23 December , 201320 December , 2015 - Sarah 2 Comments

Grandparents (The Ordinary Moments #7)

I’m linking up with Katie at Mummy Daddy Me again this week for some more ‘Ordinary Moments’, or rather this week some ‘un-ordinary’ moments.

Both sets of Toby’s grandparents live about 250 miles away, which means they don’t get to see him very often. I update Blipfoto with a picture every day and we do try and Skype but that doesn’t happen as often as we’d like for one reason or another. Last time we saw either lot of parents was in September, and as we decided to spend our first Christmas with Toby at home, my mum and dad came up to visit this weekend. It was lovely to see Toby playing with his grandma and grandad and even though he mustn’t remember them from last time he saw them he still gave them lots of big smiles and was happy for them to hold him. We’re actually going to see them again in a few days – we’re going to stay with them on Boxing Day because my brother and sister-in-law will be there and then we’re heading across to Manchester to see the hubby’s parents too.

I hope Toby starts to recognise his grandparents soon and gets to see plenty of them as he’s growing up – it should be easier in the few years time as our five year plan is to move back to the north-west, and then these ‘un-ordinary’ moments will hopefully become more ordinary.

18 December , 201320 December , 2015 - Sarah 1 Comment

Baby Sensory (The Ordinary Moments #6)

I’m linking up with Katie at Mummy Daddy Me again this week, albeit a bit late, for some more ‘Ordinary Moments’. I do quite a few different activities with Toby during the week; Baby Sensory, Baby Massage, swimming, soft play to mention a few. Although I try to tell the hubby all about it I know it’s not the same as him being there himself. So, this Saturday it was great that he got to come along to the Baby Sensory Christmas party so he could see for himself what me and Toby get up to. It was a lot of fun and Toby looked so cute in his elf costume (with added ‘made by mum’ hat!)

12 December , 20132 July , 2016 - Sarah Leave a comment

Toby is five months old!

Another month gone. Time really does fly! Toby is now five months old and he is an absolute superstar! If you read my post about a possible four month sleep regression (and are possibly going through the same thing!) then you’ll be pleased to hear that things are almost back to normal in the sleep department. Toby is back to sleeping from 6:30 pm to 8 am probably five days out of seven and if he does wake up it’s just for one feed then straight back to sleep. That three weeks of waking up two, three or even four times a night must have been some sort of growth spurt I think because Toby went from 14lb 2oz to 15lb 13oz in three weeks, when he’d only put on 14oz in the four weeks before that! He is getting longer and longer (or taller, depending which way you look at it) too. I measured him the other day and he is 69cm which puts him almost in the 98th centile for his height, while he is only in the 25th centile for weight! He has grown out of all his 3-6 month sleepsuits and vests now, although separates are still OK. I can’t believe how quickly Toby is going through clothes – it’s good news for my friend’s two month old twins though!

We still haven’t got much movement – Toby has managed to roll from his front to his back a couple of times but it isn’t something he does often. He can also sit up unaided for a minute or so but still loses his balance quite easily. The newest development is that Toby has just found his feet! Whenever he is lying on his back he lifts his legs up and grabs his toes. It’s funny to see the slightly confused look on his face when he’s got stripey socks on! He loves to stand up when we hold his hands too. I can see he’s just itching to get moving. He gets really frustrated after a few minutes on his tummy because he’s trying so hard but just can’t quite work out how to move anywhere.

We haven’t started weaning – and on that note, no teeth yet either, although I don’t think they’re far away. We’re planning on waiting until Toby is six months and then going down the baby-led weaning route. He is starting to get more interested in food though. I’ve been sitting him on my knee while I eat lunch and he’s started grabbing (and squishing!) my sandwiches, although he hasn’t tried to put any food in his mouth as yet. We’ve also started keeping him up a bit later a few nights a week so he can sit with us (in his Bumbo seat on the table) while we have our dinner to get him used to the routine. The hope is it will be more normal for him when he comes to start eating with us. I’m really looking forward to starting our weaning adventures – I can’t wait to see Toby’s face when he tries different tastes for the first time!

Toby’s personality is showing more and more every day. He’s so noisy these days, always making funny squeaks and babbles. It’s the cutest thing and he really does sound like he’s joining in a conversation sometimes. He’s growing up so quickly. I know people say you shouldn’t wish away the baby years because you’ll miss them when they’re gone…But I have to admit that I’m enjoying Toby much more now than when he was a tiny baby. I found it really hard work looking after him when I didn’t get any reaction from him but now he smiles and laughs (and hardly ever cries!) and it’s just so rewarding.

So over the coming month we’ve got Toby’s first Christmas and the start of weaning to look forward to. I can’t wait to see what else it has in store!

9 December , 201320 December , 2015 - Sarah 6 Comments

Squeaking baby (The Ordinary Moments #5)

I’m linking up with Katie at Mummy Daddy Me again this week for some more ‘Ordinary Moments’.

Toby is showing his personality more and more each day. He’s become really vocal in the last couple of weeks – his favourite sound seems to be a really high pitched squeak that he really builds up to before it eventually comes out!

Hopefully, if this has worked, you should be able to see a video of him squeaking below!

2 December , 201330 January , 2018 - Sarah 9 Comments

Baby signing (The Ordinary Moments #4)

I’m linking up with Katie at Mummy Daddy Me again this week for some more ‘Ordinary Moments’.

Now these photos might not look like much, and I apologise for the rubbish quality, but what you are actually seeing here is Toby doing baby signing for the first time. Or attempting to at least!

We go to Baby Sensory every week where we sing the ‘Say hello’ song which has signs to go with it. I sing the song to Toby at home every day and he really likes it. It always brings a smile and recently he has started joining in with the singing! Then last week I thought I saw him trying to make the sign for the sun (or possibly the moon, they’re quite similar!), and today he was definitely trying to make the shape. The sun is a ‘c’ shape with the hand and you could see Toby staring at his hand and deliberately making the shape with his fingers. And then as I was singing the verse about saying hello to your friends Toby brought his hands together and held on to his fingers (the sign for friend is shaking your own hand). This isn’t something Toby does normally so I’m pretty sure he was doing it on purpose – he did it a few times too.

I think baby signing is fantastic. To think a baby can communicate before they talk is amazing. We’ve been doing a few other signs at home too – ‘dirty’ and ‘clean’ when changing a nappy, and ‘more’ and ‘full’ when feeding. It will be brilliant if Toby can pick these ones up too.

So there we are, another Ordinary, although pretty amazing, Moment in our daily lives.

27 November , 201320 December , 2015 - Sarah 4 Comments

Daddy time (The Ordinary Moments #3)

I’m linking up with Katie at Mummy Daddy Me again this week for some more ‘Ordinary Moments’.

My husband works in Edinburgh and so has quite a commute every day. This means that during the week he doesn’t get to see much of Toby. He usually leaves before Toby is awake in the morning so he only sees him for half an hour or so before bed time in the evening. Toby and I go and pick Daddy up from the train station at twenty past five and then there’s half an hour for cuddles and playtime before bed.

It’s so lovely to see the two of them together in the evenings. Toby clearly adores his Dad and always has a big grin for him when we get home. I know it’s hard for hubby not too see very much of Toby during the week so I’m really glad that his work is flexible enough that he can at least get home for bedtime – it’s a luxury that a lot of working parents don’t get.

As well as some cuddles we usually try and fit in a story at some point before bed. In the last week Toby has really started engaging when we read to him. He reaches out and touches the pictures and even tries to turn the pages.

So there we are, another Ordinary Moment in our daily lives.

23 November , 201323 April , 2017 - Sarah 8 Comments

Review: bumGenius Freetime

We have been using bumGenius Freetime nappies full time since Toby was about 7 weeks old. He used them right up to potty training at three and a bit. They are still our most used nappy with Gabe too and they make up the majority of our stash.

The Details

bumGenius is a family run American company – I believe that most of their products for sale outside the US are produced in their own facility in Egypt. bumGenius nappies are available from a variety of UK stockists. I got mine from a few different places depending where I could get the best offers at the time. The bumGenius Freetime usually retails at £19.99 (unless you can get one in a sale or get discount for bulk buying) which is towards the top end of what you would expect to pay for a cloth nappy. However, the nappies are an all-in-one (AIO) nappy which essentially means you don’t need to buy any extras like inserts or wraps. It is also a birth-to-potty (BTP) or one-size-fits-most (OSFM) nappy so they should last as long as your baby needs to wear them. And they should last for more than one baby so the cost works out quite reasonable in the end. These nappies used to be available with popper or velcro fastenings but now only come with poppers. They also come in a variety of colours and prints. We started off with all velcro fastening as I foung it easier to get a snug fit when Toby was small but the velcro got quite tired (and Toby figured out how to open it) so I had all our original nappies converted to poppers.

The Pros

The nappies are really easy to use as you can see in the pictures above. The length, or rise, of the nappy is adjusted using three sets of poppers on the front of the nappy. As the nappy is an all-in-one the inserts (the part that actually absorbs the wee) are attached, which means there’s nothing to get lost in the wash and no need to match things up with the right nappy afterwards. As the inserts are only attached at one end they open up for drying (1) which dramatically reduces how long it takes. On a fine, breezy day they will dry in an hour or two on the line. Seeing as we don’t have many of those at the moment though, mine usually dry overnight in the airing cupboard or in about an hour and a half on low heat in the tumble drier. Once you have your clean dry nappy then you simply fold the flaps back in. They can be folded several different ways. Because we have a little boy we fold the front flap in half before folding it back into the nappy (2). This makes it more absorbent at the front where the majority of a boy’s pee ends up.
The back flap is then folded over the top (3) and a fleece liner (if you are using them) is placed on top (4). I then store my nappies in a drawer like this so they are just ready to take one off the pile and put on when needed.

These nappies, like a lot of others, also have laundry tabs which are used to protect the velcro during washing and to stop all your nappies ending up stuck together in one big ball when they come out of the machine.

The Cons

There really aren’t many; I think the bumGenius Freetime is a great all round nappy. We have only had a couple of very minor leaks from these nappies. Even then it was only a little bit where the moisture had wicked through at the leg seams and really my fault for leaving the nappy on too long! Usually Toby can wear one of these nappies for two or three hours before it needs changing. Because of this I don’t think I would recommend the bumGenius Freetime as a night time nappy unless you want to change nappies as frequently at night as you do during the day.

The Verdict

I would recommend the bumGenius Freetime to anyone whether they are starting out with cloth nappies or are seasoned users. They are especially good for anyone new to cloth nappies (or maybe any reluctant Dads out there!) as they are really just like changing a disposable. The only thing I think that might put you off this nappy in favour of an alternative would be the price.

So, in conclusion, the bumGenius Freetime is a great all-in-one birth-to-potty nappy. It certainly gets my vote.

20 November , 20139 March , 2014 - Sarah 10 Comments

Four month sleep regression?

Four month sleep regression. Is that even a real thing? I heard about it but naively thought that I have a baby who sleeps, it won’t affect us. Oh how quickly things can change. It was only two weeks ago that I was writing on this very blog, smug as you like, about my wonderful baby who regularly sleeps 14 hours a night.

Then last week Toby had his third set of immunisations. No problem, I thought. He was fine after the first two lots, why should this time be any different? So we put him to bed as usual. And then he woke up and wouldn’t settle until he was fed. Then he woke up again. A cuddle this time and he went back to sleep. Then he woke up again. Another feed, some Calpol, and the snot sucked out of his nose. Back to sleep. Awake again. Dad settled him with a cuddle and a bit of rocking. 5 am. Awake again, a dirty nappy. Another feed. More snot. Eventually back to sleep. Then my alarm goes off. Of all the days, I was going to work for my first Keeping In Touch day!

Suffice to say we had a bit of a bad night. I just thought though that it was a combination of his injections and a cold. So while I went to work Toby had a quiet day at home with his dad. We bought a Calpol plug in vapour thingy and for the next three nights normal service was resumed. But then on Monday night Toby woke at 3:30 am and wouldn’t go back to sleep without a feed. Last night he woke up at 12:30 am and I ended up feeding him again. And he’s been properly hungry, finishing whole bottles. Last night he woke up crying again at about half three but by the time I had got up to go to him he was back asleep again. We are lucky that when he does properly wake up he does tend to go straight back to sleep on his own once he’s been fed so I’m usually only up for about 20 minutes at the most. But it’s 20 minutes I’d rather be in bed! Especially seeing as Toby was kind enough to pass on his cold to me! On the plus side the napping situation has improved quite a lot over the last few weeks and we’re usually getting a decent afternoon nap in now (sometimes both of us!).

So what’s happening? Is it a growth spurt? A sleep regression? A wonder week? Who knows?! Toby does seem to be making more developments at the moment. He sat up on his own without toppling over on Monday. He’s almost found his feet. (He also found his willy getting changed after swimming today!). He’s babbling a lot more than before too. So hopefully this is just a bit of a developmental phase he’s going through and soon things will go back to normal. For now I’m just going to try and go with it. I’m going to try and get some more milk in him during the day, although that’s sometimes easier said than done. Toby can be quite stubborn if he doesn’t want to eat. And if he wakes up in the night hungry I’ll feed him and put him back to bed. I’m reluctant to introduce a dream feed when he was managing fine without before. When we tried it before it never made him sleep any longer anyway and I’m of the mind that waking a baby when you want him to be asleep is just counter-intuitive.

Anyway, any advice or even reassurance that things can get back to normal would be gratefully received at this point. After six weeks of full nights’ sleep all this getting up business really is making for a tired and grumpy mummy!

18 November , 201320 December , 2015 - Sarah 4 Comments

Smiley baby (The Ordinary Moments #2)

Toby is such a happy, smiley baby (most of the time!) – I love seeing his grinning face every day. It’s so cute how he gives his dad a big smile every evening when we go and pick him up from the train station after work. He smiles a lot for other people too now which is just lovely. I know I’m biased but I really do reckon he’s the cutest baby in town.

18 November , 201316 March , 2014 - Sarah 1 Comment

Review: Little Bird Told Me Softly Snail Baby on Board

When we were asked to review this baby on board sign from Little Bird Told Me I was delighted, as the one we have currently has a serious design fault (more on that later) and I was hoping this one would be a better replacement. Little Bird Told Me is a fairly new company selling simple traditionally based toys both online and through selected retailers. They don’t stock a huge range, but looking at the website I’d be happy to buy (or be given!) any of the products that they sell. They’ve got some really lovely rocking horses – if anyone is feeling generous and wondering what Toby would like for Christmas (Nana?)