Introducing Babes About Town!

It's been a busy month. Brand New Mama (in association with Hype Baby) is proud to announce the launch of a brand new blog.


Babes about Town is a city guide and social network serving young families in London and beyond. We find and recommend cool things to do, fun places to hang and stylish places (and products) to shop - and mostly with the little ones in tow.

Babes about Town targets parents with kids in the 0-5 age range but we're open to anybody with kids in their life and everybody with a GSOP (great sense of play).

Please visit the blog to find out more, subscribe via reader, follow us on Facebook and Twitter and of course, get to know the face and family behind Cheekymama and her team.

Babe in a basket

Brand New Mama is happy to share that we have a new addition to our family. Little Big Cheeks, as he shall be known on this blog, will be two weeks old tomorrow and is already adapting to Cheeky family life.

One of our favourite gifts for the baby has been a gently-used Moses Basket, originally from ultra-chic store Mamas & Papas. LBC uses it as his day bed in our living room and always has at least two or three hour blocks of sound sleep, even with his toddler brother clattering around him.

All Mamas & Papas Moses Baskets can be coordinated with their stylish interiors collection and each includes a sturdy maize basket with adjustable hood, machine washable bedding and can be fixed on a selection of rocking or stationary stands. The store is currently on sale so visit the web site now to take advantage of their special offers.

Belly-hugging good

The week of August 1-7 marks World Breastfeeding Week, a global campaign to promote the benefits of breast milk as nothing short of the elixir of life for babies everywhere. This year more than 20,000 lactating mamas gathered in more than 400 sites in the Philippines to create the first Guinness World Record on Simultaneous Breastfeeding in Multiple Sites. The action group Children for Breastfeeding is trying to create another world record by getting mums together for a synchronised global boob feast. If you're not quite ready to make history, you can still support the cause simply by continuing to nurse your little one or make a statement by breastfeeding in a public place.

If you're still a little shy about feeding al fresco, there's a range of clothing and accessories that allow you to be more discreet. One fab product for milky mamas is The Belly Hugger, a stretchy piece of fabric that slides over to cover your belly when you lift your top to nurse. This spandex/cotton tube can be worn with your regular clothing and saves on the need to buy an elaborate new nursing wardrobe. The Belly Hugger keeps your post-partum tummy hidden and it can even be worn comfortably by expecting mothers to fill the gap between pre-pregnancy shirts and unbuttoned trousers. Pick one up at Tender Cargo.

Boobs on trial

As I’m now weaning my 15-month-old, I was struck by recent pap shots of brand new mama Maggie Gyllenhaal breastfeeding her 7-month-old. I was amazed once again at just how intrusive the paparazzi can be but even more stunned by the negative feedback. Maybe it shouldn't surprise me after Janet Jackson's Nipplegate that the sight of even part of a woman's bare breast should lead to public hysteria. Some object to her doing it in the open, others insist she should have covered up more. But stroll through any national gallery and you'll see nursing mothers from peasants to the Madonna proudly displayed as art.

If you've ever been out with a hungry breastfeeding baby, you'll realise that discretion is soon tossed to the wind and instinct kicks in. Some new mothers rely on specially designed nursing covers, tops with slits for easy access or even makeshift shawls. But show me a baby happy with wearing a blanket on his head and I'll show you an offspring of Michael Jackson (hey, two Jackson family references in one boobalicious post!) Personally I preferred loose tops I could lift up easily so baby could nurse without any fuss. Most passersby thought we were just cuddling and if I got the occasional funny look I would either focus on my baby or glare right back. After all, it’s rude to stare at people eating no matter how tiny they are.

Photo source: Celebrity Baby Blog

Whose embryo is it?

A woman left infertile after cancer treatment is awaiting a final ruling today from the European Court in Strasbourg as to whether she can use frozen embryos fertilised by her former partner. Her ex says he doesn’t want the burden of being a father to children he will not bring up.

This is a tough one as I can see the arguments on both sides although I’m more inclined to side with the woman. My heart bleeds for her if the court denies her appeal. After all, this is her last chance to bear a child but the dad can have other children with other partners if he chooses.

I can’t help but think of the millions of women worldwide who have the legal right to choose whether to carry a pregnancy to term or to have an abortion, even without the potential father’s knowledge or consent. I guess when the embryos have been created outside the womb it’s no longer a question of ‘her body, her choice’. Tricky issue. Read the full story here.