One of the most useful things we invested in with both our first and second child was a Grobag.
Seriously, you can faff about with optimising the correct combination of blankets and tucking them in just right and then watch them kick the layers off with the ease of an escape artist… Or you can just invest in one of these mini sleeping bags. The child stays a consistent temperature, they don’t kick off blankets and thus have more chance of sleeping. Which also means you have a better chance of sleeping, which is a win for everybody.
Tags: baby, grobag, sleeping
Posted by Matt in tips & tricks | Add the first comment on Gro Bags
It’s easier second time around.
As a first time parent, you worry about all sorts of things that, really, you don’t need to. You take too much to the birth (“Pillows! We need Pillows!”). You agonise over a birth plan (Really, a plan? What were you thinking?) You focus on the event and not the afterward. When they arrive, you hover over every one of your child’s moments as if it may be their last, (“is it breathing! Check! Just in case…”). You worry they might be ill, or be feeding too much or too little or the wrong kind or amount… You worry if you will identify with a child of the opposite gender. Your partner agonises over if they’ve breastfed long enough, after all there are STUDIES! You fall prone to the media scare story of the week. You panic at the onset of a sniffle or the sight of chicken pox. It’s all a great big unknown.
Second time round you know what works for you. Which bits of the mountain of contracdictory advice are laughable and which are key. You’re more confident in your parenting. Oh, and you have a toddler wandering round and demanding your attention, so you have less time to worry.
It’s best not to worry.
Second time round you find your grove quicker and just get on with it. What else can you do?
Wish I’d known how to do that first time round…
Tags: advice, baby, tips
Posted by Matt in thoughts, tips & tricks | Add the first comment on 2nd Time Around
Now our daughter is old enough to sit at a proper chair and eat, we’ve finally removed the highchair to storage. I thought I’d take a moment to recommend it. The IKEA Antilop is incredibly cheap at £11.22 (plus £4.09 for the tray) and has all the key features of a good high chair. It doesn’t take up too much space in a small kitchen, it’s easily wipe clean and it’s stable and secure. Really, at that price you can’t go wrong. It’s also portable, which is a real help if you travel about, with easily detachable legs.
For comparison, originally we had a more bulky model we inherited from a relative. While it looked the height of luxury with it’s padded seat, solid construction and so on, we found that really hard to clean (and one thing weening produces is a lot of mess) and took up a lot of space. So even if IKEA isn’t your thing, I’d err away from any model with padding or similar. More hassle than they’re worth.
Tags: baby, highchair, review, tips, toddler
Posted by Matt in reviews, tips & tricks | Add the first comment on A Cheap, Decent, Highchair
