Cheeks’ Best Friend…

So, Cheeks has a best friend already! I know what you’re thinking – she’s only 7 months so how could she have a best friend? Well, Cheeks and Sophie’s friendship has been going strong for about 4 months now and they are pretty much inseparable. When Cheeks hears Sophie, her face lights up. When she sees Sophie, she gets so excited she reaches out to give her a good squeeze. But her absolute favourite thing to do with Sophie is to…BITE her! Don’t worry, I’m not raising a cannibal! Her best friend Sophie is probably the same best friend a lot of babies her age have – Sophie the Giraffe!

Sophie is this incredible teething toy that almost every baby loves. Its one of those toys that you bypass in the toy store, until you start talking to other parents and you realize it’s one of the best things since sliced bread when it comes to teething toys for babies! I think the thing that is most incredible about Sophie is that she was created to stimulate all of baby’s senses.

Sophie has typical giraffe spots – but these spots create light and dark colour contrasts which appeal to baby’s developing vision and make her easy to spot among her other toys. Sophie is made of natural rubber, which makes her smell identifiable to baby. Sophie squeaks when you squeeze her, and surprisingly the squeaky sounds she makes makes Cheeks smile and giggle so it’s appealing to my baby at least! Sophie is soft, smooth and very light in weight, with lots of grabby legs and other bits which makes her very easy for little ones to grasp and hold. Finally, Sophie is flexible with lots of different bits for baby to gnaw and chew on. If your teething baby is anything like mine, she will put Sophie’s head in her mouth and just rub away until she gets some type of relief from those annoying teeth trying to pop up!

Sophie is definitely one of the best teething toys Cheeks has received and I will now be gifting it to my other friend’s babies as they get to be teething age too! Thankfully it’s easily found on island as well as on Amazon so Mummies of Cayman – have no fear! Your little one’s Sophie is very near 😉

Until next time…

Cayman Mummy

Swim, Swim, Swim on A Summer’s Day!

So during this summer, Cheeks has started swim class, with a group of other equally adorable babies. I’ve always been of the mindset that if you live on an island, you need to know how to swim! Not only for the safety aspects but can you imagine how much fun you’ll miss out on as an older child?! I really wanted to get Cheeks comfortable in the water from an early age and thus…Baby Swim Club evolved! There are lots of amazing swim coaches on island, but we chose to go with Treasure Island Swim School because Coach Marie was so flexible with scheduling.

I have to say, so far it’s been a wonderful experience! Not only does it give Cheeks and I an opportunity to bond doing a fun activity, but it also gives us both the chance to socialize! Cheeks gets to interact with other babies her age and I get a chance to touch bases with other mummies to vent, chat about development etc. Win-Win on all sides!

All of the babies enjoying song time in the pool with their Mummies/Daddies….
(Photo courtesy of Renee High)

Looking for a fun baby swim club for your little one? Check out Coach Marie of the Treasure Island Swim School – www.aapcoaching.ky OR https://www.facebook.com/TreasureIslandSwimSchool.

Breastfeeding Benefits for MOTHERS

I meant to post this at the beginning of Breastfeeding Week – but better late than never! It’s well known the benefits of breastfeeding for BABIES, but did you know that breastfeeding also provides significant health benefits for mothers?! Definitely something to consider if you’re on that line between breastfeeding or formula feeding. Here are some of the wonderful health benefits breastfeeding mothers can look forward to…

1.) Breastfeeding helps to reduce the size of the mother’s uterus after child birth. It not only helps it get to closer to what it was pre-pregnancy size, but also does it more quickly as well!

2.) Breastfeeding acts like a natural tranquilizer for mom. I can personally attest to this one! Nursing and even expressing can be a great way for moms to calm down and relax during a stressful day. Had a rough day? Take baby to bed – the both of you will fall asleep very contented!

3.) Breastfeeding can reduce your chances of breast cancer. Breastfeeding your baby for 4-12 months can reduce your risk of breast cancer by 11 percent. Breastfeeding through toddlerhood (24 months or longer), your risk of breast cancer reduces by a whopping 25%!

4.) Breastfeeding reduces your risk of developing ovarian and endometrial cancers. There is definitely a trend between “female” cancers and breastfeeding and the research is piling up showing that the risk of developing many of these types of cancer reduces significantly with breastfeeding.

5.) Breastfeeding reduces your risk of osteoporosis. Women who have not breastfed are 4 times more likely to develop osteoporosis than women who breastfeed!

So for people who tell you that breastfeeding is too harsh on a mother’s body – check out the research behind these few positives and tell them it’s the other way around – breastfeeding helps to PROTECT a mother’s body! Happy Breastfeeding!

Until next time,

Cayman Mummy

Express Yourself!

If you’re a working mom like me, you probably have to do the dreaded “expressing” while at work. Breaking out the breast pump at work or at home to pump during the night/on the weekends can be very tedious. I’ve been working full time and expressing milk for over 4 months now to maintain what Cheeks needs while at daycare and sometimes I just wish I was still on maternity leave so I can just let her enjoy her milk straight from the tap! When I initially hit that “I really don’t feel like pumping right now” mood, I knew I didn’t have a choice but I decided to come up with things that I can make part of my expressing routine to make it mommy down time. Here are my “Top 5 Things To Do – While Expressing Breastmilk” 😉 – hope it gives you a chuckle!

1.) Eat or Drink (or both). Sometimes work and home life can be so hectic, moms just don’t have the time to eat and drink water the way they should. Eating a healthy diet and drinking lots of healthy fluids is important for any new mom but especially breastfeeding moms – we have to refuel our tanks and recharge our batteries or else, we can risk compromising our very precious milk supply. So take a breather, sit down and enjoy lunch and a nice, cool drink!

2.) Catch up on your Facebook posts. I used to be such a facebook junkie and now I barely check it the way I used to. Use this time to reconnect with friends and family. Or, if you’re anything like me, post updated pics of how your adorable little baby is growing! Checking out previous posts of your little one will definitely help during the expressing process as well and bring a sweet smile to your face in the middle of a hectic day.

3.) Play Candy Crush. Or Angry Birds. Or whatever other game you like to play. Sometimes as moms we don’t have time to unwind. So take a few minutes and do something completely mindless and ENJOY it.

4.) Catch up on a new book or your favourite magazine. I used to be an avid reader before Cheeks came along. Magazines and trashy novels were my favourite although I like to read almost anything. Just like playing games, it’s a great way for you to unwind and have some time that just for you.

5.) Catch up on your favourite TV shows. Whether its getting through the shows on your DVR or catching up on your favourite series on Netflix or Hulu – take some time to catch up on something that is what YOU like to watch. I especially like to do this when I’m expressing on weekends and I can take advantage of Daddy Duty between feeds.

Whatever your expressing routine is – look at it as an escape into you’re own private world rather than being hooked up to a milk machine – trust me you’ll be enjoying your pump sessions (or at least tolerating them a bit better) before you know it. Know that there are lots of other mommies just like you, taking snippets out of their day to express the liquid gold their little ones need. Keep up the great work!
Until next time!
Cayman Mummy