Tried & Tested: Black and White

As promised, I'm reporting back on the effect of black and white on a newborn. Specifically my newborn. Everything I read about is true - it calms him, entertains him and mesmerises him. The mobile I made and put above his bed keeps him occupied in the late hours (I've caught him grinning at it as though its an old friend).

We've got a black and white throw on our sofa and when he's sat in our arms he's instantly calm, almost hypnotised by it. It verges on impossible trying to tear his eyes away from it.

There's also a newborn toy we bought for him that he now loves. At first he was a bit weary of it (it does have cheeks that remind me of 'jigsaw' from Saw) but now it's becoming a playtime favourite. It's the 'Zany Zebra' toy from ToysRus and is brilliant for introducing textures, sights and sounds with rattles, teething leaf, mirrors, taggy's, flashes of colour...and of course black and white stripes.

So far I've found black & white to calm, socialise, entertain and develop my baby. It appears to be a fantastic teaching tool but above all it makes the little man happy. And that's all that matters!

How To: Make a Taggy Toy Animal

Our little man loves bath time. He also loves grabbing hold of labels and tags from clothes. I thought I'd combine the two and make some taggy sea themed soft toys for him to play with, to keep him occupied whilst waiting for the bath to run or when we're drying him off.

It's also a perfect way to make use of any scrap material and ribbons that you may have lying around.

For this 'how to' guide I'll be making a whale tag toy.

What you'll need:

Material

Ribbons

Needle

Threads

Pins

Wadding

1. Cut shape out of chosen materials. For texture, I've chosen to use cotton (from on old bib) and an old towel. 

2. Cut ribbons to length.

3. Tack stitch the end of the ribbons together

4. Place the two shapes together back to back, with the outside facing in. Place the ribbons inside the two pieces with the loops facing inwards and the ribbon ends sticking out the edge of the material - this will be the water spouting from the top of the whale.

5. Sew around the end of the two pieces of material, securing the ribbon. Leave a gap in the stitching and turn the material the right way round by pulling it through this gap.

6. Stuff the gap with wadding. I already had some lying around from when I made a fancy dress Minnie Mouse bow but you could use the inside of an old synthetic pillow to save cost.

7. Stitch the gap closed.

8. Use another coloured thread to stitch the eyes and mouth.

I also chose to make a jellyfish and a turtle to finish the collection of sea creatures. 

We tested them last night with the little man and he seems to approve! I think they'd make a cute personalised gift or a fun craft project to do with older children. I'm planning on sitting down with my Niece and helping her make a taggy toy for her new baby brother. Like most kids she loves craft and these are fun to make plus it will be yet another way to encourage her to feel included when the future new arrival becomes a permanent addition to her home. :)

The Best Baby Diaries Ever!

Don't worry, I swear I'm not selling them. I just wanted to say just how amazing the journals by Amy Krouse Rosenthal are. I'm so glad I discovered them, especially for my first pregnancy. I've touched on them before when I wrote the post about 'The Belly Book' which I loved using during the pregnancy. Now Josh is born I've got the next journal in the collection: 'My Baby Book'

 Its written in the same brilliantly witty, non-cutesty style as The Belly Book, with curved edged chapters much the same also: 'My arrival', 'My first year' and 'Gallery of firsts'. I love the variety of ways the book allows you to document your child's life: interviews, photo sections, funny multiple choice questions, even an area for you to splash with the water from the first bath. `The cover also looks similar to The Belly Book so they'll look perfect on a shelf.

On Mother's Day, along with the gift I bought for my Mum, Josh gave her a gift: The Grandparent's Book' (wrapped in blue wrapping paper and 'signed' with his footprints). It allows my Mum to document how she feels to be a Grandma (again) and to write stories of her childhood to share with Josh, snapshots of our family history and share memories of times she spent with her own grandparents. It'll be a fascinating read once she's finished filling it in and I think a brilliant bonding tool for her and Josh once he's old enough.

Oh and also....did I mention I'm going to be an Aunty again! My sister is expecting her second baby in July and its a boy! :) so Josh will have a cousin the same age to grow up with. My nephew will have a big sister who's 9. She's always been the centre of attention so I wanted to get her something that would let her know that we will still be just as important to us as she always has been I thought 'The Sibling Book' would be perfect. It allows my niece to write about the new baby from her perspective (from pregnancy to birth and beyond, to keep photos of his miles stones and best of all compare herself with him e.g. scan photos and stats from birth. I gave it to her as an Easter present (along with an egg of course!) and she loves it. My sister tells me she's filled out lots already and she's brought it along with her on more than one occasion  I sneaked a peak and its adorable. She tells me its made her feel more included, so I hit my goal :) I also gave my sister her own copy of The Belly Book so she can document her pregnancy and she is obsessed too.

In summary, I am in LOVE with these books and now so are my family. Each book perfectly compliments the other and are even interesting for others to read (usually baby books are only interesting to the Mum). Having never been a diary keeper I am now addicted. And its all down to the books of Amy Krouse Rosenthal.

This week I'm Loving: Smiles

29th March 3am: Blurry eyed and exhausted I'm changing Josh's nappy. 4 weeks of interrupted sleep, (averaging at 45 minutes a time and 4 hours overall a night) I was a walking zombie. Couple that with the exhaustion of the manic days, I felt like I was on a never ending conveyor belt of nappy changes, feeds and comforting. Glancing down I could see Josh quizzically surveying my face. And then out of the blue, there it was - the biggest most beautiful toothless smile I have ever seen. It was as though he'd been testing my skills as a mum and decided that I deserved a reward.

The next morning, Me and baby daddy tried everything we could think of to get Josh to treat us to his smile again, but he just stared at us as though he couldn't quite believe these face pulling fools were his parents. I told family and friends who ALL responded with " Nooo, it'll just be wind." But then the smiles came more often; every time without warning and every time to a doubter. Each person exclaiming "Oh my god, he's smiling at me!"..... I know!!

Now, Me and BD are greeted with huge smiles every morning when he wakes up and all throughout the day during our little 'conversations'. I never realised as a Non-Mum just how heart meltingly brilliant your child's smile can be. It makes the 'mad hour' of crying (between 7-8 every night) seem a breeze. Just thinking of that smile when I'm swaying with my tired little man, in front of the extractor fan whilst watching/reading Corrie episodes with the subtitles on is instantly calming.

Josh giggles in his sleep. Maybe he's dreaming of winning the milk lottery or the cute little girl baby he passes every day in the park, but whatever it is it cracks him up. I can't wait until he decides I deserve that reward when he's awake!

7 weeks of being a new mum

Its been 7 weeks since my last post. 7 amazing weeks. 7 weeks today since the birth of my little man. And 7 weeks into now being known as a Mum!

I had every good intention to post sooner but I had no idea how busy a newborns schedule would be - his social life is better than mines been in years!  I still have a queue of people dying to meet him.

This is the first time I've managed to find the time amidst all the initial hospital chaos (and many many mistakes and oversights on their part - long story), visits from friends and family, getting to grips with the pram/car seat/ swing, learning to survive with the lack of sleep and initially erratic sleep schedule, getting to know our baby's gorgeous laid back, sociable, head strong personality and gazing endlessly in fascination at his little face and tiny tiny feet Life is now being lived at a hundred miles an hour in a sea of nappies and bottles with multitasking now second nature...but now, I wouldn't have it any other way.

On the 27th Feb 2013, baby Joshua James was born. The induction that was booked was deemed a failure after almost 2 days of intense labour. The contractions were so close together that the doctors made the decision that, as nothing was happening that we had to go ahead with a c-section so Josh didn't get distressed. The c-section went without a hitch and in just 8 minutes after surgery began, our son was lying in his dads arms. In the 28 minutes it took them to stitch me up Baby Daddy and I were chatting happily about what we should call him. A day and a half later he STILL didn't have a name.

We thought when he was born we would know instantly which name would suit him but this didn't happen! We were so distracted by just how gorgeous he looked that we completely forgot about naming him. It was only when we went down to visit him in neo-natal and introduced our selves as parents of baby boy that we remembered the urgency of it. While Josh was being looked after and treated for low blood sugar (due to gestational diabetes) me and BD were frantically scrolling through every baby name site we could find on our phones. Nothing seemed right. But as soon as Josh was wheeled back up to us in his little plastic cot, it clicked. Now, 7 weeks later his name seems perfect ...I still end up calling him 'baby' though - a habit I'm determined to break! :)

The last 7 weeks have seen 2  weekends away, 7 health visitor/ midwife visits, 1 trip to the zoo, 1 mothers day, 284ish nappy changes, 1 trip to the beach and so many beautiful smiles from our little man. Google, youtube and Babycentre forums taught me how to nappy change, bathe, bottle feed and baby massage. They put my mind at ease in the first few days when I wondered if that breathing pattern was normal or how to treat jaundice naturally at home. How any mum coped before the days of the internet I'll never know!

One things for sure this whole experience has given me a new found respect for my mum. Being a new mum is stressful, exhausting, educational but ultimately incredible, fascinating and rewarding. So this is why people have kids!! :)

Due date!

It's finally here! After 9 very long months our baby's due date is finally here. Not that he's showing any signs of budging. Luckily, due to the gestational diabetes I am booked in for an induction tomorrow so my (im)patience just needs to hold out a tiny bit longer. I would much rather have a natural birth but I'm told that for our baby's sake they will not allow me to go on much longer with the pregnancy. Now its just a case of passing the time. That's easier said than done!

9am

I have literally not slept. I have spent the night Googling ways to bring on the baby and what happens during an induction. Yet despite the lack of sleep I'm wide awake. All I can think about is "What if the induction takes days? What will we do to stop the boredom?" "What if it doesn't go as planned?" "Will the baby be ok?"....."What are we even going to call him?"

10.10am

BD has just woken up and before he's even had time to open his eyes properly I'm asking him the same question we've been going over for the last 9 months. "What are we even going to call him?"

After 30 mins of debating we've concluded....we still don't know. Or rather can't agree. He doesn't like any names I've come up with and the only name he can bring to the table is Steve. I'm sure its a very nice name on some men but that's just it - as far as I'm aware, I'm giving birth to a baby not  45 year old balding man. 

10.40am

Pamper. There is literally nothing better than  hot bubble bath and a pamper to pass the time. Only a mere hour and a half later and after a home facial, hair mask and skin treatment, I'm well and truly wrinkled like a prune but very relaxed and happy. The baby on the other hand is more active than ever but I'm going to make the most of what's probably the last moment of alone time I'll have for a while.

2.00pm

The baby will not be reasoned with. No amount of talking to my bump and trying to persuade him to vacate his little home is working. I've even found myself spending a longer than sanely necessary time repeatedly shaking the Magic 8 ball until it gives me that answer I really want. 

"Magic 8 ball, will my baby be born tomorrow?" *Shake Ball* 'Don't count on it' *Shake Ball again 'You may rely on it'.... Satisfied :)

2.30pm

Me and BD are out in the village stocking up on everything we might need over the next couple of weeks. Food, cosmetics... do we really need 3 tubes of tooth paste?? How essential is that pack of Malteasers?....Now that's done :) How are we going to carry all those bags back before it goes dark? I know its only  ten minute walk away but with my weeble wobble walk I better set off now.

3.00pm

Cleaning! Again! The house is cleaner than its ever been since we moved in but I cant stop! Its become a weird obsession. Cleaning out the kitchen junk drawer has become an urgent priority, even though I've got no clue what's in there. Ooh, is that a smudge on the window I cleaned yesterday...fetch me a duster!

4.35

Weigh myself on Wii....not as bad as I thought :) 

Bounce on Swiss Ball - probably a bit too energetically. No sign of contractions but now I have sore thighs!

Begin to do a 3 mile wander round and round the corridors of the house....get (a welcome) interruption from my mum who calls to say good luck for tomorrow.

5.15

Completely panic. Oh my god, I'm going to be a Mum soon! How am I going to grow  responsible bone in such a little amount of time. Text a friend who texts straight back laughing/reassuring me that I'm being mental. Still feel a bit terrified but spend 45 minutes returning texts to everyone who's kindly text over the last few days. I'm rubbish at communicating with my friends but god I'm lucky to have them!

.................It literally doesn't feel real. I'm a jittery giddy mess. I Can't believe in a few days time at the most I'm going to be Mum. Poor little baby :)

How to: Budget, Save and Make Money For Your New Family

"Kids are expensive!" or so my Dad constantly reminded us every time he had to write cheque for a school trip or handed over his card to the smiling cashier who'd just sold him the latest clothes we needed.

According to the news recently, it costs £218,000 to raise a child until he is 18. The sensible idea would be to plan to child and save before hand....hmmm. Whilst our baby is definitely wanted, it wasn't especially planned. Unless you count the 5 second conversation me and Baby Daddy had one night in bed:

Me:(looking at a friend's pic of her baby on Facebook): Do you want kids?

BD: (shrugging): Yeah, maybe... one day. Do you?

Me: (reading a text on my phone): Yeah, I think so. One day. 

BD: (not looking up from his laptop): Do you want one with me?

Me: Yeah.... do you?

BD: Course.

So as you can tell we had thoroughly planned our family expansion. Both me and Baby Dad work but, as I'm sure most parents to be are, we were worried about being able to afford everything our baby needs. For the first time in my life I decided to plan. To plan and to budget. Anyone who knows me will tell you this is not familiar territory for me so I needed to be as prepared as possible.

After a visit to the Money Advise Service website's brilliant section 'Budgeting for a family' and using their tool which helps calculate the cost of a newborn, I found our new baby would cost us around £3700 in his first year (https://www.moneyadviceservice.org.uk/en/categories/budgeting-for-a-family) This is including new baby equipment and childcare costs.I decided to make a list of everything we needed and spread the cost over the months before he's born and do everything I could to cut this cost down as much as possible without skimping on the quality of the equipment and products.

All in all I've so far managed to save 2 thirds of what would have been the total cost of stocking up his nursery with equipment, clothes, nappies and (hopefully) everything he'll need for his first few months.

Here's how:

Check lists:

I got hold of as many lists as I could from baby books, catalogues, websites and recommendations from some well practised mummies and compiled one which detailed everything we as a family needed.

The 3 lists I had were:

• Items needed for baby's arrival and first few months
• Items needed for my hospital bag
• Items needed for baby's hospital bag.

Good websites for check lists:

• http://www.emmasdiary.co.uk/pregnancy/pregnancy-products/shopping-for-a-newborn.aspx
• http://www.newparent.com/pregnancy/baby-checklists/

Spreadsheet:

Don't worry, I'm more than aware of how ridiculously anal I sound but I used the check lists to create a spreadsheet listing everything we needed, which brands I wanted, How much they cost, Where we can get them cheaper and finally how much we actually spent on the product....and by this I mean saved.

Yes its geeky but its also so satisfying seeing exactly how much I've saved...without losing out on getting the brands and products I wanted.

Auction, Listings and Comparison Sites:

To save money and get what we wanted on the spreadsheet I used the website mysupermarket.co.uk to compare prices across the high street shops. I then spent a little bit of time checking a few other sites:

• eBay
• Prevloved
• Gumtree
• Free Cycle
• For sale and for swap group on Facebook.

I got some lovely barely used 'I Love My Bear' items from other mummy's on Preloved and Gumtree (nappy stacker, mobile, changing box and top and tail bowl) and my favourite bargain an almost brand new Mama's & Papa's changing table from eBay for £30, when the family who sold it had bought it for £280 on a couple of months earlier.

Vouchers:

I used to find even the notion of vouchers mortifying and would have rather paid double the price of something than to hand over a voucher to make it cheaper IN PUBLIC. Luckily, a very frugal friend of mine showed me the error of my ways. She taught me that the smug feeling of walking out with something cheaper than it should be (or even free!) completely over-rides any embarrassment factor or thoughts of being a bag lady type. At times you even walk out of a shop feeling like you've robbed them you've got that much for free... but there's no need to fear the security guard. 

Where to find vouchers:

• Baby magazines
• Catalogues such as ToysRus, Boots etc
• Baby Clubs 
• Bounty Packs (you can pick up your first one at hospital after your first scan)
• Emma's Diary bags (sign up to the app and you can find vouchers for these goodie bags under the 'offers' section.
• Product packaging

Freebies:

I cannot get enough of freebies. The nursery is full of freebies I've collected over the last few months such as Huggies nappies, baby creams, bibs, lovely pamper products for me by Palmers and Cussons Mum & Me and even enough samples of Fairy Non-Bio liquid and Vanish to last us through a fair few wash loads of baby clothes and muslin cloths. Most of the samples are full sized so I've saved a fortune on the little bits and bobs.

Where to find freebies:

• Bounty Packs
• Emma's Diary bags
• Freebie sites:                                                                   http://www.latestfreestuff.co.uk/free-baby-stuff/                                                 http://www.magicfreebiesuk.co.uk/free-stuff/c/kids-and-babies                                         http://www.freebiesiteuk.co.uk/baby-freebies/
• Baby Clubs (especially when you first sign up)
• Magazines (especially if you subscribe)
• Baby Shows

Out and About:

You can also save money, get freebies and hunt down bargains out and about in your local area. 

My sister and I went to The Baby Show Manchester and got loads of free bottles, bibs, baby cosmetics and food sample whilst browsing the stalls and deciding what products and brands we wanted for our babies. I don't mind admitting we didn't buy anything.... I went home and found the products cheaper elsewhere!

http://www.thebabyshow.co.uk/

There are also some brilliant Car Boot Sales out there which are for stall holders selling baby and kids stuff only. Our baby carrier, bottle warmer and electric breast pump recently came from a very popular and busy car boot. With so much choice and many items still unused in their boxes its worth dragging yourself out of bed on a Sunday morning for a bit of a haggle.

http://www.kidscarbootandswapshop.co.uk/

There are more charity shops on our village high street than you can cope with. They are however all modelling themselves on expensive vintage shops....their shelves stuffed with fur coats and well used suitcases but if the charity shops near you are more of the traditional persuasion you can pick up loads of brilliant pre loved baby clothes and toys. My lovely Gran found a few of my favourite childhood books which look pristine....Yes, I probably will enjoy reading 'Peace at Last' and 'Dear Zoo' to my baby much more than he'll probably enjoy listening to it!

Further Ways to Save:

Libraries:

Apart from my beloved Belly Book: Pregnancy Diary, I don't see the point in spending money on pregnancy or baby books. I'm a stranger to the library, having not been since I HAD to at uni so walking trough the doors of the local library was a bit of an adventure but I soon found the pregnancy section which was filled to the brim with books which covered every pregnancy subject possible: month by month guides, pregnancy exercises and home pampering for mummy's to be. Arms full, I took out loads of books from the library at the beginning of the pregnancy and jotted down everything I might need to know in a note pad I'm now calling my 'Mummy Manual'. Probably hundreds of pounds have been saved thanks to that treasure trove of books.

Apps:

I've also downloaded free pregnancy apps on my phone which take away the need to spend on books. They have been a constant daily teaching tool for this clueless mum and are a fantastic source of reassurance with the forums, articles and tools such as check lists and contraction counters. The best apps are:

• Baby Centre
• What to expect when you're expecting
• ipregnant deluxe

Youtube:

Rather than spending money on DVDs and CDs for all your pregnancy needs, have a look through Youtube and you will find some amazing relaxation, meditation and exercise videos as well as instructional 'how to' type videos and weekly pregnancy updates. Whether you're desperate to get some sleep, in the mood for some pregnancy yoga or just wondering what your baby looks like this week, you will always find a video to help. Some of my favourites are:

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MCSFobwvQTg (yoga)
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zk7SQ6ZZxUM (insomnia hypnotheraphy)
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AHDU7ThiBMg (weekly fetal update)

Surveys and Focus Groups etc:

OK so this isn't a savings tip, more of a money making tip but if you spend the money on your baby check list you're technically saving! With all the time I now have waiting for the baby to arrive on maternity leave, I have been able to devote time to filling out surveys for money and vouchers.

The best survey sites I have found are:

www.onepoll.com - short surveys for smallish fees (eg 20p) but they pay you by BACS or PayPal once youve reached £40 of earnings. In one day you can usually recieve roun 10-20 surveys.

www.valuedopinions.co.uk - longer suerveys of around 20 mins for larger fees (eg £1) but they pay out quicker - you can redeem vouchers once you have hit £10. In 4 weeks I have collected £40 of Sainsburys vouchers.

Focus groups are also a good way to make a little extra cash. Sarosreasearch.com hosts focus groups which will pay you in either money or good freebies. For example, the last invite I had for them was for a focus group in the city which paid £50 for a 45 minute session.

Mystery Shopping is also a bit of fun and a good way to pay for meals or shopping you might have already been doing. Marketforce.com is a good site to sign up to as it requires you to have no special equipment. Recently, we have had a free pub lunch & an extra £10 fee for giving them a little bit of an insight into our experience. 

Finally, preparing the house for your baby's arrival gives you the perfect excuse to clear out unwanted items and make money for your troubles. Sell bags of unwanted clothes to a local shop that pays a set fee either per bag or per weight or use websites to sell your goods:

• eBay
• Mazuma
• Music Magpie
• Amazon

..............Happy Saving and Money making everyone! If you have any more ideas, let me know. I a sucker for saving these days :)