Reading to your baby is even more vital now that there are numerous electronic devices to reach for when he or she needs to be entertained.  That’s because, when you read to your baby, you are giving him or her what is really needed – your time and attention. Find out how to make your reading experiences more enjoyable for both you and your baby by downloading Alison L.R. Davies ’10 Tips to Promote Engagement’.

In each stage of pregnancy, from the tentative preconception months to the first incredible weeks with your infant, herbs offer simple, natural ways to ease the stress, counter some of the symptoms and generally boost well-being. Herbs have an incredibly long and important history in medicine and they are still widely employed today. Trials have proven just how effective, for example, ginger can be for easing pregnancy sickness and how garlic has the power to boost immunity.

The term ‘herb’ is extremely broad. It encompasses everything from tree products such as lemons and apples, to roots like dandelion and garlic, pollen by-products such as honey and marine plants like seaweed.

Herbal products can easily be made at home. Nothing is complicated and no specialist equipment is required – just the regular pans, jars and heatproof bowls you already have in your kitchen. It’s surprisingly easy, not to say cheap, to make your own beautycare products, for example, particularly at a time when you may want to reduce the number of synthetic chemicals you apply to your skin, or to make your regime organic and sourced from quality ingredients. Herbs are also found in healthy recipes, from salads through to delicious drinks. And it is also possible to make all-natural home cleansing products, which may appeal to your nesting instinct that can kick in at the most unexpected times in pregnancy.

Herbs have always been a part of my life; I use them both at home and in my work writing on natural aspects of pregnancy and babycare.

My daughters, who were raised in a home stocked with herbs, constantly surprise me with what they’ve picked up. When they have grazes, they love to smear on our local honey; when they feel under the weather they ask for ginger tea; when they have itchy skin, they smother themselves in olive oil; and for insect bites and rashes, they enjoy snapping aloe vera leaves and extracting the gel. That living heritage is what appeals most to me about the healing powers of herbs.

To help you discover how herbs can transform your pregnancy and parenting experiences, we've created a free info sheet featuring some of the ‘recipes’ from The Pregnancy Herbal.

Although schools still test for intelligence in narrow fields such as maths and logic, educationalists have long recognised other types of ‘smartness’. Our Olympians are endowed with bodily-kinaesthetic intelligence or ‘body smarts’, for example. This is physical expertise in using one’s body and it can extend from athletic prowess to expressing things (dancers, for example), or producing things (craftspeople).

Children gifted with interpersonal intelligence or ‘people smarts’ – the ability to understand and manage the feelings of others – are natural-born leaders. They are good in communicating emotions, resolving conflicts, forming and sustaining friendships and coping with social setbacks.

The good news is that even if your child seems to lack ability in academic subjects, he/she is likely to be intelligent in another area – and this intelligence can be promoted and developed. No one has to be ‘stuck’ with a one-size-fits-all intelligence profile and, once your child’s strengths are recognised, they can be developed so that he/she achieves his/her full potential. Moreover, although Howard Gardner, the Harvard professor who first proposed the multiple intelligence theory, initially argued for seven different types, he also went on to include one more (Naturalistic Intelligence or ‘nature smarts’) and believes there may be more!

To help you assess where your child’s strengths may lie, download my guide to The Different Types of Intelligence. If you want to test your child in fun-filled ways and find activities to promote all the different types of intelligence (as everyone has some measure of ability in them all), you will find everything you need to know in my book, Smarter Than You Think.

With the festive season approaching, you may be bemoaning your inability to enjoy a glass of champagne or eggnog, but you can still be of good cheer. There are many tasty ‘mocktails’ and non-alcoholic punches you can make to celebrate Christmas or to drink in the New Year. Wine and other alcoholic drinks are off the menu during pregnancy but my downloadable selection of party drinks from Super Drinks for Pregnancy are great any time you entertain and will also be enjoyed by guests who are designated drivers or who have health issues as well as older children who enjoy something more sophisticated than plain fruit juice or soda. Many of the juices are high in vitamin C and you’ll be doing yourself an extra favour if the juice is home made. Although there are a number of factors that will influence how much juice you can squeeze from any particular fruit – ripeness, temperature and variety of the fruit – expect about 20 ml of juice from a lime, 30 ml from a lemon, 60 ml from a medium orange and 100 ml from half a grapefruit or a medium apple. So don’t feel left out; appreciate that you’ll be getting a vitamin boost instead of a hangover!

Colin Cooper, author of Dad’s Guide to Babycare, on why he thinks toddlers should have access to electronic equipment (argued in December’s issue of Mother & Baby):

"I think it's really important for toddlers to grab hold of the gadgets they see all around them, and to start to discover the digital world in which they¹ll be growing up. There are so many great apps out there that our children can learn from and have fun with – partly because they're such a demanding audience. The quality has to be high to maintain their interest.

But, of course, it's yet another challenge for parents to deal with; how often and for how long can you allow your toddler to play with this stuff?

I think the most important point is that 'screen time' in general cannot be allowed to replace real-life human interaction and active physical play. Try not to leave your child alone with a gadget while you do something else. We all need to do that sometimes but the technology should not be a replacement for you; it should just be another way to interact with your child, as if you were helping with building blocks or reading him or her a book.

And never forget the other danger with tech-savvy toddlers; if you leave yours alone with your phone for too long, your child will always try to'wash' it!

If you’re in doubt about how you can best play with your child so you match the activities to his or her state of development, download my advice sheet on Using play to promote your toddler’s skills.

Also have a look at C&B’s other books that  can make you a more effective parent: Reading to Your Baby, Smarter Than You Think and The Wonder Years."

“We couldn’t resist telling you about the products that we absolutely love and which we’ve tried and tested on our own children over the years – Caroline had her third baby in this summer after an almost ten-year gap, so has particularly been enjoying trying things out again for herself. But this isn’t just about us; these are all items we consistently hear great feedback on from the mums and dads we meet through our work too.

A bedside crib. With this, one side drops totally away so you can sleep right beside your baby and reach out to hold his or her tiny hand without the worries of bed-sharing. Makes night feeds much easier.

Sudocrem – not just for nappy rash but a whole host of other things such as noses sore from a cold, minor cuts and scratches and chapped hands. We still use it on our older children (and indeed ourselves). It is known as ‘magic cream’ in Liat’s household and is used frequently, yet one pot seems to last absolutely ages.

Ergo or Manduca Baby Carrier. Many slings and carriers are outgrown once your baby’s too heavy to be on your front, but the Ergo or Manduca carriers are different – comfortable for wearer and child well into the toddler years, yet unlike those huge baby backpacks for hiking, they pack small, and many kids love the piggyback-like back position. Either of these carriers can transport newborns too (the Ergo needs an extra insert for this stage though).

Medela Calma Feeding System (a feeding bottle). If you're breastfeeding but will occasionally give expressed milk, this bottle is fantastic. Your baby has to ‘milk it’ in exactly the same way as the breast, so it’s much less likely to cause problems if you’re switching between breast and bottle. Tellingly, if you turn it upside down, no milk spills out (it does with most bottles and your baby gets milk even if he or she doesn’t suck). With this one, in order for milk to come out, your baby has to suck properly. There’s only one teat size because the Calma is designed so milk flow is controlled by your baby, again, just like at the breast.

Beaba Up and Down Bouncer. Caroline says “It’s so great to have a bouncer that can sit at sofa and dining chair level so you can engage with your baby as he or she sits there and not ignore him or her at floor level. That said, it can be used at floor level too but the height adjustment is what makes it stand out from the crowd and it makes so much sense.”

Sheepskin pushchair liner. We both used or use these in our children’s pushchairs for added comfort and heat regulation. They’re especially brilliant if you need to make a lightweight buggy seat comfier for a baby at the younger end of the age range for which it’s suitable. Can also double as a comfy place for young babies to lie on the floor (under supervision, of course).

Cuddledry towel. This is a simple but very clever twist on a baby bath towel (you wear it like an apron, leaving hands free when taking your baby out of the bath). Really makes bath time so much easier. It is  expensive but you probably only need one.

Olli Ella nursing rocker chair. This is quite an extravagance but it is a joy to sit in and a joy to look at and will be in use for many years – long after you’ve finished feeding babies.

Aden and Anais patterned muslins. Considerably larger than standard muslins cloths for babies, these are so much more useful and incredibly versatile. Fabulous patterns also make them look better when you need a cloth permanently draped over your shoulder to soak up baby sick… 

Close Parent Pop-in Nappies. Caroline is a new convert to washables thanks to these, explaining: “I would never have believed it of myself but these are so easy to use; they are a pleasure. They have the added benefit of making you feel good that you are being eco- friendly and kinder to your baby’s skin too.” 

To help you plan what to buy for your baby, why not download our list of pre-birth essentials. A comprehensive, detachable list is contained in our book, What To Buy For Your Baby.

Follow the What to Buy for Your Baby twitter feed from Caroline and Liat at @babygearguru. 

“I first conceived of the idea of 101 Amazing Things About Pregnancy when I was training as a midwife. While learning about pregnancy’s biology and physiology, I was so inspired and awe-struck by the information, that I felt a huge desire to share it. However, it wasn’t until many years later when I had had much more experience of working with pregnant women as a midwife and in other ways, as well as having made my own journey to parenthood, that I started work on the book in earnest.

During my time as a midwife, I gained a rich understanding of pregnancy from a variety of perspectives, ranging from personal health to world statistics, historic birthing practices to recent scientific discoveries. I would find myself amazed by a piece of information while listening to a paper at a conference and think 'Wow! If ever I write that book I must include this...'.

But it was also while working as a midwife, that I became aware of the concern that many pregnant women have that they are unable to feel connected to the baby growing in their womb. Loving and bonding with a baby can happen slowly over a period of time or all of a sudden and the onset is different for individual mum-baby pairs; some mums feel a connection even before conception while others find their relationship matures several months after birth.

Having a healthy bond with your baby will make parenting easier and more fun. In addition, once a bond has been created, it makes for more successful communication between you and your baby throughout his or her childhood, bringing both of you long-term benefits. So why not download my advice sheet, and find some ideas to start, or to strengthen, your bond with your baby in preparation for you meeting each other face to face at birth!”

Fiona’s latest book, Super Drinks for Pregnancy, contains dozens of recipes for smoothies, shakes, soups, juices, and party, hot and cold drinks, each accompanied by its complete nutritional analysis. For a taste of what’s inside, download the free recipe sheet for 2 delicious summer-time smoothies that will make free up your time to nab a bargain or grab some sun (when it appears). Another piece of good news is that smoothies officially ‘count’ as two portions of your five a day. This is because they include the whole fruit and not just the juice. You also benefit from having the fibre, which would be lost in juice making. Download Pregnancy Smoothies recipes.

As well as running a clinic for babies with sleep problems, I am an active researcher on the subject of babies’ sleeping and have tried in writing Sweet Dreams to turn the knowledge gained in research, such as the importance of circadian rhythms, into practical techniques that parents can use to create and maintain good sleep habits.

Perhaps, most importantly, I want to communicate that because sleep is not an isolated phenomenon but instead is connected to a baby’s age and state of development, his personality, family life and even what he eats, it’s vital that parents know what they can reasonably expect of their baby and what to do to help their baby sleep well and feel happy.

But parents need to bear in mind that all babies are individuals and that no one method will work for all babies. Therefore, in my book, I explain what different babies need in order to sleep happily and what parents can do to ensure they supply these needs. I also discuss why some babies cannot sleep and, again, give different methods to try depending on a baby’s personality. Finally, I look at different age groups – from newborns to 24 months old – as well as twin, premature and ill babies – and answer questions relating to sleep problems specific to different ages and situations.

To access one of the most important ‘tools’ for helping your baby to sleep well, download my free advice sheet, which explains how to use charts to ensure your baby’s sleeping and waking cycles are appropriate to his age. Sweet Dreams sleep cycle guide.

My brief in creating this book was to come up with a programme that was effective yet safe and that would suit a post-pregnancy lifestyle, i.e. one that was short of time! C&B also wanted some unique selling points. I hit on the idea of limiting the number of exercises that had to be learned to 10 – and making them work harder by adding slight variations that made them more challenging as time went on. I chose those that benefit the entire body with a special emphasis on the abdominals. While changes to the abdominal area are most noticeable, pregnancy affects all your muscles and joints, and for a good result, you need to work all your body.

Most women are misled by celebrities seeming to regain their figures in a very short time; of course, celebs have legions of helpers and possibly resort to unsafe practices. The mums I train usually don’t have much free time nor would I advise them to overdo things as it’s necessary to gradually get a body used to exercising again. A good rule of thumb is to plan on recovering your figure in the time it took to lose it – with some extra weeks thrown in. So my programme lasts 40 weeks. Of great benefit is that programme cards can be removed from the book and taken wherever you exercise and then stored back in the book. Also, you don’t need much specialised equipment. The women you see performing the exercises are all new mums and it was great working with them.

For more info about me and my approach to both pre- and post-pregnancy fitness, have a look at my website, www.lapf.co.uk

To find out how you can get fitter while you're out and about with your baby, download our free exercise advice Post Pregnancy exercise Worksheet