NoseFrida...

If you live in a cold climate and your baby is susceptible to colds, you NEED NoseFrida in your life!

Why? Because babies can't blow their noses so they just store the boogers (snot) inside and their colds last longer. Esra is recovering from a cold, and it's really painful for a mother to watch their little one suffering, so after some research I ordered the NoseFrida over the traditional bulb nasal aspirators and it came through the post today and wow it's AMAZING, instant results!


I ordered it from Amazon for £8.50 (I love amazon)


How it works is, you pop the pointed blue bit into the nostril (not too much and very gently) and then you put the red bit in your mouth and just suck the boogers out. Check out THIS video on YouTube for a demo.


Don't stress, there is a filter so you don't get the boogers in your mouth! :)


It's a useful piece of kit, and I would recommend it for babies and young children with runny noses. Esra starts smiling during and after the process as she is instantly relieved.

A big thumbs up from me!

Perfect Sunday...

I had the best Sunday afternoon with one of my closest friends Emine, we did a spot of shopping followed by a sneaky little cupcake from the Hummingbird bakery... Yum!

Here are the things we chose for Esra...

Hooded Stripe Cardigan - Next £14

Ditsy Roll Up Blouse - Next £7

White Broderie Rope Shoes - Next £5

Shopping for babies is so addictive, everything is so cute and hard to resist! the cardigan is just so cool and perfect for this time of weather. The ditsy blouse will look great with jeans, and the shoes will match every single one of her summer dresses!

Oh and over the past few days I have made some more hairbands...


Hope you had a lovely Sunday! x X x

Oi Oi Change Mat Kit...

I realised I needed one of these 'On the go' bags when I used my baby carrier (baby bjorn synergy) for the first time. I tried to use my 'normal' bag but it was just too bulky and not practical. I hunted for a travel change mat that doubles as a whole change system and came across this one. I opted for this navy number with butterflies from OiOi.

It looks a little like a clutch bag..


It has a strap that goes around your wrist which is perfect for those quick trips out.

It has...

• Space for 2-3 nappies
• Zip away plastic pocket for wipes
• Outer zip pocket for keys, wallet, phone etc
• Easy Velcro closure
• Easy to wipe clean water resistant fabric
• Height: 59cm (23”), Width: 80cm (311/2”)
  

It opens up to be a decent size, and has really proved useful for me.

I usually carry about 3 nappies, but I can fit 4. I pop some wipes, hand sanitizer, cream and nappy bags in the zip compartment and sometimes fold a layer of clothes in between just before I fold the bag up. I even fit my baby record (red book) in between when I'm taking a trip to the doctors.

Here's the back to store all of the essentials.

However, I have noticed one flaw. When you stuff all of your belongings in the zip compartment and then unfold it to put baby on it, it's all lumpy bumpy and not a smooth surface for baby to lie on, it's not that bad as it's padded but still something to consider. Apart from that I LOVE it.

I purchased my bag from Baby Lurve for £30, but this colourway is no longer available but have found this website that sells it for £27.50.

Check out the full collection of change mats from OiOi HERE.

'Pink Lining' and 'Skip Hop' do similar style bags and are also worth checking out depending on your taste.

Do you have an 'on he go' bag alongside your normal 'baby bag'?

I am going to do a review of my Skip Hop Studio nappy bag very soon so keep an eye out for that.

Books...

I am in love with books... Children's books, beauty books, cook books, craft books, baby books, anything you name it, I have it.

I was one of those kids that used to go to my parents with uncontrollable excitement before the book fair came to school so that we could save up for it. My passion still goes on, and lately I am obsessed with children's books, and am building up a collection for Esra.


My favourites include The very hungry caterpillar and Each peach pear plum.

I read to her as often as I can and she really enjoys looking at the pictures and listening to me. I'm storing the books on the bookshelf in the sitting room at the moment, but that's only temporary as it isn't really working as the spines are so thin it takes me a while to find what I'm looking for.


I need something more like this... I'm going to see if I can do a DIY project for children's book storage and let you know if I succeed.


What are your favourite children's books and how do you store them?

Hairbands...

I got quite happy crocheting when pregnant and I have started getting into it again, here are a couple I made recently...




I'm loving the colour combinations, and can't wait to make more to match some of Esra's summer dresses.

Loopy Links...

These Loopy links by Playgro are amazing, as amazing as Freddie.

At first I was hesitant to order these as I thought they weren't really necessary, but I was wrong. They definitely are necessary!

I will explain why....


There are 24 links in various colours and sightly different textures, you can link them to almost anything. My favourite way to use them at the moment is draped over her cot as she loves grabbing them. I also attach them to her bouncer and car seat and I have even used them as bath toys.



You can also attach toys and books to them so that you wont drop them.


They are perfect for little hands and keep her entertained for about 15 minutes at a time, I use them everyday in different places and switch up the toys I attach to them. Esra is seriously LOVING them and has also recently started taking them to her mouth! :)


Price: £5.79 on Amazon.

Worth every penny.

Do you use these kind of links, if so what's your most creative way of using them?

New buys!

Cropped Jean Jacket - Baby GAP £17.95

Brown Jeggings - H&M £5.99

Elephant Hat - Baby Gap £8.95

Jeans with belt - H&M £9.99

Esra's Clothes Storage...

Esra doesn't have a wardrobe as we just don't have the space.

Instead she has 2 drawers and what do I do? Fold fold fold.


Drawer 1 - The left half houses her onesies and some of her sleep suits on the left, and the right half houses her 'day' outfits.


I have used baskets to help organise her onesies so they don't topple down as I remove them one by one.

Drawer 2: Her hairbands are in a box on the left along with her cardigans, sweaters and some more pajamas. Her socks, tights, shoes, woolly hats, gloves etc are all in separate baskets, and her bibs and burp cloths are in a box, and her sleeping bags go behind.


I have made the most of the space by folding her clothes and placing them upright. If I store her clothes in the traditional way then they all go on top of each other and I can't see what she has. I have been using this method for over a couple of months now and it is perfect!
I can't stop buying clothes for Esra, especially when I spot a bargain, so by storing her clothes this way I am able to see everything with the blink of an eye and everything gets worn before she grows out of it! If you take one piece of advice from me, do this for your little one as it will save you plenty of time in the long run.

FYI: I have stored clothes she has grown out of and clothes that are too big for her in vacuum bags organised by month eg, 6-12, 12-18 etc.

How are you storing your baby's clothes?

Tummy Time Travel Play Gym...

We all know how important tummy time is, so I purchased this travel gym from 'East Coast Nursery' and it has to be one of the best purchases I have made as it's practical, colourful, essential and amazing value for money.

I got it for £14.99 (RRP £29.99) from Amazon, however just because it's cheap they haven't compromised on quality.



A travel gym for someone who doesn't travel much? yes, because I 'need' to save space! :)

The pillow is removable as it's attached with velcro, so you can lay baby on their back too so they can play with the toys that hang down.


There are many features including a mirror right in front of the pillow so that your baby can stare at themselves, animals with crinkly bits and rings to chew on. But, best of all is the bright contrasting colours to capture your baby's attention.


It's simply beautiful in design, I don't like to have too many colourful things about the house as it can look really cluttered so I'm glad I have this because...


It folds up....


Zips up...


And is nicely out of sight when not in use.

I would highly recommend looking into travel gyms if you want to save space, have a clutter free home and don't want to compromise on colourful designs for your baby.

What kind of gym do you have or are looking into?

Esra's Corner...

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Here's how we are managing to live with a baby in our bedroom...


The view as soon as you walk in.


This is our side...


And this is Esra's corner.


I have her name above her cot with fabric letters from Mama's and Papa's.


A postcard from paperchase inside an Ikea frame.


A hanging heart from Sainsbury's.


I have tried to keep it clean and simple due to the overwhelming amount of baby stuff that I have had to store.


I added a fabric heart to her cot mobile to match the bedding that I made.


It's from the same fabric as the heart garland I have hanging on the headboard.


Here's the bedding I made whilst pregnant...



I have also managed to squeeze in a chair from Ikea which has been a godsend. I'm actually sitting on it right now as I blog. :)


I don't know how long we will be in this flat, but if we are still here after she has turned 1 then I'm thinking to put in some kind of divider either with fabric or a wooden panel, ideas will be appreciated!

I'm also going to do a storage post on how I store baby's things inside the bedroom and living room.