Working out the best products to buy when you’re pregnant can be confusing. So unlike many other awards, the BUMP&baby awards are based on genuine reviews by new parents who have tried out the products for themselves through our sampling box – so you know the results can be trusted.

To qualify for the Gold Award, brands must achieve a rating of more than 4.5, as determined by the feedback from our subscribers.

And the winners are…

 ♡ Bear&Moo cloth nappy [4.6 rating]

♡ Bio Oil [4.5 rating]

♡ Cetaphil Baby Lotion [4.7 rating]

♡ Cetaphil Baby Shampoo [4.7 rating]

♡ Crystawash Hand Sanitiser [4.6 rating]

♡ Dermal therapy lip balm [4.8 rating]

♡ Dermal therapy nappy balm [4.6 rating]

♡ Earthsmart aquawipes [4.8 rating]

♡ Floradix iron supplement [4.5 rating]

♡ Hemptuary [4.6 rating]

♡ Lansinoh lanolin cream [4.6 rating]

♡ Luxe Baby Wipes Pouch [4.5 rating]

♡ Mammas Milk Bar Lactation Blend [4.5 rating]

♡ Munch Baby Food Pouch [4.5 rating]

♡ Nuk soother [4.8 rating]

♡ Palmers cocoa butter [4.6 rating]

♡ Palmers stretchmark [4.7 rating]

♡ Phloe Bowel Health Supplements [4.7 rating]

♡ Pigeon breast pads [4.5 rating]

♡ Pureness wipes [4.8 rating]

♡ QV baby baby bath oil [4.6 rating]

♡ QV baby gentle wash [4.6 rating]

♡ QV baby moisturising cream [4.6 rating]

♡ QV baby shampoo and conditioner [4.6 rating]

♡ Rascal + Friends nappy [4.7 rating]

♡ Rascal + Friends wipes [4.7 rating]

♡ Rite Aid breast pads and hydrogel disk [4.6 rating]

♡ Silk baby wipes [4.8 rating]

♡ Sudocrem healing cream [4.9 rating]

♡ Tui Balms Baby Balm [4.6 rating]

♡ Weleda Hydrating 24h facial lotion [4.5 rating]

♡ Weleda Skin Food Sample [4.7 rating]

♡ Weleda Stretchmark Oil [4.5 rating]

♡ Zoono Surface Sanitiser [4.7 rating]

These award-winning brands have demonstrated a commitment to innovation, quality, and customer satisfaction. Whether it’s providing comfort for newborns, supporting new parents, or offering innovative solutions for childcare, each winner has made a significant impact in the realm of parenthood products.

Congratulations to all the winners of the BUMP&baby Gold Award for 2023.

Stay tuned to BUMP&baby Magazine for more insights, reviews, and recommendations to enhance your journey through parenthood.

If you’d like to become a reviewer, you can purchase your BUMP&baby box here – [link] and have your say for the 2024 BUMP&baby Awards!

Entering Pregnancy BUMP & baby competitions constitutes acceptance of the following terms and conditions;

• Pregnancy BUMP&baby takes no responsibility for late or misdirected entries.
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• Prize winners are drawn randomly.
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• Entry is consent to use name for publicity purposes.
• Competition dates will be shown on each competition separately

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Megan Hutchison from Forget Me Not Journals, shares tips on how to stay motivated to complete your baby book.

As parents, we know those early days are fleeting. We try to capture as much of them as we can – first smiles, first laugh, first steps; we fill our phones with photos and scroll through them as our babies grow. While those photos tell part of the story, there’s so much more to remember, and many of us wish to also create a baby book to fill with all the little memories. If you’re planning on starting a baby book, or you need help being consistent with it, here are some tips to staying motivated. As with almost everything in motherhood, there’s a juggle between time, energy and motivation to get things done, but there is nothing like putting pen to paper to document their little lives.

Get started and make it a habit

It can be daunting to write in your baby book for the first time – which pen to use, how neat you want your writing to be, having enough time and mental clarity to start. Don’t wait for the perfect time, just begin. Start with a few lines, a quote, a thought, a little memory of something funny that happened. It’s much more motivating to be writing just a little in your book every now and then, than feeling pressured to fill it in one go – and will make it much easier to continue once you’ve taken that first step.

Take advantage of voice technology when you’re busy

One thing I have found extremely useful is the ability to record on the go – whether it’s making a voice recording, or dictating straight into your phone’s notes app. I’d often take my baby on walks by myself during the day, and found it really therapeutic to engage with my thoughts by recording them – whether it had been a long night or a new development I wanted to reflect on. There’s always going to be busy periods when you struggle to write things down, but being able to listen or read back what you wrote will be very useful in filling in your baby book.

Write in your baby book before you add photos

When starting your baby book, it can be really tempting to try and organise your photos for putting in the book first – and you’ve already taken hundreds. However, you have nothing to lose by saving those photos to print later, and starting to write. Our babies change so fast that most of us forget the little details, so prioritising the process of actually writing down and documenting those little things we haven’t taken photos of, makes for a baby book full of memories, as well as photos.

Start a ‘baby book’ photo album in your phone for printing later

As you scroll through your photos, rather than just “favourite” the best ones, add them to a “baby book” album/folder in your phone. Having all these photos in one place will not only make it easier to print when you are ready to, but can also be useful to flick through for a reminder as you’re writing in details of each month, and makes it easy to remember milestone dates, such as first tooth, or first trip to the beach, etc.

Jogging your memory if you’re backdating

If you’re backdating a few weeks (or months) back and brain fog is making it hard, try scrolling back through conversations with your partner, parents, or any mum groups or mum friends you have. Those notes you send each other in the middle of the night are a true insight into the reality of having a baby, and are the perfect things to record in your baby book, too.

Choose a baby book or journal you wan to use

You may be given a one for your baby shower, but if you’re choosing your own, the most important thing is that it’s one you really want to use. Ideally, one that you love the look of, and will keep on display in your nursery, as a visual cue and reminder to pick it up and fill it in. As well as how it looks, you want to love the experience of using it.

Don’t stress

Finally, I know how hard it can be to stay motivated to write in your baby book, so let go of any idea of “perfection”. Your child won’t be the slightest bit concerned whether you used the same pen throughout, sloppy writing, or that you missed the exact date they first rolled over, but they will truly appreciate the effort you made to record special moments and memories for them.

It’s two weeks after the birth of your healthy bub and you notice your gut isn’t feeling quite right. Maybe you feel a bit bloated. Maybe you’re farting more than usual. What’s going on?

Pregnancy changes the structure and function of virtually every organ system, including some big changes to the gut. These changes can explain some common tummy symptoms.

And no, you’re not imagining it. Some gut symptoms, such as constipation and gassiness, can hang around after you’ve given birth.

why am i still constipated?

A study from Finland on more than 400 women found constipation affected 47% of women in the first few days after a vaginal birth and 57% of women in the first few days after a Caesarean.

The researchers suggested this may be caused by too much physical inactivity and insufficient intake of fluids after birth, or the effects of anaesthetic and disturbance to the intestines during surgery.

One month after childbirth, constipation became less common. Some 9% of women were constipated after a vaginal birth and 15% after a Caesarean.

Feeling gassy?

The Finnish study also found excess farting is extremely common a few days after birth. It affected 81% of women but this number dropped to 30% one month after birth.

Bloating is another common symptom found a few days after birth affecting 59% of women, and this decreases to 14% of women one month afterwards.

So why is this happening? We can look to your gut microbiome for clues. This is the unique universe of micro-organisms (bugs), and their genes, that live in your gut.

During and after pregnancy, there are profound changes to the gut microbiome. These may cause an increase in gas production or lead to constipation. So the good news from the Finnish study is that normal bowel function is restored quickly after childbirth for most women, but might be a touch longer for women after a Caesarean.

I have incontinence. Is that because of how i gave birth?

There has been a lot of debate about whether urinary or faecal incontinence is more likely after a vaginal or a caesarean birth. However, the strongest evidence we have suggests the mode of birth makes no difference. If you’ve had incontinence during pregnancy this is the strongest predictor of having it afterwards.

Urinary incontinence that doesn’t improve within three months of giving birth is more likely to persist. So if you’ve experienced this during pregnancy, you might like to see a pelvic floor physio.

Fortunately, faecal incontinence after pregnancy is very uncommon, affecting only around 3% of women. However if this persists, please seek medical attention.

Edited from an article written by Vincent Ho, Senior Lecturer and clinical academic gastroenterologist at Western Sydney University; and Kate Levett, Research Fellow University of Notre Dame Australia.

There’s no two ways around it, children may be tiny people, but they take up quite a lot of space. And the only place you will be in and out of multiple times during each and every day  – for baby classes and appointments, school and daycare trips, extracurricular activities and supermarket runs – is your car.

The Hyundai Sante Fe Hybrid can only be described as the perfect family vehicle. Large enough to fit two car seats easily across the back seat, plus two extra big kids on the one-touch flat folding seats in the third row, there’s no excuse not to add another baby to your tribe!

Plus, there are all the extras that every parent needs to make life, well, simply easier.

Wireless phone charging and touchscreen display with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility mean that Peppa Pig’s classic tunes can be on-repeat as you use maps on your screen to navigate your way to the latest kid activity.

The USBs in the back are perfect for those long car trips which require each child to be occupied with their own device without the threat of a flat battery, and the built-in sunshades on the back windows will keep the glare out of their eyes (or off their screens!).

And for the parents, there is the option of heated or air ventilated front seats to keep you toasty warm or nice and cool, a panoramic glass sunroof, leather seats (for easily-removable snack spillages), and heads-up display where your speed and navigation directions are projected onto the windscreen – no speeding tickets for you! Plus, the gigantic boot can fit a pram, portacot and all your shopping without any effort. Speaking of shopping, the Smart Power Tailgate will sense your handless dilemma and open without you having to put a single bag down – how good!

And best of all, it’s a hybrid! The combination of a petrol and electric motor means you can save on petrol without having to plug-in. You can get up to 1000kms on a tank, so you and your family can appreciate the savings and fewer visits to the petrol station. Hyundai also has included all the latest safety and convenience features with their SmartSense technology – including blind spot view cameras, activated by the use of the turn indicator during lane changes – to ensure your whole family is looked after.

Smooth, smart, safe and stunning to look at – what more do you need in a car?

*Some features specific to Limited model spec.

We gave 10 mamas the opportunity to trial two amazing Weleda Stretchmark products, including the Body Butter and Massage Oil. All from the award-winning, multi-use Weleda range to hydrate and heal your bump, breasts, buttocks, thighs and upper legs, and hips.

Mama reviews below…

Finding time for yourself to nourish your skin (although difficult), is one of the most important things you can do for yourself and your growing bump. Creating the ritual of giving yourself a few minutes in the morning and at night to connect with your baby, and hydrate and heal your skin will provide both short (relief from itchy skin) and long-term benefits (visibly reduced stretch marks).

You are in for a real treat with the Weleda Stretch Mark range, as these two products make the ultimate combination for your growing body throughout pregnancy. Both are suitable for all skin types and are made with 100% natural ingredients that are safe and nourishing. Both have a fragrance that is designed especially for pregnant women – a subtle and floral scent with rose, neroli and myrrh that is fresh, yet delicate. You can use either of these products whenever you wish, but the perfect routine is to use body butter in the morning straight after your shower, and then oil in the evening for massage as you wind down for bedtime.

A hug in a jar! Weleda Stretch Mark Body Butter (RRP $32.90) absorbs quickly into the skin, is crafted with extracts of centella asiatica and crocus bulb, and is enriched with precious organic shea and cocoa butter, organic jojoba, and sunflower seed oils.

Weleda Stretch Mark Massage Oil (RRP $32.90) naturally improves skin elasticity to help prevent stretch marks when you massage it in regularly. It contains precious almond and organic jojoba oil, vitamin E-rich wheat germ oil and an arnica blossoms extract.

reviews: Weleda stretch mark body butter

» 100% said it was suitable for their skin type
» 90% said it was hydrating
» 80% said it absorbed quickly into their skin
» 90% said they loved the texture and consistency
» 90% said they enjoyed the fragrance
» 60% noticed improvement in the appearance of existing stretch marks after just 2 weeks (trial period 2 weeks)

“I found that using the butter after a shower worked best and my skin felt amazing all day. I have had no itchy skin which has been incredible and found using this in the morning worked so well.” ~ Tania

“I loved following the Weleda pregnancy routine. As someone with reasonably dry skin I found the body butter absorbed fast but left my skin feeling soft and nourished. Its thick consistency was great to apply and warmed up quickly against my skin. This was great especially as it’s currently freezing in the morning. Its soft fragrance was comforting and didn’t overpower. Because of how fast it absorbed I could get dressed straight away without feeling greasy or struggling with tights. The thread on the jar made it easy to put the lid back on a tighten with newly moisturised hands.” ~ Brooke

“I really enjoy how thick the belly butter is and how it leaves my skin feeling. The scent of the products was divine, smelt really good. I found that this product has worked for me really well. I would definitely recommend this products to other pregnant mums.” ~ Claudia

“The body butter was my favourite, I really loved the texture of the butter and found it spread really well.” ~ Lisa

REviews: Weleda stretch mark Massage oil

» 100% said it was suitable for their skin type
» 100% said it was hydrating
» 80% said it absorbed quickly into their skin
» 100% said they loved the texture and consistency
» 90% said they enjoyed the fragrance
» 60% noticed improvement in the appearance of existing stretch marks after just 2 weeks (trial period 2 weeks)

“Using the oil at night was great not only because it was nourishing, but it was nice to end the day giving my bump some love and connecting with baby that way. Would definitely recommend these products.” ~ Tania

“I love to applying the oil at night in bed. The pump applicator made it easy to apply and didn’t mean I had to fiddle around with putting the lid back on with oily fingers. I found this routine calming before bed, taking time to appreciate how my body was changing through pregnancy. The oil has a soft, calming, comforting smell which I love. It absorbs into the skin without feeling greasy.” ~ Brooke

overall thoughts

“Would recommend the Weleda duo to other pregnant mamas! Was so nice having the 2 different items to try and reduce stretch marks and was lovely to have a few minutes out of every day to take time to connect with your pepi. The scent was lovely and the butter esp dried quickly to get dressed in the morning! Both super nourishing, will buy again :)” ~ Chanelle

“I LOVE both the stretch mark oil and the body butter. I have used a number of Weleda products in the past and they have never failed me.” ~ Tania

“I normally hate putting body butter on in the morning as it feels sticky for such a long time, this product was great – didn’t feel sticky when I put on my clothes a few minutes later! I tend to have dry skin but using the body butter in the morning and the oil at night my skin is feeling great! I have a lot of stretch marks on my stomach and haven’t seen a huge difference however have only been using a few days hopefully in a week or two might see some improvement / will hopefully stop me getting anymore as this pregnancy continues. I would recommend these products to others! Thanks :)” ~ Christina

“The body balm left my skin feeling super hydrated for over 24 hrs and using the oil on too made it feel so much more luxurious especially after a warm bath! Absorbed so quickly and didn’t feel restricting like most products can do.” ~ Leilyn

“Overall my stretch marks softened and the dark purple colour faded slightly. My skin has felt a lot more cared for and not so dry and itchy. I would buy this product again and also recommend it.” ~ Brooke

“Also doing the combination of body butter in the morning then oil at night was great! If I was in a rush and missed a day or a stage then my skin still felt super hydrated and soft.” ~ Lisa

“The smell of both was good. Skin did feel soft and smooth after applying before things morning and night.” ~ Claire

“I loved the routine of using the body butter in the morning and the oil in the evening. I felt it gave me a much needed self-care routine in my day and an excuse to stop, slow down and connect with my growing baby (and bump!). I loved that the body butter seemed to keep hydrating my skin throughout the day. For both products a little seemed to go a long way so I felt the size of the product was generous. My only comment came from my midwife who said that the doppler can’t easily get past the body butter to hear the baby’s heartbeat! She wanted me to pass that feedback on. Thanks for including us in the trial, it has been really lovely and I’ll be using both products for the rest of my pregnancy and my recovery post-partum.” ~ Katie

“I love both products they left my skin feeling hydrated and smooth morning and night it’s become part of my daily routine to apply them. I will continue to purchase these products as I believe there helping a lot and the smell is divine and not over powering which I also love! I absolutely will be recommending these products to friends that are expecting as I’m sure they will love them as much as I do!” ~ Keely

“I really loved using the products and will continue to use throughout my pregnancy. There are no new stretch marks on my belly with this pregnancy. I found the products very nourishing and left my belly and back feeling soft and moisturised.” ~ Claudia

More information AT Weleda.co.nz

Poo – not fun to talk about, but a super-important topic during pregnancy and postpartum.

IT ALL STARTS IN PREGNANCY…

It is not uncommon for pregnant women to experience some digestive system sluggishness at some point in their pregnancy. Hormonal changes can have an effect of slowing slow down transit time, which means you may not be having bowel movements as frequently as you once were. This is common from around the second to third month of pregnancy and may get worse as pregnancy progresses and your uterus grows. To help normalise bowel movements during pregnancy:

• Drink plenty of water, at least eight glasses a day.
• Increase fibre by eating plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables, mixed grain bread, brown rice, legumes, nuts and seeds.
• Try a natural digestive supplement such as Phloe, which is made from NZ green kiwifruit extract.
• Exercise! It helps to improve bowel regularity.
• Be careful with iron as it can lead to sluggish bowels – choose your source wisely.

POSTPARTUM POO, WHERE ARE YOU?

Your first bowel movement after birth, especially after a C-section, can be daunting, and postpartum constipation is common. It can have a number of causes, such as new sleep schedules, dehydration, less overall movement, iron infusions, and the use of opioid pain medication. It can take three or four days for your bowel to start functioning normally again after birth. Plus, if you have stitches (either from an episiotomy or C-section) or haemorrhoids, this may lead to constipation as you may be afraid to cause more pain by putting strain on your stitches, which means you hold on instead of going to the loo.

HOW PHLOE CAN HELP

Phloe is a natural digestive health supplement that is suitable for use during pregnancy and breastfeeding. It is made from New Zealand green kiwifruit extract Zyactinase, which contains fibre, digestive enzymes and prebiotics to gently help normalise bowel movements and avoid discomfort from gas and bloating.

Fibre: Phloe contains two types of fibre – insoluble and soluble – which both work differently. Insoluble fibre adds bulk to loose stools and soluble fibre absorbs water to soften firm stools.

Digestive enzymes: These help to gently support movement in the bowel without sudden urgency and assist in moving toxins and waste through quickly.

Prebiotics: Phloe is a natural source of prebiotics which help to feed the good bacteria in the gut. This, in turn, supports the bacteria balance in the digestive system and overall gut health.

CAN’T I JUST EAT SOME KIWIFRUIT?

Phloe’s production process makes the kiwifruit extract Zyactinase more bio-available. This means it’s more available for absorption into the body than it would be from just eating kiwifruit – in other words, you would have to eat A LOT of kiwifruit to get a similar effect!

Review

A little piece of Kiwi ingenuity. My friends warned me about how uncomfortable number 2s can be postpartum, so I decided to stay well ahead of the game and take these. I took the Phloe capsules once a day, and they really supported me with regularity and bloating! Love that they are made of kiwifruit and natural too. ~ Maria

This article was written by BUMP&baby with information supplied by Phloe

There’s something remarkably useful about having your baby name sorted. But we can’t deny the fun and joy in a genuinely good surprise for everyone! For expecting parents-to-be, it can be tough to find the right name, but we’ve got you covered. Here are 30 somewhat unique baby names for 2023.

1. Adair – from the oak tree ford
2. Addison – child of Adam
3. Aiden – fiery one
4. Arden – great forest
5. Aspen – tree name, after the Aspen tree
6. August – great, venerable, majestic
7. Avery – elf ruler
8. Bailey – bailiff, steward
9. Bellamy – fine friend
10. Blake – fair-haired, or dark complexioned
11. Cameron – crooked river
12. Casey – brave in battle
13. Dakota – friendly one, allies
14. Drew – strong and manly
15. Ellis – benevolent
16. Emery – industrious ruler
17. Finley – fair-haired hero
18. Grey – gray-haired, or gray complexioned
19. Harper – harp player
20. Hayden – hedged valley
21. Indigo – blue dye, blue color
22. Jamie – supplanter
23. Jordan – to flow down
24. Kai – sea, ocean
25. Kendall – valley of the River Kent
26. Lennon – dear one
27. Logan – little hollow
28. London – from the great river
29. Marley – from the boundary field
30. Marlowe – hill by the lake
31. Morgan – sea-born, bright, white sea dweller
32. Oakley – from the oak tree field
33. Parker – park keeper
34. Peyton – from the fighter’s town
35. Phoenix – mythical bird that rises from the ashes
36. Quinn – wise, intelligent, rational
37. Riley – courageous, valiant
38. River – flowing body of water
39. Rowan – little red-haired one, rowan tree
40. Sage – wise one
41. Skylar – scholar, protector
42. Spencer – dispenser of provisions
43. Tatum – cheerful bringer of joy
44. Taylor – to cut, to shape
45. Winter – born in the winter, or a season name
46. Zion – a place of peace and refuge.

If you’re having a baby, you’re in for a financial boost – an extra $60 a week in your bank account through the new Best Start payment.

Its purpose is to help Kiwi families give their babies the best start in life possible through easing some of the financial pressure new parents face, particularly if you’re on one income now, or if you’re on parental leave. We think it’s an awesome idea, but of course, we have questions – and in order to help you understand Best Start better, we went right to the source to get you some answers. Unfortunately, we couldn’t get an interview with the PM, but we have some other friends in high places who gave us the lowdown. Here’s everything you need to know about the new Best Start payment.

WHAT IS BEST START?

It’s a weekly payment of up to $60 per child (up to $3,120 per year) and it’s available to eligible parents who have a baby due on or after 1 July 2018. This means an extra $60 in your bank account every week – a big help when you’re on parental leave or your family is living on only one income.

WHO CAN GET IT?

For the first year of your baby’s life, all eligible families will get the payment of $60 a week, regardless of their household income. After your baby turns one, if your household income is less than $79,000, you’ll continue to receive the $60 a week until your child turns three. If your family is earning between $79,000 up to $93, 858 per year, you may continue to receive payments at a reduced amount from the time your child turns one until they turn three.

SO WHAT DOES “ELIGIBLE” MEAN?

To be eligible for the Best Start payment, you need to be the principal caregiver of the child, and be a New Zealand resident or citizen who has been in New Zealand for at least 12 months. The baby you’re claiming the Best Start payment for needs to be a New Zealand resident, and they also need to be present in New Zealand too.

WHO QUALIFIES?

The payment started with babies who are due or born on or after 1 July. If your baby was due in June but you give birth in July (because we know how babies love to arrive on time, right?), you’ll be eligible.

BUT SERIOUSLY, IF I WAS DUE ON 30 JUNE 2018 AND MY BABY WAS BORN THAT DAY, I MISSED OUT ON THE PAYMENT! HOW IS THAT FAIR?

We know it’s disappointing. But Government funds are budgeted from 1 July 2018, and that’s why the start date was 1 July. Remember, though, that you may still be eligible for other forms of financial support – paid parental leave, Working for Families, and other things. Check out the Smart Start website , where there’s lots of info about what financial help you might be able to access. SmartStart is a special website that gives you information and support to help you access the right services for you and your baby. You need a RealMe login to use this website.

HEY, I’M HAVING TWINS! DOES THIS MEAN I GET $120 A WEEK?

You get $60 a week per child, so yes, you’d get $120 a week for twins.

HOW CAN I APPLY FOR BEST START?

There are two ways you can register to receive Best Start. The first is when your baby is born and you register their birth on the Smart Start website . The second way to register to receive Best Start payments is when you apply for Working for Families (WfF) using the WfF registration form (FS1), which is available online or from the IRD.

I’M ALSO GETTING PAID PARENTAL LEAVE (PPL) – CAN I STILL GET BEST START PAYMENTS?

Yes. However, if you get paid parental leave, your Best Start payments will start once your paid parental leave payments end. You won’t get both at once.

SPEAKING OF PARENTAL LEAVE, ISN’T IT INCREASING?

Yes! This is another bonus – paid parental leave is increasing from 18 weeks up to a max of 22 weeks. Again, this is for parents who have a baby due on or after 1 July 2018, or who have children under the age of six years coming into their care. There’s more good news – the number of “keeping in touch” hours is also increasing, from 40 to 52. This means that if you have a job and you’re on parental leave, you can stay connected with your employer and do a bit of paid work from time to time, up to 52 hours total during your leave, without penalty.

HOW DO I FIND OUT MORE ABOUT BEST START?

Check out ird.govt.nz/beststart for all the “official” info about Best Start and some other changes to financial support for New Zealand families. Or visit the Smart Start website for specific info for parents expecting a baby.