review Archives - A Baby on Board blog

A Guide To Baby Led Weaning (And Why We Love It)

Gillian — Wed, 09 Mar 2016 13:04:16 +0000

Are You Thinking About Trying Baby Led Weaning? Here’s Why We Love It I wanted to do a little update on weaning and how we got on with baby led weaning (BLW) – this time round, because I realised the only time I mentioned weaning or baby led weaning it was right back when we started at around 6.5 months (in my post on everything I’d forgotten about weaning). Why we love the baby led approach to weaning (and you should try it too) At 16 months, F is well and truly weaned and has been for a long while, in the respect that she eats all the food, but she’s still on the boob constantly, mainly all night *yawn*. How We Weaned First Time Round First time round I hated weaning and it seemed like a big deal (I think this was mainly because we had so many issues with breastfeeding that I wasn’t keen to change it all up again We started weaning at bang on six months I wanted to try BLW but no-one else I know was doing it, so I was kind of scared Instead, we started on a mixed approach before switching In hindsight, I wish I’d been brave enough to try BLW from the start! How We Weaned Second Time Round This time? We went with BLW from the start, because I wanted to give it a proper go We actually started weaning at nearer seven months, because she didn’t seem too ready, and we were in no rush It has been brilliant, to the point where I’m evangelical about it Baby led weaning is especially brilliant for second-time mums who are slightly more time poor and have demands from a older baby As a result, I have loved weaning this time round. A Good High chair For Weaning – The Graco Swivi Booster We’ve also been trying out a new highchair which has helped – last time we had the IKEA one, and then moved on to this one – but were recently sent the Graco Swivi Booster Seat High Chair, which is a booster seat that sits on top of your existing dining room chairs, which is great if floor space is an issue. It transforms through three different stages starting with a reclining baby seat suitable for newborns, which is genius as it means they are right up at the table with you which is ideal for weaning (wish we’d had this earlier, as it would have been so handy for mealtimes and sitting painting / crafting with the older child). We’ve mainly used it in the third stage as a booster seat that you can pull up to the table so they’re right there with everyone during meal times. The tray is still pretty useful though, as it keeps everything contained. The moulded plastic of the seat means it’s comfortable and there’s no danger of them slipping out of it. What do you think about the design? I really like the utilitarian grey with the neon, which is a refreshing change from baby-patterned-everything. Although the chair itself is really easy to clean – no fiddly bits, it’s all smooth plastic, and the seat pad can go in the wash – the only downside we’ve found is the tray is huge so it’s tricky to wash in the sink or dishwasher. What is baby led weaning and why is it so good for your baby? Baby led weaning is when you let you child take the lead on weaning. So instead of you feeding them with a spoon and purees, you let them feed themselves – usually with the same food you are eating. This way, they control what they eat and are also more used to more textures and types of food sooner. There are lots of natural and development benefits to weaning, but the best reason in my mind is that is it so easy! Especially when it’s not your first child. Why? Firstly, no faffing about with purees or buying the old sneaky Ella’s pouch, so lots of effort and money saved. As you give them whatever food you’re having you don’t have to worry about a phased approach to tastes and textures as they can have it all from the start. And no worry about taking baby food out with you, or heating it up, or sterilising. They just eat your food (or a modified version of it). You don’t even have to sit holding a spoon for hours upon hours, as they do it all themselves, and become so fiercely independent about eating that you couldn’t feed them anyway. I found this really useful as when you have two children you need all the hands you can, especially at mealtimes. We also loved BLW because there’s something really magical about it. While there is a certain degree of exploring the food and playing with it, as we left it slightly later we think F got it straight away, and it was brilliant to watch. She now loves eating and is really vocal about what she does and doesn’t like. I’m pretty sure she’ll hit the older toddler stage and get more fussy, but I’m enjoying it while it lasts. Admittedly BLW it is also very messy, especially when they won’t wear a bib, and when they decide the don’t like things like sweetcorn and throw each piece on the floor when your back is turned for a second. Thanks, baby. When can you start baby led weaning? Make sure you follow the NHS guidelines and speak to your health visitor before starting baby led weaning, and educate yourself on the benefits and risks for you. We started at nearer to 7 months, which is when we felt the baby was ready to start baby led weaning. What foods do you start with for baby led weaning? Any food (within the recorded foods for babies of this age) that they can eat themselves. Fruit and veg you can cut […]

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Have you heard about the Neverbeast?

Gillian — Mon, 20 Apr 2015 05:00:30 +0000

What do you mean, no? It’s a huge and mysterious creature from mythical lore. And in a central role in the new Disney Tinkerbell animation, The Legend of the Neverbeast. To celebrate the launch of the film on DVD we were sent a glittery box of Tinkerbell things to help us watch it (my whole house is now covered in glitter, even Florence’s head). These included fairy wings, a Tinkerbell doll, a set of figurines and a copy of the film. Needless to say Eliza was pretty thrilled. We had a sneak preview of the film ahead of watching it on Monday and while I won’t spoil the plot for anyone who wants to see it the songs are great, it is vaguely scary in parts, but Eliza asked to watch it again once it was finished which is surely the best sign from such a massive Frozen fan. Disney’s Tinkerbell and the Legend of the Neverbeast is out now on DVD and Blu-Ray. Thanks to Disney for all the Tinkerbell things!

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Summer stripes and a perfect travel baby bag

Gillian — Tue, 24 Mar 2015 23:09:44 +0000

Are you off on holiday or looking for a summer baby bag? I’ve been trying out the Babymel Cara bag in the red stripe pattern, which I think might just be the ticket. First off, who loves stripes? More to the point, who doesn’t love stripes? I have a whole Pinterest board dedicated to them. Babymel bags have an emphasis on colours and patterned designs, and the Cara in red stripes looks great. It’s a bold and striking pattern; definitely no frills or cupcakes. It’s nautical and nice. Practical bits; there are lots of pockets, including three on the outside, and an inner zipped one that’s perfect for phone, keys, Oyster card and so on. It has two main handles as well as an adjustable shoulder strap, which also has built in pram clips – hidden Velcro sections – which I think is pretty clever. It comes with a fairly big change mat as well as an insulated bottle holder (genuine question, does anyone use these?) And it’s wipe clean, something I always look for after one too many leaking sippy cup incidents. I know it’s slightly too early to be talking about holidays, but we have just booked one for June so I’m looking ahead at the moment. And this would make a great travel change bag. It’s lightweight so is ideal for weight restrictions are an issue. It also has one main compartment inside, which is great for cramming everything in when you’re off on a journey. Or for when you have two children and double the amount of general stuff you have to cart around. And it looks like a summer beach bag, doesn’t it? In terms of the not-so-brilliant parts, the shoulder handles are very rigid which means they can get in the way – and look slightly odd – when you’re using the strap. It doesn’t also have the structured organisation or the sophisticated feel of a leather bag like the Pacapod Sydney. But it’s bold, looks great, and I’m definitely taking it on our trip. We were sent the BabyMel Cara red stripe which £58 and is available from Babymel online, John Lewis and Mothercare among other places.

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How To Make A Felt Ball Garland

Gillian — Sun, 22 Mar 2015 22:35:28 +0000

Here’s How To Make A Felt Ball Garland Do you want to make a felt ball garland? Here’s how we made our DIY felt ball garland. I’ve been looking at buying a felt ball garland for Eliza’s room for a while now, until it recently occurred to me that I could actually make one. For some reason thought they’d be a lot trickier to make than they are; turns out is it simple to make a felt ball garland. Here’s our felt ball garland: How To Make A Felt Ball Garland: What You Need: Felt balls (you can actually make these and there are loads of tutorials on Pinterest, but I took the easy option and bought mine from Amazon – I went for 2cm, rainbow colours) Depending on the length of the garland, you’ll need at least ten of these and more if you want a denser garland or a longer one. Thread (I bought metallic gold sewing thread from HEMA) Darning needle How To Make A Felt Ball Garland: Cut a long piece of thread (slightly longer than you want the garland to be) Thread the needle with the cotton and then push it through the felt ball. It should go through fairly easily Once the ball was threaded on and in the right place I put a tiny looped stitch to secure it (if you use thicker or less slippy thread then you might not need to do this) Thread the rest of the balls onto the string, keeping them as spaced out or close together as you want And there you go – it’s that easy. I’ve hung the garland on Eliza’s bed in these photos (she has the IKEA Minnen bed with a white metal frame) and on her IKEA hack bookcases (made out of the IKEA Bekvam spice racks). You can buy the balls in different colours, including a pastel set which would look great for Easter. This sudden realisation / making idea was inspired by the book Handmade for Baby by Charlotte Rivers and Emily Gregory that I was recently sent to review. It’s a book that contains ideas and how to guides for 25 crafty keepsakes to make for babies and new parents, or to make when you’re pregnant and a new parent. There’s everything from creative birth announcements, nursery mobiles, cushions, toys and simple clothes like baby harem pants, designed for makers of all skills and levels of craftiness. I really liked this book, especially as there are none of the slightly twee things you might expect. Everything is colourful, tasteful and fairly gender neutral. I also really liked the ‘inspiration’ pages, which have lots of ideas for making things of your own. The felt garland isn’t in the book, but it gave me the idea, and there’s also a felt mobile you can make. The book is filled with exactly like the type of things I pin on Pinterest, and it’s actually given me the impetus to start making things (instead of just pinning them – sound familiar?) Where Can You Buy Felt Balls From? I bought mine from Amazon, in a pack – although you can also buy them from eBay and craft stores. You can also make your own felt ball garlands if you’re feeling adventurous! More crafty things; how to make a children’s play tent and salt dough bunny decorations. Follow me on Pinterest for me ideas on things to make with felt – I’m gill_crawshaw.

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At the gym…

Gillian — Sun, 15 Mar 2015 23:51:09 +0000

No, not me (the last time I went was pre-first pregnancy, always under duress) but Florence has been reviewing the Fisher Price newborn to toddler Baby Gym. It’s a three stage newborn to toddler gym that changes as your child grows. The first phase is from birth, when they can lie on the mat and play with the hanging toys. The second is for when they’re sitting and the third is the standing and cruising stage, when they can use it to hold on to. It’s made up of a colourful fabric playmat with an animal-themed arch. There are toys that hang from the arch and these can activate music and lights. Here’s our three favourite things about the gym: 1) The hanging toys. There are three of these – an owl, raccoon and crafty looking fox – and they can also be detached so can be used as separate rattles and teething toys away from the gym. 2) The arch is also a ball run. This is for the later stages of use so not really of interest to Florence yet, but Eliza loves this part. I think it’s great that something so fun has been added to what’s an otherwise functional part of the gym, and it really extends the life of it past the initial stage of use. 3) Space saving. Seems like an odd point, but Eliza had the Fisher Price rainforest gym which is a lot bigger and I was kind of dreading getting it back out (it was fine at the time as we had a giant open-plan living space, but in the new house our front room is a lot smaller). The arch isn’t very wide and the mat folds up, so it doesn’t take up a huge amount of space when not in use. The only slight negative I have about it is that even on the quieter setting the music is loud, and combined with the lights it could be slightly overstimulating (but you can easily solve this by not turning it on – it does seem like just as much fun to bat the toys around). But it’s colourful and fun, and like everything Fisher Price both my children have a great amount of fun playing with it. Read our review of the Fisher Price baby chair, Klip Klop Disney Princess Castle and Little People play house. Also, Fisher Price retro Little People (who remembers these from their childhood?) The Fisher Price newborn to toddler gym costs around £45.

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Toddler entertainment tactics when you have a new baby

Gillian — Wed, 28 Jan 2015 11:04:31 +0000

What are some good activities to keep a toddler entertained when you have a new baby? One of the things that worried me about being a mum of two was how to keep my toddler happy when feeding the baby. Most of my memories of first-time early motherhood involve being glued to the sofa, trapped under a milk-drunk sleeping newborn. As blissful as this is, it isn’t quite so feasible the second-time-round when you have a toddler to look after too. The best advice I was given about feeding was to do it propped up on a cushion on the floor so you can play with the toddler at the same time, making sure they don’t feel left out or abandoned. As it turns out, F is more of a sprint snacker and we’re also a lot more mobile this time – probably a mix of confidence and necessity – and pretty much do most things with a baby on the boob. But this advice has really helped, especially when you factor in floor-based activities that are fun (and aren’t too mind-numbingly tedious for me). So what’s worked for us? Jigsaws, bricks, blocks, trainsets – these are all good, especially as it’s easy to set mini challenges with them. iPad time – the CBeebies website, iPlayer, apps like Gruffalo Games, Netflix – all good if you want five minutes of peace at the end of the day. Listening to music – as I still get pangs of middle class mum guilt from too much screen time, we listen to a lot of music which bridges the gap. Spotify (live steaming) is brilliant as most things you can think of are on there. Film soundtracks – Frozen, Jungle Book, Mary Poppins – are a hit, she also loves the classical soundtrack to Star Wars, and a bit of power pop. One of the things that has a lot of mileage recently is the Fisher Price Little People Disney Princess Klip Klop Stable we were sent to review. It’s another addition to the Little People family (I still love the vintage Fisher Price Little People from my childhood, and we also recently reviewed the Little People playhouse. I often find Little People in my bed at night). Here’s a quick video of the stable in action, and a few of our other favourite toys: The stable consists of different platforms, interconnecting bridges and ramps where you ride the two Little People horses or rest them in the stable houses. The horses have scissoring legs that make it seem as if they ride down the ramps; simple but clever (both horses are princesses, but I think it might have been more inclusive to have a prince too). As well as the ramps and stable there’s also an illuminated entrance and a rotating horse stand that plays music. It’s a big platform for encouraging small world play, with both the horse characters and the other Little People. I really wasn’t sure when I first saw it. It is incredibly pink and very girly, something we always sidestep with toys, and despite our love of Frozen I avoid anything too princessy. However, the proof of toys is surely within the playing. And Eliza really, really enjoys playing with it and it’s captivated all children that have visited our house since, male and female. There is something really fun about setting the horses off and racing them down the ramps, and most adults I know have had a go. It’s inspired a lot of imaginative play and is a firm favourite (clearly, I know nothing). Here are some other good floor-based activities we’ve tried: We were sent the Fisher Price Little People Disney Princess Klip Klop Stable to review; it retails at around £49.

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My bid to banish the baby brain in 2015

Gillian — Mon, 19 Jan 2015 16:18:19 +0000

My name is Gill, and I have a really bad case of baby brain. Sleep deprived, hormonal and as a result, ever-so-slightly forgetful? Yes, yes, and yes…that’s me. One of my New Year’s Resolutions for 2015 is to be more organised in a bid to banish my baby brain. Although this probably won’t make me remember what I went into rooms for, or stop me leaving whole bags of shopping on the counter, I do think this will go some way to help. And help is at hand. I’m using the new Microsoft Surface Pro 3 tablet to try out and see how it can assist me in keeping to my New Year’s Resolution (if you’ve not heard of the Surface tablet, it’s basically the functionality of a laptop combined with the portability and touch screen joys of a tablet – you can see the range of Microsoft Surface tablets on the Argos website). I’ve made a little video of me unboxing the tablet, and my initial impressions (it’s my first vlog! Leave me your YouTube details too so I can subscribe to your channel). First thoughts? It looks great and seems incredibly intuitive to use. The keyboard cover is such a good idea and it’ll make life a lot easier (as at the moment I type most of my posts on my phone). The active boxes on the front page will also be really useful as it means I can have everything important upfront. I also think the portability is going to be a massive help, especially with blogging. Due to having two children I only have a tiny amount of time, so it’s tricky keeping up (I currently have about 10,000 half done posts in drafts, and really long lists of things I’d like to write – sound familiar?) Having everything in an easily accessible place will be great – there’s only so much I can do from my phone or iPad, and our laptop – a Macbook Pro – isn’t the easiest to take into bed (where I do a lot of my work at 3am). I’m going to be reviewing the tablet over the next few weeks and seeing how it can help me banish the baby brain…so stay tuned. This post is an association with Argos.

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Dora Mermaid Doll Review: Dora Bath Toys (And An Dora The Explorer Earworm)

Gillian — Sun, 20 Jul 2014 15:25:35 +0000

Are You Looking For Dora Bath Toys? We Review The Dora Mermaid Doll If you’re looking for Dora The Explorer bath toys, we’ve found a good one. Read to find out how we got on with the Dora Mermaid Doll. Does Your Child Love Dora The Explorer Too? OK, parenting confession time. Occasionally, when Eliza wakes up freakishly early and won’t go back to sleep, we wedge her in bed between us with Netflix on the iPad so we can snooze. We try not to do this every day but you know, 5.45am = ouch. She’s not complaining, as it means she gets to watch cartoons. Her favourite at the moment is Dora The Explorer. Dora has a habit of intense gazes, but she’s a pretty feisty young adventuress who also speaks Spanish, meaning it’s both feminist and educational (…right?) Step Forward, The Dora Mermaid Doll So Eliza was pretty overjoyed when Swimming Mermaid Dora arrived at our house, sent to us to review by Fisher Price. Dora’s a mermaid-shaped bath toy with long hair. Toy Dora looks very appealing too – there’s lots of attention to detail on her outfit, her tail is shimmery, she has her own comb for her hair. Here Are The Dora The Explorer Mermaid Doll’s Features: How Does The Dora Bath Toy Work? To activate swimming mode, you wind the shell on Dora’s top and her fin will flip, propelling her around the bath. She’s not the most powerful swimmer, but a couple of seconds of the novelty seems to do it for Eliza (who spends most of the time swimming her in and out of the bath herself). There’s also a heat-sensitive streak in Dora’s hair; actually, her hair is the main attraction and there’s so much of it. This makes her a great toy for both in and out of the bathroom. She did moult quite a bit at first, but I can sympathise… What Did We Think Of The Swimming Dora Toy? It was great fun, but the only problem? It means we permanently have the “do do do do do do do do do Doooooora” theme tune in our heads. And who remembers these vintage childhood Fisher Price toys? Swimming Mermaid Dora is around £22 from most major toy retailers. Follow me on Pinterest.

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Our Quinny Moodd review

Gillian — Tue, 19 Nov 2013 10:20:36 +0000

Are you looking to buy a pram or travel system, considering the Quinny Moodd buggy and want to read a Quinny Moodd review? Our Quinny Moodd review: We were recently invited along to meet with Quinny at The Baby Show, for a special top secret buggy review mission. We were given the new model of the Moodd to try out while we were there, and have been reviewing it for the past few weeks. So here’s what we thought (you can also read my iCandy Raspberry review, Britax Affinity review and Armadillo Flip XT review) But first, some background on us and prams: We don’t have a car at the moment, so any pram we use has to be suitable for public transport (the bus, tube, taxis, south London’s Dickensian train station network with lots of stairs and no lifts and so on) and getting in, out and around central London Our flat is up two flights of stairs, and as we don’t like to leave things downstairs overnight we need something that’s fairly portable We went for a Bugaboo (the Bee+) before Eliza was born – as it’s very small and light – and it’s been brilliant. We recently bought a Maclaren Volo to take on holiday, and have used it a lot as it’s even lighter and more portable than the Bee. Moving on to the Quinny Moodd, some first thoughts: It’s a three wheel pram with an automatic, hydraulic unfold motion Suitable from birth to 15kg, it comes with a padded ‘baby nest’ cocoon that fits on top of the seat when reclined and is secured with the straps. We haven’t used this but it looks pretty cosy From six months+ you can use the normal seat, which can be in both forward and parent facing modes and has three levels of recline Maxi Coxi carseat adaptors are included, so you don’t have to fork out extra for these – and it fits the Stage 1 Maxi Cosi carseats It comes in seven different colours (ours has a black frame and red accessories) It costs around £600 and you can buy it at most major baby-focused retailers. The price includes the baby nest, shopping basket, parasol clip, sun canopy with UV50+ protection, raincover, t-bar and car seat adapters. The good points… The Quinny Moodd is strong, stable and robust. It’s light to push and easy to steer, even one handed. The air tyres means it’s a very smooth ride Eliza loved being higher up, and the padded t-bar at the front. I suspect she likes to think she’s driving it It looks great – the frame and design is very modern, the colours are vibrant The seat is padded and slightly curved round the sides which makes for a good head rest. Eliza finds it really comfortable (and the acid test; she fell asleep in it within about 10 minutes at The Baby Show) It also reclines really smoothly and easily even when your child is asleep in it (see above) Although it doesn’t fare so well as an city / urban pram for reasons I’ll come on to shortly, it was great on longer walks, through parks and on uneven pavements and roads. I imagine it will be very useful in colder weather too …and the not so good points It’s very heavy and I really struggle to pick it up, let alone carry it up and down stairs This means it’s tough to use when you live on the top floor, as well as making public transport tricky I don’t know if I’m just used to the tiny Bugaboo, but the back wheel span on the Moodd is huge, which means it’s hard to get through narrow doors and around shops. And while it can fit on the bus, it does take up most of the space It’s still fairly large even when it’s folded down (you’d need a big car boot). And some other thoughts: It fitted in a taxi with no problems, although the driver did have to help me to lift it in and out. There’s no danger of it falling over when you go round corners (this is as issue with the lightweight Maclaren) The tyres are inflatable, making it really smooth to sit and and great to push. It comes with a pump which is stored in the basket. And speaking of, the shopping basket is wide but very shallow, and as the bar of the pram cuts across the top so it’s difficult to put any big bags in it (and loose items aren’t particularly stable). Obviously this isn’t a deal breaker, but it does make your life a lot more difficult when you’re shopping A minor safety point, but there’s no wrist strap on the handle. What’s our overall verdict? The Quinny Moodd is a really strong, robust pram. You get a lot of pram for the money and features like the automatic unfold are really unusual and clever. It’s very easy to get up, down, change the seat round and put in recline. We were really impressed with the design, look and feel and how easy to use it was. The Maxi Cosi integration is really useful, as are the free adaptors. It’s not the most practical pram for city use or our current circumstances, due to the weight and size. It would be great if you go on a lot of long walks in the countryside, and I do think we’ll use it more when we move house and don’t have to cope with stairs. But if none of these issues are a factor – e.g. if you live in a house, on the ground floor, drive a car with a big boot, don’t have to use public transport – it’s definitely one to consider, especially as it’s so comfortable for babies and mine loved it. We were given a Quinny Moodd pram for the purposes of this review. Read my disclosure policy here. Make […]

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Three ways to wear neon, when you’re not a teenager

Gillian — Sun, 22 Sep 2013 20:18:46 +0000

Neon and nude / neon and grey / neon and stripes I loved all the neon prints and patterns that were around this summer (it’s a nod to my 90’s childhood, what can I say?). But when you’re very much no longer 16, smiley face t-shirts are not a good look. It’s easy to run screaming when faced with a wall of day-glo bondage dresses and crop tops in Topshop. It’s a lot easier to stick to really simple neutrals with a slight flash of colour instead. So this is where my new bracelet from Merci Maman came in, which has been a perfect way to brighten up an outfit this summer (often worn one of the three ways as shown above). Merci Maman translates as ‘thank you Mum’, and the items are designed to be a celebration of the bond between mother and child. How lovely is that? Offered a review one of the personalised neon charm bracelets, I went for the neon pink satin thread and sterling silver mini engraved disk (£20). Mine has Eliza’s initials on, but there’s room on the larger charms for words and short messages. It’s a London-based French company that makes all the items by hand. And it’s such a brilliantly French brand – from the from the font of the etchings, to the packaging and the design. Any of the bracelets or necklaces would make a great present for a new mum (or your mum, for that matter). And what I love about mine is that it’s very current, but the charm is classic and could easily be restrung later on. One of my favourite Pinterest boards is related to two of my favourite things, stripes and statement necklaces. Maybe stripes and statement bracelets should be the next one I set up…? Thanks Merci Mamam for the review opportunity. Bracelet <3

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