Bright Ideas | Practical Stuff

Your baby is more likely to start crawling if she is spending enough time on her tummy. Although some babies don't fancy this position too much, it's good for them as it strengthens their back and neck muscles.

The antibodies in your breast milk stick to glass, so it's preferable to express your breast milk into a sterilised 'non-glass' container. Breast milk can be stored in the fridge for 24 hours and frozen for up to 3 months.

Be a Super Mom and make your own play-dough. Experiment with different colours and add essential oils for soothing properties: Lavender calms and Eucalyptus unblocks stuffy noses. Pop over to our sister website, Sprogs for a homemade play-dough recipe. Photo courtesy of Shaping Youth

Reflux in babies: Take comfort in the fact that this too will pass. In the meantime, keep your baby in an upright position for 15 - 20 minutes after a feed. Lift the head of his mattress slightly so that he doesn't sleep in a flat position. Place a rolled-up towel at the feet to prevent him from sliding down while sleeping.

Make sure that you have some healthy snacks and drinks on hand when labour starts: bread, pasta, bananas, yoghurt (or banana smoothie), water and isotonic drinks. It's advisable that you eat light snacks opposed to digesting a heavy meal that will compete with the birthing process for body resources. Carbs are a great source of energy!

On maternity leave and wondering what to do with yourself while waiting for bubba?  Sleep. And cook. You should be sleeping as much as you can without a sting of guilt. Cook two extra portions every night and freeze them. This will come in very handy when baby is born and it should keep you going for a month.

Did you know that Echinaforce is available in tablet form for ages 2 and up and it actually tastes quite okay. It’s a great, natural way of preventing colds and flu’s, especially if your child is attending a preschool or a play group where a snotty nose is as natural as a nappy change.

It's winter and that means colds, tissues and snollies. Lots of it. Rubbing vaseline on your child's nose (nostrils, to be exact) will prevent it from turning raw, red and crusty. Yup, mother talk!

Pack away some of your child's toys and leave only a few toys out. Besides it being better for them to concentrate on one game at a time, their old toys will feel like brand new ones when you rotate them after a while.

Think of your own comfort when buying a nappy bag. This is not for baby - you are the one that has to carry it around and make it work for you. Don't just go for style and fashion; think comfort and practicality. A good combination will be a pretty (you do have to live with it!) backpack which will leave your hands/arms free.