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MARCH 2018 THE No.1 PREGNANCY, BABY AND TODDLER MAGAZINE 

WWW.MOTHERANDBABY.CO.UK 

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THE UK’S BEST-SELLING MAGAZINE FOR MUMS 

Bundle 

of love 

Five simple steps to 

strengthen the 

bond with your baby 

A KIND OF MAGIC 

How hormones help 

you through labour 

The clever trick that 

speeds her back to sleep 

10 

BEST MINI-BREAKS 

TO TAKE WITH 

YOUR MINI-ME 

The secret to a happy 

relationship post-baby 

WIN KIT WORTH £2,959! 

Pregnancy 

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Contents 

p49 

Upfront 

6 News and views 

Our round-up of the latest 

essential parenting updates 

and key trends 

14 Over to you 

All your letters, photos, emails and 

Facebook posts 

On the 

Cover 

p59 

Bump&Birth 

20 It’s a kind of magic 

Discover how your hormones help 

you through labour 

26 Small change 

Make a big difference to your 

pregnancy with these tiny tweaks 

28 Pregnant proposals 

Extra-special engagements 

32 Sorted! 

Soothe tender boobs 

49 

How to build an 

34 Birth stories 

‘I gave birth to triplets’ 

unbreakable bond 

March 

37 Dress my bump 

Fashion for work and play 

Baby&Toddler 

40 Giggle! 

Get your little one laughing more 

46 Help him get back to 

sleep faster 

Try this clever nighttime trick 

49 Build an everlasting bond 

Create a secure relationship with 

your youngster that’ll last forever 

60 Hello snow! 

Head outdoors for some frosty fun 

63 Achoo! 

Speed your baby through a cold 

78 Take the plunge! 

Dive into the latest swimwear 

Life&Kids 

84 Upgrade your baby snaps 

Smart tips to take great pics 

88 Adventure awaits 

Broaden your little one’s horizons 

with this nursery scheme 

90 Try a little tenderness 

Bring back real romance to your 

relationship now you’re parents 

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60 

Enjoy some 

winter fun! 

Here to help 

Our experts answer all your questions 

70 Pregnancy 

71 Sleep 

73 Development 

74Eating 

4 | March 2018 | motherandbaby.co.uk

63 

Soothe your little one 

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95 Ease going back to work 

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96 The 10 best mini-breaks 

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100 Valentine’s treats 

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108 The big test 

Rotating car seats reviewed 

114 Six ways to… 

Soothe a cough 

116 Mum’s award 

The best baby travel buys 

118 Supermarket buys 

What’s new down the aisles 

120 40% off at babyGap 

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Exclusive offer for M&B readers 

123 Over the rainbow 

Add colour with these bright buys 

124 Giveaways 

Win kit worth over £2,720! 

130 Now I’m a mum, I know… 

Presenter Katie Piper shares all 

car seats tested 

by mums like you 

108Swivel

NOURISH 

YOUR BOND 

Special 

Step 

1 

Be a 

secure base 


What your baby or toddler wants 

most of all, after the basic 

needs of food and 

shelter have been 

met, is a relationship in which 

he feels secure, and in which 

he knows he belongs. ‘When 

a youngster has someone he 

can rely on, he has the 

potential to grow up 

believing that it’s OK to 

trust people,’ says Kent. 

‘That helps him to form 

good relationships. It helps 

him feel safe enough to go 

and explore the world. And 

it helps him to be positive 

about the world around him, 

because he knows, deep inside, 

that the world has good things 

to offer him.’ 

In the first year of his life, your 

baby simply needs someone who is 

there for him: to feed him, cuddle him and 

engage with him. ‘Some parents worry that 

they might “spoil” a baby if they’re too 

attentive to him, but babies need that close 

attention,’ says Kent. ‘It’s in these first 

months that they learn how much they 

matter, and that someone is there to share 

the world with them.’ 

So, even when your baby is very tiny, look 

for ways to let him set the pace of your 

interactions. ‘Babies often look away from 

their parents for a few seconds. They then 

look back,’ says Kent. ‘So let him look away 

without trying to regain his attention – but 

Be 

bigger, 

stronger, 

wiser and kind 

‘Children want to know that their parents 

are bigger, stronger, wiser and kind,’ says Kent. 

‘When your youngster feels that you are all 

those things, he feels protected and secure. 

That’s because he knows someone is in charge, 

is looking out for him, and has his best interests 

at heart. But you need to be all of those things: 

if you’re big and strong without being 

kind, you’ll be mean; if you’re kind 

without being strong and wise, 

you won’t feel like a source 

of protection.’ 

Try this! 

The Moment app 

(free, itunes.apple. 

com) keeps track 

of how much time 

you spend on your 

phone. If you’re 

anything like us, 

you’ll know it’s not 

a bad thing to set a 

few limits on your 

own screen-time! 

be ready to smile when he does look back. 

When you do this, you give him the 

message that his needs are valued 

and you’ll follow his lead. 

Remarkably, babies do 

pick up on this.’ 

As your youngster becomes 

more independent, this 

secure base needs to be 

more than somewhere 

from which he can venture, 

that’s always there for 

him to come back to. ‘As 

children start to walk and 

explore, they need you to 

be there for them, but also 

to be there with them,’ says 

Kent. ‘This means being present 

when your toddler tries something 

out, without trying to dominate 

or direct what he’s doing. It’s the 

difference between watching someone 

with interest and stepping in to tell him 

how to do it better!’ 

It’s all about being there when he needs 

you. ‘When you take your toddler to the 

park, watch him as he plays,’ says Kent. 

‘Even if he wants to climb or go on the 

slide on his own, and rejects 

your help, he still wants your 

attention as he does so. A toddler 

might rush ahead into the park, 

but he’ll still look back to check 

that his parent is emotionally with 

him. And if he sees his parent deep 

in conversation on the phone, 

instead, he’ll often visibly sag.’ 

Three ways to help build a secure base 

1 CONNECT 

Think about using 

eye contact, touch and 

tone to create moments of 

connection. So, when you 

look your little one in the 

eye, consciously feel your 

affection for him, use a loving 

tone of voice, or hold him to 

you. He’ll get a deep and 

immediate affirmation of 

the special and strong bond 

between you. 

SHARE 

2 

Create little rituals 

in your daily routine that 

are yours, and only yours. 

Simple, shared activities, 

like starting every day by 

saying, ‘Hello poppet, it’s 

lovely to see you,’ help your 

child feel that the world is 

predictable and safe. 

LEARN 

3 

Your baby is unique. 

And if you pay him close 

attention, you’ll start to learn 

all about which sounds, 

textures, movements and 

environments he likes. 

‘That will help you respond 

appropriately to his needs, 

which builds his sense of 

security,’ says Kent. 

motherandbaby.co.uk | March 2018 | 51

NOURISH 

YOUR BOND 

Special 

Step 

2 

Let him 

explore 

‘Humans have two important 

needs,’ says Kent. ‘One is 

the drive for autonomy, or 

independence, and the other is 

the desire for true connection 

with others. As a parent, 

you’ll see both those needs in 

your child. And as parents, 

we have to try and allow our 

children space to express each 

of them. So, we have to give 

them the opportunity to explore 

their world when they want to. But 

we also have to show them that we’re 

here when they feel vulnerable. And 

that’s not always an easy thing to balance!’ 

To find this happy medium, it helps 

if you can be objective about your own 

needs. Think now, for just a moment: when 

do you feel happiest? When your youngster 

is very close to you, or when he’s confidently 

trying out something new? ‘And now you 

know where you feel comfortable, you can 

prepare for situations where you feel less 

comfortable,’ says Kent. This helps you to 

make sure that your needs don’t interfere with 

accommodating both his drive to go off and 

explore, and his desire to be close to you. 

Support his need for independence, too, 

by giving him positive signals when he’s 

exploring something new. ‘Your youngster 

watches your face to make sense of new 

situations,’ says Kent. ‘If he sees that 

you are relaxed – for example, on 

his first day at nursery, or 

going on a new train 

journey together – he 

will be relaxed. And if 

he sees that you remain 

calm when he feels vulnerable and 

wants reassurance, he’ll be relaxed 

about that, too.’ 

‘I try 

to look at the 

world from my child’s 

perspective. When you’re going 

upstairs, for an adult the steps are 

at ankle height, but for your child 

they’re at knee height, so it's a bigger job 

for them! Being aware of how my kids 

perceive things helps me slow down and 

not rush them through the day, and I 

think that builds the trust between us.’ 

Claire Shepherd, 31, from Kendal, is 

mum to Theo, four months, 

and Poppy, four 


Step 

3 

Delight 

in him 

Read this! 

The That’s Not My… 

range of books 

(Usborne, £6.99) 

are packed with 

bright pictures, 

shiny surfaces and 

textured patches, 

for stimulating your 

little one’s 

curiosity, and 

creating an 

opportunity for 

you to share in 

his delight. 

‘With 

two older siblings, 

Millie often struggles to 

get a word in, so we have a 

rule that we all take it in turns to 

speak. So when Millie’s trying to say 

something, the older two have to 

be patient and listen. It helps 

her to feel valued by all of us.’ 

Abbie Churton, 43, from East 

Sussex, is mum to Millie, two, 

Frederica, seven, and 

Elliot, nine 

‘True self esteem comes not from our 

achievements or our looks, but from feeling 

that we are loved just as we are,’ says Kent. 

‘And when you delight in your child, when you 

show that you just enjoy being around him, 

whatever you happen to be doing together, 

his sense of self-worth blossoms.’ In our busy 

world, it can be really hard to slow down, 

so if you find this hard, start by setting aside 

five minutes to be fully present with your 

youngster, doing whatever he wants to do. 

Share tummy time with him, by 

lying opposite him, following his 

lead and chatting about what 

you’re doing. Go for a walk with 

your toddler, but go at his speed 

and squat down to look at all the 

things he finds – you won’t get very 

far, but he’ll love that you’re 

interested in his discoveries. 

And smile! ‘When your 

toddler is playing and 

glances up to see if he 

has your attention, 

smile at him with 

warmth and eye 

contact,’ says Kent. ‘If 

he grins back joyfully 

and turns back to what 

he was doing, you’ll 

know that he was looking 

to see your delight in him.’ 


Ingredients 

● 125g unsalted 

butter, softened 

● 150g caster 

sugar 

● 1 tbsp lemon 

zest 

● 2 eggs 

● 150g plain 

flour 

● 1 tsp baking 

powder 

TO DECORATE 

● 225g icing 

sugar 



● 1 tbsp water 

● A few drops 

of pink food 

colouring 

● 1 bag of pink 

marshmallows 

● Black and red 

writing icing 

● A little pink 

ready-to-roll icing 

Pink piggy 

cupcakes 

Prep: 30 minutes 

Cook: 18-20 minutes 

Makes: 10 cupcakes 

SUITABLE 

FROM 

1 YEAR 

Method 

1 Preheat the oven to 180˚C/ 

350˚F/gas mark 4. Put all the cake 

ingredients into a bowl or food processor 

and beat together until smooth. 

2 Line a bun tin with paper cases and 

half fill each case with the mixture. Bake 

in an oven for 18 to 20 minutes, until well 

risen and the cakes spring back when 

you press them with your fingertips. 

3 To make the buttercream, sieve the 

icing sugar into a bowl. Beat the butter 

until creamy in an electric mixer, and 

then gradually beat in the icing sugar. 

Finally, beat in the tablespoon of water. 

4 Mix a few drops of the food colouring 

into the buttercream and spread the pink 

icing on top of the cakes. Stick on a nose 

made from a large marshmallow and ears 

made from extra slices of marshmallow. 

5 Draw eyes and a smile with the red writing 

icing, and a snout using the black. Create a 

curly tail from the pink ready-to-roll icing. 

Fruit & 

granola pots 



SUITABLE 

FROM 

Makes: 8 pots (with 

1 YEAR 

additional granola left over) 

Method 

1 To make the granola, preheat the oven to 

150ºC/300ºF/gas mark 2. Put the oats, chopped 

pecans, coconut, salt and sugar in a large bowl, 

and mix together with a wooden spoon. 

2 Whisk the oil and syrup together in a jug or small 

bowl. Pour over the oats and mix well. Spread out 

on a lightly oiled baking sheet and bake in the 

centre of the oven for 40–45 minutes, stirring every 

15 minutes. Transfer to a bowl, stir in the raisins and 

dried cranberries, and leave to cool. 

3 Mix the double cream and yoghurt together with 

a little maple syrup to taste. Layer up the glasses 

with the granola, yoghurt and cream mixture and, 

finally, some sliced strawberries and raspberries, 

and a sprig of mint to finish. If you like you can tie a 

wooden spoon around the glasses with some string. 

Ingredients 

● 175g rolled 

oats 

● 70g coarsely 

chopped pecans 

● 20g 

desiccated 

coconut 

● ¼ tsp salt 

● 60g soft 

brown sugar 

● 2 tbsp 

sunflower oil 

● 4 tbsp 

maple syrup 

● 25g raisins 

● 25g dried 

cranberries 

● 150ml double 

cream 

● 150g Greek 

yoghurt 

● A little maple 

syrup, to taste 

● 100g each 

raspberries and 

strawberries 

● Fresh mint 


Raspberry & chocolate heart cake 


(plus setting time) 


Makes: 8-10 portions 

Method 

1 Preheat the oven to 

180°C/350°F/gas mark 4. 

Grease and line the base 

of two 20cm heart-shaped 

(or round) sandwich tins. 

2 Combine all the cake 

ingredients, using an electric 

whisk, until smooth. Spoon 

into the prepared tins and 

level the top. Bake for 35-40 

minutes, until well risen and 

shrinking away from the 

sides. Remove from the 

tins and leave to cool on 

a wire rack. 

3 To make the filling, whisk 

the cream until stiff, then 

fold in the raspberries 

and spread over the bottom 

layer of the cake. Place the 

second sponge on top of the 

cream and press down. 

4 For the icing, melt the jam 

in a saucepan until runny, 

then spread over the top 

of the cake. 

4 Melt the chocolate and 

butter together in a small 

bowl set over a pan of 

simmering water (make sure 

the bowl doesn’t touch the 

water), then leave to cool 

and thicken a little. 

5 Spread over the top of 

the cake. Leave to set for 

1 hour, then decorate with 

raspberries and petals. 

Serve with a little pouring 

cream, if you like. 

Ingredients 



● 180g caster sugar 

● 180g self-raising 

flour 

● 30g cocoa powder 

● 3 large eggs 

● 2 tbsp milk 

FOR THE FILLING 

● 200ml double cream 

● 150g raspberries 

FOR THE ICING 

● 2 tbsp raspberry jam 

● 100g dark chocolate 

● 30g unsalted butter 

TO DECORATE 

● A few raspberries 

● A few edible 

rose petals 

SUITABLE 

FROM 

1 YEAR 

Find lots 

more inspiration with 

Annabel’s Baby & Toddler 

Recipe App, new and updated 

with over 200 delicious 

recipes for tasty, nutritious 

mealtimes – and clean 

plates! Available via the 

app store or visit 

annabelkarmel. 

com 


LOVE STORY 

WORDS NIKKI DUTTON PHOTOGRAPHY GETTY IMAGES 

Try a little 

TENDERNESS 

Forget sex: now you’ve had a baby, it’s time to rethink what 

real romance means and bring more of it into your relationship 

Ah, remember those early, heady 

days with your partner, when 

romance meant a big bunch of 

flowers, an expensive meal or 

talking until the sun came up? 

Since having a baby, it might 

feel like that kind of love has packed its bags 

and left, sometime in between a nappy change 

and a sleepless night. But having a baby 

together, with all of the challenges as well as 

the magical moments it brings, can lead to a 

healthier, happier relationship, and mean you 

discover more ways to love your partner than 

you ever imagined. So forget trying to recreate 

what you used to have, now you’re parents it’s 

time to move your relationship on to become 

a more genuine romance that’s better than ever. 

‘Having a baby is the most wonderful, 

stressful and life-changing thing you and your 

partner will do together,’ says relationship 

specialist Wendy Capewell. ‘And once your 

baby arrives and becomes the centre of both 

MEET THE 

EXPERT 

Wendy Capewell 

is a relationship 

specialist, counsellor 

and author of From 

Surviving to Thriving 

in a Romantic 

Relationship 

(CreateSpace 

Publishing, £7.99); 

wendycapewell.co.uk 

‘My fiancé Ralph 

regularly asks me how 

I’m feeling, and gives me the 

time to chat through any 

worries, which I appreciate as 

it’s so easy for everything to 

become just about our baby.’ 

Tanith Batterham, 32, from 

Nottingham, is mum to Grace, 

four months 

of your worlds, it’s only natural that your 

relationship will change. 

‘But being constantly bombarded with 

images on TV and social media of happy, 

contented families, where everyone snuggles 

in bed together in the morning, and no-one 

gets ratty, can lead to us having unrealistic 

expectations about what our relationship 

should be like after having a baby. The reality 

is that babies put a lot of pressure on even the 

strongest of partnerships. But finding ways 

to support each other through these ups 

and downs of parenthood can make your 

relationship a whole lot stronger and far more 

intimate than it was before your baby arrived.’ 

LET’S TALK ABOUT SEX 

Let’s get straight to the point and get this bit 

sorted from the get-go shall we? If you’re not 

having much sex – or any at all, thank you 

very much – since your baby came along, 

then that’s perfectly normal. In a recent 

survey, a quarter of couples revealed they 

didn’t have sex for six months or longer after 

having a baby. And shelving sex for the time 

being won’t harm your relationship a jot – as 

long as you and your partner talk about 

it. If you’re struggling to start the 

conversation, try ‘I know you 

want to be close to me, 

but I’m too tired and 

uncomfortable right 

now.’ Or if you’re 

worried that sex isn’t 

on his agenda, then 

‘It’s great that we can 

still feel close without 

having sex’ is a great 

icebreaker. What’s 

important is that you air 

that elephant in the room, 

so you both know the other 

isn’t feeling rejected. ‘It’s not how 


motherandbaby.co.uk | 2017 | 91 

a 

e 

of 

fac 

mo

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