Silent Sunday

JOHNSON'S® Baby Mums Know Best Campaign

JOHNSON'S® Baby have asked me to write a "note to self” including what I wish I’d known as a first time mum. 

Dear Sharon

First of all, take it easy. You're a new mum, no one expects you to be super mum, super wife or domestic goddess! It's a tough job and with all jobs you need to take your time to learn the ropes! Take time to bond with your little person, enjoy the early days as much as you can. Work out your own methods and best ways of doing things and try to dodge all the conflicting advice that you will get hit with from the minute baby is born. Feel your way and trust your instincts!

Don't feel bad if breast feeding doesn't work. Always give it a try but if you feel it's making things difficult and causing you unhappiness then that's only going to transmit to the baby. Breast is undoubtedly meant to be best but what's best for some isn't best for all and formula is NOT the devils work! It's been around for mothers’ for decades and it does the job! Don't give yourself a big guilt trip if you bottle feed, if you’re happy, baby will be happy.

Nappy changing a newborn is hard enough but when you’re told by the hospital that for 6 weeks you should only clean your babies bottom with water and cotton wool and you mustn’t use baby bath to bathe baby it just makes things that much more fiddly. Filling up little bowls of water, pulling off big wodges of cotton wool – it’s all done for the best possible reason – to protect your baby’s skin but recent research from The University of Manchester suggests that it’s not necessary to stick to this regime. An independent clinical trial recently found that JOHNSON’S Baby Extra Sensitive Wipes and Top-to-Toe Bath are just as safe as using cotton wool and water. Current advice from midwives and health visitors is to just use water but us mums need something more convenient and effective. If you want to get out and about with your baby, cleaning them up with water and cotton wool in the shopping centre baby change area is not exactly easy! It’s so great that us mums can now clean our babies with no guilt.*

Don't always rely on supposed 'Parenting Experts'! Don't buy every book on Amazon that promises you sleep or guarantees a fully weaned baby by 1 year. Babies are all individuals too, they will have their own rhythm and you can influence it to a certain extent but don’t worry if your baby isn't doing the same as what the latest expert’s book says! Be an ‘expert’ about your own children and don’t worry if your baby doesn’t follow the ‘norm’.

Don’t feel bad about using a dummy! If a dummy works for your baby and helps to settle them then use it (don’t get too cross though when you have to get out of bed a few times a night to replace it!) and ignore other people’s comments and remarks. Why make your baby unhappy for trying to conform to other peoples opinion. If the dummy provides a bit of comfort that your baby needs (especially when teething) then pop it in.

Most of all stress less and enjoy your baby more, have the courage of your convictions, trust your instincts, as after all, mums know best!

Love

Me 

* I really do wish clinical proof about the safety of using wipes on babies had been around when I had Isla. When you leave hospital with your newborn, you really do want to do the best you can for them and you feel you need to protect them in every way. So you persevere with the water and cotton wool and it’s just one more thing that can make your day that bit more complicated. It’s really not easy going out and about with a baby as it is and changing them on the move can be fraught with pitfalls – remember those poos that go all up the back, wipes are perfect for those! So I’m glad that mums can now confidently make a choice when it comes to cleansing their newborn baby, right from the very first day.

The independent trial conducted with over 500 mums found JOHNSON’S® Baby Extra Sensitive Wipes and Top-To-Toe® Bath to be just as safe as using cotton wool and water or just water to cleanse delicate newborn skin. Keeping baby’s skin clean and hydrated is important for their general well being and happiness.

Endorsed by family health expert and mum of two young children, Dr Ellie Cannon says: “I know from experience there isn’t a mum out there that doesn’t worry about every action they take when it comes to their babies. There are plenty of occasions when there’s a mental tug of war over whether to follow professional advice or to trust your instincts and make a decision that just feels right for you, regardless of professional opinion. The findings of this clinical trial now give new mums one less decision to worry about, and actually provide them with reassurance and confidence to make an informed choice that’s safe for their baby – fantastic!”

To find out more about the campaign, take a look at the following youtube link:

"I have been asked to work with JOHNSON'S® Baby to write a "note to self" to coincide with their Mums Know Best campaign which aims to empower new mums and women in the last stage of pregnancy to trust their instincts and have confidence in their own convictions, supported by the groundbreaking new independent evidence proving that JOHNSON'S® Baby Extra Sensitive Wipes & Top-To-Toe® Bath are as safe to use as water alone on newborn skin. They have paid me to write this post."

Cbeebies The Album - Great Stocking Filler!

We've been listening to this in the car the last few weeks and the kids aren't tiring of it yet. It's a collection of all the theme tunes from the Cbeebies shows. It also includes all the Cbeebies presenters songs - which happen to my preferred choice as I do like all the seasonal songs! Noah's favourite is Baby Jake and Isla is partial to Woolly and Tig and Timmy Time! Our only complaint is that it doesn't have 'Get Well Soon', which is Noah's favourite theme song - he's constantly going ' happy, happy, 'et ell ooo' but it was probably pressed before that show came out so I'll forgive them! I think this is perfect for kids as they are familiar with all the tunes and also being theme tunes they are pretty short. I also love that there are some old favourites on there like Postman Pat which I'm often singing along to in the morning!

It would make a great Christmas Stocking filler this Christmas for your little ones. You can buy it here from Amazon 

We were sent the Cbeebies Album for free in order to write this post. 

IT'S RAINING, IT'S POURING.....

Groupon - Review

I'm not a Groupon Newbie, I've used it once to book an overnight stay in Brighton with the OH before Noah came on the scene. It was lovely to get away for the night, even if I was really boring and wanted to go to bed early because I was up the duff. Since then I've not used Groupon so when I was approached to do a Groupon review I said yes immediately. I was given a £40 credit to buy anything or book any experience I liked. I'd seen a cupcake decorating course on Groupon a few times on their daily emails and so for a week or so I looked out for something similar but nothing came up. So then I changed tack and decided to look for something that would benefit the OH and me. Dinner at Marco Pierre White's restaurant at the Mecca that is Stamford Bridge presented itself and I knew that the OH would love me forever (he'd have loved me more if a Chelsea match day ticket had preceded the meal but never mind!). it looked like a great deal - 2 courses (main and dessert) and a cocktail for two for £34 - it should have been £84.

It's very easy to buy on Groupon. Sign up to Groupon and create an account. You select the item or experience you want and you click on the deal. The deals are updated daily and they last for 24 hours, so you have until midnight to decide if you want to buy something. Once you've clicked 'buy' it's just a case of waiting to see if the minimum number of people have bought the deal, if they have then you get it, if they haven't then you don't. Simple. When the day has ended Groupon will check if the minimum number has been reached and if it has then you will get an email, you log in to your Groupon account and then print off the confirmation of the deal and make sure you remember to take it with you to your experience. 

We had a great night but what I will say is that unless you drink tap water and you don't get swayed by all the other delicious things on the menu at a posh restaurant then you will still spend a fair amount, but what it does do is make an expensive restaurant cost the same as your local high street restaurant. On top of the £34 that the deal cost we spent another £88. This was because we added on a starter each (potted duck for him, crispy beef salad for her), 3 side dishes, a bottle of red (the cheapest at £22) and an Irish coffee (£11 each if you please!) and a bottle of water. We both chose the Rib Eye Steak with Bearnaise sauce as our main meal included in the deal and the desserts were divine - Madagascan Vanilla Pannacotta for me and Caramelised Apple Pie for the OH. Oh and our cocktails (Cosmo for me and Apple Martini for him) were delicious! It was lovely, the service was great, attentive but equally not sitting in wait on our shoulders. The ambiance was great, low key and relaxed. I 'shazamed' the music in the restaurant because I liked it so much (Rhythms Del Mundo/Cuba) and me and the other half had a lovely time while the kids spent the night at Nanny and Grandpa's house. 

Would I use Groupon again? Yes most definitely - they have some fab deals, I looked on my local Groupon today and there was the elusive cupcake decorating class (maybe next time!) and there were also some rather cool looking Nike High Tops on offer - reduced from £66.99 to £29.99 - bargain. Check out the deals at Groupon

Two happy, well fed parents! (he is growing a Mo - he doesn't look  like all the time)

Thank you Groupon for helping two very tired parents go for a rare night out - it was great!

Earth Friendly Baby - Review

We've been trying out some Earth Friendly Baby products in the last couple of weeks at bath time. If you've not heard of Earth Friendly Baby then I can tell you that they are an eco-friendly range of baby skincare products. Earth Friendly Baby products aim to enrich parent and baby well being through natural personal care.  The brand philosophy encapsulates sustainability and living in balance with nature.  The products do not contain animal-derived ingredients or use animal testing and we strive to share these values by making natural products affordable and accessible to as many people as possible.

We were sent the Earth Friendly Baby Organic Lavender Shampoo and Body wash (RRP £4.08) and the Earth Friendly Baby Organic Lavender Bubble Bath (RRP £6.12).

I really do like these products, they smell lovely - we were sent the Lavender version (I had hoped for mandarin) which is the scent that's supposed to promote sleep. After use the kids both smell incredible. The bubble bath produces lots of bubbles - very important to my kids for making beards obvsiously.  I like the packaging and branding of the products - it's all very simple which seems in keeping with the nature of the products. My kids don't tend to have sensitive skin but it is nice to know that the products you're putting on their skin contain the best ingredients.

I have a couple of gripes though. The top of the body wash bottle has a sensible cap that pops up so you can squirt out what you need. However the lid for the bubble bath is a screw top and so can be completely removed. I would have preferred it if the bubble bath had the same style lid as the body wash. It feels safer to me in case the children get hold of it and also the bubble bath is actually quite runny  - not thick like most bubble bath so a squirty lid may also stop you from using too much. Which brings me to my next point....

I know that these products are organic, and they aren't tested on animals but they seem over priced for the quantity you get. That said in terms of the bubble bath a little does go a long way. Not quite true of the body wash (particularly if my OH is squirting it!), which I can see disappearing quite quickly. All in all I don't think we will be changing from our current brand of baby skincare products but it was nice to give Earth Friendly Baby a try as I'd often seen it in Boots.

 All of Earth Friendly products are hypoallergenic, plant-derived, biodegradable, and free from artificial colouring, synthetic fragrance, SLS and parabens. Ingredients are organic where possible and not tested on animals. 

Earth Friendly Baby is available from Waitrose, Ocado, John Lewis, Boots, Sainsburys and wholefood stores.

Book Reviews - The Fearsome Beastie & Tamara Small and the Monsters' Ball

Isla was sent some new books recently. They came around the same time as she'd just got into having stories from the iPad so I was interested to see what would happen - would she shun the books? I wasn't sure. I hoped not as I personally am a big fan of REAL books! I'm not yet converted to Kindles and ibooks. In the case of children's books, I love a beautifully illustrated REAL physical book, where you can really pore over the pages. That's not to say I won't be converted at some point.....

When I told her she had new books she was hyped. Both her and Noah love stories at bedtime. The first night she wanted to read Tamara Small and The Monsters' Ball by Giles Paley Phillips. I didn't know what to expect and as I started to read it dawned on me, was this a good idea to read about monsters at bedtime? Well I needn't have worried as we soon find out that these are fun loving monsters! The build up before we find out they're friendly monsters is good though and Isla was all snuggled up into me until I felt her physically relax when the pictures showed Tamara having fun with the ghosts, vampires and witches!

The book is written in a rhyming style which makes the story flow really well and I find it also helps children to remember large chunks of the story, particularly good for pre-schoolers who can't read just yet. The illustrations are good, the ghosts and ghouls particularly well done. Isla really likes the skeleton and asks what it is, as she doesn't quite understand our bodies are made up of bones! 

Next up was The Fearsome Beastie also by Giles Paley Phillips. I really liked this book, but my mum had concerns that it was a bit scary for bedtime. Thinking about it now, it is different to Tamara Small, the suspense and the fear are held for longer in this book. That said Isla didn't seem overly scared by it - she thought it was like Little Red Riding Hood. And it is really, a fearsome beastie comes to town in search of children to eat! He soon meets his match when the Grannie finds him, chops him up and makes beastie stew for all the children to eat!

I liked this book particularly as it gets back to old style fairy tales. It is reminiscent of Little Red Riding Hood as we have the people getting eaten and then someone comes to save them. In this case the story becomes funny, it's no boring woodcutter that saves them it's a little grey haired old lady! Giles Paley-Phillips cites Roald Dahl among his influences and I totally get that. The humour coupled with a gruesome tale is exactly what Dahl did best and I see it in these books too. 

With both these books I liked getting away from the 'princess' stories that we've had to read of late (all that pink and slushy love stuff!). Also I am happy to report that REAL books still have a place in our house, Isla hasn't ditched them in favour of the iPad.


Both books can be purchased from Amazon and they would make incredibly good Christmas Stocking fillers!
 
Tamara Small and the Monsters' Ball - Giles Paley-Phillips
The Fearsome Beastie - Giles Paley-Phillips


We were sent these books free of charge to review, all opinions are my own.