Now we're a month in I'm not going to be as strict with recording and writing down everything Indiana eats / throws on the floor haha. I did however did the past week so thought I would share! She's getting stuck in to most foods now and has taken to literally grabbing chunks of food in her hands and shoveling it in... very cute to watch but not very lady like haha! She's also discovered the wonder of strawberries and spent a lot of the week dyed pink from eating so many!
So this weeks diary looks like this:

MondayBreakfast: We were at a baby group so missed breakfast
Lunch: Peanut butter bagel, sweet vegetable rings, Little Angels oaty bar + tried pineapple!
Dinner: Chicken goujon, boiled potato, carrot, mangetout and a whole strawberry yoghurt

TuesdayBreakfast: Scrambled egg with a buttered crispbread
Lunch: Philli rice cake, cucumber and strawberries
Dinner: Cheese and ham ravioli - she HATED it and cried until we took it away haha

WednesdayBreakfast: Banana mixed with wheatabix
Lunch: Marmite bagel, grapes and ham
Dinner: Fish, sweet potato chips and carrot

ThursdayBreakfast: I made porridge fingers mixed with strawberry
Lunch: Pizza wrap with ham, cheese and peppers and strawberries
Dinner: Our version of a chicken and mushroom risotto (just made with normal rice) and a strawberry yoghurt

FridayBreakfast: We were at another baby group so had a snack of 1/2 crispbread and sweet vegetable rings
Lunch: When we got home she finished the rest of her crispbread, Ella's Kitchen puffits (which she can now pick up with her pincer grip!) and half a banana
Dinner: Shepard's pie, carrots and mangetout

SaturdayBreakfast: Scrambled egg on toast
Lunch: 1/2 crispbread with philli, sweet vegetable rings, and a satsuma (we were out for lunch so she also had a sneaky try of our ribs, naughty mummy!)
Dinner: The rest of her lunch that she didn't eat!

Sunday
Breakfast: Spaghetti on toast
Lunch: Asleep
Dinner: Roast dinner - duck, roast potato, carrot and brocolli

She's tried so many new flavours this week and has decided that her hands are so much better to use than a spoon haha! Even though she will happily spoon feed herself a yoghurt and is learning to give the spoon back for more!

Dentinox Teething Gel | Review

As you may know Indiana has been teething pretty much since she turned 3 months old, lucky us haha! She's coped with it pretty well most of the time, however there have been a number of days, especially recently where she's needed something to help. So when I was asked by Dentinox to review their teething gel I jumped at the chance! We've been using it for a few weeks now and we love it, and it definitely helped Indie when her second tooth was popping through.

All you have to do is pop a small amount on a clean finger (I find your little finger works best) and rub onto the gums. Indie loves it and finds it a hilarious game trying to lick it off my finger before it reaches her gums haha. I did find that it wore off quite quickly on her bad days, but the great thing is it can be reapplied after just 20 minutes! It contains a numbing agent to soothe gums and relieve the pain caused by teething. I found it worked brilliantly and could definitely see a difference in Indie's behaviour once I'd popped it on.

What's great about this gel is that it's suitable from birth onwards. As you may know previously we were using Bonjela which is only suitable from 2 months onwards. What about those poor little ones who teeth really early on? Definitely a bonus point of this gel! It's also sugar free so there's no worrying that it's going to give your baby a unwanted sugar rush haha. I did find that sometimes it's easy to squeeze too much out of the tube than you really need, but that's only a small negative really. 

*Disclaimer - I was sent this item to review however all opinions are honest and my own*

Indiana's 7 Month Update

I have to say month 6 has been the quickest yet! Maybe it was because we went on holiday, or it's probably simply because Indie does so much more now the days just fly by! So today the 26th marks Indiana's 7th month and here's what she's like now:

Weight

I had Indie weighed last Wednesday (when she was 29+1 weeks) at the clinic. I was a bit surprised to see that in 4 weeks she had only put on 4lbs and is now 16lbs 12oz (although she's probably more now!). The health visitor said this is completely normal now though as they begin to move around more and obviously with weaning.

Daily

We're back into a pretty good routine now. She still wakes up at the same time but will now have a play before her morning bottle. Then it's nap number one and then breakfast once she's woken up. Then it's basically repeated with play/bottle/nap/food for the rest of the day. We now try to make sure she gets food if we're out, and our SnoozeShade means she naps brilliantly when out too! After dinner it's daddy time. He either does bath/bottle some quick cuddles and then puts her to bed around 7.30. Then it's parent time until it all starts again at 7am the next day!

Bedtime

All the same really. Still going to bed at 7.30ish after her last bottle. Now it's warmer and she's bigger we're into new grobags (1 togs for this hot, muggy weather). The big change to this is that last Saturday we stopped the dreamfeed (I'll be doing a separate post on this). It's actually going really well - yes I touched some wood as I wrote that haha - and we are offering water if she wakes up or her dummy. The past 2 nights have been amazing and she hasn't even stirred; keep it up monkey!

Eating

This is the area that has changed the most since last month! We're still on 4 bottles of Cow&Gate Stage 1 a day, where she takes anything from 6-8 ounces. Along with this she now has three meals a day with us. We are baby led weaning so no purees and no spoon feeding here! She's doing it all by herself and it is truly amazing to watch. We're a month in now and she's now learnt how to chew and swallow and boy don't those nappies prove it haha! She has picked it up brilliantly and we are both very proud, especially at how well she spoon feeds herself. I'm doing weekly updates so make sure to check those out!

Sizes

We finally made it into the size 4 nappies woohoo! We also took only 6-9 months clothes on holiday so I decided to just do a complete switch last weekend so she's solely in that size now. I love when I get to bring out the next size as it's like a whole new wardrobe for her haha, especially when you find things you forgotten you've brought.

Milestones

• She now sits like a pro. I used to put pillows around her but now you don't really need to. She has also learnt to go down onto her front from this position too.
• Talking! She babbles away constantly and now says 'dada' 'baba' etc
• Moving progress - As well as going round in circles she now moves backwards haha. I found her behind the sofa yesterday!
• Teeth!! She now has 2 teeth which are so so cute.
• She now puts her hands up when she wants picking up (I admit I now pick her up continuously as this is so stinking cute! haha).
• She went on her first holiday and plane journey and even used her big girls buggy!
• Standing up - She can now stand if holding on/leaning against something as well as by just holding her hand.
• Eating is a massive one. She's loving food and has pretty much enjoyed everything we've given her so far

I think that's about it for her this month, it's been a busy one! Now she's sitting up and interacting more we got her some 'grown up toys' including a teapot with the most irritating songs haha, but she loves them. She loves to make music too, and will happily shake a maraca or play with her rainmaker... such a clever girl! She has also finally started to notice animals too, and found my parents cats absolutely hilarious last week.

What was your little one up to at 7 months?

Emily xx

#WeLoveBeebies Big Weekend!

When I first discovered I was pregnant I pretty much wanted to buy every baby item I could find in the shops. I wanted all the best items for my bump and thought that everything was essential. Of course I would do all this in the big 'well known' baby stores as I just didn't know or even think about other places.

Once Indiana arrived and I got more into blogging I was lucky enough to come across Beebies Baby Store online and I fell in love straight away! I instantly started following on Twitter and always loved that if you tweeted them you would get such a warm, personal reply back. Then I discovered how local they are to me and this made me love them even more as I'm very much a believer in supporting local businesses to you! The main reason I think they're great is because they offer something different to those retail giants on the high street. Quoting from the website "Beebies Baby Store is your one stop baby, toddler & maternity shop. We offer a wide range of items from both small and larger brands to fit all types of budget and requirement." The owner Ami Holt is very hands on and personally chooses each item that they sell. This means that they only sell great quality products that she believes you actually need... brilliant! They even offer services such as a FREE personal shopper and wrap and send. What more could you want really?

It seems quite a few of you agree with me as they have recently been short listed in the 'Best Independent Retailer' category in the Loved by Parents Awards. So to celebrate they are holding a huge weekend full of fun and competitions to help spread the word and get the votes they deserve to win. They are trying to get #welovebeebies trending so make sure to keep tweeting! 

The itinerary looks like this:

Friday 27th June
12-3pm: The Beebies Baby Awards Hosted by @ChelleMccann with the opportunity to win lots of prizes!

3-5pm: Ask the Owner. Get to know Beebies owner Ami a little better during a live Q&A.

Saturday 28th June
All Day: #WeLoveBeebies Competition! Write a blog post explaining why Beebies will be getting your vote as the 'Best Independent Retailer' on your blog for your chance to win a £100 Beebies Voucher! Make sure to Tweet your blog post using #welovebeebies before 9pm!

Sunday 29th June
10am: #WeLoveBeebies competition announcement

1-3pm: Beebies Top Tips. Beebies will be sharing top tips from parenting experts with a very special guest or two! 

8-9pm: ‪#‎BabyHour‬ - Beebies will be sharing their favourite Baby, Toddler & Maternity products with some fab special offers!

I will definitely be joining in and have already cast my vote! I definitely believe that Ami and all the Beebies team deserve to win and hope that this post has encouraged you all enough to do so too! Don't forget to check out their website while you're at it too, you won't regret it haha, and remember #WeLoveBeebies!

Baby Led Weaning Diaries: Week 4

How on earth are we already a month into our weaning journey? Time really does fly when you're having fun haha! This week has been a huge success and a giant leap in progress I think. She's learnt how to bite off chunks of food, chew it and then actually swallow. Her nappies really do prove that she's taking it in, and so does the lack of mess left on her tray... well done Indie!

So this weeks menu looks like this:

MondayBreakfast: Marmite on toast + Little Yeo rasberry yoghurt
Lunch: Rice cake with peanut butter, carrot puffs and pepper
Dinner: Fish, homemade sweet potato chips and carrot

TuesdayBreakfast: Jam on toast with cheese sticks
Lunch: Cheese on toast and pepper (she left most of this)
Dinner: Garlic bread, pasta and a mixed berry frube

WednesdayBreakfast: Strawberry and banana porridge
Lunch: Jam sandwich
Dinner: Her first roast dinner! Roast chicken, roast potato, brocolli, carrot and a Yorkshire pudding

ThursdayBreakfast: Homemade banana pancake
Lunch: Philli on a crispbread, carrot puffs and Asda Little Angels oaty bar (half)
Dinner: Chicken, potato, baby corn, sugarsnaps and carrots (she wasn't very interested)

FridayBreakfast: Strawberry and banana porridge
Lunch: Banana rice cakes and carrot puffs (we were out)
Dinner: Spaghetti bolognaise + pear

SaturdayBreakfast: Jam on toast and pear
Lunch: Banana rice cakes and carrot puffs (we were out again)
Dinner: We were travelling home so had none

Sunday

Breakfast: Asleep
Lunch: We had a BBQ so Indie had french stick, carrot, cucumber and some cheese straws
Dinner: Philli bagel, sweet vegetable rings + Strawberrys


I was amazed at how much she's actually eaten this week. Watching her hold roast chicken and bite chunks off was just amazing. She even managed to pick spaghetti up off of her tray and slurp it up, chewing peas and sweetcorn in the process (she was covered in it by the end haha)! She really has taken to blw well, and it's more fun everyday! I can't even eat my own snacks anymore without her wanting to share either, the little monkey.

On Tuesdays We Wear Mint!

I know it's Saturday but I couldn't resist putting up this post for Ickle Pickle's BOOTD linky! 

I'm now an owner of a HUGE collection of The Bow Boutique headbands and bows; I pretty much have every colour haha. This has made it even more fun for me to create outfits based on a colour (yes I'm now one of those sad mums who spends their morning deciding what their baby is going to wear haha).

The top and jeggings are both from Zara baby and are some of my favourite bits for her in 6-9 months. We took the outfit on holiday and have now worn it a number of times as I just think she looks super cute in it (the bottom picture was taken on Tuesday). I matched it with a white headband and green bow to create her mint green outfit, and I absolutely love it... adult size please!

Emily xx

Top Tips for Going Abroad With a Baby

Indiana was 6 months when we first took her abroad. I was SO worried about going abroad with her being so young. I had visions of her having a melt down the second she got on the plane, and being inconsolable, but really I was worrying about nothing!

We went to Majorca so our flight was only a short 2 hours from London Gatwick to Palma Mallorca Airport. The huge negative was that we flew early so had to wake Indie up at 3am to get to the airport. She was woken to be put into her carseat, taken out to be put in a buggy, then she had to come out again when we went through security, so she was basically awake the whole time! This actually worked in our favour though as the monkey slept most of the flight... hallelujah! The way back she was awake most of the journey but found great fun in playing with anything she could get her hands on, and I think she quite enjoyed getting cuddles from mummy and daddy the whole time.

We took cartons of milk with us and the Tommee Tippee disposable bottles for the journeys however Indie has other ideas. She became a massive fuss-pot and decided she no longer liked her milk cold, and also wasn't keen on the bottles either. Looking back we would probably just take her normal bottles next time, and ask for it to be warmed up, as it wouldn't have been that much of a hassle really.

Once there and settled she was amazing! She kept to her routine pretty much and apart from not eating food she had all her bottles as normal. She napped and played just like she does at home, and even teethed just the same haha! The best thing we brought with us was our Snoozeshade. I definitely believe this is the reason why she napped so well. As soon as we thought she looked sleepy we layed her back, popped this on the pram and hey-presto, a sleeping baby! It worked amazingly, especially in the evenings. We would give her her nighttime bottle at her usual time, pop her in the pram with the shade and she was gone for the night, so Jack and I got to enjoy our evenings relaxed as a couple!

If I had to give tips for travelling with a baby I would say:

• Try and get flights that suit your baby/childs routine - our outbound flight was at an awful time and we wished it was later! 
• Relax! Our plane was full of families with babies/toddlers, and they did cry, it's just what they do haha! Don't stress about it, and if you do, pick a short haul destination like us. 
• Buy a Snoozeshade! You won't regret it. 
• Also take an umbrella stroller - they're much easier for travelling (I also wouldn't want to risk our Oyster on a plane haha)/ 
• Be wary of the sun/heat - we tried to relax in our room during the hottest part of the day. This gave Indie a longer nap and made sure she didn't get too hot. 
• Have fun! Don't be put off by things because you have a baby. We took Indie to a Pirate dinner show, it was loud but she loved the lights and colours!

Overall I'd say our holiday was definitely a success haha. I now realise I was worried about nothing and we're so glad we went! If you are worried about travelling with a baby I have heard (and would probably agree from seeing it myself), it's probably easier to go when they're this age.

Baby Led Weaning Diaries: Week 3

As you know we were away on holiday last week, hence why week 2 was a scheduled post! We had an amazing week away with lots to see and do, and food played a big part for Jack and I. However, weaning was not on top of our priorities.

The highchairs were quite frankly awful. They were definitely not suitable for a baby Indie's age/size even though most babies are weaned from 4/6 months! They also didn't have trays so she had to eat off of the table, which I wasn't so comfortable with (even though we had antibacterial wipes with us too). She pretty much hated being in them, so we kind of gave up with it haha. However, she did try a number of new things so I thought I'd just list them than carry on as normal next week!

She tried/had:

• French stick (she LOVED this and happily munched on this for ages) 
• Cucumber 
• Toast 
• Yoghurt 
• Ice cream (naughty parents but it was just a few licks off of our spoon which she was practically lunging for haha) 
• Tomato 
• Fish finger (we took out the fish and she ate pretty much all of what we gave her!) 
• Banana rice cakes 
• Carrot puffs 
• Croissant (she just sucked the corner of ours haha) 
• Melon - she particularly loved watermelon 
• Pear 
• Pasta with tomato sauce 
• Mash potato 
• Banana 

She didn't really eat a whole lot, but what she did have she seemed to enjoy. We started up the weaning again on Saturday when we got home, and she carried on as if she hadn't stopped! She happily fed herself half a Little Yeo Rasberry yoghurt, rice cakes, puffs and then porridge Sunday morning! Greedy monkey haha.

We're hoping to introduce a lot more foods next week. She now has two teeth so she's able to bite bits off much easier!

Happy Father's Day!

Hello! We're back from an amazing holiday and couldn't have come back to a better day! Not only is it Father's Day but it's also mine and Jack's 2 year anniversary. We're exhausted and definitely suffering from the holiday blues but we're still celebrating.

I'm not one to really gush and be overly mushy online but I think this is definitely a day for it. Ever since Indie was born I could just tell how much her loved and cared for her. He was also my rock in the first couple of weeks and still to this day don't think I could have done it without him. 

I'm SO lucky that he's also a completely 'hands on' dad. Yeah he still likes to sit around playing Playstation and go for a drink with his mates, but he is always there for the two of us. We do alternate nights as he knows just how much of a grump I am with lack of sleep haha. He also does his fair share of nappies, bath times, feeds, etc, even though with his job in a nursery he does it all day anyway! I just know he loves spending family time with us, and as I don't drive is happy to be the driver whenever we go anywhere too.

I think the thing that makes me happiest at the moment is watching the two of them playing together. Just last night I was sat listening to Jack giving Indie a bath and her giggles were just filling the room. He was playing with her bath toys, giving each ones voices and playing with her... cute!

We love you lots Jack, and even though you have no presents yet (I was pretty unprepared before holiday haha), you mean the world to us. We may not be doing much, but just you being with us is enough. Worlds best partner and daddy!

What are you up to this Father's Day?

Emily xx

Where Did My Baby Go?

When I was pregnant I couldn't begin to tell you how many people told me how fast a baby grows up. Of course I laughed and joked it off, not believing that it actually was true. How could life suddenly speed up when you're days are spent feeding, changing and not sleeping haha! But boy do I wish I listened more! 

When Indiana was born life changed and has seemed to be on fast forward since. Days and weeks go by in a flash and I can't believe she's now 6 months old! I remember capturing her first smile, her first giggle, the first time she grabbed a toy. I found myself hoping she would learn something new so I could enjoy her developing even more. But now she's 6 months I wish she would bloody slow down haha!

Baby Led Weaning Diaries: Week 2

I cannot believe we're two weeks in already! So crazy haha! We've had a bit of a relaxed week this week as I've been out a few times and the pickle has decided she wants to actually nap this week, and has chosen meal times to do it. However, she has tried a lot of new flavours and textures and if definitely starting to chew and swallow more. How can I tell? Give me back milk poops any day haha!
So this week she has had:
MondayBreakfast: Wheatabix with banana
Lunch: White wrap with philli, carrot flavoured puffs and she tried her first Yeo Strawberry yoghurt!
Dinner: Steak, chips, baby corn, and some more of the yoghurt

Tuesday
Breakfast: Asleep
Lunch: Jam sandwich, carrot puffs and banana
Dinner: Turkey korma curry and rice, another yoghurt

Wednesday
Breakfast: Porridge with jam
Lunch: Jacket potato and beans
Dinner: Sausage, baby corn, mangetout, bread roll, then she ate SO much pear for pudding!


Thursday
Breakfast: Out
Lunch: She was tired and we were out so she just tried some melon (which she loved), and licked some of my ice cream (naughty mummy haha)
Dinner: Asleep

Friday
Breakfast: Wheatabix with banana
Lunch: Philli wrap, carrot puffs and grapes
Dinner: Banana rice cakes, carrots and brocolli

As you know we're on holiday at the moment so this is a scheduled post, hence the lack of Saturday and Sunday! I will be keeping a track of all the things she tries on holiday though and will add that to week three's post!

What's in my Baby's Suitcase?

I went through a lot of these sort of posts and asked loads of questions when thinking of what to pack, so I thought it might be helpful for someone else! We are taking a smaller buggy with us instead of our Oyster pram , as well as her carseat as we need it for the transfer to and from the hotel. This means Indie has lost all her luggage allowance and so her bits are being shared between mine and Jack's suitcases.

Indie's also still on 4/5 bottles a day so we have had to take this and sterilising into consideration. She's still in nappies so we've had to bring those too as it just makes it easier not having to buy them there. This has resulted in us definitely being over on our luggage allowance, but oh well, we obviously need all those clothes we've packed too haha.

We've packed:

Clothes-

• 3 x sleepsuits
• 3 x short sleeve vests
• 7 x t-shirts
• 7 x dresses
• 1 x shorts
• 1 x skirt
• 3 x leggings
• 3 x cardigans
• 2 x all in one swimming costumes (one with hat), and reusable swim nappy
• 4 x hats
• 1 x sandals
• 3 x bibs and muslins (another set in changing bag too)
• Her whole bow collection (I know I have a problem haha)

Feeding + Sterlising-

• 6 x bottles
• 1 tub of formula
• 5 x ready made milk cartons
• 5 x disposable bottles
• Tub for sterilising (with lid from 99p store haha)
• Sterilising tablets (boots own)
• Travel kettle
• Surface wipes

Other-

• Snoozeshade
• Pushchair
• Carseat
• 1 pack of nappies + swim nappies
• A selection of toys and seahorse/musical toy
• Toiletries (bath wash, moisturiser, nasal spray, calpol, snufflebabe and teething gel)
• 1 x blanket and sheet for cot
• Coverall bib and bibisili bib plus spoons
• Hooded towel
• Sleeping bag

Looking at this list I cannot believe just how much we're taking for a weeks holiday haha! The amount of clothes may seem ridiculous, but as you know she's weaning now so she practically needs a new outfit every meal time haha. It's also going to be warm so we don't want her to get too hot and sweaty. We could have probably filled a whole suitcase with just her bits; you wouldn't think we had her changing bag to take too haha!

Wedding OOTD

If you've read my previous post you'll know that this weekend we had two celebrations that we attended which meant little Indiana got an actual reason to dress up nice haha. The outfit I have chosen for this OOTD is from Saturday where we attended my cousin's wedding. We went to the reception so we knew she wouldn't be in the outfit for long (it started past her bedtime haha), but we still wanted her to look her best.

The dress is actual 6-9 months and is the first bit in this size she's actual worn, yet we were surprised how well it fitted! It's from Primark and was only about £6/7 and came with matching knickers too. As it was the evening we made sure she had a short sleeve vest on underneath so she didn't get chilly. Then to finish it off I added my usual Bow Boutique headband. I've recently purchased some more so this blue bow and white band went perfectly!

It wasn't until Jack came out dressed that we realised the two of them matched! It was too cute, and made her look even more like the daddy's girl that she is!

Emily xx

Baby Led Weaning Diaries: Week 1

So it's been a fun, messy, and pretty exciting week with Indiana's weaning. She's now a week into her weaning journey and she's taken to it like an absolute pro! She's been feeding herself with a spoon, discovering food and actual there wasn't as much on the floor as we thought haha.

The second we handed her the spoon Monday morning she just instantly knew what to do. It's amazing watching her eat away foods that we eat ourselves, and makes dinner times much more of a family occasion which I love. She's explored lots of flavours and textures and I think she definitely enjoys the stronger flavours more which was pretty surprising to me!


Here's what she has eaten this week:

Monday
Breakfast: Wheatabix with banana
Lunch: Rice cake with philli and cut up grapes
Dinner: Pasta bake (she just had the bits of pasta no cheese), a garlic bread crust, carrots and brocolli

Tuesday
Breakfast: Banana (we went out early)
Lunch: Banana rice cake and cucumber
Dinner: Spaghetti with bolognaise sauce (she didn't touch it haha)

Wednesday
Breakfast: Porridge and cucumber
Lunch: Toast fingers with strawberry jam and banana rice cakes
Dinner: Ella's Kitchen raspberry and vanilla puffits, lettuce and grapes (again didn't eat any)

Thursday
Breakfast: Porridge with C&G fruit mix pouch mixed in
Lunch: Rice cake with philli and grapes
Dinner: A couple of banana rice cakes (we were out for dinner)

Friday
Breakfast: Porridge with fruit mix again
Lunch: Scrambled egg on toast (ate all the toast, no egg), and a satsuma segment
Dinner: Stir fry with Noodles

Saturday
Breakfast: Porridge with strawberry jam
Lunch: Marmite sandwich
Dinner: None (she was asleep)

Sunday
Breakfast: Porridge with banana
Lunch: Banana rice cakes (out)
Dinner: Tortilla wrap pizza - wrap with tomato puree, ham and cheese on top

She's loved discovering all these foods and we've been offering her water in a sippy cup at meal times usually. Her favourites so far are rice cakes and toast, although she absolutely loved her dinner last night! You can hear her going 'mmm' and 'yumm' which is unbelievably cute, and is even learning to chew already, which makes me so excited to continue our journey!