Tanya given that you have a bustling house of 5 children and Amanda having a background in teaching I’m sure you have been exposed to a lot of the norms and trends out there that parents are feeding their children. What have you noticed over the years the way children have are being fed, has it changed much? Getting worse or better?

Hmm.. probably getting worse, in fact its gone from bad to worse and we feel like in many ways it is magnified. You just have to look around the school playground to see we are in a health crisis. The more we have seen and experienced the more we are motivated to improve our own way of eating. The normal childhood ailments (asthma, eczema, obesity, diabetes etc) are not normal to us. The great thing is there is a rumbling happening right now, momentum is building and we feel we are at the forefront of a big change. People are really starting to see we are in a crisis.

Can you share with us some of your tips for parents when preparing their childrens food to take to school? and how they can make them feel like they aren’t social outcasts for what they take to school and don’t sway on your family values (much like religious values)

We actually talk about this in depth in our Lunchbox Talk and also use the analogy of religious values being similar to values around food. Two tips though as

1) talk to your kids constantly about why and involve them in all you are learning

2) Create your own tribe so that your kids can have a sense of normality.

Can you give us some tips for those who are time poor?

We devote time to making real food. We prioritise food preparation and the time that it takes. Early morning starts or allocating a set time on a weekend or if you are an evening person finding a slot later at night. It often means moving other priorities down the list, like house work!

I’d love to hear your thoughts on the schooling system and perhaps give us your opinion on some of the alternate schooling pathways such as Steiner, Montessori etc?

We believe in play play play for little ones and learning through doing. We believe in child-centred and self-directed play as we feel this leads to self discipline and developing intrinsic motivation. Alternate pathways like Steiner and Montessori are fabulous and we believe they are something, which if possible, should be explored to see if they suit the child.Life offers so many opportunities to learn and we value and embrace all that we can teach our children through experiences.It is unfortunate that our current public school system is putting excessive amounts of pressure on our children and taking away the love of learning and creativity and discovering your inner passion

Could you share with us your view on natural homebirth versus mainstream medically intervened birth?

We dont feel it is a matter of one verses the other but more a matter of choice that all women should be entitled to make. One of the first questions I was asked by my midwife before having my first child was "why do you want to have a homebirth?" My answer to that was, I want to reduce the risk of intervention. I went to have 5 safe water births at home without any intervention and after Pinky was present at my second birth she went on to do the same ten years later. We encourage all women to look at the positives and negatives of both options and do what they feel is right for them. Being a midwife I value the need for medical intervention in emergency situations however in a lot of cases medical intervention happens unnecessarily and often results in what we call the cascade of intervention. As soon as you interfere with the natural process of birth it often leads to further problems which require further medical intervention. Medical births are limited and influenced by policies which alter the norm of birth.

Isn't she clever...she knows what to do!

Have you found any health care modalities particularly useful for your families health such acupuncture, osteopathy, chiro, physio?

We both value chiropractic care and have had regular visits on a monthly basis in the last 12 years. Chiropractic care has proven to be extremely beneficial in preparation for birth and in the post natal period for both mother and baby. Going regularly to the chiropractor means the regular bumps and knocks kids get are being addressed as they arise.

Now given my passion for fermented foods I have to throw something in there related to the topic, so whens a good time to start introducing fermented foods to infants and children, and are there any cautions that parents need to consider with these foods?

Yes, we too passionate about fermented foods which is how we connected on Instagram. The topic of Gut Health has been the driving force behind our food journeys. Gaining an understanding of the intricate network of our micro-biome and its connection with our entire bodily functions has been revolutionary knowledge for us.We started introducing fermented vegetables (mainly the sauerkraut juice) to our little ones around 9 months. Pinkys son had a bout of gastro around this age and reached for the jar and polished them off. This was his first introduction and he knew what his little body needed! Because kefir is dairy based we avoid this until at least 1 year of age and kombucha also around 1.

We really believe strongly in our kids being water drinkers so if they are getting too many other beverages at an early age we feel they may not naturally go to water as their first choice for thirst.

Pinkfarm have also put together this amazing large Australia wide database where people can source cultures such as SCOBIES, kefir, sourdough starters etc: http://www.pinkfarm.com.au/cultured-community/