Becoming a new parent is a very daunting but exciting time. Your life will change forever. Sometimes it will feel like it is all too much but othertimes it is pure pleasure. Either way,  you could not imagine your life without your children once you have them.

To assist you with settling into your new role as a Mum, Dad, Grandparent or care-giver, we have put together a number of helpful tips that will come in handy. Then, to expand your learning, it might be a good idea if you invest in a parenting book or two for those challenging times. Save this page to your favourites and check back as you need!

We've done our research for YOUR benefit. Don Tolman has made a significant contribution to the wellness of society and he continues to educate people alike with a simple and effective method to get yourself back to good health. To take advantage of our research, click on the image or link below to find out more.

www.fortuneevents.com

BREAKING NEWS 11/06/09

ALDI is making positive change by removing specific colours from foods they supply. Read the media release:

http://www.aldi.com.au/au/media/img/04_media/20090610_ALDI_removes_food_colourings.pdf

Click here for Food Intolerance Recipes

SLEEP

• Having problems with your baby sleeping? It is worth reading this article on food and babies
• Send a message to your baby that the cradle and cot is a place to sleep. To do this, avoid putting toys in either of these and use mobiles for playtime, not sleep time
• Most babies like to be wrapped. Use a muslin to swaddle.
• SIDS recommends that you do not put a hat on babies whilst sleeping
• Always err on the side of cool rather than too hot for babies as they are not very good at regulating their body temperature until they get older
• Never put a blanket on a baby's face to help them get to sleep. If you think it is helping then it could be that you are suffocating them and the lack of air is making them drowsy.
• SIDS recommends that you do not use cot or cradle bumpers and avoid putting soft toys in sleeping areas

FEEDING

• If you are breastfeeding, make sure one side is completely empty before offering the other. One good way to remember how to feed is "entree and main" on one and "dessert" on the other. Meaning, when they detach, burp and put them back on the same side. When empty, offer the other. Sometimes they will not feel like "dessert".
• Always burp young babies.
  • To do this, put them on your shoulder, cup your hand and pat gently or rub their back.Sometimes you can also do this whilst bobbing up and down, walking around the house.
  • Sit them on your knee and place your hand gently under their chin to support their head and then gently pat or rub their back
  • If still having trouble burping then try lying them back in your arm for a short time (15 seconds or so) and then putting them up on your shoulder again.
• If breastfeeding, watch what you eat as this goes through the breastmilk and can make babies windy. Avoid caffiene (this does exist in tea too), cabbage, brocolli, cauliflower, fizzy drinks, chocolate and too many sweet foods.

CHANGING & GENERAL INFORMATION

• keep a few toys handy near your change table. As babies get older, you may need a distraction to keep them on the change table
• Never leave babies unattended on the change table as they can roll off quicker than expected and cause serious injury
• Before bathing, make sure you have everything you need to get them bathed, dried and dressed. Never leave babies unattended in or near water.
• When changing your baby, take the opportunity to talk to them. They love the conversation and may even respond with a little goo and gaa of their own.

BEHAVIOUR MANAGEMENT

There has, in more recent times, been controversy over the smacking issue. Then we saw the rise of the Super Nanny propelling reward and punishment to the fore for desperate parents who needed a solution, even though the Super Nanny had admitted to not having read one single book on parenting. Now, if this were a doctor, would you visit her surgery? If she were a chef, would you visit her restaurant? If this were a vet, would you trust your beloved pet to her?

When we decide to have children we do not always anticipate the challenges that go with the job and sometimes those challenges can make you wonder what you were thinking when the lights were dimmed after a sparking wine or two. So, what is the solution then?

I am a mother of 3 children and it was at one stage termed as " three children under four years of age". Now they are 5, 3 & 1/2 and 14 months old and life seems a little easier. We all have times when we struggle with children's behaviour so I decided to educate myself in the art of positive parenting and had read several books. Some methods I tried and most failed until a girlfriend of mine introduced a book to me by renowned Australian Author and sought after speaker Dr Louise Porter. The book is called "Children are people too" and uses a guidance approach saying that reward and punishment do not promote a healthy self-esteem in children. She goes on to say that we should encourage them, not praise them.

Most times we model our parenting on that of our parents but the BEST thing we can do for our children is re-think how we raise them. For those of you who have been raising your children using punishment and reward, please do not feel bad about yourselves. We can only work with what we have until we discover something better that comes along. The important thing is that we learn to adopt more positive methods of raising our children once they are presented to us.

Dr Porter goes on to say that rewards for good behaviour do not encourage a child to behave with consideration when adults are not around. Therefore, in my opinion, using a reward and punishment system does not encourage children to develop a self-sense of consideration. Rewards can also end up being useless because they lose their value over time. I have raised my children to the best of my ability using Dr Porter's approach and it shows in my children's behaviour; taking into account that sometimes young children do conduct themselves or do thiings in a certain way in an attempt to understand and learn about their world. My children do not look to me for rewards, they come and talk to me about their world. I encourage them to be proud of themselves for what they do and while I express my opinion, it is not linked to them as people and they certainly do not need me to tell them they are a "good girl" or "good boy" for completing tasks. Instead I tell them I love them or am proud of them without any incident/task attached. I say things like "you look like you enjoyed that" or "you must be so proud of yourself" or even "I like that, what do you think of it?" I want my children to grow up to be emotionally intelligent (E.Q.) and in my opinion reward and punishment does not encourage positive development of E.Q. A book that does talk about developing E.Q. is by Dr John Gottman and it is called "Raising an emotionally intelligent child - the heart of parenting".

So, before you stick that star chart on the wall or proceed to sit them in the "naughty corner" (naughty is not a word ever used in our house), take a positive step and change the relationship with your children and read the two books mentioned. It will change the relationship with your children now and the benefit will be the relationship you have with them as adults, and the way they will treat others now and in the future.

 

Eileen's Cannelloni with chicken

INGREDIENTS:

500g chicken mince
2 shallots diced
1 clove garlic crushed
Box cannelloni shells
200g Ricotta cheese (smooth & preservative free)
3 cups Home made chicken stock
1/2 cup cooked brown lentils
1/2 cup amaranth (Cereal)
1/4 cup home made pear chutney from Friendly Food cookbook

Method:

1. Heat oven according to pasta pack (& how well you know your oven)
2. Heat oil in non-stick pan and on medium heat cook shallots and garlic until soft.
3. Add chicken mince and fry until cooked.
4. Then add brown lentils, pear chutney, 1 cup of the chicken stock and stir until combined. Reduce heat
5. Then add the ricotta cheese and amaranth and stir until combined and sauce is thickened but not too thick.
6. Put mixture into cannelloni shells when cooled a little and then put in casserole dish. Put 1 cup of chicken stock in bottom of casserole dish and cover cannelloni with any left over chicken mixture.
7. Cook for 15 minutes and then turn. Add another 1 cup chicken stock if there is none left in bottom as this helps to soften the cannelloni shells. Cook for a further 15 or until soft. Serve with one of the side dishes in The Failsafe Cookbook or Friendly Food.

Serves 2 adults and 2 children. Enjoy!

Eileen's crumbed potato balls

 INGREDIENTS:

6 medium potatoes
6 brussel sprouts chop ends and rinse
1 swede peeled and chopped into pieces
1 tbs Nuttelex
Home made bread crumbs (around 10 slices of bread)
2 to 3 eggs
Plain Flour approx 1/2 cup
Canola or sunflower oil for shallow frying

METHOD:

1. Steam potatoes until just firm (mostly soft) and mash with nuttelex At the same time, put brussel sprouts and swede with about 1/4 cup water into small saucepan. Bring to boil and simmer on lowest heat with lid on until soft. Add a little more water as needed. Once cooked, puree with the water from the saucepan and add to potato mixture. Leave to cool a little.
2. Roll potato mixture into balls and dip in plain flour, then egg, then roll in bread crumbs and put on plate ready for frying.
3. Heat oil in pan medium heat and turn until cooked.
4. Serve with meat or as side dish

Serves 3 children and 2 adults

Organic Chicken & Veggie Balls

Ingredients (all organic):

 

1 zucchini (ends removed and cut into large pieces)

1 carrot (peeled, ends removed and cut into large pieces)

500g Chicken mince (0rganic too) increase mince amount for larger families

Home made bread crumbs (from a healthy bake loaf approx 8 slices) To do these, simply put in oven for approx 45 minutes on approx 100 deg C. Then, put in food processor until fine.

2 x organic eggs (large or medium) Lightly beaten

Cold pressed olive oil for frying

1 tbsp Shoyu (pure soy sauce apparently works well with Olive Oil)

Pinch salt

1 tsp Apple Cider Vinegar

¼ cup organic pure maple syrup

1 clove garlic (pressed)

Vegetarian cheese grated (no animal rennet) if dairy is tolerated. Add enough as you see fit.

 

Method:

 

1. In a food processor, process carrot and zucchini until finely diced

2. Combine processed zucchini, carrot, garlic, eggs and chicken mince.

3. Add cheese if tolerated

4. Add Shoyu, maple syrup and apple cider vinegar.

5. Add about ½ cup bread crumbs until mixture starts to firm up. Add more if needed.

 

6. Heat Olive Oil in fry pan over medium heat

7. Roll mixture into balls, roll in remaining bread crumbs and fry in oil. (you can do this prior to heating oil or if you want to prepare them earlier in the day and store them in the firdge in an air-tight container)

 

8. Turn occasionally until golden on all sides. Turn heat down slightly if cooking too quickly on the outside.

 

9. Place on absorbent paper towel when removing from pan. Serve with a salad or tolerated veggie.

Serves approx 2 adults and 2 children

Amaranth & Egyptian Flour Cookies

Ingredients:

 

3/4 cup Egyptian Gold Flour - we used Four Leaf Brand

1/2 cup ogranic amaranth flour

1/2 cup brown sugar (organic)

125g nuttelex brand margarine
1 tablespoon organic golden syrup
2 tsp baking powder
(optional - organic pumpkin seeds 1/4 cup or good handful)

 

Method:

 

1.Heat oven to 150 deg. fan forced

2. line flat tray with baking paper

3. In a large bowl, combine all ingredients except pumpkin seeds and beat with a mixer until large clumps form

4. lightly knead together the mixture until it forms a dough (pumpkin seeds should be added at this point if you want and mixed at the same time)

5. Roll into small balls and press with fork leaving room for them to spread a little. (about 2cm spaces)

6. Cook in oven for approx. 10 minutes. Leave to cool on trays

Makes about 24. Store in an air tight container.