The Baby Toy Set-Up

With baby Rae-Rae getting ever closer, I thought it would be fun to go through our current Set-Ups. We will look at the Nursery, Travel System (pram), Cloth Nappies, Changing Bag, and Baby Toys. Once Rae-Rae has arrived we'll do a look back and see just how under-prepared we really were.

Understandably we are excited for our little girl to get here, so as you can imagine we've already got her an unreasonable number of toys. If I was to go through all of these we could figuratively (and maybe even literally) be here forever. So today I was going to look at one of the toy brands that we've been buying.

So Ruthie and I absolutely love Pebble stuffed toys. We think that they are super cute, but also we just love the story behind them. Starting in Bangladesh, these are hard-wearing, and sustainable toys that provide families with employment.

The moment we found these toys in a little shop we knew we were going to have to get them. My father-in-law bought the first one for us, a beautiful little Gretel doll. Obviously after that we had to get the Hansel doll to go with it. And then I found an awesome knitted snake with a rattle!

When we were shopping around one of the special market events that our town holds we came across a little set that we'd had our eyes one, a cute knitted tea set, complete with teapot, cups, saucers and cakes. I doubt she'll be able to use this for a little while yet but we couldn't leave it.

The final Pebble toy we've got was given to us by a close friend for Ruthie's baby shower. It is a small owl rattle, perfect for tiny baby hands!

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The Changing Bag Set-Up

With baby Rae-Rae getting ever closer, I thought it would be fun to go through our current Set-Ups. We will look at the Nursery, Travel System (pram), Cloth Nappies, Changing Bag, and Baby Toys. Once Rae-Rae has arrived we'll do a look back and see just how under-prepared we really were.

So I am just going to be honest, at the moment I don't have any idea what I am actually going to need to have in my Changing Bag. Like, not the slightest clue.

At the moment I think I'll mostly be using the Cosatto bag that came with the Giggle 2 travel system. It's a small bag, with a decent length strap, and it means that I'll look super fashionable with it slung over the pram's handles.

We've got a pastels-striped Pop-in Change and Go Mat, has a warm and soft area to lay the baby on. It rolls up neatly, but takes up a little more room that a mat that folds up. We opted for this, over the one that came with the bag, because it just felt softer, and we didn't want the mat to be too cold for Rae-Rae.

We've also got two Tots Bots Wet Bags, one with kites, and one with bumbrellas! These seemed like a no-brainer for the out-and-about changes that will be taking place. We liked the cute style of these bags, and the facts that they folded down nicely. They also seemed well made and unlikely to leak, which is obviously very important!

We've got a bottle warmer that came with our other changing bag that we'd previously picked up from Mothercare. I'm not sure how this will hold up once it's in use, if it holds in heat then we'll be using it all the time, but we might have to pick up another one at some point, either to replace it, or to supplement it.

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The Travel System Set-Up

With baby Rae-Rae getting ever closer, I thought it would be fun to go through our current Set-Ups. We will look at the Nursery, Travel System (pram), Cloth Nappies, Changing Bag, and Baby Toys. Once Rae-Rae has arrived we'll do a look back and see just how under-prepared we really were.

We had a good idea of what we were looking for when we started researching prams, pushchairs, and car seats. Preferably we wanted something that was an "all-in-one" system, that  is to say something that we could use for a significant length of time, and something which was compatible with each other.

With that in mind we settled on the Cosatto Giggle 2 travel system. Firstly, we just love the Cosatto designs, they are brightly coloured and look good/sturdy. We decided on the Funfair colour scheme because we thought it looked bright, but gender neutral just in case we have another baby, and I am a sucker for greys and isometric patterns. I also quite liked the use of brushed metal, especially on the little cot as it gives the impression that it strong and protective.

The Cosatto offers an adjustable handle that means that it is comfortable for both Ruthie and I to push, effectively meaning that I won't be bent over using the pram. When we've been practising using the Giggle 2 we've found it easy to use, it glides around without issue, and the option to lock the front wheel in place seems like a useful addition, although I couldn't tell you when it would be useful...

So let's talk about ease of use! Neither Ruthie or I currently drive, which means we needed something that was easy to put up and down for when we decide to brave public transport. Before settling on this, we had practised with another brand and it putting it up/down was a complicated affair. That ins't the case with the Giggle 2, the pram pops off and then with a press of a button it collapses neatly down, perfect for busses and trains.

The final reason we got the Giggle 2 is because it came with a car seat as well (yes, we don't drive at the moment but we are hoping to change that soon). That means it was a great price for everything we needed. It also came with a rather fetching changing bag (one of two that we've got prepped and ready go for when Rae-Rae decides to arrive).

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Dog Treats Tuesday: Frozen Treats

Treats in their silicon tray

The weather here in the UK has been all over the place recently; one day it is tipping it down with rain, the next it's scorching hot. The problem is, when it's hot, it gets really hot in our house and finding away for the dogs to call down can be tricky

With that I mind we decided to knock up some super-cool frozen treats! Making these was really easy, all you need is a cheap stock cube (we used chicken, but beef or vegetable would work too), some peanut butter, water, and something to freeze them in. We decided to make two types of treats, one that was that was just stock, and one that also had peanut butter in it (as Pixel wouldn't eat the plain stock ones).

Left: Peanut Butter and Stock.
Right: Plain Stock

We took one chicken stock cube, broke it up, and dissolved in roughly 400mls of water. Most stock cubes require 200mls of water, but used double that to make sure that the treats weren't too salty. While that water was cooling, we put some peanut butter in the larger moulds, and then once the water had cooled we filled them up. Once you've done this, just pop the trays in the freezer.

It really is as simple as that! Once they've frozen you can feed them directly to your dog, although I'd recommend doing so on a wipe clean surface. Or you can pop it into their water bowls to cool down their drink, and give it a delicious flavour.

So it is easy to give your dogs a cool and delicious treat on those hot days! If you've got any ideas for frozen treats why don't you let me know in the comments below.

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The 35 week aka the Mini-Lop Rabbit update (02.09.2017)

Crunchie Cheesecake

Gosh where do I even begin this week? We've been in to hospital three times! Twice for lack of movement, and once for a scan to make sure Rae-Rae was growing okay. Everything is going okay, in fact she is growing extremely well, weighing in at an estimated 7 pounds already! We've got another hospital appointment, next time with a Consultant because if she keeps growing at this rate then we might need to make some plans... I think we might be considering repacking some of hospital bag bits.

On the Wednesday night my team at work went out for dinner to celebrate the pending baby. I had an awesome time and got some fantastic gifts (a good split between stuff for Rae-Rae and stuff for me). It also gave me a chance to eat at the American BBQ restaurant that I've been desperate to got for a while (take a look at that Crunchie Cheesecake). I've promised Ruthie that we will go once our little girl has been born (and she'll have some more room in her stomach).

The Thursday we had another hypnobirthing class, and it really hammers home just how close we are to the baby getting here. We've finally got our birth plan in mind.

We've also been getting some other stuff ready, like coming up with cleaning schedules, and proper meal plans so that once the baby is here, we can find out routine pretty quickly.

I am looking forward to a more quiet week next week. Hopefully there will be less hospital trips.

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The Cloth Nappy Set-Up

With baby Rae-Rae getting ever closer, I thought it would be fun to go through our current Set-Ups. We will look at the Nursery, Travel System (pram), Cloth Nappies, Changing Bag, and Baby Toys. Once Rae-Rae has arrived we'll do a look back and see just how under-prepared we really were.

So here is a not so fun fact for you all: It is estimated that it can take up to 500 years for a standard disposable nappy to degrade in a landfill. I am not going to pretend that I am super hot on recycling, and that I was automatically leaning toward cloth nappies because they just look awesome. But I mean, 500 years? At the rate that babies go through their nappies too. I just couldn't bring myself to add to that. Now I know that people use disposable nappies for a variety of reasons, and I am not here to moralise you on the subject, but I would ask you all to consider using reusable nappies for your children, especially if you are in a position to do so.

So the one draw back to using cloth nappies can be the upfront cost of getting everything you need. In the long run it costs less than disposables, but you do need to front most of that at the beginning. We knew that we were going to be using cloth nappies before we got pregnant, and we buying up everything we could as soon as we found out we were expecting. The joys of the cloth nappies market is that there are plenty of pre-loved nappies, and we got some of those, and some new ones to bring our stash together.

The majority of our pre-loved nappies are Tots Bots EasyFit Star all-in-one style nappies. Ours came in pretty good condition, and after a a couple of washes, and one evening spent cleaning the velcro, these are ready to go. As these are second-hand the style is no longer available from Tots Bots, but I have to say I am very happy that they are fairy-tale themed. These seem pretty thick, and absorbent so I am hoping that they will be good for the overnight stretch.

We also purchased a set of Little Lamb Onesize Pocket Nappies. These are mostly in bold block colours, but we've also bough a few Hawaiian shirt themed ones. These use poppers not just to adjust the size, but also to fasten them closed.

We have dithered on the subject of newborn cloth nappies. At first we thought we'd pick up some biodegradable ones and call it a day, but after doing a little more research we decided to take the plunge and buy some newborn reusables. When considering containment and seepage (something nobody wants to think about) we decided that two-pieces nappies were the best, with an absorbent centre and outer waterproof wrap. We've purchased a mixture of Little Lamb Bamboo and Microfibre nappies, Bamboo are extremely absorbent but slow to dry, while the Microfibre hold less but come out of the washing machine practically dry.

To cover the Little Lamb nappies we've bought some Motherease Rikki Wrap Covers which combine nicely with the Little Lambs to (supposedly) provide a leak-free experience. We liked these covers partly for the aesthetic but also the apparent ease of use, going on suggestions we found online. In the end we got a couple of these in different sizes so that we will be properly covered until she is big enough for the all-in-ones.

Bonus: So I am throwing this on the end here as I've got nowhere better to put it! We are going to be using reusable wipes too (at least in the house). After doing a bit of research we found that most people suggest using the Terrycloth wipes for bums instead of the microfibe ones (something which I think could be clearer). We've gone for Cheeky Wipes Terrycloths, coupled with their wet-box for clean wipes, and a lavender essential oil. The plan  is to just throw the used cloths in the pail along with the used nappy.

Well that's everything! I'll do a follow-up when she gets here, looking at whether everything went as we planned.

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The "We Spent the Afternoon in a Hospital" Update

Just a quick update today. We've spent the afternoon in hospital as Rae-Rae hasn't been moving much. Ultimately they were happy with everything and they let us go home. Unsurprisingly we are knackered.

I'm just so incredibly grateful that we have the NHS. It is quite simply amazing that we have access to this sort of health care, that's available whenever we need it.

So that's it, everything is okay, just tired. So I don't know about you guys but I am ready for the Great British Bake Off.