Naptime Natter

Izmi toddler carrier review

Izmi toddler carrier review

*collaborative post*

Using a sling was one of the best parenting decisions I ever made. Life with a newborn is so much easier when you babywear and there is no way I could have coped without one after I had my second baby. Babywearing isn’t just for babies though and slings and baby carriers are a great tool to have in your parenting arsenal even when your child grows into a toddler. Alex grew out of his baby size buckle carrier when he was about 18 months old, I have desperately been searching for a new sling and was so happy to be asked to review the Izmi toddler carrier. If you are planning on toddlerwearing and are looking for a suitable toddler carrier, here is my review of the Izmi – I hope it helps! View Post

Help, my baby stole my boobs – what no one tells you about post breastfeeding boobs

Help, my baby stole my boobs – what no one tells you about post breastfeeding boobs

Summer is here. The shops are full of gorgeous floaty dresses, pretty little tops, strappy sandals and the rails are jam packed with the summer wardrobe staple we all love to hate – the bikini. I have always felt a bit selfconscious in a bikini but never enough to consider not wearing one. I am naturally small and although I have some body hang ups, I have never despised my body. Since having kids, my body confidence has understandably taken a knock but every time we visited the beach last summer, my belly didn’t flip with nerves when I took my beach dress off and stood on the sand in just a bikini. Thanks to exercising regularly after the birth of my second baby and having a pretty awesome cleavage thanks to breastfeeding, last summer I felt the best I have ever felt about my body. I wish I could say the same about it as the summer holidays approach this year. You see, my body confidence has plummeted and it is not because my thighs are a bit squishier than they once were, or because I have a permanent ‘look who had a big lunch’ pot belly, I am not feeling as confident in my skin this summer because my babies stole my boobs. Yup, you read that correctly, my babies STOLE MY BOOBS! View Post

5 tasks made easier by babywearing

5 tasks made easier by babywearing

I love babywearing, well, I guess I should call it toddlerwearing now as Alex is definitely not a baby anymore. I was ignorant to how useful wearing your baby in a sling is when I had my first child, I was part of the naïve ‘you’ll make a rod for your own back’ camp. I know, I was stupid. Babywearing does the complete opposite, your life as a mum isn’t hindered by carrying your baby in a sling, it all becomes so much easier! Don’t believe me? Well, here’s a list of five things that are so much easier thanks to babywearing. View Post

Breastfeeding diary – when you stop breastfeeding

Breastfeeding diary – when you stop breastfeeding

Before I begin, just to warn you, I may cry all over my keyboard as I type out this post. After 16 months, Alex is no longer being breastfed. When I was pregnant I decided that I would try my best to breastfeed my second baby for a year and I was so proud and happy when we reached that milestone. I was sort of left in breastfeeding limbo after that though, I don’t know what I was expecting to happen after Alex’s first birthday but I kind of thought that he would just be over the whole breastfeeding thing the second he finished opening his presents and shovelling birthday cake into his face. Well, that didn’t happen. Turning one made no difference to Alex’s desire to breastfeed so we carried on, until last month that is. For my final entry *sob* in my breastfeeding diary, I am going to talk about how it feels when breastfeeding comes to an end,  how it feels when something that has become such a big part of your life is suddenly over. Just like no one really prepares you for the emotional rollercoaster of trying to establish breastfeeding with your newborn, there is not much talk about how when it’s over you go for another trip around the rollercoaster track, not to mention the boobs you are left with (or not) at the end of it all! View Post

Weaning with HiPP Organic – Introducing the HiPP Buddies

Weaning with HiPP Organic – Introducing the HiPP Buddies

Here at Naptime Natter HQ we love easy and convenient food, it also has to be healthy and taste amazing too though. I love spending time searching Pinterest and cookbooks for yummy recipes and writing out a weekly meal plan before browsing the aisles in the supermarket and dropping fresh and nutritious ingredients into the trolley. However, when it comes to weaning your baby, sometimes even cooking up a 15 minute meal feels impossible and it can get a bit complicated taking homemade baby food out and about with you – this is why I love using pouches. Ever since we started weaning Alex when he was 6 months old, we have used baby food pouches to help him get used to new flavours and textures; we teamed up with HiPP Organic and Alex has loved tasting their wide variety of baby foods as part of his weaning journey. Alex was so excited to receive a selection of HiPP Organic sweet and their brand new savoury pouches to try and we were introduced to the newest members of the HiPP family – the HiPP Buddies! View Post

3 useful resources for parents new to babywearing

3 useful resources for parents new to babywearing

If there is anything I regret from those newborn days with Leo, amongst a few other things, it is not persisting when it came to using a sling. I will ashamedly admit this to you now, as a first time Mum I thought babywearing was weird. I know, I’m sorry! I just didn’t understand, you have only just given birth and got your baby out of you, maybe you’re breastfeeding all the hours of the day too and yet in those moments you can reclaim your body back for yourself you’re choosing to strap a baby to your chest? I just didn’t get it. Fast forward two and half years, I fell pregnant again, realised the errors of my ridiculous judgement and decided to give babywearing a try when my second son arrived 9 months later. Alex is now 15 months old and babywearing has been such a life saver, so much so I still find myself reaching for the sling now, even though the boy is walking!

I absolutely adore babywearing (toddlerwearing now I guess) and am so glad I decided to shut up miss judgy pants and give it a try. When Alex was a newborn and I first started experimenting with using a sling I had not a single clue what I was doing and there were moments I almost slipped back in to the mindset that babywearing was a massive waste of time. BUT with the help of a few really useful and informative resources and people I persevered; I mastered how to wrap with a stretchy and how to get a big baby strapped into a buckle carrier and it was all possible thanks to these certain people. Want to know who they are? Well, I am all for making the lives of new mamas easier so here is a list of useful resources for those of you that are new to babywearing – I hope it helps!

new-to-babywearing View Post

How to breastfeed with confidence

How to breastfeed with confidence

If you have chosen to breastfeed your new baby those first few weeks can feel really overwhelming. I know when my first boy was a newborn I often worried whether I was feeding him enough/too much or if my milk supply was good enough or if he was feeding long enough on both sides (and I stressed about a million other things too). My second baby is now 15 months old and as a second time breastfeeding mum I can say I feel a lot more confident this time around. I thought I would write a post for all new breastfeeding mums and share my top tips on how to feel confident during your breastfeeding journey. I also want to show mums to be and new mums that those precious baby days don’t need to be spoilt by worries over breastfeeding, it is totally possible to feed with confidence. You can do this Mamas! View Post

Breastfeeding diary – the reality of breastfeeding a one year old

Breastfeeding diary – the reality of breastfeeding a one year old

Well, we did it! One whole year of breastfeeding. It was always my aim since I became pregnant with Alex to try my best to breastfeed him for his first year and I’ve only gone and done it. It’s not always been easy, we had latch issues and I experienced a lot of pain during those first couple of weeks but I feel so proud that we pushed through and our feeding journey is still going strong 12 months on. With the rise of the mummy blogger there seems to be a lot more honest advice and stories online about what breastfeeding a newborn is like, which makes a nice change from the very impersonal approach most nhs leaflets and antenatal classes seem to take. I’ve written all about it myself in previous breastfeeding diary posts and have even written a guest blog for The Bshirt all about how to breastfeed with confidence. When it comes to the realities of feeding an older baby though the stories from other mums on their feeding experiences start to thin out. Just as breastfeeding a newborn comes with it’s own challenges, breastfeeding an older baby is not as easy as you may think either. So, as Alex and I have smashed our feeding goals and are still going, I thought I would share with you what it’s really like breastfeeding a one year old, in case you too decide to keep feeding your little one into toddlerhood. View Post

Weaning with HiPP Organic – introducing textured food to your baby

Weaning with HiPP Organic – introducing textured food to your baby

*collaborative post*

Introducing lumps and more textured food to your baby’s diet can be pretty scary. I know with both of my boys I got really stressed about them choking as they progressed from their first tastes of puree onto more lumpy meals. I have always used a mixture of homemade and shop bought baby food when weaning my babies. As they transition from smooth to more textured food, I like to buy jars before making their food myself, it helps to give me an idea of what sort of consistency their food should be for this stage of weaning. Recently Alex was sent a selection of stage 2 and stage 3 jars from HiPP Organic to try out, these meals are perfect for introducing lumps into your babies diet and helping them figure out how to chew food properly. Here is a review of what Alex thought of the HiPP Organic range and some useful tips on how to successfully introduce more variety and texture in to your baby’s diet. View Post

Alex is ONE!

Alex is ONE!

It’s happened. My baby boy is now one whole year old! I am sorry to word vomit out all the clichés but I can not believe how fast the past year has gone and how quickly the time flies by once you become a parent. We had a lovely day celebrating the big ONE on Saturday with just Alex’s Nanny and Grampy and the four of us. If you follow me on social media then you will know that Alex has got chicken pox. It has been awful timing and a really tough week but he seemed to turn a corner and was actually able to enjoy his big day. It honestly feels like moments ago that I was sat at this computer writing Alex’s birth story and it just feels completely crazy that I am now about to write his one year update! Here it is, Alex’s 12 month update (wow!) … View Post

Why you should buy your baby personalised gifts * Gifts Online 4 U review *

Why you should buy your baby personalised gifts * Gifts Online 4 U review *

I love personalised gifts. I have probably said that about a thousand times before on this blog but it’s the truth. Personalised gifts are my absolute favourite because they show that someone has put a lot of thought into your gift instead of just plucking it off the shelf and every gift is unique. Alex is turning one next month (ahh!) and I am definitely going to be buying him some personalised gifts to celebrate this massive milestone. As an early birthday present, Alex has been sent a beautiful personalised money box from GiftsOnline4u , a fab website specialising in beautiful personalised gifts for the whole family.  If you are not sold on the whole personalised gifts thing, then here are 3 reasons why they are a great idea for a baby gift and read on to find out more about Gifts Online 4 U and the beautiful money box Alex received.   View Post

Baby update – Alex is 11 months

Baby update – Alex is 11 months

Alex is 11 months old! Ok, in all honestly he nearly one now, I have been really behind in writing this update. Leo started school at the beginning of September and we moved house so things have been a little crazy. Anyway, enough of the excuses, here is what Alex has been up to since his last update. View Post

Piccolo launches One for One campaign – help vulnerable families and WIN a month’s supply of Piccolo pouches

Piccolo launches One for One campaign – help vulnerable families and WIN a month’s supply of Piccolo pouches

Imagine not having enough money to feed your baby every day. Unfortunately, this is the awful reality for thousands of families across the UK. When my kids are hungry they are given food immediately, I can only imagine how heart breaking it must feel to see your baby crying in hunger and not have any food to feed them. So many British families are relying on food banks to be able to give their children the essential nourishment they need to grow up and develop and there are many charities who are also doing what they can to make sure no one has to go hungry. Organic baby food brand Piccolo are launching a brand new campaign to help families struggling to feed their children. The One for One campaign will launch in October and hopes to donate 100,000 pouches of Piccolo baby food to the children who need them the most.  View Post

We need to talk about infant colic

We need to talk about infant colic

Having a baby is wonderful there is no doubt about it but those newborn days can be really difficult. Two of the main things that make those early days with a baby so difficult are sleep deprivation and excessive crying. Babies cry for loads of different reasons, it is their only form of communication after all, but when you are dealing with a screaming baby for hours on end the stress can really start to take its toll. Infant colic is a condition affecting 1 in 5 babies and it can cause both excessive crying for babies and extreme sleep deprivation for parents. This September, Infacol and Cry-sis have teamed up for the first ever Infant Colic Awareness Month. With 1 in 3 new parents admitting they had never heard of it before, it is time that we started talking about infant colic.. View Post

How to care for your baby’s teeth – Brush-Baby review

How to care for your baby’s teeth – Brush-Baby review

At 10 months old Alex now has four little teeth. The bottom two pearly whites popped through around the age of 6 months and in the past couple weeks two shiny top teeth have decided to make an appearance too. Teething is horrible but following all the crying and all the dribble, tiny teeth do eventually appear and it is important to know how to care for your little one’s teeth once they have sprouted through. Alex has got beautiful white teeth but I know they won’t stay that way without a really good dental hygiene routine; he may not be eating sugar or drinking things like coffee that can stain his teeth but oral hygiene is still really important. We have recently teamed up with baby dental care brand Brush-Baby to review some of their innovative baby toothbrushes and to share with you some tips on how to look after your little one’s toothy pegs. Got a little one with some teeny tiny first teeth coming through? I hope you find this post useful. View Post

Where to next?