First Time Mum's Chat

I regularly receive enquiries from moms wanting to know more about cloth diapers versus disposables and have been on the hunt for someone to chat with on First Time Mum's Chat and I was delighted to recently connect with April Duffy, who runs a very busy community on Facebook which is entirely dedicated to cloth diapers.

This buzzing community has in excess of 50,000 members and what better place to start immersing yourself in the world of cloth diapers!

During our chat you'll hear April share loads of tips and insights including:-

• Details on the different types of cloth diapers available.
• The huge cost savings you can make by using cloth diapers over disposables.
• The different materials that cloth diapers are manufactured from and the advantages.
• How using cloth diapers often speeds up their potty training.

And much more...

I've always found when communicating with your little one and navigating through those ups and downs of parenthood, that trying to think like they do is a big help. Yes, of course it's easier said than done.

Applying a good dose of empathy and thinking like they do often goes a long way and helps a lot.

In this week's episode of First Time Mum's Chat I'm talking with author, special educator and behavior therapist Chris Lake. Chris had his first child during the COVID pandemic and his interactions led him to write his book, Help Your Toddler Meet Their Milestones: 101 Behavior Hacks. During our discussion, you'll hear Chris talk about how his book helps parents learn how to help their child communicate, speak.

And much more!

Something that is incredibly important when interacting with your little one during those early days is to do all your can to build trust and closen your bond with them. I teach parents how to improve their connection regularly via baby massage.

In this episode I'm talking about secure attachment parenting and why building a secure attachment bond is so important. I'm chatting with Dr. Diane Speier, an author, birth and postpartum professional with over 40 years experience.

You'll hear Diane share the history of secure attachment and we discuss how to improve the connection with your little one and ways to give them a healthy sense of self and build a loving, empathetic relationship.

And much more!

Similarly to your physical body, part of your energy body connected to your physical body goes through a lot of changes during pregnancy and postpartum and in this week's episode I'm exploring the area of energy centers or chakras with energy worker, workshop leader and author Lisa Erickson.

I've found going within and focusing on these chakras highly beneficial in helping to heal, achieve balance and awaken to your own greatness. Also if like me you have an often cluttered, busy mind and find it challenging to go into that quiet space then focusing on these chakras is a great way to overcome this.

As a mum in the early stages of your parenting journey finding time is hard right! You don't have hours at your disposal so you'll be pleased to hear that these are quick energy tools that you can easily include in your daily schedule! Lisa shares some great tips and strategies which are found in her Chakra Empowerment for Women book which are easy to follow including 3 simple exercises to begin working with your energy and chakras right now.

This week First Time Mum's Chat has reached the exciting milestone of our 100th episode. It has been an honor to serve mums who are commencing their exciting journey into parenting for almost two years.

I'm looking forward to our next 100 episodes and continuing to help build your confidence and self-esteem as you continue in your parenting journey.

In this episode I've referenced a number of earlier episodes and interviews and you'll find these in the episode show notes which can be accessed at www.mybabymassage.net/podcast/100.

Introducing your little one to the world of music is something I've always been a big believer in and something I regularly did during my childcare career to help calm and relax them. Singing to your child is an excellent bonding activity and there's no need to be put off if like me, you're no Celine Dion.

Your kids just want to hear you as you are and they don't care what you sound like!

In this episode I'm talking with Alison Newman, who is a singer, songwriter and mum to two boys. Alison works in early childhood in a kindergarten so it was fantastic to compare our experiences of working with kids and introducing music to them in that setting.

Alison shares some great tips and insights and you'll hear her talk about:-

• How singing to your little one does amazing things to their brain.
• How singing can expose your little one to words they may not have heard since it differs from everyday conversation.
• How singing can help calm your baby's nervous system if they are not settling.

And much more...

If you've been a listener of First Time Mum's Chat for some time then you will know that I'm a big fan of encouraging babies and infants to develop their own imagination, fun and activities and earlier this year, I put together an episode of First Time Mum's Chat focusing on the Montessori Method which very much encourages this approach.

I received a lot of feedback following this episode so I've been on the lookout for someone qualified. I was delighted to recently meet Daniela Hoyle who is currently a head teacher for the toddlers program at a Montessori school in California.

Daniela is a certified infant and toddler Montessori guide and in this episode we have a chat about the Montessori method and particularly its application to infants during their first 12 months.

I'm sure you'll find Daniela's pearls of wisdom as interesting and inspiring as I did and you'll hear us talk about the importance of:-

• Talking to your baby to encourage their development and imagination.
• Connecting with your child as much as you can during their first year and letting them participate in your activities.

And much more!

This week on First Time Mum's Chat, I'm thrilled to be chatting with Dr Diane Speier, who has been a birth and postpartum professional both in the USA and UK. Diane has been helping parents make a smooth transition from pregnancy to parenthood for more than 40 years.

She is the author of Life After Birth: A Parent's Holistic Guide for Thriving in the Fourth Trimester and in this episode you'll hear her talk about her book and the accompanying Digital Doula app which is designed for both Apple IOS devices and Android. This app follows the structure of the book and has additional sections and is regularly updated with new information and resources.

During our chat you'll hear Diane talk about:-

• The 8 keys for thriving in the fourth trimester - the first three months after birth.
• The use of energy medicine techniques that offer wonderful ways to take care of yourself, whether it's balancing stress, increasing milk flow or enhancing the bonding process with your little one.

Many mums that I speak with feel lost when it comes to their postpartum period and I've spoken with a number of ladies on First Time Mum's Chat who've related how alone they felt and what they went through. This week's guest Sarah Bilger is a mom with an engineering background. Sarah felt so strongly after her own experience with the lack of support and lack of talk on all things postpartum when her daughter was born, decided to change her direction, becoming a postpartum doula.

In this episode you'll hear Sarah and I talk about postpartum nutrition and you'll hear Sarah talk about:-

• Ways that food should be prepared to really increase and accelerate your healing process and recovery during that transition into motherhood, particularly during the postpartum period.

• Why salads and other raw stuffs such as smoothies are best avoided during your postpartum period.

• Why you should prepare meals for yourself that contain as few ingredients as possible.

And much more!

In this episode you'll hear me share:-

• Tips on how to identify whether your baby is likely to be suffering from colic.
• Simple to follow baby massage techniques to help relieve your baby's colic.

So go ahead, my dear mum. Click to listen and get started.

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