Travelling with a baby requires A LOT of planning and A LOT of stuff. When we were on holiday at the Summer we hired a travel cot for Aria to sleep in. This resulted in lots of rashes due to the fabric, washing powder, etc. Lesson learnt I will not do that again. When we go to the caravan next, I will be taking the Magicbed with me. What’s a Magicbed I hear you ask well it’s the best cot and takes up the least amount of space I’ve come across, not only that it looks great and I feel the baby is safe enough in it that I can sleep. It unfolds instantly in 2 seconds, I’m not kidding you I tried to time it but by the time it started it was up. Putting it back down doesn’t take much more it’s about 30 seconds and lets face it that’s impressive. It comes with it’s own carry bag and is very light so you can carry both it and the baby no problem. No more struggling with a heavy travel cot or trying to put it up, this does the lot in under 1 minute. I was really impressed by this. Have a look at the video on their site to see how simple it is.
I am a huge fan of Little Buttons Boutique and have bought Aria quite a few things from there. Not only are the clothes great, an excellent price and well made, but they are also local, a fellow Glasgow company no less. I love their leggings Aria, but I also love these little bibs called Cheeky Chompers they are excellent. Perfect for teething, catching those drips and give the little ones something to gnaw on. You have to check these out. Cute, practical and helpful all in one.
I am sure I am like most mothers and stress about what to put their child in when they go to sleep. Are they going to be too warm? Are they going to get cold? What if they are too warm now and cool later? Am I right? Well, Bambino Merino baby sleeping bags take the worry out of this. They are made of cotton and lined with a fine, soft merino wool. When wool was mentioned I instantly thought of itchy material, but these are so soft and so light. I love this sleeping bag and wished I found them before now. They create a microclimate around the baby which keeps them warm and comfortable without the risk of overheating. A weight off my mind I can tell you. One sleeping bag can be used all year round and fits from 2 months to 2 years. There are the popper under than arms to keep them snug and a zip for opening and nappy changes. I really love this sleeping bag.
Having had two boys it’s nice to have some dolls in our life. A little girl’s first doll is a special one, I loved my dolls as a child and hope that Aria does too. However, I want her dolls to project the right image and the first doll she has is the Mooshka Doll. Her doll is called Karia and comes with a little
finger puppet. She is a 24cm rag doll which is soft bodied and machine washable for any spillages, drool or chewing that goes on at that age. The Mooshka tots dolls have a great little paper doll chain theme going on and are perfect for a first doll. Soft, sweet, loveable, playable, chewable, fun and looks great.
If you’ve had a baby you’ll know how much of a blur the first few weeks are. You survive on very little sleep, food and let’s face it, simple things like getting a shower and brushing your teeth take a back seat to looking after this little bundle. One thing I came across that I wish someone had gotten for me or I should just have signed up for it myself is the NonaBox. The NonaBox is a monthly subscription or you can pre-pay at 3 months, 6 months, etc, which come personalised to suit the mother and baby depending on the stage. It arrives in a beautifully packaged box with ribbon tied around it. Then you open the tissue paper to reveal a wealth of goodies. Plus the box is great quality, I use it to store cards, and little things I want to keep about the birth of Aria. I got a box for 8 months, which had a crawlerz baby grow which is fab and will be reviewing in a minute, a GumiGem bangle, which baby girl is chewing on as I type, a spoon which rotates, a food pouch, reusable bib, a Mam Bottle, Water Wipes, a soother, a toothbrush and a lavender filled sheep pillow. A lot more products than I’d expect. The items within the box cost around £70 but the subscription is only £25 per month which includes P&P. A bargain I think. I’ve never had a subscription based box of anything, but having tried this one, I think it’s a great idea. It would be perfect for partners to get for their partner and baby, or grandparents. A great little gift that keeps giving.
I pretty much make all our baby food. From the pureed fruit and vegetables through to the mashed then chopped meals. However, sometimes you need a ready made meal for trips out, when you’re in a hurry or another reason. When I need to use packaged foods I like to use as fresh as possible, I like to use pouches rather than jars, personal choice and I’m loving the Annabel Karmel range. Her range includes organic purees and sauces. They are perfect for the really early stage as well when baby’s only eat a little of the pouch as you can save the rest with the twisting lid under next time. The range is huge from carrot, lentil and tomato to Sweet Potato & cheese with their fruit range going from fruity Apple to blueberry and vanilla. There are stage 1 pureed and stage 2 a bit lumpier and a range of sauces to cook with pasta, meat and fish. Aria loved all of these.
Having colds can be extremely distressing in a baby and young children. Aqua Maris have designed a nasal decongestant suitable for little noses. The main ingredient is purified seawater from the Adriatic and acts as a natural astringent, which can help speed up the healing in the nasal tissue. It helps them sleep better and clear some of the nasal congestion there are experiencing. It’s easy to use and not at all distressing for either party. I think this works well and have used it for Aria several times. It helps clear the nose giving a more restful sleep than without.
Another great range of skin care products are Love Boo. These are for all the family. My boys love the shampoo and conditioner, this is especially good for Tyler’s hair which is really thick. The top to toe was we use on everyone and I love the magic balm. This stuff can be used for everything from cracked lips to cuts to dry skin. It really does do the lot. The Love Boo products smell great and don’t react to your skin in anyway. What I love about these is that they are suitable for the whole family young to old.
Stair gates are a necessity when a baby becomes mobile. They can get up those stairs quicker than you can blow your nose, don’t let those little legs fool you. I find that I trip over stair gates so I liked the fact that the Dreambaby retractable one didn’t have anything at the bottom for me to trip over. The stair gate works great, but having to screw it onto the door frame was the only downside. It fits up to 140cm which I think it larger than most. It is very secure and works well though. And the fact it retracts to almost nothing it’s barely noticeable when not in use.
I still feel the best cream for nappy rash is Sudocrem. I don’t know about you, but I have tried many, but I always come back to good out Sudocrem. I really like the care and protect one as it is a little thinner than the original and comes in a handy squeezable bottle. Classic and still the best.
Little Dish are one of the first ready made meals for children I ever came across when the boys were little. I have always found to look and taste like homemade meals and nothing has changed they are as good, if not better than always. They aren’t something you could feed your kids everyday, not that they aren’t nutritious enough, but they are a little more expensive than it would cost you to make your little ones dinner with the rest of the family. I feel they are good for that odd time you are running short of time or haven’t done the weekly shop. They can be cooked from frozen and as a busy working mum that’s good for me. 
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