Cocoon Babies car seat blanket - review

#GIFTED

Wrapping up warm and staying safe with the

Cocoon Babies Car Seat Blanket

With a winter baby it is important to consider how to keep them warm and cosy when out and about without impacting on their safety. 

Weaning advice and our top weaning products

Over the past few years I have been through a few parenting milestones, one of which is weaning.

Weaning both Jelly Bean and Bug was memorable and fun, with each experience being unique to them. Both were weaned earlier than the recommended age at the guidance of the health visitor. Bug took to food faster than Jelly Bean with him being an enthusiastic, full meals eater who loved to try new foods; whilst Jelly Bean was more of a slow eater who took a while to take to new tastes and textures and preferred to graze throughout the day eating little and often rather than a few large meals in one go.

Bringing your baby home from hospital.

Will it soon be time to bring your baby home from the hospital? Then read on for a few ways to make it as stress-free and manageable as possible.

Chat with the midwives and staff

If there is one group of people that will be able to answer pretty much all and any questions you have at this time, it is the maternity staff. The midwives, doctors, and staff spend their entire lives helping new mothers in just the same situation as you. 

Use their wisdom and knowledge while you have access to it. No question is too minor or ‘too stupid’, and we promise they won’t laugh at you for asking it. Similarly, if you’re struggling with anything, let them know. It could be something big like if you are having trouble adjusting to breastfeeding. Or it could be something much smaller like you’re having trouble with the baby carrier straps! Get them involved and don’t expect to know everything.

Saying goodbye to the SnüzPod.

Unfortunately a little while ago the time arrived when we had to say goodbye to the SnüzPod. The SnüzPod by Snüz was heavenly and well loved. Thanks to The Little Green Sheep we enjoyed a blissful 6 months of safe co-sleeping with our baby.

As I loved the SnüzPod so much I must admit I am finding it a little hard that we cannot use it any longer. Whilst we have set up Jelly Bean in his own cot passed down from his big brother to make the transition a little easier for me I would love the following items from my own nursery wish list.........having things you love and have lusted after for ages always helps right?

Cosatto Cot Bed

Whilst one could argue that the cot that Jelly Bean has now is more than adequate as I have loved Cosatto from afar for many years now I would be over the moon to own a little piece of Cosatto. Being just as lovely as the Cosatto pushchairs I adore is their cot beds as such having one for my beautiful baby boy to sleep in is top of my wish list.

toTs by smarTrike.

Renowned and multi-award winning outdoor toy brand smarTrike have launched a new range called toTs. The new range which consists of changing bags, towels, bedding, muslins, comforters and other baby essentials was officially launched last week.

As we were lucky enough to have a sneak peek at the beautiful new toTs by smarTrike range with Jelly Bean being sent some lovely muslins and a super soft comforter toy, I thought I would take a little look at the range.

Stroller wish list.

Whilst I love babywearing and adore carrying Jelly Bean on a daily basis, there are times when it would be lovely to have a stroller available as an alternative option. Windy and rainy days doing the school run, shopping trips with heavy bags, or when others are helping to look after Jelly Bean, are times when the lack of a stroller is apparent and subtly missed.

Even though we do have a travel system it is so big, bulky, ugly, tatty and super heavy that I have banished it and neglect using it. Thanks to the steps outside of our house and the fact that it takes up the whole of our boot in the car, using it for quick trips to school or taking in the car to use on days out are more hassle than what it is worth.

With that in mind I have been thinking about the fact that it would be a good idea to welcome a stroller I actually like and that suits our lifestyle better into our home.

For days when I want to go shopping or when my mum who cannot babywear due to health reasons (but would love to if she could and would rock at it!) is helping look after Jelly Bean I want a stylish, lightweight and compact stroller.

Looking at strollers I have narrowed down our options to the following –

Sharktastic cuteness - Youngsies towel dressing gown review.

Jelly Bean is a little water baby. He loves having a bath followed by a soothing baby massage.

Obviously an essential needed for bath times is a towel, not only is it needed to dry little ones but it is also needed to keep baby snug and warm after splishy splash baths.

As one of things I eagerly anticipated doing with Jelly Bean was bath times where he could enjoy the benefits of a lovely bath before wrapping him up in a fluffy towel  I could not resist the chance of getting a cute little towel for him.

Youngsies a website brimming with cute animal romper suits, delightful onesies and adorable towel dressing gowns sent Jelly Bean a Shark towel dressing gown for bath times.

#PampersPooFace – celebrate the cute and fun faces babies pull when making nappy mess and win Pampers Sensitive wipes to tackle the mess!

Whilst babies are undoubtedly cute and adorable, looking like innocent little angels, their cuteness inevitably comes hand in hand with mess!

To tackle the mess that babies make most parents rely on wipes. In fact new research by Pampers has revealed how much parents’ rely on and love baby wipes for quickly cleaning up all types of baby mess. Pampers’ study with more than 1,000 UK parents found out that 9 in 10 UK parents admit they can’t leave the house without a pack of wipes.

The study also found out what baby mess situations parents feat he most. Unsurprisingly nappy mess topped the list for half of parents, followed closely by baby food mess with 4 in 10 parents dreading baby food mess.

But that’s not all, the study also uncovered the different attitudes of mums and dads when it comes to baby mess, with 60% of dads fear nappy mess the most compared to 40% of mums.

Preparing for Jelly Bean's arrival - Caboodle Bags.

Caboodle Bags - Fun & Funky Baby Changing Bag first impressions.

As Jelly Bean’s due date creeps ever closer…..eeek only a matter of a few weeks to go……I have been busy getting everything ready for Jelly Bean’s arrival. I’ve been busy washing baby clothes, freshening up cloth nappies and making my own homemade wrap for babywearing to mention a few of my pre-baby preparations.

As well as the above, plus a whole lot more, I have also been on the hunt for a changing bag that both Lee and I can happily use and which suits our needs of being able to hold baby essentials and cloth nappies as well occasionally carrying a few things for our busy pre-schooler Bug on family days out.

Thanks to Caboodle Bags I think we may have found the perfect changing bag for us.

Caboodle Bags’ new range for 2015 is the Fun & Funky Baby Changing Bag.