Cheeky goes to pre school....

Ahhhhhhh my baby boy has gone to pre school. After the events of cheeky's 2nd birthday, and his reaction to a full house, i promised him and myself that i would address his 'seperation anxiety' as i believe it is called. Cheeky had it bad. His anxiety reared its ugly head on many occasions... and mainly occasions.. if that makes sense. Bless him he just looooovvvvvess his Mama! Anyway, i knew it was unhealthy and progressively getting worse as he was getting older. Most people advised oh, mine did it too, he will grow out of it, but i knew deep down he need a bit of gentle persuasion. So after a huge amount of research on how to tackle this i decided early pre school was definitely an option. We found a lovely pre school that takes children from age two and supports potty training.... for those of you who have looked at pre schools, you will know that many do not. So off we went for a visit! Cheeky would not even let me put him down when we were visiting he was really clinging on to me. The teacher was really unsure, and made it quite clear that she didn't think he would settle, but went ahead to arrange a 'settling in' day all the same. 

On our settling in day the following Tuesday, cheeky was once again clinging to me, but he did play, as long as i was literally sat next to him, he really kept his eye on me. After a little while one of the helpers came and engrossed him in some pretend play... a little pretend tea party (aw) he was really enjoying himself and allowed Mama to take a step back. Now unfortunately our first 'settling in' session did not get off to a great start given the confusing and somewhat different approaches of the teachers and helpers. I was told at this point that it would be a good idea to sneak away for 20 minutes and see how he goes. Off i went and waited outside. The confusion began here, but i won't go into it as its dealt with now. Cheeky realised i had left and started to ask for me with a touch of panic in his voice. He wasn't going to allow me to leave him just yet. We went back the next day after a lengthy conversation about the conflicting views and opinions, for another go. This time i was advised to take him inside, settle him with an activity, say goodbye and that i would be back soon and off i went. Wow, cheeky really flipped, screaming and throwing himself around, and i just had to walk away, i really bolted, desperate not to hear him upset, whilst knowing i was actually helping him. This time he stayed an hour. He didn't really settle down, and spent most of his hour with one of the helpers outside. When i collected him he was sobbing and stopped in and instant when  i cuddled him. He was elated to say goodbye 'bye bye pre school, bye bye friends' bless him. Off we went again the next day and then the first day of the next week. Just leaving him for an hour and then sharing the rest of the pre school session with him. He was really settling in. Still crying when i left, and liking to stand by the door for 10 minutes before he got involved, but each time i returned being told he had done better each time. Then came the day of his first full session!! Once again he freaked when  i left... but upon my return i was told he had done really well, he had be a little stand off ish with the other children but a definite improvement. Cheeky is on his third week at pre school now and although he still gets upset when i leave, he quickly calms and enjoys it. He tells me about it and even asks to go sometimes on a day when he isn't there. I am so proud of cheeky.... so unbelievably proud. He has completely changed, He is so much more confident that Mama will return and is so much happier to go off and play on play dates and playgroup visits. He doesn't feel the need to jump up or cry every time i so much as move. He is happy to go and play, even in other peoples houses without watching my every move whilst he does so. I love that he is still always so happy to see me. He always strokes my face when i am back to collect him, smiling, and cuddles and kisses me, 'its mummy, its my mummy'. Wow i love this boy, what an amazing, amazing little person he is becoming. Proud of you cheeky boy! You brighten every single day! xxx

Halo's N Horns

Hey! So a few weeks ago Halo's N Horns sent over a selection of products for cheeky and i to try. Including

-Baby bath, for angelic souls.

-Zingy Orange Hair and Body wash, for little devils.

-Mango Melon Mayhem shampoo and conditioner, for little Devils.

 

I have used one or more of these products on cheeky every night at bath time and sometimes in the morning, or when he was rather more mucky than a wipe could handle... for the last few weeks.

The first product cheeky and i used was the baby bath for angelic souls. The product is in a tall squeezy tube, with mostly blue and pink writing. Stating that Baby bath for angelic souls is Dermapaedic, kind to eyes and hypoallergenic. The baby bath comes with a little message from the founder and owner of Halo's N Horns which says as follows " As a mother i know how delicate and sensitive young skin is. That's why this product doesn't contain any scary chemicals still found in many baby shampoos and body washes, but will still leave your baby by smelling delicious. My sons eczema cleared up the moment i cut out SLS/SLES, inspiring me to launch Halo's N Horns, which he loves. I hope it helps your family as much as it has mine." I personally find this quite refreshing and encouraging. I have faith in many products as they are so professional, knowledgeable and well used. This gives me faith in the product on a different level. Its a personal touch, knowing that her own son was the inspiration behind the products is a nice touch. There is mention on the bottle or many chemicals that the product does not contain. The Halo's N Horns products DO NOT contain the following. SLS*Phthalates*MIT*Parabens*Triclosan*Propylene glycol*SLES. I must be honest, i hadn't heard of most of these so wasn't aware of the potential affect on delicate baby skin. The baby bath has a gentle smell, fresh yet subtle. Only a small amount is needed in the bath it does bubble pretty easily. Cheeky was happy to be in the bath with his new baby bath, and of course play boats with the tube. The first time i also used the baby bath as a body wash, which it doubled as really well. As a child that sufferer's with eczema i wanted to see if this helped my son and his poorly skin. So when taking him out of the bath i noticed that his skin didn't feel soft, but almost 'squeeky clean' i was a bit unsure of this at first. I applied cheekys usual moisturisers and figured i would see if/how it had helped him the next morning. The next morning i didn't really notice a change in cheekys skin, i was a bit worried about the 'squeeky clean' feeling but it didn't seem to have caused a problem. I decided to keep going with the product as i know that even with the perfect product, skin doesn't change over night. 

The next night i used the Mango Melon mayhem Shampoo on cheeky (and mama) as well. With this i found that you did need to use a medium sized amount, it is quite thick and i found it helped to add extra water once you use the product on your baby's hair, helps it to lather up a bit more. This Shampoo and Conditioner smells beautiful, which is why i ended up using it on my own hair =) and did a perfect job on cheekys curls. It smelt so lovely for ages, even when coming to wash it again the next night. The product is kind to eyes, cheeky isn't keen on having his hair washed so rubs his eyes a lot when I'm washing it, the product didn't bother his face or eyes at all. Cheeky and i really like Mango Melon Mayhem! Zingy Orange Hair and body wash was almost as great. Again smelling gorgeous. I was recommend this product 100% as a body wash, it even bubbles in the bath, not over keen on it as a hair wash. It just didn't lather enough, and cheekys hair was a bit tangled up afterwards. As a body wash though 'cheeky says buy it'! These two products also do not contain any of the above chemicals either, but no message from 'Leila' I'm afraid. Having used these products for a little while i have noticed some improvement in cheekys skin, we have had a flare up, which was a reaction to a biological washing powder, i am going to buy some more Halo's N Horns products and i will post on here if i feel it has helped cheekys skin and how his eczema is doing etc. 

I have noticed this product priced differently in many places. As high as £4.49, and as low as £1.00. So when looking for it, do your research.

Images courtesy of, babybudgeting.co.uk, price inspector and evergreen.ie.

Tommee Tippee closer to nature, 3-in-1 feed time comforter

*This is a sponsored post*

Tommee Tippee kindly sent this product for my sister and baby L to try. Which as a second time mum, first time Mummy to a girl, was happy to do so.

Here are some facts that Tommee Tippee provide about this product.

"Comfort touch fabric

• super soft fabric for extra comfort at feed time
• extra absorbent to protect baby's sensitive skin

Feeding wrap

• swaddling can make feeding so much easier by keeping baby's arms and legs secure and comfortable
• making it easier for you to position your newborn during feeding and can calm fractious babies

Burp cloth for winding

• the closer to nature feeding wrap is softer and more absorbent than standard muslin squares making it easier and more comfortable for you and your newborn to enjoy cleaner feed time

Breast feeding privacy

• use this wrap for a more discreet breastfeeding experience between you and your newborn whether at home or out and about"

This arrived in perfect Timing, Sister and her family were off to a wedding. With baby L still very young, Sister was understandably worried, especially about having to feed baby L whilst sat at the front of the wedding venue. Sister was pleased with the neutral colours, and the fact that the feed time comforter was discreet. Sister initially placed the feed time comforter on her shoulder as a burping cloth, finding the correct position was a little tricky, in the end she just went for comfort as a pose to where the softer material lay on her shoulder. Sister felt that the comforter could only really be positioned comfortable and effectively on the right shoulder, where as she prefers to wind on her left shoulder, aside from this it served its purpose to a satisfactory standard.. At the Wedding baby L was violently sick whilst swaddled in the feed time comforter, Sister said the comforter absorbed it, and baby L and her clothes were completely dry underneath. Sister was impressed that her pretty outfit was preserved .

Sister uses the feed time comforter mostly as nursing shawl, placing it over baby L whilst feeding in public. She liked how it really helped breastfeeding to be discreet, whilst also being able to see baby whilst she was feeding her. One thing sister commented on was that, on occasion baby L did feel rather hot underneath the comforter.

The feed time comforter washes really well and dries very quickly which as parents we all know how great that is. Sister likes the shape of the feed time comforter, both for swaddling, she commented that it serves really well as a swaddling blanket, because of it shape and material, and for use whilst nursing, being able to peep at baby whilst still remaining covered herself.

This product retails at £9.99. We both think this is extremely cheap, given it serves so well as a nursing shawl. We had a look at other nursing shawls and this is by far the cheapest. The closer to nature 3-in-1 feed time comforter is a really great product. It should definitely be marketed better. I had asked around and nobody had any idea what it was or could recall having seen one. We went to tesco to see where it was positioned. It took us a while to spot it. For such a useful and reasonable priced product, we say they should be advertised a lot more.

All in all thumbs up Tommee Tippee... and thank you

Mama... baby L and Sister

x

Cheeky has a birthday!

So we have recently celebrated cheekys 2nd birthday..... i still can't believe that my tiny little bundle....with one huge set of lungs.... has just turned two years old. Gone are the 'baby days' he is all toddler now. I spent pretty much the whole of august preparing for cheeky's birthday, buying presents....party or play center...family and friends together... or separate 'do's' for each... what cake do we buy.... does anywhere sell  a chuggington cake.... what food do i serve....it must all be home made right?...and the rest.

So my decisions were as follows

*Party at home

*Friends and family together

*No, i really can't find a chuggington cake anywhere

*Trying to have everything home made and perfect is stressing me out way too much, and i got totally fed up of practicing, i was getting worse.

*Presents were bought as and when cheeky showed interest or excitement in something when we visited many many toy shops.

*Cheeky's cake was made using a photo of his current favourite toy choo choo, turned out great

So as his birthday got closer, Mama got more and more stressed out, seriously, who knew a birthday could be so stressful. I was just so desperate for everything to be perfect. I decided that for the party i would buy 'party packs' of food.... just making this decision took away so much of the pressure. I bought party plates and tables covers and party bags from tesco. Seemed like the most sensible option, despite then seeing all of it cheaper in asda the week before his birthday lol. I bought party bag fillers off ebay, and little chocolate animal biscuits from the £ shop. I decided to do two simple games of pass the parcel and musical bumps... natural trying to ensure that everybody would win a prize and then realizing the game could go on a while if this was the case, so instead having a bucket of 'loot' to hand around at the end to save any tears. I bought painting sets as the prizes. One for a girl, one for a boy. (I must say... these were plans, of course it didn't work out this way) 

On evening before cheeky's birthday, i set up his presents, and his name (which has been made by Mamag, Mamar and i, using wooden letters, and fat quarters) I had wrapped the presents way too early and the wrapping paper pattern had already started to rub away... never mind. 

On the morning of 'The special 2nd birthday!!!' cheeky was in a great mood :) :) :) he had milk and cuddles in Mama's bed followed by a candle in a jaffa cake and 'happy birthday to you , happy birthday to you, happy birthday to Cheeky, happy birthday to you' off Mama. It didn't take cheeky long to spot his presents and animal balloons, Woooowwwww..... its wow, declared cheeky as he started to play with the balloons. I showed him that he could bring a couple of presents at a time onto the rug to open... well once he has done one...that was it... more present... more present, and wow was used more in this one morning than ever before i think. He was a very grateful little boy...and absolutely loved everything he got, especially his craft box, and easel (very into his painting and art at the moment). The whole morning was absolutely fantastic, it will stay with me for ever... so much smiling and laughter...not to mention rubbish music and rubbish dancing ha ha ha! Oh and the camera usage was in full swing... of course!

Family started to arrive between 10.30 and 11.00, where cheeky declared "wow present", at yet more presents being brought in for my very lucky boy. Mamar opened whilst Mamag and i tried to Get cheeky first remote control car to work. I was so impressed when i bought this. It is rubber and is made for young children of cheeky's age it flips over and is bump proof. Just a terrible shame we can't get it to work and are waiting for a replacement.

At 11.30 our friends started to arrive, cheeky was fine with this to begin with and happily opened yet more presents with the help of his cousin. Unfortunately the excitement didn't last, as more and more people arrived cheeky just became totally overwhelmed and just started screaming and would not be put down... the screaming continued for most of his party, and things were wrapped up pretty quickly... games were not played properly.... but luckily there was buffet food and drink and toys for the children to amuse themselves which they day. I was pretty sad that he didn't like his party, and felt like a terrible host. But hey ho... and least there is a story to tell him when hes older he he! On the whole the day was good and everyone was so lovely and generous, cheeky was an extremely lucky boy. 

I feel so blessed to have such an amazing little boy. Thank you cheeky, life would not be the same without you. Happy Birthday xxx

Think i will wrap this up before i waffle anymore!

x x x