Review of Evenflo 1-2-3 tea for me tea party exersaucer

One of my very close friends had one of these for her little girl who was six weeks older than Poppy.  After we had been to hers and both girls happily played in it for ages we decided we had to get one too. I am so glad we did.  This has lasted for both girls and still looks new.

I brought it when Poppy was about four months old so this was a good two and half years ago.  However, there are lots of similar versions on the market today and EvenFlo still make them too. We were living out in Canada at the time and it cost approximately $70 in the sale.

It looks a bit like a baby walker but doesn't move and is suitable from about four months when your baby can hold their head up well enough. The tea party theme is very pink and girly which is a huge hit in our house. At the start your little one will just enjoy being upright and staring at the brightly coloured toys but as they grow, they will be able to bounce, spin and rock till their hearts content. A clever three height adjustment mechanism means this toy will grow with your child and the toys can be moved around or swapped for different ones, which are sold separately.

Here are a few photo's of Poppy in it when she was younger:

Poppy loved it from the start.  In the beginning it was only for 10-15 minutes but she quickly worked up to be able to play in it for up to an hour at a time. She loved the feeling of being up on her feet and it didn't take long for her to get into all the toys and learn to spin.  It provided her with hours of entertainment. She also used to hold herself up against it when learning to stand.  It is portable enough to move around the house so I used to put her in the kitchen when I wanted to do some cooking, outside the bathroom when I wanted a shower or move it to the bedroom when tidying up. It was a life saver.

We could not wait to get it out again for Rosie.  So here are some photos of her in it:

Again she loved it.  At first she liked being upright so she could see Poppy properly and giggle away when she played with her, but she quickly grew to love all the toys and learn to move.  Rosie especially loved being able to bounce in it and was quite energetic with it. Now at ten months and on the move, she is not as keen to go in it but occasionally she will.  

So what do we love about it?

As you can see from the photos our girls were extremely happy with it. For me it meant I got my hands back. I could put them in it and get on with housework or making Supper and know they were happy and content! We loved the pink and girly design and how easy it is to keep clean.  The seat goes in the washing machine and the rest is all wipe clean. It is very strong and durable.  After two children using it, it still looks like new.  We also liked being able to move the toys around and the fact you could buy more if you wanted too.

What don't we like about it?

Over in Canada they like their snack trays and have them on everything!  I would not be keen on my little one eating and drinking in it so I never used the snack try for that, we just put teething toys or an extra toy on it instead. That's just a personal thing.

Overall we would give this product a massive 10/10.

So if you have a little one who is approaching four to five months, they are well worth considering. Hope this helps.

Karen x

Listography - five products I couldn't live without

So this weeks title for Listography is five products I couldn't live without. I had to think about this for a little while as there are quite a few things really, but this is my final list.

1.  Chocolate
I have put this at the top because I am on a mission to get thin and healthy so have been depriving myself of this lately.  However, I have not stopped thinking about it and would love a bar right now.  I am not fussy: white, dark, milk or mixed it does not matter.  I do absolutely love Hotel Chocolat though yummy...must stop talking about it.  At the moment I am making do with the occasional Atkins chocolate bar but it is not the same :-(

2.  ghd's
How on earth did we manage without these before.. Although I have very long straight hair, it does tend to go frizzy and I love the look when it is all super straight.

3.  Lip gloss
I don't wear much make up but would never go out without lip gloss on.  I have a range of makes and flvours but cherry lip gloss is my Favourite.

4. Touche eclat
I just love this product and it hides  a multiude of sins.  I have tried several of the cheaper brands on the market but none are as good as the real thing.  It is my little luxery item although I have currently run out.  I have really bad circles under my eyes and are desperatley tring to get rid of them.

5. St Ives Invigorating Facial scrub
With a baby and a toddler, showers are a quick necessity and long luxurious baths are a thing of the past. I find this makes my skin glow and feel all lovely and smooth.  I use it twice a day and it really wakes me up in the morning.  It also has a gorgeous peachy scent.

Sot here you have it.  Five of the products I could not live without.  Feel free to check out more entries by heading over to KateTakes5

Karen x

Breastfeeding: two babies, two different experiences

I have noticed there are quite a few posts about breast feeding around at the moment so wanted to share my experiences with you. I have been lucky enough to be able to feed both my girls without too much trouble. Both girls just latched on no problem.  They seemed to instinctively know what to do and just seemed to get on with  it.  However my experiences of feeding the two of them have been very different.

Poppy was my first and suffered from terrible colic/reflux which did effect the way she fed. She used to feed for approx 40 mins a time during the day, but come the evening I felt as though I could not feed her enough.  I would literally feed all evening in the beginning, then she would projectile vomit all over herself and me before screaming for more food (or so I thought).  I remember getting upset because my book (The Baby Whisperer) said you should feed between 20-40 minutes every 2 1/2 to 3 hours and she wasn't conforming.

I will never forget one evening when she was about 4 weeks old and we had my Mum staying. It had been an awful evening. Poppy had screamed for about three hours and I had been feeding on and off for about four, in between bouts of vomiting. I was exhausted and close to tears. I turned to them and said "that's it, she can't possibly need any more milk, I have had enough, I am going to bed". You can imagine their faces as they looked at each other as if to say "oh no, what do we do now?". I literally took of my jeans, climbed into bed with the rest of my clothes on and passed out. That was it until my Husband woke me up at 11pm to give her the night feed. It was the following day she was diagnosed with colic.

When she was about six weeks old we settled on a routine where I fed Poppy all day but my Husband would give her the last feed in a bottle (still my milk, only expressed). I would then use this time to wind down and have a shower or a bath while he fed her. This worked well as Daddy enjoyed his special time with Poppy and I got to have a break and got my evenings back. We could also see how much she was drinking which made us both happier.

Now I was told you could not overfeed a breastfed baby, however I disagree with this. I seriously believe I overfed her. The signs for hungry, over stimulated and tired are all very similar and if in doubt I fed Poppy. You really should not be feeding all day and all night. I also did not use dummies with either of my children and I believe Poppy used me as a soother. This would make sense because babies with colic/reflux suffer from burning pain due to the excess stomach acid which is temporarily relieved by suckling. Suckling in turn produces saliva which neutralises the stomach acid and soothes the baby.

At five months I switched over to feeding four hourly. Things became much improved (although she continued to suffer with with colic/reflux until she could stand) and only 4 feeds a day meant I got my life back a bit, could plan outings more easily and generally made a huge difference.

Rosie was completely different. Right from the start she only fed for 10 minutes at a time except for the evening feed. This one would last 15-20 minutes. At the start I was worried she might be a "snacker" but she would go two and a half to three hours easily in between feeds and longer at night. I did share my concerns with the health visitor when she came to visit and she told me not to worry because she was putting on weight, she was probably just an efficient eater.

I think this is exactly what she is. At four months she easily swapped to a four hour routine, at seven months dropped the morning feed and  at ten months she dropped the afternoon feed.  We are now down to two feeds, first thing in the morning and after her bath in the evening about 6pm. It takes approximately five minutes, no more.  This is quicker than organising a bottle and feeding her. She is a very happy content little girl and her weight is just below the 91st percentile so I know she gets enough, she also eats well too.

Personally, it was good that I had Poppy first and I learnt a lot from her. With a toddler to run after it was also handy that Rosie was so efficient.  It would be a luxury to have 40 minutes sat on my bottom nowadays. I have enjoyed being able to feed them both and feel as though I have given them the best start in life I could. However, I do believe it is up to the individual and it does not suit everyone.

I hope this has been interesting and maybe even helpful.

Karen x

Quality time with my babygirl

Mondays are Nursery day's for my eldest which means I get to spend the whole day with my baby girl.  This is lovely and I really enjoy it.  It's nice to be able to get down on the floor with her without a toddler jumping on my back pretending she is riding a pony! When the second comes along, you don't get nearly the amount of quality time that you get with the first.  Even when feeding in the early days, Poppy would suddenly decided she needed a wee!  I quickly got over the guilt you initially feel about this but now treasure any quality time we get alone. Mondays are therefore "Mummy/ Rosie days".  Sometimes we stay in and others we go out.  I make sure that I do any jobs while she is napping so when awake we just play and cuddle.

Today we stayed in but we enjoyed a lovely relaxing day with lots of singing, clapping, chatting and giggles. I took lots of photos of her on my new phone so thought I would share some of them with you:

Fascinated with eyes

One of her favourite toys

Singing nursey rhymes

Playing ball

On her way to the musical instruments

So all in all it was a lovely day.  I love my girls equally and was very pleased to see Poppy home but for just one day a week its nice to enjoy some quality time with Rosie. 

Karen x

I was nearly a toyologist don't you know!!

Okay, so the wait is finally over.  Geoffrey and the team have finally made their selection and chosen their final ten to be Toys R Us Toyologists this year.  The ten  lucky people are:

• Wendy McDonald
• Sharron Blundell-Rice
• Kate Pollard
• Helen Jessup
• Claire Kendrick-Anderson
• Damian Johnson
• James Spence
• Kath Wrag
• Sarah Lee
• Jennie Nairn

Unfortunately we were not on this list. I would be lying if I said I wasn't disappointed because I am.  I mean how good would this badge have looked on my lovely pink page?

Anyway, never mind. I know it wasn't meant to be.  I gave it my best shot and I am very proud of myself for getting to the short-list stage. So well done and good luck to everyone. I will be looking out for all of your interesting and exciting reviews.


Karen x

Monday MoMenTum - week 2

I can't believe another week has gone already, they are just flying by at the moment. This week we are doing it slightly differently and Liskia over at New Mum Online wants to know the answer to the following questions:

1. What is working?
2. What is not working?
3. What's worked in the past?
4. What will you really focus on this week? and
5. What have you achieved so far?

Okay, sorry about the essay but here goes;

What is working?

 I am doing a combination of a high protein/ low carbohydrate  diet and I am also following the hip Hop Abs Exercise programme.  I am finding the results are fantastic.  A few Months ago I was a very tired Mummy. I  was exhausted, run down, had no energy and didn't feel particularly pretty. Nowadays I am a much brighter, happier Mummy. I have lots more energy, lots more patience with the girls and wake up after a good nights sleep much happier to face the day. I have also dropped a dress size...so exciting. Admittedly I need to keep doing what I am doing.  I could do with losing about a stone or two and still need to tone, particularly around my lower body but I am well on the way.

What isn't working?

It is working but I am a bit of a chocolate addict and have struggled with giving this up.  Today I had a tiny bit.  I have found peanuts, the odd Atkins chocolate bar and sugar free jelly with cream hit the spot generally but I do keep thinking about it a lot!

What has worked in the past?

Atkins is my diet of choice.  Its how I lost my weight for my wedding and after having my first little girl.  It's the only diet I know where you can eat lots of cheese and don't have to worry!! I am not being as strict with myself this time as still feeding twice a day.  I tend to start the morning with a protein shake made with milk and banana and that seems to be working ok, a little slower than if I didn't have it but my little girl is happier. If I fancy something nice I might also have a few strawberries or blueberries but only before lunch.

What will I be focussing on this week?

I am going to do a bit more of the DVD that focusses on my hips, bum and thighs and am going to stick to my diet.  

What have I achieved so far?

I am back into size 12 clothes...yeehh!!!.  Today I brought a little summer dress and a summery tunic top both in size 12's which I was very excited about.  I have also been living in my old jeans that I got back into last week, they are even a little loose around my bottom (although that might be because they need washing). I am also really toning up around my middle.  I am getting my waist back and my tummy is flatter then it has been for a long time.  Husband complimented me last night as I walked out of the room. He said "wife you look less wide from behind"... at least  I think this was a compliment, what do you think? hee hee.

So all in all I think it is going really well.  I am loving having the support of these other lovely ladies and hope you are all doing as well as me.

Keep a look out for more updates and see you all back here next week :-)

Karen x

Silent Sunday