Dulwich & South London Mums' Blog

Baby Hand and Foot Casting - Special Offer

2011-08-29T04:03:00.000-07:00

East Dulwich-based sculptor offers baby hand and feet casting in the comfort of your home. Professional baby casting appointments are available everyday including Sat and Sun and can be planned to suit your baby's routine.

The casts are available in a variety of finishes including metallic and stone-effect resins, bronze and silver.

Lou is running a special offer in the month of September for Dulwich Mums' blog readers which is 2 for 1 in all the resin finishes.

Visit http://www.lousmithart.wordpress.com for full details, photos and testimonials from clients.

lousmith8@googlemail.com

Save the Date for the amazing Sparkle & Spin sample sale

2011-08-25T00:42:00.000-07:00

The next Sparkle & Spin sample sale is on September the 10th 10-2pm at St Barnabas Parish Hall, 23 Dulwich Village, London, SE21 7BT.

We casually strolled up around 11am to the last sample sale and found that about half the stock had already been sold, so do try and get here when it opens to grab the bargains!

With up to 70% off from all your favourite Danish kids designers including Ej Sikke Lej, Hollys and more! There are LOADS of fantastic things for the babies so if you have a tiny one or a bump make sure you put this date in your diary.

CASH ONLY!

T-shirt Screenprinting Workshops and Parties in Dulwich & South London

2011-08-03T00:29:00.000-07:00

Here is some information from local artist Lou Smith about his screenprinting workshops and parties:

If you would like me to come and run a workshop for children, young people or adults, at a venue of your choice, school, youth-club, workplace or party venue, I would be more than happy to discuss options and requirements with you. I have full, current CRB clearance for working with youngsters and a friendly enthusiastic approach. Themes and methods can be tailored to suit the age group/ skill level of those taking part. I will supply all necessary materials/ guidance to produce stunning results, including resource materials, inks, screens and T-shirts. Participants can also bring their own cotton garments for printing to ensure a perfect style/fit.

All inks are safe to handle, eco-friendly and water-based. They are bright and very wash-fast. They produce soft to the feel and enduring prints with very good fine detailing, machine washable and ironable.

I am happy to provide themed workshops eg. Pirates, Nature, Fairies etc, so that the screens, colours and reference material are produced to suit the theme.

I will also be happy to teach full photo-emulsion screen-printing techniques for single and multiple-colour printing techniques using a professional multi-colour press, on a one-to-one or small groups basis at my workshop. Please contact me for details.

Prices for a party of 10 children start at £175 for 2 hours including t-shirts and all materials.

Trip to perform on stage with The Southbank Sinfonia is on Saturday 8th of October, 2011 (suitable for ages 5 and over)

2011-07-01T15:28:00.000-07:00

Saturday Spectacular Family Concert

FIREWORKS!

Saturday 8 October 2011
11.00-11.45am
Cadogan Hall, London

Go wizz, pop and bang with Southbank Sinfonia

Southbank Sinfonia present their next Saturday Spectacular concert, Fizzing Fireworks!

We would love your children to take part in the pre-concert party and workshop, and also invite them to perform onstage in Mozart’s Toy Symphony during the concert on Saturday 8^th October at Cadogan Hall.

For the older children who are learning an instrument, we would like to send out music for their instruments in advance. If you would like your child to participate, please reply by Friday 2^nd September with your child’s name, age, instrument, experience and address. This section is best suited to children studying at Grade 1 level or above.

For the younger children aged 5 and above, there will be a percussion workshop with music we will learn on the day. Please also reply with your child’s name and age so we can get an idea of numbers.

The morning’s activities will run as follows:

09.55am – All families to meet at the Cadogan Hall stage door to be escorted backstage. Don’t forget to wear your Family Friends VIP passes! Collect these from your piano teacher.

10.00am – Family Friends party and workshop. Younger children learning percussion and older instrumentalists will split up for some of this session.

10.30am – All children rehearse Mozart’s Toy Symphony onstage.

10.45am – Rehearsal ends, and craft activities begin in the foyer.

11.30am – Fizzing Fireworks concert!

Doors open at 10.15am for fun craft activities and to meet the players!

Tickets
£8 adult, £6 children, £22 for family of four. An additional fee of £10 is due for membership of the Southbank Sinfonia Friends & Family Scheme which gives you the opportunity to perform on stage up to 3 times a year! (usually £60 per family).

The next school trip to perform on stage with The Southbank Sinfonia is on Saturday 8th of October, 2011. You can see lots of pictures and videos from the last school trip here.

Piano students aged 5 and over are invited to play percussion on stage with the orchestra. Pianists that are Grade 1 and above will have the chance to play the (very expensive) grand piano!

If you would like to attend this event, please email me for more information on booking tickets.

Now registering for Summer Piano Lessons & Workshops in East Dulwich

2011-06-15T01:58:00.001-07:00

The SE22 Piano School are now accepting students for Summer Piano Lessons and Workshops. Full details can be found here.

We also have spaces for beginners starting in September 2011. Our current vacancies are listed on our web site. Email Lorraine for more information. We accept children from the age of three.

Please see here for full details.

Sparkle & Spin sample sale

2010-11-19T06:44:00.000-08:00

The next Sparkle & Spin sample sale is going to be at the shop (14 Melbourne Grove) Friday 3rd Dec 10-6pm and Sat 4th Dec 1pm - 6pm. Come along and grab some bargains!

October half-term events in East Dulwich

2010-09-21T02:49:00.000-07:00

Here's a few of the events happening in the Dulwich area over the October half-term (23 - 31 October)

1) Get Dan 'n Dance
Dannii writes this message:
Hiya, my name is Danni Reid I am the founder of "get dan 'n dance" Dance Company. If your child is interested in Dance and would like to come and have fun learning funky & fresh dance moves, come along to our half term workshops.

"Street Dance Workshop", will be held Monday 18th October, Tuesday 19th October & Wednesday 20th October.

Ages 4-7 years start 10:00am-12:00pm and ages 9-11 years start 12:30pm-3:30pm.

"Dance Star V Pop Star" will last 4 days starting from Monday 25th October to Thursday 28th October. As well as learing cool new routines your child will also learn the words to their favourite songs. In addition they will be given the opportunity to design & customise their own unique show costume.

Classes for ages 6-11 years start 10:30am-3:30pm.

All classes will be held at Rosemead School, 70 Thurlow Park Road, SE21 8HZ. For a booking contact myself Danni on either my mobile 07904424504 or e-mail danni@getdan-n-dance.co.uk.

2) Half term Camp at Dulwich College
25th - 29th October 2010
Holiday Drop Off is perfect for both perfecting existing sporting interests as well as being a great environment to learn new sports. Our team will focus on encouraging children to enjoy activities while also helping them to focus on the task in hand.

Dulwich College is a great secure location boasting great facilities which shelters a very modern 25m swimming pool, trampolines and several large areas in which to run around and get fit.. Safety is of utmost importance and our team have years of experience teaching children in sport.

Throughout the day:

The day will be split into several sessions and each of these sessions will have several sports to choose from. We encourage children to choose different sports throughout the day but also promote excelling in a particular favourites. We will have short breaks between each session and these breaks will allow the children to unwind and prepare for their next chosen activity. Lunch will be between 12-1 and will also provide a place for arts and crafts.

For any more information please don't hesitate to contact us using our contact by emailing at info@saturdaydropoff.com

Holiday Drop-off Prices

	Time	Online Price	Extended Hours: 8am-5pm
Whole Day	9AM - 4PM	£30	Addional £5 p/d
Monday - Friday	9AM - 4PM	£130	Additional £20 p/w

http://www.saturdaydropoff.com

3) Youngstars Half-term camp in Brockwell Park

After successfully running the Brockwell Park camp for 4 weeks over summer, we are delighted to have secured the Lido as a venue to run our Half Term camp. Due to the nature of being inside, places are limited to a maximum of 14 so please book early to guarantee your child a spot.

The next camp is running over the half term holiday from Monday 25th – Friday 29th October and will follow the same formula as all our other sessions and camps; fun energetic games, whilst being introduced to aspects of many sports, encouraging team work and support for each other in a non competitive environment. This camp has been carefully structured to tailor for ages 3 - 7yrs.

Location: Brockwell Lido, Dulwich Rd, SE24 0PA‎
Dates: Monday 25th – Friday 29th October
Times: 9.30am - 12.30pm
Ages: 3 to 7 years
Cost: £15 p/day, £60 p/wk , Member and Sibling discounts apply.

To enrol your child onto this camp simply fill out the following form and email back to info@young-stars.co.uk, alternatively you can call 0845 222 1313 / 07920 426 499.

http://www.young-stars.co.uk

4) Diddi Dance

All of Diddi Dance's classes are running throughout the half-term week.

5) Crafty Cook Halloween Cookery Classes, ages 2.5+

A one-off special of the popular weekly pre-school cookery classes currently running at The Honor Oak Pub in Forest Hill

These sessions will have a fun-packed Halloween theme with a yummy themed recipe to make and a recipe card to take away after.

10.30am and 11.45am on Tuesday 26th October

Price £6.50 or sibling discount of 2 for £10.00

Quick booking is a must as places are limited, please contact Hannah 07811 108523 hannah@craftycooks.co.uk

Please see the website for more details of the weekly classes. www.craftycooks.co.uk

Sparkle & Spin, Melbourne Grove

2010-08-20T03:46:00.000-07:00

Have you heard of Sparkle & Spin's fantastic shop on Melbourne Grove? I am coveting this beautiful Louie Louis Heart dress for my daughter. They do really gorgeous clothing for kids from Danish labels Ej Sikke Lej, Katvig, Molo and Freoli.

They have a sample sale coming up soon in September - oh I do love a sample sale! Molo is my favourite brand for their funky prints, I'll be keeping an eye out for some pieces I can stash away for next Summer.

I also discovered today that they have a blog with lots of ideas of things to do with the kids - particularly handy in the long summer months!

http://www.wesparkleandspin.blogspot.com/

Summer show time!

2010-08-17T05:35:00.001-07:00

We're checking out these kids' shows this week:

The GoGoGo Show and In The Night Garden Live.

THE GOGOGO Show

This is an all-new family pop musical featuring Holly, Steve, Kirsten, Carl and Gemma, five fantastic new stars making their debut on the West End stage.

There are brand new pop songs, catchy, easy-to-learn dance moves, magic and loads and loads of laughs.

It runs from August 17th - August 28th at The Leicester Square Theatre. Tickets £15 inc. booking fee.

In The Night Garden Live

Come and join in the fun of the world’s first ever In the Night Garden live show - an amazing musical theatre experience for all the family. Igglepiggle, Upsy Daisy and Makka Pakka are all beautifully brought to life before your eyes using full size costumes, enchanting music, magical puppets and breathtaking projections.

In The Night Garden Live is a sensational new stage production especially created in a purpose-built show dome, entirely protected from the elements with plenty of loos, baby changing facilities and buggy parking. It’s a must to delight children and families this summer.

The show runs from August 14th to September 4th. Tickets cost from £10.

Baby-free Wednesday!

2010-06-16T01:39:00.000-07:00

Today I am looking forward to giving an Emmanuelle a cello lesson, followed by a rehearsal with opera singer, Adwoa Dickson, followed by a quick trip to my acupuncturist Giles Davies, then a visit to Mrs Tinks' to pick up some home-cooked ready-meals to review for our blog. Followed by more piano teaching in the afternoon, then lots of cuddles with Bombi when she gets home tonight. What are you up to?!

Things we are loving this week!

2010-06-14T03:20:00.001-07:00

Here's the weekly round-up of things have been up to and investigating:

Twickenham, TwistnPop cup, Monkey Bars, new parenting books, Suzuki music groups and Eton Mess!

We've been enjoying using our BabyBornFree TwistnPop cup - totally leakproof, looks really funky and has a brilliant pop-up straw for slurping on the go. Here's a full review of it.

It is BPA-free like all their products and costs £5.99.

We had originally planned to go to the Thai Festival on Ealing Common on the Saturday, but it was a fiver entry which just got you into the show so you could spend your hard-earned pennies on Thai grub. I didn't really see the point of that as there were 4 of us that would have had to pay, so we headed off to South-West London instead...

We had a gorgeous day in Twickenham on a sunny Saturday. We went to the beautiful York House Gardens - a spectacular secret garden with a stunning fountain and lots of naked marble nymphs. We also walked along Eel Pie Island, played in the playground at Orleans House and marvelled at the architecture of the 300-year old houses on the cobbled streets.

Here's the statues in York House Gardens. One of the most sublime experiences in Twickenham is to visit the hidden York House Gardens statues which are tucked away around the back of the late 17th century mansion, York House.

Bombi had fun on the Monkey Bars - she's so strong! Here she is with Uncle Davey doing her strong-toddler act. We also bumped into a couple we met on holiday in Italy in Umbria - what are the chances of that? Small world!

I popped into the library today and browsed the new book section. Since becoming a mum, I have had a thirst for books about parenting. I wonder if I should just spend more time parenting instead of reading books, but heck, here's what I've picked up today. I'll post a review up soon!

The Aargh to Zzzzz of Parenting - An Alternative Guide.

Last Child in the Woods - Saving our children from Nature-Deficit Disorder

Here's Bombi with Granddad on the swings in a little park in West Acton. We spent a lovely weekend with the grandparents - lots of yummy Sri Lankan food for me and free babysitting - yippee!

Bombi has developed the irrational toddler obsession with the swing and throws a full-blown tantrum once we have to leave the park. Oh the fun begins, and not even 2 yet!

Bombi's been trying out the cello, she seems to like it. I'm thinking of signing her up for a Suzuki Group in September 2011 when she'll be 3. I thought about teaching her the piano, but as it's my main instrument, she might be a bit resistant to it, so I'll start her off on something else, then let her decide if she wants to learn the piano.

Eton Mess - my favourite pudding and so easy to make! I found some blackberries in the freezer that Niki gave us which tasted delicious. I just bought some strawberries earlier, so will do another batch tonight for pud!

Group photoshoot for local families

2010-06-11T06:10:00.000-07:00

22nd July, 10am. This sessions is now fully booked, but it you would like to take part in another, please leave a comment here.

A local photographer, Lorenzo Ali, has done lots of pics of East Dulwich babies and is usually in the region of £300 for a portrait shoot. I was talking to him about doing a group photo session with all the babes/toddlers/kids together and he suggested the following:

Cost per child: £25 to be pre-paid by June 14th.

Photos would be in an outdoors setting such as the park during a fancy-dress picnic or similar event.

He would cover: natural, reportage-style photos of the babies in a group, individual portraits and pictures of the mums and babies. Obviously how many photos he gets of each child and mother depend on the mood of the baby, but I would imagine you would get about 10 photos of your child, including the group shot. We will limit the size of the group to about 10 babies, but if there's enough interest, we could do two sessions. Older children and dads are, of course, welcome to come along too.

He will provide the hi-res images on CD to each parent. I will also make these up into a Photobook, so can order extra copies for whoever wants one. That cost is about £25 - £30 but that's entirely optional whether you want this or not. You can see the book first before buying it.

Here is his web site to have a look at his photos:
http://lorenzophotography.co.uk/kids.php

"Sorry, but no children" - Weddings without children.

2010-06-10T00:18:00.000-07:00

Last year, I received my first invite for a wedding that said "No children, please". As my daughter was only a few months old, I promptly stuck this invite in the bin as there was no way I'd be leaving a breastfed young baby alone overnight to attend a wedding of a couple of child-haters(!) Even the Maid of Honour was just about to give birth before the wedding, so a special concession was allowed to let her bring the baby along to the wedding, phew!

This year I received a wedding invite which said "Only babes in arms". This wasn't too much of a big deal, I was quite looking forward to offloading my little one for the night with mum and heading off to a child-free wedding. As it happened, we will be on holiday at the time of this wedding, so we're not attending after all. But then it made me think - where did all this "no kids allowed" thing come from? In my culture, family is the most important thing in life, and to exclude children would be treating them as a lower class of citizen, which would just never happen. Everyone is welcome at celebrations. I suppose in Sri Lankan culture, it's quite normal for extended family to live with you, which is quite unusual in Britain, everyone seems to want to get rid of the oldies out of view when they become burdensome, and the same can be said for the small ones, they are best 'seen but not heard'. My parents, and even my 95-year old granny, all muck in to help out with my toddler, so at a family occasion, such as a wedding, it would be no hassle for all the kids to hang out with any family member whilst the adults have a bit of time to socialise without the kids.

So, coming back to why people may not want kids at their weddings. Well, the reasons for this may range from trying to lower costs by trimming wedding guests from the list, to simply not wanting to put up with potential crying, wailing, or hyperactivity on the part of the littl'uns.

The debate on this topic can get fierce. Some people argue that it it is rude and improper to exclude the younger members of a family that is on the wedding guest list. Some insist that a wedding is all about family and the circle of life, and that eliminating children from attendance at the wedding is therefore inappropriate.

Funnily enough, the couple who invited me to the first wedding last year were knocked up within a few months of marrying. I'd love to send them some invites now saying "leave your shrieking newborn at home!" just so they can experience the sense of outrage and disbelief I did when I received their invite.

There's one thing I know about weddings - kids just love them! In addition to that, most parents would rather be with their younger children, it's just easier than the mammoth task of arranging for a night away from Mum (and Dad). For me to arrange childcare overnight, it really is quite difficult, not to mention stressful leaving a young baby overnight. I'm not worried about leaving my daughter at her age (nearly 2), but it is a hassle having to drop her on the other side of London with my parents, along with the travelcot and all the other paraphernalia for a night over there, then head back over this way or onto the wedding. Then the next day, there's no opportunity to mong around with a hangover, because you'll have to be up and early and off to pick her up. If we had more local childcare, that would make things easier, but it's not yet possible to send her off for sleepovers.

My initial outrage at receiving the first invite has subsided however, I do realise that screeching kids aren't everyone's cup of tea. I just can't think of any family celebration where I'd want to specifically state that the kids should be kept out of the way. I am always surprised - and delighted - when we travel to the Mediterranean and Asia by how much kids are adored and welcomed by locals. It does make me realise how child un-friendly people can be here!

To end on a positive note, I'm very excited to say that this December we are attending a wedding where kids are allowed, and not only that, but my daughter will be bridesmaid. I can't wait!

Nurseries in Dulwich - Bright Horizons review

2010-06-09T04:42:00.000-07:00

Finding the right nursery in Dulwich is usually a question of finding any nursery that has a vacancy, not necessarily the one that you would be the happiest with. We've seen a couple of nurseries in the local area close recently, leaving some parents out of pocket with their 1 month deposit; other nurseries have had bad reviews, apparently shabby buildings and unattentive staff. Others are run like mega-corporations and once you sign up, you have pushy salespeople on the phone to you at all hours hounding you to put down a deposit. Of course I'm not going to name any names, but a quick trawl around the East Dulwich Forum will probably reveal the worst offenders in the SE21 and SE22 area!

You have to think ahead with the nursery game in this area. From the minute you know you are pregnant, you need to get visiting and putting your names down for a nursery place. I am always planning ahead, so it was no big deal to fill in a couple of forms at Gumboots Community Nursery and Bright Horizons Community Nursery when I was a few weeks' pregnant. We waited for a year until a space came free at the Bright Horizons nursery, but we've only just received a letter from Gumboots asking us if we want to remain on the waiting list, so no guarantee of a place yet, but I'm hopeful that we will get one as it's only a short walk around the corner, instead of a bus or car ride away. It doesn't sit well with me having to drive the littl'un to nursery, it's much more eco-friendly just to walk or cycle which would be possible with Gumboots. Unfortunately I'm too unfit to negotiate the relentlessly steep hills of Dog Kennel and Barry Road on a bicycle!!

So Bombi has been at Dulwich Brighton Horizons nursery since August 2009 and absolutely adores it there. The Nursery is rated as Outstanding by OFSTED which is reassuring. It's a small nursery, with about 24 places and the standard ratio of carers to children. We hardly had any problems settling her in, although she has always been around lots of people and looked after by grandparents and various babysitters, so we've not had any separation anxiety moments. There really is something to be said for passing your child around to people that you trust for even just an hour or two, it helps nurture a child who is outgoing and vivacious, and hopefully not too clingy, although she does have her moments!

The nursery is rather handily situated in the car park of a Sainsbury's - this might not sound that salubrious, but it's a lovely, small building, with an outdoor space to play. The baby room is from 0 - 2 years, then the other room is 2 - 5 year olds. Bombi is nearly ready to go up to the big room, and spends a lot of her time in the day socialising with older kids which is great for learning new social skills. I can see this in practice whenever we are out and about, particularly when we are at the park. She's never afraid to run up to the bigger kids and hang out with them, even though they're not usually interested in hanging around with a pip-squeak. I'm always amazed by her outgoing nature.

When she started nursery, she couldn't even crawl, so was one of the tiny ones in the baby room. Now she's pretty much the big girl, and the staff say that she loves helping out with the babies! At home, she's started playing rather tenderly with her baby dolls, feeding them, wiping them, trying to put nappies on them, rocking them to sleep. Although she gets bored eventually and usually faceplants them onto the floor!

I don't usually drop Bombi off at nursery, but when I do, it's such a heart-warming moment to see all the kids say "Bombi, Bombi, Bombi" and run up to her and give her cuddles in the morning. It makes me so glad we sent her to nursery instead of a childminder as she's around so many different kids of all ages. The one downside may be that with this many kids, they are all circulating bugs and throughout Winter, it was non-stop colds and the occasional tummy big which was pretty grim. They do spend a lot of the day wallowing in some sort of toddler viral soup of snot, sneezes and coughs, but I guess it's all good to toughen up the immune system, or so they say!

The staff really are quite fantastic at the nursery. The nursery is efficiently managed by Shelley and Maria who are totally dedicated to creating a happy environment for the children. The communication with parents is outstanding. Every day we have a one-page report of what Bombi did - what she ate, how long she slept for, how much milk she drank, what activities she did, who she was having fun with. These are all questions that a working mother needs to feel at ease about leaving her child in daycare! We also receive a weekly memo with details about the day-to-day runnings of the nursery, staff updates, upcoming events - we particularly love the community spirit of the nursery. There are frequent fundraiser which are great for getting to know other parents as well as raise money for charity.

Bombi sees the staff as family as that's how they treat her. She loves going to nursery, has plenty of hugs for the staff in the morning and loves giving kisses when she leaves. It's good to know she is in safe hands whilst I'm at work.

Of course the best thing about sending her off to nursery is having the time out to do the things I need to do, but then seeing the fantastic look on her little face when she comes home to me. That's the best thing ever!

Bright Horizons Nursery - approximately £57 a day.

Waiting list: 2 years approx.

Once you have registered, make sure you keep calling regularly to ask if any spaces have come free. Spaces are more likely to open up over the Summer months when children either move on to go to school, or they move up from the baby room to the kids' room.

Dulwich Nursery
adj: Sainsbury's Dulwich Store, 80 Dog Kennel Hill, London, SE22 8BD
Tel: 020 7738 4007

Age Range: from 0 years 3 months to 5 years 0 months
Opening Days: Mon-Fri
Opening Hours: 0700-1900

The Cuming Museum - free family sessions

2010-06-09T03:28:00.000-07:00

I've only recently discovered the fantastic free family sessions at the Cuming Museum - it's the building just next to the library on the Walworth Road, one stop on the 12, 176 or 40 bus before Elephant and Castle.

We really enjoy going to these on Thursday mornings. I love anything for kids that's free, and this is the best free session I've found in the Southwark area, run by very lovely staff and with a proper, well-though out theme each week.

The Cuming Museum has really well-organised sessions each week, suitable for babies and toddlers, although probably aged 6 months or 1 year+ get more out of the session. A couple of weeks ago, the simply brilliant musician and storyteller, Paul Rubinstein, did a Latin-American themed song morning.

We sat in the room at the back with glorious, colourful dresses all around us, we played on kazoos to the tune of La CuCaracha, dressed up in Colombian national dress and tried out traditional instruments such as the guiro. Loads of fiesta fun!

Here's a picture of Bombi about to smash it up, mariachi rock band-style.

The week before was a session all about shoes - the kids all had fun trying on slippers, fluffy peep-toe mules and wellies. Afterwards was a messy and fun 'painting with feet' session. Bombi has an aversion to anything cold on her feet, so wasn't up for partaking in this, but here's a photo of one boy getting messy! We'll remember to bring a change of clothes for the next wallpaper painting session - change of clothes for me too as I ended up covered in blue paint!

Sessions are free and run every Thursday 10am to 11.15. Some upcoming highlights are:

On Thursday 17 June Olivia will be running a storytelling session
We’ll be getting messy again on Thursday 1 July in our Wallpaper session. Wear old clothes for making some Cuming explorer wallpaper.
Jiggle Jive will be running a dance session on Thursday 8 July as part of The Big Dance.

We missed the Pearly King session which Imogen said was fantastic - really gutted about that, especially as I know all the words to the cockney songs. Let's hope they do another one again soon!

The Cuming Museum
Old Walworth Town Hall
151 Walworth Road
London
SE17 1RY

Recycling your Ella's Kitchen pouches

2010-06-08T08:22:00.000-07:00

Did you know that you can recycle some of your baby's food packaging - and make a bit of money for your little one's piggy bank? Ella's Kitchen have teamed up with eco-friendly TerraCycle to help provide another use for our pouches, pack'o'snacks and bakey-bakies after you've slurped and munched all the yummy 100% organic goodness out of them!

Save all your used pouches and pack'o'snacks and send them - free of charge - to TerraCycle. You could maybe get together with a group of friends or other parents at your little one’s nursery or school to start collecting.

The pouch packaging waste will then be upcycled by TerraCycle to create fun and affordable new products such as baby bibs, bags for mum, kids’ pencil cases and lunch boxes. And for every pouch you send to TerraCycle, 2p will be donated to your chosen charity or your local school or nursery! That means we'll all be saving thousands of pouches from ending up in rubbish bins and money will be going to help lots of great causes.

It's not just Ella's Kitchen packaging you can recycle, you can also recycle:

Tassimo coffee maker capsules
Kenco Eco refill packs

Little Dish Competition

2010-06-08T01:51:00.000-07:00

Free Little Dish backpack full of their new purees for ages 6 months +.

Drop me an email or leave a comment below with your favourite baby puree ingredients.

lorraine.liyanage@mac.com

**Prize to be picked up from East Dulwich.

In search of the perfect toddler drinking cup

2010-06-07T03:07:00.000-07:00

Oh for a training cup for older babies and toddlers that doesn't leak!

We've tried the Tommee Tippees - no good, my daughter just tips them upside down and splashes her drink everywhere. The only halfway decent thing about it is that she can lift the spout up and close it again without any help. We got ours free from our local Sure Start, so I suppose I mustn't grumble! I think these cost about £2 new.

Thermos cup - I thought the straw would be a good idea, but it's so leaky and useless. As soon as my daughter turns it upside down, it leaks. This is definitely my least favourite cup ever! It's a cheap cup, £1.99 or so. My cup was secondhand, so perhaps that's why it's leakproof capabilities were somewhat diminished, but it didn't show great signs of wear and tear so it should have been a bit better at containing liquid.

Amadeus Cow Cup - too many bits, the spout cover that just falls off in your bag, the inner rubber seal that you have to take off before using it - a very cute cup, but who can be bothered with that? And it freely flows if your child tips it upside down. Costs between £3 and £4.

Sigg bottles - I DO love these, aluminium cans that keep your drink cool, but the top has to be twisted to be opened, and my daughter can't manage turning and then closing it, she always tries to put the flip top back on without the top turned down, so it won't go back on. The flip top lid that stays put is genius though as it doesn't fall onto her face when she drinks. This is a new feature as we just bought a SIGG bottle in Berlin last week and the previous one that we lost last Summer didn't have this. Very expensive, though, about £12. Even more expensive when cups and bottles are one of the easiest things for toddlers and parents to lose! We are on our 3rd aluminium bottle in 20 months!

I also tried out the NUK learner cups, but these don't come with a top that is leak-proof, so they are only good for use at home. They have a hard plastic mouthpiece - my daughter always hated this when she was younger and doesn't enjoy drinking from this cup.

So many cups, all of them have either been given away or put into a cupboard for Bombi to play shopkeeper with!

But is there finally the perfect solution around the corner? BabyBornFree are sending us a BPA-free TwistnPop cup with a straw to try out. I can't wait, as my daughter loves drinking anything from a straw. We had a bit of bother earlier when I was drinking Pimms through a straw, and she was repeatedly doing her best to get her chops around the straw!

My friend raves about these cups, plus she has always been very conscious of giving her daughter BPA-free products. I had never even heard of Bisphenol-A until she mentioned it, but I read up about it and decided to use GreenBaby bottles when my daughter was bottle-feeding. Glass bottles are a real pain, very hard to transport around without worrying about breaking them. I wish I'd known about BabyBornFree earlier! I've noticed that Avent have recently removed BPA from their bottles which is a positive step. See the end of the article for some information on BPA and why it is best to avoid bottles and other baby products containing it.

Update: We've been trying out the BabyBornFree TwistnPop cup for a week now and we totally love it. No leaks, my daughter LOVES the straw. She can't quite negotiate opening it herself yet but I'm sure she'll figure that out soon enough. I've chucked it in my bag on several outings this week and not a single leak - hurrah! I remember as a kid loving drinking from a straw - it makes drinking water more fun! I think I might have to get another one as I want the cup in yellow too!

What is Bisphenol A?

Bisphenol A is a chemical which causes damage to animals and potentially humans during critical stages of their development. It can mimic the effect of the hormone oestrogen in the body. It binds with oestrogen receptors, but doesn’t replace the activity of oestrogen, interfering with healthy growth and body function. Animal studies have shown it affects reproductive, neurological and immune systems.

Babies are particularly vulnerable to hormone mimicking effects because they grow rapidly, both in the womb and in their early months and years.

Bisphenol A is one of the highest volume chemicals produced worldwide. It is used to make polycarbonate and epoxy resins. These products are used in bottles, toys, in the lining of some food cans and dental sealants. Bisphenol A has been shown to leach out of feeding bottles which are made from this sort of plastic, especially if they are scratched or contain hot liquids.

A review of Kosmea rosehip natural & organic cosmetics

2010-06-04T06:36:00.000-07:00

I was recently sent some samples by Kosmea to trial out their Replenishing Moisture Cream with organic rose hip oil and green tea extract. The cream is suitable for all skin types, but I'm interested to see how it will do on my seriously parched skin which is that annoying combination of dry but oily on the T zone. A friend of mine who works at Neal's Yard suggested using rose hip oil on my C-section scar but I didn't get around to trying out, so it's great to have these products to trial out for the next week or two.

Kosmea is an Australian company specialising in organic skincare formulated around rosehip oil. Obviously we love anything organic on this blog, but reading the company's history, it was founded by a stay-at-home mum, Marie Jenkins, who has built the company up until an international success, so I'm liking the sound of the company even more now! I am a proponent of supporting businesses run by mothers and always have utmost admirations for working mums, particularly those who run their own companies.

Just earlier, I used the Clarifying Facial Wash which was lovely and creamy, but doesn't lather if you are looking for a frothy product. It left my skin feeling moisturised, not 'squeaky' after cleansing. I then also tried the Daily Facial Exfoliant as I've just got off a plane last night and my skin needs some brightening up as I abandoned my skincare regime whilst abroad for 4 days. I usually use Suki Organic products which I buy from Dr. Boo on Northcross Road. They do a fantastic Lemongrass Exfoliating Cleanser with natural cane sugar. This has quite an abrasive, yet gentle, action which leaves my skin feeling quite smooth. The Kosmea exfoliant felt a bit like clay, it was quite heavy, and the crushed rose hips are very gentle, they are not harsh on your skin. As I'm used to a much heavier exfoliant, I found this a bit gentle for my liking, although it did leave my skin feeling moisturised.

I followed this up with the Replenishing Moisture Cream. You may have guessed that I'm baby-free for the day if I'm spending this long luxuriating over my skincare regime! The cream has a pleasant rose smell - the smell of roses always reminds me of Turkish Delight or the smell of my mum's homebaking. For anyone who's ever tried Sri Lankan 'love cake', you'll know that rose water is what gives it it's unique taste and smell. Back to the cream - It is light and easily absorbed, definitely not greasy and does not sit on the skin. As I type this, about half an hour after applying the cream, my skin does feel a bit dry still, so I've given it another application. I think I'll follow up with the Rosehip Oil tonight for an overnight treatment and see how it feels in the morning. I've bypassed my usual oil-based serum from REN (another rose-based product, as it happens) that I use twice daily so perhaps this is why my skin feels a little bit dry. Oils are good for balancing out uneven skin tones, even oily skins.

Also, it's worth mentioning that this product has a flip-top which not many products seem to have these days. This is great as I have a habit of losing the tops of lids, or my daughter likes ton unscrew them and fling them around the bathroom, so anything that makes it less likely for the top to be lost is great! I also like that it's in a tube because sticking fingers repeatedly into a pot of cream isn't terribly hygienic, and who can be bothered faffing around with little spoons to apply cream?!

I've now been using the cream for over a week and my skin feels deliciously smooth. I do have to apply rather a lot of cream to fully nourish my skin, so I've gone through half a tube of it already, although I love the smell of it, so have been using any opportunity to slather myself in it. My skin does feel a little bit dry in the morning, so I'd consider using the rosehip oil at nighttime. I prefer using oils as opposed to thick creams late at night, which is coincidentally what Kosmea recommend for overnight repair of skin, especially as oils allow your skin to breathe and rebuild.

A little bit about rosehips and the benefits:

As an excellent natural source of vitamin C, rose hips have been used for centuries as a medicinal herbal remedy in teas, syrups and tinctures.

Vitamin C or ascorbic acid is a vitamin absolutely necessary for the body to remain in good health as it not only acts as an antioxidant and protects the body against free radicals, it protects against infection, helps with wound repair and promotes healthy cell development. However, since ascorbic acid is a water soluble vitamin it is not manufactured by the body and therefore has to be ingested.

Rose hips are thought to be richer in vitamin C than many citrus fruits hence their traditional use in teas and syrups. However, vitamin C is not the only vitamin that rose hips contain and it is certainly not the most important one in Rose Hip Oil. Vitamin C is largely found in the shell of the rose hip and it is the shell that is used in teas, jams and syrups. The seed of the rose hip contains a host of other essential vitamins, antioxidants and fatty acids which make Rose Hip Oil an altogether amazing natural ingredient.

Available to purchase at:

MyPure.co.uk - The Replenishing Cream costs £29.99 for 50ml.

Our favourite ready meals for toddlers and children

2010-05-29T00:04:00.000-07:00

I love cooking and will usually try to plan our family's weekly meals in advance and do my online and local shop accordingly. However, I'm not always in Super Mum mode, and occasionally when I'm child-free on a weekday, I just want to lie on the sofa eating Boursin and crackers and watching Junior Apprentice instead of doing household chores. I'm also a sucker for a special deal, so if I ever see a bargain to be had on kids' ready meals, I'm more than likely to snap up a good few of them to stock up the freezer for a lazy weekday!

Stage 2 weaning and beyond:

My daughters' favourites absolutely have to be Little Dish & Miniscoff.

Little Dish Meals

Let's start with Little Dish. I like these ones as they don't try to hide the vegetables, but somehow make it so delicious that kids scoff them all up greedily. I suspect that the presence of lots of creamy, cheesy sauces probably makes these meals so yummy. The fish pie is absolutely delicious with chunky bits of carrot, sweet potato and salmon with a cheesy mash topping. This is definitely the favourite in our

house. The pasta with broccoli trees and peas is brilliant. In fact, my daughter started eating steamed broccoli as a snack after she'd eaten this dish a couple of times. Again, it's in a cheesy sauce, so appeals to young palates.

I must admit that we have had less success with the Chicken Korma and Chicken and Butternut Squash Pie, and we don't eat red meat, so haven't tried the Bolognese or Cottage Pie.

These other two cheesy meals are also a big hit - Salmon Pasta Bake and Vegetable Lasagne which are truly delicious.

Little Dish only use 100% natural ingredients and never add salt or sugar. They create every recipe in partnership with a Paediatric Dietician, and each Little Dish is taste tested by kids before it leaves the kitchen.

Their chicken and beef is free from antibiotics and growth hormones and comes from select British farms where the animals are well cared for, and all of their vegetables are tested for pesticides. In fact, Little Dish is so fresh and tasty even grown-ups have been known to tuck in! See below for some information about the Little Dish pouches.

Miniscoff Organic Meals
The meals are delicious, and the bonus is that they are organic. Again, it's the cheesy ones that go down a storm in our house - Broccoli Bill's Pie (v) and Creamy Salmon Pasta. There's a lot more choice for red meat ones with Miniscoff, and as non-red meat eaters, we've not sample these, but your choice is: Mr MacGregor's Cottage Pie, Chilli Yum Yum, Jolly Spag Bolly, Beefy Burgers and Ali Baba's

Shepherds' Pie. There are also some chicken options and a vegetarian one but these aren't stocked at my local supermarket so I haven't yet sampled these.

Again, they don't disguise their vegetables. I think it's important for children to understand what they are eating and be open to eating vegetable. It won't always be possible to always hide vegetables in a tomato sauce or mince them into burgers, so I like to be open with the food I present to my daughter.

Here's a Miniscoff recipe from their web site for you to try out, let me know how you get on! Click on the image to the left for a larger version you can print out and make.

Miniscoff are currently stocked at Ocado but they are cheaper to buy online from Faces of Flowers organic shop. Meals from £2.95.

Kiddylicious Frozen Meals
Kiddylicious make healthy, reasonably-priced meals. I don't buy these that often unless shopping with Ocado as they are not stocked at my local supermarket (Sainsbury's or Morrisons) but you can find them at Asda or Budgen if you have these near you. The Potato topped tuna & sweetcorn pie is really quite delicious. I almost hope that my daughter won't finish all of her meal so that I can scoff the rest of it!

Kiddylicious fruit snacks also available.

Meals from £1.99, available at Ocado, Waitrose, ASDA.

Stage 1 weaning:

If you have a younger child to feed, try these options. I've not sampled all of them as I noticed that Little Dish have brought out a puree range, but I thought I'd include it here anyway. If you try them, do leave a comment about how it tasted and how your little one got on with it.

So Baby Organic Food Pots

These are available in our local Jojomamanbebe in East Dulwich so are a convenient choice if you shop locally like most of our mums do. The price for these products is quite premium as you would expect for a 'home-cooked style' organic baby meal. My daughter tried these when she was about 10 months old. She really liked the Salmon & Vegetable Pie, but was less keen on the Macaroni Cheese (v) and the Banana Rice Pudding.

I don't think she had yet developed a taste for bananas, and the Macaroni Cheese didn't taste particularly cheesy, probably to keep the salt content low for the young'uns. My friend says her daughter absolutely LOVES the Moroccan Lamb & Cous Cous.

Prices start at £1.25 for a pudding and go up to £2.75 for a meaty meal. Also available online from the So-Baby web site.

Ella's Organic Pouches
Despite Ella's Organics being the only company I wrote to who didn't sponsor our NCT Cheeky Monkey's Charity Party, I'll still feature them on here because I don't know of a single mum who doesn't rave about their pouches - and I'm an unbiased journalist!

These pouches are a great way to boost your little one's 5-a-day. They are a mixture of fruit and vegetables, although be warned that despite the vegetables receiving a higher billing on the front of the packet, they are always the smaller of the contents, otherwise the taste would not be so palatable for the kids. For example, the Spinach, Apple and Swede pouch is made up as follows:

Organic Apples 55%, Organic Spinach 34%, Organic Swede 11%, Organic Lemon Juice Concentrate (A dash), Other Stuff 0%

The same applies to the Broccoli, Pears and Peas which has only 21% vegetable content, the remainer 79% being pears:

Organic Pears 79%, Organic Peas 14%, Organic Broccoli 7%, Organic Lemon Juice Concentrate (A dash), Other Stuff 0%.

Despite my whingeing, these pouches are fantastic for when you're on-the-go as you don't need a spoon, baby can suck these straight from the pouch. Small ones will make a mess, but they soon get the hang of it. My toddler only really has these when travelling now. The airline have made me open

one and taste it at airport security, just so you know!

Also available are meals in pouches, although I prefer fresh food if I'm going for a ready meal and my daughter never really liked these meals.

Pouches available widely at supermarkets, health food shops, chemists, from 79p.

Plum Baby Organic Pouches
I think these came about after the Ella's pouch phenomenon. They are fruit-based pouches with added quinoa supergrain. I'm not so keen on the high fruit content, so I've only bought these when nothing else was available. They seem tasty enough - definitely quite fruity sugary!

Prices from 99p at the same outlets as above.

Little Dish Puree Pouches
Just worth a quick mention as I saw these on the Little Dish web site and they look fab. There are 6 baby purees to try out. If anyone has tried these, please let me know where you bought them and how you tasted so I can add a review to this article.

Price 2 for £2, available in the refrigerated section at Tesco.

The Little Dish Favourites Cookbook will be released on June 26th, 2010. You can pre-order your copy here!

A very organic sleepytime - the best value organic bedding for babies and toddlers

2010-05-28T02:51:00.001-07:00

A lot of us buy organic for our baby's food and clothing, but how many of us buy organic for their bedding, where they probably spend about 12 hours a day?

A baby's skin is five times thinner than an adults' skin. Adult skin is capable of absorbing 60% of toxins placed against it, so what you place against the skin of your baby is really important. Most people think that organic products are about food, but textiles, particularly cotton, can carry high levels of toxins right to your baby's skin. Infact, cotton is one of the most chemically treated fibres available, that's of course if it's not organic. No pesticides, no harmful chemicals, just pure, soft natural cotton. Choosing organic babywear is not only doing the best for your baby, but the best for your environment.

Here's a selection of organic bedding for little ones:

The Organic Baby Company

Made from 100% Organic Cotton this all year round bag is ultra soft. Organic Cotton on the out side and soft organic Flannel on the inside it is comfortable and ideal for use throughout the year. Available in sizes 0-6 Months, 6-18 Months and 18-36 Months. This bag is 100% organic and also Fairtrade. Cost £24.95 - £29.95

Enjoy a fantastic 15% discount on all items. Enter discount code 'OBCS15' at checkout. Visit their site here.

The Little Green Sheep Bedding Set £48.00

This set saves you time, money and hassle, creating a one stop solution for your entire baby's bedding needs.
Each set contains the following:
- Small cellular baby blanket
- Flannelette fitted sheet
- Jersey fitted sheet
- Natural waterproof mattress protector 50x70
5% discount - use the code BABYD

Green Baby Organic Swaddling Blanket (Pack of 2)£15.49

Soft and snuggly, these are perfect for newborn's senstive skin.

Made from unbleached, untreated 100% organic cotton. Measures 75cm x 75cm.

Baby Sleep Shop
Organic Cotton Kimono - Rose Pink, £14.00

Soft on baby's delicate skin this 100% Egyptian organic cotton kimono provides plenty of flexibility and comfort.

The stitches are sown outside to avoid direct contact with baby's skin, thereby lessening chances of irritation.

Also available in cream. Item reduced from previous price of £19.95.

Green Fibres
Duvet & Pillowcase,
£31.79

Very soft organic cotton jersey, undyed, unbleached.

This is a very cosy material, which does not require ironing.

100 x 135 cm (39''x53'') duvet cover and 40 x 60 cm (16''x24'') pillow case

Dulwich Toddler Disco is coming soon!

2010-05-24T06:49:00.001-07:00

We're just organising our next event which will be the Dulwich Toddler Disco. It's aimed at children aged 0 - 7 and will be held at Push Studios in September. We're currently looking for sponsorship from local businesses for the following items:

Prizes for best dancers - toys/arts & crafts items for the kids, massage vouchers for the mums & dads, photo session for the kids, etc.
Cupcakes, brownies, drinks and other treats to sell on the day to hungry disco dancers!

Sponsorship so far:

MakeHQ have donated a fantastic crafts workshop for the adults' prize.

Healthmatters have kindly donated snacks and drinks for the kids - thank you so much!

Please email me if you'd like to offer something as a prize. lorraine.liyanage@mac.com

Ergo Baby Sling - our favourite baby carrier!

2010-05-24T05:13:00.000-07:00

I carry my 20-month old toddler all around town, and am often asked: "Isn't she a bit heavy to be carried?" Not at all, or at least, not with an Ergo Baby Carrier which is the best carrier I've found for heavier babies. As I live in London, we're often on the trains and tubes, and it would be absolutely hellish trying to do the journeys that we do with a pram as we have so many steps to negotiate.

A year before I got pregnant, I had a slipped disc removed, so I did lots of research on the best sling that would put minimal strain on my lower back as well as last from birth to about age 3. A friend recommended that I try her Ergo sling as the wide belt around the waist allowed for even weight distribution of the baby. She was carrying her son who was then 2 years old, so I thought this looked ideal for my purposes as I planned on doing lots of travelling with my daughter. I tried it with the infant insert which took some getting used to, but after a few goes I found it very easy to pop my little one into. However I didn't always manage to successfully remove her from it whilst keeping her asleep as the Ergo web site demonstrates on their videos!

After having struggled a couple of times with a pram I was given that I had no idea how to fold and unfold, I decided to ditch the pram completely and go for the babywearing option full-time which was the best decision I ever made. The first time I travelled on the train with my daughter to Brighton was a truly liberating day. I found myself wandering around Brighton breastfeeding my daughter handsfree whilst no-one could even notice as there is a clever little hood that you can cover the baby with. The pouch in the sling is really useful, not many other slings have this. I also bought the extra bag that fits on the waistband of the sling which has ample room for nappies, wipes, my keys, wallet and baby food, so I rarely even take out a handbag with me.

On the downside, the sling is a bit short in length once babies get bigger, it often feels like my daughter is about to pop out of the sling, but so far she's stayed firmly put!

I have recommended the Ergo to so many of my friends and they all love it too!

Ergo also make the cutest Ergo doll carriers for your toddlers. That's on my daughter's birthday present list for next year!

Buy from the Hey Baby Shop or try ebay for some bargains. Cost £89.99 new.

We have found it - the perfect holiday with children!

2010-05-19T05:21:00.000-07:00

For me, a relaxing holiday with children would involve somewhere with a short flying time and great facilities for kids when you get there. We did some research, and found somewhere that exceeded all expectations and left us champing at the bit to be able to go back there soon!

We spent two weeks at the fantastic Villa Pia in Umbria - the perfect relaxing retreat with Bombi.

We spent our days pottering around beautiful Tuscan and Umbrian medieval villages, lazing in the courtyard whilst Bombi played with her new-found chums and dipping our toes in the pool at the Villa.

Children have many things to keep them busy at the villa - an indoor playroom, a piano room, an indoor softplay room, a huge outdoor play area in the courtyard (the gates exiting these can be kept locked so your little ones are caged in whilst you relax in the deckchairs without having to be too vigilant), the swimming pool, ping-pong table, plenty of board games, swings and tunnels.

We were stuffed to the gills daily with delicious home-cooked Italian food. I binged like a Roman emperor, although I resisted the urge to regurgitate and replenish, despite temptation. The region is famed for it's truffles - I truly have the taste for them now! I have some truffle salsa in my suitcase - I must crack that open. Mixed with cream and linguine makes an easy lunch or dinner!

Dinnertimes were a bit tricky as a lot of socialising and repartee was required. Usually at dinnertime back in Blighty, by the time I finish work in the late evening, I am practically comatose with my head in my fish pie, so conversation is the last thing on my mind. As it happens, I've only got about 4 interesting nuggets to share with unknowns, so once I've exhausted these, I'm left scrabbling around in the dark to try and fill in the holes in the conversation. However, the best strategy is to chum up with some like-minded bods (more of this below) and sit next to them every night, thus enabling you to freely talk shi*te and not have to do the "what's your name, where do you live, what do you do, how old is your child, why the heck did you call her Bombi" conversation nightly.

My favourite part of the trip was the amazing cookery course. We learnt how to make foccacia, lasagne, gnocchi with truffle salsa and zucchini & fennel fritti. I have also conquered my fear of deep-fat frying, although I'm not rushing to try it out at home. Mostly as I am still trying to get accustomed to my arse which is now several sizes bigger since I got back from the Villa!

On the one day we ate out, we feasted on the thinnest of thin Italian pizza in the gorgeous city of Siena. Next time we come (and there WILL be a next time) I'd like to make the journey to Florence which is slightly further afield. The villa is ideally situated for several large cities - Bologna, Pisa, Florence etc.

We met some lovely families on the holiday. I was a bit apprehensive that there would be loads of poncy Dulwich/Islington Guardian-reading, civil servant, office-bore types but luckily there was an even mix of the oddballs - amongst the po-faced, paper-pushing dullards - to balance things out. Guess who we chummed up with?! Looking forward to catching up with Karen & Dave, and Paul & Anna in Scotland sometime in the near future. Not that I'm implying that you are oddballs, merely that you are kindred spirits. OK, fellow oddballs.... It can't be any surprise that all the Scots were the friendliest! The guests were also from all over the globe - Dubai, Rome via Australia, Rome via Essex, The Hague, Dublin... and of course another couple from just down t'road in Dulwich (although now living in Suffolk). Ah, home from home!

And of course I can't fail to mention Italian hospitality and how much Italians LOVE children. I'm always amazed when I travel outside of the UK how much people adore babies. The staff at the Villa were hugely helpful, they didn't mind Bombi making little trips into the kitchen, although she had cottoned on that if she went into the kitchen and flashed a winning smile, she always manage to score a tasty treat from the cooks! One of the cooks also lent us a raincoat for Bombi to wear when it was unexpectedly showery one weekend.

I really cannot recommend this place highly enough to anyone who'll listen to me - truly the easiest, most stress-free way to spend a week or two with young or not so young children. Prices are quite reasonable if you travel at the beginning or end of the season, although I'd avoid the summer months for costliness and also the raging heat.

http://www.villapia.com

Book direct with Morag at the Villa, or through the Baby-Friendly Boltholes web site. A room for 2 adults plus 1 infant in April for 10 days cost about £1100, excluding flights and car hire. See the web site for last-minute late booking offers. We flew with BA from Gatwick to Bologna. We took a carseat as you have to hire a car, but there's really no need to bring pushchairs, travel cots etc. as the Villa has EVERYTHING you could need for your baby: blender for pureeing, bottles, bibs, sippy cups, baby monitors, highchairs, booster seats, pushchairs, cots etc. As well as 3 meals a day, afternoon tea and cakes, bowls of fruit, a fridge full of yoghurts and as much wine, beer and spirits as you can manage! Rooms are cosy and cleaned daily, not hugely spacious and the bathroom is pretty small with a midget-sized bathtub, but we hardly spent any time in our room as it was such gorgeous weather outside.

Some reviews of The Villa:

http://www.independent.co.uk/travel/europe/play-the-italian-way-492247.html

http://www.babygoes2.com/g_italy_tuscany.asp

More photos on my Flickr page here.

Have a very eco Birthday!

2010-05-14T02:29:00.001-07:00

Kids' parties generate a huge amount of waste. I haven't included the handmade options which are, of course, the cheapest options, but I am feeling a bit lazy today so fancied finding some companies online who would do everything for me! Here are some ideas to help you have a more eco-friendly birthday celebration:

Eco partyware:

Totally Eco Party Pack for 10,

£18.88 from Party Ark

Now you can make sure that while your party stays in the minds of your guests, it doesn’t leave it’s mark on the environment with this completely biodegradable party pack.

From sturdy bowls, plates and cups made from sustainably-sourced plant fibre to beautiful biodegradable balloons made from fairly-traded and FSC Certified rubber, even the napkins are kind to the planet, made from unbleached, recycled UK waste paper.

Each fuss-free pack is contained in an easy-to-carry, recycled cardboard box that contains all the essentials for a gorgeous, eco-friendly bash., And when the party’s over, forget about the Big Clean-Up: these sets are so natural that you can bury them in your garden and happily leave them to naturally break down in a matter of weeks., Alternatively, put the whole lot on your compost heap and before you know it, it will be helping you to grow the flowers for your next celebration!

Eco party bags:

Felt Flower Party Bag £1.50 from Little Cherry

There are lots of cute cotton party bags out there, but these are the only ones I saw which look like they would actually get re-used. Probably more suitable for girls, although boys DO love handbags! 15 x 15cm.

Fairtrade Newspaper Bags, 45p from Eco Party Bags

I really like these. If I wasn't so lazy, I'd grab a Sri Lankan newspaper and make some of these myself, but it wouldn't look half as good nor provide any support to a very worth cause.

These newspaper bags are made by an NGO (non government organization), whose main objective is to provide education and shelter to street children.

Party bag fillers:

Plastic tat might be fun for a few seconds, but will be discarded pretty swiftly. Here's a few bits and pieces that might hang around for a wee while longer:

Pencils with animal toppers, 99pence from Eco Party Bags.

Suitable for children aged 3+, Made from sustainable wood and painted using non-toxic paint

Recycled newspaper pencils in a boxed tube, £1.50, My Eco Store.

This boxed set offers better value than just a single pencil. These colouring pencils are made from old chinese newspapers, how eco-friendly! Contains 12 different coloured pencils in a recycled tub. Pencils are approx 9cm long. Check out their Twig Colouring Pencils too.

Mulberry Notepad & Twig pencil, £2.50 from Eco Mojo

Natural Handmade Mulberry paper notepad decorated with natural materials, also included is a twig pencil. Fairly traded from Thailand with suppliers who guarantee good working conditions and fair rates of pay.

Organic chocolate lollies, 85p from Happy Green Earth

Yum yum, I can't think of anything nicer than an organic chocolate lolly. They do lots of other great shapes too, stars, robots, princesses etc. White chocolate heart lolly (size of heart 3.5-4cm) Organic, additive free, handmade chocolate, made in a nut-free environment. Biodegradable packaging.

Make Jewellery kit, £4.99 from Creative Charlie

Fairly pricey for a party bag filler, so maybe better as a present. I loved the recycled beads made from fashion magazines, so I thought I'd include it here anyway.

Included in the box: 35 recycled paper beads, and a metre of elastic thread.

Decorate your own mini photo-frame, £1.00 from Petit Artisan

Sturdy and lovely eco-friendly mini-frame heart shaped inside to decorate (Size: 8x8 cm). Made of papier mache with recycled newspaper (water and paper no chemicals). Use of water based (acrylic or ready-mixed) paint is recommended. A lovely personal item to paint or decorate with transfer paper, decoupage, or glitter. Petit Artisan also do lovely pre-filled party bags with a papier-mache figure and paint included for £3.50. Age:3+