learn about the healthy food pyramid, it shows how many servings of each food group we need per day. In my opinion this is not enough education, most people have no idea how to read a label and what is a healthy amount of fat, protein, sugar etc in one serving. They assume that if it says “healthy” or “fruit” or “wholegrain” on the packaging that it is healthy. I have seen it first hand when someone handed me a fruit bar (biscuit crust with fruit in the middle) and said “it’s ok it’s only apple and some cinnamon”. Reading the label I saw it contain 13g of sugar, preservatives and 6g of fat …. not just apple and cinnamon.

In our house we have a zero junk food rule for Cooper. However he is allowed to have treats at a birthday party or special occasion. This is generally a cupcake and a mini sausage roll which I am proud to say he will gladly exchange for fruit!

I am amazed at the responses I get from some people, I am always asked “Can Cooper have “insert junk food here”, when I respond “No I have packed some fruit for him, he isn’t allowed those foods”. Most respond by rolling their eyes and saying “well what do you feed him?” or “my kids have to have sweets everyday or they drive me crazy!”. The most common response is “isn’t that hard to stick to?” …. the answer …

It’s actually easy! We said from day one that while we had control over what Cooper ate he would only eat good nutritious food. No junk food. The biggest key is planning! It’s not hard, I just make sure before we leave that I cut up some fruit, pack some rice cakes and if we are going to be out for lunch and I know we wont be able to get anything healthy I pack him a sandwich. I never have to hide vegetables and sometimes actually have to give him the meat portion of his meal first or he will fill himself up on vegetables alone!

We don’t allow him any drinks other than water and milk. He has never had juice (except sip out of his friends sippy cup by accident).

It is amazing how much we are judged for our decision and treated like the odd ones out. It has become normal to allow you child to eat chocolate, cakes, chips and drink soft drink and energy drinks from a very young age and on a daily basis.

As part of our healthy lifestyle we also feed Cooper mostly organic food. I cook using organic eggs, meat, pasta, flour etc. Anything that has an organic option. Every Sunday we get up at 7am and head down to our local (or not so local! 20 mins drive) organic farmers market. We want to teach Cooper the importance of buying locally, supporting local farmers and eating organic food. It’s not always possible to eat organic, but it is becoming easier.

We also don’t hide vegetables, he gets them on his plate and will happily eat any vegetable we give him – spinach, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, squash and much more!

I see so many children who are obese and children with very poor health due to their eating habits and it makes me sad. I have struggled with my weight for years and would never want to put my child through that. I think teaching them good food habits from a young age is important to help them make better choices as they grow older.

I would love to hear what you think! How do you eat at home? Can you confidently read a label? Are you conscious of your child’s food habits?

Leave a comment!

Jen xx

So much is happening here at Beyond The Baby I thought I better fill you all in!

As you already know we have launched our directory! We have some fabulous businesses already! So please check them out and if you have bought from them please review them! http://directory.beyondthebaby.com.au

Our forum has also re-launched last week! We have a fabulous new moderation team who are doing a wonderful job! The forum is buzzing with excitement, questions and loads of chit chat! All the girls are having a blast!

We have a competition on our forum right now! Thanks to www.aromababy.com we have 5 travel packs to giveaway! All you have to do is join our forum and post! We will select winners at random over the next 2 weeks! So happy posting! http://www.beyondthebaby.com.au/forum

I have decided to do a Vlog once a week starting on Friday. For those of you that don’t know a Vlog is a video blog. I will record a short video each week letting you know what’s happening around Beyond The Baby and any other news, tips or ideas I have to share with you. We will have our own Youtube channel so you can subscribe to us! So that is super exciting!

Next month is our baby feeding month! We have loads and loads of information for you including a few giveaways! We also have real Mum feeding stories to share with you! It’s going to be so much fun! We have put together guides to help you in all areas of baby feeding such as – Selecting the right breast pump, a guide to baby bottles, a guide to baby formula and so much more!! It is going to be a huge month and packed full of information!

We have announced that September’s feature theme will be about “The Birds and The Bees and How To Conceive!”. Everything you need to know about conception! How to calculate ovulation, all different fertility treatments, we will tell you all the tried and true conception information as well as old wives tales! We will try anything once wont we?

So the next month is going to be jam packed! I am also off on a holiday for 2 weeks so I am going to be kept very busy adjusting to a new time zone and keeping the site running!

Have a great week, see you Friday for our first Vlog!

Jen xx

Yep you heard it right! While researching some baby feeding ideas I stumbled across a very interesting and a little weird documentary. It’s only 8 minutes and it is directed by academy award nominee Peter Templemen.

Men can actually breastfeed and strangely enough after a little more research I discovered that male breast milk is actually more nutritious than female breast milk.

So here is the question …. would your husband breastfeed and would how do you feel about it?

My brother and husband were here when I found the video and watched it – my brother’s baby is due in January. They both had the same reaction when asked if they would breastfeed their baby  …. “HELL NO!”. They both said it was weird and not something they would ever do and would probably judge others who did it.

I am not sure I would be comfortable with it, however my thinking is that society has made it unacceptable. If a man produces milk then really why couldn’t he breastfeed? It’s only society and the rules we place on what’s appropriate that would stand in the way.

Here is the video and I will let you all be the judge! Make sure you let us know what you think by leaving a comment!

We are really committed to providing unbiased unique information for all of our members. Next month is baby feeding month and we have been working hard to write new articles on all areas of baby feeding – breastfeeding, formula feeding and solids.

We believe everyone has a right to access information on all options and we are going to provide it! Every women has a right to choose how they feed their baby and while breast is best it is also not always possible.

When I had my son I wanted more than anything to breastfeed him for atleast 12 months. That was my plan anyway. My birth didn’t go to plan and by 6 weeks I was on medication for PND and insanely stressed. No matter how much I fed or pumped I just didn’t have enough milk. We were comp feeding from 4 weeks and finally at 14 weeks we were down to 1 breastfeed per day. My husband and I decided the stress of me trying to feed him was enough and we put him on formula for all feeds. Since then he has thrived, gained weight and grown to a beautiful 19 month old full of life energy.

When I was looking into formula feeding I found the lack of information disgusting. It was like formula was a dirty word and no matter how many questions I asked or what I searched no one would give a straight answer and just kept telling me to keep trying to breastfeed. From that day I knew I had to make Beyond The Baby and unbiased site for all mothers, no matter what their feeding choice.

I believe breastfeeding is the best start a mother can give her child, but I am also a realist and understand sometimes it is not possible. Women should not be judged.

So next month is Baby Feeding month! Everything you need to know about Baby Feeding!! I hope you enjoy the articles and information as well as reviews and hopefully a few giveaways!

Jen xx

Our Forum is almost due to relaunch!

A couple of months ago I made the decision to close the forum for a while. Beyond The Baby was created out of love and I wanted a community where everyone feels comfortable to share their stories and experiences without fear of judgment. Slowly over time the forum became a place where members felt it was ok to judge each other and abuse each other for choices in parenting and beliefs. During this time after many emails from upset members I decided to implement new rules and guidelines to help protect everyone and I also created a motto for Beyond The Baby that outlines what we believe in -

Our aim here at Beyond The Baby is to support everyone’s right to choose the way they birth and parent. All parenting and birthing styles are encouraged and supported.

Essentially we believe in birthing healthy babies and we believe in baby feeding. No matter how these are achieved. Women have a right to feel comfortable with their choices and have a right to have access to information on all options.

Beyond The Baby believes in ….

Baby Feeding – No matter which form that may be – Breast, Formula, Cows Milk or Solids.

Keeping The Poop Contained! – No matter how you choose to do this with your child – disposables, cloth nappies or elimination communication. As long as the poop is contained that’s all that matters!

Baby Sleeping – Cots, cradles, toddler beds, co-sleeping! As long as your baby is safe and comfortable!

Choice In All Areas Of Life – immunizations, nappies, sleeping, baby feeding, food/shopping choices, brands/products etc. We support everyone’s way of life!

Information Sharing Without Preaching - We believe everyone has valuable information to share and we provide a non judgmental place. We believe in everyone’s right to share information not push beliefs on to others.

Beyond The Baby is a supportive group of mothers who want the best for their child in a parenting environment that works well for them. We accept all parenting styles and provide a safe community for everyone to share their information, stories and ideas without feeling pressured to conform to others views.

Beyond The Baby is all about choice, no matter what that is!

Even though I was supporting my vision and goals for a peaceful community there were still members who wanted to see Beyond The Baby travel down the same path of other unsupportive and biased communities. So after a lot of thought I decided to close the forum until I could develop a community I believed in 100% and was proud to put my name to.

I strongly believe in giving all of your strength and energy to causes you believe in rather than using your energy to judge others. As long as we all raise healthy happy children in a loving home environment with access to education, food, clean clothes and lots of cuddles then nothing else matters. It doesn’t matter if a child sleeps in a cot or in the family bed or if a child is breast or formula fed etc. We choose what is best for our child and we allow other parents that same right.

The forum is about to be open again in the next few weeks. We will have all new moderators and a brand new forum. All previous posts and threads are no longer available. We have also removed all closed forums by popular request to allow us to gain more of an online family feel. I have decided it is best that I am not an active part of the community, moderators will handle all forum matters and our management team will take care of any matters they can not deal with.

We will have a general list of rules with the basic being “If you don’t have something nice to say, don’t say anything at all” we want everyone to be supportive of each other, if you don’t like a topic or thread we ask you to express your opinion and then leave it be.

All members will need to sign up again as all memberships have been reset.

We really hope to have a wonderful forum and get past all of the formalities and nastiness and create a community we are all proud to be a part of. I stand by our motto and all members should too. If our motto or forum rules are not something you believe in then Beyond The Baby community is not for you. We only want members who want to be supportive.

Thanks so much everyone and I will keep you post with the official launch date of the forum!

Jen xx

I am sure this is a heated topic so let’s start off by saying no one is right or wrong we are all different in the way we discipline. I would love everyone to share the way they do things and offer advice to help others.

We are only just starting the discipline stage in our son’s life. He is 19 months old and is on the downhill run to the “terrible two’s”. I honestly think the terrible twos are mislabeled, children aren’t really terrible they are just trying to find their limits. They are finding their voice and are trying to learn right from wrong and learn how much they can get away with.

I always said I would never smack my children and I still would like to stick with that. I think smacking shows disrespect and how can we ask a child to respect us when we don’t respect them? But having said that I have given Cooper a few smacks on the hand as I am unsure how to handle the situation. If he is doing something he shouldn’t I will remove him and tell him not to do it and why but after the 20th time I guess I have no idea what else to do so I smack his had which I hate.

So I personally would love some advice on how to handle those situations.

What do you do at home and how does that compare to how you were raised?

I was raised in a house where I was smacked, mostly by my Mum and while it wasn’t all the time it was frequent enough that I remember how much I hated her for it. My Dad rarely smacked us but when he did they were BIG. My parents were not bad people, in fact far from it they were just old school and knew no different and I am sure most people my age had parents the same or similar.

So lets talk about it! What is your stand on discipline in your house and what advice do you have for others?

Jen xx

So I am sure everyone has heard the latest anti-breastfeeding celeb rant from Kim Kardashian.

A couple of weeks ago Kim Kardashian tweeted …. “EWW Im at lunch,the woman at the table next 2 me is breast feeding her baby w no coverup then puts baby on the table and changes her diaper.” Since posting the tweet she has had so much backlash and has been labeled anti-breastfeeding etc.

Now here is my opinion and it is my opinion only. I see where she is coming from, when I breastfed I made sure I covered up. I never smothered my child but I made sure most of my breast was covered so I felt comfortable and so did those around me. I always feel very uncomfortable when a women pulls out her breast to feed her baby with out covering or trying to be a little discreet. I just don’t think it is necessary at all. I don’t think women should have to hide to feed their baby or to go to a smelly restroom but I do believe they need to respect people around them and also respect themselves by covering up a little.

As for changing a nappy at the table, I am sorry but this is terrible and very unhygienic! I would never ever think to change a nappy at a table under any circumstance and if there was no change table I would ask the manager for a suitable place.

I would love to here your thoughts!

How do you feel about breastfeeding in public or how do you feel about seeing women breastfeed in public? Where do you stand on the nappy changing at the table?

Jen xx

Hands up who found breastfeeding easy? ….. *crickets chirp* …. yep that’s what I figured, I am sure most of you had one problem or another – mastitis, cracked blistered nipples, thrush, over supply, under supply and the list goes on!

Me …. I could tick every box (except over supply).

Breastfeeding is not easy, in fact it’s hard, emotional and painful. But no one really talks about it. All you hear is “it’s such a wonderful bonding time” ….. “it’s so beautiful and natural”. Those I do agree with, about 6 weeks after my son was born and we had the hang of feeding it was a wonderful bonding time and it was beautiful. But before that it was hard, painful and stressful. We only fed until 12 weeks as I had really low milk supply.

A friend of mine had a baby last week is very young and told me she thought breastfeeding came naturally. She had no idea that she would have to learn these skills and she said it set her up for a big fall. She had a traumatic labour that ended in a c-section and she held on to the thought of holding and feeding her baby only to be hit with how hard and painful it is.

So lets get it all out in the open, did breastfeeding work for you? What issues did you have and how did you overcome them? Any tips or advice for other mums and mums to be when it comes to breastfeeding?

We will be putting together an article about breastfeeding and will be using all of your answers in our article so share your story! If you have a longer story and you would like to write it down and share it on Beyond The Baby please email us submission@beyondthebaby.com.au

Looking forward to hearing your stories!

I have always avoided overseas children charities, not because I don’t think they are a worthy cause more because of the greed and corruption in most of the under privileged countries. In most of the larger charities only a small portion of your donation actually goes to your child. By the time the administration fees are taken out by the charity themselves and the money is passed through the governments of the under privileged country and whittled away by corruption and greed there is only a small amount left. Some charities only promise 10-15% of your money will go to the child, which I think is just insane. So I have avoided them and given to other charities like the Red Cross and more local based charities like the Salvation Army.

I have always been a big advocate for helping our fellow Australians. It always amazes me how many people were living below the poverty line while we were still sending millions of dollars in charity and aid overseas.

Today on www.news.com.au there was a great article about exactly this click here to see the article! The article stats that 12% of Australian Children – over 500,000 are living below the poverty line with no money for basic necessities – food, clothing, school books etc.

I remember in primary school especially, we had a few children who would come to school with no lunch and sometimes no shoes because their parents could not afford these basic needs. It is such a sad thing to think about and should not be something that happens in a “lucky” country like ours. Children are the truly innocent members of this world and deserve the best start in life and deserve to have their basic needs provided for.

There is a fabulous charity called A Start In Life. They are a non-profit organisation who support Australian children. Like other charities you can “adopt” a child and help them with basic needs from only $10 per week. The best part? 100% of your donation goes to the child you sponsor!

This is a charity I would really love to support!

Has anyone ever been a recipient of this charity or do you have experience being an under privileged child? I would love to hear your stories and some encouragement for other readers to help Australian children!

Jen xx

Who doesn’t love Tinker Bell? She has a fabulous new movie called Tinker Bell and The Great Fairy Rescue!

We have a sneak peak of the new movie thanks to Disney! The sneak peak shows first time Tinker Bell meets a human for the first time! She meets a 9-year old girl named Lizzy. Lizzy discovers that her dream to meet a fairy has come true, that Tinker Bell speaks in jingles like a little bell, and that fairies can’t fly in the rain.

It’s a very cute piece that showcases the beginning of a very unique friendship. Tinker Bell is being released to Disney DVD and Blu-ray on 15 September and is featuring in cinemas nationally for an exclusive engagement during August!