Changing Bag Dilemma | Baby # 2

I've spend hours upon hours trawling the web on the hunt for the perfect changing bag for baby number 2 and I've got to admit that I've loved every second of it. There's something so much different to choosing a bag for this baby compared to when I was on the hunt for my first with Myles. Being a first time Mum I didn't quite understand the importance of a changing bag. I knew that I needed one but I couldn't get my head around the cost. I've never been one to splash out on myself so spending a minimum of £60 on a bag seemed absurd. Oh the times have changed. I've gone from spending £30 (finding an awesome half price deal) to looking at bags from £40 all the way up to £130! Incase you're curious I opted for the Babymel Ella Tote bag with Myles and it's held up over 2 years and I still love it!

A lot of important factors come in to choosing the perfect changing bag, especially when it comes to having 2 young children and size for me is at the top of that list. Upon my hunt, I first came across the Babymel Grace and fell in love. Babymel is definitely a brand I trust. The quality is amazing and after 2 years of constant, every day use my Babymel Ella is still going strong and is only just starting to show a little wear and tear, so obviously this was my first choice. I love how the Grace is on the larger size and also looks more like a handbag rather than a changing bag, and that's most definitely what I'm looking for this time. It's also on the lower end of the price bracket at only £62, so happy days! It comes in a few different colours but I've got to say that the black is definitely my favourite. 

After stumbling across a changing bag review on youtube for the Timi & Leslie Rachel Changing bag I suddenly found myself torn. This is the most expensive of all the changing bag I came across at £125 which at first almost gave me heart palpitations. Spending that much money on a bag seemed crazy but I just couldn't stop thinking about it. It's hard wearing, (thank you reviews) beautiful on the more casual side, massive and has the most amount of pockets I've ever seen. For the first time I was contemplating spending a great deal of money on a bag. 

Sticking to the youtube videos I was then suggested to watch a changing bag review on the Babybeau Isabelle Tote changing bag, and I'll be honest I wasn't 100% sold. I loved the size, I loved the compartments but I only liked the design. That was until I came across the navy and brown version. That was it! Love at first sight! Reatiling at £109 it's still on the pricey side but just look at it's beauty and size! I dream about this bag. 

Last up is the Babymoov Style chaning bag retailing at £44.99 so at the bottom end of the price range, and I've got to say that I'm intrigued. It's definitely has a more changing bag apperance than the other bags in my selction but I just love the design. It has plenty of compartments and just looks so classic. The price also helps too. The only downside to this bag is the size. I feel as though it would be a perfect changing bag for a first time Mum with only one baby but for two babies or a baby and a toddler I'm not quite sure if this would be big enough. 

As you can tell I'm still a little torn. I've not yet built up the courage to part with my hard earned cash and to make a final decision but hopefully I'll get there. If nothing else I hope that this post has shown you a few more options when it comes to changing bags and that you don't always have to feel quite so Mumsy. You can hold onto your style while still being an awesome Mum! 

Katie

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Mummy Monday | Lamaze Classic Discovery Book Review

Last week I reviewed the Lamaze Captain Calamari, if you missed it then click here to check it out. Keeping with the theme of Myles' favourite toys I thought that this week I would show you another. Once again it's Lamaze, no surprise there then, (I just adore how knowledgeable they are when it comes to designing toys for babies) but this time it's the Classic Discovery Book.

 

I picked up the Lamaze Classic Discovery Book on a whim when amazon had it as one of their Black Friday deals around Christmas last year. It dropped to such a great price and I being the avid book reader that I am, I knew that I had to buy Myles his first book. Though I never knew just how much he would enjoy it and that it would become a staple in Myles' day.

The Lamaze Classic Discovery Book contains 8 pages including the front and back, some of which crinkle, some squeek, some rattle and each have a different texture. The colours are extremely vivid and definitely appeal to my little man. I personally love the crinkle pages as the noise porduced is a great distraction for when he's feeling a little fussy, but he also loves to crinkle them himself. He's now at the age where he enjoys turning the pages too. I'm not 100% sure that he turns the pages to look at something new, but it's definitely an intentional act. He also likes to put anything he can into his mouth and with this being extremly soft I have no fear of him doing so with this book.

As with most Lamaze products you can attach this to many things by the hook. We don't tend to use this, instead we lay it across his lap and leave him to it. It such a great piece for self entertainment, but I also love how interactive it is. We tend to spend time each day flicking through the pages enjoying the textures and pointing out the different animals. It's also been great for Myles' developtment, encouraging him to explore new things with his hands. For such a simple product it sure does keep Myles entertained.

Overall I love this book. As with all Lamaze products I own they are extremely well made. Not one loose thread in sight and definitely built to last. I even feel that once Myles is finished with it, it'll still be in pristine condition and I'll able to save it for my future children as the colours are still as bright as the day we bought it. At £8.99 it's such great value for money and if for some unfortunate reason we were to lose this, then I wouldn't think twice about repurchasing it.

Mummy Monday | Lamaze Captain Calamari Review

It turns out that I'm a huge fan of Lamaze products. If I look around at Myles' toys their brand stands out clearly above the rest. I just love how bright and colourful they are and how fun they appear, so with this in mind I thought I'd share my opinions on their very popular Captain Calamari.

A bit of background information on our situation: My son Myles is 4 months old as I write this review and we bought Captain Calamari while I was still pregnant.

Firstly I love how all Lamaze toys have distinctively fun and unique names. I've not noticed this from any other brands and though I know my son doesn't notice this yet, I rather enjoy it.

We've had Captain Calamari attached to Myles' car seat for as long as I can remember but he didn't start playing with it until he was about 8 weeks old, though he did enjoy enjoy staring at it way before this time. I feel that the bright colours are particularly attractive to smaller babies.

The day that Myles started to play with Captain Calamari was when we attached it to his playmat. From that day on we've never looked back. It's quickly became his favourite toy that keeps him entertained whether it be on a long car ride or when I need to get a little housework done. I also find that the clips attached to the top are very useful for easily adding it to car seats, pushchairs and even playmats.

Captain Calamari has 8 tentacles (obviously) each with a different texture or pattern. Some have a crinckle texture which produces sound, others are soft and squid-gy (don't mind the pun.) Myles' favourite features seem to be the tentacle with two rings attached which always finds it's way into his mouth and the tentacle with the ball attached. We always hear this first when Myles wakes on car journeys as he bats in around rattling the balls inside.

I adore the bright colours and textures and I feel that it would make a great addition to any babies collection regardless of gender. I also feel that the toy will grow with the child. When Myles was really small he would watch the toy, now he tugs and plays with it and I'm just waiting for the day when he finds the mirror under all the tentacles. For the retail value of £9.99 it's also a great price for such a good quality product, and what's best is that Lamaze products are usual on some sort of offer so you can generally get them cheaper.

Overall I definitely recommend this product as it's lived up to all my expectations and beyond.

Mummy Monday - Teething Must Haves

I'm sure you've guessed it by the title of this post, yep my little man has started teething. At only 3 months old he's got the tell tale signs of red, glowing cheeks, iritability, crying for no apparent reason, chewing on everything and probably the most obvious excessive drooling. Now I don't think he's anywhere near to sprouting his first pearly white, but for anyone who's suffered from widom tooth pain you'll know just how painful it can be before there's even anything to show for it. So I thought that I'd type up this post to let you know what I've found useful in the past month, and perhaps help to jog my memory when Baby #2 comes along. 

Tommee Tippee Closer to Nature Teether Stage 1 - Standing in front of the teething range in Boots was definitely a little daunting and I was a little hesitant to pick this up as I'd never heard anything about it, good or bad, and I'll admit that it does look a little gimmicky. But I'm glad I parted with my money on this one as it's worked wonders. 

The company claims that the textured surface massages tender gums, the suface is also comfortable for baby to bite and it has channels designed to hold teething gel. I can't say how great this massaging action is but I can say that Myles loves a good chomp on this thing. Yeah I'll admit that you could just let baby have a gnaw at your finger and yes I do alternate between this and the teether but it's great when your fingers have turned all prune like. The channel for teething gel I'm also a little dubious about but it is great to apply the teething gel to and definitely soothes his little aching gums, I'm just not sure the "channel" is really neccessary. 

It's not something I use daily or even something Myles wants to use at times but when he's really suffering this little thing works a treat. The shape of the dummy fits Myles' mouth brilliantly and it really is easy to apply teething gel too without it instantly slipping off the gums and for prices averaging at around £4 for 2, you can't really go wrong.  

Bright Starts Senses Soothe-a-Bee Teether - Any teether or teething ring will do, as long as baby can hold onto it and can have a chomp down when those pesky teeth are at their worst. The Soothe-a-Bee just happens to be the one that we picked up, or should I say his wonderful Grandma picked up for him. 

The textured wings on this teether are designed to soothe the babies gums and I have to admit that these are where Myles like to bite down, but he is also rather partial to munching away at the black and white handle as it fits a little easier into his mouth. 

All in all this has been a great little buy. He seems to love the brightly coloured design and can easily hold it on his own (though he does prefer a little help) so I also believe that it's helped with his hand eye coordination. 

Pain Relief

Calpol - I opted for the original version of this over the Sugar or Colour Free versions but ultimately the choice is up to you and what's best for your child, they all do the same job in the end. Calpol contains Paracetamol which reduces fever but is also a great overall pain killer. I only use this as a last resort as I really don't like to give oral analgesic, but when I know that it'll ease his suffering then that's ok in my book. 

Bonjela Teething Gel - There are many different brands of teething gels on the market but I chose Bonjela for the familiar name. To be honest they all contain the same active ingredient, lidocaine which is a numbing agent to help soothe those tender gums. So a cheaper brand would work as well as the more expensive brands out there, if you're looking to save a few pennies, and who isn't? 

These teething gels aren't very long lasting but are extremely fast acting. I probably wouldn't recommend them for long term use but it does make the difference between a baby not sleeping due to sore gums to a sleepy baby getting a little shut eye from a few minutes of soothed gums. 

Ashtons and Parsons Teething Powders - These are probably one of the most popular items to relieve teething pain on the market. When these come in stock they fly of the shelf. Mother's swear by them. We're currently in the trial stage of these so I wouldn't say they're at the top of my must have list but they have definitely helped. All you do is sprinkle the granuals onto the babies gums and voila! And if so many Mums swear by them, then they deserve a mention in this post. 

I normally always provide amazon links on my blog as I know it's probably the most easily accessible site for everyone, but when it comes to medicinal items I don't particularly trust them. So due to this the links I've provided for the baby pain relief will take you to Boots who I most definitely do trust. Also please always check the age restrictions for these items and the dosage as many products are not suitable from birth. 

Finally the number 1 teething must haves that blows all the others out of the water are Mummy Cuddles! Nothing beats Mummy cuddles when there's a poorly baby. Sometimes being rocked to sleep is the only way. Ironically I'm typing this post while rocking poorly baby only proving my point further.