What's Better Than Britmums?

Even though it was my choice not to attend Britmums Live, in the run up to the event I still couldn't help but feel a teeny tiny bit jealous of those attending. Meeting up with other bloggers I'd love to meet in person. The wonderful buzz of excitement of the attendees on Twitter over the last few months leading up to the event. Then I heard about the wonderful selection of Keynote speakers I was going to miss out on too. I was really starting to wish I had decided to go after all. I was actually pondering the possibility of devising a last minute plan to go.

Then fate intervened. Fate dropped in my lap something far more exciting and precious. A special visit. A reunion. A much anticipated return. The Australian relatives were coming over! To say I was excited would be a gross understatement. Now to be clear, they aren't actually MY relatives. They are David's. Well one of them is. David's cousin and his wonderful girlfriend will be here on Saturday!! Some people ask why we are so excited as "it's only his cousin".  Well really David and Pete  are more like brothers than cousins. They were born 6 weeks apart and spent most of their childhoods together. Playing, fighting, but most of all laughing. They have a truly special bond. David and Pete are so very alike in lots of ways I can't even begin to explain, you really have to see them together to understand the magical bond they have. Seeing them together is a real joy to behold. It's not just Pete though. There's also the wonderful Sarah, Pete's amazing other half. Laid back, witty and fun. The pair of them are like a force of nature. It's like getting an injection of sunshine when they come to visit. Pete moved to Australia roughly 9 years ago after finishing uni and comes back to see family roughly every 2 years so time with them is precious. The last time we saw them I was 20 weeks pregnant with Holly, and now she is 18 months old! I am so looking forward to introducing them to our little toddler. I hope she likes them (she can be funny with strangers)! I'm hoping though that she senses somehow that they are family and grows to love them as much as we do. 

Fun Times!

 We have so much planned for while they are here, and so little time. I just know it is going to wonderful. So sorry Britmums. I know you are amazing, I know you are wonderful, but this year I have something better.

Review & Giveaway - Yoomi feeding system

I had heard about the Yoomi self warming bottle a few times in the past and have always wondered if it was as good as everyone said.  It did sound wonderful, a baby bottle which heats in 60 seconds to the perfect temperature, what's not to love?  So when I was offered the opportunity to try out the Yoomi feeding system I jumped at the chance!


The Yoomi feeding system includes :


The Yoomi bottle

The bottle on it's own is great.  The bottle is BPA free (which is reassuring to know), it is an anti colic design with 6 anti colic vents when standard anti colic bottles only have 4. The teats are super soft and breast shaped making them ideal for transitioning from breast to bottle, top up feeding or combined breast and bottle feeding.   Previously when we transitioned my daughter (7 months) from breast to bottle feeds she was very fussy about the teats and bottles she would feed from, but she took to the Yoomi bottle straight away when we tried it.

The Warmer

 

This nifty bit of kit is the bit that heats your bottle in just 60 secs at the touch of a button (its all very sci-fi)!  Great if you are out and about, meaning you don't have to miraculously find boiling water from somewhere! Nor do you need to constantly check the temp of the milk during warming as the warmer only heats the milk to a safe temperature (booby milk temp actually)!  Previously, in order to get the Yoomi warmer ready you had to heat it in a pan of boiling water or steam steriliser for 25 minutes.  I would imagine that this was a little bit of a drawback to the Yoomi system as doing this before every trip out seems somewhat time consuming.  However, the boffins over at Yoomi have come up with a beautifully simple time saving alternative to heating your warmer up - The Yoomi pod!

The Pod

The pod really is a super quick way to charge up your bottle warmer.  You just pop it in your microwave for 2 mins and you are ready to go.  Also, the pod can be used as a handy carry case.  I think you'll agree this is definitely a time saver!  We certainly found it quick and easy to use when getting ready to go out for the day.  Much easier than remembering to get ready 25 mins before you need to go out.  As a scatty mum I'd never have remembered to do it!  So the pod is ideal for me!


So what is my overall opinion of the Yoomi range?

I think Yoomi is a great invention.  It is easy and quick to use.  It is safe, with no need to faff about with boiling water thanks to the new Yoomi pod.  The bottle design is great for all babies.   It is not only great for out and about, but a quick way to heat up night feeds too.  Our whole family really like using our Yoomi.

Any drawbacks or negatives?

I only wish I'd had one earlier!

So if you'd tried the Yoomi range what do you think of it?  Or perhaps you'd like to try it out for yourself?


Well thanks to the lovely people at Yoomi you can!  All you need to do is enter the giveaway below and you could get your hands on a fab Yoomi feeding system for your family!

****ENTER THE FANTABULOUS YOOMI GIVEAWAY ****

a Rafflecopter giveaway






Disclosure: I was sent a Yoomi feeding system to review; all opinions are honest and my own

Are you judging me?

This weekend we decided to have a little trip to the shops.  I would never normally brave the shops at the weekend because I hate being pushed, shoved and poked out of the way by rude people who seem hell-bent on fighting there way to the socks you happen to be standing in front of.  You know, as if it is a matter of life and death, or there may suddenly be a shortage of the damn things.  Well you get the idea.

Luckily, because the weather just happened to be El Scorchio, the shops were surprisingly quiet.  Everyone was out enjoying the sun.  So we go into a shop, I take Holly's pram and push it around while daddy picks out clothes he likes.  Then it is my turn to look while dad pushes the pram.  Within about 5 seconds of this switch-over, Holly decides it is time to start the show.  She has already been fed, changed and had a lovely long nap, but still the screaming and crying begins. We take her out of the pram and hold her.  Nope, that doesn't work.   We put her instead in the sling, still no joy. There is no soothing her.  She is probably just cranky due to the heat having lived nearly her entire life so far in near sub zero temperatures (it is Scotland you know).

The looks have started already though.  Other shoppers, walking by, staring, some shaking their heads, some tutting.  Making faces as if to say...

"Can't you keep your baby quiet"

OR 

"Don't they know how to look after that baby?"

I am being silently judged by other people.  I feel like an inadequate and bad mother.  After all, what kind of mother brings a crying baby to the shops?  Or can't soothe her crying baby? Me, apparently.  Daddy says its fine and to keep shopping, she'll calm down eventually.  I can't though, I'm too annoyed/upset and I abandon my shopping and leave the store.  I hate being judged.  I wasn't doing anything wrong was I? I certainly wasn't ignoring Holly's cries.  Yet I am made to feel like shit by strangers.  This is why I hate taking Holly out in public, for the most part she is good, but in the back of my mind there is always the fear she has a meltdown and it terrifies me.  As a result I tend to do most of my shopping online to avoid such situations.

So my question is, if you had seen me and my crying baby, would you judge me?  Would you act like I was ruining your day and make it so blatantly obvious that you thought I was doing a shit job?  Or am I over-reacting?   Should I just ignore these mean, ignorant people?

The haunted baby monitor...

It would appear that it is time to call in the GHOSTBUSTERS to investigate in my house...or is it?

BOO!

I've always had an over active imagination. I'm prone to flights of fancy.  If I'm in the kitchen at night and the lights are on I can't get over the feeling that someone might be out there in the darkness outside my window, peering in unseen with evil intent.  So much so that I won't look out of the window once I've flicked the light switch to off, for fear I actually discover I am in fact correct.  I'm a walking contradiction though.  Despite this and many other irrational fears about lurking maniacs and ghostly faces in darkened mirrors I'd love to go and explore so called haunted houses and I've yet to see a horror film that I haven't laughed at.  Perhaps that is the problem, maybe my imagination is better than a horror script...

I'm getting off track though.  I'm here to talk about the baby monitor.  Holly has only just gone into her own room (under protest from me - but that is another story), so we have only just started using her baby monitor and the damn thing is scaring the bejeebus out of me.  For some reason, since the very first time we turned it on, somewhere in the back of my mind is the thought that I might hear something unexpected and sinister through it.  Every noise that comes through it, apart from the Holly noises, has me convinced there is something or someone  moving about in her room.  Now, I'm a logical person, I know the rustling noise is just Holly turning over in the cot, but it sounds creepy when amplified through this electrical appliance.  Or the times when the sound of her dreaming noises are distorted by interference and it sounds like a creepy demon growling.  It is far from reassuring.  Then again, there was the time, in the dead of the night that the monitor kept picking up weird noises even though her room was silent.  It turns out it was just interference and I needed to change the channel.  With all these things I know there is a logical explanation, but sometimes when her monitor goes off I hate it.  I get a fear in the pit of my stomach that the noises I'm about to hear will be unearthly and sinister.  Perhaps I'm just subconsciously looking for excuses to bring her back into our room?

What do you think of baby monitors?  Is yours driving you slowly insane like me? 

Holly's slightly unhinged and irrational mother.

XXXX

Holly's Hauls - April 2012

As you'll already know if you've read my very 1st Holly's Hauls post, I like to be as thrifty as possible kitting out my girl.  So this weekend we went to a baby sale and here are some of the fabulous finds we picked up!  As Holly is already in her 3-6 months clothing I tried to focus my purchases on 6-12 months and beyond, only buying something 3-6 months if it really tickled my fancy (Holly has more than enough in this age range already)!  Not all of the purchases I bagged are listed here as there would be too many to show. I'm not sure of the individual prices of each item, as I haggled on a lot of purchases but I can tell you that I got in excess of 20 items and spent approx £25-30. So here are my fabulous finds!

Nappy Liners are easy!

If you use cloth nappies you might also currently use something called a nappy liner, then again, you might not.

What is a nappy liner? 

A liner is a either a fabric or disposable barrier that is placed on the inside of a nappy.  It should not be confused with an insert which is used to absorb wee. What this barrier does is catch poop meaning that you don't have to scrape, rinse or scrub the inside of the nappy to remove the poop from it.  Instead if it is a disposable liner it can be thrown away, or if it is fabric you can usually shake the contents off into the toilet with minimal effort, rinse the liner and pop it into the wash with the rest of your nappy laundry! This means that your nappies will also stay stain free!  While disposable liners probably offer more convenience, over the long term washable liners are definitely better value and don't take any extra effort as you already have nappies to wash anyway!

Now, you could go out and buy some nappy liners if you like, but the cost of these can vary quite considerably, but by far the most cost effective nappy liner is homemade!  Now let me let you into a secret...making liners is ridiculously easy!  You don't need to be good with your hands, or crafty in the slightest either!  You don't even need a needle and thread!  Want to know how?  Well read on...

Things you will need:

• Sharp Scissors
• A template (mine is 12 inches long by 5 inches wide approximately -  you may need to adjust sizes depending on the nappies you use)
• A pen or something to mark out the material
• Anti-pil fleece fabric (this is why you don't need to sew....fleece doesn't fray!!!)

How much fleece will you need? 

As a rough guide using the sizes given, half a metre of fleece should make between 30 - 40 liners depending how you lay them out!

Where can you buy fleece fabric?

You should be able to pick up fleece really cheaply in any fabric shop or even Ebay!  If you have a quick search on ebay there are lots of different designs to choose from to suit either girls or boys!  Or maybe you have an old fleece blanket lying around?  You could use that if you like!

So how do you do it?

Lay out your fabric.  Draw round your template as many times as needed.  Cut out. Now step back and admire your easy hard work! Ta Da!!!  You have made your liners!  I told you it was easy!!!

Even if you decide not to use all the fabric for liners, why not use some of it to make cloth wipes?  All you need to do for that is cut into squares or rectangles of any size you like! 

So people, there you have it!  The easy peasy nappy liner!  Hope this helps!





Happy Real Nappy Week!

Competitive Parenting!

Holly is fast approaching four months and things are changing and developing rapidly at this stage.  Holly has recently discovered her hands and that is somewhat of a blessing as she has also started to teethe...yet it isn't just Holly that has changed, it seems our parent friends have changed too...

Working mums and stay at home mums!

This topic comes up time and time again amongst all the mummies I know.  In fact, someone brought it up to me today.  So I felt I just had to write about it!  I think the comment today was:

 "Stay at home mums that say it is a full time job make me sick, I have to work a REAL job and look after my kids when I get home!  I have to work to pay their benefits for them to be able to stay at home!"

Holly's Hauls!

On this blog I plan to show all Holly's Hauls.  These might include anything from clothes, toys and books, to nursery decoration. I am a bit of a bargain hunter, and while some of the items will be new and full price, I have no issue with buying good quality second hand items for my girl and I love a sale bargain too!  When buying second hand items I tend to favour buying from Ebay, websites specialising in the sale of pre-loved baby goods (for links click here), or dedicated baby sales as there are a few of these in my area every month. The items are always good quality and the prices are so reasonable.  My philosophy is that babies grow out of clothes so quickly, that it makes sense not to waste money on something your baby might only wear a couple of times. Also, this means that a lot of the second hand items you buy look brand new, as they may only have been worn once or twice, if at all!

Coping with crying...

So lets face facts....If you have a baby, your baby will cry.  That is what babies do after all!

However, if you are very lucky you might have a baby who cries very little.  Lucky you!  Yet this simply isn't the case for all of us.

You may have a baby who is colicky, or simply goes through stages of crying.

Terrible, inconsolable crying, for hours on end.  Crying that no amount of  nursing, swaddling, rocking, singing, shushing or soothing will help.

Now if you have a baby like this, seeing their little face twisted in what looks like agony, purple, lips quivering and letting out the most unearthly scream you have ever heard, it is heart wrenching.  It is soul destroying and exhausting and probably feels like the worst moment of your entire life.

I've taken my daughter to the GP, the Health Visitor and even to A & E. We've tried gaviscon and multiple prescriptions but NOTHING has worked. In fact, I've been told by more than one doctor;

"Some babies are just like that. You just have to wait it out."

So I've held my own  daughter as she cried, after hours of trying to soothe her without success with tears of anguish rolling down my face.  I don't pretend to be an expert on this type of crying (my own daughter is only 7 weeks old), and I can't tell you any miracle solution to it either.  There is one thing I do know though, if you have tried everything you possibly can, sometimes your only option is to ride it out...Now if this is your only option, you need to find a way to make it more bearable for you.  So here it is, my way of coping with crying.  The things I tell myself to make it alright.  My coping with crying mantra.

Labour of Love

I suppose it might be about time to tell you the story of my labour....

My baby girl was fashionably late....12 days late to be exact!  Even then she didn't come out of her own free will, I was induced.  My little angel was perfectly happy inside my tummy, and to tell you the truth I was in no great rush to get her out!  Don't get me wrong, I desperately wanted to meet her, but having unexpectedly enjoyed the whole pregnancy experience I really didn't want it to end!  So induction day arrives and off we went to the hospital.

I had my birth plan all set. If the induction was successful at the first attempt, I had decided to try out the birthing pool and stick to breathing techniques and possibly gas and air.  In the event that it became too painful I said I would consider other methods of pain relief.  I didn't really see that as being likely, I have a very high pain threshold and was pretty confident I would be able to cope.

Attitude change!

Well here we are...Holly will be exactly a month old in 5 days time, and for the life of me I have absolutely no idea where the time has gone.  I mean, I actually cannot believe I have managed to look after a newborn baby for nearly a whole month.  ME - the formerly reluctant mum.  Perhaps I should explain exactly what I mean by that...