As I was growing up, my grandmother was always coming out with sayings that I later learnt were considered “old wives tales” and there are some that were just plain ridiculous but then occasionally I catch myself saying them and my Mum will just look at me and smile.

Here are some of my favourites, especially in relation to babies …..

Heartburn in pregnancy means a full head of hair for baby – I did personally suffer with heartburn and my daughter was born with a full head of hair but heartburn is actually a common side effect of pregnancy, usually from changing hormone levels, so co-incidence maybe?

If you tickle babies feet, it will make them stutter – This one is definitely an old wives tale as many midwives will tickle a babies feet to slowly wake them up.

Carry at the front and you will have a boy – I carried at the front with both of my girls and really how you carry has just as much to do with your body type as anything else.

You Give Your Child a Birthmark With Your Cravings – This one is definitely superstitious, and the way that women for generations have attempted to explain why some children have birthmarks and others don’t!

New House, new baby – I have found myself being told this one, as everyone seems to think when you are selling your house that you need more space for a new baby ….. they don’t seem to appreciate I need somewhere to house all the shoes!

Giving a silver coin to a baby brings good luck – Although I suppose that really only works if everyone does it and it gives them a healthy bank account!

Don’t bring the pram / pushchair into the house until after the baby is born – I have no idea why but in all honesty, I didn’t do it until the little one arrived. So maybe I am a little superstitious after all!

Have you heard any others?

As a Mum, what do you wish for your child?

For 10 years the Pampers® and UNICEF partnership has had only one wish: to eliminate maternal and newborn tetanus everywhere!

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For many new and experienced mums, Pampers are a household name and their products used and loved by parents across the globe. It is therefore good to know that Pampers are using the power of their brand presence to help make a difference in parts of the world where people are not as fortunate as us.

Pampers told us ….

Maternal and newborn tetanus may not be a disease that you’re familiar with, but it affects families in some of the poorest areas of the world and occurs when newborns are infected as a direct result of unhygienic birthing practices. Once newborn tetanus has been contracted there is no real cure and it still claims the lives of 49,000 newborns every year, which is equivalent to one baby’s life every 11 minutes.                                                                                                   

Since the Pampers-UNICEF “1 pack = 1 vaccine” campaign began in 2006, thanks to the support of parents just like yourself, we’ve helped to eliminate maternal and newborn tetanus in 17 countries. This means that an estimated 500,000 newborn babies have been saved and a vaccine has reached a mother and her baby every second.  However, there are still 21 countries where the disease remains a threat.

So what can we do to help? For their 10^th anniversary of the Pampers UNICEF 1 pack = 1 vaccine campaign want to invite mums and dads across the world, to help them achieve their one wish: to eliminate maternal and newborn tetanus everywhere.

As they blow out the candles on their tenth birthday cake and make one wish, they want to see your beautiful pictures of your little blowing out the candles on their birthday – making a special wish is an important action, and for Pampers and UNICEF it will mean a huge amount. For every heart-warming picture you share of your LO’s birthday wish on social media using the #PampersUNICEF media, and every time you share the Wish film, they will donate the cost of a vaccination: 1 wish = 1 vaccine, 1 share = 1 vaccine

Will you help make wishes come true?