Sleep Tight with Ollie the Owl from The Gro Company

Sunday, July 30, 2017 Permalink
Ollie the Owl from The Gro Company

I've been a big fan of The Gro Company products since we first started using their Grobags with Max, so when I was offered the opportunity to road test their latest product, Ollie the Owl, I was really keen to see what it had to offer. It's a well known fact that white noise often acts as a calming influence on babies, replicating the sounds that they would have heard in the womb. White noise was one of the only things that calmed Max, so we rarely went anywhere without our white noise app on our phone, or Ewan the Dream Sheep. But the unique and innovative feature of Ollie the Owl that ranks him above any of these other products is ...

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The Hazy Newborn Days

Tuesday, July 18, 2017 Permalink
Ben at 1 week old, swaddled

It's been four weeks since Ben arrived and despite having been through the baby rollercoaster before, it still turns your world upside down. One minute your baby is just a concept, and the next he's here and he's a real being. Just like that your heart is filled with so much love for this tiny person that feels like both a complete stranger and like someone who's always been part of your life. People will tell you it's an emotional rollercoaster, and I can't think of any other word that describes it quite so well. At no other point in my life have I been so happy and contented one minute, and in floods of tears the next. We've struggled with ...

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When your high needs baby turns into a pretty awesome toddler

Wednesday, June 28, 2017 Permalink
Max jumping out from behind bushes and laughing

I've said so many times how difficult I found that first year of motherhood. I remember coming home from the hospital, dazed and pretty terrified at having a brand new baby that we were responsible for. And that daze pretty much continued for the first six months in the same way - a blur of sleep deprivation and crying (both from me and from Max). He would cry when he was hungry, he'd cry when he was put down, he'd cry when you were changing his nappy, and he'd cry when he was tired (which was most of the time, as he didn't exactly embrace the concept of sleep). I'd spend those lonely nighttime hours desperately searching on my phone to ...

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My hopes for motherhood second time around

Wednesday, May 24, 2017 Permalink

With just 4 weeks to go now until my due date, I'm very conscious that our new arrival will finally be arriving very soon! And that's got me thinking a lot about what I want to do differently this time around. I found the adjustment to being a mum very difficult to deal with. No-one can prepare you for that rush of love that just overwhelms you, but also the intense worry, guilt, and anxiety that accompanies it. As a first time mum, you are so concerned with 'getting it right', and it takes some time for the realisation to sink in that there is no 'right', just what's right for you and your baby. Although I don't think there are many ...

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Introducing British Baby Box & Baby Annabell

Friday, May 12, 2017 Permalink
Introducing British Baby Box with Baby Annabell

I'm sure you've heard of the Finnish tradition where new mothers are gifted a Baby Box by the government, filled with all kinds of goodies that their baby will need in the first few months, bed which will serve as the baby's first bed. Not just a lovely idea, but a very practical and safety focused one; Finland now has the 5th lowest infant mortality rate in the world, and the Baby Box programme is believed to have played a significant role in that. Apparently Finland even sent one to Prince George when he was born as a gift - if it's good enough for Prince George...! The idea has become very popular with Nicola Sturgeon championing the scheme in Scotland, and following ...

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Potty Training on the go with My Carry Potty - Review

Wednesday, April 19, 2017 Permalink
Potty training on the go with My Carry Potty

Potty training is one of those things that I dreaded - you never quite know how it's going to go! I count ourselves very lucky that Max took to it without any problems and was so proud of himself to be a 'big boy' now. But one thing that we've still struggled with is when we're out and about, a long way from a toilet. We love being outdoors. A visit to a big garden, a National Trust, picnics in the summer - we love to feel the sunshine on our faces! But my experience of National Trusts and large gardens in general is that the toilets tend to be located near the entrance and it'll be once you reach the ...

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Dad’s are parents too!

Wednesday, January 11, 2017 Permalink

A few weeks back my husband returned from a supermarket shop with our two year old and mentioned a rather patronising series of comments that he'd had from the lady on the checkout. Now Max is pretty good in the supermarket - he loves to help with a task, so is generally happy to find things for you and put them in the trolley as you go round. But once you've done the shop and made it to the checkout, his patience has worn a bit thin and he gets grumpy. The lady helpfully pointed out that he wasn't very happy, and then rather patronisingly suggested that it can help if you give them something to hold. Now, my husband ...

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Christmas through the eyes of a toddler

Tuesday, December 20, 2016 Permalink
Closeup of toddler's hands hanging baubles on the Christmas tree

I've always loved Christmas. My parents did so much to make sure that our Christmases were a happy time, surrounded by family and full of tradition and I have so many happy memories of Christmas. But somewhere along the line, you grow up, and that magic sparkle of Christmas fades slightly. The traditions that you love have become familiar friends - there is a nostalgic joy in them rather than the raw enthusiasm that was there in childhood. I suppose it's inevitable as you grow up really.   But this year, seeing Christmas through my two year old's eyes, the magic is back.   Everything is new to him, everything is a delight. The joy on his face as he opens his advent calendar; the concentration as he hangs ...

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When you’re no longer the favourite parent

Wednesday, July 20, 2016 Permalink
Katy and Max holding hands walking across bridge with willow trees in background

There's been a noticeable change lately in Max. It's fair to say that he's always been a mummy's boy. He's very attached to me, and even at over 2, the separation anxiety is still with us and I can't leave a room without hearing the cries start. That's not to say that he's not always had a great relationship with his Dad - John is a fabulous Dad and it's always been clear how much Max adores him. But it's always been me that he's more comfortable with; me who he'll head to for comfort and cuddles. As the primary caregiver, I suppose it's natural that I would feel like the 'favourite parent'. But I've noticed a big change lately in ...

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“It just gets harder…”

Wednesday, May 25, 2016 Permalink
Katy and Max on swing

I read a fabulous article the other day by Talya at Motherhood The Real Deal on the most annoying advice given to parents. An A-Z of sometimes hilarious, sometimes baffling, and sometimes rude advice given to various different bloggers. And reading this got me thinking about my own piece of baffling advice I received as a new parent: "It just gets harder". There's me, 6 weeks or so into the most difficult thing I've ever had to do, dealing with a baby who not only doesn't sleep at night, he doesn't sleep during the day either, and cries pretty much constantly. No time to have a shower, no chance to drink a hot cup of tea, let alone make an actual ...

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