Women's Interests

When your new baby arrives, it is important as the parent to help him or her adjust to their new world by slowly developing easy and trusty routines. Newborns sleep a lot, typically between 16 and 17 hours a day, but only in short bursts of a few hours at a time, this means lots of sleep for your baby and an irregular and tiring schedule for you. At the very least, good sleeping habits will make it so that both you and your baby know what to expect at bed time, helping to ensure more rest for everyone.

Photo: Vermin Inc

Watch for Tell-tale Signs

For the first six to eight weeks, your baby will most likely get tired after about two hours of being awake. If you wait too long to put your baby down, she or he may get overtired, making it more difficult to fall asleep. This is why it’s important to watch for the signs that your child is tired such as when they rubs their eyes, pull their ears or become more fussy than normal. If you spot these signs, try to put your baby down to sleep. Soon you will intuitively understand the signals your baby is giving you, and you will know when your baby is ready for a nap. Read more… »

It is usually not long into the school holidays when your children start complaining to you that they are bored.  It isn’t always possible to take your children on outings everyday, as it does get expensive, but as well as heading off to the movies and the shops, look at what fun activities you can do at home. You don’t have to go to too much effort, and the older your children are the more likely they are to come up with games on their own, perhaps with just a little encouragement.

Give them somewhere shady to plan during those hot summer days by having either a veranda or retractable awning that you can play out to create shade.  Give your children somewhere to play outside where they are not going to get sunburnt.  You can also make your indoors more pleasant to be in during those hot days by having security screens on your windows so you can keep the windows open during both day and night to let the breeze through, but keep intruders and insects out. Read more… »

Pregnancy is a blessing; when a woman becomes pregnant it’s not only physical and hormonal changes that she undergoes for nine months, but also emotional changes. Each day, she grows with the baby to be a complete woman.

Photo: nexus6

Indeed ‘A mother’s joy begins when new life is stirring inside… when a tiny heartbeat is heard for the very first time, and a playful kick reminds her that she is never alone”. For the gift of life that she will be giving to you, you certainly cannot pay back, however there are some gifts that can reflect your gratitude. Read more… »

So you’ve bought your maternity wear, set up the nursery and you’re all set for the arrival of your new bub. There may be one concern weighing heavily on your mind — where exactly will the money come from while you are away from work after having the baby? Should you speed up your recovery and limit your time with the little one? Do you hope that you can scrape enough together from one income to make ends meet?

Photo: Senator Kate Lundy

In 2011, the Gillard government made a move to reduce the financial stress of a new baby to Australian families, with the introduction of the Federal parental leave program. Recognising that many employers in the country don’t have a parental leave scheme, the Government introduced an initiative to support families and also bring Australia up to standard with many other developed countries around the world. Read more… »