Tag: Baby

Baby-Related Podcasts

In response to the baby boom my friends and family are currently participating in, I recently wrote a post rounding up some baby-related websites.

Today, I’m going to cover a few pregnancy- and baby-related podcasts that I’ve found useful and enjoyed. I err more towards “this is what it’s like in the real world” content, than “here’s the official medically approved line” bumph. The podcasts recommended below will include plenty of information and upbeat humour, but will also include political griping, moaning about life being tough at times, and off topic items the presenters feel strongly about. I feel it’s part of their charm.

Pregnancy podcasts

  • Dan and Kerry over at Baby Timehave 2 kids and have been podcasting about parenthood since they were in the early stages of pregnancy with their first son. They’ve since added a second baby to the mix. Episodes are labelled to include the boys’ ages (or stage of gestation), so it’s easy to dip in to an episode that lines up with your own current stage. They’ve also neatly compiled groups of podcasts that cover:
  • PregTASTIC is a panel podcast where a selection of women at different stages of pregnancy discuss their own experiences. There are regular guests with areas of expertise related to pregnancy and early childcare. And panellists come back to tell their birth stories once their babies are born. Lots of fun and banter, and it’s easy to get attached to the women. This was a hard one to unsubscribe from even when it stopped being relevant to me. In fact, writing this blog post is making me crave a couple of episodes!
  • Ruth and John over at Just Relax, It’ll Happen! have successfully had two children using IVF. Their podcast covers fertility issues, pregnancy, the post natal depression they both suffered from after baby number one, and life as a family. This podcast is in stasis at the moment, but old episodes are worth a listen. Ruth is now blogging and vlogging as the geekmummy.

Podcasts on living with small people

  • Again, the Baby Time folks have compiled podcasts covering when one or other of their boys was a specific age:
  • Dr Mike at PediaCast covers paediatric news (with a US focus), translated for the lay person, and answers listeners’ questions on particular health and medical issues they’re having with their kids. There’s a decent archive of old episodes, so there’s a good chance you’ll find your question answered already.
  • New Moms, New Babies was a podcast that erstwhile PregTASTIC panel members graduated to once their bumps had turned into babies. It’s also in stasis these days, but as with so many other podcasts related to a particular time in one’s life, the archives are worth a listen.

If one of your favourites didn’t get a mention here, please feel free to recommend in the comments!

Online Baby-Related Resources

Seems to be a baby boom going on at the mo, so for all my pregnant pals, I’m going to do a roundup of some online resources for expectant/new mommies that I found useful when expecting my two.

First off, websites:

  • Magic Mum – Subscription required. Loads of different forums on all stages of parenthood (trying to conceive, pregnant, struggling through those first few weeks, dealing with toddlers or teens…), to buy/sell/giveaway areas for baby- and non-baby-related gear, and to chat about non-baby topics such as house and home, hobbies, weight-loss… You name it, there’s a forum for it here. It’s a very active site, and I found it a really fantastic resource on my first pregnancy and first year with a baby, though I’ve drifted away from it a bit now that I’ve found my feet.
  • Rollercoaster – This site has lots of useful articles on conception, pregnancy, family life, nutrition, links to baby-related retailers, product reviews and the like. A good place to start if you just want to read some straightforward info without getting into debates. They’ve also got forums, and you can join a group for mums due the same month as you so you’re in touch with people at exactly the same stage all the way through your pregnancy.
  • Mumsnet – A UK site with more forums, blogs, info pages. Since things work slightly differently in the UK, not all of the info will be relevant to the Irish experience, but I particularly like their Product Reviews page, so wanted to give them a mention.
  • Name voyager – Stick in a name and see its popularity plotted over time. This is fun whether you’re expecting or not – try it with your own name.
  • Pampers – Info pages and Q&A for different stages of pregnancy and development in early childhood. As it’s a commercial site, they also have brand and product promotion, so you can sign up for a free pregnancy calendar, regular info packs, samples and money-off vouchers. One of my favourite freebies from these guys was a CD that arrived early in one of my pregnancies with the sounds of “inside the womb.”

If you have a favourite site I’ve not mentioned here, please give a mention in the comments!

Next time, podcasts.