![Is it acceptable to request people only give your baby handmade gifts?](/web/20160910150120im_/http://www.essentialbaby.com.au/content/dam/images/g/r/b/i/3/h/image.related.landscape.380x253.grbgrx.png/1473299360848.jpg)
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5 things you do differently with your second baby
There are some significant differences in the parenting experience when you've already done it once.
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Ear piercing: what age is best?
What is it that shapes our opinions on what’s an 'appropriate' age for our children to get their ears pierced? Parents share their views on how young is too young when it comes to piercing.
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![Water safe ... Children can start a structured swimming program, accompanied by a parent, as young as four months.](/web/20160910150120im_/http://www.essentialbaby.com.au/content/dam/images/2/a/l/4/c/image.related.landscape.120x80.2al1i.gmxjx2.png/1457004682374.jpg)
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Latest
![His first taste of cake. Oh my god, he’ll be addicted to sugar and his teeth will fall out. He’s going to be obese.](/web/20160910150120im_/http://www.essentialbaby.com.au/content/dam/images/g/r/3/o/0/0/image.related.landscape.300x200.gr3nyb.png/1472446462162.jpg)
Hey, keyboard warriors - yes, I am aware that my child will grow up
I don't know quite how to explain this or even if there is a name for this type of person so I'll do my best.
![<i></i>](/web/20160910150120im_/http://www.essentialbaby.com.au/content/dam/images/g/q/z/1/x/f/image.related.landscape.300x200.gqz1r5.png/1471928051483.jpg)
The necessity of 'do not disturb' signs for napping babies
Needless to say, the last thing any mum wants is for someone to loudly knock on the door and wake their sleeping cherub.
![There's no stopping Evelyn Moore now.](/web/20160910150120im_/http://www.essentialbaby.com.au/content/dam/images/g/q/s/i/q/o/image.related.landscape.300x200.gqsisw.png/1471226491577.jpg)
How a homemade wheelchair is giving baby Evelyn freedom
Like all one-year-olds, Evelyn Moore is keen to get moving and explore the world around her. But a battle with aggressive cancer left the little girl paralysed from the waist down.
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The new way for mums to explain exactly how they feel
New parenthood: sometimes there are just no words to describe it. Luckily there are now 250 emojis to do that job perfectly.
![<i></i>](/web/20160910150120im_/http://www.essentialbaby.com.au/content/dam/images/g/q/l/v/n/k/image.related.landscape.300x200.gqkqwq.png/1470367389400.jpg)
Once you're a parent, everything changes. And that's something worth showing on TV
Every time we feel like we are about to collapse, we realise we are still standing, because of our son.
![<i></i>](/web/20160910150120im_/http://www.essentialbaby.com.au/content/dam/images/g/q/j/z/k/1/image.related.landscape.300x200.gqjz3h.png/1470195651132.jpg)
5 things you quickly realise when your baby starts crawling
You can't help but learn a few things once your little one is on the move.
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18 tips to make a busy mum's life easier
Busy - it is often the first word that comes to mind when a mum is asked how she is feeling.
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Why I spend more on my little girl than my sons
My daughter Jemima is only a toddler, but she's already experiencing the gender pay gap. Because in the two years since she was born, I've spent more on her than I have on my two sons combined.
![Parenthood and a little bit of grossness go hand in hand.](/web/20160910150120im_/http://www.essentialbaby.com.au/content/dam/images/g/q/e/r/g/p/image.related.landscape.300x200.gqen3p.png/1469652855919.jpg)
The gross things that come naturally once you are a parent
Before you become a parent there are many things that would have you cringing and shaking your head in disgust that, post children, you think nothing of.
![<i></i>](/web/20160910150120im_/http://www.essentialbaby.com.au/content/dam/images/g/q/e/e/b/d/image.related.landscape.300x200.gqeea6.png/1469529478555.jpg)
How a waiter saved a stressed mum's day
For Dallas French, things started to go wrong as she prepared a bottle of formula for her baby daughter.
![Chontel Duncan and her son in the photo.](/web/20160910150120im_/http://www.essentialbaby.com.au/content/dam/images/g/q/d/y/t/s/image.related.landscape.300x200.gqdyvp.png/1469505774179.jpg)
Did this mum's 'honest' Instagram post go too far?
Babies may be cute, but what comes out of them is anything but.
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