letters to the editor
SEND YOUR LETTER TO editor @ babysandbeyond. co. za by 1 August 2026!
Be sure to grab the magazine when it hits shelves to see if you’ re our next winner. Let’ s make this winter a celebration of the weird, wonderful world of parenting!
It happened at 3.17am...
WINNING LETTER
The Panado ® nappy bag includes: A custom nappy bag Pouch Wet wipes
Congratulations, Veronica! You’ ve won a custom nappy bag from Panado ®, valued at over R800!
Panado ® knows parenting on the go can get messy, busy, and full of surprises. So why not do it in style?
Approval ticket # 03.20261000005124. March 2026.
8
My 6-week-old had been crying for hours. I tried everything – feeding, burping, and rocking. I was in my old maternity leggings, hair in a bun that hadn’ t been washed in days, and I was crying harder than she was.
I looked down at her scrunched, red little face and whispered,“ I’ m sorry. I don’ t know what I’ m doing.”
She stopped. Just for a second. Her tiny hand curled around my finger, and she sighed... that milky, newborn sigh – and fell asleep on my chest.
In that moment, I realised: she wasn’ t asking me to be perfect. She was asking me to be here. Messy bun, leaky boobs and all.
My tip for new moms? You are already enough. The love you have for them counts more than the perfect routine, the clean house, or the answers. On the nights you feel like you’ re failing, remember: if you’ re worried you’ re not doing enough, it means you care deeply. And that’ s what makes a good mom.
Now at eight months, she still reaches for my finger when she’ s overwhelmed. And I still don’ t have all the answers. But I have her.- Veronica, a tired but grateful mom in East London …
The curious case of Jessica
While on my usual midnight TikTok doom scroll, I stumbled across a few reels of parents shouting“ Jessica” during their toddlers’ meltdowns to get them to calm down. Naturally, I had to do my own boots‐on‐the‐ground research.
During my son’ s next episode( his crayon had snapped in two and I couldn’ t fix it right then – yes, I know you can melt them back together, but that’ s tricky when you’ re juggling lunch boxes, dressing, brushing teeth, and getting yourself ready for work), I called out for“ Jessica”.
My son looked at me, confused.“ Who is Jessica?” Tantrum over. Tears dried up.
I can also report that any name works just as well. So next time you’ re exasperated by a thunderous crash‐out from your little one, give it a try, and you can thank me later.- Teagan, toddler whisperer
A MIDNIGHT SNACK REVELATION
At 2am I found myself eating cold leftover pasta while rocking my baby to sleep. It struck me then – parenting isn’ t glamorous, but it’ s real. Sometimes survival looks like carbs in the dark and a lullaby hummed off-key. And that’ s perfectly okay.- Lindi, future‘ momfood’ influencer