I recently ‘met’ Denise from www.maxieandteddy.com on a internet forum for Mums in Business.   Denise came up with the idea of creating wipe-able books to record a baby or child’s intake of milk/food and also a medicine diary. 

When my children were newborn babies I used to have a scrap of a paper that I would use to note down how long they fed and from which breast so I knew which side to feed them on next.  It was particularly important with Mara as she was very slow to gain weight, it was essential that I monitored when and how well she fed.  In the early days she was jaundiced and wouldn’t wake to feed unless I woke her myself.  A Maxie and Teddy diary would have come in very handy for us.

 Here is a little more information about the diaries:

• Keep track of medicines, milk feeds, and introduction of new foods, by type, amount and time. 
• Track their routine, suitable for one child, siblings and even twins or triplets.
• Great for the Child Minder, the Nanny, the Grandparents and even Dad!
• Very handy in the middle of the night!
• Great help for allergies and food intolerances.
• Reduce the risk of errors relating to dosage and frequency of medication.

To be in with a chance of winning a copy of the two food diaries pictured above click here to visit our competition page where you will find an entry form.  You’ll need to put the answer to this simple question onto the form:

The Baby Signing Store stocks a book that would be particularly useful at Meal Times, who illustrates this book?

The competition closes at midnight on 16^th December.  Further rules can be found on our main competition page.

In 2003 I completed my NVQ3 in BSL. We had to research issues related to deafness in order to produce a signed presentation. As I was heavily pregnant at the time I choose to look for information about how and when babies hearing is tested.

At the time a new probe test was being piloted in several areas however not in Northamptonshire where I live. Both my children had the highly unreliable distraction test at 7-9 months old. Now newborn hearing screening is available across the country when the baby is just a few hours old. Below is a press release from the NHS Newborn Screening Project from March 2006.

Newborn hearing screening available for all

From today, 16 March 2006, the parents of every newborn baby in England will be
offered the opportunity to have their child checked for deafness and hearing impairment
shortly after birth. Over 1,600 babies will be screened every day as part of the NHS
Newborn Hearing Screening Programme.

The programme checks babies’ hearing using equipment that measures how well their
ears respond to sound. This new technology reduces the possibility of hearing
impairment or deafness present at birth being missed. It enables hearing to be tested at
an earlier age than the traditional, less reliable, Infant Distraction Test.

Professor Adrian Davis, Director, NHS Newborn Hearing Screening Programme, says:
“Over 1,000 babies are born each year in England with deafness or hearing loss in one,
or both, ears. It is essential, therefore, that this is identified early. The programme does
just that, enabling parents to access the appropriate support for their babies as quickly
as possible.”

All parents in England are now automatically offered the opportunity to have their baby’s
hearing tested. The new test identifies hearing loss and impairment on average two
years earlier than previous methods.

Professor Al Aynsley-Green, Children’s Commissioner for England, says: “It is important
that we give every child born today the support they need to achieve their full potential.
The newborn hearing screening programme will help to achieve this by giving hundreds
of babies born with hearing impairment and deafness the opportunity to develop
communication skills and bond with their parents from an early age.”

Sir Muir Gray, Programmes Director of the UK National Screening Committee, says: “We
have a wealth of audiological expertise and research in this country. This programme
has shown that you need really good management to get research into practice. I am
delighted this has been brought together in a programme that will make such a huge
impact on the lives of parents and babies across England.”

Susan Daniels, Chief Executive of the National Deaf Children’s Society (NDCS), says:
“We have campaigned for many years for the introduction of newborn hearing screening
and are thrilled that it is available to all newborn babies in England. Now, we want to
raise awareness and understanding of screening as well as reassuring parents that, if
their child has any hearing problems, the NDCS can provide friendly advice and
support.”