I was recently sent the Vital Baby Nurture Health and Safety Kit to review. The kit includes 3 items which are a digital bath and room thermometer, nasal decongester and a flexisafe thermometer. They are silicone and BPA free. These are all ideal products to have for newborns which makes this a really handy kit to have.
When the kit arrived, I was instantly drawn to the colour of it. I love how bright all the products are. This is proving quite useful at night time. There's nothing worse than searching for things that don't stand out in dark rooms.
My favourite item of the 3 has to be the bath and room thermometer. It is ridiculously cute. I love the fact that you can use it in the bath and in any room of your house. I am one of these people that has a very hot bath so I am useless at getting the temperature correct for my daughters. It's vital to get the temperature correct for newborns as they can't regulate their own body temperature.
To use, you place the teddy in the bath and then start to fill it up with water. The digital display tells you the temperature and also flashes red as a warning if it's too hot. It will also tell you if it's too cold. I think this is a great feature as i'm always concerned about the bath or bedroom being too hot but I never seem to think about it being too cold. The temperature is displayed quickly.
Once Ophelia is older she will really appreciate this thermometer when she can play with it properly like her sister does.
As you may know I am currently on holiday in Australia. The kit has come away with us. I am finding our teddy extremely handy here to monitor the temperature in the bedroom. As you can imagine the temperature is rather high here, so the room is either too hot or too cold, once the air conditioning is on.
The thermometer has also been used many times since Ophelia has been born. Between the snuffles, general worrying over having a newborn and the teething (yes you heard me correctly, she is teething already) I can honestly say it's had its uses.
It can be used orally, underarm or rectally. On a newborn, I find orally to be very difficult as they can't keep their mouths closed. The most accurate way of taking their temperature is in the rectum but I don't like to do that. I've been using it underarm.
It's fairly simple to use. Once the temperature has been taken you hear a normal beeping sound accompanied with the temperature reading on display. If it's too high the beeping will be quite fast.
The nasal decongester is honestly something I never thought I would use. However, having a newborn in the winter months has meant it has been invaluable. I have heard of people manually sucking the mucus out of their babies noses but I just could never bring myself to do that.
To use you simply push the bulb, place the device in your babies noise and then slowly release the bulb. It's perfectly sized to allow your thumb to push the bulb inwards. The tip is also a good size for Ophelia's nose and is soft.
Ophelia had a very bad cold and this worked wonders to help relieve her. I have to say that I find this doesn't work very well if there is only a small amount of mucus. It only works if there is a lot of it which is why it was great when she had her severe cold.
Overall, I think this is a fab, handy kit for anyone with a newborn. It would make a great gift as they are all essential items. It's a very good size too. It doesn't take up a lot of room. As mentioned earlier, the kit has come to Australia with me, so it's also handy for travel purposes.
You can purchase it here, Health and Safety Kit.
When the kit arrived, I was instantly drawn to the colour of it. I love how bright all the products are. This is proving quite useful at night time. There's nothing worse than searching for things that don't stand out in dark rooms.
My favourite item of the 3 has to be the bath and room thermometer. It is ridiculously cute. I love the fact that you can use it in the bath and in any room of your house. I am one of these people that has a very hot bath so I am useless at getting the temperature correct for my daughters. It's vital to get the temperature correct for newborns as they can't regulate their own body temperature.
To use, you place the teddy in the bath and then start to fill it up with water. The digital display tells you the temperature and also flashes red as a warning if it's too hot. It will also tell you if it's too cold. I think this is a great feature as i'm always concerned about the bath or bedroom being too hot but I never seem to think about it being too cold. The temperature is displayed quickly.
Once Ophelia is older she will really appreciate this thermometer when she can play with it properly like her sister does.
As you may know I am currently on holiday in Australia. The kit has come away with us. I am finding our teddy extremely handy here to monitor the temperature in the bedroom. As you can imagine the temperature is rather high here, so the room is either too hot or too cold, once the air conditioning is on.
The thermometer has also been used many times since Ophelia has been born. Between the snuffles, general worrying over having a newborn and the teething (yes you heard me correctly, she is teething already) I can honestly say it's had its uses.
It can be used orally, underarm or rectally. On a newborn, I find orally to be very difficult as they can't keep their mouths closed. The most accurate way of taking their temperature is in the rectum but I don't like to do that. I've been using it underarm.
It's fairly simple to use. Once the temperature has been taken you hear a normal beeping sound accompanied with the temperature reading on display. If it's too high the beeping will be quite fast.
The nasal decongester is honestly something I never thought I would use. However, having a newborn in the winter months has meant it has been invaluable. I have heard of people manually sucking the mucus out of their babies noses but I just could never bring myself to do that.
To use you simply push the bulb, place the device in your babies noise and then slowly release the bulb. It's perfectly sized to allow your thumb to push the bulb inwards. The tip is also a good size for Ophelia's nose and is soft.
Ophelia had a very bad cold and this worked wonders to help relieve her. I have to say that I find this doesn't work very well if there is only a small amount of mucus. It only works if there is a lot of it which is why it was great when she had her severe cold.
Overall, I think this is a fab, handy kit for anyone with a newborn. It would make a great gift as they are all essential items. It's a very good size too. It doesn't take up a lot of room. As mentioned earlier, the kit has come to Australia with me, so it's also handy for travel purposes.
You can purchase it here, Health and Safety Kit.
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As I'm writing this I cannot believe that Ophelia is already 3 months old. I am gutted that the time seems to be passing so quickly. It just feels like a complete blur. This may be because my mind is occupied on both her and Eva or maybe it's because I'm enjoying myself so much.
Since Ophelia's 2nd month update there has been some big changes. She has cut not 1 but 2 teeth. It happened at 12 weeks old, the exact same time as her big sister. Funnily enough, it's also the same 2 front teeth that she cut.
She has coped so well with it. I knew it was coming because she had a couple of weeks of rosey red cheeks, excessive amounts of dribbling and some of the most explosive poops I've ever seen. Other than that she has been amazing.
As I'm still in Australia, I have no idea how much she weighs. I think my health visitor will have a breakdown when we get home after realising she hasn't been weighed every week. It's funny how relaxed I am about it all 2nd time around. I just look at her and know she is happy and healthy and that's all that matters.
She occasionally rolls on her side so I really can't leave her alone anywhere. She is not too bad at holding her head but I definitely need to give her more tummy time. I keep forgetting to do it. She loves to be in an upright position especially infront of your face.
I breastfeed her on demand and i'm really not bothered about getting her into a routine yet as what we're doing is working for us. She sleeps from about 10.30pm - 5am at the moment which is amazing.
She really is a very content, happy baby. She loves to focus on family members, give them a huge smile and then follows them wherever they go. She has really found her voice. Every morning when she wakes up, she talks for a solid half an hour.
I've noticed a big change in Eva's behaviour towards her. She's extremely loving and has become very helpful. If Ophelia is crying, Eva will try and comfort her. She's also become quite protective of her.
It's just over 3 weeks until we return home to the UK. Daddy finally joins us again next week for the end of our holiday. It will have been 7 weeks since we've seen him. I feel like he's missed out on so much. I can't believe Ophelia will be 4 months old when we return. It's all going too fast.
It seems almost everyday there is some sort of ear bashing post about breastfeeding in public showing its face across social media. It's no wonder mummies shy away from feeding in public. Another reason lots of mums feel they can't breastfeed in public is being over exposed. I've never really worried about this but one thing I was eager to do after having Ophelia was to start wearing 'normal' clothes other than breastfeeding clothes.
I looked at my tops and shirts and was desperate to put them on. In the first month I couldn't put them on due to my big belly but I really wanted to feel back to normal and myself again. I was asked if I wanted to review the Breastvest. The breastvest is a vest that you can wear underneath any top and it sits just below your bra line. It was invented my breastfeeding mums and designed to give mummies the confidence they need to feed in public. It completely covers your belly.
The vest is available in sizes XS through to L. I managed to fit into a size S which I was pretty impressed with. You can buy it in the essential colours of black and white or there are limited edition colours available which are red, grey and blue.
What I liked about it:
I looked at my tops and shirts and was desperate to put them on. In the first month I couldn't put them on due to my big belly but I really wanted to feel back to normal and myself again. I was asked if I wanted to review the Breastvest. The breastvest is a vest that you can wear underneath any top and it sits just below your bra line. It was invented my breastfeeding mums and designed to give mummies the confidence they need to feed in public. It completely covers your belly.
The vest is available in sizes XS through to L. I managed to fit into a size S which I was pretty impressed with. You can buy it in the essential colours of black and white or there are limited edition colours available which are red, grey and blue.
What I liked about it:
- I was able to wear my normal clothes
- It covered my belly which let's face it, you really don't want to show that off after giving birth.
- It washes well
- The material is stretchy
- You couldn't see the outline of the vest underneath my normal clothes
- It was comfortable
What I didn't like about it:
- Whilst my belly remained covered I did feel that my breast was still exposed and that is something I am very self conscious of when in public
Overall, I do really like the vest. It's allowed me to get back to normality quickly and it has saved me money through not having to buy and stock pile a load of breastfeeding tops. I would like to see them design a vest that has a discreet feeding option around the breast. One that has a triangle shape so that only your nipple is exposed as opposed to your whole breast.
Have you heard of this vest before? If you breastfed, did exposure bother you?
It's less than 3 weeks until hubby returns to Australia. I can't believe it will have been 7 weeks that we have been without him. We then have 2 weeks left here before we all fly back to the UK.
We have a couple of trips to Sydney lined up. Sydney, alongside Paris is one of our favourite cities in the world. As i'm sure you can appreciate there are so many hotels to choose from for when we stay but after endless searching on trip advisor and google, here's a list of one's that have caught my eye.
1) QT Sydney - The decor of this hotel stood out for me and grabbed my attention. It's gothic and quirky whilst incredibly romantic. I love all the reds against the black and whites on the room decor The building is steeped in history. It's in a brilliant location. It's within walking distance of family attractions that we want to visit. The reviews I have read are fab.
2) Swissotel - This hotel immediately came to my attention based on its location. It's right in the heart of the CBD which means you can walk to a lot of the main attractions from there. The rooms look lovely. They are modern and stylish. They even have a dedicated kids room which could be ideal for travelling families. It looks fantastic and is something I've not really seen before in such high star hotels. There is also a spa (which does a hot stone massage, my favourite) and pool which I always like when staying at a hotel. Eva loves swimming so we always try and pick hotels with a pool.
3) Pier One Sydney Harbour - This stunning hotel is part of Marriot's autograph collection and is award winning. It's situated in the Rocks area of Sydney. It's a great area to stay for sightseeing. The waterside rooms look incredible. They really are something very special. The views of Darling Harbour are breathtaking. They are elegantly decorated and look quite spacious.
4) Ovolo 1888 - This hotel is a bloggers dream come true. It was designed with instagram in mind. Perfect for me and my blog. It's located very near to Darling harbour which is one of my favourite areas in Sydney. There's lots of different room types to choose from to suit every travellers needs whether you're on your own or with a family. The loft, shaken and stirred room types would be best suited for us.
5) Sheraton on the Park - Last up is this lovely hotel. Sheraton hotels never disappoint and this one looks great. It's centrally located and has magnificent views of Hyde Park. There is also a health club and rooftop pool. I love rooftop pools so this was one of the things that attracted me to the hotel. I also am a huge fan of high tea back home in the UK and they have a fantastic looking one here at this hotel. The rooms are stunning. They look large, so perfectly sized for our family. The ambassador suite looks fit for a royal.
Which hotel do you like the look of? Keep an eye on my blog to see which hotels we chose to stay in.
We have a couple of trips to Sydney lined up. Sydney, alongside Paris is one of our favourite cities in the world. As i'm sure you can appreciate there are so many hotels to choose from for when we stay but after endless searching on trip advisor and google, here's a list of one's that have caught my eye.
1) QT Sydney - The decor of this hotel stood out for me and grabbed my attention. It's gothic and quirky whilst incredibly romantic. I love all the reds against the black and whites on the room decor The building is steeped in history. It's in a brilliant location. It's within walking distance of family attractions that we want to visit. The reviews I have read are fab.
2) Swissotel - This hotel immediately came to my attention based on its location. It's right in the heart of the CBD which means you can walk to a lot of the main attractions from there. The rooms look lovely. They are modern and stylish. They even have a dedicated kids room which could be ideal for travelling families. It looks fantastic and is something I've not really seen before in such high star hotels. There is also a spa (which does a hot stone massage, my favourite) and pool which I always like when staying at a hotel. Eva loves swimming so we always try and pick hotels with a pool.
3) Pier One Sydney Harbour - This stunning hotel is part of Marriot's autograph collection and is award winning. It's situated in the Rocks area of Sydney. It's a great area to stay for sightseeing. The waterside rooms look incredible. They really are something very special. The views of Darling Harbour are breathtaking. They are elegantly decorated and look quite spacious.
4) Ovolo 1888 - This hotel is a bloggers dream come true. It was designed with instagram in mind. Perfect for me and my blog. It's located very near to Darling harbour which is one of my favourite areas in Sydney. There's lots of different room types to choose from to suit every travellers needs whether you're on your own or with a family. The loft, shaken and stirred room types would be best suited for us.
5) Sheraton on the Park - Last up is this lovely hotel. Sheraton hotels never disappoint and this one looks great. It's centrally located and has magnificent views of Hyde Park. There is also a health club and rooftop pool. I love rooftop pools so this was one of the things that attracted me to the hotel. I also am a huge fan of high tea back home in the UK and they have a fantastic looking one here at this hotel. The rooms are stunning. They look large, so perfectly sized for our family. The ambassador suite looks fit for a royal.
Which hotel do you like the look of? Keep an eye on my blog to see which hotels we chose to stay in.
Let's talk about the dreaded 'D' word. The word that divides lots of peoples opinions....the dummy.
I didn't have any intention of giving Eva a dummy. I breastfed her for 9 months and it wasn't until I finished that we ended up giving her a dummy. This was because she was struggling to settle herself after the breastfeeding stopped. We needed something to soothe her. We gave her a dummy and for a couple of years, we have battled with trying to get her to give it back.
As time went on she became extremely attached to it. It wasn't just a night time soother, it ended up being stuck in her mouth permanently. It became a habit for her. Every time we went in the car she would ask for it, if she hurt herself she would ask for it. Every time we wanted a nice family picture or any photo of her, she wouldn't take it out of her mouth. The list goes on.
We had been putting off taking it away from her as there was always some excuse for not letting her have it such as a holiday, where she would need it for the plane, night terrors or Ophelia being born. If she was having a tantrum or playing up, we would always take the easy way out and give her the dummy just to keep her quiet. When she turned 3, I decided enough was enough.
You may know that I have struggled with Eva's behaviour lately. One day, we were at a play centre and she decided to just crouch down on the floor and wee everywhere!!! As you can imagine I was beyond angry and also massively embarrassed. It wasn't an accident, she had done it on purpose. This was the icing on the cake that day as she had been horrible all morning. I took this as my opportunity to take the dummy.
Some people may think this was cruel and evil to take it away when she was naughty but at the time I just couldn't take anymore. I hid it away somewhere she wouldn't find it and I told her it had gone in the bin at the play centre.
This was 10 days ago. Hooray!!! I can't say it's been plain sailing but it's actually been easier than I thought. That first day was horrendous. She spent the whole time screaming hysterically on the way back from the play centre. She threw many tantrums that day but I stood my ground. She told me she hated me and that she didn't love me anymore. The first night she asked for it for bed but i distracted her with more stories than usual.
For a few days after that she kept asking for it. She cried many times but there wasn't the usual horrific tantrums, I was expecting to see. Every time she hurt herself she would ask for it. To my amazement when I would say no, she would reply, 'it's in the play place bin.' I'm glad she had understood that it'd gone.
10 days on and she does still mention it occasionally but this is a battle I have most definitely won.
Here are a few tips to help if you are going to have to go through this at some point:
1) Pick a time when you are going to take it and stick to it, no excuses.
2) Hold your ground - It can be very horrible to see them so distraught but it won't last for ever.
3) Be prepared - I had lots of things prepared for when she would want her dummy. For example if we were going out in the car, I had books, snacks or toys to keep her occupied instead.
4) Be positive - Reward their good behaviour more than usual. I kept praising her for little things and she loved that.
5) Find another comforter - If they use their dummy as a comforter, then get something to replace it. For slips and trips, I bought Eva an Elsa ice pack. For a Frozen obsessed girl this was a massive hit as you can imagine. For night time she had a new teddy.
Ophelia doesn't have a dummy and when the time comes when I stop breastfeeding, I will be a bit stronger than I was on Eva and not give her a dummy. It's not that I think they are bad, I just don't ever want to go through the fuss of trying to get rid of one again.
Have you had to take a dummy away? How did you find it?
I didn't have any intention of giving Eva a dummy. I breastfed her for 9 months and it wasn't until I finished that we ended up giving her a dummy. This was because she was struggling to settle herself after the breastfeeding stopped. We needed something to soothe her. We gave her a dummy and for a couple of years, we have battled with trying to get her to give it back.
As time went on she became extremely attached to it. It wasn't just a night time soother, it ended up being stuck in her mouth permanently. It became a habit for her. Every time we went in the car she would ask for it, if she hurt herself she would ask for it. Every time we wanted a nice family picture or any photo of her, she wouldn't take it out of her mouth. The list goes on.
You may know that I have struggled with Eva's behaviour lately. One day, we were at a play centre and she decided to just crouch down on the floor and wee everywhere!!! As you can imagine I was beyond angry and also massively embarrassed. It wasn't an accident, she had done it on purpose. This was the icing on the cake that day as she had been horrible all morning. I took this as my opportunity to take the dummy.
Some people may think this was cruel and evil to take it away when she was naughty but at the time I just couldn't take anymore. I hid it away somewhere she wouldn't find it and I told her it had gone in the bin at the play centre.
This was 10 days ago. Hooray!!! I can't say it's been plain sailing but it's actually been easier than I thought. That first day was horrendous. She spent the whole time screaming hysterically on the way back from the play centre. She threw many tantrums that day but I stood my ground. She told me she hated me and that she didn't love me anymore. The first night she asked for it for bed but i distracted her with more stories than usual.
For a few days after that she kept asking for it. She cried many times but there wasn't the usual horrific tantrums, I was expecting to see. Every time she hurt herself she would ask for it. To my amazement when I would say no, she would reply, 'it's in the play place bin.' I'm glad she had understood that it'd gone.
10 days on and she does still mention it occasionally but this is a battle I have most definitely won.
Here are a few tips to help if you are going to have to go through this at some point:
1) Pick a time when you are going to take it and stick to it, no excuses.
2) Hold your ground - It can be very horrible to see them so distraught but it won't last for ever.
3) Be prepared - I had lots of things prepared for when she would want her dummy. For example if we were going out in the car, I had books, snacks or toys to keep her occupied instead.
4) Be positive - Reward their good behaviour more than usual. I kept praising her for little things and she loved that.
5) Find another comforter - If they use their dummy as a comforter, then get something to replace it. For slips and trips, I bought Eva an Elsa ice pack. For a Frozen obsessed girl this was a massive hit as you can imagine. For night time she had a new teddy.
Ophelia doesn't have a dummy and when the time comes when I stop breastfeeding, I will be a bit stronger than I was on Eva and not give her a dummy. It's not that I think they are bad, I just don't ever want to go through the fuss of trying to get rid of one again.
Have you had to take a dummy away? How did you find it?
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