Kaffysoo

Toddler Boy Clothing Haul Summer 2017

2017-07-31T13:43:00.001-07:00

Passports are updated, the bucket list is written and now all we need are some new summer clothes!! First up is Harry. All the items featured in this summer 2017 toddler clothing haul are from Next, George and Zara. I've linked everything below so you can check it all out.

NOTE: The Zara Summer Sale is coming to an end, so be quick if you fancy getting your hands on those last minute bargains.

ALSO: Check back in soon for a What's in my Toddler's Suitcase post.

Shark Towel

Sock Multipacks

Vests

Crocodile Swim Shorts

Zara Anchor Sweatshirt

Next Shorts Multipack

George 2 Pack Sweatshirts

Next Multipack Shorts

Next Multipack Vests

Barcelona Bucket List | City Break with Kids

2017-07-27T14:06:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned in my last post, our family holiday is coming up and I've been compiling a Barcelona Bucket List filled with the family friendly things we plan to do whilst we're away. If you saw my 10 Tips for Flying with a Toddler post you'll know that we went to Vienna, Austria on our first ever family holiday last year. After drafting up a bucket list for that trip, I wanted to do the same this time as having some knowledge of what a city has to offer families of small children is a must in my opinion. We're going for 7 days, so we need plenty to see and do so here's hoping we check off a fair few of things on this list.

This is our Barcelona Bucket List (Family Edition 2017). See what you think.

1. Boqueria Market

Ed and I have been before, we know it's wild busy but we took on the Vienna Naschmarkt with a toddler and a pram so we know it can be done. La Boqueria Market is such an amazing, colourful and inspiring place we'll definitely be taking Harry to sample some of the things it has to offer.

2. La Ramblas

Definitely a day time activity as it can become a little more seedy at night but as the most famous street in Barcelona La Ramblas is a must for any Barcelona bucket list. From the architecture to the street performers I know there's lots to see and it doesn't take too long to walk to Port Vell at the bottom.

**NB Mugging is rife in every major city but Barcelona and La Ramblas in particular has a pretty bad reputation for it so it makes sense to us to be extra cautious, especially with the distraction of a toddler.

3. Park Guell

I didn't even know this existed the last time we went. One of the major works of Gaudi in the city I can't believe we didn't visit when we were child-free. From what I understand it get's pretty busy and can be hard to navigate with a pushchair but we like a challenge and figure it's something we'd all love to experience.

4. Picasso Museum

Last year Harry was pretty chill and happy to cruise along in his pushchair whilst Ed and I took a look around some of Vienna's many galleries. This time I'm confident in saying that this museum will have to be reserved for when he's fallen asleep so not that family friendly..but..we saw a fair bit of Picasso's work in Austria and would love to learn more about his life and work here.

5. Port Vell and Barceloneta Beach

Of course we want to visit a beach when we're in Barcelona (probably more than once). As we only spent two days in the city last time, we didn't make it to the actual sands of any beach so I'm quite positive we'll be ticking this one off the list this time.

6. Barcelona Bus Tour

If memory serves me correctly I don't think this is all that cheap. But, walking endless miles with a toddler is not exactly a parent's dream scenario. Harry loves busses and I think it would pretty much blow his mind to ride in an open top one so it's win win- get to see the city sights and entertain a machine obsessed child at the same time.

7. Peek a Boo

Okay, this place looks amazing. Apparently it's an interactive indoor play area full of bright colours and exciting things to do for little ones. From the website it looks pretty cool and like the perfect way to escape the rain or the midday sun with a toddler.

8. Elcau

This is another indoor play area. It's meant to be like a den or lair for little ones and again, it looks so cool. Theres also a stage where they put on small plays and a cafe for the adults as well.

9. La Sagrada Familia

Pretty much an icon of the Barcelona skyline, it'd pretty much be rude not to visit La Sagrada Familia. Another of Gaudi's creations (though from what I understand it didn't start out that way) this has to be on the list.

10.Torre de les Aigües and Eixample Beach

I think this is a piece of reclaimed public space converted into an outdoor swimming pool and park area with sand that is suitable for all ages. It looks pretty quirky (how can there be a beach in the middle of a neighborhood?) and on that basis we're probably going to have to check it out.

11. Gracia District

Alongside Park Guel, there seems to be a lot happening in Gracia. Food, culture, history we'll definitely spend a whole day exploring here.

12.Eyescream and Friends

It's literally ice cream with eyes. ICE CREAM WITH EYES. I'm sold.

13. Parc de la Ciutadella

A green space in the city complete with city zoo, museums, sculptures, lake and row boats to rent (pass on that accident waiting to happen) but really though it also has a waterfall?!? Sounds like a great alternative to the beach with lots to see and do all in one place.

14. Cosmo Caixa

Barcelona's science museum is said to be the biggest of it's kind in Europe. Apparently it's great for kids of all ages and pretty interactive as well so not gonna lie I'm quite looking forward to the prospect of a day out here.

15. L'Aquarium

Harry has never been to an aquarium before but he loves sharks. This place has a huge glass tunnel that walks you directly underneath a shark infested tank so that just sounds like his dream come true. It's definitely on the list.

16. Museu Blau

Another museum, this time natural history. Museu Blau hosts various exhibitions including one on Spinosaurus whilst were there (dinosaurs+toddler=entertainment for hours). It also houses a massive botanical garden meaning there's lots to do inside and out.

17. Turo Parc

After visiting a city with no beaches last year, we spent a fair few hours in parks where Harry could kick a ball, run around and explore. This park has a kids play area, walks, sculptures and poetry dotted around it so we figured it would probably be pretty nice to visit.

18. Pudding

This place reminds me of something out of Alice and Wonderland, and obviously there's cake so...

19. Parc del Estacio del Nord

This park has some absolutely crazy blue sculptures protruding out of the landscape and it's close to where we are staying so even if it's just a case of passing through I'm pretty excited to see what this place is all about. Also, parks are free spaces so you don't have to splash the cash on huge expensive days out to have a good time.

20.Tibidabo Amusement Park

A vintage amusement park on the top of a massive hill with panoramic views of Barcelona- pack the reigns, as long as there's a bus to the top we're there.

Has anyone else spent time in Barcelona with small children? Let me know what you think of this list and if there are any things I should consider adding (or taking off) before we go. Make sure to look out for more family holiday prep posts coming soon :)

Useful websites:

https://www.barcelonahacks.com/

http://www.shutupandgo.travel/barcelona-bucket-list/

https://www.timeout.com/barcelona/barcelona-for-kids

Summer Lust List: Dress Shoulder Off Styles

2017-07-17T14:41:00.000-07:00

I've been on the hunt recently for a style staple- the denim dress. Dress shoulder off styles are everywhere this summer and if you're looking for a classic denim dress, dress burgundy, or any other cold shoulder style, try checking out Zaful as they have a huge range to choose from.

My style is pretty low key and casual so the perfect dress for me has to be denim. Paired with some Vans and cat eye sunglasses, I'm all over this look. I've compiled a lust list of the off the shoulder denim dresses, shoes and accessories I've had my eyes on recently.

All links are shoppable below and there's even a cheeky discount code for Zaful at the end of the post.

See what you think.

Shop the Lust List

1. Slit Embroidered Off Shoulder Mini Dress
2. PU Leather Backpack
3. Vans Old Skool Rainbow Foxing/True White Trainers
4. Moto Tiered Embroidered Dress
5.Round Lens Cat Eye Sunglasses- White
6.Vans Old Skool Back Suede Trainers
7. Blue Denim Frill Trim Cold Shoulder Tunic
8.Pineapple Cross Body Bag
9.Metal Cat Eye Sunglasses
10. Off the Shoulder Button Embellished Dress
11. Off the Shoulder Strappy Striped Bikini Set

***It’s Romper season. Click for best ideas for floral rompers.

Get yourself a new romper this summer!

Use 10% off code:ZFEN01***

10 Tips for Flying with Young Children | Toddler Under 2

2016-11-23T14:06:00.001-08:00

Flying with a toddler. A prospect that sends shivers down the spines of parents every where.

I've heard the stories.I've been on the flights.

From leaking nappies and temper tantrums to antisocial seat kicking and awkward stares, shit goes down with kids on planes.

In July we went on our first family holiday to Vienna, Austria. Harry was 13 months old and I was FREAKED OUT. What if he cries all the way? What if the altitude hurts his ears? What if he won't sit still? That fear was real.

BUT HE WAS FINE...

I couldn't believe it. There and back he was just fine. There was no prolonged screaming, no altercations with members of the general public. It was all okay. Now I know this doesn't mean that it's always going to be that way, but these 10 tips really helped us when flying with our 1 year old for the first time.

1. Pick Short Flights

You can get from Edinburgh to Vienna in 2 hours 50 minutes. This was long enough. I hate flying for long periods of time as it is, but with a toddler who could kick off at any minute, the shorter the flight the better in my opinion. I'm sure there are brave souls out there who have tackled longer journeys with young kids, but for me, staying closer to home was worth it, especially when you factor in airport waiting times and travel either side.

2. Take a Tablet

We were those pre-baby people who judged others who let their babies watch ipads. We were those bastards. Let me tell you, those bastards know nothing. Without doubt, we would not have had the stress free journey we had without the fabulous, beautiful, majestic bloody ipad (see below).

3. Download an Adult Friendly Kid's Show

Okay, we all know kids T.V is annoying as hell. It's loud and obnoxious and guess what, toddlers don't like headphones. 3 Words, Shaun the Sheep. THIS SAVED US. There's a feature length movie, 5 T.V series', a handful of 'special series' and guess what;

THERE'S NO VERBAL NARRATIVE

There's no talking, because sheep don't talk. It's absolutely spectacular. Download it in advance so the device can stay on airplane mode- happy days.

4. Read Books

I took about 5 books in Harry's hand luggage and we read them on takeoff and landing. It was a really good distraction for him and kept him quiet and happy during the most unsettling aspects of the flights.

5. Pack Some Small Toys

Again, these were great for when the tablet couldn't be used. We took a couple of push along cars, a model horse and general noise free objects to preserve the sanity of others around us...

6. Bring a Present

...saying that, taking the advice of one of my friends I bought a toy aeroplane at duty free for the flight home. I wasn't so sure that Shaun the Sheep would have held his novelty. The toy plane was great, it made Harry sit still and play nice for a good 20 minutes with his new toy. It also had this button on top that made the loudest most shrill take off noise you've ever heard in your life but you know, I figured people would rather listen to that than a child screaming.

7.Buy a Kids Lunch Box

They come with snacks your child has not seen before, they're themed (Ice Age with easyjet) and they have colouring pencils and activities. Harry was too young to appreciate the word searches but scribbling took a good five minutes. Add that to eating time and we have another half an hour killed. Perfect.

8. Bring a Cosy Blanket

We flew at 6am on the way out. We had to get Harry out of bed at like 3am and so I was pretty much banking on a sleepy first flight. And that's what we got. He fell asleep an hour in and stayed asleep for pretty much the remainder of the journey, wrapped in his blanket.

9. Bottle for Take off/Landing

I was worried about the altitude and cabin pressure hurting Harry's ears because that's something I get and hate. I took a bottle and some stage 3 baby milk- you can take it through security- and just gave him it on takeoff and landing. The sucking really helped and he didn't seem to suffer from any pain at all.

10. Ask About Empty Seats

Way there? Your average baby belted to your lap scenario.
Way back? Harry got an upgrade and enjoyed his own seat all the way home. Me and Ed got moved too, obvs.
I don't know if they do it all the time but as our flight home had empty seats we were offered to move to a row of three where Harry could have his own seat after take off. This was so good because having them sat on you the whole time can be pretty uncomfortable.I would never have thought to ask about empty seats but would highly recommend asking to avoid a solid trip with a toddler strapped to you!

Hope you found these tips helpful. Let me know if you have any others and if you have any tips for travelling with older/younger kids too!

Kathy
xx

Harry's 5 Best Baby Books

2016-02-23T14:37:00.000-08:00

Though it may sometimes feel a little thankless, especially when they seem more interested in chewing/throwing/tearing the books you've carefully selected for them than actually listening to you, reading to your baby serves a vital role in their growth and development.

Not only does reading help build their vocabulary, it also stimulates their imagination and memory, encouraging your baby to listen and connect with a variety of words, pictures, sounds and stories.

I try to read with Harry as often as I can. Not just to help with his language development, sometimes just as a way to bond over a story and have a laugh together.

I collect books mostly from charity shops. I gravitate towards classics, but also tend to pick them if the illustrations or stories grab my attention.

I'm no expert on what makes a good baby book, but these are our 5 best baby books at present:

1. The Tiger Who Came to Tea By Judith Kerr

We have a big ginger cat called Arnie who Harry knows as 'Puss Cat'. He makes Harry laugh all the time and now if I say 'where's Puss Cat?' Harry giggles and looks over my shoulder for the cat. As the Tiger in this book is big and ginger just like Arnie, I feel Harry had a natural affinity towards it...

As I read the story I ask 'where's Tiger?' and Harry laughs like he does when he looks for our cat.

Because it makes him laugh, and because in 2 words it can be best described as quirky and charming, this book is currently our favourite.

2. The Very Hungry Caterpillar By Eric Carle

It's a classic. I had to get it. In fact it was one of the first things I bought for Harry whilst I was pregnant.

Because I bought the board book version having Harry turn the pages is relatively low risk and I can confirm that the spine doubles up as a very durable teether...

The illustrations and layout of the book keeps Harry entertained, making it one I can easily read from start to finish without Harry getting bored or distracted.

3. Winnie the Pooh and Ten Busy Bees By A.A. Milne

Ultimately this is a book that helps teach the art of counting backwards as we follow Pooh and ten busy bees on their journey as they disappear one by one.

Harry loves this book because they bees are plastic and stick out of each of the pages. He tries to pick them off as I read the text and so again this is a book that keeps him engaged from start to finish.

4. A New House for Mouse By Petr Horacek

I found this picture book in my local Oxfam and bought it because the illustrations are bold, bright and engaging. The story follows Mouse who goes in search of a bigger home after finding a large red apple.

It's a little longer than the other books, making it one I have to try harder to get Harry to stay focussed on or just read in two halves, but he likes the pictures and I like the story ;)

5. Piper By Emma Chichester Clark

Okay, so I'll admit that this book was more for me than Harry. I think he'll appreciate it more when he's older but I had to get it when I saw it for 50p. The story is about a puppy called Piper who is brought up by his mother to be good and kind to others. He is sold to a cruel owner and the tale follows Piper as he sticks up for what he believes is right.

That's it guys, our 5 current favourite baby books.

Let me know any of your recommendations in the comments :)

Kathy]xx

What's Really in My Changing Bag

2016-02-17T14:13:00.000-08:00

There are LOADS of 'What's in My Changing Bag' blog posts and YouTube videos out there. I don't know what it is about them, we all just seem to love having a peek at what other parents take out and about with them.

Of course I had to make my own.

WARNING: Mine is a REAL LIFE edition and comes with additional crumbs, filth and general oddities.

I use the Eastpak PCEE bag for my 7 month old and I manage to fit a LOT into it. I had originally planned on using the Eastpak Delegate bag I used as my baby's hospital bag (What's in my Baby's Hospital Bag' post here) but for me it's too big and it gets in the way. I use it as an overnight bag for Harry instead.

For me there is just something about Eastpak bags. I find them very versatile and they look cool. The one I use as my changing bag is a laptop bag but I can fit everything I need into it. They're not typically 'feminine' and the look and style of the brand suits urban and country living, which is great for us. Plus as its not a floral Cath Kidston number my partner can comfortably use it without feeling as though his masculinity is being called into question...

Anyway, ramble over. This is what is in it.

I must say I was not aware I carried this many toys around with me. It's amazing what parenthood does to you isn't it? In another life I swear there would have been an overabundance of lipsticks in my bag not finger puppets and other random oddities.

Rather than list what's in my bag, I made a video chatting about where I'd been and why certain things are in there. I'll insert it in here so you can take a look.

PS. there was some other snacks in my bag but Harry came in and finished them off before I got a chance to take the photo!

Kathy
xx

How I Weaned My Baby from Breast to Bottle

2016-02-16T08:56:00.002-08:00

In this post I'm going to talk about how I weaned my 7 month old from 100% breast to 100% bottle feeding.

If you're interested in finding out how I stopped breastfeeding and helped my baby to accept a bottle and formula instead of breast milk, you've come to the right place.

As you may have seen me talk about elsewhere, I gave up expressing when my son was 6 weeks old because I personally found the process wasn't worth the time and hassle of manual pumping, when I could just feed him myself. Because I gave up expressing early, Harry quickly fell out of practice drinking out of a bottle and later REFUSED to take a bottle at all.

When I was looking for advice on how to wean my baby from breast to bottle I couldn't find much out there for parents who's babies ABSOLUTELY HATED bottles. I was starting to feel quite desperate and so when I found a way to successfully wean my baby, I knew I wanted to share my experience incase anyone else out there might find it useful.

THINKING ABOUT WEANING

I started to think about weaning Harry when he was 6 months old. I had tried him with a bottle prior to that age (when he was 4-5 months old) but I wasn't really ready to stop breastfeeding and so it had been unsuccessful. At the time I was trying the Phillips Avent Classic+ Bottles and the MAM Anti Colic Bottles and was offering him breast milk and formula. I had other people try to feed him, I tried waiting till he was really hungry, I tried when he was tired but not too hungry, when he was in his highchair, lying down...No matter what I did he REFUSED the bottle EVERY SINGLE TIME.

Having seen him happily take a bottle (of breastmilk) when he was a newborn, and take a soother on a daily basis, I knew it was the association of comfort from me and routine that was causing him a problem. At 6 months he was also eating 3 meals a day and had a varied diet including foods prepared with formula milk. That said, I started looking for bottles and teats more specifically for breastfed babies and decided to stick to my guns with choosing to transition to formula in tandem.

FINDING THE BOTTLE

That's when I found the NUK First Choice+ Bottle with Natural Latex Teat. The NUK Latex teat is extremely flexible and soft and to my mind more closely resembles a human breast and nipple than anything else I had seen or tried. I made Harry a small amount of formula and he accepted it. He only drank about 1 floz but this was the first bottle he had accepted since he was 6 weeks old. For me this was a break through.

I carried on offering him a bottle daily for about 2 weeks. He would accept, drink a tiny amount, get upset and I would cave in and feed him myself until he was full.

Looking back I wasn't ready to give up breastfeeding when Harry was 6 months old, so I wasn't committed to stopping. Coupled with the fact that I didn't like having him upset, I gave up trying to transition again until he was 7 months old. Still, I had the bottle and knew now that it was the approach I would have to tweak when the time was right.

At 7 months, I had only 8 weeks before the end of my maternity leave. I knew I had to wean Harry before I went back to university and at this age I felt he (and I) were now ready to transition.

CHANGING MY APPROACH

When I committed to weaning Harry from breast to bottle, the process only took us 2 weeks. I thought it would take much longer, but changing my approach made all the difference.

Instead of offering the bottle at every feed and having Harry associate it with something negative I decided to drop a feed per week for 4 weeks. Week one, I dropped the third feed of the day right before his morning nap. For the first couple of days I offered him a bottle instead but he refused and so I offered him a solid food snack and water instead, which he accepted, for the rest of the week.

On the first day of the second week I dropped the second feed of the day, the one right before his morning nap. Again I did the same, offered a bottle (3 oz as I knew it would be wasted anyway), have it refused then offer a solid snack and water which he would take so I knew he was at least not starving before he went down to sleep.

That day he had only his morning and evening breastfeeds and no other milk. I wasn't happy with this as this is not enough milk for a baby of his age but I was committed to see what happened for another 7 days.

THEN IT HAPPENED

Literally overnight. The very next day I went to do the same thing and he accepted the bottle and drank the full amount of formula at the second and third feeds. Can you imagine my disbelief. I could not believe it.

I took photos, I sent them to all of my friends, it was amazing. That was it after that. For the rest of the week I dropped the morning feed, increased the amount of formula I was making to 7floz per feed (I upgraded to the NUK Size 2 teats and a larger bottle) and by the end of the second week I stopped breastfeeding altogether.

In my opinion it was the combination of finding the bottle Harry was comfortable and changing my approach to dropping a feed at a time, and offering an alternative at feeding time that was not a bottle after having refused that worked for us.

Though I didn't plan on ending our feeding relationship so quickly, I felt it was best to transition completely whilst I had the opportunity. Call me crazy, but after having him refuse the bottle for so long I had images of it happening again so I dropped all feeds by the end of the second week.

If you'd like to read about the side effects this had on my and my physical and emotional experience of stopping breast feeding, I wrote this post about it.

It's hard to get everything in to one blog post on this topic so if I've missed anything or you have any more questions you'd like me to answer please feel free to comment below!

Kathy
xx

Stopping Breast Feeding - Symptoms, Side Effects and Unexpected Emotions

2016-02-10T07:44:00.001-08:00

When I was looking online, I couldn't find much written on what to expect when stopping breast feeding. Don't get me wrong, there's plenty of information out there on how to avoid mastitis and engorged breasts, but when looking for information on what other physical, emotional and hormonal symptoms may be experienced when ending the breast feeding relationship, my trusty Google searches came up short.

I was quite surprised by this. Like many other new mums, I've spent the last 7+ months treading water in a literal sea of breast feeding information. From online hacks and how tos to NCT classes and health visitor demos, there is A LOT of guidance out there if you're trying to find out 'How to Do Breast Feeding'.

'How Not to Do Breast Feeding Any More', and 'What Stopping Breast Feeding Actually Feels Like' however, are another set of spanners all together.

With the exception of a couple of articles (like this one and this one) I couldn't find anything much that made me feel better about what I've been experiencing.

That's why I'm writing this post.

Because in my experience stopping breast feeding comes with a whole bunch of untold feelings, symptoms and side effects that I wished I'd known about before they started happening to me. That's why I'm writing this post. To make anyone out there going through this whole weaning thing feel like they're not alone. And for no other reason. I'm not an expert, this is just what stopping breast feeding has been like for me.

Where do I start...

There's the nausea, the night sweats and the shitty sleep in general. There's the uncontrollable lactating, bulging, and milking of the self at times most inconvenient (in the car, into an empty bottle...yep). There's those awkward under the skin spots, lumpy boobs, general exhaustion and impatience bordering on out-right hostility for all other human beings who aren't my baby.

Oh. And there's the tears, the (however brief) mourning of the end of that particular kind of relationship with my son.

Well, that's been my experience any way.

I stopped breast feeding completely 10 days ago and in that time these are all of the 'symptoms', 'side effects' or whatever you'd prefer to call them, that I've felt. Things are now a little better though.

10 Days Later...

After going from seriously full, strangely lumpy and painful over days 1-7 post breast-feeding, my boobs have gone back to how they where pre-pregnancy. Like totally back to normal. I don't know whether to laugh or cry about this though because I now have no bras that fit me whatsoever. How can this be you ask?

Well, what they also fail to tell you about stopping breast-feeding is that there is a chance that if you forget to adjust your diet back to when there was only one of you to feed, then you will likely experience some form of weight gain.

Yep. Having previously bragged about being able to eat a few extra cakes when breastfeeding, I'm now the proud owner of a few extra lbs. I wouldn't mind this if I had the money to replace all of my clothes, but I don't so I'm putting the cakes to one side for a few weeks until life balances back out again!

Emotionally on the first day I finally got my son to accept a bottle I felt jubilant. On day 2 I felt overwhelming sadness and I cried in bed over the thought that my baby didn't need me any more. Of course he does, and after reading this Kelly Mom article I found today I am more in perspective about ending our breast feeding relationship than I was to begin with. I realise that these feelings (and the feelings of hostility and rage my boyfriend is currently bearing the brunt of!) are linked to the shift in hormones experienced during weaning.

A week and a half after my last feed with Harry, the most prominent symptoms that I'm still feeling are nausea and exhaustion, just like I did in early pregnancy. I've seen other mums talk about this too so presume like they have that this is linked to hormone fluctuation.

Man, weaning really does suck.

Harry has basically flown through this whole thing as though nothing at all has changed whilst I'm all up in here feeling like a bedraggled, lethargic, semi-sane, cake deprived ball of rage.

Canny.

If you'd like to read about how I actually managed to wean my baby (who previously REFUSED to take a bottle) you might like this post :)

How's weaning going for everyone else? Have you experienced any symptoms? Please leave a comment below if you want to share your experience too.

Kathy
xx

Harry's 7 Month Baby Update

2016-02-09T11:42:00.001-08:00

Weight? I took Harry to get weighed at baby clinic last week. He now weighs 19lb and is 72 cm long. I thought he'd gotten taller because he's a like a machine in his walker now whereas at Christmas he could barely reach the floor. It's so strange, all of a sudden he's more a toddler than a baby... 

Feeding? The BIG thing with feeding this month has been weaning Harry from breast to bottle. I don't know if I have ever talked about Harry's refusal to take a bottle on this blog, but I know I mentioned in his 3 Month update that I had given up expressing. I also talked briefly about this in my recent weaning video over on my YouTube channel but to cut a long story short I gave up expressing and giving Harry a bottle when he was 6 weeks old because I couldn't take the faff of manual expressing.

When it came to trying to use a bottle again and wean Harry off me, he was NOT game. He'd refuse the bottle every time, scream, and protest until I fed him myself, which wouldn't take long, because I hate letting him cry. I won't go into too much detail here as I'll be writing a detailed post soon, but basically I have managed to successfully wean Harry from being 100% breast fed to 100% bottle fed in time for going back to university. Woop.

Baby groups? Whilst Mum's and Toddlers isn't particularly high on my personal agenda I am going to start going soon because I think Harry would really enjoy the interaction with other babies and children. I mean I might actually end up liking it myself but I'm not sure... We have been taking him swimming to one of the heated baby pools we have in our area quite regularly now though and he loves it. It's been great watching him grow in confidence, going from being really quite nervous to literally roaring with happiness :) 

Sleeping through the night? Christ, so last month was an awful month of sleep as you can read about in this post if you haven't already. This month we're back to mostly sleeping through the night for 11-12 hours. THANK GOD. I ended up taking advantage of the rough patch we experienced last month and developed a new bedtime routine with Harry that sees him in bed between 7pm and 7:30pm. This is much better as I literally live all non-parenting aspects of my life in the evenings. Anyone else?

Clothing Size? Harry's now well into 6-9 month clothes with some things getting a bit tight already. 9-12 fits him best but it seems like we're slowing down with the growth spurts a little so hopefully he'll stick at this size for a while. Size 5 nappies already though (we use Lidl Toujours).

New Abilities/Developments? Last month Harry learned to sit up on his own and this month he has become much more sturdy on his own. Developments in the last 4 weeks have mainly been around eating and 'speaking'.

Starting with eating, though he doesn't have any teeth yet, I've noticed Harry has started to bite off pieces of finger food to make eating more manageable for himself. His hand eye coordination has also really improved and he can now pick up smaller items and guide them into his mouth. Eating is still so so messy but it's great to see him develop a bit more control over the process!

In terms of 'speaking' he has learned to say 'babababa' and 'mamamama'. Obviously he has no concept of what these sounds mean but being able to produce distinguishable vowels and consonants is an important part of their development.

Nicknames? Like with previous weeks nicknames are getting pretty out of control up in here. Bubby Roo has drifted into Chubby Roo on account of his chubby red cheeks and Ed has taken to pluralising other names for him so he now gets Monsters, Tinkers and still Babys like last month. Anyone else call thier children anything but their names?

My Recovery

As you will have seen last month, my postpartum hair loss stopped recently and so this month I've been deep conditioning and air drying my hair as much as possible to help it to recover. Although it still feels very brittle and dry, it has started to grow at last so if anyone out there is suffering with the same symptoms it does get better!

I don't really know if this should come under 'My Recovery' or not, I'm thinking I might do a dedicated post because there's not much out there on this, but since stopping breastfeeding I have been experiencing a few strange symptoms including nausea, headaches, weight gain and waking during the night.

Right when I thought I might be experiencing some kind of weird pseudo pregnancy, I found this article and realised that these symptoms are all actually side effects of stopping breastfeeding. Nobody really tells you about how you might feel when you stop, physically and emotionally so yeah, I think I might write a post about my experience. Let me know if that might be of interest in the comments.

See you next month for more updates.

Thanks for reading 

Kathy

Stage 2 Weaning Equipment for Babies 7+ Months

2016-02-05T14:52:00.001-08:00

I recently visited the Tommee Tippee Factory Shop in Cramlington and ended up buying pretty much all the equipment I'm now using with Harry throughout Stage 2 weaning. Having recently written a post about what we used during Stage 1 weaning that was quite well received, I figured I'd do an updated version for any one out there who might be transitioning at the same time as us.

I actually vlogged our visit to the factory shop and made a haul and try out video of the products I ended up buying for Harry. I'm only just trying my hand at filming and editing, but if anyone would like to have a look at those I'll add them into this post (scroll to bottom) or you could head over to my YouTube channel if you'd prefer.

Until last year I had no idea that the Tommee Tippee Factory was located just outside Newcastle, or that if you went you would be able to pick up their products for a nicely discounted price.

Though the factory shop was just small, I found everything I was looking for and more for stage 2 weaning on my visit.

Here's everything I picked up and am now using with Harry as we transition into the messy world of finger food.

1. Tommee Tippee Explora Sectioned Plate (2 Pack)

RRP: 4.99 (I paid £2.00)

I picked these up with the idea that eventually I would like to teach Harry that food comes on plates, and is not just piled directly on the table in front of you for you to bash, throw, wear, maybe eat and/or rub into your hair.

I haven't given him one to use himself yet because at 7 months Harry has no concept of plates, gravity and the boring consequences of having to clean up mess. But I like using them. If nothing else they've encouraged me to offer three different tastes/components for Harry each meal time which has to be more exciting for him.

2. Tommee Tippee Explora Weaning Spoons 7+Months (5 Pack)

RRP: 3.99 (I paid £2.50)

In my Stage 1 Weaning Equipment post I mentioned that I was using the weaning spoons from Boots which were ideal for small mouths and first purees.

Lately I'd noticed I couldn't pack quite enough food onto the Boots spoons to keep up with Harry's appetite, so I new it was time for an upgrade.

These Tommee Tippee spoons are much wider and deeper and much more appropriate for the kinds and quantities of foods we're now shifting so really pleased with these. They're also made of much more rigid material than the Boots ones making them less bendy and less porous than rubber so they don't discolour as badly.

3. Tommee Tippee Closer to Nature Fun Style Soother (2 Pack)

RRP: 4.79 (I paid £3.00)

As I talked about in my video, I recently worked out that upgrading dummies to the appropriate age of your child is definitely something you want to do if you want to avoid them trying to eat the entire thing whole. I had previously used the MAM 0-6 Months Soothers with Harry and noticed last month that he was starting to be able to curl his lips right round them. In to the recycing bin they went.

I thought I'd give these ones a go as they're much bigger and I liked the design. Harry has taken these no bother at all which is great given that when he was little the only soother he would take was the MAM ones!

4. Tommee Tippee Food Pouch Spoons (2 Pack)

RRP: 5.75 (I paid £1.00)

I didn't know these existed until I saw them in the factory shop. Although definitely not an essential they were only £1 so I thought I'd give them a go. I'll be honest, I don't know how much they really help with things. It's not so much hassle to squeeze food out onto a regular spoon and at a normal retail price of £5.75 I have to say I wouldn't bother. For a quid they're fun but completely gimmicky.

5. Tommee Tippee Baby's First Straw Cup

RRP: £5.24 (I paid £3.00)

Okay so I talked about this in more detail in my video, but basically I got this cup because I was trying to wean Harry from breast to bottle and it wasn't working. I thought if I could find something in between a bottle and a weaning cup (with the regular three hole spout which he also hated at the time) he might take milk in it. Literally the day after I bought this cup I found THE BOTTLE to wean Harry with and we've never looked back.

I have started to use this cup at meal times with Harry anyway and he has got the hand of the straw really well. Still can't use the handles to direct it to his mouth that well but I'm sure eye-balling the straw will get old soon ;)

6. Tommee Tippee Training Straw Cup

RRP: £4.95 (I paid £3.00).

I really liked the straw design of these cups (and the one above) because you can conceal the straw by simply pushing the spout cap back down.

They seem quite hygienic in that way if you're cramming them in and out of changing bags. I got this larger version for when the other one is too little and Harry needs more liquids :)

7. Tommee Tippee Roll and Go Bib

RRP: £3.50 (I paid £2.00).

As I mentioned in my Stage 1 Weaning Equipment post, I had been using cloth bibs with Harry as we'd been experimenting with purees and it wasn't that messy. OH. MY. GOD. How things change when they learn to spit, to grab the spoon off you and intermittently refuse to use cutlery all together.

I needed something more robust and with a trough asap. This one is excellent I have to say. It catches a lot of the mess, saves on the laundry cost and the neck is comfortable for Harry to wear. Some plastic ones rub at the neck or come off but this one doesn't. I highly recommend this and it does roll up really well for when you're on the go.

That's everything we've been using with Harry throughout Stage 2 weaning. Please head back soon for more weaning updates and meal ideas!

Factory Vlog:

Haul and Try Out:

Kathy

Easy Vanilla Birthday Cake & Funfetti Icing Recipe

2016-02-01T10:25:00.002-08:00

My (not so) little brother recently turned 17 so I baked him this really easy Vanilla Birthday Cake with home made 'Funfetti' icing.

As I figured there would probably be some parents out there with little ones to look after and bigger ones to make cakes for, I thought I'd share the recipe because although this cake is super quick and easy to make, it also looks pretty cool and like you've made a proper big effort.

Scroll down for what you'll need and how to make this three layered vanilla birthday cake, and the 'funfetti' (a.k.a sprinkles) icing to go with it!

Ingredients

For the cake:

250g butter or margarine, softened plus extra for greasing

250g caster sugar

1tsp vanilla essence

5 large eggs

85g plain flour

100g Greek or Natural Yoghurt

250g Self-raising flour

3tbsp semi-skimmed milk

For the layers (optional):

3-4 tbsp jam (I used blackberry)

For the icing:

1 tub of sprinkles (I used the Dr Oetkar Sour Power ones)

500g icing sugar (sifted if needed)

160g butter or margarine, softened

50ml of milk

half a tsp vanilla essence

food colouring

Method

For the cake:

Heat oven to 180 degrees.
Grease and line three 8" cake tins (or two and re-use one later like I did)
Whisk together sugar and butter until light in colour and smooth in texture.
Add eggs and plain flour and continue to whisk until combined.
Add the remaining ingredients and whisk together slowly until you have a smooth cake batter.

Split batter evenly over three cake tins and bake in the oven (ideally on the same shelf for even baking) for 30-35 minutes.

Allow cakes to cool slightly in their tins before turning them out to cool completely on a wire rack.

For the 'funfetti' icing:

(I adapted the Humming Bird Bakery's Vanilla Cupcakes Icing recipe)

Place butter, milk, vanilla and icing sugar in a large bowl.
Whisk until light and fluffy.
Fold in sprinkles, I used three quarters of this jar of Dr Oetkar Sour Power Strands
Place a third of the icing in a separate bowl and add food colouring, I used about 2 tsp in total for one layer and kept the icing for the middle layers white.

To Assemble:

Trim the bottom and middle sponges so that they are level (do all of them if you have time- I didn't). Use a serrated blade for this if you have one.
Add jam and white funfetti icing to the bottom layer, place the next cake on top then repeat adding jam and icing.
Place the final sponge on top.
Ice with coloured icing and add more sprinkles if desired.

Add candles, sing 'Happy Birthday' and away you go!

Kathy

Mothercare Madrid Group 1 Combination Car Seat Unboxing

2016-01-29T14:31:00.000-08:00

We recently upgraded our car seat to the Mothercare Madrid Combination Car Seat and thought we'd share with you our unboxing and first impressions of it, just like we did with our pram.

Having used our Maxi Cosi Group 0 rear facing car seat for 7 months, we thought it was time to upgrade to a forward facing Group 1 model because Harry had grown too long and wide for the Maxi Cosi.

My Requirements

Before buying the Mothercare Madrid car seat, I didn't really have a particular brand/model in mind that I wanted. All I knew was that I wanted a car seat that was comfortable, affordable and one that would fit in my 3 door Vauxhall Corsa. This ticks all those boxes.

Official Blurb

The Mothercare Madrid Combination Car Seat is an easy-to-fit rear and forward-facing car seat that your child can use from birth to 18kgs (approximately 4 years), offering great value, comfort and safety protection.

Use rear facing from birth to 9kg/20lbs then move to forward facing
Use forward facing from 9 months to 4 years approx. (9kg/20lbs to 18kg/40lbs)
Includes 3 seat recline positions and a 5-point harness with individual harness tensioners for added safety
Deep wide wings with side impact protection and a body support cushion for younger children, with a head cushion and chest and buckle pads for comfort
Free 2 year guarantee

Price

We bought the Mothercare Madrid car seat in the January sales and managed to get it with 50% off making it £44.99 rather than £90.00. What an absolute steal. This car seat is amazing quality. Even if I'd paid full price I have to say I wouldn't have been disappointed. We bought it in red (the discount only applied to red) but the colour is more raspberry pink than red. I love it.

Comfort

When I made this video unboxing our Mothercare Madrid car seat I hadn't tried Harry in it yet. Since then I have and it's great. He looks so much more comfortable and secure in it than he did in the rear facing Maxi Cosi.

The straps lock together very securely and quickly on this seat. When it comes to tightening the harness it is very easy (you just pull down on them) loosening them back off however seems a bit of a task. It could just be that they're new and a bit stiff though so will have to give it some time to really see.

The seat also has something like three different recline settings so in terms of comfort I really could;t fault this car seat so far. It also comes with a cream removable inlay which is washable. This can be no bad thing.

Installation

When I first opened the instruction booklet for this seat I thought 'oh my god, there's 43 steps'. However, not all 43 steps applied to me. This seat can be used firstly as a rear facing car seat from birth, and then flipped round to be forward facing when the child reaches 20lb. As we are using the seat forward facing straight away, it could be fitted in about 5 steps and it is really very simple.

My only issue with the instructions as I mentioned in my You Tube video, is that it is just pictures with no added text for explanation, call it a preference thing but a bit of extra written guidance wouldn't have gone a miss for me.

Use with Small Car

Okay, small cars cause problems when it comes to baby equipment. I know, as you'll have seen if you saw this updated post on trying to fit my pram in it.

So far I can say that it is about 1000 times easier to get Harry out of this forward facing car seat than it was when he was rear facing. That goes with the territory though. The design of the Mothercare car seat is however relatively compact.

I mean I pretty much think I could still get two passengers in the back with only a bit of a squeeze. The front passenger seat can also go almost all of the way back too without being near the front of the car seat so not too bad considering it's only a 3 door.

Overall Impressions

I rate this car seat so far. As car seats go I think this one looks pretty cool but more importantly it's comfortable for Harry, I can fit it safely into my car and it was very, very affordable as we were fortunate enough to nab it while it was still in the sale. Thumbs up.

Any questions please fell free to ask in the comments :)

Thanks for reading

Kathy
xx

DIY String Light Wall Art Decoration

2016-01-27T12:24:00.000-08:00

I'm obsessed with string lights at the moment. And with trying to make my bedroom look nice. I was busy googling 'Fairy Light Bedroom Wall Decoration Ideas' when I came across this post. I had to have a go and it was so easy to do. See what you think.

For this DIY you will need:

Fairy Lights with a clear string (I used these warm white fairy lights from Lights4fun.co.uk )

8 Picture Tacks

A Hammer

Mini pegs (I used these floral heart ones from Amazon)

Selection of Pictures and Postcards (mine are from Paperchase)

How to Make Your Wall Art:

I made a YouTube Video on how I made my string light wall art in my bedroom. It's only the second video I've ever made in my life, but hopefully you'll get the jist!.

Don't forget to subscribe to my channel for more hilarious attempts at making YouTube videos. I've got a Tommee Tippee Factory vlog and haul coming soon.

Any questions about this DIY please ask in the comments below :)

Kathy
xx

Joie Chrome Plus Stroller Updated Review

2016-01-25T06:57:00.000-08:00

If you've been reading this blog for a while you'll know that the Joie Chrome Plus Stroller was the pram Ed and I decided to buy when I was pregnant with Harry. If you didn't catch it the first time you can read about why we picked this pram and our initial impressions in our unboxing post.

Recently I received a request from a reader to do an updated review since we've been using it for a little over 6 months. I thought this was a great post idea and one that I would have found very useful to read myself before buying.

That said here's an update on how we've been getting on with the Joie Chrome Plus Stroller. Please leave any other questions you may have about this pram in the comments and I'll be happy to answer anything I might have missed here.

Transportation?

Having now transported this pram in numerous vehicles, I can safely say that this is the biggest thing to consider before you drop your cash on the Joie Chrome. How big is your car?

When we picked this pram, Ed's Ford Focus was our only car. As you can see from the pictures, the stroller comfortably folds down and fits in to the boot, leaving some room for shopping bags on top or around the sides.

Since having Harry however we've moved from the city to the countryside and as a result I had to buy a car too. It's a Vauxhall Corsa and it's small. Whilst the pram fits in the boot, it has to be placed in on it's side leaving no room for anything else. That means that if you go shopping pretty much everything you buy has to go on the passenger seat or on the floor.

It's not ideal, but I have to say not a deal breaker for me.

On another note, and this depends on how you are with lifting things in general I guess, but this pram is heavy to lift in and out of a car. I don't mind this personally though. Saves me doing any extra dumbbell exercises you know...

Overall Performance?

Okay, 3 points.

1. With the carrycot attachment, this pram is a bit of a shaky ride. Maybe it was just because I was a bit of a nervous new mum, but I did feel like more could have been done with the design to stabilise the pram when using the carrycot attachment. Harry slept through any shakiness though, it never woke him up even when going up and down curbs so make of that what you will.

2. As a travel system with adaptors for the Maxi Cosi Group 0 car seat which we had, the Joie Chrome Plus Stroller is amazing. There is no shakiness at all when the car seat is in place and it's so easy to take it on and off the chassis. I couldn't fault it. In fact we used this pram like this for the first 5 months (see Any Regrets? below).

3. Apart from not being a deep enough seat in my opinion the stroller attachment for this pram is great. We've literally been off roading with it, wheeled though snow, ice, pissing rain (rain covers are included) through puddles everywhere.

As a pushchair for the countryside this is a good affordable option to consider because the large back wheels can go through anything. I mean I've even been over a cattle grid in this thing.

Because we used to live in the centre of Newcastle I can also vouch for the fact that this pram fits in well with urban life well too. It looks the part and has a large shopping basket underneath to stash bags. I currently use that part to collect sticks for kindling though...how life changes.

Comfort for Baby?

As you'll have seen from the unboxing post, I decided to buy Joie Chrome Plus Stroller with the Carrycot from Boots for an extra £100. For a tiny newborn baby I would highly rate this carrycot in terms of comfort when static or on smooth terrain. In fact, Harry used to prefer sleeping in the Joie with the carrycot attachment more than he did in his moses basket, which he hated.

The stroller looks less comfortable to me for Harry than the carrycot was when he was small. He doesn't sit too well in it yet and tends to slump to one side though that is more likely to be related to his general ability to sit unsupported at the moment. To my mind however, I will say that I feel this pram would be better if it had a deeper seat with sides that came out a little more so that babies had more support.

Breakages at 6 Months?

Minor. The hand rail on this pram extends via two buttons on either side of it. On my pram, when I slide the handle to extend it sometimes it won't stay up, sometimes it will. It's a little niggle bit then I'm ramming it into a Corsa on it's side all the time so perhaps that's to blame.

No breakages or repairs to the wheels so far and I have used this pram on all sorts of terrain and conditions (gravel, grass, tarmac, pot holes puddles, snow, ice).

Any Regrets?

Okay, my biggest regret is buying the carrycot attachment for this pram. I have to be honest it was a waste of money. We used it for 4 weeks until Harry was a little bigger and then immediately favoured using his car seat.

If you are looking to buy this pram for a newborn I would say do it, but don't waste your money on the carrycot, it's £100 extra and a car seat is a far better investment in my opinion.

As you'll have seen from my unboxing post, I'd also need to buy the sun hood and foot muff separately .

Hopefully that's been helpful for any one out there looking for an honest review of the Joie Chrome Pluss Stroller.

Kathy xx

January Haul ~ Baby Toddler Boy Clothing

2016-01-23T13:55:00.000-08:00

It's January, Harry's growing fast and we had some Christmas money burning a hole in our pockets. That called for one thing; a baby clothing haul.

I say baby but then I sized up and bought mainly 12-18 months and 18-24 months items. That's toddler realm and that's quite scary.

Anyway, enough blabbering, here's what I bought for Harry from Next, Zara and Tu. Some things were in the sale but I mostly bought full price items. I've linked everything to where I bought it from so if you like anything you see you can just click through.

I actually filmed this haul video for my YouTube channel. It's my first attempt at filming and editing a video and so I'm not gonna lie it's a bit ropey to say the least. However, if you fancy watching me chat about the items I bought here I've added a link to that here. If you'd like to watch me as I attempt to create more (better quality) YouTube videos, please subscribe to my channel.

Thank you!!

Zara Baby Boy Dog Knit Cardigan £6.99 (was £17.99)Zara Baby Boy XO Leggings £6.99

Next Long Sleeve Tops 4 Pack £14

Next Stripey Top £6 (3 for £15)

Next Digger Top £6 (3 for £15)

Next Bus Top £6 (3 for £15)

Next The Flash Top £10

Next 3 Pack Boys Tops £6 (was £12)

Tu at Sainsburys £2.50 (sorry guys can't find this online but others here).

Thank you for reading :) Please let me know in the comments if there's anything in particular you'd like to see me blog about next.

Remember to look for me on social media by searching @kaffysoo if you'd like to keep up to date with my latest posts or subscribe by entering your email in the sidebar!!

Kathy
xx

Kaffysoo on Facebook!

2016-01-19T15:08:00.000-08:00

Just a quick one to say that I've finally got round to creating a Facebook Page for my blog. I personally really like Facebook for following other bloggers and keeping up to date with what's going on. I tend to use it more than Twitter at the moment although you can find me there, as well as on Instagram and on Pinterest.

If you'd like to see what's going on, come chat and share things you find interesting with me, head over to my Facebook page and give it a like, if you like.

You can also click the social media icons in the side bar to find me on other platforms or just search @kaffysoo on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Bloglovin and Instagram.

:)

Thank you.

Kathy
xx

Lullaby Lyrics ~ Twinkle Twinkle Little Star

2016-01-17T15:13:00.000-08:00

Listen to the melody if you're not familiar with it here.

Kathy
xx

Hope you found these lullaby lyrics useful! See my other favourites here and here.

Stage 1 Weaning Equipment for Babies 4-6 Months

2016-01-15T16:47:00.000-08:00

Here's a list of all the equipment we've been using to wean our baby between the ages of 4-6 months (stage 1).

1. High Chair

We started to wean Harry onto solid food from about 20 weeks. At the time he couldn't really sit up properly and had to eat either in his Bumbo, which he hates, or whilst sitting on someone's knee, which is really messy.

A lot of high chairs on the market tend to have very large seating spaces that require the baby to wear shoulder straps to keep them in an upright position. Because of the wide design of high chairs like this iSafe one I nearly bought, you can find that the baby slumps to one side if they're not that strong at sitting yet. That's why I love the ANTILOP High Chair we bought from Ikea.

Purchased with the washable PYTTIG insert for a total cost of £19 I wholeheartedly recommend this high chair for weaning babies between the ages of 4-6 months. It's just the perfect size and allows Harry to sit really well from the very start.

2. Bowls

Bright, durable, dishwasher and microwave safe, I bought this pack of 6 KALAS bowls for 90p from Ikea. I mean for 90p I figured I couldn't go wrong.

3. Spoons

I got two of these 4 packs of Stage 1 Weaning Spoons from Boots for £1.99. They're quite narrow and not too deep which is good for when babies first start trying new foods.

4. Blender

I didn't have a stand alone blender before weaning. I only had a hand blender which is very old and forever getting clogged up. As I had some Sainsburys vouchers to spend I decided to buy this Kenwood Mini Chopper. It's a dream for making perfectly portioned purées. Shit for bulk preparing though because it's too small so bare that in mind if you like to make a lot and freeze down.

5. Food Storage

Now and again I like to buy Harry these Hipp Organic Baby Food Jars. In the beginning he absolutely loved the Banana and Peach and Blueberry and Apple desert pots so we stocked up on them. I kept the jars, washed them out, removed the labels and now reuse them for my own home made baby meals. They come in all different sizes and if you're buying the odd pot of pre-made food anyway it makes financial sense to keep them and save buying any other food storage container. Winner.

6. Bibs

Because Harry hadn't started finger food before 6 months, we got away with using these Tommee Tippee Milk Feeding Soft Bibs for feeding times. We got given so many bibs when I was pregnant I just started to blast through them to be honest but they get pretty stained. I think I'm going to upgrade to a wipe clean version very soon.

7. Weaning Cup

We offered Harry water with his food from the outset and began with this easy grip, free flow First Weaning Cup from Tommee Tippee which he is still using at the moment. As a baby who regularly refuses to take a bottle I was worried he wouldn't transition to a cup at meal times well but he has. I think it's the free flow element to these that differentiates it from a bottle which he has to suck so these are great for that in our experience.

8. Weaning Book

My mum found an Annabel Karmel Weaning book in a charity shop and bought me it for Christmas. It's full of useful advice for every stage of weaning, along with easy recipes to follow. Any weaning book would do though and there are loads to choose from.

Kathy
xx

My Tips for Breastfeeding in Public

2016-01-12T16:06:00.000-08:00

In the very beginning, lets face it, if you haven't done it before it's pretty common to feel like you have no idea what you're doing. Everything is so intense. Activities you didn't really think twice about before, like heading out for a casual shopping trip, can feel seriously daunting and overwhelming with a newborn baby in tow.

What if the baby starts crying? Where will I feed them? What if I can't feed 'discretely' enough? What if I make people feel awkward? What if I leak everywhere? What will people think of me?

Despite living in what people like to think of as more progressive times, breastfeeding in public is still a talking point. It's still something that you have to think about. And it bloody shouldn't be.

After reading Gillian's of ababyonboard.com post about public breastfeeding, I saw that the results of a recent poll had found that 1 in 5 breastfeeding mothers feel other people do not want them to feed in public. What's more, a third (34%) of those mothers also reported feeling embarrassed or uncomfortable about feeding their babies outside of the home.

Breastfeeding in public is something that I feel strongly about. In my opinion it should be taken for granted and certainly shouldn't be a 'thing' that causes women to feel anxious. Sadly however it still does, and when Harry and I first started our breastfeeding journey I would certainly have included myself in that 34% who felt uncomfortable, nervous and super self-aware.

5 months in I feel much less phased about feeding in public. It's simply a necessity in our lives and something we are extremely proud of doing.

I'm no expert, but below is a list of the best breastfeeding hacks, tips and advice I've collected since I started feeding Harry in June. I hope those out there who might be in need of some support and encouragement to feed in public find it helpful. Please also feel free to add any further tips and advice you may have in the comments :)

1. Give no shits

It's easier said than done but giving no shits about what people may or may not think of you or what you are doing is the absolute best way to approach breast feeding in public. And there are some amazing women out there doing just that. I saw a lady in the summer walking along the street feeding her little one whilst chatting to a friend. She was so confident and laid back with what she was doing she needed no extra layer or muslin blanket to cover her body. I silently saluted her because that is exactly as it should be.

Remember your rights as a breast feeding mother. It is against the law to ask a someone to leave a premises, to refuse service or give a poorer quality of service to mothers who feed in public. The law is well and truly on our side with this one.

2. Layering

As much as I wish I could be like the lady I saw in summer, I'm just not that confident. My friend Jo gave me this piece of advice and it has literally been the key to making me feel comfortable when breastfeeding in public. It basically involves wearing a vest underneath a t-shirt or jumper, pulling the vest down and your top layer up in order to feed. This method reveals a smaller amount of your body and for me was and is the best way I have found to feed.

The only downside to this is that it radically limits your outfit choices.

2. Spare Tops

Sometimes you will leak. It's just a fact. It's happened to me in a couple of awkward situations but you know what, in my experience people tend to have an encouraging amount of grace about these things if they know your a breast feeding mother, and if not you just look like a sloppy fucker but who honestly cares about that?

Pack a spare top so you have something to change into when it happens.

3. Actual Nursing Bras

Ever tried to breast feed whilst wearing a normal bra? Because I'm a tight bastard and only bought 2 nursing bras I do it all the time. It's not fun, or comfortable, in fact it's an absolute ball ache all round so my best advice would just be to buy some damn nursing bras already. They are really a necessity and not something you should feel you have to save money on.

4. Breast Pads with Adhesive Strips

Best. Things. Ever. I use these ones from Boots. They stay in place 90% of the time and work for me at night time too. In my experience, any other breast pad has the annoying habit of rolling up, moving about or straight up falling out of your bra.

5. Only do what YOU feel comfortable doing

Don't make yourself feel uncomfortable breastfeeding in public, just because you think you should be breastfeeding in public. If you want some privacy and feel like you'd like to leave a room or a particular situation to feed your baby, do it. And don't let anyone make you feel guilty either. Do exactly what you want to do because at the end of the day this is about you and your baby. No one else.

6. Remember to give no shits

It's my new year's resolution. Life is too short to care about any form of negativity. Other people's problems are exactly that; other people's. Let them keep them. Don't take them on board.

Kathy
xx

Lullaby Lyrics ~ Hush Little Baby

2016-01-12T15:43:00.000-08:00

If you saw yesterday's post you'll know that this week I'm sharing the lyrics to some of my favourite lullabies. 'Hush Little Baby' is my all time favourite lullaby. I remember both my mum and my dad singing this to me when I was little. It's just beautiful. Of course it makes no sense but there is something about this lullaby that I really, really love.

Hush Little Baby

Hush, little baby, don't you cry.
Mama's gonna buy you a mockingbird

And if that mockingbird won't sing,
Mama's gonna buy you a diamond ring

And if that diamond ring turns brass,
Mama's gonna buy you a looking glass

And if that looking glass gets broke,
Mama's gonna buy you a billy goat

And if that billy goat don't pull,
Mama's gonna buy you a cart and bull

And if that cart and bull turn over,
Mama's gonna buy you a dog named Rover

And if that dog named Rover won't bark
Mama's gonna buy you a horse and cart

And if that horse and cart fall down,
You'll still be the sweetest little baby in town.

To listen to the melody click here.

Kathy

Lullaby Lyrics ~ Somewhere Over the Rainbow

2016-01-11T14:54:00.001-08:00

There's a sleep rebellion going on in this house so we're taking bedtime back to the old skool with some traditional lullabies.

When I was little I can remember my mum soothing me to sleep by singing lullabies. I forgot all about their gentle charm until I heard her sing this one to Harry just the other day.

What a wave of comforting nostalgia I felt. Perhaps it's just me and my association of them with my own childhood, but there is just something so beautiful about singing a lullaby to a baby or child to calm them and to help them drift off to sleep.

Because I feel to some degree that it may have gone out of style, a song sung by mum or dad swapped in favour of a YouTube 'Night Time Baby Songs' playlist(I know I've been there)I thought I would share with you the lyrics to my three favourite lullabies so you have them, should you wish to try them out.

Please feel free to check back in over the next few days for the others if you are interested.

Thank you mum for reminding me of the calming loveliness of a lullaby.

Somewhere Over the Rainbow

Somewhere over the rainbow, way up high,
There's a land that I heard of once in a lullaby.
Somewhere over the rainbow, skies are blue,
And the dreams that you dare to dream really do come true.

Someday I'll wish upon a star,
And wake up where the clouds are far,
Behind me.
Where troubles melt like lemon drops,
Away above the chimney tops,
That's where you'll find me.

Somewhere over the rainbow, bluebirds fly,
Birds fly over the rainbow.
Why then, oh, why can't I?
If happy little bluebirds fly,Beyond the rainbow, why, oh, why can't I?

To listen to the melody for the song here's a link to Eva Cassidy's version.

Kathy
xx

Harry's 6 Month Baby Update

2016-01-10T16:05:00.000-08:00

He's Half a Year Old Already?! What the HELL.It's Harry's 6 Month Baby Update.

Weight? He's getting properly weighed again next week so for now our non-professional bathroom scales total weight minus person holding baby's weight equals to 18lb. That's only 1lb more than last time I posted an update so not too sure about how accurate this figure is. Harry is still in size 4 nappies and seems to have stretched length ways by all accounts so he does look a little leaner right enough. Hopefully we're all good though.

Feeding? Harry is all about the solid food now. He has three meals a day, often with a fruit based pudding after lunch and a snack between lunch and tea. I've been making my own savoury and sweet baby purées but now we're starting to move onto finger foods and foods with a range of textures which is so cool and totally exciting to see how he reacts to different things. Current hits are cottage cheese, Greek yoghurt and pulled pork...watch this space for more baby food recipes and ideas.

Baby groups? Meh...Anyone else?

Sleeping through the night? Lol. Lol. Lol. Last month I casually boasted about how Harry sleeps through the night 90% of the time. Since Christmas all that good stuff has been well and truly shot to shit. We spent a couple of nights in a row staying away from home for Christmas and Boxing Day and since then he's never slept through. He's awake right now. I think part of it is teething as I've seen others suggest this but I've never done this before so I don't really know what could be triggering bad sleep. Could it also be what I'm feeding him? Either way I feel absolutely demented.

Clothing Size? He's almost completely into 6-9 month clothes with some 9-12 fitting just like last month. Looking ahead I'm mainly looking out for bits and pieces that are 12 months+.

New Abilities/Developments? We have a sitter! This last month I noticed Harry was getting really frustrated with himself, presumably because he wanted to be more independent but still doesn't have full control over his body. He can't roll on his own yet so I guess he thought that sitting was the next best thing. I make a 360 degree crash pad out of our sofa cushions so he can have plenty of practice. He falls sometimes, but definitely getting better and finds playing with his toys more enjoyable now he's on the vertical.

Another new development is eating related. Since introducing some finger food's to Harry I've noticed his grasping has improved. His hand, eye coordination is a lot better than last month and I think I can see him starting to develop a pincer motion though it's still very fumbley and heavy.

Nicknames? My favourite is Bruge as derivative of others from previous weeks. Ed has taken to pluralising and calls him Babys and Harrys...

My Recovery

Postpartum hair loss has finally, finally slowed right down. The damage is fierce, but now only a normal amount of hair falls out of my head. I have to say as someone who's hair was previously a much loved, healthy feature of myself, it has been hard watching it deteriorate and get to the condition it is now in. I'm thinking of writing a more detailed post on my experience of post-partum hair loss however, so watch this space for that if you'd like to know more.

See you next month for more updates! Thanks for reading :)

Kathy
xx

3 Quick and Easy 'Sweet' Baby Food Purées

2016-01-05T01:50:00.001-08:00

1. Kiwi, Pear and Spinach Purée

Ingredients

1 Kiwi fruit, peeled and sliced
Handful of spinach leaves, lightly steamed with excess liquid squeezed out
1 Large Pear, peeled, cored and cubed

Method

Place Kiwi and Pear into a saucepan. Cover with boiling water and simmer for a few minutes (or until the fruits are softened). Transfer to blender, add spinach and blend to desired consistency.

2. Banana and Mango Smoothie

Ingredients

Half a Banana, peeled and sliced
Half a Mango, peeled and cubed

Method

Add raw ingredients to a blender and blitz until smooth

3. Raspberry and Apple 'Jam'

Ingredients

Handful of Fresh Raspberries
1 Red Apple, peeled, cored and cubed

Method

Add ingredients to a saucepan, cover with boiling water and simmer for a few minutes (until the apple is soft). Transfer to a blender and blitz to a pulp. Strain mixture through a sieve to remove seeds. Cool. I use this to jazz up Harry's morning porridge rather than as a pudding as the raspberries can be a tad sharp without something creamy to go with them.

Current Favourite Family Vloggers on YouTube

2016-01-04T14:47:00.000-08:00

I love YouTube. It's amazing. There's a video for literally everything. During my pregnancy I got pretty into watching other people's pregnancy update videos. I found watching them a great way to compare symptoms with other women and look ahead to what I might be feeling like in the weeks to come. In fact, it was precisely this kind of viewing trail I was on when a video by Hannah Maggs popped up in my side bar. I have never looked back.

By far and away my absolute favourite YouTube Family Vloggers are the Michalaks. They upload their weekly vlogs every Sunday and I promise you their videos will be one of the best things you'll have watched in a long time. Between Stef's gravelly dry wit, Hannah's astounding ability to juggle work/family/life and Gracey's total cuteness you've got everything you could really ask for in a 30 minute YouTube video. I'm actually making them sound shit. You'll have to trust me and immediately subscribe to their channel and watch all of their videos. You honestly won't regret it. Here's a link to their most recent vlog.

Okay. My next favourite YouTube Mum Vlogger is Bri of Ohgeeitsbri. I don't know if Bri was originally a 'mum vlogger' per se but her channel has migrated to that of more family and parenting content since she had her son Vincent. She's down to earth, has I guess what some people might describe as an alternative approach to family life (she swapped her settees for mattresses) and most importantly for me she's honest. I watched this video entitled 'a big regret' and subscribed immediately. Bri has lots of really useful advice videos and so her channel is one I tend to gravitate to first when looking for ways other mums have tackled certain baby and family related things like weaning and co-sleeping for example. See what you think. A link to her channel is here.

Next is Dolly Bow Bow aka Kate Murnane. I started watching Kate's channel for beauty and fashion advice pre-pregnancy, but when she revealed she was pregnant the same year I was hers was one of the channels I tuned into for pregnancy updates and I've followed her ever since. Although she has a Baby Bow Bow playlist for videos about her pregnancy and her son Archie, her and her partner also make regular family vlogs which I love watching. They're a really normal U.K family and don't pretend to be anything else. Which I love. Channel link is here if you fancy checking them out.

If you have any favourite Family and Parent Vloggers you can suggest for me to check out let me know :)

Kathy
xx

My New Year's Resolutions 2016

2015-12-31T14:01:00.000-08:00

On the eve of the new year I thought I'd do something I've never done before. Make new year's resolutions.

Every year I do the same thing. I think 'oh I should really do this or that this year, I should be healthier, I should drink less or run more'. I never write them down and by the 2nd of January they're almost always forgotten.

This year I feel different. I feel as though I want to make positive changes to my life for myself, for Harry and for my family. And not superficial ones. Like one's that are actually important to your well being. So here are my resolutions for 2016.

1. Give less shits.

I get anxious. I get stressed. Really stressed. About the future mainly, and running out of money, but also about the clutter lurking in the under sink cupboard and other such trivialities.

My new year's resolution this year is to give less shits. About everything. Because if there's one thing 2015 taught me it's that stress and anxiety manifest themselves in people in hideous physiological ways. They don't just affect your state of mind or outlook on the world. They are present in the way you walk, how you carry your shoulders, in your heart, in your eyes. Stress is real and it's fucking dangerous.

I know it's not so simple as to just 'stop stressing' but I have learned that life is full of risks and it's better to step outside the door everyday expecting that than to fret indoors at possibilities that have not yet come to pass.

2. See more.

I have walked a lot recently. Outside. Round and about where I live. Isn't there a lot to see and to appreciate. Only towards the end of the year, as Harry started to become more receptive and aware of his surroundings, did it dawn on me. In life, it's not so much about doing more, it's about seeing more.

A large proportion of my life, I now recall, has been spent rushing around doing lots of things and taking entirely none of it in. Not really. Not enough.

This year I want to take the time to see, to look up, to pause in the middle of whatever I am doing, wherever I am and really look at what surrounds me. Life spins by us fast enough. I resolve to try to slow it down a little. To show it to my son, and make sure he gets a chance to really see it.

3. Listen better.

Once upon a time not so long ago, I found talking to people quite difficult. I kind of am one of those perplexed souls who finds it hard sometimes (a lot of times actually) to speak to other people. For no real reasons, other than a) caring too much about what other people might think of me and b)becoming so engrossed in what they might be thinking about me that I have no real idea about what they are talking about. This is pointless, kind of selfish and totally exhausting.

This year I want to learn to listen better because listening to what other people have to say is not only important, it's also far more interesting than listening to my overbearing and irrational fears of potential judgement (you see how these are all linked?)tell me that I am shit, or weird or somehow not quite what I should be.

These fears act as barriers to making connections, to learning new things about other people and to growing as an individual. Minds are made and set each day. There is no use worrying about what people think. Better to project your energy outwards, listen better, ask more questions and think about yourself in such situations a little less. This year therefore I resolve to try to do everything from a good place and with love. To listen and to learn from other's. Not to fear them.

Kathy
xx

PS. Feel free to share your new years resolutions (if you have any) with me in the comments.