Feed Play Love

They say you can never be ready for a new baby, but there are some things you can do to make your life easier. You could, for example, hire a postpartum Doula. Danika Armstrong is a Doula at Mama Vibe Tribe , where she supports women through birth and beyond. Danika explains what a postpartum Doula does, and how things have changed since the start of the pandemic.

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Parents of small children are used to having a long list of things they need to do. There are the daily chores like feeding, clothing and cleaning small humans, and then there are the extracurriculars like birthday parties, swimming lessons and visits to relatives. Sometimes the only way to get on top of all the things is to create a list. But lists themselves can be problematic. Madeleine Dore is the author of I Didn’t Do the Thing Today, where she explores the idea that we have a problem with productivity. Madeleine gives us some ideas on how we can change the way we look at the things we need to do.

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This is the second year that children starting school are coming in post-lockdowns. That means many children have missed out on the kind of comprehensive orientation that many schools provide for kids. So what does that mean for parents? And how can we make this transition to school a good one? Sonja Walker is the Founder of Kids First and has 30 years experience teaching in primary schools. Sonja gives us some tips that will help every parent guide their child to the first day of school.

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Are you leaping into 2022 with a feeling of hope and excitement? That may have been the way you farewelled 2021 but it wasn't long into January before things started to get chaotic again. Amy Taylor-Kabbaz is an author and Matresence expert who has a large online community of mums from around the world. Amy is finding that many parents are more exhausted than usual. In this interview she explains why she thinks we're all suffering from post-pandemic depletion and what to do about it.

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Children under five are now the only Australians to remain unvaccinated. Parents have been told consistently that younger children aren't at high risk of serious illness if they catch the coronavirus, but what if they have underlying health issues? What can parents do then, particularly when Rapid Antigen Tests are so hard to come by? Dr Anthea Rhodes is a Paediatrician at the Royal Children's Hospital in Melbourne. She talks through what the current research says about the risk to our youngest Australians, and where the vaccination for under fives is at.

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Rachael Coopes is a yoga teacher, Play School Presenter and mum. She found herself unexpectedly single whilst pregnant with her son. Through that frightening and unsettling time she leant on all the knowledge she'd gained from studying yoga. Her book Find Your Strength is a distillation of all that wisdom in to practical and easy-to-follow advice. Rachael talks about how people have misunderstood yoga, and why it was the key to her finding her strength.

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There's nothing that can prepare you for the sound of your baby's cries in the middle of the night. But obstetrics social worker and parenting educator Genevieve Muir from Connected Parenting says that if you can understand why they cry, and when they're likely to cry the most it makes it a lot less stressful. Gen outlines all you need to know about the way your baby may cry in the first 12 weeks.

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Parents heading into 2022 may have been excited about heading back to work this week, but many are facing a lack of available care. Lisa Bryant is an Early Childhood Consultant, advocate and journalist who says that many parents are facing the chaos caused by staff shortages as many in the young workforce isolate with the virus. She says that it's within the Government's power to make the whole thing less stressful for parents and educators alike.

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Letting your kids fail can be tough, no one wants to see their children upset. But failing is part of building resilience. Susanna Cass is an expert in organisational change, a mum and a co-founder of The Epic Fail Game. She says there's a secret to teaching how to fail well, and it involves the whole family. Susanna talks about how her five-year-old inspired the idea, and how they had to find a way to make it fun.

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This episode is one of our favourites from 2021. Feed Play Love will be back with new and interesting interviews on January 10, 2022.

Casey Beros has been a wellness writer for decades. In her book The 'Bad' Girl's Guide to Better  she outlines what she has learnt in that time- particularly when it comes to motherhood.

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