Updates - Mamalingual on hold

Our apologies for the unannounced and unexpectedly long hiatus, but we're back and ready to pick up where we left off. The main news is that we'll no longer be publishing our Mamalingual Dictionary entries at this site, since there's a conflict of interest with another of our projects.

However we will continue with our other upcoming and soon to be regular features including Mama Says (soundbites from the mama blogs), Mama Does (mini-profiles of mothers making smart moves) and MotherFAQAs (frequently asked and answered questions by mothers, for mothers).

We'll also keep bringing you useful tips, product buzz, news and gossip and other general fluff for the nappy-brained. And remember to contact us with ideas, advice or anything you want to get off your chest.

Mamalingual Dictionary: Highchair Five

Highchair Five (noun). 1. the five pounds or more weight gain caused by polishing off your baby's leftovers (origin: BNM 2007)


There are countless guides for parents with toddlers who are picky eaters. But few mention one of the side effects of having a fussy feeder: mum often feels inclined to finish off what her baby hasn’t started. Maybe it’s just me, but I can’t bear to see food go to waste. And my hips are paying the price.

Here are my top 10 tips to combat the Highchair Five (or in my case, Highchair Fifteen):-

1. Offer smaller portions – most toddlers eat like birds, not vultures.
2. Share family meals – having your own plate will stop you eyeing baby's.
3. Chew like a baby – savour(or in his case spit) every mouthful and don't stuff.
4. Serve healthier options – swap oven chips for carrot sticks.
5. Add less salt – it's better for baby and less appetising for you.
6. Graze with your toddler – switch huge dinners for 5 to 6 mini-meals a day.
7. Eat his crusts – wholewheat crusts are packed with goodness.
8. Do some strollercise – walk off the baby fat.
9. Have a hot drink – a cup of lemon tea is fat free and keeps your mouth busy.
10. Throw leftovers away – it’s really that simple.

We realise that tip 10 is guilt-inducing for some. But eating every last morsel won’t do anything for starving kids in Africa. In fact, think of your greedy gut as an insult to starving kids everywhere. Toss those scraps.

Pic via Tiny Tums

Mamalingual Dictionary: Daddyproofing

Daddyproofing (verb) 1. a new mother taking sometimes extreme measures to ensure her child is safe and secure while in his daddy's care (origin BNM 2007)

Hands up: have you ever watched your baby daddy with your joint progeny and thought ‘what the hell is he doing to my precious child?’ Do you sometimes shudder to imagine what they get up to when you’re not around? Papa may be the Shiniest of New Dads, having attended every antenatal class and now handling diaper duty and night shifts without batting an eyelid. And yet the first time you leave baby alone in his care you might be fighting the urge to put safety locks on your pride and joy.

The daddy of all dads Dr. Sears explains in this CNN article how fathers have their own parenting styles which are meant to complement (sometimes improve on) our own. But even the most laidback mama (or stay-at-home-dad) is a potential micromanager when it comes to her favourite project. We’re so caught up in the personal responsibility/power trip of being primary caregivers that it can be hard for us to let go and let daddy do his thing. In the early days watching my husband casually lobbing Mr. Cheeks into the air, or even now when he gives him Pringles for breakfast, my daddyproofing instinct kicks in. Stop! I want to yell. You'll destroy everything I've worked for! But instead I get a grip, count to ten, inhale and exhale. Daddy and baby are doing just fine. And mama’s taking a breather.

Pic via Canadian Family

Mamalingual Dictionary: Kegel Knievel

Kegel Knievel (noun) 1. a woman who rides her pelvic floor muscles like a motorcycle stunt professional (origin: Brand New Mama 2007)

Even if you've never read Cosmopolitan magazine or tried to hold back your pee when you're bursting, you cannot make it through pregnancy without discovering the joy of Kegel exercises. And rightly so. The general wear and tear on the muscles attached to your pelvis caused by carrying and releasing a baby can lead to untold future problems from urinary incontinence to uterine prolapse. Like any major muscle group, the pelvic floor muscles can be strengthened and toned through a series of repetitive contractions. By learning to isolate the right muscles and doing regular practice, you'll soon be flexing like a pro. As this Babycenter article explains, becoming a Kegel Knievel should improve circulation, help speed healing after childbirth and prevent unwanted leaks. And both you and your partner will enjoy the fringe benefits.

Evel Knievel photo via Evel 1

Becoming Mamalingual

Attached parenting. Baby whispering. Lactivists. Perineal massage. New motherhood is a country with a language all its own. Baby manuals, parenting mags and even gossip rags are dotted with baby-centric terms that have become part of the lexicon e.g. mannies (male nannies as popularised by Britney Spears), babymooning (the honeymoon period with your newborn), glammas (glamorous grandmas) and more. The Macmillan Dictionary webzine has a fun article on new words and parenting called Babytalk.

Brand New Mama is creating our very own Mamalingual* Dictionary to help new parents navigate this strange terrain. Every week we will be updating our dictionary with words and phrases that we have coined or adapted. This is a collaborative project so contact us if you’d like to add or share your own made-up mama speak (and earn a creative credit in the Mamalingual dictionary). Let the mum-bo jumbo* begin.

Mamalingual (adj.) 1. fluent in the many languages of motherhood (origin: Brand New Mama 2007)
Mum-bo jumbo (noun) 1. meaningless language or rituals that only make sense to new mothers (origin: BNM 2007)

Pic via The Superficial.com