Tag Archives: baby product

Bath Time With Childs Farm

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Disclaimer: Childs Farm sent me these products for free, however I had been buying and using their hair and body wash for a year.

I’ll never forget the first bath we gave A. It was 3 days after she was born and she finally seemed to relax.

The next pic is from 6 weeks after she was born, she seems so content and pensive (*mummy tip* – we used to cover her with warm flannels to keep her warm, it worked really well). Needless to say things are a bit more lively nowadays! “Sit down, please don’t splash mummy…sit down…”

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The first few days were tough (mainly due to feeding issues) and she didn’t seem to really settle but she did in the bath. I’d highly recommend buying a bath seat for newborns, so much easier than holding them and a lot less stressful as they’re not going to fall in the water (which is what happened to my “baby” when we were learning to bathe them at our NCT class).

We’ve never had problems with A’s skin, except for some dry skin the first few weeks. Coconut oil really helped, it’s natural and cheap so ideal for babies and children (it also really helped when I had thrush on one nipple, sorry for TMI and yes it hurts as bad as it sounds!).

About a year ago, I was given a sample of Childs Farm Body and Hair Wash at a local mum’s meetup and loved it after using it the first time and that’s all I have ever used since.

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It smells divine and seems to last a long time, you don’t need much to get a good lather going.. For those of you, who don’t know Childs Farm, it is a great, award winning British brand that makes toiletries for babies and children. What is super nice about their products is that they are adapted to sensitive and eczema-prone skin and if that wasn’t enough, here is a full list of why they are great!

✓  ” Dermatologically tested and approved

✓  Paediatrician approved

✓  Suitable for newborns and upwards

✓  Suitable for children with sensitive and eczema prone skin

✓  98% naturally derived ingredients

✓  Made with organic essential oils

✓  Free from parabens, SLSs, mineral oils and artificial colours

✓  Never tested on animals, only on people

✓  Tested and approved by my little ones for you to use on yours”

Until they very kindly sent me some new products to try, we had been using the organic sweet orange bath and hair wash, which I LOVE!!!! It smells so nice!!!

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We were sent the new blackberry and organic one to try and it was a great success, her skin came out nice and soft after the bath and the next morning her hair was still smelling of blackberries! The apple scent wasn’t very strong at all but the blackberry really came through and as I said was still there the next day!

I trust their products, they tick all the boxes (no parabens, artificial colours etc.), the packaging is super cute and we have now have a lovely bag to use as well. We were also sent some suncare to try out and I will write about that later.

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Their products (that come in various sizes) are widely available (Waitrose, Ocado, Boots, John Lewis etc.) and on their website too: http://shop.childsfarm.com/ . They haven’t just won the “European Mummy” award, they have won tons so I am not the only won who thinks they are great!

Thanks again Childs Farm, I report back on the sunscreen soon.

Do any of you use their products? Please leave a comment about what you think of them, I would love to know!

 

 

 

 

 

 

My review of the OXO Tot Roll Up Bib, I have finally found a GREAT bib!

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*Disclaimer: I was sent this bib for free but I have not been compensated in any other way and all opinions are my own*

OXO Tot recently sent me one of their Roll up bibs you can buy them here and here) and I am really impressed. I have been searching for a bib that doesn’t ride up and this does a lot more than that!

What is completely unique about this bib is that it rolls up into itself, which means that not only does it not take up much space in your bag but it also doesn’t get anything else dirty! The fact it matches our changing bag is just the cherry on the cake:

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I had been using throw away bibs for this exact reason (to avoid dirty bibs getting everything else dirty and also becoming smelly!) when out and about but these aren’t great for the environment and are costly over the long term. Problem solved!

Another problem that is solved is the tendency for bibs to ride up and therefore not always provide great coverage or to not fit well with the high chair seat or tray, this happens with the thin lightweight bibs especially. We do have a hard plastic one but it’s a bit wide at the top and actually uncomfortable for A. The OXO tot bib is made of two different materials: a soft, easy to wipe (and to dry!) top bit made of fabric, which makes it comfortable and good for different sized babies and a bottom silicone part that makes up the roll and  also catches all the bits!

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I’ve used it out in the buggy and in the high chair and it is just the right length:

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You can see in the first photo the tag was still attached as I was so eager to use it!

A had a lot of fun picking the bits up and ended up a lot less messy than usual after lunch!

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She loves her new food storage area!

It attaches at the back with Velcro which is good because it will fit different sizes but I worry about it getting dirty and her eventually being able to rip it off, this is the only fault I could find.

It was very easy to clean and it dried really quickly, which as all mums know is a bonus!

I’ll be getting another one that can live in the changing bag. If you want a great length bib, that catches bit and works well in a changing bag, this is the bib for you!

What To Buy For Baby

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I put together a list of things to buy for a pregnant friend of mine and then she sent it to another friend and then I passed it on to two women I didn’t know but who posted on my local parents FB group and who said it was really helpful so I thought I would share it with the world 🙂

I used my experience and that of friends to put this together as well as the many hours I spent reading about all the stuff you can buy babies! So I broke it down into a few Bs.

  • Body

Your baby will need nappies and clothes as a basic necessity, you can’t do without these but you can definitely do without a lot of the other stuff!

Regarding clothes you don’t know how big your baby is going to be, you can use the predicted weight but its’ not very accurate. My advice would be to buy 10 vests and 10 sleep suits to begin with. A mix of “newborn” and size 0-1 months and maybe one or 2 “tiny baby” just in case. BUY THEM FROM A SUPERMARKET. I wasted money on nice babygros, they come in packs from supermarkets and are totally fine! Have one or 2 nice ones for when people come over but more is a waste of money. True cliché: they grow out of things quickly and stuff gets poo stained!
However some cute clothes are definitely needed:
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And a Chrismas Elf outfit is de rigueur for a winter baby:
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I used water wipes at the beginning as they are gentle enough to use on newborn skin: http://waterwipes.com. Then moved onto huggies pure and now use Tesco wipes. Coconut oil is great for dry, flaky skin. Sunflower oil is supposed to be great too. Another tip is put a pop sock of oats into the bath if they baby has dry skin. I have baby moisturiser that I have never used so I wouldn’t bother with that.
  • Baby carrier
We have the ergo baby 360 (http://store.ergobaby.com/baby-carrier/four-position-360) and it’s great but fabric slings are better for tiny newborns and good for in the house. They love sleeping in slings, they feel safe and secure. A sling library is a great place to go and try slings on before investing
  • Boobs/Bottle
I could go for hours about my love/hate relationship with breastfeeding but all I will say is go on kellymom.com, it’s a great website about feeding. Be aware of the symptoms of tongue tie, if something doesn’t feel right, trust your instincts and speak to a professional lactation consultant ASAP!
If you want to express and use bottles, a double pump is the best, they are really much faster. I had the Medela Swing, which is good but wish I’d had a double one. You can rent the Medela hospital grade one or this one is supposed to be good:
MAM bottles are really good when combining breastfeeding and bottle feeding so they don’t get too much “nipple confusion”, which is a whole debatable subject!
  • Bed
If you don’t want your baby to sleep in a draw, then this is what I recommend 🙂
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We rented this: http://www.bednest.com, A slept in it until she was 4 months old. The great thing with the bednest is YOU CAN GIVE IT BACK. I don’t get moses baskets, they are cute but they can be noisy (they squeak), you can’t clean them and all babies seem to grow out of them within a month or 2.
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The bednest is unescapable!
A REAL GREAT PRODUCT is the Cocoonababy. A actually slept in it until she was 4 months old, we put in on our bed, in the bednest (this is not recommended according to the bednest guidelines but we did it anyway), on the sofa, on the floor etc. It’s easy to transport from room to room or even if you go away, babies are super cosy and in a natural position it in and it avoids “flat head syndrome”. It can also really help with reflux as they are not flat on their back.
Newborns can’t control their arms and legs and the movement often wakes them up so swaddling is important, you can wrap them yourself in beautiful swaddling blankets like we did (but probably didn’t do it enough):
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but I would recommend buying a swaddle with Velcro or a zip like this:
Here is the Cocoonababy and the beautiful swaddling blankets in action:
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White noise can help them sleep, so get your hands on Ewan the Dreem Sheep or our friend Eddie.
  • Bath

This bath seat is indispensable (you can also buy it here), if not you have to hold the baby and wash it at the same time, which is really hard! 10 pounds well spent, I don’t know how people manage without one!

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  • Buggies

I would either buy the Uppababy Cruz or Vista because they both have massive baskets and a good pull down sunshade. You can’t go wrong with either and the Vista can even become a double buggy. The second best thing is probably a Bugaboo. We don’t have a car so how easy folding the buggy is doesn’t matter to us but if you’re going to use a car a lot then think about that (the mamas and papas Armadillo Flip XT is easy to fold for example).

  • Bits and Bobs

You don’t need to buy a specific changing table unless you want to, we just have a changing mat on top of a cheat of drawers. We even use this kitchen trolley (from Ikea) to store muslins, wipes etc. I would buy good quality muslins (less is more) as the cheap ones are not very so or absorbent.

http://www.ikea.com/gb/en/catalog/products/30216536/

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We have a nappy bin but its not indispensable. Changing bags that come with a changing are mat are really useful but you could just use any bag as long as it fits on the buggy.

I bought this baby gym from Mothercare and she still uses it, another 10 pounds well spent!

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A bumbo can be useful before they can sit up, but it’s definitely worth buying a second hand one.

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A bouncy chair is also very useful:

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I would really advise mums to be to buy THINGS SECOND HAND except for a mattress and a car seat (unless you know for sure it’s not been in an accident), make a list for friends so you don’t only end up with clothes.

It’s myth that they wont let you leave the hospital without a car seat, you can carry babies on your lap or in a sling in a mini cab: it’s the LAW: https://www.gov.uk/child-car-seats-the-rules/when-a-child-can-travel-without-a-car-seat.

That’s all I can think of for now!

Baby Products That Need To Be Invented

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If anybody would like to become a billionaire, you simply need to create one of these products, as far as know none of them exist:

  • A self cleaning high chair
  • A high chair with high sides so no food can be thrown on the floor
  • A bib that ties around the waist so it doesn’t ride up
  • A “weaning hat” so hair doesn’t get covered in food
  • An “attach spoon” so said spoon can’t be thrown on the floor
  • A treadmill or “vibrator” for buggies to get babies to sleep, ideally could be used with a crib too
  • An integrated white noise surround sound machine for cots
  • Nappies that NEVER leak
  • A cheap, lightweight sturdy playpen, could be inflatable but with high sides
  • An “anti-rolling” sleeping bag with an integrated sleep positioned or something
  • Glow in the dark teether
  • Glow in the dark cup

Do any of these things exist?

As I think some of these ideas are brilliant, I’m linking up with #brilliantblogposts
Brilliant blog posts on HonestMum.com

How I Stumbled On The Best Lip Balm Ever By Chance or What To Do With Leftover Nipple Cream

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Last Saturday I was rushing to get ready for a night out with the other NCT mums (you don’t want to waste a minute of these rare occasions!) and realised I had chapped lips so couldn’t put any lipstick on. I looked around for some lipbalm but this caught my eye

My brain went into overdrive and I just knew this was going to work very well. If it’s OK for babies to nurse without removing it and if it can solve all your cracked/sore nipple problems then surely it will be good for cracked lips. Well ladies, this is the bomb, the ultimate lip balm. Lansinoh nipple cream is the Rolls Royce of lip balms, it works a treat – not only do your lips feel good and soft, they look good:

Lansinoh, you can thank me when your sales figures go through the roof!