The Johnson's Baby Baby Sense Seminars were sold out with a waiting list in Durban this year. You know you must be offering something worthwhile if your Seminar is fully booked in Durban!

Well done to Meg Faure and Ann Richardson and their team of great speakers who covered practical parenting topics such as birthing options, the first 3 months after your baby is born, feeding your baby, stimulating your baby, vaccinations plus bedtime routines and sleep
solutions.

The speakers, all medical professionals and published authors, delivered their talks in an entertaining and engaging manner. The dads did not squirm (well not too much) and not too many of the pregnant moms ran off for a loo break. There was a mad dash during the snack break. A large percentage of parents attended both the morning and afternoon seminars, although fewer dads attended the afternoon session (the Springboks needed their support).

Fear of what to expect at the birth of your first baby and beyond can easily be dissipated by being informed and acquiring some of the knowledge of those in the know. The speakers aimed to dissipate this fear and empower parents and parents to be. Here are some highlights from the presentations.

Tina Otte is a warm and passionate speaker. She told us, "Don't be afraid, the birth is not as hard as you may think," and "The most important thing you can take into the birth room is an open mind." She explained the advantages of an active birth as opposed to lying in bed like a patient when you are not actually sick. She also made us aware of how useful gravity can be during labour to open up the pelvis and pointed out that it is free.

Meg Faure spoke on how to re-enact the womb world for the first 3 months after the birth of your baby to make the transition from the mom's womb to the world less stressful. Speaking with passion and confidence, she gave tips on how to encourage baby to have lots of tummy time necessary for strengthening muscles to prepare for rolling and crawling. She encouraged parents to "get on the floor" and be your child's best teacher because "learning happens best when somebody is speaking to somebody else in a physical, active environment in the context of a real relationship."

Anne Richardson demonstrated the Sr Anne's long arm swing useful for settling babies and gave out a recipe for cleaning stuffy noses. She gave an entertaining presentation on new born basics which included topics such as "poo, burping and farting" which had all the dads chuckling, plus some useful advice on creating dedicated zones for sleeping, eating and playtime. She encouraged her audience to learn to recognise and understand their baby's signals and to "invest time, effort and common sense" when raising your baby or toddler. She also recommended iron and magnesium supplements for babies and pro biotics for caesar babies.

Dr Simon Strachan spoke about temperatures, symptoms, when to panic and when not to panic. He emphasised the importance of vaccinations, "Vaccination is by far the best thing that has ever come out of medical science for reducing the burden of human suffering and premature death, especially among children." He recommended that parents don't give their baby or toddler Panado/Calpol before and after a vaccination unless the child is uncomfortable as it reduces the efficacy. He entertained the audience with comments such as, " teething is normal and causes teeth" and "parenting is easier the second time round because your first child trained you." He advised that green snot does not mean a bacterial infection that requires antibiotics unless it is accompanied by other symptoms and gave us a recipe for a rehydration solution. He told the moms and dads to be to prepare for new topics of conversation when they become parents. "You will talk about all the stuff that comes out of all your child's holes and you won't remember what you used to talk about before your child was born."

Katherine Megaw chatted about breast feeding in the morning session and when is the right time to introduce solids to your baby in the afternoon session. She recommended parents allow their baby to use their senses when introducing solids for the first time. "Let the baby be involved with the food by touching, feeling and smelling the food before you put the first spoon in the mouth." She encouraged social eating with the family around the table. Families that eat together form strong bonds.

Karen Hansen talked bout the benefits of touch in the form of massage and recommend a typical bed time routine as follows: Bath, massage, stories, cuddle time, sleep.

I chatted to some moms to be during the snack break to ask them what they thought of the seminar. They agreed that it is so much easier to learn and retain the information when you are watching an animated speaker and they like that the speakers highlight the most important points. There were also opportunities to ask questions at the end of each presentation. Of course the bag full of goodies, exhibitor giveaways and loads of prizes also made the seminars a whole lot more fun.

Parents and parents to be left the Johnson's Baby Baby Sense Seminars feeling pampered, less fearful and a lot more confident. If you have a toddler and you did not manage to get to a Johnson's Baby Baby Sense Seminar this year, then consider attending a Toddler Sense Seminar.

Meg Faure and Cara Mullin (that's me!)	Yummy mummies
Baby Sense Products at a lower price	Comparing bumps

Review by Cara Mullin

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