Spending time with a newborn

A few weeks ago I was lucky enough to spend some time with my new baby nephew. He is very sweet, very tiny, and he looks a lot like baby Harry did, albeit with less hair. When he was just a few days old I spent an afternoon with him while his parents had some much needed rest. He was quite fractious, and so we spent a bit of time settling him and getting him off to sleep, then he slept for a good couple of hours.

It brought back many memories of those first few days at home with baby Harry. Like all new parents we were completely shell shocked. I remember spending our first proper day at home sitting on the bed in our room, trying out the new nursing pillow and attempting to get to grips with breastfeeding. I didn't find breastfeeding easy and I've always felt that I was never able to feed him properly.

I always blamed that for Harry being such a grumpy baby. He never seemed happy or content, and although he must have been hungry he never wanted to feed for very long or to particularly enjoy it. But to fair, even when I moved to bottles, first of expressed milk and then to formula, he never went for that either. Even when he was approaching a year old I'd watch as other babies guzzled down massive bottles of milk - I'd be lucky to get three ounces into him!

I must admit that I found the baby days with Harry very difficult. He did make up for it - he was a lovely toddler and he's turned into a delightful child. Mia was an easier baby, and of course I found her easier because I had more of a clue what I was doing. So those hard baby days seem a long time ago now.

But what surprised me was my reaction afterwards. When we had left the new parents to it, I felt very tearful, and the feeling lasted for a day or two, not at all something that I've experienced with other newborns in the family. I think that because it was a baby that looked a bit like Harry and behaved a lot like Harry it suddenly brought all those memories flooding back, and they weren't always good ones. Perhaps it was also a bit of relief that those days are behind us, I'm not sure that I could do it again!

Baby and toddler things that I wish we'd bought

I often see lists that people have made of all the unnecessary things that they purchased for their babies and toddlers. It made me think of the things we didn't buy that, with the benefit of hindsight, we really should have done! We either didn't think were necessary at the time, or else I didn't consider them until it was too late to justify the purchase.

So here is my list of things that I really wish we'd had!

Top of the list is a video monitor. We ended up buying quite a pricy monitor anyway, so it wasn't the cost that put me off, I was just worried that I'd end up obsessed with watching the baby. But I think that we would have found one really useful, and would probably still be using it now. All those times in the middle of the night when I was woken up by a whimper and didn't know if the baby had gone back to sleep or whether it was the prelude to a two hour screaming marathon. Those occasions when I'd put a small toddler down for a nap, and I wanted to check if they were still asleep or up to mischief. Those very infrequent mornings when a small child actually slept past 6am, and I started to worry, but didn't dare go in to check in case they woke up.

On a similar note, I think that a two way baby monitor would also have been a good investment. We still use monitors for the children (I know, they are too old really, but we have a large house and we like to watch the television loudly downstairs in the evening while they are sleeping) and it would be nice in the mornings when they wake up and shout for us to call back and tell them to go back to sleep (ha!).

We definitely should have bought a decent buggy board. Harry was never a particularly good walker, and I used to push Mia around in her car seat on wheels because that configuration on our travel system created a sort of step that Harry could stand on. A proper buggy board would have had lots of use and been far more comfortable for all of us to use.

Also when it comes to being out and about, I'm sure that Harry would be much better on his bike now if we'd bought them a balance bike. I've seen tiny toddlers whizzing about on them, and they progress brilliantly to proper bikes. Harry is still riding about on a toddler bike with stabilisers which I'm a bit embarrassed about, and Mia has never even ridden a bike on my watch. We didn't get them one because they already had a Scuttlebug and scooters which they've had loads of use out of, and it just seemed a bit excessive to get them that as well.

Finally I also really wish that I'd invested in a nice change bag right from the start, instead of using the one that I got free when I joined the Boots Baby Club. To be fair it did the job, fitted well in the pushchair, has lasted incredibly well and is still in use packed up with spare clothes in the boot of the car. But I spent so much time carting it about, it would have been lovely to have a pretty one, not to mention a baby purchase that was something for me out of all the money we spent on things for the children.

I suppose in the end that's not a huge list (and probably not nearly as long as the list of things that we bought and didn't actually need, which I don't dare to make).

What would you add? I'd love to know!

Taking a city break with small children

We recently braved our first city break with small children - a short break to Berlin which I've written about in some detail on my blog, in particular visiting Berlin with young children. I've written about it so much, because despite our reservations we had a wonderful time! It was a real change from the typical family friendly holiday that we've taken in the past, and although it was hard work we all enjoyed it a lot.

We travelled with a four year old and a two year old, and I will admit that there were some challenges, so I've put together a few hints and tips if you are considering a similar holiday yourself.

• Stay in accommodation that is either central or easily accessible, so that you can return easily during the day if you need a break.

• Consider taking a pushchair, even if your child doesn't use one at home.

• Try and stay somewhere with a fridge in the room, and pack sandwich bags, plastic boxes and some cutlery. Then you can make up sandwiches and snacks to take out with you or to eat in the room. Remember to pack a night light too if you use one at home.

• Don't try and fit too much into a day. Keep the focus on child friendly activities and attractions, and take your lead from your child. If they start to tire, don't keep pushing them or else it will end in meltdown.

• Make a point of noticing all the things that are different from home. For example, in Berlin we saw trams, double decker trains and sausage sellers on the streets.

• Enjoy the slower pace necessitated by a small child, and see your surroundings from a child's point of view. As an adult, it's easy to miss things when you are rushing about, and there is always something interesting to spot, whether it's some beautiful carved railings, an unusual statue or an enticing shop window.

• You are probably going to be very reliant upon public transport. It's worth checking out the ticket prices in advance to see if there is a daily or weekly card that you can buy to save some money. If you need to take a pushchair, do some research as to how accessible the public transport system is. For example, Berlin was fantastic, London is very difficult with a pushchair.

• Don't feel frustrated if you can't see everything that you want to, remember it's a family holiday and it's all about spending time doing things together.

For us, the biggest advantage to taking a city break was the fact that we were able to take a reasonably priced holiday during the school holiday, instead of the more traditional family friendly options which increase their prices so much. City breaks are definitely something to think about if you have children that are in school and are looking for a short break, try browsing through some of the budget airline destinations.

Have you tried a city break with young children? Could you add any more tips to my list?

Image courtesy of Hannes Wolf via Unsplash.

'Baby' signing

When Harry was 9 months old I signed him up for a term of Sing and Sign classes. Once a week we sat in a circle in the church hall, us Mums singing little songs while frantically signing away at our babies. I couldn't fault the classes, I thought it was a great idea, and I even purchased the DVDs to watch at home. Harry wasn't quite so impressed, he refused to sit still and spent most of the actual classes crawling about playing with the toys I had to bring along to keep him happy. After all that work he picked up three signs - 'duck', 'where' and 'all gone' - and was chattering away with real words before long anyway.

He's 4 and a half now with a very good vocabulary, so I was surprised a couple of weeks ago when all of a sudden he started signing everything. It started with 'please', 'thank you' and 'sorry', then moved on to other signs which I didn't know - 'coat', 'glue', 'paint'. Of course, investigation revealed that they are teaching all the children signing at his nursery. It was a scenario reminiscent of something I blogged about ages ago. They've told them that they need to practice at home, which he has taken completely to heart - perhaps he's worried that he'll be in trouble if he doesn't!

I think it's great in many ways, he is obviously interested in learning the signs and I'm very impressed (although to be fair it's in his genes, I studied languages!). He's even started making up his own signs and teaching them to me. But it's also becoming rather annoying, with his chatter constantly accompanied by his hands automatically flailing about all over the place. Also it's a bit embarrassing when we're out in public or with friends and it makes me look a bit like a pushy Mum.

So, if you are desperately trying to teach your baby or young toddler signing and they aren't catching on, don't worry, there's plenty of time for them to pick it up!

The best attractions at Walt Disney World, Orlando for very young children

Visiting Walt Disney World young children is a fantastic experience. But it can also be hard work. Florida can be hot and humid, and the parks get very crowded. After our visit last year I wrote a post with some tips for visiting DisneyWorld with small children, and after our more recent visit I thought I'd put together a list of our favourite attractions so that you can have some idea of what young children might enjoy there. These are the rides and attractions that appealed most to my two when aged 4 and under.

We spent most of our time in the Magic Kingdom. This is where you will find the most rides themed around the Disney films and characters that are familiar to your children, and if you only have time to visit one park then this should be it. A tip so important it's worth mentioning here too - arrive early, before the park opens. You will be able to fit in so much more while the park is quieter in the morning.

Here are our absolute favourite attractions across the parks for little ones:

Magic Kingdom

The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh - This ride through a Winnie the Pooh story is very popular, and so to help entertain little ones in the queue there are some games for children to play while a parent waits in line. It's a happy, fun ride with nothing scary at all about it.

Peter Pan's Flight - Another very popular ride, a trip in a pirate ship through the story of Peter Pan which children love.

It's a Small World - A boat ride through a world populated by happy, singing dolls - once the song is in your head you will never forget it!

Under the Sea: Journey of the Little Mermaid - A new ride with music and scenes from the film, bright and colourful and fast loading.

Dumbo the Flying Elephant - Recently re-themed with a circus themed waiting area, allowing for a virtual 'queue' which is great for little ones. A classic Disney ride in a flying elephant.

Pirates of the Caribbean - Our two love this ride, although with lots of skeletons it might be a bit scary for some children.

Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin - A fun shooting game, if your child is too small to work the gun they will certainly be able to reach the joystick which spins you round and round!

Tomorrowland Transit Authority Peoplemover - There is hardly ever a queue for this little ride which takes you through some of the Tomorrowland attractions.

The Magic Carpets of Aladdin - Similar to the Dumbo ride, magic carpets which swoop up and down at your child's command.

Epcot

Spaceship Earth - A ride inside the large silver sphere which is the Epcot icon and journey through the history of human communication. Although the subject matter might appear a little dry for young children, ours loved it!

Living with the Land - A slow boat ride with a focus on agriculture, ending with a tour of Epcot's greenhouses where plants are grown in various futuristic ways. Again, it sounds a little dry, but my pre-schooler son was fascinated!

The Seas with Nemo and Friends - A ride which joins characters from Finding Nemo as they search again for Nemo. At the end of the ride you pass through a massive aquarium where Nemo and his friends are cleverly projected into the tank, then you can explore the aquarium on foot. There is a little shark-themed play area where you can climb inside a shark's mouth, and our children spent a long time in this attraction.

Journey into Imagination with Figment - A journey through the senses accompanied by Figment, a little dragon. Us adults found it a bit silly, but the children loved it.

Gran Fiesta Tour starring the Three Caballeros - A short boat ride with hardly any queue following Donald Duck and friends through a selection of Mexican scenes.

Animal Kingdom

Kilimanjaro Safaris - A simulated open-air safari ride through East Africa with plenty to see, lots of opportunities for taking photos and a few surprises.

Wildlife Express Train - A short train ride through the park, including some of the areas behind the scenes.

The Boneyard - An open-air dinosaur themed play area. As well as play equipment children can also excavate 'fossils'.

Finding Nemo - The Musical - I haven't included any other shows on my list in the post, as to be honest we found most of them a bit of a struggle with our toddler who was reluctant to sit still for very long, but Finding Nemo really captured her attention and was also one of my favourite shows.

Hollywood Studios

Toy Story Midway Mania - This is a very popular ride and is probably the best one for little ones at Hollywood Studios. A very clever, fast moving shooting gallery ride, which is also in 3D.

Disney Junior - Live on Stage - A show aimed at little ones based on three popular Disney Junior shows. It's very relaxed with seating on the floor so that children can get up and dance along, and they'll enjoy it even if they aren't familiar with all the shows.

Honey I Shrunk the Kids: Movie Set Adventure - Not a ride but a playground, and my children spent a long time here. Even very little children will enjoy running about and dodging jets of water from oversized insects. Just make sure you have an adult manning the exit as it can get very busy.

The Great Movie Ride - A fairly slow ride through some great movie scenes which held the attention of even my wriggly toddler. Obviously most of the references go completely over their heads, but there is plenty going on to keep them interested.

Of course these are only our highlights, and all the parks contain plenty of rides and attractions which small children will love. I really hope that this post has given you some inspiration if you are thinking about a holiday to DisneyWorld with very young children. If I've missed your favourites, please do add them into the comments!

Disclaimer - On our most recent holiday our family received complimentary passes to the Walt Disney World theme parks in exchange for writing about the parks. Although as you can see from posts about my previous holiday, I love writing about them anyway without any incentive!

Making dinner with small children around - help!

I'm writing this post to get it out, because I'm struggling with something. All I want to do each evening is to prepare a healthy, nutritious evening meal that everyone will eat. But even setting aside the fact that all my children will eat for dinner is pasta, I find it so difficult and stressful to make the dinner with small children around.

I make dinner for 6pm so that we can all eat together when my husband comes home from work. Then we can put the children to bed straight after, and have a longer evening together. This means that all the food preparation and cooking has to be done while the children are around. I just can't work out how other people manage to make dinner with children around.

If Harry is at pre-school then Mia wants to be in the kitchen with me. She sees me taking out the cooking things and drags herself over a chair so that she can stand at the counter. If I try and involve her with the cooking she grabs everything and throws it about, or else she is on the floor, pulling at my leg and screaming. Of course if I'm stirring something hot on the hob then she needs to be kept well away. Anything that I give her to occupy herself with at the table, for example crayons or stickers, she becomes easily frustrated and screams when she can't do something. Because she has dropped her nap she's always pretty grumpy at this time anyway. I end up feeding her snacks to keep her occupied, meaning that she's not hungry when dinner finally makes it to the table.

If Harry is around too then it is slightly easier. I put the television on in the living room and they play together in there while I'm in the kitchen. Except that I can't see the living room from the kitchen, so I am constantly going back to stick my head around the door to check on them. This is necessary, because entertaining themselves involves activities like using the bin to climb on to the window sill to see out, or running along the back of the sofa. Even if they do happen to be sitting quietly watching television I'm still constantly on edge anticipating a meltdown when one of them sits on the other or they are both fighting over the same toy.

To be honest, it's mainly Mia that is the difficult one. Harry understands, and he will sit quietly in front of the television. I know that it's just a stage, and it won't be long before Mia is the same, and then I'll be able to concentrate. But it causes me so much frustration every day that I dread late afternoon!

Does anyone have any tips, or is it just another stage which I need to wait out?!

Unruly, curly toddler hair

Mia's hair is a mess. We've not done anything with it as I wouldn't know where to start with cutting it. In complete contrast to my thin straight hair, it is thick and full of curls. When left to its own devices it sticks out in all directions. The day after I have washed her hair, her head looks twice the size.

When we are going out I usually try to tame it by scraping it back into two pigtails with clips around the side. This is much easier said than done - it takes several attempts and usually one of us is in tears by the end. I haven't managed to define a neat parting yet, and one pigtail is usually significantly larger than the other.

If Mia notices that she has clips in her hair then she will pull them straight out. I found three odd ones in her car seat yesterday which had been removed mid journey. She struggles to remove the hair bands, but by mid-morning she's been wriggling about enough that they have nearly fallen out anyway.

I've been doing my best with it, but I think I might need to investigate attending some sort of toddler hair-styling class, as you can see she wasn't desperately impressed with my efforts!

Center Parcs Longleat

We've had some fantastic holidays at Center Parcs since Harry was born. We find that it suits us really well, with nice accommodation and enough to keep us busy for a few days. We've always visited Elveden Forest before, which for some reason is always cheaper. However this time the price at Longleat was comparable, and as this is likely to be our last visit we decided it was time for a change. Why our last visit? Well, Harry starts school in September, and whilst a mid-week break in January doesn't break the bank for us, the amount that prices rise during the school holidays is truly shocking.

The biggest difference I noticed between Elveden and Longleat is that Elveden is completely flat whereas Longleat is very hilly. We also managed to end up in the only villa that I saw with steps down to the front door. I feel that I've had a good workout this week marching up and down a huge hill several times a day!

On this visit we also broke our rule of not paying for any activities (which are also shockingly priced). On the recommendation of a friend we did the Mini Bowling (half price before 10am) which Harry really enjoyed, and even Mia played along for a bit before wandering off.

For the first time we were able to visit the swimming pool (aka the Sub Tropical Swimming Paradise) without having to worry too much about timing it carefully between snacks, naps and attention spans. We visited every day and spent almost two hours there, with everyone having a great time. Despite never having had a swimming lesson, Harry is becoming really confident in the water and can paddle about easily with arm bands. Mia has hardly ever even been swimming, but she was happily going down the slides.

We did struggle slightly with bedtime. For the first time, Harry and Mia were sharing a room with twin beds. As I blogged recently, Mia has just gone into a proper bed, and so it's all still a bit of a novelty. The first hour after 'bedtime' every night was spent returning her to bed after she had climbed out to play with the Groclock, play with the baby monitor, tickle Harry, try to climb into bed with Harry, run and hide in the corner of the room or open the bedroom door and run out. Fortunately after the first night Harry was so exhausted from the swimming and scooter-ing up hills that he fell asleep almost immediately, despite the havoc that was being created around him.

We had a lovely break. It certainly felt a lot more relaxing than some holidays that we have been on with the little ones, and that is definitely down to the fact that it is becoming easier as the children get older. I even had several long stretches to sit down quietly and do a bit of my cross stitch!

I've written about Center Parcs a few times before - here you can find my review of a stay at Elveden and here are some things that you can do for free at Center Parcs Elveden Forest.

The big girl bed

We decorated Mia's bedroom over Christmas, and so it seemed natural to move her from her cot to a proper bed. We ordered the same one that we bought for Harry - a single bed which lifts up to provide storage underneath. It's a full size single but it's aimed at children so it's not too high. We also spent a fortune on bedding. I feel a bit bad because Harry has cheap Tesco sheets, but we have splashed out a bit more for Mia and gone mad on some gorgeous elephant bedding from John Lewis - even throwing in a matching cushion impulse buy which is very unlike us! Hopefully it will last her though - I know that I used my first child bedding right up until I left home!

We do have one problem though. We perhaps didn't realise at the time how easy Harry's transition to a bed was. Well, he wasn't a great sleeper anyway, and he certainly didn't sleep any worse in the bed. When he woke up he would just lie there screaming, and it took him months to get out of bed by himself. Mia worked it out immediately, and putting her in bed and closing the door is followed immediately by pattering footsteps across the room and whimpering at the door.

We haven't worked out a strategy yet. We are just going back in and returning her to bed and after a few tries she is staying there and going to sleep. I'm a bit worried as to where we are heading though - I have visions of evenings ahead where we spend the entire evening returning her to bed before collapsing exhausted into bed ourselves. Then even worse, repeating this throughout the night.

I'd love to hear any tips that you might have about persuading young toddlers to stay in bed once you put them there!

Pudding?

I remember when I was growing up my hardworking Mum, in addition to making us all dinner every night, also made us a pudding. Sometimes it was quite simple (Instant Whip - a treat sadly no longer with us), sometimes it was a bit more complicated (yummy treacle tart) but it was always delicious (my favourite was chocolate sponge pudding with chocolate sauce).

I don't make separate puddings (or perhaps I should call it dessert ). Ram and I tend to sneak some kind of chocolately treat once the children are in bed, although the children are allowed ice-cream if they have finished all their dinner (this is not a regular occurance!).

Now that Harry has started at a new pre-school, the word "pudding" has entered his vocabulary. Some of the children make a dessert for all the children to have after their tea, and they must refer to this as their pudding. Harry hasn't picked up on any sweet and/or unhealthy connotations of the word yet - he uses it to talk about anything that comes after the first thing that he has eaten, whether that is a piece of cheese, fruit or ice-cream.

It got me thinking though. Do you make a separate dessert for the evening meal, or are you like me and find it enough of a challenge to put one course on the table at a time?

I love going to soft play!

That's right, in contrast to lots of parents, I love taking the children to soft play. This is why:

• The children love it.

• Because they love it, it can be used for bribery purposes ("Harry, if you stay in bed tomorrow until the sun comes up on your Groclock, then we will go to soft play").

• The children burn off so much energy that an afternoon nap for Mia is a given and there's a good chance that Harry will be happy to sit quietly on the sofa in front of the television for a bit too.

• It's indoors so not weather dependent.

• If you arrive as soon as it opens then you have a good hour and a half before it gets too busy, and that's usually plenty of time for us anyway.

• I can drive right up to it and park easily outside.

• At our local one, if you buy a monthly pass and use it then the cost isn't too bad.

• It's good exercise for the adults too (I actually quite enjoy climbing about myself!).

We go soon after breakfast and take snacks for the journey home, so we don't stay long enough to need any food (which admittedly doesn't look particularly appealing), and our local one always seems clean enough to me, perhaps because we tend to visit in the morning.

My 2012

As 2012 comes to an end, here are some of my highlights from the past year. It's been a year for:

Life changes

Moving house - it's almost exactly a year since we moved house. We love our new house, and it's a part of a wonderful community. Harry will be starting at the local school next September, and we are really glad that we made the decision to move.

Redundancy - Not the best news just before Christmas, and it was a very stressful process, but now that it's in the past I'm hopeful that it's the best thing for me and our little family.

Children

No, there aren't any more on the way! Harry will be 4 in a couple of weeks and he's growing up so quickly. He's a lovely little boy, talkative, funny and bright. Mia is 19 months now, and over the last year she has changed from a baby to a toddler. It's great having her running about and chatting away, desperate to join in with whatever her big brother is doing and putting her sticky fingers everywhere. They have such a bond and are always giving each other kisses and cuddles, it's wonderful to watch.

Holidays

We've enjoyed some fantastic holidays this year, we started the year with a lovely break at Mazzard Farm in Devon, and enjoyed brilliant trips to Lanzarote and Florida.

Sport

I surprised myself with how much I enjoyed the Olympics this year, we were very lucky to have tickets to see some of the events and it was definitely a highlight of the year.

Blogging

I'm still blogging, something that I'm very proud of! My most popular post of the entire year has been one which was only published a few weeks ago - How to make a Nativity play Shepherd's Costume - I hope that it helped some people out this Christmas! My Diwali craft posts were also very popular, in particular Making a Rangoli using dyed rice.

Crafting

I've been working hard on my never-ending cross stitch project. Will I have it complete by the end of 2013? Let's see!

Personal challenges

I was really excited to start the Day Zero Project which I'm hoping to make a big part of my 2013, more about that to come soon! One of the things on my list which I was really proud of was my gingerbread house for Christmas.

Sleep

No, not really! Actually, to be fair, Harry's sleep has improved enormously and it's now rare to hear from him in the night. We've even got him sleeping (or at least staying in bed) until 7.30am at the moment as the jet lag from the holiday stays in his system, but I know that won't last much longer! Mia is generally up and about throughout the night though, she usually settles very quickly with a drink but it's not long before we hear from her again. Knowing that we got there in the end with Harry gives me hope for the future though, one day I will sleep again!

I hope that you have had a wonderful 2012, and here's to an even better 2013!

Some tips for visiting Disneyworld, Orlando with small children

We were lucky enough to take the family to Disneyworld, Florida a few weeks ago. Before we went I was rather daunted at the thought of taking two small children (1 and 3) on such a big holiday but I am so glad that we did, we all had a fantastic time. I've put together a few tips that made our holiday much more pleasant for us all!

• My most important tip - arrive at the parks early! You should be in the queue at the turnstiles before the park opens, which means allowing time to get from your car to the entrance (especially at Magic Kingdom where you need to take the monorail from the car park) and to get through the security bag check. Arriving earlier makes it so much easier to do the rides before the queues build up.

• Take a pushchair even if your child doesn't still use one at home. You can rent them in the parks, but that still leaves you some distance from your car to the entrance, so it's much easier to have your own or you can buy a very cheap basic one locally from Walmart or Target.

• Tie something recognisable to the pushchair as you will have to leave it outside all attractions. They may be moved around but we never felt that security was an issue, but obviously take all valuables with you.

• All the toilets that I saw had a small changing table and a large cubicle that would accommodate a pushchair, each park also has a Baby Center with more changing and nursing facilities.

• You can take food into the parks without any problems, we took sandwiches, drinks, and lots of snacks.

• There are plenty of places to sit down and rest in the shade.

• The larger adult rides operate Rider Switch passes so that adults can ride if your children are too small. As you are about to join the queue, tell the attendant that you want to use a Rider Switch pass. One or two members of your party can join the queue to wait as normal, then the second adult will be given a pass which allows up to four people to return to the ride using the Fastpass queue.

• Don't try to do a full day at Disney. The parks are huge, there is lots of walking, the weather is likely to be warm and the crowds build throughout the day. Arrive early, see as much as you can, then return to your accommodation for lunch and a rest. If you are up to it, return to the park later in the day.

• Take some familar food items with you from home if you have fussy children. For our family, this means Weetabix, Marmite and baby biscuits. 

I hope that these tips are helpful! If you have any more please do add them into the comments!

Flying long haul with two small children

Here is what I have learned about taking a long haul flight with two young children:

Daytime flights

• Don't bother browsing the excellent selection of films available to view. You have no chance.
• Each of the carefully planned activities you have brought along will occupy your child for approximately 30 seconds.
• You will spend a large portion of the flight retrieving things from the overhead locker.
• Nappies will be filled constantly.
• Probably because the only way to keep little ones quiet is to fill them up with snacks.
• These snacks will be scattered around the cabin because throwing them about keeps them just as entertained as eating them, and as long as they are happy and quiet you won't be stopping them.
• Avoid eye contact with fellow passengers so that you don't see the disapproving looks when your toddler spends the whole flight clambering about over the seats and armrests and whinging when you try and make her sit still.

Night flights

• Ensure that you tire your child out during the day so that they go to sleep immediately on the plane. Warning, this one is very difficult to time correctly and can lead to an overtired child that will spend an hour jumping on the seat, then scream for half an hour before finally giving in.
• The toddler will pretend to fall fast asleep, wait until everyone around is fast asleep, then start screaming.
• The toddler does look really sweet when she's asleep though, so all is forgiven.
• Keep your fingers crossed that the flight isn't full, enabling you to secure an extra seat in order to make a proper little bed for the toddler.
• You'll spend ages trying to get to sleep yourself, then when you do finally doze off an uncanny sixth sense will awaken you just in time to catch the toddler before she rolls off the seat - no chance of getting back to sleep after that!
• You will encounter turbulence at some point, which will require the contented, comfortable, sleeping toddler to be awoken and wrestled back into a seat belt.
• You need to have everything that you might possibly need within arm's reach because you don't want to risk waking up a child to retrieve something.
• Similarly, make sure that you have been to the toilet before anyone goes to sleep.
• The bag containing the favourite stuffed animals has equal importance to the one containing the passports.

We had a fantastic holiday, the flight wasn't nearly as bad as it could have been and I will be back soon to share what we got up to. As soon as I've had enough sleep to let me see straight!

Image courtesy of Kazuend via Unsplash.

Dolly nappy made from a flannel

For her first birthday last year we bought Mia her first doll. To our surprise, she showed an interest almost straightaway, and now at 18 months she is often to be seen lugging her about and plonking her in the pushchair. She even gives her a cuddle and a kiss, which is really sweet. She has lots of clothes for her, but one thing that she is missing is some nappies, so I decided that I'd have a go at making some.

I saw these simple dolly nappies made from old face flannels at Made by Tamsin a few months back.

I knew that these nappies would be a perfect make. I have lots of old white flannels around as we stocked up when my son was a baby - we used them to prevent an unwanted shower when changing his nappy. They are also really cheap to buy new. Mia has a My First Baby Annabell doll which is quite a small doll, but I hope that these nappies will also fit a larger doll, as I'm sure that she will end up with more than one!

I don't have a sewing machine and I'm not much of a sewer so I cheated a bit. I cut out the shape from one piece of flannel and just roughly hemmed the edges before sewing on the velcro. Here is my version:

I modified the shape slightly as our doll is a bit smaller, and I found that cutting away part of the T shape made it fit a bit better. This doll has a sleep suit which is very difficult to remove so I expect that the nappy will end up being worn on the outside for the time being!

I found that when I showed the nappy to Harry (3) he was desperate to put it on the doll, but had some trouble working out which way round it should go. To help him I sewed a bit of ribbon to the front to make it clear. I found a scrap of lovely vintage baby ribbon, probably purloined from one of my Grandmas. Mia was delighted with the nappy, although she seemed to think that it was some sort of hat for dolly.

Now I am inspired to make some simple clothes for her doll. Bearing in mind that I've never done anything like this before and I'm not really gifted when it comes to sewing, it's going to be a bit of a challenge!

An ending, and a beginning

Today marks the start of a new role in life - as a full-time, stay at home Mum. After being back at work for a whole month I was placed at risk of redundancy, and the whole long, drawn-out process, which could have seen me found another job at any time up until 5pm on my leaving day, has finally come to an end and I have now officially been made redundant.

I'm not really cross about it. I fully appreciate that my work had dried up, and the fact that I had taken a full year's maternity leave twice without any cover shows that I was hardly indispensible. Mainly I'm just a bit sad, it was my first proper job out of university, I'd been working in the same team for nine years, and I'd built up some strong friendships. I'm really going to miss the social aspect.

Fortunately we are in a position financially that means I can stay at home for a bit, and now that everything has finally been confirmed I'm able to concentrate on the positives. I had some wobbles about returning to work, and I am thrilled that I'm going to be able to spend more time with the little ones. Harry will move to a pre-school closer to home for a few sessions a week as we prepare for him to start school next September, and Mia will be at home with me all the time for now. I sometimes feel that Mia can be pushed to one side as Harry can be so demanding, so it will be lovely to have some time to spend just the two of us.

Here's to a new chapter!

Frustrated toddlers

Mia is approaching 17 months old, and we're going through a stroppy phase. I do feel sorry for young toddlers, it must be so frustrating not to be able to communicate what you want, and to not understand why you can't do something or have something. It's no wonder that they get cross. I remember experiencing a huge breakthrough with Harry once he could understand the concept of "first we will do this, then we will do that". It gets much easier once you can reason with toddlers (and also once they can understand bribes!).

Mia expresses her frustration very differently to Harry. Harry would pretty much just whinge and complain constantly. Mia is a lot more content generally, but if something isn't to her liking she will scream hysterically. I was spared with Harry, but I think that she is going to be the one lying down in the aisle in the supermarket, screaming and kicking her feet.

I am finding it very difficult at the moment to get things done around the house, like housework or cooking. Mia is either screaming angrily and hanging off my legs, or disappearing off to cause mischief, often up the stairs and usually by emptying cupboards. At least I can pop Harry in front of the television for a little bit, to sit quietly while I make dinner!

I have in mind that it was around 18 months that Harry began to have a bit more understanding, and became that bit easier to deal with. Not long to go!

Sleep, glorious sleep

I don't think I ever really thought that I would write this post, but I have finally reached the point, in over three and a half years of being a parent, that I am actually getting enough sleep at night to not leave me feeling exhausted during the day.

We suffered with Harry, I really think we did. I've blogged about it before, and about all the things that we tried, but I didn't really realise how bad it was until we had Mia. She didn't sleep through until she was well over a year, but that was nothing compared to what we went through first time round. If Harry had been the second I would have taken him to the health visitor or doctor to check that nothing was wrong, but at the time we just thought it was normal and put up with it.

I've spent much of the past few years surviving on very little sleep. I remember a lovely holiday to Cornwall when Harry was an older baby, which passed in a sleep deprived haze. On two of our wonderful holidays to Center Parcs, at least six months apart, I was up and awake in the living room with Harry at 4.45am each day, waiting in desperation for CBeebies to start. Fortunately on those holiday occasions I was able to catch up on sleep later in the day!

We'd just got Harry to the stage where he was sleeping through regularly and going to bed without a fuss, when Mia came along and it all started over again! But in the last few weeks I've noticed that more often than not, both children are sleeping through. And until a reasonable hour - Harry's clock tells him that it's morning at 6.45am, and Mia is rarely awake before that. Sometimes we are awake earlier - this morning Harry needed the toilet at 6.15am and didn't go back to sleep - but I can cope with anything after 6am easily if I've not been disturbed in the night.

I'm fully aware that we're just going through a good patch, and children like to keep you on your toes with frequent changes to their routines. I'm sure that we've got many bedtime battles to go through yet. But, with fingers firmly crossed, for the first time in a good long while I'm experiencing what it feels like when you are actually getting enough sleep!

Goring Gap, Worthing

We live very near the sea, although we probably don't go down there as often as we should. One of our closest beaches is Goring Gap, near Worthing. Goring Gap is the stretch of coast between Goring and Ferring, and it is also a protected area, meaning that there are no buildings to the north for quite some distance, with some lovely views up over the South Downs. You can also park for free all year along the coast road. There is a large green stretch before you get to the actual beach. In the summer it's full of families having barbecues, but out of the summer season during the week or early evening it can be very quiet.

This was the first time that I had attempted a proper trip out without a pushchair. Mia is a really good walker - I remember desperately trying to coax Harry along the road, but Mia will trot along happily holding my hand, and she can walk for ages. There is a small wooded area, and she loved running about, in most of the pictures that I took of her all you can see is a little blur!

One one side of the grassy area there is a little wooded part with some interesting twisty trees for climbing. Harry can't get very high yet, but he loves trying. It's also a good place for collecting twigs and leaves.

Then we went up on to the pebbles on the beach. So much easier without a pushchair! It wasn't busy at all, which I like, although there were lots of dogs running about. We walked along to have a look at some fishing boats. Then they discovered the slope leading down to the green area and went running up and down it for ages.

Goring Gap is a lovely place to visit, especially at this time of year when the weather is still nice and it's not too busy. Now I'm looking forward to more pushchair free adventures!

Chessington World of Adventures, and how our family days out are changing

At the weekend we visited Chessington World of Adventures. We are fairly frequent visitors, thanks to our Merlin passes and the fact that we don't live too far away, although we've given it a wide berth over the school summer holidays. We really like it at Chessington, it's perfect for young children as there are a good number of rides that even babies can go on. There are also the Zoo and Sea Life Centre, which the kids love and which are great if you want to step away from the crowds for a while and go at your own pace. 

We tend to arrive early, and have a fairly hectic first couple of hours while we tear about to get on all our favourite rides. When the queues have started to build we slow down a bit, and spend some time seeing the animals before leaving in the early afternoon.

This was our first visit since Mia started walking confidently, and I really noticed a change in how our day went. I'm beginning to appreciate how much easier a day out is when you don't have a baby. Mia can now manage comfortably on just the one nap a day, and it makes such a difference when you don't have to plan everything around baby's nap. It's easy to say that you shouldn't let yourself be ruled by baby's routine, but my babies have never fallen asleep when tired, instead becoming over-tired, grumpy screamers. Mia didn't even sleep in the car on the way up, and yet she was able to keep going until we left! She can eat her cheese sandwiches along with the rest of us, and we don't need to worry about taking special food or milk for her. 

I must admit that we do still take a pushchair for each child though, as although Harry is perfectly capable of walking, it's much easier to pop him in a pushchair as we rush about first thing, then make him walk later on when we can slow down a bit! I'm not sure how we will manage without pushchairs, where will we put the packed lunch/water bottles/spare clothes and all the other paraphenalia that's required for a day out?!

This was our first family day out when I really felt that we were doing it for Mia too. Previously she's been more of a spectator rather than a participant, being lugged about on the rides but not really showing much interest. This time, she was into everything. She loved the goats in the Children's Farm, wandering up to stroke them of her own accord. She was fascinated by the Sea Life Centre, reaching out to the tanks and trying to say fish. 

The best part of the day was in the soft play area. There is a baby/toddler section with a gentle ramp leading up to a small slide. Once she discovered that she could clamber up the ramp and get herself into position to come down the slide on her own there was no stopping her. The two of them chased each other round over and over again, and both were absolutely loving it. 

It was a wonderful feeling to sit there and watch them both going round and round, and it gave me a taste of how family days out can be as they get bigger and more independent. I hadn't really realised before how much of my energy has been taken over with worrying about whether little ones need a nap, something to eat or if they are going to start screaming because they are fed up!

Our little family seems to be growing up so quickly, but I'm really excited about all the new things that we'll be able to do as they get older.