Enhance paediatric first aid training review

Picture credit

Disclosure : I was given the opportunity to do this course for free in exchange for a review on my blog.

It is every parents nightmare  for their child to get ill. The thought of your baby stopping breathing or starting to choke is enough to make the hairs on the back of your neck stand up on end.

So the best thing we can do is not spend time worrying about it, but to prepare for how you would handle such an event should it occur.

Enhance first aid services  booked me onto the 12 hour paediatric first aid course. It took place over 2 Saturdays or it is available as an evening course over a longer period.

It costs £65 and at the end of the course you do both a practical exam and a multiple choice paper. If these are passed the you are a certified first aider. This qualification lasts for 3 years and then must be re taken to remain certified and up to speed with current best practice as medical procedures change.

The course was informative and covered:

Allergic reactions
Asthma
Bleeding
Burns
Choking
CPR
Diabetes
Epilepsy
Head injury
Hypothermia and heat stroke
Meningitis
Poisoning
Shock
and sprains and strains

It was taught in a very hands on way and was easy to digest and understand.

The over all thing for me was the confidence I  now feel in the event of an emergency. Despite having done paediatric first aid before I had always worried at the implications of doing it wrong.

CPR in particular. But very plainly put if a child has stopped breathing they are DYING. If their heart has stopped they are technically DEAD.You cannot make them more DEAD but you can save their life by administering those rescue breaths and chest compressions. The worry here is breaking a child's (or adults for that matter) ribs but better to be alive after receiving CPR and with damaged ribs than dead with the ribs intact.

Sorry to put it so bluntly but it really hit it home to me what a valuable skill first aid is, not just as a nursery nurse but as a parent too.

If you have no idea what to do in an emergency should it arise then read up or do a course. It could just be the most valuable lesson you have ever learnt.

These are my views and experience of my first aid training. Training should always be given by a first aid specialist.

(Oh, and by the way I PASSED!)

Wooden sandpit ***review***

*We were sent this item for free in return for a review

We love wooden toys in this house. So when I was approached by the lovely Wooden toyshop to sample whatever I liked (within a set budget) for a review I didn't hesitate and chose this  sandpit for our garden.

Monty is so enamoured with his sandpit we often find him playing outside early in the morning before nursery. Which does then equate in a sandy nursery uniform but never mind.

It's just the right size for our very small garden, and being wooden blends nicely with our decking and doesn't intrude in the way a garish plastic one would.

I was very surprised at the £44.99 price tag which includes the cover as well. We just had to add the sand! Great value for money and would make a great gift for a child with a summer birthday.

My only bug bear is the soft cover is quite hard to pull over the hexagonal shape. I seem to get one side sorted and then the other side pops off and have often ended up straddling the sandpit with my butt in the air trying to get all the sides covered. Also, if it has been raining, which it has this month when removing the cover the rain invariably ends up in the sandpit.

Other than that small moan it is a  great value , classic toy. Easy to put together and will give Monty and Blossom years of enjoyment.

Baby loves disco review

* I was given free tickets for myself, Monty and Blossom by Baby Loves Disco to attend this event  in exchange for writing a review. I did not receive any payment other than having our names on the guest list.

I can remember way back when I had just had  Monty finding out about this craze over in America that was just hitting our shores but only in London at the time. I was disappointed and strongly believed it would go down a storm in Brighton. I mean whats not to love about mooching along  to your fave evening establishment during the day and having a boogie with your baby? Beats rhyme time at the library hands down!



''Yeah! Lets like totally boogie yeah?''



As we arrived we were greeted by the DJ box spinning some actually pretty decent tunes ( definitely something for everyone.) And a gaggle of pint sized groupies bopping along in awe.

Woah!

Monty found it all a bit much to begin with. There was a lot to take in! But  before long he was wiggling and shaking his thang in an inappropriate Lady Gaga fashion (seriously he loves her!) and emptying the snack table before dragging me over to get his face painted.

I was very impressed by the snack table, which was an open buffet of healthy snacks and juices and particularly liked the fact that it was all covered in the price of the ticket. As was the face painting. Great stuff.

Another fab fact worth mentioning is the great buggy storage, a whole floor dedicated to keeping your buggy safe. So often the bane of a Mamas life is where to put your sodding wheels!

But the moment I really fell for baby loves disco hook line and sinker was when Monty asked a member of staff where all the free ice lollies were and she told him they had all gone. His little face was so forlorn she dashed off and gave him hers out of the staff quota! Talk about service.

All needs are catered for, there was plenty to keep Blossom amused as she crawled around the play area, while the others danced.

I am totally doing crawling on nice soft carpet while my big brother struts his stuff!

There was also a cool down chill out area where the kids could grab a crayon and create some art.

Cost of a ticket is £8, and non walking babies are free. The details for the next Brighton Baby Loves Disco are HERE

and for more information about other venues are on the main website which is HERE

I really enjoyed it, and the kids experience will get better each time as it becomes less overwhelming and they get older. We will definately be at the next one in May!

Thanks so much to Baby Loves Disco.

Brother Max review

For the purpose of this review I was sent a bib set and a set of bowls from Brother Maxx free of charge.

I have to say I have found these scoop bibs preferable to the normal scoopy bibs on offer, most are really rigid and don't seem at all comfortable for the wearer but as these are made of cotton Blossom was completely happy in them.

I loved the concept of being able to just popper the insert in and out of the scoop and it was very easy to do this.

A scoop bib is an essential with baby led weaning as a lot of food gets dropped in the early days and instead of it being given  to the dog I was able to grab it back from the scoop and give it back to Blossom. They are available to buy for a reasonable £6.99 from amazon.
The only negative was on washing one of the inserts the edge of the bibs colour (red) ran onto the white bib itself, I would of thought the braiding used arounsd a white bib would of been colour fast?

These bowls were great when Blossom was in a high chair with a plastic tray as they stuck very well to the surface. But I have a tray less highchair and they didn't stick brilliantly to my wooden table  to be honest.I like the bright colour as it avoids staining and I love that they are bpa free so no harmful chemicals.I also thought at less than £6 for the set from amazon that they were very reasonable in price.

CLICK HERE for brother max stockists.

I *heart* Build a Bear. I mean my kids do.

Let us get the boring bit out of the way first huh? This is not a sponsored post, the payment I received for my review was two cuddly Build a Bears for my kids, and what Mummy would refuse her kids that hey?

Our adventure started here

and as we arrived at The Build a Bear workshop in Brighton Monty was, lets say, a little excited.

See! GRIN! The staff at the Brighton branch took care of us so well, I would personally like to thank Hayley, Jo and Perrie for really spoiling my children and they thoroughly enjoyed the whole experience.
Before we arrived I had mentally decided that Monty could choose what ever he liked and I would have artistic direction over Blossoms choices, that Blossoms Build a Bear would be a classy affair and Monty's would be just as he  wished. I had no idea Monty would choose a lilac sparkly bear, give it the star wars theme tune when you squeeze its tum and dress him as a policeman. Lets just say  'Teddyson' as Mo named him will definately be coming to gay pride this year and I am so proud of Monty for his choices.

So, once the bear had been chosen and a sound effect decided on Teddyson was then stuffed and a bar code was placed in him so if we were to ever lose him he could be returned to a Build a Bear branch, unstitched,identified and returned to his rightful owner. Bear genius that!

Monty then chose a heart to put inside his bear, and granted him lots of love, lots of brains and a full tummy always. Very cute to watch.

And then we got to the best bit. The clothes. Oh my lordy I was in hysterics. Build a Bear boxers? Got em! Hannah Montanna outfit for Bear? Of course! Along with flip flops, roller skates, a diploma scroll, a mobile phone.....basically all your bears needs are catered for. And catered for well.

Here is Mo holding up  his well dressed  bear!

Then every bear needs a birth certificate with name,date of birth, height and weight details all included of course.

Earlier I mentioned Blossoms classy bear as chosen by me. Well that was my intention. This is what we went for

I couldn't help it, next thing I knew I had chosen a mini skirt and sparkly cardi for an ice skating Hello Kitty.  I love her. I mean Blossom does. Obviously. Ahem.

The whole experience was a joy to watch as the kids had a whale of a time.

Price wise I think the sky is the limit, Bears start at around £15 on average, and outfits can be bought for around the same price including shoes. So they can be pocket money treats or big spends for a special occassion. It's up to you.

You can check Build a Bear out on facebook HERE

And their website HERE

Photobox review

When the lovely people at Photobox contacted me and asked if I would trial a product of theirs of my choosing (for free) in exchange for  a post on my thoughts it was a bit of a no brainer for me. I got to choose some thank you photocards free of charge and it had just been Monty's birthday so these were very much in order- perfect timing!

So I went about uploading my image, playing about with it until I was one hundred percent happy with it. I then placed my order and within about five days I had my postcards in my hands.Great.

I am a bit of a thank you card addict.At twenty seven years of age I am still sending them. And I get a bit miffed when people cannot be faffed to say 'ta for the gift.' I know it is old fashioned but I am just a  bit like that, I like to put a bit of effort in so people realise that their kindness has been noticed. So I am an old hand at the upload your photo and choose a thank you card malarky. I have used all the big websites on offer. Photobox has been by far the easiest and the quickest and I would definitely use them again.

What I loved about the experience

• Ease of use
• Ability to really play with the image and make changes (I changed my from colour to black and white Without losing quality)
• Speed of delivery
• Price- if I had paid for this item it would have been just over £20 for the 40 cards. I think this is reasonable for personal cards and I have paid a lot more when doing Christmas cards!Hence I'll be back.
• The quality of the product was brilliant and I really could not fault it.

sleepytot review

The lovely Hello Baby Direct sent Blossom  her very own sleepytot to review.

When I was a newborn I was given a yellow rabbit which as I got older became known as 'Rab.'  He is present in many a baby picture of me, came with me on my first day at school and then when I was 22 and the gorgeous husband and I got Lenny (who was then a tiny puppy) he had his face chewed off by said puppy. Hmmmm. He now has a new face provided by my Nan, who is a very talented stuffed toy surgeon. While she was at it she gave him some furry leg warmers as his legs were looking a bit threadbare and worn. Well bald actually.

What I'm trying to say is, sometimes a toy just stays with you and I'm hoping that the sleepytot will be to Blossom what Rab is  to me. I still have him. I still love him.

It is described on the site as ''a baby comforter whose cuddly paws fold over to secure baby’s soother so it's always close at hand.'' well Blossom doesn't have a soother, she has her thumb in her mouth and her sleepytot in the other hand and it is the cutest thing to see them snuggled up together. I hope she still has hers aged 27 just like her Mummy! I wonder what she'll name him?Maybe Rab 2? Shall I force  encourage her to call him that?

I apologise for the lack of images in this post. Is anyone else having problems with getting pictures uploaded onto blogger. Actually want to rip my arm off and throw it. To show my distaste obviously.

A tasty lunch with a guru!

On Monday I pootled off to London for a lunch date,having been invited by Dorling Kindersley to meet Annabel Karmel and discuss her new book and range of sauces and snacks.

I was joined by some fabulous Mummy bloggers, the lovely Katie Hill who blogs for i village HERE and Mumsrock.

Now when I initially got the invite I was in two minds, one because the gorgeous husband was off work and we've been having a stay cation whilst Monty recuperates frpm his operation so didn't want to swan off and leave him with the kids. Also the fact that I have gone down the baby led weaning route and Annabel is a puree guru.

However I was soon persuaded otherwise when the lovely contact from DK mentioned that Annabel would be only to happy to talk to me about getting Monty to enjoy food again after his operation. I also was reminded by a friend that Annabel doesn't just do purees, but also amazing finger food and family recipes too. I looked at my bookshelf, where many Annabel Karmel cookbooks already reside and decided I'd be silly to pass up such an opportunity.

Annabel was great when I opened up about Monty's eating quirks since he's had such a bad time with his ear nose and throat problems. I explained how little he eats and although what he does eat is very healthy, his diet is quite limited as he'll only eat certain things.The things that he does eat Annabel thought were great but I really would love him to have a bit more variety.

Annabel suggested:

• as Monty has a preference for lunch/snack/tapas type food to relax and go with this. So for example he likes wraps so she suggested lots of different fillings or making quesilladas.
• choosing a new bowl or plate that he likes and only serving small amounts so he doesn't feel overwhelmed
• knowing that it will get better!Annabel set my mind at ease that it is understandable he eats so little after having a permanent cold for two years.
• hiding fruit or veg in his food, blending more veg into soups or sauces. A needs must attitude!
• Stop worrying.He doesn't eat a large variety of fruit.He only eats dried fruit,or bananas. She said not to worry as dried fruit is fruit after all!
• Cooking and baking with Monty, she even gave me one of her toddler cookbooks to keep and it has some great recipes for family meals in.

Annabel has some great  products out such as dried fruit which is (unlike most other brands) not fried and doesn't have oil added to it, corn snacks a bit like puffed rice cakes and fabulous sauces that have NOTHING  nasty added.  Check out her website for details here but honestly I have studied the ingredients and done the taste test- huge thumbs up!

And if you are just about to wean and want some fab recipes and really good inspiration for finger food then you can buy the Weaning book HERE.

The original no tray high chair

I have to admit to being a little bit chuffed at being sent the no tray high chair to review.

Designed in 1962 by an architect (Stephen Gip) who was frustrated by what was on offer it has become a design staple known to us all.
Find me a parent who hasn't popped their little one into one of these at the likes of pizza express, Ha Ha bar and canteen, Las Iguanas etc etc. I doubt you'll find one! Its kind of the archetype of highchairs, the Morris Minor of the kid cuisine world!
And now it's available to us, joe public. Hurrah!

So here's what I thought of it:

Great points

• it has a fairly small foot print, not a great deal larger than an actual dining chair
• it sits right up to the table so your mini person can enjoy eating with you
• very easy to assemble
• reasonable price (approx £75-85) depending on where you look.
• easy to keep clean as there aren't too many nooks and crannies for the food to travel into
• has a clippable safety harness (purchased for an additional £2.50)
• its stack able, great if you have more than one child, I'm thinking twins?hell, triplets?
• its solid, durable. I honestly think this highchair would outlive me, probably even my kids!
• Comes in a variety of funky colours so as well as the light and dark wood it also now comes in black, white and the dreamy blue you see pictured.  The blue is my fave.

Not so great points

• Blossom at 6 months was in my opinion too small for this. I don't personally think it is suitable until they are sitting really well at possibly 7 or even 8 months? On the flip side my 3 year old Monty wasn't too big for it.
• It's a bit hard for a really small one, it definitely needs a cushion. They could design a range of highchair inserts in funky fabrics and parents would love them (I think so anyway.)

I asked Monty what he thought about the highchair. He said '' I think it brilliant.'' Blossom gave no comment but then to be fair, she can't actually talk yet so we'll let her off.

Photo credit- thanks to Scandinavian selection for the image.

How to prevent a head that is shaped like a box?

When Monty was Blossoms age his head was box shaped. I am not exaggerating, it was due to the fact that he did little, him being one of those babies that was in no rush to get, well, doing. He just lay on his back, sat in his chair, screamed on his front or toppled over when  I attempted to sit him up. Obviously he ended up doing all of these things he just liked to keep me on the gin my toes!

So with all the arduous lying on his back he developed what between my Mum and i became as affectionately known as 'slap head' due to the back of his bonce having the appearance of being slapped (just for the record I did not slap him, nor did my Mum and baby slapping is not something I am making a joke out of.)

So when  I was offered the theraline baby pillow to review I thought we'd give it a go as I am a vain Mummy and did not much like my boy having a box shaped head.

She has been using it for months now, and has never shown signs of slap or box headiness!

Other than square bonce prevention it also claims that it

•  keeps babies head in an ideal sleep position
• allows head to turn
• free circulation of air allows baby to breath easily
• supports rapid correction of deformities

It is machine washable and costs less than £20, to check out their other items go to http://www.theraline-shop.co.uk/

Personally I think it did what was required of it successfully and would be money well spent if your childs head was severely deformed from lying on their back.

Many thanks to theraline for use of the cute baby image.

All the help you can get

Whilst breastfeeding Blossom I have come accross some superb products that have really helped me. And lets face it, breastfeeding can be tough, and sometimes you feel you need all the help you can get.Anything that makes you feel more comfortable and confident can only be a good thing.

The breastvest has been invaluable. Any Mum will tell you, when baby is still new, your gut is....well...JELLY! The thought of lifting my top up and exposing my gut leaves me far more concerned than exposing my boobs!

If you are worried about exposing your postnatal tummy when breastfeeding, as I was then this is the product for you.

Here is the blurb:

Created, designed, tested and approved by breastfeeding mums, breastvest is held in place by specially designed straps and sits just below your nursing bra, comfortably covering your postnatal tummy whilst offering a comfortable layer for support and modesty.

Born out of frustration with boring, expensive breastfeeding tops and stretched necklines, breastvest was invented to make breastfeeding in public easier and to let new mums open the doors to their pre-pregnancy wardrobe while still doing the best for their babies.

I literally wash and wear this product day after day. My only annoyance with it is that I do find the straps slip down my arms slightly. But I am willing to put up with that and keep my tum hidden.

Reasonably priced £14.99 each and available in many great colours.Check them out on their website HERE

Thanks to breastvest for the use of their image.





Another fab find is the MAMASCARF

Mamascarf is an award winning breastfeeding scarf that not only allows mothers to breastfeed stylishly and discreetly but also provides essential support without the need for a cushion. This was something I found extremely useful as it's great being able to feed with your support cushion at home, but this helps when you are out and about by lifting the baby up to you.

It covers you before and after feeding. Which is great for getting baby latched on properly with out Tom, Dick, Harry and everyone they went to school with seeing your nipple!

I find this useful when feeding at my Grandparents house as although they are completely supportive of my feeding, my poor Gramps does blush if he accidently see's a flash of tit!

Well worth the £17.99, this lives in my change bag and I use it regularly.

Thanks to mamascarf for use of the image.

Roll up Roll up! I have an announcement to make!

So I finally have got round to officially announcing Blossoms birth to family and best buds with the this gorgeous artwork created by the fantastic DANDELION LOUNGE
We thought something official was required as even in this modern age twitter, facebook and text is a bit of a poor way to holler to the world that you have had a baby, no?

Actually no it's not as I loved having my hundreds of birthing partners on twitter but you know what I mean. Something pretty and tangible was required to mark the occasion.

I mean with a shiny postcard that can be stuck on a fridge and cooed over. Perfect.

Isn't it yum?

It was so easy, I simply emailed the photo's, and the wording that I wanted, and super quick this stunner winged it's way back to me. CLEVER!

I love the fact that I will have this little beauty to keep forever as a keep sake.

They are providing artwork only designs for just £19.99.
Printed postcards, folded cards and other items are also available at
www.dandelionlounge.co.ukhttp:///

Blossom hits the bottle!

So the time has come to introduce a bottle to Miss Blossom. She is exclusively breastfed but I cannot deny I was looking forward to giving the girls (Salutes the boobs) a well earned break. Plus I have a hen night to go to in May and a wedding in June so the bottle will need to be established by then so that I can have a jolly (ahem I mean a break!)

I am lucky enough to have been sent some bottles from BABYBORNFREE to review.

I have reviewed their toddler cups before HERE where I have commented on the use of BPA chemicals in infant cups and feel passionate about the Baby Born Free product. You can read more about BPA in this fantastic post written by MUMMYTIPS. It makes extremely interesting reading and I have certainly had my eyes opened to what goes into our infant feeder cups and bottles since researching the subject on the internet. They have banned the use of these chemicals in infant bottles and cups in Denmark, hopefully it will also happen here, but until then we need to make an informed decision as to what products we use.

So, I expressed the milk and being the control freak that I am decided that I wanted to give her her first bottle! Which is bonkers as it kind of defeated the whole aspect of me having a break but there you go. I wrapped myself in the Husbands dressing gown to hide my milk smell and got on with it. I have to say I wasn't sure how she would take to it as the bottles teats aren't particularly nipple like. But she took the bottle no problem!

Success. She took no exception to the teat and had no sign of gas afterwards, I was chuffed and she was full! Happy days!

I'll continue to use these bottles for Blossom, and Monty continues to use the cups. And I am happy in the knowledge that they are BPA free.

So to the hen night I shall go, leaving my Husband with a freezer full of my house white!

They are available from Boots,Mothercare and amazon.
Prices start at £12.99 for two 5oz bottles.

*I may have scarred Monty for life, he saw me expressing and eyes wide said :

"MUMMY! WHAT.ARE.YOU.DOOOOOOOING???"

hmmm.