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MINDFUL MUM GUIDES

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Pre Baby & BIRTH

Can I take artificial sweeteners when pregnant?

Ques­tion: I am try­ing to main­tain a healthy weight when preg­nant, can I take sugar sub­sti­tutes like aspar­tame and saccharin?

Answer

You will find sweet­en­ers in many diet ready meals, snacks, drinks and also in chew­able vit­a­min supplements. Although research indi­cates that sweet­en­ers are safe, some research on sugar sub­sti­tutes is incon­clu­sive and many Mind­ful Mum’s avoid the use of arti­fi­cial sweet­en­ers com­pletely dur­ing preg­nancy. In the UK the use of sweet­en­ers is con­trolled by the Food Stan­dards Agency which allow five licensed arti­fi­ical sweeteners:

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Pre Baby & BIRTH

Best Sources of Iron for Pregnancy

Best Iron Sources for Pregnancy Cut Out GuideIron is an impor­tant nutri­ent for you dur­ing preg­nancy because it is essen­tial for the devel­op­ing blood sup­ply of your baby and for your own expand­ing blood sup­ply. It’s easy for preg­nant women to become defi­cient in iron dur­ing preg­nancy so its impor­tant to eat plenty of iron rich food. Mind­ful Mum lists sources of iron for a healthy diet dur­ing preg­nancy in the cut out list below.

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Baby MONEY

When Should I Claim Child Benefit?

Ques­tion: When and how do I apply for child ben­e­fit? My baby is 4 weeks old.

Answer

Child Ben­e­fit is for all UK par­ents that qual­ify and is not based on you or your part­ners income or sav­ings. HM Rev­enue & Cus­toms (HMRC) can only back­date your Child Ben­e­fit for up to three months from the date they get your claim, so apply for Child Ben­e­fit as soon as pos­si­ble after hav­ing your baby.

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Weaning Recipes

Baby Weaning Recipes: Winter Warmer Three Bean Stew

Vegetarian Weaning Three Bean Stew

Easy three bean stew is a tasty, win­ter warm which is great for wean­ing veg­e­tar­ian babies at nine months. It can be made ‘all in one’ pot and feeds the whole family.

At nine months your baby will enjoy exper­i­ment­ing with lumpier foods and well cooked beans mashed up are a great source of iron, pro­tein and calcium.

  • 9 months + (great for all the family)
  • Makes 6 portions
  • Cooks all in one pot
  • Can be frozen
  • Cook­ing Time: 30 mins

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Baby WASH

When is it safe to decorate the nursery?

Ques­tion: When is the best time to paint the nurs­ery? My sis­ter says the fumes could harm the baby if I strip paint in my first trimester?

Answer

Preg­nant women should be banned from the dec­o­rat­ing. Many par­ents want to make their baby’s room safe and beau­ti­ful, they rush around in the last weeks strip­ping wall paper, sand­ing and paint­ing. How­ever,  mums-to-be should stay away dur­ing dec­o­rat­ing because preg­nant women and their fetuses are vul­ner­a­ble to tox­ins from plas­ter, old paint (which may con­tain lead) as well as VOC (Volatile Organic Compounds) fumes from new paint.

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Weaning Recipes

Baby Weaning Recipes: Salmon

Homemade Salmon Recipe for Weaning BabiesThe Low Down on Oily Fish for Babies

Fish, espe­cially oily fish, should form part of  your baby’s diet from eight months. The Food Stan­dards Agency rec­om­mends chil­dren eat at least two por­tions of fish each week, one of which should be oily. Omega-3 essen­tial fatty acids are found in oily fish. They are called essen­tial because they are the only fats that our bod­ies actu­ally need from food, as other fats can be man­u­fac­tured in the body. They are impor­tant for the devel­op­ment of your baby’s brain and eyes.

Mind­ful Mum’s favourite salmon recipes for a baby of 8 months plus are found below; Salmon Stovies, Fish Cakes, Salmon Pasta Bake and Salmon and Lemon Couscous.

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Baby EAT

How to Help Baby Who Refuses Solids

Question: My baby is refus­ing solids. It’s so frus­trat­ing. How can I move her beyond milk and bland rice. She is nearly 8 months now.

Answer

All babies are dif­fer­ent and take to food in dif­fer­ent ways. Some­times its a case of try, try and try again. Here are Mind­ful Mum’s top tips for encour­ag­ing baby to start solids.

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Baby EAT

Weaning Baby: Safe Fish Guidelines

UK Fish Guidelines for BabyFish is an excel­lent source of pro­tein for your baby when they reach stage 2 (7+ months old.) The omega-3 acids in many fatty fish help to spur on brain growth. How­ever, you may already be aware that some fish con­tain mer­cury or that there is a risk of an aller­gic reaction.

This is what Mind­ful Mum’s need to know about fish:

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