Welcome to my blog!
I’m Karen Langston, Sleep and Post Natal support expert and can support you wherever you are through Skype or Telephone Consultations, or in person in parts of London. Over the years, I’ve published many articles on topics such as Baby Care, Sleep, Feeding and Parenting and (Breast)feeding on my blog. Please do not hesitate to contact me to explore how I can help you and your family!
Pace feeding: what it means and how it can help you and your baby
Pace feeding is something that I practice with all the new-born’s that I work with, it is a great way to mimic breast feeding, and it is also good practice for babies who are bottle fed. Pacing the amount of milk your baby gets through the bottle will help the flow of...
Cat-napping – what causes your baby to wake?
As a sleep coach and occasionally in my role as a maternity nurse I get asked many questions about cat-napping. Why babies can go from napping well throughout the day to only getting thirty minutes for what seems like no reason. Let me start by telling you that it is...
Everything you need to know about swaddling your baby
As a maternity nurse, often there are questions from first time parents about swaddling and whether it is the right option. Every family is different, but here are some of the facts we know about the benefits and potential risks of swaddling. What exactly is...
The unexpected truth as a new parent
There is a lot of information out there that tells you what you can expect when you have a new-born and become a parent for the first time. Much of the detail is seen through rose-tinted glasses and tells you about how incredible it is to become a new parent, how your...
The importance of sleep for mothers
Are you a new parent? Do you find that you are spending each day feeling bleary eyed? Are you just praying for a night of uninterrupted sleep with your baby? Allow your sleep consultant in Hertfordshire to help. If you answered yes to those questions, don’t despair,...
The importance of sleep for babies by your London sleep consultant
How important sleep really is for your baby Your London sleep consultant view is that sleep is one of the most important aspects of your baby’s life, there are so many factors in their development which are improved by the right amount of sleep. ‘What is the right...
Recovery after birth of your baby and regaining fitness
Last week we had a really interesting chat with Vanessa Barker who is a personal trainer and Pilates instructor specialising in postnatal exercise. We talked about ways in which we can navigate through early months to enable women to make a...
Top Tips for Weaning
Congratulations, you’ve managed the first few months as a new parent. Your baby is very happy with their milk feeds and you then hear about weaning! What is weaning? Weaning is the term used for the change from milk for...
4th Trimester
Congratulations! Your baby has finally arrived. Nine long months of waiting for this amazing being that you have created. You are overwhelmed with the miracle that has just occurred. The 4th Trimester is the three months following the birth of your baby in which...
How does having a baby affect your relationship
Having a baby can be amazing but can also feel like a crisis. More importantly your life is never going to be the same again and we all handle this in different ways. As a result, your relationship with your partner can be put under pressure therefore it is...
Fatherhood – Perspective of a new dad
What, now that baby is here, has been the greatest joy of fatherhood? It’s amazing to think that you made the little person in front of you. It’s a funny feeling really – Generally I fell awesomely scared and petrified but also so grateful to have him in our life – I guess that is the joy bit.
Baby Sleep Cues
Understanding what message your baby is giving you is so important to helping understand when they are ready to sleep. In this short video blog I suggest practical tips to help you understand your baby’s sleep cues.
Understanding your baby’s sleep cycles
Having a clear simple sleep plan in place can help you support baby to fall asleep. It is vitally important that you plan how how you can be consistent with them when they wake in the night and understand their sleep cycles to make your approach more focussed and effective.
Reflux sucks!
Life with a new baby should feel happy and joyful! Reflux hits so many families i support and often brings them to their knees! Reflux sucks and it doesn’t just effect the baby but the whole family!
Tips for Early Risers!
So what can you do if your baby or toddler is an early riser! I have 5 tips to help you with this. As a baby sleep consultant I can help you in improving your baby sleep training.
Sleep Training Twins
After I completed my sleep support plan with Emma and her twins Ellie and Dominic I was so delighted to see the difference it had made on the whole family! We focused on one twin at a time and amazingly the parents saw the difference in their sleep habits almost immediately!
World Prematurity Day 2017- Premature Mum!
World Prematurity Day 2017 nothing can prepare you if it happens, its scary, the uncertainty, the emotional stress! A year on and my boys have come on the furthest and have made the most of this incredible journey!
Sleep Support for Parents
A Testimonial from a Sleep Deprived Mum As first time parents you get lots of unhelpful advice, especially when you have a problem. Our problem was that we hadn't had a full night's sleep for 20 months and the cracks were really showing! Our daughter would need...
Essential Tips – Baby Sleep
Life as new parents feels like an endless blur of feeding, changing, crying and more crying! Sleep deprivation kicks in! Help is at hand with tips and one to one baby sleep support for parents with new baby.
Tongue Tie
It seems the numbers of babies born with tongue-tie is on the rise, or are we just more aware of this condition now? If there was an issue years ago what normally happened was babies were given a bottle, but now mothers are being encouraged to breastfeed.
Premature Mum – An Emotional Journey
The reflections of a premature mum and her emotional recounting of her journey, its trials and tribulations, and eventual joy in having her premature twin boys
How did my little boy grow up so fast!
How did my son grow up so fast reflects on the journey of motherhood and letting go when the time comes.
Parenthood is the hardest job in the world?
Parenthood is the hardest job. It’s relentless, unpredictable, overwhelming, fantastic, exhausting! Everything that people tell you and more. I don’t honestly think anything can prepare you for what it’s really like in the early weeks of being new parents.
Surviving Christmas with a baby!
The excitement of your new baby combined with the sentiment of Christmas often brings huge stress!!! Everyone wants some time with your baby including you!! Your parents invite you to stay over at their house, don’t worry about packing they’ve set up a nursery; your husbands family want to see baby too so you compromise and say you will spend Boxing day with them, they live a 100 miles away!!
The Cobbled Kitchen
I’m a mother of two boys in my mid-40s who decided 2 years ago that I could no longer be a secondary school teacher as well as a mum! And so, it came to a “now or never” moment to pursue the idea of being self-employed and doing what I love – cooking and teaching.
Plums are in season!
You can introduce plums to a weaning baby from 6 months old. All varieties of plums are very nutritious, they are high in fibre, low in cholesterol, sodium free and rich in Vitamin A & Vitamin K and contain minerals like iron and potassium. They are also great for helping constipation! Plums don’t pose a high allergy risk so a great fruit to introduce to a baby that is weaning.
Moving baby into their own bedroom!
Moving your baby into their own bedroom can feel daunting for some parents! As it can feel another big step from helpless newborn to little person! Many parents just feel they don’t want their baby out of their sight!
Fertility at 40!
While exploring fertility treatment I felt there was a real stigma attached to older mothers in particular. What makes me cross is that a lot of people think women are leaving motherhood too late for selfish reasons, when in fact many may not have met the right man or may have experienced many years of not being able to conceive.
What do new mums talk about?
Often the conversation is just about their new offspring, with no mention of life outside babies! No chat about career paths, social events (unless it involves the baby), interests or anything else beyond being a mum!
Sleep Easy!
Sleep is a basic ability that all babies are naturally born to develop! Yes that’s right develop! As they grow they start to need healthy sleep, but of course newborns need our help to soothe, calm and settle….
Mum really knows best!
From the moment you conceive everybody has their opinion on how you should raise your baby, from what kind of birth you have, to how to feed your baby…
Baby food
Weaning is a natural process in which you gradually introduce your baby to “solid” foods. There are two main reason for weaning: one is nutritional and the other is social. The recommended advice from health specialists is not to begin weaning your baby until they are around 6 months old. However some babies aren’t completely satisfied on milk alone and can start weaning from around 20 weeks, but not before 17 weeks as your baby’s gut is simply not mature enough to cope with baby food.
Facial Expressions!
Babies and children look to the adults they trust to provide them with clues to safely guide their explorations. The clues often come from the parent’s non-verbal behaviour, in particular the facial expression.
a2 Milk
We are told “breast is best” as it provides anti-bodies passed down from Mum to her baby, that help protect babies against cold, tummy bugs, chest infections and ear infections. But there is another less publicised benefit of breast milk a2 Milk Company say, the beta casein protein in human breast milk is of the A2 type by virtue of its structure and digestion, and does not contain the A1 form of this protein found in cows’ milk.
Baby Teething – signs and symptoms
Signs & symptoms of baby teething can vary greatly from one baby to the next. A baby’s first tooth can appear anytime between three and 12 months
The Witching Hour – when new born babies scream!!
No one will warn you in advance, that each evening, your baby will use every ounce of his energy to cry very loudly, and that everything you try will simply make him cry louder. And the witching hour name is misleading, because it can last much longer than an hour!!
Spooky Cup Cakes
Its half term week and this week I had a lovely fun morning with Lady T a fun energetic 6 year old!! She loves baking, so as its Halloween this week I decided we would make some spooky cup cakes together!
Do you agree with trick or treat?
Will your kids be trick or treating this year? Do you find it fun or begging in disguise? Trick or treating is celebrated in many countries on Halloween.This blog looks at the positives and negatives of this celebration and how to make it more enjoyable and safe for all involved.
Surviving clock changes with your little ones!
When the clocks fall back it means we gain an extra hour of sleep, except babies don’t quite understand this! This blog gives tips to parents on how to cope with this change by gradually adjusting your child’s sleeping routine to help their body clock adjust smoothly.
Infant Massage
Massage is a lovely way for parents to develop a special physical bond with their baby. Infant massage can help promote a positive relationship with baby, especially for Dad if he is not able to be involved in the feeding of baby during the early months. I am now organising baby massage and shiatsu classes in Hertfordshire, providing step by step massage strokes, gentle exercises and relaxation techniques that benefit both mum, dad and baby.
Baby Massage Course
Are you struggling with a lack of sleep? Dealing with a crying baby can be upsetting. Stress affects the attachment growing between you and your child. Baby massage can help. Our Baby massage classes teach you how to help your child sleep, ease teething or deal with...
Was your birth less than perfect?
For many mothers now-days they have negative birth experiences, this is due to many contributing factors, a woman needs the support of a known , trusted midwife, choice of where to give birth, at home, birthing centre or on a labour ward and the opportunity to have the best birth possible!
Prepare your child for school
With half of all five year olds declared not ready for school this blog explores what a parent can do to prepare your child for school and outlines skill areas and support that is available for parents to help their child prepare for school.
Starting big school!
Many parents feel some anxiety about their child starting formal education. Whether its starting nursery school or reception, this jump is a big step.
Breastfeeding and Postnatal Depression
Recent reports highlight the increased link for new mums experiencing difficulties with breastfeeding and postnatal depression. This blog attempts to reassure mums experiencing difficulties with breastfeeding that bottle is fine and that so many people share this issue that it is normal not exceptional.
Fostering: Key Considerations and Benefits
A guest blog written by the NFA as a guide to the benefits of fostering and the key attributes and considerations foster parents need to have before making this important and life changing decision.
Summer Holiday in the UK
Summer holiday in the UK recounts a great vacation location in Milford on Sea in Hampshire as a great place to holiday in the UK with your family and dogs. With dog friendly beaches, fantastic coastal and forest walks its a great place to escape to in the UK.
How to create a positive play date.
Eight tips for creating a positive play date experience for your child and yourself and things to think about in advance of the play date to encourage sharing.
Common Sleep Problems
This parenting tool gives practical tips to deal with common sleep problems experienced with babies and toddlers making suggestions for good sleep routines. Establishing good habits with feeding, bath time and calming activities help prepare for a good night’s sleep for baby and parents.
The Importance of Sleep
The importance of sleep blog explores how sleep helps babies develop and identifies practical tips for how to establish good sleeping routines and habits.
No substitute for getting your child’s hands dirty!
Many parents admit it’s easier to give children modern technology than providing activities to help their toddlers explore! With the availability and instant attraction of modern technology it is easy to be lulled into using this to stimulate little ones.
Weaning Baby Course
Parents & Co are holding a one off course on ‘weaning baby’ for anyone who has a baby approaching weaning age or for Mums struggling with fussy little eaters. Our expert speaker Julia Wolman (www.juliawolman.co.uk) will deliver a fun & informative session giving you the knowledge to develop good healthy eaters!
Five things no one tells you about weaning!
Feeding your baby well from the start gives them a good foundation for healthy eating habits through life. So why then is weaning advice is so conflicting and confusing? Here are a few of the things you should know to help get your baby started on the right path to eating well, for life.
Over feeding Babies can lead to physical illiteracy
The potential of young children to develop good fundamental movement skills is being undermined by early overfeeding of babies.
Toddler Tantrums
Terrible Twos means the start of toddler tantrums? The actual word tantrum strikes fear with even the hardiest parent! Really your toddler is just trying to express themselves and at times frustration sets in and displays itself as a tantrum!
Dummies
During the early months a dummy can help to soothe and settle. This is understandable; as most babies have a strong sucking reflex and the dummy can, in many cases, help to settle your baby. Sometimes a dummy can soothe a baby’s cries when nothing else can, particularly for ‘sucky’ babies. In the US they call dummies pacifiers!
What Katy Said – Cloth Nappies
People have the misconception that reusables are a hassle. Older generations tell us that they were awful and we should stick to disposables as they are ‘easy’. However, times have changed and modern cloth nappies work just like disposables – they even have Velcro, so no more pins!
Teaching children to problem solve!
Children need to be able to solve their own problems. As adults we all too often jump in and deal with their problem for them, not allowing them to try and work it out for themselves. They also need to understand that there can be consequences to their behaviour when not working things out for themselves.
What would I tell first time Mums to be?
What would I tell first time Mums to be? – an honest account & practical tips on what to expect from one new mums perspective….
My Top Ten Tips for Preparing for a New Baby
It’s true when they say that you can never really be fully prepared for the birth of a new baby, but there are things you can do to help ease the process. Having two baby boys myself, I’ve compiled a list of my ten top tips for preparing for a new baby:
Personalised Gifts
Guest blog from Bundles of Joy on why personalised gifts are a perfect way to show care and thought, and personalisation takes shape in many forms. From engraving to printing, painting to vinyl stickers, the choices are vast and easily accessible to everyone in this multimedia age.
Potty Training Tips
Potty training certainly isn’t one of the easiest challenges that parents face but with a few good helpful tips from those of us that have successfully conquered potty training to get toddlers out of nappies and into knickers, hopefully it will feel a little less daunting!
World Down Syndrome Day 2014
Children are being encouraged to support this special day (21st March 2014) by wearing their funkiest and brightest tights or socks. Parents & Co will be helping to raise money for World Down Syndrome Day 21st March by donating £1.00 for every pair of Slugs & Snails tights sold from our website during the week commencing 17th March till 22nd March 2014.
BabyBangle Teether
Izzy Melody I.M. BabyBangle teether is a teething bangle for Mummy to wear and for baby to chew on, a teething aid that is also a piece of jewellery a brilliant idea! They are extremely lightweight and easy for little teethers to hold, being a bangle they are the perfect shape for babies to grip and are suitable from birth, they will safely soothe little ones achy gums.
A new Mums emotional journey in first 6 weeks
I’m going to be honest here… I’m going to tell you all how I have been emotionally these past six weeks. Let me warn you it’s not pretty!
Combination Feeding of Baby
Are you worried about moving from breast-feeding to bottle? No need to be, as you can do combination feeding.
Breast to Bottle Combination Feeding
Breast to bottle feeding is a challenge for all mummy’s and combination feeding for a time is needed to make the transition. This is a really interesting review from a mummy who for the first time introduces the Award winning Mimijumi bottle to her fully#breastfeed #baby
Pampering tips for busy mums!
Simple pampering tips for busy mums! Make time for yourself, even if it’s just for a few hours, a relaxed mum makes relaxed babies! So simple pampering can be:
Calm baby through a special bathing technique
This has got to be one of the most wonderful videos I’ve ever seen! “Cute alert” If it doesn’t get have you aw-ing out loud, I’m not sure what will!
Newborn Babies: the early weeks
This is where sleep becomes scarce and you have no time for your self, but the love you will feel will help ease these times and together you will start to create an intimate relationship that will become the foundation of babies emotional well being.
Baby Safety & Child Proofing
Keeping your baby safe before they are on the move includes child proofing your home. To prevent accidents you will need to make some changes to your home. Also on children’s toys and equipment that you purchase make sure they display the safety symbols.
Baby Sleep
I would say one of the most challenging parts of bring your new baby home is sleep deprivation for parents. Newborns will sleep for approximately 15-17 hours per day, divided between day and night. Although they require a lot of sleep, the sleep time can be separated anywhere from 30 minutes to 3 to 4 hour segments.
Feeding Baby
Whichever decision you make, breast or formula, won’t be the wrong decision as it needs to be right for you and your baby. To help you make the right choice firstly speak to your doctor or a healthcare expert, but below are some facts to help you with your decision.
Childcare
Choosing the right childcare for your baby can be a difficult and time-consuming process. You are choosing and entrusting the person who will act as ‘you’ when you’re not around! You need to think about your requirements, do you need help full-time, you may be going back to work and have a full schedule; or part-time help might be more suitable, where perhaps a Nanny share could be a consideration.
Baby Bath Time
All babies are covered in a white sticky substance called vernix when they are in the womb and this is naturally moisturising. Many babies are born with this sticky substance and it should be left ideally to absorb into your babies skin.
Weaning
There are two options to weaning, baby led or spoon fed weaning. The spoon fed is a more traditional method where parents feed babies puréed food. Alternatively the baby led method means only feeding your little ones real food, this means you can incorporate baby into family meals.
Baby Development
Babies develop at a rapid rate, when you bring your newborn home they are already adjusting to their new environment. They will spend most of their time sleeping and feeding in the first few weeks. Although your baby appears not to be doing much they are taking lots in.
Baby Essentials
It is really useful to have a guide to help parents to plan for the essential things you will need as you prepare for your baby’s arrival. Remember babies grow very quickly!
Premature assumptions
I always assumed that mums with sick children or with babies in the NICU were simply more capable. They were genetically filled with hope, gifted with a wealth of confidence and oozing with fortitude. They were proof that God never gave a person more than they could handle. They were born to weather trials, wired to somehow make it look easy.
Weaning Babies!
The news covered an article stating that baby foods sold in the UK fail to meet infant dietary weaning needs. A research team tested 479 shop bought products from leading manufacturers, including Heinz, Cow & Gate and Boots and found few were ideal for the job.