Mums and Tots Magazine - Issue 58 - Spring 2026

In this issue

Hello!
Spring is a time when things often feel a little clearer and more in focus. Brighter mornings, longer evenings and that familiar sense of new beginnings can feel uplifting. If you are pregnant and approaching your due date however, this season can also bring an unexpected increase in mental noise. When we think of spring cleaning we usually focus on our homes or nesting. This season can also be a powerful opportunity to gently clear and declutter emotional overwhelm. Perinatal Mental Health Nurse and Hypnobirthing Practitioner, Nicola Glynn, has some tips on preparing emotionally for birth.
There’s usually a moment somewhere early in parenting when you realise it: we’re never going to get this perfect. And honestly, thank God. Because children don’t need perfect. They need real people who can come back when things wobble. Trauma-Informed Parent Relationship Practitioner, Sandra Schmidt, discusses co-parenting without perfection.
Young children do not learn about food by being told to eat it. They learn by touching it, smelling it, squashing it, licking it and sometimes rejecting it entirely. This is not bad behaviour, it is sensory learning. From birth to around seven years of age, children are wired to explore through their senses. When a toddler presses mashed potato between their fingers or rubs pasta sauce across the table, they are gathering information. They are learning temperature, texture, smell, resistance and familiarity. Nutrition Coach and Founder of Fussy Food Plates, Samantha Forrest, chats to us about reframing food as learning, instead of just mess.
Make sure to enter all our great giveaways. We have a family break at Newpark Hotel Kilkenny, a Lindby Pro Diaper Backpack, a Little Luxuries Set from The Little Green Sheep and more.
Enjoy the read!
Roberta x