Parenting UNPLUGGED

Sport is big business in Australia with over 69% of children playing sport and $2.3 billion spent in the field every year. Nathan Parnham is an elite sports professional as well as a new father and a qualified teacher. He has over 17 years’ experience working as a strength and conditioning coach and has worked for some of the biggest teams in the NRL, as well as with the Australian rugby women’s 7 team.More importantly Nathan is one of only three coaches in Australia who has worked across both genders. Nathan shares his valuable insights about children’s sport in a unique new book, called THE SPORTING PARENT. The book aims to assist parents in navigating the confusing world of kids sport including how to choose the best sport for your child, options for professional pathways, the importance of physical literacy, and includes rare insights from some well-known professional athletes.In this interview I ask Nathan all about children's sport, movement and how to keep our kids involved in sport for life.You can find the Sporting Parent at www.nathanparham.com

Sarah has been selected to replace MasterChef judge, Andy Allen as one of the hosts on Network Ten’s cooking and lifestyle show, FARM TO FORK. Sarah experienced meteoric success since her first appearance as a MasterChef Australia contestant in Season 6 in 2014, where she was a favourite to win. Sarah has since become one the most renowned names in the world Indian food scene and has cooked alongside some of the world’s most renowned names including Heston Blumenthal and Marco Pierre White. Sarah has also opened three highly successful restaurants of her own, with her restaurant in Goa just reopening post lockdown in India.Her biggest project however has been her 9 year old son, Phoenix and the outcomes of COVID in her life have provided a great opportunity to reassess and reconnect with her young son. We caught up with Sarah to ask her about her restaurants, parenting and how she keeps her son eating a variety of foods! Take a listen:You can find Sarah and her amazing recipes at: https://www.instagram.com/sarahtodd/

Raised by her grandmother after her mother passed away when she was five, award winning comedian Jenny Wynter soon discovered humour as a form of pain relief during her early childhood. In 2004, her life as mother of two kids under the age of two propelled her to leap into the world of stand-up comedy. A few months later Jenny was awarded the Brisbane, Lord Mayor’s Fellowship for New and Emerging Artists and found herself en route to USA for intensive comedy training - and an experience that would change the course of her life! Fifteen years later, Jenny Wynter is now a well-known Aussie comedian who recently completed the first live tour across Queensland post COVID-19! The FUNNY MUMMIES COMEDY GALA. The tour coincided with the release of Jenny’s new memoir, FUNNY MUMMY which shares a highly personal account of Jenny’s life as she navigates grief, divorce, unplanned parenthood and her bipolar 2 disorder. I caught up with Jenny to ask her about parenting, COVID and laughter as medicine. Take a listen.You can find FUNNY MUMMY and join Funny Mummy's on Facebook at Jenny's website:https://www.jennywynter.com/

Beloved author, columnist and podcast host Jamila Rizvi releases her first children's book to help children deal with the COVID-19.I'm a Hero Too is Jamila Rizvi's first book for children, inspired by discussions with her own child as she attempted to explain our changing world amidst the pandemic. Sarah caught up with Jamila to ask her about the book, how they have coped through lock down and as an author of adult books, how different it is writing a for children!Take a listen…I'm a HERO too, is available from all good book stores.

To sterilise or not to sterilise?I’ve got to be honest, I never really sterilised anything when my kids were little so I found this interview very interesting. (Note: I feel like I should say that my kids also wouldn't take the bottle (nightmare!), just the boob, so I guess I didn't worry about bottles!)I caught up with Tracey, the baby store manager from Nice Pak, who has over 16-years experience in the baby space, to pick her brain on sterilising.We spoke about the necessity of sterilising, the types of sterilising, how long to sterilise for and what to sterilise!Take a listen here…Let us know your thoughts - did you sterilise absolutely everything when bub was born, or did you just sterilise the main things, like bottles?To find out more you can visit www.miltonbaby.com.au

Post Natal Belly WrappingI had never heard of it however after asking around, I found out it’s hugely popular!I caught up with Lee from Nice Pak products who distribute the Belly Bandit here in Australia, and started by asking him ‘What is Belly Wrapping?”Take a listen…You can find out more about Post Natal Belly Wrapping and look at the product options at www.bellybandit.com.au

We went LIVE with Nataly from The Parentmedic Movement to talk about Baby Rashes! What they can look like, what they might mean and when to seek further help and advice. Nataly is the founder of The Parentmedic Movement, a national social enterprise that helps to deliver first aid and safety classes to Australian families. She is a Top 100 Women of Influence and a good friend of mine. She is an amazing educator and has an amazing way of delivering her message. Take a listen..You can find the First Aid online course info HERE.Check out Sudocrem HERE.Get in touch with The Parentmedic Movement HERE.

I’m drinking waaaay too much coffee at the moment! Thinking of my second cup by 10am. Thanks COVID! Given my insatiable appetite for coffee at the moment I thought I would find out how many coffees are too many and chat to the founder of Luxey Cup, Sandra Lee. In this light-hearted interview on Mum Life during COVID we touch briefly on the serious side of our take-out coffee consumption and what it’s doing to the planet.Take a listen…Find out about LUXEY here.

It wasn’t that long ago we thought Mums who had a preterm baby couldn’t be successful at breastfeeding however we have come leaps and bounds in our knowledge over the last decade or so. We now know that Mums, given the right support, can achieve full supply. Sarah caught up with Kristy, Medela’s Lactation Consultant to ask her how we can support Mums, the steps we can take to breastfeed successfully or gain support if we can’t. Take a listen. More information can be found at www.medela.com.au

In this repeated episode we catch up with Maggie to find out how Dads can have such an instrumental impact on their children's lives and how it can vary greatly from raising boys to raising girls.We spoke about:- The role of Dads early on- The role of Dad when children are growing and how this varies when fathering boys and girls- Step Dads- Single Mum familiesMaggie has a wealth of knowledge and shares her information clearly.To find out more about Maggie Dent, her books, workshops and webinars, please visit MAGGIE'S WEBSITE!

Have your little ones reached the age where they might be ready for the big toilet? Before you start, or if you have started but need some guidance, listen to this interview filled with advice and tips to help get our little ones out of nappies and onto the loo. Sarah interviews Tracey Sutton, continence therapist with thanks from PodCast sponsor BabyU. BabyU have a range of great products to support the toilet training journey. Simply visit www.babyu.com.au

You’re pregnant with twins, or have just welcomed two bundles of joy into the world.Wondering how you are going to manage?How do you breastfeed two?We caught up with Kristy, Medela’s Lactation Consultant to find out all you need to know…Here’s what we asked:1. What are some of the most common concerns you hear from Mums who are breastfeeding twins?2. Expecting Mums of twins – how do you advise they start preparing?3. OK, so we have two bundles of joy – how do we manage feeding both? Where do we even start? What’s your advice on routines?4. How can Medela help?Take a listen…Note: the demonstration of the breastfeeding pump in the PodCast can be viewed in the video at https://www.littlerockersradio.com.au/parenting-unplugged-podcast-birth-to-fiveMore info can be found at www.medela.com.au, all of the links are also at www.littlerockersradio.com.auEvery baby is different. Remember to march to the beat of your own drum and find a routine that suits you and your babies.

It takes a village to raise a child is an African proverb that means that an entire community of people must interact with children for those children to experience and grow in a safe and healthy environment.That’s the saying, but the village for many is missing. Times have changed, for many we live a long way from our family, we don’t know our neighbours and we struggle to find the physical and emotional support that we need. So, what do we do?In this episode of Parenting Unplugged we caught up with Ashley from Motherhood Circle to ask her how we find and build our circle of support.Ashley went through many challenges after having her two bubs that she now wants to support parents through their journeys. Ashley believes it takes a village to raise a Mother and talks about what this means.Here’s what we chatted about…The notion of ‘it takes a village’ really is fading. How important is it for us to have a circle of support?For those of us without a ‘village’ – how do we start to build one?What advice do you offer mothers or fathers who need support?Take a listen…My voice is a little echoey as I sat in a different room for this interview…Links for further information:Full interview also at https://www.littlerockersradio.com.au/parenting-unplugged-podcast-birth-to-fiveHere’s the Postpartum Planner Ashley refers to in our interview: https://themotherhoodcircle.com.au/postpartum-kit/More on Ashley can be found here:https://themotherhoodcircle.com.au/https://www.facebook.com/themotherhoodcircle/

The recent bush fires in Queensland and NSW have had a devastating effect on families, property, wildlife and bush land.As a result, the air quality is currently worse than Beijing, as haze from bush fires blankets many communities.We are told to stay indoors on those days with high risk and can be left wondering what we can do. So, to help us with this we caught up with Laura from Snotty Noses Australia who is passionate about helping our little ones to breathe easy year round.

Returning to work can be extremely overwhelming when you have just spent weeks and/or months at home with your baby. If you are returning to work, continuing breastfeeding and wondering how to manage it all we thought we would catch up with Kristy, Lactation Consultant from Medela to find out all you need to know….Here’s what we spoke about…The emotional journey for Mums.What are the benefits of continued breastfeeding when we return to work?According to the World Health Organisation (WHO) how long should we breastfeed?How do we start preparing for returning to work?What about the conversations we need to have with our employer and also our child care provider (if our baby is going into childcare)?What’s you advice for pumping while at work – what conversations should we be having with our employer prior to returning?For more information on Medela and their Returning to work program you can visit www.medela.com.au

100,000 Australian families are affected by perinatal anxiety and depression each year.New data from over 25,000 expecting and new parents reveals the devastating consequences of perinatal anxiety and depression for the whole family unit.This Perinatal Anxiety & Depression Awareness (PANDA) Week, Australians are encouraged to get real about perinatal mental illness.Sarah caught up with CEO of PANDA, Julie to ask her more and find out how we can seek help.

It seems crazy but one of the things I hated doing when the kids were young was cutting their nails. I would do anything to avoid it… Turns out I’m not the only one that would freak out.We caught up with Laura from Snotty Noses Australia to ask her about baby’s nails - some facts and tips for trimming. Here’s her advice…

Introducing Parenting UNPLUGGED. The PodCast where we talk all things parenting, from poo to spew, development, child care, Mum and Dad Life, sleep and more. So, grab a cuppa or hide yourself away in the cupboard or on the toilet and take a few minutes to listen to the topics that interest you!This show was previously The Rocking Parenthood Show.