My Winter Wardrobe Wishlist

Fairisle Onesie|Knitted Slipper Boot|Aztec Jumper|Let It Snow Jumper|Fairisle Jumper

It's funny how things change over the years. Growing up I would refuse to shop in certain shops because they weren't 'cool' now these are my go-to shops. Especially when I was pregnant, Matalan was my guilty pleasure. It is 2 shops down from my work and I would just 'pop in' after my shift and end up spending more money than I had. I love getting their little seasonal brochures through the door because they always have some great stuff in.

I've conveniently left this out on the coffee table to see if Gavin gets the hint for Christmas. He probably wouldn't notice if I smacked him over the head with the brochure but I can live in hope!

Christmas Gift Guide 6 Months

One of my biggest worries with Christmas approaching is buying Logan the right things. When babies grow and develop so fast I find it quite daunting that I'm buying him presents that he won't use/play with for another 2 months. So I've tried to be prepared and buy things that will be suitable for him by the time Christmas comes. However that's easier said than done when I have no idea what he'll be like at that age. He is currently 6 months old and by Christmas he will be 8 months. At the moment he cant sit up on his own, by Christmas he might be able to do that, though there is a possibility he wont. Maybe he will be crawling, maybe he wont, you get the idea, so I thought it might be helpful for mummies that have babies that will be around the 6 month mark at Christmas if I gave you an idea of what kind of stuff Logan likes now and it might give you an idea of what Santa can bring your little one.

Jumperoo|Logan The Lion|Clopy Pony Squeaker Rattle|Nuby Teething Ring|Clover Cow Rattle| Chico Soft Rattle

I know a lot of mum's will agree, the Fisher Price Jumperoo is money well spent. There is so much for the little hands to play with and touch. It gives me a bit of peace of mind, I know he is amused long enough for me to grab a cup of tea.

Logan the Lion is a Lamaze toy that we initially bought because his name was Logan, but then I thought that might get a bit confusing so we've taken to calling him Leo instead. The Lamaze toys are pretty similar and has lots to keep them amused. logan especially likes chewing on his feet because they are that crinkly paper like stuff that he just loves. 

The moment Logan realised he could squeak this himself Clopy Pony was a winner. The head rattles as well so its a great toy for distracting him. He also likes to chew hell out of it. Though he likes chewing just about everything.

Nuby have some great teething toys but this set of keys seems to be Logan's favourite. He can hold onto them well and they soft rubber is great for him to chew on. They can also be put in the freezer to cool fiery gums.

Clover Cow along with Clopy Cow is another one from the Early Learning Centre's Blossom Farm Range. She rattles and has the crinkly paper stuff in her ears. Gavin and I have taken to naming Logan's toys silly names so Ermentrude gets thrown into the mouth along with everyone else.

I think he likes the duck so much because he can hold it really well in his little fists. Its another great distracton because of the rattle. Oh and this ones called Arthur.

Hopefully this might give you some ideas for Christmas.

Zara Wishlist BABY EDITION

Hopefully Logan wont be going up a size into his next wardrobe until Christmas or hopefully after (to give the bank balance a chance to recover) however that doesn't stop me looking! I thought I would give you a look at my current wishlist from Zara.

Drawstring Trousers £15.99 - T-Shirt £4.99

Bibs - I cant find the same ones online anymore!

Printed Sweater £14.99 - Striped Leggings £6.99 - Leather Sneaker £19.99

Mask Leggings £6.99 - Mask Hat £7.99 Cardigan £22.99

Buttoned Cardigan £19.99 - Fox Print T-Shirt £6.99 Drawstring Trousers £15.99

REVIEW Cow & Gate 5 Step Weaning Plan

I published a quick introduction to the new 5 Step Weaning Plan launched by Cow & Gate, you can find this here. But I thought I would take the time to go through the 5 Steps and tell you what I thought.

My first thoughts on the plan was that it was a great idea for new parents who were just beginning to wean their babies. As I said in my initial post, beginning to feed your baby 'real' food can be incredibly daunting so any help is great. 

As a mum who started weaning early I felt a lot of places you might look to for help around weaning, were quite judgmental. I know that the NHS are quite strict about beginning weaning at 6 months, however as I've said before that just didn't work for us. I started just before Logan was 5 months and I don't regret the decision. Even though I've been told by family members that what I did was wrong, I don't care. I made the best decision for my baby and it was definitely the best decision for us. So when the Anabel Karmel app splits recipes into 6-9 Month categories I find that a bit off putting. I understand that its a guideline but some people may be put off trying these things till their baby is exactly 6 months old when that baby might have been ready for them earlier. So I really like the fact that Cow & Gate don't split their steps up by age. I feel like its more 'these are the steps we think you should follow, you're clever enough to try them at your own pace'

What is Weaning?

Before you start they give you some information on weaning. What signs your baby will display if they are ready to start weaning and what you need to begin. The 5 Step Plan is very much based around purees and not Baby Led Weaning though if you are interested in BLW they give you links to more information. 

Step 1 - First Spoonfuls 

By the time we started following the plan we had already passed this stage. However I think its really great at showing you how to start. They start with Baby Rice and recipes for 9 Fruit & Veg purees. They give you some really handy tips on what to do if your baby rejects a new food, when and where to try their first time and what foods to avoid.

Step 2 - Introducing Breakfast

Step 2 is the shortest step and I felt it probably could have been combined with step 1. It only tells you how important breakfast is and to establish it early, not that breakfast isn't important, I just didn't feel like it needed a step all to itself.

Step 3 - Introducing Variety

We were just between steps 3 & 4 when the plan launched but we had already followed the plan pretty closely so it was reassuring to find out what we had been doing was correct. In general I found step 3 very reassuring. If it hadn't been for step 3 I may have given up quite easily with a few foods that didn't seem to go down well the first couple of times but they encourage repetition of new foods. The recipes it gives you at every step are really easy to follow and I love that they give you a shopping list so you can buy everything you need to try the recipes for that step. Its a great way to stay organised.

Step 4 - Meat, Fish & Alternatives

This was the step I found most helpful because it was the step I was most apprehensive about. I'm not a great fan of meat, I hate preparing it, and I'm not overly confident in cooking it so I found this a great step to follow. This step tells you how to prepare the meat, how much you should be giving them and importantly what to avoid. At first I thought the recipes for introducing meats were really basic when you compared them to the likes of the Anabel Karmel recipes. She adds oil, herbs, stock, etc so I thought the Cow & Gate recipes might be quite boring but after trying the Chicken & Carrot recipe for the first time I remembered that the taste of chicken on its own must be such a big change that adding herbs and spices at such an early stage would probably be disastrous.

Step 5 - Establishing 3 Meals A Day

We followed this step at the same time as Step 4. Again this is a pretty small step but I thought it was reassuring to know I was feeding Logan the right amount and at the right times. 

The Weaning Plan encourages you to make your own foods in big batches and freeze them which we have chosen to do but Cow & Gate kindly sent us some of the pouches and jars to try as well and they were a big hit. Although, as much as possible, I want to make my own food for Logan so I know exactly what is in each dish I think the jars and pouches are really convenient if we are going out for the day or if I forget to take food out the freezer (which can happen quite often and has just reminded that I haven't taken any meat out the freezer for my dinner!!!!)

If you would like any more information on the plan or would like to try it out yourself please check it out https://www.cowandgate.co.uk/five-step-weaning-plan

Autumn Days

Since setting up the pushchair part for Logan's pram and getting rid of the carry cot Iv'e been really enjoying going out for walks. I think because he enjoys it more I enjoy it more. I enjoy getting all wrapped up and going off on an adventure. Without getting in the car there isn't very many interesting places to walk to so our walks usually just involve a circuit of our estate. Sometimes we'll adventure a little further in the car and visit our local park which has a 4 mile walk around a... pond? loch? lake? *I just googled it, its a loch!* and after the Glasgow Commonwealth Games its a very clean loch!

REVIEW - Bubble Gum Years

Bubble Gum Years is a print shop based in Glasgow, Scotland and they specialise in whimsical and fun prints aimed at nursery and toddler markets. Steven at Bubble Gum Years very kindly send me a selection of prints.

My first thought that the prints are of really high quality. On umpteen occasions I have thought (and even attempted) to make similar things myself on my laptop. Its not until I had the real deal in my hands that I realised I would never be able to make something this good.

The selection of prints they have are fantastic. They have a great range of prints for both boys and girls and even some lovely unisex ones. They vary in styles, some more traditional animal prints and the alphabet to more funky quotes and aliens. They have a great choice of customisable prints that would be a great addition to any nursery. Check them out at https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/BubbleGumYears


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When It Starts To Get Easier

I used to hear/see mothers saying things like 'just stick with it, it does get easier' or 'don't worry, they get easier' or 'they'll get easier eventually' and I often wondered when would this day come? Or was this just something women said to help you push through the 'newborn' stage and it never really got easier, you just got more accustomed to your baby. Because for a while I never thought it was going to get easier.

At that age, who would think with that face he could be anything but angelic!

Logan wasnt' what I would call an easy baby. He wasn't difficult, don't get me wrong, I know he could have given us a lot more problems. However he was never easy. He was rarely ever content just to sit, to chill out on his own. He constantly wanted to be held or cuddled. He has never been able to fall asleep on his own (our fault to a certain degree) he is always fed to sleep or rocked to sleep. He was never happy to sit in your arms on the couch or sit in his bouncy chair, he wanted to be on the move. If you were holding him you had to be up and on the move. He wanted fed every 2 hours and he would throw a wobbly if this didn't happen. Sometimes he would feed for up to an hour at a time so, especially in the early days, it felt like a constant cycle of feeds. He would not nap. He just wouldn't. For such a long time we tried everything and no matter what, he would fight it all the way and defiantly refuse to sleep during the day. The only small mercy was, on the whole, he was a good sleeper at night. Which meant the minute you told anyone he wouldn't nap but he slept well at night, you gained the response 'oh well that's all you want really' and all I wanted to shout was 'no, what I really want is just 5 minutes to myself during the day' entertaining a baby from 7 in the morning till 9 at night is exhausting!!

It felt that the minute we left the house he would throw a wobbly. The feeding every 2 hours made it pretty difficult, but even when we did manage to leave the house after 5 minutes he would just start moaning and he would get hungry. So sometimes I would think 'what's the point?' And just stay in instead. I knew babies, who after about 12 weeks, started to feed less often. I prayed for this to happen for us so we could stop living our life in 2 hour incrimints. It's bloody difficult to get anything done or go anywhere when the minute you eventually leave the house your baby needs fed again.

However after 6 months I can finally say: it does get easier!!! I don't think having a baby will ever be an easy job but it is finally getting easier. I think the main difference is he no longer demands being fed every 2 hours. Logan is on 3 meals a day now which I think has helped the most but he can now go 3 even 4 hours between feeds. It might not seem like much but that hour can make all the difference. We can actually leave the house and I don't have to constantly be commence rend about when he needs fed again because he doesn't throw a hissy-fit the second he wants fed. The second biggest change is he now naps during the day. Sometimes for only an hour, sometime we are treated to 2. It now means that come 5pm he is not having a complete meltdown because he is so over-tired. We can actually enjoy our evenings with a relatively happy baby. 

He isn't always overly happy to be left on his own for long. But usually long enough that I can get my breakfast in the morning! 

So after 6 months I can finally join in and say 'hang in there, eventually it gets easier'

When did you find it go easier for you and your little one? Or are you still in the 'difficult' stage or are you a lucky one with an easy baby?