Brand & Blog
Earlier this year we were sent the Summer Infant Babble Band to review.
At first I wasn’t sure what to expect, it looked pretty simple. Yes, it’s simple, but that’s the beauty of it. It isn’t complicated to use, but does more than you expect. This baby monitor is one of my favourite products I’ve used with Bear.
Last month ago I was offered the Fred’s Swim Trainer to review from Babyeeze store in intuLakeside. It was perfect timing because we were due to go on holiday so I knew I could use the product while we were away.
Going swimming with 2 kids takes some practice. 1 child between 2 adults is so easy compared. You see, no one has free hands. One has the pre-schooler, one has the baby. So how do us parents get to do any swimming?
I’d never seen the swim trainer before and when I googled it, I thought it was the perfect product to review on my blog. Why? Because it’s unknown, but innovative. The exact sort of product I want to review for my readers.
The Fred’s Swim Trainer is suitable from 3+ months and can be used until approx 4 years. 3 months is when your baby will have some head control when laying on their front
The swim trainer is easy to use with 2 adults, but using it alone may be tricky and I recommend practicing before getting in the pool.
Lay baby on their front with their arms over the ring. You then fasten the white buckle around their waist, the the shoulder straps go over their neck and clip into the top of the buckle. Then close the buckle to prevent the clips coming undone. The fastening system is really secure and at no point did I worry that BB would slip out.
What’s great about the swim trainer is you can be totally hands free and know your baby can float safely next to you. As soon as we put BB into his ring we could tell he felt safe and secure. He didn’t wriggle or complain, he didn’t make a sound. He was happy and content.
It also gets them used to using their legs and kicking in the water, giving them the ideal swimming position for learning to swim.
Overall I really love this product and I’m quite surprised more parents don’t own one! As a family we love going swimming. My husband takes Lamb after pre-school on Friday evenings and I take BB for lessons on Friday lunch times.
Both of my boys love the water and now we have the swim trainer our trips to the pool are so much easier with a baby.
~A~
*I was sent this product free of charge in exchange for my honest opinion and review. All words are my own. Contains affiliate links.
I’m a little late writing BB’s update. You see, my baby bear seems to have picked up feeding every 3 hours through the night again and I’m more exhausted than I was when he was 5 weeks old!
This update will probably be a bit meh as I’ve hardly had time to think about his developments this month. I can’t remember the last time he slept through until the early hours.
The past month has been probably my busiest of the year. At the beginning of September we went on holiday the following week I turned 30 but we can after that the slam had a stomach bug the week off to that my brother got married and the week after that I took a trip to London with BB by myself.
Last month we were down to 1 night feed. He would go to bed around 7 then feed 5-7 hours later. Then again 4 hours later. While we were on holiday he actually slept through till 4:30 AM which was amazing.
But it seems he’s picked up several extra feeds and the 4 month sleep regression has most certainly morphed into the 5 month sleep regression.
According to the wonder weeks we were supposed to be in a sunny period and even though baby bear is happy during the day he’s just not sleeping at night.
I’ve put a lot of effort into our bedtime routine and it seemed to be working, but everything changed when we hit the four months. He goes to bed around 6 PM and has picked up his late evening feed between nine and 10. Hence why I’m struggling to keep up with the blog. By the time i’ve had my dinner and got my laptop out, he’s awake again. And of course only I can feed him.
Anyway, enough of the moaning.
Feeding
We are still exclusively breastfeeding. I am still trying him with a bottle but no luck so far (other than the one time he took the NUK bottle). Like I’ve mentioned above we are back to feeding every 3 hours at night. I’m trying to settle him without milk, but at the end of the day, he’s only 5 months old and growing fast. He may just need the extra milk.
I’m not ready to stop breastfeeding, but would just like the option to go out knowing I don’t have to rush back. But as people keep telling me, they aren’t little for long and I do love the extra cuddles when I’m feeding him.
Sleeping
Baby bear is such a light sleeper which means he rarely sleeps for longer than an hour. He’s completely different to his big brother.
I was hoping by 6 months we would be in a napping routine. 2 long naps a day in his crib. We are far from this. He naps sporadically throughout the day, either in the pram, on me or on the sofa. If I put him his crib he wakes up after 10 minutes. I wonder if my bedroom is too light? Maybe it’s time to bring out the GroBlind.
If you go back and read my 4 month update, you will see he was sleeping so well at night. I really hope we get back to this so I can get some sleep. It doesn’t help that I have an under-active thyroid which makes me tired anyway. Add sleep deprivation and boom, you’ve got a loony mum.
My goal is to have him napping upstairs in his crib by 6 months. Let’s see if I can achieve this.
Development
Sitting unaided is still a struggle, so therefore I’m not ready to start weaning. We will see what he’s like at 6 months and decide again then. I want to do baby led weaning predominately, but if his sitting seems to be slowly developing, I may begin with purees for the first couple of weeks. I think this will ease me in to the weaning process anyway.
He is showing a lot if interest in food. His eyes follow me with every bite, so I’m sure it won’t be too much longer before I give him his first tastes.
I just can’t believe we’re almost weaning already. What happened to my newborn?!
He is rolling all over the place and can do a full roll either front to back then back to his front, or visa versa. I can’t leave him for more than a minute or he will end up in the other side of the room!
He really wants to crawl too. He can actually get across the floor by raising his knees and pushing his body, but just hasn’t figured out what to do with his hands yet. I’m pretty confident we’ll have an early crawler. Wish me luck!
He’s still such a happy baby and is always laughing. The boys are still besties. There are moments when Lamb is playing with BB and they are genuinely looking at each other and laughing together. It’s like their special way of communicating and it melts my heart.
I’m going to wrap it up there. Hopefully the next update will be all about how well he’s sleeping, and you never know, we might have some first tastes to talk about!
~A~
Ok it’s September so I wasn’t expecting this weather! It’s so damn hot. Give me rain! I’ve never enjoyed weather this hot. On holiday I panic if there’s no beds with parasols or shade and I rarely sunbathe.
It’s even harder for the little ones, especially babies. I decided to think about the products I think are fab for days like yesterday, whether that be fun things to keep the your toddler occupied in the garden, or products to keep babies safe in the sun. I asked my blogging buddies what they love too.
First up is the Snoozeshade. I absolutely love this product and have used it on a couple of holidays and I can honestly say Lamb slept wonderfully in the pram on hot days. Emily from Emily And Indiana totally agrees and loves the safety aspect of it. Not only is it a breathable shade, it also protects from UV rays.
You can also get a snooze shade for car seats which A Mum Reviews loves. ” it keeps my baby shaded, protected and cool in the sunshine!”
For the baby wearers out there, Alyssa from Mum To A Monster highly recommends the Connecta Solar Weave as she found it to be much cooler than other slings. I’ve been wearing BB much more than I wore Lamb and you do get really hot, so if you can find a sling or wrap that keeps you cool then it’s well worth getting!
We love our Gro anywhere blind.
Something which I haven’t seen before are window sox. Lauren from Mummy Is A Gadget Geek loves them. “They stop the sun shining on the kids when we are driving and because they go over the door, you can still open the windows and let a bit of bit of a breeze in.” I’m definitely trying these out.
I really love this idea by Hannah from Mouse Dog Baby. “I’ve got clip-on battery operated fans on my pushchair. They were cheap on Amazon and they really make a difference!”
Of course oversized muslins are any parents favourite. Just like Chelle from The Lifestyle Log, I use them for anything from picnic blankets, sun shades, breastfeeding covers, the list goes on! I absolutely love our Aden + Anais giraffe swaddle muslin. I don’t go anywhere without it!
I hope this post was helpful. What products can’t you live without in the summer?
~A~
*Contains affiliate links
If you’re planning a holiday to Bluestone Wales then make sure you check out their website before you go. There’s everything you need to know about facilities and activities available onsite.
Our holiday earlier this year was absolutely amazing. Well worth the 6 hour drive! We have been to similar UK holiday destinations with Lamb and they just didn’t cater for children his age. Most activities are for children age 5 or 6+, not babies and toddlers. What instantly impressed us about Bluestone Wales is the attention to detail when it comes to infants. There is something to do for all ages. Whether it’s sensory play for 0+ month old babies or tree climbing for adults. Everyone is catered for.
For Babies and Toddlers (0-3) – Mini Rangers 
For Children (4-7) – Junior Rangers
The Older Kids (8-12) – Celtic Rangers
Fun For Adults
Entertainment
On our first day we headed straight to the Adventure Centre which was pretty close to our lodge. In here you can find the Circus Zone for babies and toddlers. This was a big hit with Lamb. You can also find the Wildwood Cafe, the Adventure play area (which is a-ma-zing) and lots of activities you can book like messy play etc.
A short walk from here you can find the tournament field and the steep ravine. Here you will find most of the activities for the older kids and adults, like archery and high wires.
In the centre of the resort you will find The Village. This is where you will find the Treetops Playground. This is a really good park for the kids to go wild in. There’s a large section for older children, and a gated, smaller section for toddlers and younger children. Even though Lamb is a toddler he much preferred the bigger bit, so mummy and daddy had plenty of fun running around with him!
Blue Lagoon
A short walk from our lodge was the Blue Lagoon Water Park. This is open to the public, however if you are staying at Bluestone then you get a free pass for the duration of your stay. We were really impressed with the Blue Lagoon. There’s a little splash pool for the little ones, and lots of fun games for kids to play with. Lamb particularly like the lazy river which flows outside and back in again. He found this hilarious and love going out in the cold.
The changing facilities are great for families. There are plenty of family size changing rooms with changing tables for babies and toddlers. There’s a quick dry machine that costs £1, so if you want to dry off quickly then that’s worth a go.
We didn’t eat or drink at the Blues Lagoon cafe so I can’t comment on that, however there were plenty of tables and chairs around the pool.
We were happy to see that the pool was accessible by wheelchair, so if you need disabled access then you don’t have to worry. The staff were extremely helpful to those who were less able.
Finally I can’t write about the Blue Lagoon without mentioning the slides! There are 4 in total. 1 single, 2 singles side by side, and one double. The double was my favourite. It was basically like a rapids and you can go down in pairs. The current is quite strong so keep this in mind if you’re not a strong swimmer. I am confident in the water and I still found myself pulled under with the current at the finish.
Well Spa
I was lucky enough to enjoy a visit to the Well Spa during our holiday (a little treat from my mother-in-law). I have been to a couple of Spas and I have to say I was really impressed with this one. I often expect on site spas not to be as good as independent spas, but this one exceeded my expectations. It was much larger than it looks from the outside, has an amazing outdoor jacuzzi, a relaxing quiet room, and plenty of steam rooms and saunas. We both had a 50 minute massage during our visit to the spa. This was honestly one of the best massages I’ve ever had. They cater the massage to your needs, so rather than offering you a standard full body massage, they ask you what your problem areas are and work on the body parts that you request. The therapists used ESPA products and as part of our deal we both received a sample pack worth £25. I love the products and am using all of them.
We booked our spa day from a promotional email I received before our trip. I was often sent a deal which was only available by a certain date. So if you are thinking of going to the spa, then keep an out on those deals in your inbox. If you aren’t sure about booking before you go, make sure you check out the daily deals on the TV in your lodge. While we were there there was a really good offer available (I can’t remember what it was, sorry!)
Eating
One huge bonus for us was the takeaway service. This is so useful to families with young children who can’t stay up late. We ordered a takeaway curry which was really nice. It was around £10 per person plus a little more for naan breads, so it’s not cheap, however turned up pretty quickly and tasted really good. i would definitely recommend trying out their takeaway service if you’re not on a budget.
We also ate at The Knights Tafarn twice and thoroughly enjoyed the food. I’ve read a couple of comments about the food at Bluestone being pretty standard, but we totally enjoyed the food we ordered. In particularly on one night they served Spaghetti Carbonara and it was probably one of the best I have ever tasted. I was gutted to wasn’t on the menu the second time we went there!
We also enjoyed a lovely cappuccino in Millers Bakery. I’m a big coffee drinker so can be a tad snobby when it comes to a decent cappuccino. Millers Bakery served a decent cappuccino. Fact.
The village shop had a good selection of foods, which were not too badly priced. Of course the prices were higher than your local supermarket but when you take into consideration the petrol cost and effort toy drive out of Bluestone, we are more than happy to pay their prices. Plus my mother-in-law is super organised and made sure we had plenty of food and drink when we arrived.
Finally I can’t write a review on the food at Bluestone without mentioning the amazing Camp Smokey. A brief walk into the steep ravine and you find yourself at the hidden and adventurous Camp Smokey. Lamb absolutely loved it here. You are completely surrounded by woodland. Up in the trees you can see the high wires and all around you is forest. The food is limited but lovely and you certainly feel like you’re in an American style holiday camp. Camp Smokey is a must if you’re staying at Bluestone.
Outside Bluestone
We organised a day out at Folly Farm, which is a short drive from Bluestone. I’m going to be reviewing Folly Farm separately but I just want to say this is by far one of the best days out we’ve had with Lamb. It is so much more than a farm. It’s a farm, a zoo, an adventure playground, an arcade, a theme park all rolled into one! We had so much fun and would 100% go back if we visit Wales again. If you stay at Bluestone you must go to Folly Farm for the day, and make sure you prepare to be there all day lone because you won’t want to leave.
Bluestones is definitely the place to go with a young family. There is so much to do for all ages. If the weather is rubbish, there’s plenty to do indoors, if the weather is amazing there’s plenty to do outdoors! We were so impressed with our whole holiday and would absolutely recommend Bluestone to other families.
If you want to read more about the accommodation and a general review you can read my first post here.
Ax
