Caring for baby

No-nappy babies

Would you be brave enough to start the toilet training process before your baby was six months old? These mums did.

Life with a newborn

The never-ending night feeds, the constant nappy changes, the utter exhaustion - it all blurs into a distant memory.

Justice tops list of banned names

Attachment parenting

OPINION: Attachment parenting is a quick fix - but you're not actually fixing anything. Indeed , you're creating problems.

The second baby

Stay-at-home dad Matt Calman finds that getting ready for baby number two is a whole different story to the first time around.

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Face time with babies

Face-to-face interaction is the foundation of Western parenting. But many babies elsewhere are raised without it - and they turn out fine.

Not crawling? Stop worrying

There is no scientific study that links not crawling to any negative outcomes. That doesn't stop parents from stressing though.

New dads feel more attractive

A study has found that once men have kids, they think they're better looking than before they were dads ... for a while, anyway.

Ancient baby 'blogs'

While social media leads us to believe documenting every moment of a baby's life is a new phenomenon, it's not.

Over-stimulated babies

To give baby a head start, focus on motor skills, not enrichment.

Parenting culture

Each culture has it own way of raising children, but it seems the basic aim for parents from America to Timbuktu is to do the best they possibly can for their offspring.

Lying to Plunket

Lying to Plunket nurses has commonplace among first-time mums as they shy away from questions about their baby's milestones.

Suffocation a leading killer of infants

Everyday objects like curtain cords, rope, pillows and mattresses can be unassuming killers to New Zealand children, a special report has found.

Relationships and sleep deprivation

When our babies were small, I remember being so damn tired some days I could barely find the letter box, let alone a divorce lawyer.

When did you introduce solids?

Four in 10 new parents start feeding their babies solid foods before their four-month birthday, according to a new US study.

Newborn left in locked car

A photo of a baby inside a locked car outside a Porirua supermarket has sparked outrage online.

In defence of swaddling

Just because there is a right and a wrong way to swaddling a baby doesn't mean that parents should be made to feel afraid of it.

The rise of the nanny state

Not just for the rich and famous any more, nannies are on the rise in Kiwi households.

Jane Yee: Signing off

Jane Yee is returning to work and she and little Victor are signing off from Essential Mums, although she won't be blogging, you can still follow her on Twitter and Instagram.

Unwanted parenting advice

There is only one thing we can be certain of when we start a family: we're about to be inundated with advice. Advice we never asked for, advice we don't need.

Baptism of fire

OPINION: The pressure to christen your baby when you don't believe in it seems like a non-issue to a non-believer. Unfortunately for some, it is not this straightforward.