• Pilates, yoga or boot-camp?

• What should you eat?

• What should you avoid?

• How often, how hard & how long should you work out?

• Confused? Don’t be!

Because MuTu System has done the work for you. The definitive combination of techniques that will get you the post-baby stomach & body you want. The MuTu System has 5 interconnecting elements, woven together into a series of workouts, motivational strategies & food guidelines that are specifically designed to put a mothers body where she wants it.

MuTu System was devised by Wendy Powell. a mother of two who has been there & done it, as well as being a very experienced & highly qualified pre & post natal fitness professional.

MuTu System really ‘GETS’ the practicalities, hormones, emotions & pressures that all mums face. It is a breath of fresh air & an end to all the confusing or misleading advice you have ever heard about losing your baby weight.

Everything else out there is aimed only at new mums, IE in the first year after babies. Otherwise you’re in the ‘generic workout’ category. But the physical results of pregnancy, childbirth & mothering – weak pelvic floor, saggy tummy, weak core muscles, back ache – go on for years unless tackled properly. MuTu System has the answers you’ve been searching for!

Click here to visit MuTu System.

The study, undertaken by the British Toy & Hobby Association (BTHA) and the Institute of Youth Sport at Loughborough University, suggests that children are more active when given time to play than at any other time in their school day, making play the most effective way for primary school children to reach the minimum government guidelines.   Children were moderately or vigorously active for almost twice as long when given toys and cardboard boxes to play with than in the school PE lessons that were monitored.

The findings were released alongside a BTHA survey, examining the views of 2,000 parents on the activity levels of their children – more than a quarter of which admit their children get just 30 minutes or less of physical activity a day. Parents acknowledge this may not be enough however with over a third agreeing with government guidelines that children should have an hour or more of physical activity a day.

The ‘Make Time to Play’ app, is designed to give parents a bank of play ideas for each day of the year, offering them a quick and easy way of making time to play. The app is free to download and contains versatile suggestions for playing outside, inside, or even on the move. Parents can choose to tailor ideas to their children’s ages, the number of kids playing, and whether they will be inside or outside. What’s more, if the first idea that pops up isn’t the best option, then parents just needs to shake their mobile until it lands on a play idea that is right for their family.

The app, aimed at parents with children aged one year old and over, is available to download from the Android and Apple stores. For more information visit http://www.maketime2play.co.uk/

If you hurry you can still buy your tickets in advance at only £6 or £10 at the door by Wednesay the 25th.  Visit the Scottish Baby and Toddler show website to buy tickets and for a full list of exhibitors.

Businesses from across the UK will be showcasing a wide range of baby and toddler toys, accessories, classes and much more.  There are expert demonstrations along with a free creche.   There is a dedicated Baby and Toddler feeding area with cafe areas for tired mums to be to rest as well.

We will be showing lots of our lovely products for you to see, touch and ask us all about.  We will have Maternity and Breastfeeding Tops bras and accessories on show.  There is a great range of lingerie from Carriwell, Bravado, Emma Jane and Womama.  Our latest ranges of nursing tops are also on show from Mama Feels Good and Paola Maria Organic from Sweden. 

For Breastfeeding Mums our most popular products will be with us including the Mamascarf, BelleBelly Band and the Breastvest – if you have never heard of them pop past and see what you are missing !!!

There are also lovely new baby products from Minene including the fabulous oversized Muslins and cute dribble bibs.

 We will have special offers on many of the products along with some special sale items on the stand including maternity Bump bands and footless tights at only £5.  Our nursing tops will also be on special offer over the weekend with some great styles to choose from.

 If there are any products from our site you would really like to see please let us know and we will take them along for you.  Please stop by the stand and say hello to us on the day.

I have to admit I never managed to hand express when I was breastfeeding however I was never shown how which would have helped !   

We found this really useful artice on the Unicef Baby Friendly Initiative website and thought it would be useful for pregnant and new mums.   They also have lots of useful information on problems you may encounter along the way, you can read more here.

The staff in the unit where you give birth should offer to show you how to hand express your breastmilk before you go home. If this is not done, they should at the very least make sure you have a leaflet on how to hand express and make sure you understand why it is important for you to know how to do this and where you can get help with learning the skills should you need it.

Reasons why you may wish to hand express:

• If your baby is a little sleepy he may be encouraged to feed if you can hand express some colostrum on to your nipple to tempt him.
• Some quite sleepy babies may not attach to the breast but are able to lap expressed milk from the nipple.
• Sometimes it is necessary to hand express and give the colostrum to your baby for the first few feeds until he has the energy to attach to the breast and feed himself.
• Its a really good skill to have when your milk volume increases. If your breasts become a little too full you may need to soften the area your baby takes into his mouth by hand expressing before trying to get him to feed.
• It can be really reassuring just to see your milk
• If your baby has had to go to the neonatal unit.

Click here for more information about how to hand express.

Why don’t you just recommend using a breast-pump?

Although many mothers use a breast pump to express milk, it is also useful to know how to hand express – for the reasons listed above. Not everyone has a pump and therefore wouldn’t be able to deal straight away with a problem such as full or engorged breasts. If you do have a pump, you may still find hand expressing easier, particularly in the early days. It can also help to get the flow of milk started before using the pump.

Are you missing the sunshine already ?  If so we have the perfect competition for you.  We are excited to be running a competion to win a Beautiful Flower Bouquet from online retailer Clare Florist.

Clare Florist are the UK’s premier online florist for next day flower delivery. They have been delivering flowers for over 32 years, Taking orders as online florists and delivering fabulous fresh flower bouquets for nationwide flower delivery since 1996.  If you are looking to send flowers why not take a look at their lovely site ?  Flowers make a lovely new baby gift and the new mum will be sure to appreciate them.

We have chosen the lovely Sunburst Bouquet which is a vibrant bouquet bursting with glorious colours, delivering you some much needed sunshine.  The Sunburst bouquet includes roses, germini and lillies amongst many other summery flowers.

So, what do you need to do to get some sunshine delivered into your life ?  Just leave a comemnt below to let us know your favourite flower and why.  We will then add you to the prize draw to be drawn on Monday April the 16th.  Good luck.

Terms and conditions.  The competition is open to UK Mainland residents only as the offer includes free delivery to UK Mainland addresses.  To enter please leave a comment below letting us know your favourite flower.  The prize draw will close on the evening of Monday the 16th of April 2012 at midnight.  please ensure you add a valid email address to your comment so we can contact you if you win.  The winner will be drawn at random and will receive an email advising them of their win the next day.  Your details will not be used for any promotional or advertising activities.   

Congratulations to Susan Seaman who is our winner – please get in touch Susan !

After being pregnant many mums find that they have changed size or shape forever !  You may not need your old maternity or nursing bras either.  I know this happened to me and I had loads of bras that just went to be recycled.

All you need to do is send your unwanted bras to your local Oxfam store.

Your bras will either be sold in the UK shops, or sent to Wastesaver, the recycling facility in Huddersfield… From Wastesaver, bras are sent to Senegal (along with things like summer clothes and baby clothes)… In Senegal, they are sorted and sold at Frip Ethique, the social enterprise.

The money your bras raise goes towards poverty-busting work in Senegal and around the globe.  Take a look at this video to see what happens to your old bras !

The team behind Paoa Maria are passionate about using Organic Cotton of the highest quality, and the lasted collection is GOTS certified.

To celebrate the launch on More 4 Mums all tops have £5 off for a limited time only.  The styles include Tunics and tops in a range of colours and styles.

This stylish Organic Cotton Maternity and Nursing top with collar and cuffs would be perfect for the office.  We love the grape colour, above, it also comes in Black and Navy.

If you are looking for a top suitable for a special occasion the Nursing Party Top, shown above in black, could fit the bill.  It makes breastfeeding easy and has pretty sheer sleeves whilst covering up your tummy ! Wear with leggings, skinny jeans or on its own if you have good legs.  It is also available in a pretty silver grey.

We are offering our blog, facebook and twitter readers a special offer.  Buy any Paola Maria top at More 4 Mums and we will send you a gorgeous pair of organic plush cotton baby bootees along with your order.  We only have a few pairs left so hurry.

If you make a purchase from us just add a comment to your order and either tweet us, send us a facebook message or leave us a message on the blog.  Let us know if you have, or are expecting a boy or girl as we have some cream and some dark blue bootees and will do our best to match them up !

This week we take a look at some of our favourite Nursing Covers.

The Minene Muslin has loads of uses from a swaddling cloth, nursing cover up and a summer blanket, all in a handy pouch.  In lots of variations including red and blue elephants print.

Our favourite for Spring is the Minene Lightweight Nursing Cover in a pretty Floral Print it has a firm nckline so you can see what baby is up to !  There are 3 colourways including cream as pictured, grey and pink.

The Baby Bubu Nursing Poncho is probably the most stylish of the options.  It comes in muted colourways including best selling black.  It provides a lightweight cover up for Mum, perfect for the changeable spring weather.

What do you think – Bargain or Spree this week ???

Steal - Minene Supersize Muslin only £10

Minene Breastfeeding Apron at £17

Spree - Baby Bubu Nursing Poncho at £22.99

We are very excited to be offering a range of tops and dresses from the Fab Bristol Company Mama Feels Good.

They are a young company who saw a real gap in the market for Fun and Funky Nursing tops – why should nursing mums be stuck wearing old fashioned tops?

We think it is important to offer a range of tops for younger mums, they should feel comfortable Breastfeeding and want to look fashionable and not frumpy.  The tops are all cut for post pregnancy – they are fitted but very forgiving of a bit of mummy tummy and are all longer cut to keep you covered as you breastfeed.

If you are a working mum you will love the Moneypenny Nursing range – a smart nursing dress at only £25.99 and Nursing top at £19.99.  They can be dressed up with heels and jewellery for a special occasion or wear with leggings or skinny jeans for a more casual day out.

If you love a casual top then the slogan tees are for you.  The logo tops are all hand screen printed and are very individual.  We love the owl designs along with the tongue in cheek Mama’s Melons print.  The tshirts are all double layered and are great quality cotton.

We hope you are going to love them as much as we do !

New mothers should make  themselves have sex with their partner soon after giving birth – even if they do not feel ready, the childcare guru has claimed.  Gina Ford, Britain’s most popular childcare writer, said women should show sexual interest in their man four to six weeks after having a baby.

It also advises couples to leave their newborns at home to go on ‘date nights’.

The controversial advice is  published in The Contented Mother’s Guide, which aims to tell women how to stay intimate with the father of their child.

Now I don’t know how any new mums feel about the advice but I am inclined to tell you to ignore her advice !!  Don’t buy the book and put more pressure on yourself – you should do what you feel is right for you.  4-6 weeks can be too soon to be thinking about getting back in the saddle, especially if you are tired all the time and have had stitches – ouch !  It can take longer to heal emotionally as well as physically.

We are all for taking time for yourself and your partner if you can – certainly get dressed up and put some make up on if it makes you feel better, however there should be no deadlines and no pressure.  You may want to take baby out with you for lunch or a nice dinner – they are very portable at a young age and it can be less stressful knowing baby is happy and you are at hand for feeds.  If the thought of leaving the house fills you with horror then just get a takeaway, a glass of wine, put your feet up and wonder at the marvel of how your life has changed – and why did no one tell you !!!

Your and your partner may have a different relationship for some time but the key is to talk to each other about how you are feeling and ignore outside pressures.

Read more here, some of the comments are fab and some scary !!: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2110738/Don-t-say-sex-ready-childcare-guru-Gina-Ford-tells-new-mothers.html#ixzz1oKlg6j29

Why not leave a comment below and let us know what you think ?