Former pop star sees powers of parenting
Peter Andre and his wife Emily Andrea tour the UK to meet parents with ‘superpowers’
Most parents will have wished for superpowers at some point after having children – not necessarily to fly or possess superhuman strength, but perhaps to stop a tantrum with just one glance or get a baby to sleep in minutes.
Believe it or not, many ordinary parents do have their own real ‘superpowers’, and TV presenter Peter Andre and his wife Emily Andrea (who took Peter’s real Greek surname when they married in 2015) have been touring the UK meeting them.
Father-of-four Andre, whose youngest child Theo is just five months old, says he’s enjoying hearing about other parents’ superpowers, including getting newborns to sleep in minutes, through the npower Parenting Super Powers campaign, which is encouraging parents to share videos and photos of their own special parenting skills.
Indeed, Andre jokingly suggests he has a few superpowers of his own.
“I think mine and Emily’s superpowers come in multitasking and team work. I’m great at feeding the baby and having a double espresso at the same time!”
On a serious note, the
celebrity dad adds: “My top parenting tips are always be chilled and patient, so the children don’t sense you’re stressed, and put them first in everything – but have a little down-time too.” BABY WHISPERER
The couple met a number of parents with very different superpowers during their tour, but say their favourite skill was that of mother-of-two Sarah Deakin, 37, a baby photographer who has the unique ability to get newborn babies to sleep in under five minutes.
“It’s every parent’s dream to be able to do what she does,” admits Andre.
Deakin, of Yarhampton, Worcestershire, lulls the babies to sleep through lots of noise, moving them around and simultaneously reassuring them.
“Contrary to what most people think, babies usually settle better in a noisy environment,” she explains.
“I’ve found lots of talking, background music and motion sends them off. This combination seems to work for me.”
Andre says: “I’m working on learning that skill. Theo is a little too old now for some of the tricks that Sarah taught us, but she’s a true baby whisperer.”
And Emily adds: “Having just had a baby myself, Sarah’s superpower is most definitely useful during those long nights when baby