If you follow me on Instagram you may remember towards the end of last year Little Miss Nola took part in some filming for Asda Little Angels which was rather exciting! We travelled down to Dulwich for filming with some of the lovely Myraid PR team, some other mummy's and their beautiful bubbas. Nola and I were filmed for a 'nappy changing tips' video and I must say she was very well behaved for a seven week old!
A couple of weeks later I was invited along to the launch of the new videos at London's Ivy restaurant with some other fellow mummy bloggers, Dr Hilary Jones and Vanessa and Kayley from Myriad PR. What a treat to have an afternoon off 'mum duties' with great company and amazing food!
Asda Little Angels created the videos with Dr Hilary Jones to give advice and tips on four particular areas of baby care, clickable links below!
I was super excited to see the finished videos, naturally extra excited to see the one Nola and I filmed! I really recommend giving them a watch for some great tips! If you're wondering why your baby's nappy is leaking, why they might have nappy rash, how often you should bath your newborn or when your baby is ready for weaning, these videos will give you a heads up with plenty of other advice!
For more info and advice from Asda Little Angels check out their Baby & Toddler club.
* I was invited along to the launch of the videos at The Ivy, I received no payment for this post
Today on the blog I'm sharing the OXO Tot Toddler Feeding Set. I was super excited to receive the set and let Eliot put it through its paces. Having worked with OXO Tot before, I knew I would be receiving the highest quality products and I was not disappointed!
It's a four piece set consisting of plate, bowl, fork and spoon, each with their own unique features designed to make self feeding an easier task for toddlers.
The fork and spoon have non slip handles and are designed with a flat area to prevent them from rolling off on to the floor.
The plate boasts a removable ring which is designed to help toddlers guide their food onto the cutlery and minimise any food spills. Once your tot has mastered the art of feeding themselves with the cutlery, the ring can be removed. It also features a non slip base making it a doddle for toddlers to learn to feed themselves independently without their dish sliding all over the place.
Eliot's not quite there with feeding himself completely independently. However, as you can see in the photo he is pretty confident. It's getting the food on to the cutlery which he still needs help with.
The bowl is perfect for cereal, snacks and pasta, it comes with a snap on lid which is ideal for storing leftovers or taking snacks on the go. It is designed with 'straight side walls' to assist toddlers with guiding their food on to their cutlery. Like the plate it has a non slip base, meaning it stays firmly in place when your toddler is putting food on their fork/spoon.
We have been really impressed with the OXO Tot feeding set, I love how the look is simple yet sleek and stylish. The design of each piece is really helping Eliot on his journey to self feed with cutlery, which you can see in the photos.
All pieces are dishwasher safe and are free from BPA, PVA and phthalate.
As with the other OXO Tot products I've tried, the quality is outstanding. I 100% recommend trying out the OXO Tot range if you haven't already! You can purchase from sites such as Amazon and other retailers.
Have you tried any of the OXO Tot range?
* I was sent the product for the purpose of the review, all opinions are honest and my own
I've teamed up with the lovely team at Organix to give not one, not two but three lucky readers the chance to win an Organix weaning bundle!
Win an Organix weaning bundle, including the new Organix Little Book of Weaning
Just when you and your baby are in a confident routine with milk feeds, along comes weaning. To help you we’ve got 3 amazing Organix weaning bundles up for grabs, a tasty selection of organic baby foods, plus a copy of the new OrganixLittle Book of Weaning.
Weaning provides the perfect opportunity for developing a healthy and balanced diet for your baby, giving them a healthy start in life. It be might be messy and challenging, but weaning can also be exciting and full of fun.
To help parents make sense of all the information Organix has launched its Little Book of Weaning. It aims to simplify things so parents and little ones can enjoy their weaning journey, and to encourage mums and dads to help their babies mash, lick, squash, squeeze and play with new foods. From advice on how to tell when your little one is ready to start weaning, to top tips on making every mealtime fun, The Organix Little Book of Weaning is designed to help at every stage of this exciting time.
Your prize also includes weaning foods – Organix stage 1 cereals and fruit pots in simple tastes and smooth textures to help get you started, and stage 2 foods so you can add more tastes and textures at mealtimes as your baby’s confidence grows and you and your baby become more adventurous. Plus, finger foods in a great range of shapes, textures and tastes to help your little one learn the skills they need to feed themselves.
This week Organix are launching 'The Little Book Of Weaning'. They have been speaking to parents to find out their main concerns and worries when it come to weaning their babies. From that they have come up with their 'The Little Book Of Weaning'.
Weaning can be a daunting time, I remember buying bits and bobs in advance and thinking about whether to go down the puree or baby led weaning route. In the end we started with purees but moved on to more baby led weaning. I think you need to experiment with what works for your baby and family but only what you feel comfortable with.
The Little Book Of Weaning is available as a free download but I've teamed up with Organix to offer not one but three lucky readers a chance to win a hard copy! All you need to do is enter the rafflecopter.
This week for a few days only Ella's Kitchen Weeny Weaning Restaurant popped up in South West London. We were lucky enough to experience what the 'worlds first sensory restaurant for babies' had to offer! To say I was excited to visit would be a bit of an understatement!
On arrival Eliot and I were met by the Ella's Kitchen team who showed us where to 'park up' before leading us down to the sensory play zone.
The Weeny Weaning Restaurant concept involves babies experiencing sights, smells and sounds so they are able to explore food in many different ways. There were songs to listen to (see video clip at the bottom for Eliot's dancing!) which Eliot wasn't too sure about at first but once he'd settled in, the music was definitely one of his favourite things!
There was play food and real food for babies to get to grips with to touch smell and taste, as well as flash cards and wooden books with pictures of food to look at. Eliot thoroughly enjoyed his experience in the sensory play zone and I think this is a brilliant way to familiarise babies with various foods by stimulating different senses.
Once Eliot had got his taste buds tingling we took a seat in the tasting zone.
Using a tablet, babies (with a bit of parent assistance) were able to choose their main and dessert. First I selected what age best suited Eliot (from 10 months). Next the tablet showed six options for a main and then six options for dessert. The one's that Eliot tapped the most were ordered. Watch the video at the bottom to see how the interactive menu was used.
The Caribbean and Chicken and Mango pouch arrived very swiftly for Eliot to get stuck into. He particularly loved the lid that covered the tablet and the tablet itself so they were a bit of a distraction for him. He continuously picked up the lid and swiped the screen with his messy fingers, hence the smeared screen above! Eliot enjoyed his Caribbean Chicken and Mango but didn't finish it all, he's very nosy and was very interested in what was going on around him.
For dessert Eliot had chosen 'Berry Yummy' yogurt. He does have a sweet tooth so he made sure he finished his pud even though he was constantly looking around to see what everyone else was up to!
Funny face!
We had a great time at Ella's Weeny Weaning restaurant and I think this is a wonderful concept to get babies excited about food. There is a gap in the market for such restaurants, so I personally think they should pop up permanently in the future!
The Ella's Kitchen team will also be analysing what babies chose using the interactive menu and I'm very interested to see what they find!
Would you like to see Ella's Kitchen Weeny Weaning restaurants across the country?
I don't know about you but I wasn't aware that Baby Bjorn did weaning products. When I thought Baby Bjorn I thought baby carriers! However they do have a range of fab products and we've been trying out their baby cup.
This innovative design was born when one of the product developers for Baby Bjorn noticed how tricky it was for his own 18 month old daughter to transition to a drinking cup. So he set himself the challenge of producing a cup suitable for babies/toddlers. One that was easy to learn to drink from, wasn't breakable and wasn't easy to knock over.
The developer and his team spent a long time producing this cup from watching and analysing how babies/toddlers drink to constructing several prototypes. They also interviewed parents and had their children try them out. Until they got to the design you see today! Here's the science bit...
The cup is made 'stable through a low centre gravity and a rubber strip on the bottom'
A rim at the bottom on the outer edge also allows it to slide, rather than fall over when knocked or pushed by a little one.
Overall it took about to years to get the result they wanted.
So, what did we think of it? On first glance I just loved the bright colours and look of the Baby Bjorn cup. A big plus point for me is that they're BPA free as are all of their plastic products. It's also dishwasher, microwave and freezer safe, always a bonus as I've come across a few products that can't be used in the microwave! It also has the measure on the clear part so you can see how much your child is drinking.
The first time we used it I put a little drop of water in the bottom to see how Eliot got on. Immediately he picked it up and tried to drink from it. He needed assistance to lift it up to drink the water and did seem a bit confused by the water flowing freely not like when sucking on a cup or bottle. Over time he has got the hang of how to use it and this is due its design making it easy to grip.
He is a 'typical' boy and loves throwing and bashing things about so he's not quite ready to be left independently with it as his water would be everywhere! Although he hasn't been able to push or knock it over, it just slides as mentioned above.
Additionally it has been great for using as a feeding pot, we've been using it for cereal and fruit. It is recommended as suitable from 8 months but would be great to use it as a feeding pot before this and as a cup when your baby is ready.
Baby Bjorn products are available to buy from a selection of stores, you can see them here.
Have you tried any of the Baby Bjorn weaning range?
* We were sent these cups for the purpose of review. All opinions are entirely my own.
Ahh the mornings, not my favourite time of day for several reasons. Here are a few...
I have to leave my bed (and may not of had a good nights sleep!)
I need to be organised (not my forte!)
I need to organise everyone else (and by everyone else I mean my other half & baby)
Thankfully at present I am just working three days a week. These are the mornings that are more hectic! On the days I'm not at work I can follow a more relaxed pace. They usually go like this...
Eliot likes his sleep so normally wakes up between 7am-8am. The first thing we do is a nappy change (very swiftly) and then t's time for his much loved bottle.
After about twenty minutes we will have breakfast together. I think it's great to have a variety of breakfasts as it prevents boredom with the same old same old!
We were recently sent some packs of Belvita biscuits to try out and I was looking forward to this new mix in our morning routine.
I actually used to carry Belvita biscuits round as snack when I was pregnant and didn't really think of them as a breakfast choice. However with four simple steps they give you a balanced breakfast.
Belvita breakfast biscuits
A portion of fruit
A serving of dairy
A drink to hydrate you
They are also 'the only breakfast biscuit proven to slowly release carbohydrates over 4 hours'
and are
rich in cereals, a source of fibre, made with wholegrains, have a selection of vitamins and minerals and don't contain colours or preservatives.
I was keen to see if the four steps helped keep my hunger at bay until lunch time. So was Eliot, as you can see in the photos (and video clip) below.
He definitely welcomed this new combination for breakfast. It can easily be varied too, with the flavour of Belvita, the fruit and the dairy portion.
To my surprise the four steps did keep me satisfied until lunch time!
I had enjoyed the flavours I tried in the past but I'd never tried the biscuits with the yogurt filling. For some reason I wasn't particularly attracted to them. But boy am I glad I have given them a taste! The new yogurt crunch with cocoa biscuits flavour, is my favourite so far!
Enjoying Belvita's 4 steps to a balanced breakfast.
The four steps are perfect when I am working and everything is always a rush! I just grab a packet of Belvitas, a piece of fruit and a yogurt drink to have on route or when I get to work. Quick and simple but also getting a balanced brekkie!
My top tip for making the most of the mornings (when getting out of the house) is prepare the night before. So get lunches ready, get clothes to be worn out and have bags packed! It just saves some precious time in those early hours! And don't do what I did last week and forget your baby's bottle and have to go back!
This post is an entry for the #MorningStories Linky Challenge sponsored by belVita Breakfast. Learn more at https://www.facebook.com/BelvitaUK.
*We were sent packs of Belvita biscuits for this post. All opinions are my own.
We were sent a box of Organix cereal from their new range of baby cereals to try out. There are five new organic cereals catered for different ages and stages and all their cereals have their new pack design with the new logo.
Stage 1 from 4+ months includes baby rice, strawberry and banana porridge and banana and mango porridge. All with smooth textures for those early tastes.
Stage 2 from 7+ months includes banana and plum porridge and what we have been trying, multigrain mini puffs. These have a thicker consistency for when you and baby are ready to try out.
Stage 3 from 10+ months includes banana, peach and apple muesli. Aimed at babies ready for a more challenging texture.
All offer the Organix 'No Junk Promise' which means there are no added sugars, no colourings or artificial flavourings.
The multigrain puffs come in a small ball shape and cluster together when you add the milk, making it easy to feed your baby the amount you wish.
Eliot seemed to enjoy exploring the new texture on his first taste of these and has enjoyed them for his breakfast with warm milk. You can serve them with warm or cold milk, whichever suits your little one's preference.
You can buy these from Asda, Ocado and Sainsburys RRP £2.49
Have tried any of the new Organix range?
* I was sent the product in exchange for a review. All views are entirely my own
I've been lucky enough to try out another fab OXO tot product, the Sippy Cup Set in Aqua. I've previously reviewed and loved the 'on the go spoon' and 'divided plate' which you can read about here.
The sippy cup set is suitable from 6 months and has a total of four pieces to help your little one transition from a sippy cup to a cup without handles. It has many great features including being free from BPA, phthalate and PVC. It has a leak proof valve to help prevent any spills and also releases pressure for comfortable sipping. And one of my faves, it can be placed in the top rack of a dishwasher.
As you can see in the photos you get a lid with a spout and a training lid which has a removable insert.
The handles are easily removed for cleaning and when you're tot is ready for the next stage.
You can see how the cup can be used in different ways to move towards an easy transition.
Eliot has been a bit of a pickle (lazy) when using a cup for water, he preferred one of us to assist when requiring a drink. Lately he has been more enthusiastic to do it himself and I thank the chunky handles on the OXO tot sippy cup! They are just the right size for a little one to grasp comfortably. He also seems to prefer the spout as he needs to suck on it for the valve to release the water rather than it spilling out uncontrollably like it has with some cups.
I also love that it is translucent, you can clearly read the measure on either side and see how much your baby has drunk.
Using the cup whilst out and about.
I definitely recommend this cup, not only does it have fantastic features, the quality is outstanding compared to other cups I have tried. I continue to be impressed with high standards OXO reflect in their goods.
You can purchase the 'Sippy Cup Set' in aqua, green or raspberry from retailers such as Kiddicare priced at £!0. Use OXO's Store Locator to find your nearest retailer.
Have you tried any of the OXO tot products yet?
* I was sent the product in exchange for a review. All views are entirely my own
When I received a tweet from OXO TOT offering me the chance to review their weaning tools, of course I was more than happy! I'd read other reviews and browsed their products at the baby show back in October. I'd been impressed with what I read and saw!
However I was even lucky enough to choose what I'd like to review and went with the on the go spoon and the divided plate. I chose the plate as I planned to start some baby led weaning and thought it would be great for when Eliot was older. I was particularly drawn to it as it has portion sizes of protein, carbs and veg measured for you. This is great to help make sure your little one is getting a balanced meal! It may not be exactly what I need for Eliot now but I chose it because I knew it would be a mealtime must that would grow with him.
..
I have enjoyed using it and it's brought to light that I may have been giving Eliot too much of protein or carbs so this factor has been incredibly helpful! I have found it very reassuring. Even though on a recent visit to the health visitor I was told to 'feed him as much as wants' I am not comfortable with this as I believe he would eat until he popped! I certainly do not want to stretch his stomach.
A polished off dinner!
It is Sturdy and hardwearing, sure to survive baby/toddler fun/tantrums when it's flung to the floor while your back is turned for that split second!
I have loved using the on the go spoon both at home and whilst out. It has been perfect when we're out and about. The plastic case means it remains nice and clean prior to use and keeps your change bag smear free after meal time too. Again it is extremely well made. The shape of the tip is angled for easy feeding and soft for little ones mouths, yet not flimsy like other weaning spoons I have used.
Out & about!
When Eliot is older I will be purchasing the Cutlery to match his plate!
Have you used Oxo Tot products?
*These products were sent to us for the purpose of this review. All opinions & views are my own.
