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January 25th, 2011
With baby no4 due in a couple of months, and the Excel baby show coming up, I thought it was about time that I mentally reviewed our baby equipment situation. After all, if there is anything I *need* then it makes sense to take advantage of the offers which abound at the show.
If you’re due to have another baby, you’ve probably got the essentials already: cot, pram, car seat, feeding equipment, and a travel cot. So what else do you actually need?
Essentials
Well depending on how old your first child is, you’ll need some form of transport. Options range from double buggies (I love my nipper out and about, but it’s massive!), or keep your existing buggy and add a buggy board if your child is slightly older. Alternatively, keep your older child in the buggy and just use a sling for the littl’un. I used a combo of double buggy / existing pram and sling depending on where I was going, how far it was and whether they would have space for my buggy or not when I got there!
Slings aren’t just useful when you’re out and about though. I called my Kari-me sling my ‘hands-free’ kit for bubs no3 as there was no way I could get anything done otherwise. It was a real life-saver and super comfy to wear around the house too.
Of course you’ll need more teeny tiny nappies (cloth or disposable) and if you’re using Cheeky Wipes it’s probably worth investing in some additional wipes so that you’ve got plenty on hand for those newborn poo’s.
Nice to have’s
I think pretty much everything else falls into the ‘nice to have’ list. Top of this list is one of the fabulous breastfeeding scarves from Mamascarf which not only allows you to feed more discreetly (without tucking a muslin into your bra strap which is what I’ve done until now!) but also supports the baby.
Next, some new baby-gro’s and vests as the old ones are a bit tired now. And I think I really want one of the fabulous baby blankets from My Little Patch, I’ve got my eye on a lovely spotted flannelette and minkee one which is just gorgeous.
Lastly, I might just treat bubs to some of the lovely Baby Shampoo from Burts Bees which is just gorgeous, so lovely to use on their super-soft skin and just yummy smelling without being overpowering.
Have I missed anything? Let me know if I have!
Tags: baby no2, buying for baby
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March 2nd, 2010
One of my Mummy friends has recently had her 4th baby, a little boy. She had never gone into labour herself and always ended up being induced at 10 – 12 days overdue. Imagine my surprise this time, when I texted her to wish her well for her induction at 6pm a couple of Thursdays ago. I received a return message from her husband saying that she’d gone into labour naturally herself at lunchtime and their new baby boy had been born at 5.21p.m!
I’m delighted that she finally got to experience a natural labour and can’t wait for the gory details when I see her later this week. I really want to give her a special present for her gorgeous new son. Because she already has 3 older children (and a house full of toys) I didn’t want to go down the cuddly toy route…and she’s also got shedloads of clothes from her two older boys.Â
 My Little Patch Blanket - Bitter Chocolate and Duck Egg Blue So when I came across these lovely bespoke blankets from My Little Patch I decided that it just had to be one of their lovely snuggly, minky-lined blankets. Each blanket is custom made, allowing you to choose from a range of funky cotton fabrics for the outer cover. I went for this beautiful chocolate brown and duck egg blue combination which is just gorgeous. The outer cover is made from 100% cotton, and there’s a range of funky fabrics available to suit every taste. On the inside, there’s a layer of warm, soft, fluffy Minky fabric (again available in a range of colours) in an Ivory colour which will just feel lovelyagainst his soft newborn skin. The blankets are priced at £25, which is a great price for a really unique baby gift.
My Little Patch is the work of an East Sussex based designer called Claire Sheridan and I LOVE her range of bibs, blankets and (coming soon!) Mother to be bags. We’re hoping to be the first retailer to stock her range of bespoke goodies, so watch this space for more details!
Tags: baby blanket gift, bespoke baby blanket, bespoke baby gift, buying for baby, unique baby gift
Posted in Buying For Baby | 2 Comments »
December 8th, 2009
You’ve guessed by now that I’m not a massive fan of Christmas (or Xmyth as someone called it today. Google it. I like it.) Mainly because it makes me sad to see people going mad, buying loads of presents that are unwanted and unnecessary. It’s worse with children, who are so fickle and what they might play with for hours on end at a friends house is only given a quick once over at home and then relegated to the back of the toy cupboard from Boxing day.
So I thought I’d share the top 3 presents that my children have loved to date. If you’re a grandparents or aunt / uncle in need of pressie idea, these are guaranteed winners:
Stacking Cups: All kids love playing with stacking cups.  When they’re little, they’ll just be chuffed that they can hold them. As they get older they’ll actually start to stack them. And by the time they get to 2, they’ll be using them to serve you imaginary cups of tea. Fabulous.
Walker with bricks: Need I say more? This does exactly what it says on the tin. When they’re learning to walk your littl’uns can haul themselves around with this sturdy walker. The bricks make fabulous ammunition for throwing at your head – and also for stacking and knocking over of course. Immature parents can also amuse themselves by making rude  words from the letters on the blocks. Our walker was a christmas pressie for no1 son and 5 years later no 3 child is still having fun with it.Â
Little People Farm: This farm is just brilliant. It’s robust and sturdy, it makes funny animal noises when you press random bits and teaches your littl’uns animal names. There’s bits to poke and pull, places to drop things through and lots of animals to play with. Again, this was bought for my 5 year olds 1st christmas and is still being enjoyed by his siblings 5 years on. There’s a more up to date version available here.
Hopefully that’s a few ideas although I appreciate that they’re focused on the under twos – by next year I might have a few more recommendations!
Tags: buying for baby, christmas gifts for babies
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May 6th, 2009
On the topic of being out and about, where do you start when you’re travelling or staying with your folks perhaps? A travel cot is always useful to have at hand, whether for yourself or for any visitors you may have. They’re pretty bog standard to be honest, we’ve had a couple and they’re pretty much all the same.
We went for a cheapie from www.kiddicare.com which has done us well. The only annoying point on it is the mattress which is covered in a waterproof fabric. It’s great as it’s hard wearing, but every time your baby turns over the fabric rustles – even with a sheet on it the sound of the fabric rubbing is a little noisy. Just a minor complaint though.
If I was choosing again, I might also look for a lighter one – ours is a bit heavy. And our in-laws have one which has a carry handle integrated onto the mattress, which means that you don’t have to slide the cot back into it’s protective cover each time, which can be a little awkward.
I’ve also seen a teeny tiny samsonite pop up cot which is cute, but ultimately will only be useful for a short period of time, so not really worth bothering about.
And once your little one is too big for a travel cot, what then? Well you can buy an integrated ready bed which is basically a blow-up mattress, with an integral sheet, duvet and pillow. We’ve got a Spiderman one for Archie which he loves and so do his friends when they come to stay. However when we go camping later in the year, I’ll be investing in one of these: http://www.intertent.co.uk/product2_869-5-9-1532_Kampa-Airlock-Junior-Bed.htm
They’re great – the air ridge round the outside stops your pre-schooler falling out of bed and they can just sleep in their normal gro-bag or proper sleeping bag. And they’re cheaper than a ready bed too!
We’ll be testing these out later in the summer when we attend a few festivals…Larmer Tree Festival (www.larmertreefestival.co.uk) is the first one coming up. And how that will be with 3 kids is anyone’s guess – but I’ll keep you posted!
Tags: buying for baby, travel cot review
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April 29th, 2009
Alright, following on from my out and about theme, let’s talk changing bags. I should say up front that I’m not a handbag type of girl. Shoes and handbags don’t do it for me, if I’m out and about on my own, I just take what I need in my pockets – after all, card, cash and lipgloss is all this girl needs.
I have one ’smart’ small black leather handbag for weddings and special occasions and a sloppy silver bag for more casual. So when it came to looking for a changing bag, I was always going to go for function over fashion. First time round, I went for an Avent Changing Bag. It had everything I was looking for;
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Shoulder Straps
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Good size
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Separate wet / dirty area
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Pockets for all the baby bits and pieces
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Incorporated changing mat
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Washable / Wipeclean outer (and believe me when you’ve wiped baby sick off your bag for the umpteenth time, you’ll be glad of this)
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Built in bottle insulator
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Not too girly for times when my husband would use it
It was great. It did everything it needed to and I could always cram everything I needed into it baby wise, even for a weekend away. It was matt black so it didn’t show any dirt, was comfortable to wear and easy to hang from the buggy. The inside was plastic coated, so again, you could wipe it clean easily. There was nothing wrong with it, but no-one would ever have had changing bag envy.
The downside was that it was just a bit drab. And the plastic coating inside got a bit brittle and tore on the bottle insulating bit, which gave me an excuse to get another one for baby no2.
This time round I went for a Skip-Hop one in red to match my buggy. It looked better, but still functional, and my husband would have been quite happy to carry it (not that he ever did you understand, chance would be a fine thing!) This time round I didn’t have the built in bottle insulator and instead carried warm water for formula in a thermos flask. This worked well, but was a bit bulky and I found it difficult to find things in the bag as it was limited on space – especially using washable nappies which are bulkier anyway.
By the time I’d got to baby no3, I’d realised that I didn’t need a specific changing bag with all the bells and whistles. My highest priority was a BIG bag to carry my essentials (phone, purse, lipstick) snacks and drinks for sons 1 & 2, nappy changing bibs and bobs for youngest 2 and finally bottles etc for no3. I’m surprised I make it out of the house without a giant samsonite suitcase to be honest.
I’m currently using whichever tote bag is bag of the week that week (switching between a big canvas beach bag and a lovely one from made in london). I’ve invested in a tommy tippee bottle insulator which holds one bottle and can just be bunged in when I’m ready to go out. I’ve got space for my Cheeky Wipes Fresh and Mucky Wipes bags (my Mucky Wipes bag doubles up as a wet bag for any dirty nappies) and I don’t bother with a changing mat – if there isn’t one around I just lay a muslin down first. Best of all the bags can be chucked in the wash, and given the propensity to accumulate random raisins, sticky bits of fluffy sweet and crumbly biscuit, that’s the most important benefit of all.
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Tags: baby, buying for baby, changing bag review
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April 27th, 2009
I’m writing this from the carriage of a train, en route to the Scottish Baby Show which I’m looking forward to. I’m hoping to get at least 15 minutes to have a mooch about at some stage to see who else is exhibiting and if I can pick up any (useful) bargains. The key word here is ‘useful’….I know from past experience that although baby shopping is usually very tempting, there’s only so many buggy snuggles / carriers / changing bags that you can actually use at any one time and there’s always SO many to choose from.
Which brings me nicely to my next topic. When you finally venture out of the house post baby (1st time round it took me 3 weeks to do this on my own and WHAT a mission it was. Trust me it gets easier!), what pieces of kit will you need to make this as easy as possible?
A sling is always useful. I’ve tried 3 completely different types which have their pros and cons. With no1 son I bought a Baby Bjorn padded carrier. At the time it seemed to be the most highly recommended and to be fair my husband got quite a bit of use out of it. This carrier had adjustable straps which were padded and it gave good support around your back too. It could only be used on your front, but the baby could face inwards or outwards. I didn’t use it a lot with no 1 son as I found it really tricky to put on myself, but I used it a lot more with no 2 son when I realised that it was easiest to keep one side completely clipped closed and then to slide the baby in, rather than trying to hold baby in place and then do the clips up.
As I said, I didn’t initially get on with the Baby Bjorn, so when no2 son was due I looked around again for a different sling / carrier. I liked the look of the fabric pouch type ones as in the pictures the baby always looked cosy and comfy. I eventually settled on a Hotsling because they came in lots of cool and groovy colours (even reversible) – to the point that I bought two of them to match different clothes before the baby had even arrived. Foolish girl! No2 son absolutely hated it, screamed blue murder every time I tried to put him in it. I’m not sure if that was because I didn’t get the right size, or wasn’t doing it right or whatever but it just didn’t work for me. What a waste! So I dug out the good old Baby Bjorn and had another go at using it and what do you know, I could do it. Probably should have waited until no 2 son arrived and tested it myself and then I would have saved myself £40, grrr.
By the time no3 was due, I was quite certain that I didn’t need another sling. What I hadn’t counted on however was a colicky, unsettled baby girl who couldn’t settle herself to sleep during the day. With two older brothers who still needed attending to, I tried the Baby Bjorn around the house. It worked in that my GG would sleep in it, but it felt quite bulky to use indoors and I felt quite constrained by it. So I ordered my 3rd and final carrier, a Kari-Me. I’d actually seen one in use by a friend and it was very simple. It’s just one long length of fabric which is wrapped around the wearer and the baby just slides in to be held securely and closely. It took me a couple of goes to get used to tying it at the right position, but I really loved it. It can be worn by anyone as it’s completely adjustable and baby can be worn on the front, facing inwards or outwards, or can be carried on your back, piggy-back stylie. The only downside is that it’s quite warm to wear, but I used to wear less layers if I was going to be using it. My husband preferred the Baby Bjorn still, but then he didn’t usually have to look after the other children at the same time. There’s other makes of slings like this available, one which is similar but less material is the closer sling which might lso be worth investigating.
Hopefully you’ll have a better idea now of what might work or not for you, you can avoid the mistakes I made!
Tags: baby, baby carrier review, baby sling review, buying for baby
Posted in Buying For Baby, baby | 1 Comment »
April 24th, 2009
OK, I talked a little bit about bottle feeding last time, which could be formula or expressed breast milk (ebm). Obviously ebm is best for baby, but I can honestly say that by the time baby no3 arrived I was happy to top up with formula for one feed a day.
For expressing you have a choice of a manual pump (the one from Avent was my preference) or an electric one, something like the Medela pump. I tried both. The Avent one was fine, it wasn’t especially quick but it did the job and was comfortable to use. I used the Medela Mini Electric Breast Pump for my last two. It was quicker and I could use it to express while I was feeding the baby from the other side, which saved me time (a godsend with no3, when I had to contend with doing the school run in the morning, so time was of the essence!) The downside to the Medela pump is that you do feel like Daisy the Cow whilst using it and it’s not particularly comfortable. As I explained to my husband if he fancied sticking his willy in the vacuum cleaner he might have a good idea of how it feels!
Other expressing related paraphernalia which is useful are milk bags to store any excess milk in. Avent and Lansinoh do some and they’re handy as they’re just the right size and you can write the date on them and pop them in the freezer. Just remember to use them up – even when you’ve started to wean, you can mix this milk with their purees. Don’t do what I did with no1 child and religiously freeze your excess milk, then forget about it and end up chucking it out 6 months down the line. Very frustrating because of the effort involved in getting it. Although it is quite funny to have extra breast milk on hand for making comedy cups of tea for your husband when he’s annoying you…well it made me smile anyway 
A steriliser is a must as you’ll need to sterilise bottles until 6 months. Again, I went for the old fashioned cold water steriliser which is basically a plastic tub that you pop sterilising tablets into along with some water. I know you can get microwave and steam sterilisers, but I like the fact that your bottles are constantly ready to use without any faffing around. You just change the solution once a day so it’s easy and takes just a few minutes.
So what else might you need? Well there are a couple more bits and bobs that make bottle feeding a bit easier. A little milk powder container is brilliant as it makes life much easier to weigh out milk for the next three bottles and it’s easy to take the correct milk amount out and about with you. I have a couple but found the one from Mothercare a little big bigger, so it works best.
And lastly you’ll ideally have something to keep water warm while you’re out and about (unless of course you always make your formula up using cold water – my wee ones never took to that!), but I’ll talk about those options in conjunction with changing bags – one for you to look forward to!
Tags: baby, baby bottle reviews; breast pump reviews, buying for baby
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April 17th, 2009
Although we all know the benefits of breast-feeding for mother and child, sometimes it just doesn’t work out. Even if you’re 100% committed to breast-feeding, your baby just might not get the hang of it.
In my case I fed both of my boys myself for 6 & 7 months respectively and fully expected to do the same with my girly girl (GG). Unlike my boys however, the GG never seemed to take to it in the same way and was very unsettled until we introduced formula at 4 months. I can honestly say it was like flicking a switch – we went from having an unsettled, grumpy baby to one who would simply fall asleep herself under her play gym. I should have listened to my Mum who had been telling me that she was hungry all along (and bless my Mum, she has yet to say ‘I told you so’).
So is it necessary to buy bottles and formula prior to the arrival of your new baby if you’re planning on breast-feeding? Well, yes I think so. There’s a couple of circumstances where it’s really beneficial.
Firstly, if you have a big, hungry baby like both of my boys then they might not be satisfied with colostrum until your milk comes in. By all means, offer them breast every two hours, but if you’ve got a restless baby giving them an oz or two of formula isn’t going to hurt them and might give you a little respite to have a snooze.
And in this instance, you don’t want to have to leave the house for a midnight hunt for an open supermarket. Much easier to have a couple of bottles on hand, with a couple of cartons of ready prepared formula. (Again, if you’ve never made up formula before, trying to work out the instructions with a screaming baby and fuzzy post labour head isn’t a pleasant experience – take it from one who knows!)
So what do you actually need to buy in terms of bottles / formula etc? I used Avent bottles for my eldest boy but switched to Tommee Tippee Closer to Nature for my GG. They’re the ones that are boob shaped and are specially made for Mums who plan to mix feed. Initially if you’re planning to breast feed, two should be enough for emergencies – and don’t bother with the small bottles as they’ll outgrow them and you can use the 9oz bottles from the start.
As I said earlier, if you’re a new Mum, have 2 or 3 small cartons of ready made formula on hand. You might not need it, but it’s better to have it there and not need it than have a panicked rush out to get some when you need it. As for which brand of formula, that’s up to you. I used SMA Gold because that’s what they use in the maternity unit that my Mum works in, but some friends recommend Milupa instead.
The other reason you might want to buy bottles is if you plan to mix-feed with breast feeding and some bottle feeding (either formula or expressed breast milk). It’s a great combination giving you some freedom and potentially getting your partner involved…but I’ll talk about that next time. See you soon.
Tags: baby, bottle feeding, buying for baby
Posted in Buying For Baby, baby | 1 Comment »
April 13th, 2009
When it comes to reusable pads there are 2 different types available, cloth or silicone. I’ll be honest upfront and say that although I liked these in theory, these didn’t work out for me. I found the cloth ones a bit scratchy to use and that they did smell of sour milk after a while. I stopped using them because I had thrush in my nipples (ouch, ouch, OUCH!) and wanted to avoid re-infection.
I also tried the fabulous Lilypadz which a friend recommended to me. These are silicone shaped pads which basically stick to your boobs and stop the flow of milk rather than just absorbing it. They work on the same principle that if your milk ‘let-down’ starts, you can stop it by pressing flat against your breast with your hand. I found that they worked really well for me although I believe that it’s best to start using them once your milk supply has settled down, past the engorgement stage as the pressure of milk might be too much for the Lilypdz to hold at that point.
The main benefit to using Lilypadz over cloth or disposable pads is that they’re VERY discreet. You could wear a white t-shirt over the top without those tell-tale shaped pads being visible. Not a good look. Plus they’ll probably work out cheaper if you’re planning to feed for more than a couple of months as I paid about £15 for my set. The downside to Lilypadz for me is that I had Eczema on my boobs while I was breast-feeding (anyone who says that breast-feeding is easy has obviously never had the thrush / mastitis / nasty latch-on experiences) and the Lilypadz exacerbated it so I couldn’t continue using them.
So what other breast related bits and bobs are useful? Well I found nipple shields to be a godsend. At some stage with all my children I needed to use nipple shields, usually around the 7 day old mark when I realised that I was dreading the next feed because my poor nipples were a blistered, bleeding mess. They’re great for using temporarily to give some respite and allowing your boobs to heal. Lansinoh ointment is fabulous stuff too in these painful circumstances.
Just when you thought that breast feeding was distinctly unglamorous, my last top tip for breast feeding necessities is a fabulous bra. I discovered the HOTmilk range during my third pregnancy and thought I should treat myself as I had only just stopped wearing my nursing bras after baby no2 and they were all looking grey and grubby (which is just how I felt too!). HOTmilk bras have it all: they’re gorgeous, give you a great cleavage but most of all are extremely comfortable, with no underwiring but plenty of support built in. And (whisper) I’m still wearing mine 2 months after finishing breast feeding as they’re now my favourite bras, so they’re good value for money too.
Hopefully that’s given you an overview on breast feeding buying tips, but if you’ve any comments to share, please feel free to post.
Tags: baby, breast-feeding, buying for baby
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April 13th, 2009
I thought I’d kick off the next of my baby buying tips with covering off baby feeding. Obviously the cheapest and most natural way to feed your baby is breast-feeding. You’ve got the equipment for it already in place and you can take it with you wherever you go. But check out the shelves of your local baby shop and they’ve got a bewildering array of breast and nipple related accoutrements which seem to be designed to confuse. So which of these if any do you need?
Well breast pads seem to be the obvious place to start. No matter whether you intend on breast feeding or not, you’re going to need breast pads to soak up leaks (and believe me when you’ve leaked milk onto your husbands back during the night, you’ll come to appreciate the benefits of breast pads!) Breast pads can be disposable or reusable and I’ve tried both sorts so am happy to share my experiences.
With disposable, I’d really recommend that you buy a well known brand because you definitely get what you pay for. I liked Johnsons or Avent because they were nicely padded and absorbent, but soft too, with no rough edges. I did try some supermarket brands (mainly because they didn’t stock any alternatives) and generally they were pretty rubbish. Not enough absorbency and irritating crinkly paper bits round the outside which itched and were very uncomfortable too.
The benefits of disposable pads are that you change them fairly frequently so from a hygiene perspective that’s good especially if you suffer from thrush or mastitis). Plus because you’re changing the pads, in theory you shouldn’t ever smell of stale milk (but given that you’ve generally got a splodge of baby sick somewhere about your person for the first 6 months of their life, that’s probably not as much of a bonus as it should be…).
The downsides are that they’re more expensive (about £4 for a pack of 30 which was enough for about 2 weeks for me) than reusables in the long run and obviously have more environmental impact as they are disposable. One word of caution too on disposable pads as they seem to have a life of their own and whilst I was using them I would keep finding them in strange places where they’d escaped from the confines of my bra and were making a run for the border!
Tags: baby, breast-feeding, buying for baby
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