Since I started my baby-led weaning journey, my mama is always looking out for healthy toddler and baby snacks for me; I would be more than happy to snack on chocolate all day but for some reason she won’t let me. She likes to make sure that my snacks are tasty as well as healthy, so she was very happy when some Plum Baby Little Yums arrived for me to try!
Little Yums are yummy organic wafers made with buckwheat, fruit and vegetables. They’re suitable for babies and toddlers from the age of 6 months and their shape and size makes them a great snack to encourage self-feeding. The wafers feel hard when I hold and bite them, but they easily dissolve in my mouth. They are really nice to have when teething as chewing helps sore gums. I have 8 teeth currently coming through as well as the 8 I already have!
Little Yums come in 2 flavours: spinach, apple & kale and pumpkin & banana. I can’t quite decide which one I like the most! The flavours are very delicate which is good for tiny tastebuds like mine. There is no added salt or sugar in these wafers, nor is there any pretend flavours, it is all natural and good for me. I let my mama have a taste as I love sharing, but she prefers her big biscuits.
There are 6 packs in each box and each pack has 3 little wafers. They are the perfect snack to take out with me to toddler group or playdates. Sometimes I just eat 1 and save the rest but sometimes I scoff all 3. Mama puts 2 packs in her bag just in case. I hope she gets me more Little Yums, they are only £2.49 per box and they’re available at supermarkets. .
What snacks do you like to eat?
Disclosure: We were kindly sent Plum Baby Little Yums for free to review, however all thoughts and opinion remain my own.
REVIEW: Plum Baby Little Yums
Since I started my baby-led weaning journey, my mama is always looking out for healthy toddler and baby snacks for me; I would be more than happy to snack on chocolate all day but for some reason she won’t let me. She likes to make sure that my snacks are tasty as well as healthy, so she was very happy when some Plum Baby Little Yums arrived for me to try!
Little Yums are yummy organic wafers made with buckwheat, fruit and vegetables. They’re suitable for babies and toddlers from the age of 6 months and their shape and size makes them a great snack to encourage self-feeding. The wafers feel hard when I hold and bite them, but they easily dissolve in my mouth. They are really nice to have when teething as chewing helps sore gums. I have 8 teeth currently coming through as well as the 8 I already have!
Little Yums come in 2 flavours: spinach, apple & kale and pumpkin & banana. I can’t quite decide which one I like the most! The flavours are very delicate which is good for tiny tastebuds like mine. There is no added salt or sugar in these wafers, nor is there any pretend flavours, it is all natural and good for me. I let my mama have a taste as I love sharing, but she prefers her big biscuits.
There are 6 packs in each box and each pack has 3 little wafers. They are the perfect snack to take out with me to toddler group or playdates. Sometimes I just eat 1 and save the rest but sometimes I scoff all 3. Mama puts 2 packs in her bag just in case. I hope she gets me more Little Yums, they are only £2.49 per box and they’re available at supermarkets. .
What snacks do you like to eat?
Disclosure: We were kindly sent Plum Baby Little Yums for free to review, however all thoughts and opinion remain my own.
It was my birthday last week and I was very kindly invited to stay at the Mercure Stratford upon Avon Shakespeare Hotel, right in the heart of Shakespeare country. Little N, Ian and I packed our bags and headed off on a mini road trip.
The 4-star Mercure Stratford Upon Avon Shakespeare Hotel is situated right in the heart of the historic town of Stratford in an absolutely beautiful building full of character and charm. It is close to lots of restaurants and bars, the canal and theatre. It has 78 rooms each with their own Shakespeare-inspired name, Othello's AA Rosette restaurant, 2 bars and a courtyard garden as well as 3 function rooms. You can dine at Othello’s Brasserie or relax with drinks or afternoon tea in the Quill Bar & Lounge, pictured below.
We arrived at the hotel shortly after lunchtime, were warmly welcomed and checked in quickly, and given the keys to our room. Our room was up some stairs then along two corridors which made us smile because the floors were rickety and several of the doors to the hotel rooms were sloped. It was lovely to see that the hotel had not succumbed during renovation and has managed to keep its 17th century charm - oak-beamed ceilings, open fireplaces and antique furniture – but still providing all of the modern luxuries that you would expect.
Our room, or should I say suite, was huge! Little N’s face was a picture, he was so excited when we walked in. He promptly ran off to investigate whilst we sorted our bags. Our suite featured a spacious seating area with a TV and a small office area with a desk, whilst the main part of the bedroom had our very comfortable king-sized bed, TV, mini-bar and tea & coffee facilities. I’m pretty certain that I have lived in flats that are smaller than this room! The room was clean, tidy and well-presented, with additional pillows and bedding provided as well as a ready-prepared travel cot and bedding for N.
The bathroom was stylishly done and immaculately clean; you’d think it was a brand new fitted bathroom. Lots of towels and toiletries were provided as well as little extras such as a vanity kit, shoe-shiner and shower cap.
After a busy day strolling around Stratford we came back to our hotel room for the night and had quite possibly one of the best night’s sleep EVER. The curtains were all blackout which makes such a difference but most importantly, the hotel is so quiet! Despite being in the centre of town and despite being quite a large, old building, we did not hear a peep from the other rooms or from anywhere else in the hotel. Little N slept soundly in the cot until early morning when he joined us for cuddles in the bed.
All 3 of us woke early and headed down to breakfast; the variety on offer was vast and included a full cooked breakfast, cereals, pastries, fruit and yogurts. Everything was available as a buffet so we could simply help ourselves, other than the toast and hot drinks which were made to order and brought over by the staff. Little N had cereal, toast, bacon and cheese (toddlers eh!), I had eggs, toast and a pastry, while Ian seemed to have a plate full of meat and eggs! We were all stuffed to the brim with breakfast, juice and tea and ready for another day exploring gorgeous Stratford.
We thoroughly enjoyed our stay at the Mercure Stratford upon Avon Shakespeare Hotel and if we ever go back to Stratford, which I am sure we will, we will certainly book to stay here again. The rooms are fantastic and the location is perfect for seeing the sights.
For more information check out the hotel’s homepage here: http://www.mercure.com/gb/hotel-6630-mercure-stratford-upon-avon-shakespeare-hotel/index.shtml and if you decide to pay a visit to Stratford, let me know!
Disclosure: Our lovely stay in Stratford was complimentary, however all thoughts and opinion remain my own.
A birthday trip to Stratford Upon Avon – part 1
It was my birthday last week and I was very kindly invited to stay at the Mercure Stratford upon Avon Shakespeare Hotel, right in the heart of Shakespeare country. Little N, Ian and I packed our bags and headed off on a mini road trip.
The 4-star Mercure Stratford Upon Avon Shakespeare Hotel is situated right in the heart of the historic town of Stratford in an absolutely beautiful building full of character and charm. It is close to lots of restaurants and bars, the canal and theatre. It has 78 rooms each with their own Shakespeare-inspired name, Othello's AA Rosette restaurant, 2 bars and a courtyard garden as well as 3 function rooms. You can dine at Othello’s Brasserie or relax with drinks or afternoon tea in the Quill Bar & Lounge, pictured below.
We arrived at the hotel shortly after lunchtime, were warmly welcomed and checked in quickly, and given the keys to our room. Our room was up some stairs then along two corridors which made us smile because the floors were rickety and several of the doors to the hotel rooms were sloped. It was lovely to see that the hotel had not succumbed during renovation and has managed to keep its 17th century charm - oak-beamed ceilings, open fireplaces and antique furniture – but still providing all of the modern luxuries that you would expect.
Our room, or should I say suite, was huge! Little N’s face was a picture, he was so excited when we walked in. He promptly ran off to investigate whilst we sorted our bags. Our suite featured a spacious seating area with a TV and a small office area with a desk, whilst the main part of the bedroom had our very comfortable king-sized bed, TV, mini-bar and tea & coffee facilities. I’m pretty certain that I have lived in flats that are smaller than this room! The room was clean, tidy and well-presented, with additional pillows and bedding provided as well as a ready-prepared travel cot and bedding for N.
The bathroom was stylishly done and immaculately clean; you’d think it was a brand new fitted bathroom. Lots of towels and toiletries were provided as well as little extras such as a vanity kit, shoe-shiner and shower cap.
After a busy day strolling around Stratford we came back to our hotel room for the night and had quite possibly one of the best night’s sleep EVER. The curtains were all blackout which makes such a difference but most importantly, the hotel is so quiet! Despite being in the centre of town and despite being quite a large, old building, we did not hear a peep from the other rooms or from anywhere else in the hotel. Little N slept soundly in the cot until early morning when he joined us for cuddles in the bed.
All 3 of us woke early and headed down to breakfast; the variety on offer was vast and included a full cooked breakfast, cereals, pastries, fruit and yogurts. Everything was available as a buffet so we could simply help ourselves, other than the toast and hot drinks which were made to order and brought over by the staff. Little N had cereal, toast, bacon and cheese (toddlers eh!), I had eggs, toast and a pastry, while Ian seemed to have a plate full of meat and eggs! We were all stuffed to the brim with breakfast, juice and tea and ready for another day exploring gorgeous Stratford.
We thoroughly enjoyed our stay at the Mercure Stratford upon Avon Shakespeare Hotel and if we ever go back to Stratford, which I am sure we will, we will certainly book to stay here again. The rooms are fantastic and the location is perfect for seeing the sights.
For more information check out the hotel’s homepage here: http://www.mercure.com/gb/hotel-6630-mercure-stratford-upon-avon-shakespeare-hotel/index.shtml and if you decide to pay a visit to Stratford, let me know!
Disclosure: Our lovely stay in Stratford was complimentary, however all thoughts and opinion remain my own.
I picked up these two gorgeous offerings from LUSH when I was away in Stratford-upon-Avon for my birthday: Golden Egg bath ballistic (£3.50) and Bunch of Carrots bubble bars (£5.95). They are just so perfect for Easter!
I had a gift voucher left from Christmas so popped in to pick up a face mask and a shampoo bar; the glistening pile of Golden Eggs immediately caught my eye and the Bunch of Carrots are such a novelty. Both of these smell incredible, the Golden Egg like toffee and the Bunch of Carrots so fruity and refreshing. I am really going to enjoy using them! Find them at https://www.lush.co.uk/
Happy Easter everyone!
A LUSH Easter
I picked up these two gorgeous offerings from LUSH when I was away in Stratford-upon-Avon for my birthday: Golden Egg bath ballistic (£3.50) and Bunch of Carrots bubble bars (£5.95). They are just so perfect for Easter!
I had a gift voucher left from Christmas so popped in to pick up a face mask and a shampoo bar; the glistening pile of Golden Eggs immediately caught my eye and the Bunch of Carrots are such a novelty. Both of these smell incredible, the Golden Egg like toffee and the Bunch of Carrots so fruity and refreshing. I am really going to enjoy using them! Find them at https://www.lush.co.uk/
Happy Easter everyone!
With spring well and truly upon us – I am LOVING the sunshine! – and Easter just around the corner I decided to do a little Easter themed design on my nails. I used a pearlescent nude as my base with white polka dots, whilst on my ring finger I used the white as a base and then painted a little Easter bunny. Isn’t he sweet!
I used Posh, Purity, Vogue, Swag and Trist from the Artistic Colour Gloss range of gel colours.
What are you wearing on your nails?
NOTD: Easter themed nails
With spring well and truly upon us – I am LOVING the sunshine! – and Easter just around the corner I decided to do a little Easter themed design on my nails. I used a pearlescent nude as my base with white polka dots, whilst on my ring finger I used the white as a base and then painted a little Easter bunny. Isn’t he sweet!
I used Posh, Purity, Vogue, Swag and Trist from the Artistic Colour Gloss range of gel colours.
What are you wearing on your nails?
The sickness has now completely eased and so, touch wood, have the horrendous headaches, hurrah! I’m at that funny limbo stage of not really having any symptoms and just looking like I’m carrying a bit of a food baby. I’m still suffering with food aversions – I cannot stand the thought of green vegetables – and I’ve been craving fresh coconut, very random!
I hope you’ve had a lovely weekend!
14 Weeks of Bump
The sickness has now completely eased and so, touch wood, have the horrendous headaches, hurrah! I’m at that funny limbo stage of not really having any symptoms and just looking like I’m carrying a bit of a food baby. I’m still suffering with food aversions – I cannot stand the thought of green vegetables – and I’ve been craving fresh coconut, very random!
I hope you’ve had a lovely weekend!
I bought quite a few skincare goodies recently, plus a new foundation. I wasn’t a huge fan of the Revlon Nearly Naked foundation that I bought last time, but my friend says Revlon PhotoReady foundation (£12.99) is amazing so I picked up a bottle of that instead. I got the right shade this time which helps of course!
Origins Drink Up Intensive overnight face mask (£22.00) is one I see raved about time and time again, and every time I see it mentioned I always say I’ll try it out then manage to forget. I can’t wait to find out if it as wonderful as everyone says!
Whilst this looks like quite a lot of ESPA purchases, I only actually bought the ESPA Pink Hair and Scalp Mud (£18.00) and the ESPA 24-Hour Balancing Moisturiser. The rest were free samples! The samples include the Refining Skin Polish (which I love!), the Super Active Skin Radiance Moisturiser, the Super Active Skin Radiance Mask and the 24-Hour Replenishing Moisturiser. The Pink Hair and Scalp Mud is another product that a lot of people seem to love so I’m looking forward to trying it out.
What have you treated yourself to recently?
New Things #3
I bought quite a few skincare goodies recently, plus a new foundation. I wasn’t a huge fan of the Revlon Nearly Naked foundation that I bought last time, but my friend says Revlon PhotoReady foundation (£12.99) is amazing so I picked up a bottle of that instead. I got the right shade this time which helps of course!
Origins Drink Up Intensive overnight face mask (£22.00) is one I see raved about time and time again, and every time I see it mentioned I always say I’ll try it out then manage to forget. I can’t wait to find out if it as wonderful as everyone says!
Whilst this looks like quite a lot of ESPA purchases, I only actually bought the ESPA Pink Hair and Scalp Mud (£18.00) and the ESPA 24-Hour Balancing Moisturiser. The rest were free samples! The samples include the Refining Skin Polish (which I love!), the Super Active Skin Radiance Moisturiser, the Super Active Skin Radiance Mask and the 24-Hour Replenishing Moisturiser. The Pink Hair and Scalp Mud is another product that a lot of people seem to love so I’m looking forward to trying it out.
What have you treated yourself to recently?
You may have noticed that I’ve been a bit quiet on the blog as well as social media recently. I have had a good reason for it - I’m pregnant again and expecting baby #2 in October! Little N made our pregnancy announcement using this sweet and simple prop.
News
You may have noticed that I’ve been a bit quiet on the blog as well as social media recently. I have had a good reason for it - I’m pregnant again and expecting baby #2 in October! Little N made our pregnancy announcement using this sweet and simple prop.
Tonight as I lay cuddling Little N at bedtime I started to think about how much I have read, talked and heard about sleep since he was born. As a parent you constantly get asked how your baby sleeps, are they a good baby, do they sleep through the night.
Those of you that have read my birth story and beyond, will know that apart from maybe an hour together, we were separated for over 24 hours. N was in SBCU while I was on the floor above in transitional care. I then got to see him every 3 hours and seemingly in between, he slept. Once we finally came home, this 3 hourly routine soon lapsed as N decided on his own routine. He wanted to be fed more frequently, he wanted to be held and cuddled while he slept, and as he was suffering from reflux being held upright was much more comfortable for him. None of this was a problem for me, I wanted to hold him, I wanted him in my arms.
It seemed to be a problem for others though; when N was 2 weeks old my family were visiting and he fell asleep in my arms. I carried on chatting away while he snoozed peacefully, only to be interrupted by my nan asking me if I was going to put him down.
“Oh no,” I said, “he’ll wake if I try, besides, I love the cuddles.” I was happy and N was happy, so what was the problem?
“You’re making a rod for your back, you’ll never be able to put him down and he’ll end up being clingy,” said my nan.
A few days later my in-laws visited; N was crying so I was doing laps around the living room in an effort to settle him.
“In my day if they were fed, clean and dry, we just left them to cry,” said my mother-in-law. Seeds of doubt about my methods of comforting Baby N were starting to be planted in my mind.
Like a lot of mums these days, I was part of a Facebook group of mums that were all due in the same month as me. When our babies started to reach 8 weeks old, most of my group were talking about their bedtime routines. They would follow the same routine every night and put their babies to bed at 7pm sharp. As I was breastfeeding on demand, I couldn’t see how a strict routine like this would work but because everyone else was doing it I started to feel like I should be doing it too. Their babies were sleeping from 7pm-7am with few wake-ups, one baby was even sleeping all the way through. Shouldn’t my baby be doing that too?
For 7 days in a row I tried bathing N, feeding him, reading him a story and then putting him to bed at 7pm. The bath seemed to wake him up. He was never hungry afterwards. He cried while I read the stories and THEN he would want his milk. He would fall asleep in my arms, only to immediately wake up as I tried to transfer him to his moses basket. He would then cry and cry and cry until I picked him up. I would cuddle him back to sleep again, try to transfer him to his moses basket, only for him to wake crying. It was horrible and stressful, he wasn’t happy, I wasn’t happy. After a week, I gave up with the idea of a “bedtime routine”.
Instead, N would chill out in the living room with us until I was ready for bed and then we would go to bed together. He would sleep in his own bed for an hour or two before waking for a feed, but then didn’t want to go back to his own bed. After several nights of pulling my hair out, my fiancé said, “he wants you, let him sleep with you.” I brought him into bed with me and had the best night’s sleep ever. Over time N was happy to go to bed earlier, around 7pm, and I would snuggle in a few hours later. N was happy, I was happy.
When N got to about 9 months old, he started to crawl and I was worried that he might crawl off the bed. I’m also quite a restless sleeper and I realised that I was causing him to wake up. I decided to start putting him to sleep in his cot at the start of the night and bringing him into my bed if he later woke. The problem was that N was used to being cuddled and nursed to sleep, and I couldn’t do this through the bars, so I started getting into N’s cot with him.
For the first couple of months N would wake up after an hour or so and need resettling so I would get back into his cot and cuddle him back to sleep. Friends found this highly amusing and other mums thought I was bonkers. They were all putting their babies in their cots while they were still awake and then leaving the room, even if their babies were crying. Many had decided to do sleep-training, while I was the odd one out, only taking my baby to bed when he showed he was tired, and staying with him until he fell asleep.
A lot of people think I am crazy to go to all this effort, that I should put him to bed and let him go to sleep himself, even if it means he cries himself to sleep. “Let him self-soothe,” they say. I don’t see any of this as an effort though. We are both happy, content and stress-free. My son isn’t a robot, our babies are all different, there is no one-size-fits-all method to parenting so trying to do what everyone else was doing was just silly. I read up on the biology and physiology behind babies’ sleep and accepted that he needed me for this short while. Because it is such a short while. A fraction of his little life. A mere drop in the ocean.
And our bedtime routine now? It goes like this: Little N gets tired around 7pm. I say “do you want to go to bed?” and he walks out of the room, crawls up the stairs – with me following, don’t worry - and clings on to the side of his cot. I get into his cot with him, he has his milk and then we cuddle until he falls asleep. He sleeps until around 5am and then my little hot water bottle comes into my bed for cuddles and sleeps until 7am. He sleeps as much as my friends’ babies, but he has got there in his own time.
He is happy, I am happy. It isn’t so crazy after all.
About Sleep
Tonight as I lay cuddling Little N at bedtime I started to think about how much I have read, talked and heard about sleep since he was born. As a parent you constantly get asked how your baby sleeps, are they a good baby, do they sleep through the night.
Those of you that have read my birth story and beyond, will know that apart from maybe an hour together, we were separated for over 24 hours. N was in SBCU while I was on the floor above in transitional care. I then got to see him every 3 hours and seemingly in between, he slept. Once we finally came home, this 3 hourly routine soon lapsed as N decided on his own routine. He wanted to be fed more frequently, he wanted to be held and cuddled while he slept, and as he was suffering from reflux being held upright was much more comfortable for him. None of this was a problem for me, I wanted to hold him, I wanted him in my arms.
It seemed to be a problem for others though; when N was 2 weeks old my family were visiting and he fell asleep in my arms. I carried on chatting away while he snoozed peacefully, only to be interrupted by my nan asking me if I was going to put him down.
“Oh no,” I said, “he’ll wake if I try, besides, I love the cuddles.” I was happy and N was happy, so what was the problem?
“You’re making a rod for your back, you’ll never be able to put him down and he’ll end up being clingy,” said my nan.
A few days later my in-laws visited; N was crying so I was doing laps around the living room in an effort to settle him.
“In my day if they were fed, clean and dry, we just left them to cry,” said my mother-in-law. Seeds of doubt about my methods of comforting Baby N were starting to be planted in my mind.
Like a lot of mums these days, I was part of a Facebook group of mums that were all due in the same month as me. When our babies started to reach 8 weeks old, most of my group were talking about their bedtime routines. They would follow the same routine every night and put their babies to bed at 7pm sharp. As I was breastfeeding on demand, I couldn’t see how a strict routine like this would work but because everyone else was doing it I started to feel like I should be doing it too. Their babies were sleeping from 7pm-7am with few wake-ups, one baby was even sleeping all the way through. Shouldn’t my baby be doing that too?
For 7 days in a row I tried bathing N, feeding him, reading him a story and then putting him to bed at 7pm. The bath seemed to wake him up. He was never hungry afterwards. He cried while I read the stories and THEN he would want his milk. He would fall asleep in my arms, only to immediately wake up as I tried to transfer him to his moses basket. He would then cry and cry and cry until I picked him up. I would cuddle him back to sleep again, try to transfer him to his moses basket, only for him to wake crying. It was horrible and stressful, he wasn’t happy, I wasn’t happy. After a week, I gave up with the idea of a “bedtime routine”.
Instead, N would chill out in the living room with us until I was ready for bed and then we would go to bed together. He would sleep in his own bed for an hour or two before waking for a feed, but then didn’t want to go back to his own bed. After several nights of pulling my hair out, my fiancé said, “he wants you, let him sleep with you.” I brought him into bed with me and had the best night’s sleep ever. Over time N was happy to go to bed earlier, around 7pm, and I would snuggle in a few hours later. N was happy, I was happy.
When N got to about 9 months old, he started to crawl and I was worried that he might crawl off the bed. I’m also quite a restless sleeper and I realised that I was causing him to wake up. I decided to start putting him to sleep in his cot at the start of the night and bringing him into my bed if he later woke. The problem was that N was used to being cuddled and nursed to sleep, and I couldn’t do this through the bars, so I started getting into N’s cot with him.
For the first couple of months N would wake up after an hour or so and need resettling so I would get back into his cot and cuddle him back to sleep. Friends found this highly amusing and other mums thought I was bonkers. They were all putting their babies in their cots while they were still awake and then leaving the room, even if their babies were crying. Many had decided to do sleep-training, while I was the odd one out, only taking my baby to bed when he showed he was tired, and staying with him until he fell asleep.
A lot of people think I am crazy to go to all this effort, that I should put him to bed and let him go to sleep himself, even if it means he cries himself to sleep. “Let him self-soothe,” they say. I don’t see any of this as an effort though. We are both happy, content and stress-free. My son isn’t a robot, our babies are all different, there is no one-size-fits-all method to parenting so trying to do what everyone else was doing was just silly. I read up on the biology and physiology behind babies’ sleep and accepted that he needed me for this short while. Because it is such a short while. A fraction of his little life. A mere drop in the ocean.
And our bedtime routine now? It goes like this: Little N gets tired around 7pm. I say “do you want to go to bed?” and he walks out of the room, crawls up the stairs – with me following, don’t worry - and clings on to the side of his cot. I get into his cot with him, he has his milk and then we cuddle until he falls asleep. He sleeps until around 5am and then my little hot water bottle comes into my bed for cuddles and sleeps until 7am. He sleeps as much as my friends’ babies, but he has got there in his own time.
He is happy, I am happy. It isn’t so crazy after all.
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