The Baby and Toddler show, Bluewater

We were lucky enough recently to win a couple of tickets to the Baby and Toddler show in Bluewater so decided it would be a great day out as well as give us a chance to browse (buy, definitely buy) some bits for the new bub. 

We weren't disappointed, Bluewater was super easy to get to, had free parking and great facilities both within the venue and Bluewater itself. I loved the family Toilets with a mini one for toddlers, great for Ds first trip out Nappy free.

We arrived nice and early and it wasn't too busy at that stage so we had a chance to have a nosey round and chat to people without feeling rushed. I had a couple of things on my wish list and managed to get both. 

Ever since discovering them I've had my eye on a Shnuggle Moses basket and got a fantastic deal on a bundle including the basket, stand, sheets and baby bath. If you've not seen them, check out their website, a great adaptation and in my humble opinion improvement on the traditional wicker basket. I can't comment on how well the bub takes to it yet but I have high hopes! 

I also wanted to use the day to look at wrap options for the new bub. I have a Beco carrier which I absolutely love but I really wanted something a bit snugglier for a newborn. I had a look at the Ergo wrap and really loved it but ended up buying the Close Caboo organic wrap. I was swayed by the beautiful soft material and thought the pre wrapped design was just that bit easier to manage than the standard wrap, particularly for Mr R. The good thing about shows like this is you get to try things out before you buy so I know I've made the right decision and can't wait to try it out - why does it take so long to grow a human!!!

As I mentioned we're currently in the process of potty training D and this was her first day trip out nappy free. Although we hadn't planned to we also picked up a toddler toilet seat and step from Pourty. D has been a little unsure of big toilets up to now but absolutely loved this one so we couldn't resist it. I plan to do a review of the seat and step pretty soon so watch this space!

After all that shopping we headed for some food and thankfully the show was so well placed there were plenty of options just outside. All in all a great day and lots of bargains found! My advice however would be to arrive early if you can as it was a lot more crowded when we left and was much harder to check out all the stands. 

Bye Bye Nappies, Hello Potty!

We've unintentionally started potty training D this week on a casual basis and being at home for 4 full days over Easter we decided to go for it and have her in knickers as much as possible. 

I have to say I've been really impressed with how well she's got on, yes if course we've had accidents but on the whole I'm feeling pretty confident about her weeing in the potty at least. We still have a bit of work to do with poos but I've been told this can take longer so we're trying really hard to make sure D doesn't feel any pressure. 

I think having not really planned to start yet means we've been able to be really relaxed about the whole potty thing, we're not allowing ourselves to have unrealistic expectations of D and hopefully she's not feeling too stressed either. I know training can be a super stressful time for toddlers and too much pressure can actually be detrimental so we're definitely going for a 'never mind, next time in the potty' attitude and it seems to be working - Dissspointingly D seems pretty non plussed by the whole thing while I'm dancing around the house doing the wee wee / poopy dance ! 

I think part of the success has also been in finding a potty D is comfortable with - she's a big girl and pretty tall so was finding some of the basic style potties uncomfortable. Just before starting we bought a Baby Bjorn potty chair and we're super pleased with it, the size is great and I can see she's sitting comfortably on it. The seat has a removable potty which Daisy loves as she can pour her wee into the toilet herself and flush it away. From my point of view it's really easy to clean as well. The potty isn't the cheapest on the market at £20 - 25 but I can see it lasting and we intentionally bought a neutral colour so it can be used for the next baby. 

I didn't want this post to be 'hurrah we've cracked potty training' post because it's far too early for that but as a proud mummy I couldn't resist blogging about how well she's doing so far. Let's hope it's won't be long till that 'we've cracked it' post! 

The Hunt For Maternity Clothes Has Begun!

So I've reached 16 weeks now and being my second pregnancy my bump is already making an appearance. So the time has come to start the dreaded task of hunting for maternity clothes. 

One of the most frustrating things I find about maternity clothes shopping is that a lot of the stores only stock online, anyone who has ever been pregnant knows that no pregnant body is the same and therefore buying clothes without being about to try them on is a gamble at best and disaster at worst! 

Thankfully I still have a pair of pretty good fitting gap jeans from my first pregnancy but other than that I borrowed a lot of clothes so need the basics at the very least. For good quality, good prices stuff I found New Look to be the best, I ordered a few t shirts, and a pair of their super soft skinny jeans recently and other than the bump band on the jeans being a bit big at the moment I'm really pleased with them. 

 I have also bought a couple of bits from Next the top is a great fit but unfortunately the chinos I bought are crazy low and if it wasn't for the fact I love the fit elsewhere they would have gone back (I'm just hoping a well fitted long line vest will spare the world of an unflattering glimpse of my behind!)

So this weekend I started the challenge to beat all challenges - I'm heading to a wedding in May and need a dress. So I started having a look at all the usual websites and frankly was uninspired, a lot of maternity dresses are seriously frumpy or the trendier ones on websites like ASOS look too short for me - I'm 5.7 and having a little one to look after I do prefer something that covers my bum! 

I've spotted Seraphine and seen some lovely dresses there, but nothing that really wowed me, apart from the super expensive range which I can't warrant on a dress I'll only wear once! Then the lovely All about Mummy Recommended Envie de fraises a French company with a really large range of dresses (and other clothes) which so far look pretty fashionable and totally wearable - I'm guessing French women aren't prepared to sacrifice style for pregnancy. I haven't decided on a dress yet but am feeling a bit more optimistic, if I find one I love I'll be sure to write a review. 

I still feel like I'm just dipping my toe into the whole maternity wear thing at the moment as I can still fit into some of my regular clothes but I'm sure there'll be more hurdles as I try and find my summer wardrobe, I haven't even thought out Maternity / Nursing bras yet and remember that bing a total headache last time. So I guess this isn't going to be my last maternity clothes post - you've got lots more moaning to look forward and if you're lucky a helpful recommendation!

The 16 and a bit week bump shot! 

Easter Crafts and Runny Noses!

I had booked today off work and planned to have a day relaxing, catching up on sleep and generally doing stuff it's hard to do with a toddler in tow. The toddler however had different ideas, on my way home from work last night I got a call from her childminder to say D is coming down with a cold and it looks like her conjuctivitis is back, so she shouldn't be in tomorrow. Who needs sleep anyway?!

Neither of us have a lot of get up and go today so it seemed like a good time to start a bit of Easter crafting, first on the list - cards!

Bit poorly but not letting it get in the way of creativity! 

Getting there with a bit of help from mummy

Final result, Complete with finger print chicks!