Author: Sarah
Parent and Toddler group etiquette
Last week I went to a local parent and toddler group with my friend and her seven month old twins. The group is held in a big gym in the leisure centre near both our houses, and they have a session in the afternoon (most groups seem to be in the morning when our babies have their naps) so it’s perfect. Up until now I’ve often gone to each other’s houses but now Toby is mobile and just wants to explore this gives him an hour or so of unfettered crawling time (or occasionally sitting still for two minutes to play with a toy), and it gives us chance to have a chat while keeping an eye on the babies.
Now, I know this is a parent and ‘toddler’ group but there are quite a few babies there. As well as our three there was another little boy the same age as Toby, a girl about the same age as the twins and then a tiny baby and her older brother, and two girls who are about two and a half. The bigger kids were doing lots of running around which of course was absolutely fine – that’s why they are there, and mostly they kept out of the babies’ way.
However, there was one of the little girls who, like I said, must have been about two and a half. Whenever one of the babies, Toby included crawled over to where she was playing she would shout ‘no!’ at them and literally push them away. After a couple of times I picked Toby up and pointed him in the opposite direction whenever I noticed him heading her way. Her mum was sat with us at this point and didn’t say anything to her daughter. About half way through the group the kids all get a snack (if they want one) and the mums can have a cup of tea and a biscuit. While the others were having their snack my friend and I stayed playing with our babies as they weren’t having one. When the little girl had finished with her snack her she came over to where we were while her mum staying chatting on the other side of the room. The little girl then proceeded to grab any toy that the babies were playing with. When Toby went to touch something she pushed him out of the way shouting ‘no’ again, even though this time it wasn’t even something she was playing with herself. She even grabbed a couple of plastic toys and threw them on top of one of the twins as she was trying to keep them away from Toby.
Now, we both told her to be careful and tried to explain that she had to share things with the babies because they were too little to know any better, not that she took much notice! At no point during any of this did her mum intervene or even seem to have noticed what her daughter was up to. I don’t know if I’m just being naive, or maybe over-protective of Toby, but if it had been the other way around I would definitely have spoken to my child, and apologised to the other parents. I know when we’re at Baby Sensory and Toby is the biggest baby there I’m always watching him to make sure he isn’t going to hurt any of the smaller babies, even accidentally. To be honest I was quite shocked at this little girl’s behaviour and even more shocked that her mum did nothing about it!
What is the etiquette in these situations though? Should we have said something to the mum? Although we did speak to the girl I felt awkward essentially telling off someone else’s child – I know I do it all the time as a teacher but that’s when it’s my job, this was an entirely different situation. Has something like this ever happened to you? I’d be really interested to know what you did…
Review: Joe Browns clothing (plus £50 voucher giveaway)
Most of my clothes these days seem to come from the supermarket – just bits and pieces I pick up alongside the weekly shop! Added to which I’m still trying to lose my baby weight so I’m trying not to buy too many new clothes at the moment. We’ve got our holidays coming up in a few weeks though and I really did need some summery clothes to wear so I was very pleased when Joe Browns got in touch and offered me the chance to review some items from their range. Joe Browns is an online retailer of men and women’s clothes, shoes, accessories and gifts.
The Details
I hadn’t heard of Joe Browns until recently but on browsing their website I really liked the style of their clothing. I found it really difficult to choose which items I wanted to review. I originally ordered these Beach to Bar Shorts (£29.95) and the Seaside Camisole (£19.95). Unfortunately the shorts were too big but due to the cut of them (they have quite a low waist) and my big bum I had a feeling that the smaller size wouldn’t fit either. Luckily it was very easy to send the shorts back using the free returns label included in the packing and I was able to exchange them for this Beautiful Bouquet Tunic (£29.95) instead.
The Pros
- There is a large selection of clothes to choose from online. So many that I found it hard to choose!
- The clothes are very well made – the camisole is fully lined and the jersey of the tunic is a lovely heavy weight so it hangs very well.
- Sizing seems to be accurate based on the size charts on the website. (I was between sizes with the shorts so ordered the bigger size hoping they would be comfortably loose but they were a bit too big to get away with).
- I like how on the website it gives details of length measurements but also tells you how tall the model is. The tunic top is long enough to be a dress on me as I’m quite short but I like this as it means I can wear it with leggings.
- Prices are good and comparable to other high street brands.
- Delivery was very quick and is a reasonable £4. Next day delivery is available for an extra fee. Joe Browns also offer international shipping.
- Returns are very easy, and free, using the return shipping label included in the packaging. It is also possible to exchange items without having to pay any additional delivery charges.
The Cons
- The only problem, as with all online clothes shopping, is that you can’t be sure how something will look on until you get it. Of course with Joe Browns free returns you could always order two sizes if you aren’t sure and then send one back.
The Verdict
I love my new Joe Browns clothes. I think they are very flattering and I’m looking forward to wearing them on my holidays! There’s so much to choose from on the Joe Browns website that whatever your style you’re bound to find something you like.
The nice people at Joe Browns are offering one of you lucky readers a chance to win a £50 voucher to spend on their site. All you need to do is complete the Rafflecopter below.
Open to UK residents over 18 only.
Giveaway closes midnight Monday 16th June
**Disclosure: I was sent two tops from Joe Browns in return for this review. All opinions are my own.
Easy redecorating tips for new mums – featured post
*This is a featured post
Motherhood is one of those experiences where you can read all of the books in the world on how to cope and still be completely baffled and unprepared once your little bundle of joy arrives. Whether you’ve considered redecorating the entire house in preparation or are just trying to baby-proof your existing space, you will quickly learn that it helps to have some kind of order to the home to make it the right place to bring up baby.
Tip 1: De-clutter
I don’t know about you but my drawers are packed full of junk. Everything from old bills to used batteries and things you don’t even recognise as cluttering up the place. If you want to make the home more organised, you’ll soon realise you have to make a start on de- cluttering.
Be absolutely ruthless when deciding what to throw out. A general rule to follow is if you haven’t used it in the last six months, it’s likely you’re not going to be using it again any time soon. It’s amazing how much better you’ll feel after you’ve tidied out the drawers.
Tip 2: Keep it short
One of the biggest mistakes made by many new mums when trying to redecorate is to do everything at once. You’re not superwoman so don’t take on too much. The key is to break down the tasks into small sections. Perhaps you could work on one room at a time.
Once baby arrives, you can do something small every day while your little one is sleeping. It could be hanging up new curtains, rearranging furniture, wallpapering one wall, or cleaning your sash windows; just be sure to do little tasks every day and you’ll be delighted by what you can accomplish.
Tip 3: Keep it neutral
How many times have you heard ‘they grow up so fast’? Well guess what – they weren’t kidding. Before you know it, your little one will be out of nappies and ready to start school. When decorating the nursery, keep it neutral. Don’t wallpaper the whole room in novelty baby prints. Keep it neutral to minimise the amount of work you need to do later on.
Redecorating is hard work ladies; especially with a newborn in tow. However, these simple tips it will make your life so much easier before or after the birth.
We redecorated Toby’s room before he was born – it’s the only room we’ve decorated since we moved in nearly three years ago! Did you redecorate ready for your wee one’s arrival?
Living Arrows 20/52
We’re now into week 20 in the I Heart Snapping Living Arrows project. This week has been another one of teething but Toby is being a trooper, as long as I keep him dosed up with Calpol and Nurofen. He’s also had a couple of days at home with Daddy this weekend; on Saturday I was in Dundee all day doing my Spanish exam and then yesterday I had a four hour dance rehearsal in the afternoon. So this week’s photo is one taken by Barry – Toby really doesn’t mind being in his play pen (thankfully!) but he does look a bit like he’s sad to behind bars in this shot!
Baby Sensory (The Ordinary Moments #22)
We started going to Baby Sensory when Toby was about two and a half months old. He has gone from being one of the youngest babies in the class to being the oldest. He’s also gone from lying and just watching and taking it all in to causing havoc! Now I can hardly keep him in one place long enough to do any of the activities and I’m always trying to make sure he doesn’t hurt any of the smaller babies when he’s crawling and rolling about all over the place!
We love Baby Sensory though – there are lots of different activities and it’s been fantastic watching Toby as he develops and is able to interact and participate more. It’s been really interesting to see the other babies in the class getting bigger too; the older ones leave and then new tiny babies come to take their place. Toby loves the ‘Say Hello’ song (if you’ve every been to Baby Sensory you’ll know the one I mean!) and I often sing it to him if I need to calm him down or keep his attention. It’s quite sad to think we’ve only got a few months of Baby Sensory left. There’s only a couple of weeks then we’re on holiday, then there’s a few more weeks before the school holidays start here and there won’t be regular classes. Baby Sensory is for babies up to 13 months and then after that there are Toddler Sense classes. These have just started in our area and they look awesome (lots of inflatables to play on!) but the classes are only on week days at the moment and I’ll be back at work by then.
Anyway, I know this sounds like a bit of an advert for Baby Sensory but really going to the classes has just become an ordinary moment for us, which is why I’m linking up this post with Katie at Mummy Daddy Me this week.
My Sunday Photo: 17th May 2014
And I’m done (Studying is over!)
Today I had to sit my first real exam since I finished university in 1999. After two years of hard work (and to be honest I should have done a lot more than I did) I have finally finished my Graduate Diploma in Spanish! Of course I still need to wait for the results but there are no grades for this course, it’s simply pass or fail, and I’m quietly confident that I haven’t failed at least.
The main thing that I found out today is that if you don’t usually hand-write more than the weekly shopping list then having to write solidly for two and a half hours really hurts your hand! And that four hours is a long time to wait for an oral exam that you really should have learnt off by heart but haven’t quite managed to.
It’s been a really hard two years of work. The pace was relentless with new tasks to complete and a tutorial on Skype every week. We had a few breaks but there was always an assignment due at the end of it so it was never really a break. Since Toby was born I’ve found it really hard to find the time and the motivation to get the work done. It was actually easier when I was working full time because I usually managed to find some time to get the work done during the school day, or I would stay after school to get it done where there were fewer distractions than at home. I take my hat off to anyone who is a student and a parent because it really is difficult to do both.
Anyway, it’s all done now. I can speak Spanish to some extent and quite scarily I am now qualified to teach it myself! Hopefully this will all have been worth it and will make it easier for me to get a job in future now I can teach two languages rather than just one. And best of all (assuming I pass of course) I never again have to sit at home watching TV and blogging, while thinking ‘I really should be doing my Spanish homework’!
Weight loss (or not!) update
The eagle-eyed among you may have noticed that I’ve not published a weight loss update since the last one back in February! I have to confess that what with a minor breakdown, Spanish coursework, a holiday, and just, well, life, I fell off the healthy eating wagon a bit! I put a few pounds back on but nothing too drastic (which is surprising given the amount of chocolate, takeaways and wine that have made it past my lips in the last few months).
Anyway, we’re going on holiday in a few weeks so we’re having a healthy month in the hope of shifting a few pounds before then. And then after our holidays I’ve got a few months before I’ll be back on stage for the first time in two years! I’m dancing in a production of Aida (The Musical) and I definitely need to be a bit thinner, and a lot fitter, if I’m not going to collapse on stage every night! I’m getting plenty of exercise at rehearsals at least so that should help.
There is another reason to get back to my pre-baby weight (or rather pre-honeymoon weight!) and that is by the winter we’ll probably be thinking about trying for another baby and I don’t want to start another pregnancy still carrying weight from the last one.
So anyway, here are the all important stats – I’ve included my starting stats but also those from my last update.
Weight: 12st 12lb (Feb: 12st 11lb) (Dec: 13st 8lb) – lost 10lb
Waist: 33.5 inches (Feb:33.5 inches) (Dec:37 inches) – lost 3.5 inches
Hips: 43 inches (Feb:43 inches) (Dec:45.5 inches) – lost 2.5 inches
Bust: 40 inches (Feb:40 inches) (Dec:42 inches) – lost 2 inch
I’m still not going ‘on a diet’ – just being mindful of what I eat (and drink) and of my portion sizes, and making sure I get plenty of exercise too. I’ll be back with another update before we go on holiday – all positive thoughts and encouragement welcome!
Review: Bambino Mio miosolo nappy
We all know by now (or you will if you’re a regular reader of Toby Goes Bananas at least) that I love cloth nappies. We’ve got our favourites but I always welcome the chance to try out something new so I was very pleased when Bambino Mio got in touch a few weeks ago and offered us the chance to try their miosolo all-in-one nappy. Bambino Mio was founded in 1997 by husband and wife Guy and Jo Schanschieff. Bambino Mio nappies are sold in 70 countries and are stocked in Tesco and Sainsbury’s as well as thousands of other retailers both on and off line. In addition to the all-in-one miosolo that we tried, Bambino Mio also have a two-part nappy, swim nappies, training pants and several cloth nappy accessories such as liners, baby wipes, nappy buckets and detergents.
The Details
The miosolo nappies come in a variety of plain colours and prints (including four fabulous new ones) and retail at £14.99 for plain or £15.99 for prints. We were sent two miosolo all-in-one nappies to try – one plain ‘Flying Saucer’ (blue) and one ‘woodland fox’ print. The lovely people at Bambino Mio also included a roll of their disposable mioliners and some samples of miowipes flushable baby wipes and miofresh nappy/laundry cleanser to try.
The Pros
- miosolo all-in-one nappies are super-easy to use. It is a birth-to-potty nappy so you just need to adjust the poppers on the front to get the right length for your baby and then fasten with the velcro tabs. This is getting more important for us as Toby will be going to nursery quite soon and I need nappies that are really simple for the nursery staff to use.
- There are 3 different ‘rise’ adjustments using the poppers on the front and Toby is only on the middle one. This is great as he already wears a lot of his nappies on the biggest setting as he is so long and I’m a bit worried that he is going to grow out of them altogether.
- The velcro tabs cross over in the middle – again this is great for Toby as he is so skinny!
- There are laundry tabs inside the nappy to stick the velcro to while being washed – an essential feature in my opinion.
- The absorbent part of the nappy is attached, you simply tuck it in the pocket then pull it out for washing. This is where the miosolo design really is a step above the competition – there is a little pocket across the end of the insert which you put your fingers in to push it down into the nappy, meaning it goes in straight and un-rumpled every time. There are also a couple of loops on the back of the insert which make it really easy to pull out without getting damp fingers.
- The stay-dry layer which is next to your baby’s bum is super-soft and stays that way even after repeated washing.
- The nappy dried really quickly. It was dry overnight in our airing cupboard. It can also be tumble dried on low which is a positive for me.
- Lastly, and most importantly, performance; Toby wore the miosolo for five hours with no leaks and it did very well in the poo-containment test too. Bambino Mio are so confident in the abilities of their nappies that they even suggest the miosolo (with added mioboost booster if needed) can be used overnight. I have to confess we didn’t try it overnight but five hours during the day is still very impressive!
The Cons
- The miosolo is a little bit bulky compared to the bumGenius Freetime that we mostly use, but I’m sure Toby will appreciate this when he starts learning to walk and is falling on his bum all the time!
- The only other thing I can think to say is that the miosolo doesn’t come in quite as many colours and prints as some other nappies. Although, they have brought out six new prints recently. One was the ‘woodland fox’ which we now have but I also love the ‘elephant parade’ print.
The Verdict
I am always happy to try a new nappy with Toby but unfortunately we have been a bit disappointed with some in the past…not this time though! I thought the Bambino Mio miosolo was a great nappy. I was really impressed with the little details like the pocket to help you put the insert back in. I also found it easy to get a good fit on Toby first time and performance was excellent. The miosolo is also competitively priced and I like that it is stocked by some major high street retailers too. I would definitely recommend this nappy whether you are new to cloth nappies or a seasoned user.
Just a quick note on the miowipes and miofresh too. (We always use fleece liners so didn’t try the mioliners but they seemed soft and a good size if you prefer a disposable liner). miowipes are natural, biodegradable and flushable. They are free from alcohol and parabens too so gentle on your baby’s skin. We usually use washable wipes but I am definitely going to be buying a pack or two of miowipes to take on holiday and to keep in the changing bag at home too. miofresh is a laundry sanitiser that again is all natural. It is designed to kill bacteria even at low temperatures so you can safely do your nappy wash at 30° – helping your pocket and the environment. We actually already use miofresh – I like that you only need to add one scoop along with your normal detergent to so a tub lasts ages and it keeps our nappies nice and fresh.
All in all I have been very impressed with the Bambino Mio products we have tried and I’m sure I’ll be using more in the future.
**Disclosure: I was sent two Bambino Mio miosolo nappies and accessories in return for this review. All opinions are my own.
** This post contains affiliate links.