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Around the middle of your baby’s first year, that is at about six months, your baby will start showing signs that he is ready for family foods: he will be able to sit up in a high chair or on your lap; he will have lost the tongue thrust reflex (that protects him against choking in the early months, but also means food gets thrust out of his mouth, rather than swallowed); he will be watching you closely as you eat and probably reaching for your food  - but being able to grab objects and put them into his mouth is an actual sign of readiness ( after all, even young babies will watch you and may reach for food).  Your baby may seem to suddenly be more hungry but not satisfied by extra milk feeds over a period of several days.

See how, when and what to help your baby transition from breastfeeding to family foods

We are all aware of the nutritional needs needed pre-pregnancy and during pregnancy, but post pregnancy nutrition tends to be forgotten about. Feeding our bodies with adequate nutrition post pregnancy while breastfeeding will help our bodies produce healthy milk for our babies, as well as help mums feel better.

Registered Dietician Tammy Kacev  shares her top 5 foods for breastfeeding mums. 

Taking care of a baby is a full time job in itself – well, without the lunch and tea breaks and, most of the day, without a coworker to laugh with or bitch to when the going gets tough. And, did you know that even the most easy going baby takes at least nine hours of ‘hands on’ care each day (and night)?

It’s time to cut yourself some slack and take care of yourself or all your efforts to be a ‘good mummy’ are at risk of being high-jacked by mummy burnout.

It’s your baby’s first Christmas. It’s exciting but also a bit overwhelming too as you try to plan the big day with family and friends.

Hopefully, if you have a newborn, you haven’t put your hand up to host the day, but this means you will be a guest at somebody else’s house and this can present other sorts of stress. Check out our survival plan. 

Breastfeeding has been going well: your baby is thriving and happy. But now you are returning to work and feel sad at the prospect of weaning your baby.

Take heart, returning to paid work doesn’t mean you have to stop breastfeeding. Your baby can enjoy the health, immunity and nutritional benefits and you will still have that unique connection through the one thing that only you can do for your baby  - snuggling him close as he drinks your milk.

It’s stinking hot. You are sweaty so is your baby. He keeps grizzling and signalling that he wants more ‘boobie’ . He’s obviously thirsty so you wonder, should I give him a drink of water?

Not only do you not need to offer your baby water in hot weather but it can be unsafe: giving water to newborns can affect your milk supply and your baby’s weight gains and for all babies under six months, giving water can dilute the sodium in the baby’s bloodstream to the point where a potentially life threatening condition known as “oral water intoxication” develops, and this can lead to symptoms like low body temperature, bloating, and seizures.

If you or your partner suffer from allergies such as eczema, asthma or hay fever, or if there is a family history of allergies, there is a stronger possibility that your baby’s restlessness and poor sleep could be due to food sensitivity or allergies – and he could be reacting to foods passing through your breast milk (your baby is never allergic to your milk).

Food allergies in exclusively breastfed babies are caused by foods that pass into your breast milk, not to your breast-milk itself. Allergies in infants may cause symptoms including: colic, nausea, vomiting and reflux, wheezing and respiratory congestion, dermatitis, eczema, and various rashes (although other medical causes should be ruled out for these symptoms)

Help! My baby has his first two teeth and he has started biting when I breastfeed. How can I stop him biting or will I have to wean him?

Ouch! Being bitten on the breast really hurts but thankfully, there are strategies to minimise and even stop your baby biting.

As you carried your baby in your belly, you dreamed of an instant connection between you – just like the soft focused television ads. He would instantly know you are his mother, the one who will protect him and love him forever and he will love you back. You will be his special person, the one he loves more than anyone else in the whole world.