Lamb & Bear

Brand & Blog

by

Baby Number 2 – Product Wish List

Being a first time mum you don’t always make the right decisions when purchasing baby products. I went through so many prams until I found one that I love and still do. You learn to make space saving decisions, like buying a cot with an underneath drawer for storage. Do you really need a separate changing table or can you buy a cot with a changing station that sits over the top?

You also learn that convenience is key. For me, anything that makes my day a little less stressful and saves time is vital. Things like a decent changing bag is so important. One that has plenty of space and pockets to store everything easily, and makes things easily accessible.

With baby number 2 I know there are things I don’t need, and things that I really want and wish I had with Lamb. With all of these points in mind, I’ve decided to write a wish list of products I want to use with baby number 2.

1. Tommee Tippee Closer to Nature Perfect Prep Machine This wasn’t available (as far as I know) when Lamb was a newborn and I expressed to feed him anyway, however he was a hungry baby and drank lots of milk. I moved to formula at 6 months and would have really benefitted from one of these. I’d love one for baby number 2 as I plan on combi feeding from the start (although this may change if breastfeeding works out for us). I especially want one for night feeds!!

 

2. Cosatto Story Cot Bed (Owlet) As you may already know, we already have the Cosatto Story Cot Bed (Robot) for Lamb, we reviewed it last year. As this cot turns into a toddler bed we will need a cot for baby number 2. I would absolutely love another Cosatto Story Cot Bed, but this time I want the Owlet design. The colour is absolutely gorgeous and would suit a boy or a girl. As my children will be sharing a bedroom, I won’t have space for a changing table. The Cosatto Story bed has a changing station that sits over the cot, meaning I can change the baby comfortably and have space for 2 cots. Another drawer underneath would be ideal storage also.

3. Joolz Geo As I mentioned earlier, I had quite a few prams with Lamb, I also reviewed quite a few for the Mother & Baby Awards for the past 2 years. Lamb will be 3 when baby number 2 arrives, so I don’t necessarily need a double pram, however the Joolz Geo would be perfect for our family. It coverts between a single and a double, meaning if Lamb gets a little tired on a day out then he can jump in the pram with his brother or sister. The Joolz Geo is gorgeous to look at. So chic and stylish, high quality and luxurious. One thing that stands out to me is the large storage basket when the pram is used as a single.

Fusion x64 TIFF FileFusion x64 TIFF File

4. SnuzPod Bedside Crib and Mattress (Dove Grey) I never thought I would be saying this, but I’m a co-sleepng mum. When Lamb was a baby he would only settle on our chests. When he was 6 months he started sleeping through and we didn’t hear a peep from him all night! Fast forward to the toddler years and he’s found a love for sleeping with mummy and daddy, so we have had the past almost 2 years of partly co-sleeping. If I’m honest, both Joe and I love co-sleeping. Nothing beats bedtime cuddles with Lamb. I really want the gorgeous SnuzPod Bedside Crib with baby number 2 (in Dove Grey as our bed is grey!) I love the idea of my baby being so close to me but in their own space.

5. Maxi-Cosi FamilyFix Car Seat Base One thing I really wish I had with Lamb was an isofix base for his Maxi-Cosi car seat. This would have made my life so much easier. Using a seat belt gets really tedious, well, maybe i’m just a bit lazy, but I’ll definitely be looking at getting one for baby number 2! I may end up with a different brand of isofix base depending on which pram we buy, but Maxi-Cosi is compatible with a lot of prams. They are also safer and more secure, which after my car crash, is something I feel strongly about. I hate that my husbands new car doesn’t have isofix hooks (luckily my car does).

So that’s it for my baby products wish list. I’m sure there’s going to be more on my list soon, so I’ll most likely do another post like this as my pregnancy progresses. For example I really want to baby wear, so will be doing lots of research into the best slings around.

What are your favourite baby products that you think I should get?

Ax

*may contain affiliate links

by

Baby Number 2 – Top 5 Cravings

I’m one of the lucky ones, I don’t really suffer with pregnancy symptoms, not serious ones anyway. I wasn’t sick with my first pregnancy and I haven’t been sick this time, but I have had a lot of nausea, and at 15 weeks, I’m still suffering with it now.

As with sickness I didn’t have any serious cravings during my first pregnancy, other than one weekend where I spent 2 days downing pints of milk.

This pregnancy has been a little different. I’ve found myself drinking and eating new things, or things I hadn’t had in a while, and continued drinking/eating them throughout.

Here’s a list of my top 5 cravings with baby number 2.

  1. McDonalds – throughout my first trimester I couldn’t get enough big tasty’s. Junk food was the only thing that helped the nausea. So it’s allowed, right? French fries please…
  2. Iron Bru – a childhood favourite, during this pregnancy I’ve rediscovered my love for this brightly coloured drink. Mmmmmm…..
  3. Apples – I’ve found myself eating a lot of apples recently, which I don’t normally do. I love apples, but because I wear Invisalign braces my gums are soft and I can’t bite apples easily. I’m now chopping them up and having them daily.
  4. Monster Munch – specifically pickled onion. Bloody delicious. I had the same craving when I was pregnant with Lamb, which is why I think I’m having a boy.
  5. Meat – give me meat! Burgers, sausages, bacon sandwiches. I just wanted lots of meat!

These cravings have calmed down now – thankfully! I’m still loving all of them, actually I’ll happily avoid McDonalds for a while, that craving has well and truly gone – phew.

I call them cravings, but they haven’t been super strong. I haven’t been waking up in the night desperate for anything, but I’ve definitely found myself ‘fancying’ everything on this list.

What are/were your cravings during pregnancy?

Ax

by

Toddler Christmas Fashion Wish List

I’m not one for wasting money on lots of themed clothes for Lamb, however anything I do buy I pick up in the next size up. For example, he’s 3 in March, so any toddler christmas fashion will be bought in age 3-4 years so he can wear it this year, albeit a little baggy, and wear it again next year.

I’m all about money saving 😉

We’re all in love with the Zara Kids range, I could literally buy everything from Zara for Lamb. I’m resisting looking at the newborn stuff for a while or I’ll get carried away with baby no.2…

I’ve picked out my favourite Christmas themed clothes for Lamb. There’s quite a lot so I obviously won’t be buying everything, just one or two bits, but hopefully you’ll get a bit of inspiration for your toddlers too.

toddler christmas fashion toddler christmas fashion toddler christmas fashion toddler christmas fashion toddler christmas fashion toddler christmas fashion toddler christmas fashion toddler christmas fashion toddler christmas fashion toddler christmas fashion toddler christmas fashion toddler christmas fashion toddler christmas fashion toddler christmas fashion toddler christmas fashion toddler christmas fashion toddler christmas fashion toddler christmas fashion

Lamb already have the burgundy mountain leggings and the red christmas hat t-shirt. I love the navy joggers and the winter boots and don’t think i’ll be able to resist these!

What are your favourites?

Ax

by

#LondonLegend Day Out With Garfunkles

We were recently invited to spend a day out in London with the team from Garfunkles. They had a full itinerary planned and it sounded too good to be true, so of course we took them up on their offer.

Living in Essex means we are only a 1 hour drive from London, more if we are heading to central London. We usually drive to the east, park at a tube stop (which costs £3 all day FYI) and grab a tube to our destination.

After chatting with the the lovely Emma, Donna and Charlotte who were also heading to the event, I was informed that parking on a Sunday was free in a lot of areas so we decided to take the risk and drive – so glad we did! No horrible tube journeys with a toddler!

IMG_5060We began the day meeting in the first Garfunkles for breakfast. I got to chat with some familiar faces and meet some new bloggers.

Lamb enjoyed playing with his favourite Fireman Sam truck, as did most of the other kids, and I got to have plenty of cuddles with the beautiful Charlotte (a kid from Me, The Man, and the Kids).

Breakfast was a little manic as the restaurant was surprisingly busy, but after refuelling on bacon & pancakes, eggs benedict and coffee we jumped in the taxis and headed to our first activitiy – Madamme Tussauds!

IMG_5059Madamme Tussauds was amazing. Lamb absolutely loved it, especially the black cab ride! Since his visit he has developed a huge obsession with The Hulk and has asked for him many times for Christmas.

IMG_5072IMG_5078IMG_5082IMG_5095IMG_5108IMG_5110If you have a superhero fan in your family, then the Marvel Superhero 4D show is really worth watching. Lamb was so impressed when he was squirted with water!

After the 4D show was the Star Wars exhibition, this is part of the premium ticket so will cost a little more. Lamb sort of knows what Star Wars is as his Uncle and cousin are seriously obsessed. He was a little scared of Darth Vader though!

IMG_5145I ended up paying £15 for a framed photo but how could I resist this! Look at his little face! I love how he’s gently resting his hand on Yodas arm! 🙂

After Madamme Tussauds we headed to another Garfunkles restaurant for lunch. The staff at this particular branch were super friendly and very accommodating to our sleeping toddler!

IMG_5146IMG_5148Unfortunately I completely forgot to take photos of our lunch! I was so hungry I devoured every last bit of my Spag Bol before I realised! Lunch was delicious and we were well rested for the next part of our #LondonLegend day out.

IMG_5157IMG_5170IMG_5159photo 4-11

As much as I’ve been to London, I’ve never been on a bus tour. The Original Tour was really good. They took us all around London and the tour guide pointed out amazing landmarks, including things like Pudding Lane where the great fire of London started.

This was a really great activity for Lamb, which at the age of 2 1/2 is really into vehicles, so loved driving around on a big red bus.

The Original Tour are currently offering 48 hours for the price of 24, meaning you can spend 2 days seeing London, as lets face it, it’s a big place and you can’t see everything in one day!

IMG_5172After the bus tour we stopped off for a ride on the London Eye. I’ve been on this once before, on my babymoon before Lamb was born! It’s such a beautiful view of London from all angles and well worth going on if you like to sightsee.

IMG_5207photo 5-8We ended our fantastic day out in London with dinner at a final branch of Garfunkles. We were al a little exhausted, and to be honest quite full from all the fabulous food we had been eating, but we couldn’t resist another delicious meal.

photo 2-13photo 5-7photo 1-14Our evening meal was delicious. I opted for Spaghetti Carbonara and it was amazing. One of the best I’ve had. We ordered chicken goujons and fries for Lamb, but as most of you probably know, he’s an extremely fussy eater so didn’t touch his meal. I can safely say it was also delicious 😉

Our day out in London with Garfunkles was amazing. We all had so much fun, even the hubby who doesn’t really like group activities! Even though I’ve been to London many times, I’ve never eaten at a Garfunkles restaurant. We thoroughly enjoyed every course and will definitely be going back next time we are in London. If there was one local to me I’d become a regular!

I’d like to say a huge thank you to Garfunkles for providing us with this incredible day out and opportunity to review a #LondonLegend day.

Ax

 

by

Christmas Maternity Fashion

Like with my first pregnancy, I’m going to be pregnant at Christmas. I’m only 15 weeks and I’ve gained weight and have a bump so I’ll need to buy some new maternity clothes for the festive period. I’ll be honest, I feel pretty crap when I’m pregnant, especially when it comes to dressing up. I have a pear shaped figure i.e a big bum and very wide hips, so when I’m pregnant I look pretty fat in anything. I remember last time trying to find a nice dress to wear on Christmas day and making anything I tried on look like a potato sack. Here we go again…

I’ve had a look on my favourite shopping site ASOS for some christmassy maternity clothes that aren’t too dressy up, I don’t want to spend money on something I’ll only wear a couple of times.

I’m going for smart/casual and here’s what I’m loving right now.

maternity fashionmaternity fashionmaternity fashionmaternity fashionmaternity fashionmaternity fashionmaternity fashionmaternity fashionmaternity fashionmaternity fashionmaternity fashionmaternity fashion

As you can see I’m really drawn to wine red and mono tones this winter, which I think is the perfect for the festive period. I can jazz up the black and white stuff with brightly coloured statement jewellery.

For me the most important thing is comfort, so dresses need to be loose, jeans need to be soft and jumpers need to be cool. I remember with my first pregnancy I was a walking, talking radiator (like I’m sure all pregnant women are) so I needed to be able to take layers off if I got too hot. That’s why a waterfall cardigan is on my list. I already own one which will fit me throughout my pregnancy and has a super long waterfall front which I can wrap around myself if I get a bit cold.

What are your favourite items on my list? I need a dress for a wedding in February and I think the bottom stripy one will be perfect for the occasion.

Ax

Categories

BritMums
mumsnet

Archives

TOTS100 - UK Parent Blogs
TOTS100
BritMums
%d bloggers like this: