Baby

  • Motherhood

    Minimal Toys & Toy Rotation

    Something we’ve really been working on since toys became a major feature in our world is reducing how many toys there are in our world. Sounds counterproductive I know but stay with me.

    Throughout 2020 we spent a lot of time reorganising, decluttering, and minimalising the things we own and we have been so successful with that, and toys have been one of those things. We have been creating a calm and soothing play environment using minimal toys and using toy rotation to keep play fresh, engaging, and interactive.

    Why minimal toys?

    Did you know fewer toys creates a better depth of play? Literally having less choice and only have a small number of toys enables children to use their imaginations more, become more creative in their play and it can even be attributed to deeper cognitive development too (“The influence of the number of toys on the environment on toddlers’ play” published in the journal of Infant Behaviour and Development). The higher the number of toys, the more mess that creates around them can stifle their play and their imaginations. I have seen it myself before we opted to follow this route. With more toys my daughter would either play sporadically or just bypass it entirely at times. As soon as we significantly reduced the number of toys around her she began to play more deeply and creatively. We rotate our toys monthly at the moment (more about toy rotation in a minute) and we notice an incredible difference between the beginning of our rotation cycle (when everything is fresh and new) and at the end (when things are starting to get a little boring).

    So, does it work?

    Aside from the science to back it up we have really noticed a difference in the way our daughter plays, creates, imagines, and interacts with her toys since making the change. Less definitely is more and is a great motivator for her to be more creative with her own toys too. When toys are messy and overbearing creativity is stifled and play is much more limited.

    Toy Rotation

    I know what you’re thinking “But we already own too much” but let me share this with you – it doesn’t all need to be out and available at the same time. We’ve already accumulated a lot of things through preloved toys being handed down and gifts, and I also understand the feeling that you want all of it to be used. So what if I told you this: it’s more likely that all your toys will be used far more intently and more often if you offered them in smaller batches. What we have seen is when all the toys are available things don’t always get played with in any depth. When offered with a smaller batch of toys then they seem to be played with and used at a much deeper level.

    We separate our toys into 3 rotations; 1 in use and 2 stored, and we rotate monthly to keep the toys fresh. We still keep some key pieces available throughout, such as her kitchen, but at the end of the rotation we swap everything round. She is always delighted with her toys and it’s always so fun to see her rediscover them, as if they are brand new, after a short time away.

    I plan to jump into how I organise her toys and what our minimal toys and rotations look like, so stay tuned here and over on my Instagram page.

  • Breakfast, Food

    6 ridiculously easy toddler breakfast ideas

    You know what it is like, another morning where all you want is to sit down over your coffee (or tea) but your brain immediately springs into breakfast mode and what on this earth you are going feed your toddler today.

    We had a great weaning journey from 6 months to a year. So far (at 19 months) she eats everything but tomatoes. I used to share weaning content all the time so I thought I would bring myself out of retirement and share with you some ridiculously easy toddler breakfasts to break up the monotony.

    blur breakfast close up dairy product
    Photo by Ash on Pexels.com

    Let’s get started with the breakfast ideas

    Pancakes

    A firm breakfast favourite in our house is pancakes and I have found these brilliant from weaning and beyond. I use a really simple pancake recipe that is very easy to make. As a side note it also makes great Yorkshire Puddings too. We do have the swan pancake maker which does make perfectly sized pancakes for little hands, but you can easily make these in a regular pan too. Pre-1 year old I would always serve up pancakes plain with the addition of fruit with some yogurt as well. Now she is past 1 years old I still do this but I will also have options such as adding honey. Honey is only suitable for children over 1 year – please do your own research on this. Now I usually add honey with lemon or with her strawberries – and she absolutely loves it. 

    Omelette

    We have a joke in our house that weekends equal omelette as that is her dad’s favourite thing to serve her for breakfast and he often gets up with her and does her breakfast at weekends. There are so many options when it comes to making an omelette and we just crack an egg and whisk it and fry it in a pan. You can add anything vegetables you like as well as topping it with cheese. In our house anything with cheese always goes down well. 

    Baked oat fingers

    Baked oat fingers are a great on the go breakfast or something to pop alongside other parts of the breakfast. These are well loved by both us and our toddler, and there are so many different variations you can create. I tend to stick towards fruits such as blueberries, strawberries or raspberries but I have been known to throw in some chocolate chips from time to time when I make some for us. I have the basic recipe here but you can totally make what works for you. Next on my agenda is peanut butter and banana (I will share the recipe when I have it) and I really recommend white chocolate and raspberry. These can be frozen and eaten hot or cold.

    Baked oat fingers breakfast

    Waffle fingers

    Like above these are another great recipe that you can serve alone or as part of your toddlers breakfast. I don’t have the waffle recipe written out but there will be so many online that you can use. I know I did lemon and blueberry and they went down a treat. All you need to do is create (or replicate) the recipe, cook the waffles in a waffle maker or square mould and then cut them into fingers. I batch cooked these and then put them into the freezer and bought them out 1 or 2 at a time. You can serve these hot or cold.

    Some cereals

    I am, in general, against breakfast cereals because the sugar content is so damn high and they offer very little in terms of nutrition. However, we do have a couple of exceptions and she loves them; Cornflakes or plain weetabix. These work brilliantly on days where I just want to get something served up quickly.

    Egg muffins

    These are a great option any time of day and for adults and toddlers alike. We loved serving these up when we were weaning as they were so simple for H to hold and eat herself. For the recipe, I usually eyeball what I am doing and don’t necessarily follow a strict recipe. I would add a couple of eggs, a dash (or more of milk), some grated cheese and some vegetables. Mix everything together, pour them into a silicone cupcake cases and sprinkle some grated cheese on top. Then cook for about 15 minutes or until well done. These are then stored in the fridge and last a couple of days, if they’ve not been eaten by then.

    My daughter has always been weaned using the baby led weaning approach. We waited until the recommended 6 months before trying her first foods. I hope this helps you on your weaning journey. If you are just starting out don’t forget to download my popular 100 foods before 1 checklist – it’s a lot of fun!

  • Food, Sweet Treats

    Easy Blueberry Smoothie Lollies for Toddlers

    We’ve been busy making some more treats while we’re at home through lockdown and today it has been some Blueberry smoothie ice lollies, which are perfect for this beautiful weather. We’ve had an absolutely beautiful spring where I live (In Hertfordshire, UK if you are new here) and with so much beautiful sunshine and more lovely days than dull days, it is one of the reasons I love this part of the country so much. We are lucky that we have a lovely little outdoor space that is just perfect for us in that it is extremely low maintenance and my little Oasis while we live adjacent to some wonderful fields. Despite having spent the last two months in lock down here in the UK we’ve been able to spend most of our time outside and it’s been wonderful.

    Making the Ice Lollies

    There is nothing more welcome on a beautiful hot day than an ice lolly and I thought it was the perfect time to give these baby & toddler ice lolly moulds by Nuby a try. We originally bought these for our daughter just before we started weaning her at the end of last summer with the intention of making fruit purees into ice lollies for her, but it didn’t quite happen as we got so caught up in baby-led weaning, so I have been so excited to make her some yummy smoothie lollies to try this year.

    Blueberry Smoothie Ice Lollies for Kids

    Blueberry Smoothie Ice Lollies for Kids

    Prep Time: 5 minutes
    Additional Time: 6 hours
    Total Time: 6 hours 5 minutes

    Ingredients

    • 1 handful Blueberries
    • 300 ml Milk of your choice ((We chose whole milk))

    Instructions

    1. Add milk to your blender
    2. Add a handful of washed blueberries
    3. Blend until like a smoothie
    4. Pour into ice lolly moulds
    5. Push on ice lolly mould handles
    6. Place in freezer for a couple of hours

    This is such a simple recipe and will work with pretty much most fruits and not just blueberry, and you can definitely switch it up to suit your little ones dietary requirements (for example just swap the cows milk for an alternative if you need to).

    Next I plan to try some raspberries, as they are my daughter’s favourite, along with some Strawberries when the summer really hits but you can try this recipe with literally everything because any fruit will go! I have some frozen mango in the freezer too that I plan to try because that will give that holiday-in-the-Caribbean vibe too. Bring your holiday home this summer and try lots of different flavours in this simple recipe.

    Tell me in the comments, what is your or your little one’s favourite flavour milk lolly?

  • Motherhood

    Breastfeeding Heartbreak

    A post about the breastfeeding heartbreak I experienced when feeding my first child.

    The hardest thing about writing this post is definitely in the relieving it, because although I know I made the best decision, although I know that my breastfeeding journey played out exactly how it was supposed to, sometimes going over it still brings up the old emotions that I felt when I was in the midst of it. That being said, if I can help one mama feel less alone then that is all that matters.

    Breastfeeding started out great, in fact so good that I felt absolutely elated and grateful that I wasn’t having any struggles. Fast forward a few days and things look remarkably different. We’d had a few issues mostly with pain and latch which I know can be common but Hadley then stopped feeding from my right side entirely and no matter what I tried I could not get her to latch. With help from my community midwife and a lactation specialist and we finally managed to get her back and things seemed as though they were moving in the right direction.

    Only things weren’t moving in the right direction as H was loosing weight (we’re talking way beyond the usual drop from birth weight that most babies experience) and medical professionals were showing up to weigh her daily, all looking more concerned than the one before that she wasn’t gaining any weight.

    And then there was me. I was struggling but I really didn’t know how to verbalise it, especially as all this hit around the same time as the hormonal drop known as the baby blues (not to be confused with postnatal depression which is something very different). I was struggling both physically and emotionally with breastfeeding; I was in so much pain from being so sore from a bad latch, I was bleeding, I felt so lonely when I was up alone feeding. I shared my feelings of loneliness with my husband who from that moment on made it a priority to wake up with me for every night feed and let me tell you I felt so grateful. And if all of that wasn’t enough I then got double mastitis, twice. 

    Let me tell you this; I have never felt more of a failure than I did in those moments. Never have I ever felt so alone and hormones definitely didn’t help when it came to rationalising what I wanted or needed to do. Hadley was still losing weight and on the cusp of being readmitted to hospital (there was also worry surrounding her jaundice from birth as it was assumed that maybe I wasn’t producing enough milk, so she wasn’t getting enough which meant she wasn’t excreting enough to clear her jaundice). 

    Breastfeeding mum

    I knew that I had to make a choice, was it the right one? For me, in that moment, yes. Do I wish it had been different? Also yes. All I knew was that I needed to feed her, I needed her to thrive and our decision was to supplement her with formula. Watching her drink down her first bottle of formula gave me so much joy while simultaneously breaking my heart. One week on from her birth and for the first time she became a contented baby we hadn’t yet seen. I think it was correct that I probably hadn’t been able to produce enough breast milk for her, as from that moment onwards she was happy, content and has thrived ever since. Some from then on we combo fed her until I felt like my journey with breastfeeding was done.

    Stopping breastfeeding was one of the hardest decisions I have had to make. People told me to just stop but nobody tells you how difficult the emotions attached to it are (so much so that I pumped one extra week longer than I gave her breast milk because I wasn’t ready to stop).

    My breastfeeding journey wasn’t easy and for so long it has hurt my mama heart so much and I am sure every time I look back on it will always be a little tinged with sadness. BUT that being said, I know I absolutely made the best decision for my baby, however hard that was for me, as she very quickly became the thriving baby we all see today. 

  • Food, Lunch

    Broccoli & Cheese Pinwheels for baby led weaning

    We’re a couple of months into our weaning journey now and we’ve been trying an abundance of recipes that I am going to try and get published asap. Sometimes it definitely feels like there aren’t enough hours in the day. but today I want to share my broccoli and cheese pinwheels recipe with you.

    Being the independent baby led weaner that our little girl is I like to try new foods, textures and flavours all the time, I like to introduce new finger foods for her to explore and I love to try new recipes myself that I can give her. We love trying different things for lunches and you can check out another one of her favourite lunchtime foods in my previous blog post.

    pinwheels

    Making the pinwheels:

    One of my IG friends had recommended trying pinwheels, and although I had heard of them I didn’t quite know what I would put in them, so I came up with a recipe (probably one that’s been done before – but as with most things parenting-related you will find I wing it as I go).

    pinwheels
    pinwheels
    pinwheels
    pinwheels
    pinwheels
    pinwheels

    I decided to try a Broccoli and cheese mixture so I could do them for Hadley’s lunch. At this point in our weaning journey, I would say she is more interested in veggies than fruits, although I am trying to get her to take more of interest where I can. This pinwheels recipe is super simple and really tasty, my husband and I might have tried a couple for ourselves too – just to be sure they tasted ok for Hadley, of course.

    pinwheels
    pinwheels
    Broccoli & Cheese Pinwheels

    Broccoli & Cheese Pinwheels

    Prep Time: 10 minutes
    Cook Time: 30 minutes
    Total Time: 40 minutes

    Ingredients

    • All butter pre-rolled puff pastry
    • A head of Broccoli
    • Milk
    • 100g cheese

    Instructions

    1. Cut the broccoli into florets and steam for 20 minutes until soft.
    2. Add to blender with a small about of milk and blend until a creamy paste that isn't runny.
    3. Lay out the pre-rolled pastry.
    4. Spread the broccoli paste on the pastry.
    5. Grate the cheese and sprinkle on top.
    6. Roll pastry back up into its roll.
    7. Cut into slices.
    8. Place on a baking tray and cook for 20-30 minutes.

    There are so many different options and flavours to try when it comes to pinwheels and baby-led weaning – you can follow so many different recipes, this recipe, recipes on Pinterest or do what I did and create your own and see how it goes.

    pinwheels

    As you can see Hadley got stuck in straight away and she demolished quite a bit. Although she doesn’t have any teeth yet she is surprisingly good at gumming! Also, isn’t her plate amazing? I absolutely love the Bamboo Bamboo range and you can pick up her plate on Amazon*.

    Have you tried pinwheels before? What is your favourite way to make them? Leave me a comment below!

  • Food, Lunch

    What I give my 6 month old for lunch with Baby-led weaning

    The beginning of our weaning journey

    Baby lunch plate

    When we started our weaning journey I wasn’t entirely sure what I wanted to do, where I wanted to start or even how to navigate all the options. In short, I was a first-time mum, questioning the minefield of advice and just deciding to forge my own way, with my eye on safety advice.

    I started with what you would call traditional weaning, mashes and puree mostly and trying to spoon-feed them into Hadley’s mouth. I say trying because Hadley really wasn’t up for being spoon-fed in any way, shape or form. Hadley showed us from the word go that she was the independent woman we are raising her to be and with that, she wanted to do this weaning thing all by herself. So it was goodbye to puree food and spoons and onto a brand new world of baby-led weaning. 

    Now for clarity’s sake, I think because I started with first tastes and spoon-feeding that I am not a Baby-led weaning purist, however as with anything parenting related (and life related if I come to think of it) I march to the beat of my own drum and don’t really try and fit myself into any little boxes. So with that said, on we go!

    Moving onto a baby-led way of life

    With Hadley wanting to do everything herself along came the world of having to create her little meals to go alongside ours, and while we often give her either the same as us or certainly a version of ours, sometimes I do her separate meals entirely.

    Today I wanted to come on and share one of Hadley’s favourite (can I say favourite if she’s only been eating for a couple of weeks?) lunches and I found it the least stressful when starting a more baby-led approach. I am going to share the recipe card below so you can save it and refer to it if you want to at a later date. As I said, this isn’t a complicated recipe at all, just one to get you started if you are looking for ideas, whether you are doing traditional weaning or baby-led weaning.

    Also, how cute is her Bamboo Bamboo Bunny plate from Amazon, I’m still wondering if I can get away with eating out of a bowl this adorable at 34 years old. Answers on a postcard…

    I am just getting started on our baby-led journey and this is just one of the recipes I have found that Hadley (and me!) have gotten on really well with. I have the same as her and just add a little bacon, but it’s totally up to you.

    Lunch plate

    If you want to follow along our weaning journey don’t forget to follow us on Instagram and for more recipe ideas you can follow our weaning board on Pinterest too.