How we tackled our first spoonfuls

Hey

We started weaning just before 6 months, and it was quite daunting. It's hard finding a starting point but once you have started your confidence grows and grows and you end up feeding all sorts of great flavours and textures. I know a few people who have done baby led weaning and some purée babies, I personally didn't know about either really until we had started and I just did my own thing really, it seems to have worked Ruby is now on three meals a day and snacks and the right weight. 

I used the cow and gate 5 step weaning plan to get me started I loved using it and it is a nice record of what and when Ruby ate, but I added in lumpy and mashed versions of their recipes mainly as my tomme tippee blender has 2 settings and Ruby managed mashed from nice and early, I think it is a good idea to try lumps or mashed quite early as you can get stuck on purée and have a baby who gags on lumps, but they get over this stage so it's completely up to you. (It makes it easier for you less prep work :-)) 

 

I liked starting on fruits as Ruby loves anything fruity, as soon as I first offered food, Ruby had a beaker with water at each meal, she is now great with a beaker. We picked the tomme tippee first sips cup, which is great, even better we won ours on Facebook, we have a couple now and we always have one with us. We encouraged Ruby with Heinz juice but now she has water mainly and juice ever now and then when it is on offer :-) 

I used Hipp jars for some of Ruby's first meals, but I made a lot myself from the cow and gate recipes, I never put milk in the mixes, and Ruby took to them fine she has never been fussy, apart from sweet potato which she loved until she and Gary were poorly after eating it, I guess a night of sicking up and watching your daddy sick up sweet potato would probably put you off it too.   

A tip on sweet potato rather than steaming them, I popped them in the oven like a jacket potato then just scrapped out the cooked center, slightly different texture, less washing up and you can bang it in with your tea to cook. 

I will pop up a post with some of the first things we introduced to Rubes at some point. 

I struggle sometimes with ideas for tasty meals for Ruby so will also share some of our favourites, at the moment I trying to get her on the same tea time meal as us in one form or another, this is her favourite so far and very easy :-) even if like us your not too fussed about fish yourself.

This was a real lazy tea, but still healthy, tasty and intresting for Ruby, the peas are just frozen peas blended with a little cheesy mash, to make it moist, the mash is just that mash potato with grated cheese stirred in so it melted and the fish is dead simple, I used a boil in the bag Birds Eye cod fillet (or loin not sure) which comes in a parsley sauce. Its simple easy and went down very well. 

We love this portioned dish we have two, they are the Tesco loves baby ones, probably a couple of quid defiantly the best dish I have seen and great for meals like this to get the quanities similar each time.

Weight Loss Challenge

So I haven't done a post for a little while, this post is a bit different its all about me really. I thought I would share my story as I try to get to pre baby weight for our holiday in September, although at new year I made a resolution to get back to pre baby weight for Ruby's 1st birthday as a target so if I don't make it for holiday I can give my self an extra month to do it in :-)

We have both been on health kicks on and off for the last few months, so on the 27th May I weighed myself on one of those machines in the supermarket and I was 12st 5lb or 78.5kg :-( my pre baby weight target is 72kg, and to be honest I will be very happy at that. I could go lighter but I used to be happy with my body at that weight so I think it is an achievable healthy weight for me and will mean I can wear a bikini, maybe, on holiday :-) 

We had a healthy diet week after this weigh in and Gary lost some but I think I lost half a pound which felt rubbish, I couldn't help thinking that exercise is what is missing for me, other than the nights I go to work and I am on the move constantly. I don't really eat rubbish or even a lot of anything, I just enjoy nice food and have a big tea. 

So then the bike trailer arrived and I thought right lets get to it, Gary is great and really supportive with anything like this. So we have for the last week been for a bike ride every night with Ruby come rain or shine, but we only have the one bike so have taken it in turns to bike a section then jog a section, I guess it could be called interval training maybe.  I defiantly feel after a week of doing this I am recovering better from my jogging section and I have increased my jog length whilst also increasing the biking section, we probably do 3 miles a night. So I had been feeling fitter toward the end of the week, before I got pregnant I used to go to the gym 3 times a week and swim, it is nice to start feeling like I am getting my fitness back :-) 

We haven't really dieted this last week but we have tried to cut out snacks, and whilst I have been at work I had no chocolate which is unusual as on nights you hit a time in the night when you practically crave sugar, I had weetabix and a little maple syrup instead still sugar I know but better than 2 Galaxy's. 

So this weeks weigh in I have to say I was sort of looking forward to, as on Friday I fitted into a pair of trousers I haven't worn since before bump :-) and Other clothes weren't as tight, this all meant for the first time in ages I was feeling confident about having lost something. 

The result was I weighed in this week at 11st 13.5lb or 75.8kg woop woop I can not believe it I am so chuffed I text Gary in the middle of the night to tell him as I did it on a break at work, nobody around to take the p**s ;-) 

So this week will be more bike rides and jogging, I am still not too worried about what we eat as it is a fairly healthy diet anyway, but maybe next week for an extra push I will reduce our portions and cut out various naughty things, we will see.

I am going to use the Runkeeper App on my phone to track our distances and will share with you in the next weight loss challenge post :-) 

Our Book from PEEP - OCN

Whilst we have been going to our local Peep sessions, I have completed the Open College Network- Learning Together with Babies Level 2 course, simply by documenting what we have done each week.  I haven't had it marked yet, but thought I would share it with you. Its been really good fun sticking pictures in and doing a little writing :-) hopefully I will pass.

This is the front cover, everyone in our session has a different style front cover, I really wanted to include Gary and Mika the cat on ours, so I chose to do a collage of snaps.

This is the points you have to cover off and the differnet ways to show them, most of mine I have done  photos with notes as it looks good in a scrap book style.

First page, this is a picture of our first Peep session, if you have read my other Peep post you will know this was the one where Ruby cryed for the whole session, apart from here where she stopped for a cuddle, I didnt even know they took photos. It is one of the reasons I love going as I actually get some pics of me a Ruby together.

Photos of Messy play, think I will have a couple more before this gets marked but you get the idea.

Some handprints we have done, I think Ruby was 6 months when we did these.

Body language question- all about how Ruby responds to body langauge.

My favourite, the book question- all about why sharing books with your baby is important.

Senses question- describing how Ruby responds to different sights, sounds, and smells and what she likes to taste and touch.

Communication- how and when your baby communicates with you and how you encourage them.

Songs- really easy to complete as we sing every session, - how songs amd rhymes help babys communication skills.

How your baby explores the world and the choices they are making, this was a great session, we did a show and tell and took in Rubys favourite toy, her music player, then showed eveyone. It was great seeing the variety of different toys.

This was a tricky one, describing how you have encouraged your baby to achieve something new through, opportunities, recognition, interaction and modelling framework, something everyone does every day but tricky to write how. 

I wish I had done this page once a month from when we started, basically documenting all your babies achievements, milestones and efforts.

Describing a routine you follow that helps you both :-) the only one with no pictures, so I went all out on coloured pens instead :-)

Just another fun thing I would never have thought I would do, and the reason I did is Ruby.

Quick Post-- Before Cooking First Fathers Day Lunch -- Baby Swimming

So I have prepped lunch and have a couple of mins, heres a little post about baby swimming.

We first took Ruby swimming when she was 3 months old at the beginning of January, but she hadn't had her last set of jabs so don't let that put you off. We wanted to get Ruby swimming or used to the pool as we were going on holiday at the end of January, and were planning on spending some time everyday in the pool. 

I asked a friend who is also a swimming teacher how best to introduce her to the pool, she suggested short sessions of between 5-10 mins in the pool to start as they chill off quickly, in your standard pool, then build her up in 5 mins so the next time stay in 10-15 mins.

I ideally wanted Rubes to stay in longer than this so got on the internet and looked for wetsuits, I found Splash About: Baby Wraps and Happy Nappy, I ordered offline. 

Really simple they undo and lie flat so you can pop baby on top then fold over and velcro shut, no annoying arm holes to struggle with. Ruby looked comfy and after wearing it she had no rubs marks or sore spots so I was happy she was comfy, not only that, our local pool is quite cool, we shiver when you first get in, and after first first dip which was 10 mins long, when we got her changed her belly and chest were lovely and warm. I think Rubes would have happily stayed in longer but we didn't want to over do it. 

We both took her for the first trip, but since then me and Rubes go to swimming lessons on our own and have our own way of getting in and out of the pool, a technique you will need to master if going on your own. But first time it is good to have two people your baby trusts, Gary stood on the side with Rubes and I got in then he passed her down to me in the water, then got in himself.

Remember lots of smiles and happy faces, be confident yourself or they will pick up in this, keep them quite close to you to start with, basically hugging in the water but as you go more stretch them out in front of you so they are seeing open water, this helps to build confidence.

Also as you go more, encourage splashing and face washing, even dipping them, it all helps build water confidence.

Ruby loves being towed round the pool and now kicks with encouragement of me or daddy going 'kick kick kick' it seems the natural thing to say and I was surprised when we went to Center Parcs how many other mums and dads were saying it..not just us two crazies :-). 

We now go to a 'swim a song' swimming lessons session which is very good and with the help of songs and actions you teach and encourage your baby.   

Tips for happy swimming, make sure baby is warm- we don't use the wrap now but they do a range of sizes so if your baby feels the cold just keep using them, take a snack or bottle with you for when you get out, remember extra towels I take a big one for the changing unit and a hooded one for Rubes and I still end up using mine for her as well ;-), be confident in what nappy your baby is wearing to start with I used Huggies Little Swimmers and the Splash About Happy Nappy which is also leak proof- the last thing you want is a poo disaster, remember a little toy you use in the bath such as a duck or bath book, put baby and yourself in easy to dress clothes- nothing worse than struggling with fiddly baby clothes whilst you are still not dressed either. I always dress myself first whilst Rubes is wrapped up in her towels and having a snack, but do what ever seems easiest to you. Choose a time when baby has had a nap and isn't hungry, but also hasn't just eaten. Choose a quiet time to go, I think we went on a Sunday afternoon about 40 mins before closing, as most people have got out of aren't there that late.

Lots of smiles and encouragement, if your baby isn't the best in water, build their confidence at bath time first, let them try their swimming clothes before going in the pool too, and defiantly have a practice shower at home as you will need to wash the chlorine of their skin after the swim and have a rinse before too. 

Oh one last tip, give yourself plenty of time to get changed, I always put my swimming costume on under my clothes before we go, saves a little time, but first time allow 30 mins each side of your swim to get you, baby and daddy dressed :-) now after months of swimming me and Rubes can get pool ready in 10 mins and dried and dressed after a swim in 20 mins. 

Any extra questions please post in the comments :-) 

Happy Swimming 

C 

Salt Dough - Great Keepsakes and Gifts

We have made these at groups we have been to, dead simple and easy to do, the recipe is simple and ingredients are cheap, we made one for Rubys Grandad for fathers day and plan on making a few for christmas pressies and other special presents before then, I wish I had done some for last christmas.

Recipe

1/2 cup of salt

1 cup of plain flour

1/2 a cup of warm water 

If like me you see the measurment 'cup' in a recipe, and think arg what is a cup and how big, don't worry about it just use a mug but use the same mug for all the ingredients, it can be a big mug if you want lots of a normal one for standard amount.

Once you have everything measured into a bowl mix it together, and knead it till its a smooth dough, the smoother you get it the better, but its at easy to do don't worry first time about getting it perfect. Then split into just smaller than tennis ball size and roll out onto a board, aim to get it between 1-2cm thick you can go thicker it will just take longer to dry. Some recipes oven dry the prints, but we have always just left it somewhere dry like the airing cupboard or a window sill for a week, depends if you are in a rush. I think the oven settings are 100c for 3 hours but becareful of oven drying thick prints as sometimes they will rise and this will ruin the print, I recommend being patient and air drying, for older kids you can check daily with them for a bit of fun :-) 

Then when it's rolled out into a nice shape, I guess you could use a baking cutter to shape the dough when doing small prints, I ve always rounded the side with my hands, some people use a plate or saucer and cut round, depends on how neat you want it really. Then press feet or hands into the dough quite firmly, the first time we did this Rubes just grabbed up the dough and we had to re-roll it, its amazing how good their little feet are at scrunching up the dough too, so be patient, of course you might do it first time :-) 

Then dry.

When dry some people paint them, I prefer to leave them natural and varnish, but bigger kiddies will love painting them themselves, choosing the colours and patterns. An idea I am going to try for Christmas is varnish with glitter in, but I haven't yet so it may be a disaster. 

Oh another tip if you want to put ribbon through it to hang it up by, whilst it isn't set pop a straw through this will give you a nice sized round hole :-) 

This pictures show footprints done a couple of months apart, really shows how much their feet grow :-)

Happy Printing :-) 

C 

The Bike Trailer

Yey! It arrived! 

Very excitedly I unpacked it, and started to assembled whilst Rubes sat and watched.

The unpacked unassembled trailer, it didn't look to daunting to put together and all the main bits are basically fold out and put a locking pin in place and your done, I used a little spanner and allen key they sent in the pack for one bit, and that was it for tool use, until I attached it to the bike them you need to use a spanner, you don't need a spanner every time you want to take if off or put it on your bike, just for the first time, as you put a small attachment on to your bike which then has a locking pin for quick switch overs for future use. 

Everyone should be able to do this, the words in the instructions weren't ever so clear but the pictures were so I managed.

The finished product :-) great! 

Ruby fits in perfectly, with room for a friend if needed, and growing space, although I added a pillow for comfort and to give her a little more height so the straps sat at a nice height on her shoulders and didn't rub, I also added the strap covers from her old car seat again for comfort.

Our first bike ride was great fun, also great for reviewing the trailer as we tested the cover and the rain cover, Ruby hates the rain cover on her buggy but seemed happy with the trailers cover and windows, which is good because it slung it down, we were drenched but Ruby and her panda were lovely and dry, result!

The trailer towed really nicely and felt solid and robust, we were on a nice track but the suspension defiantly made it a smooth ride so bumpy tracks would be fine. 

Ruby seemed very comfy, I would recommend giving them a few toys to keep their little hands busy, although Ruby did enjoy watching the world go by out of the great windows. 

There is great storage at the back and in the footwell of the baby compartment so no need to ride carrying your changing bag or picnic :-) and this storage is also waterproof.

We love the look of it, its nice and compact, sporty and not clumsy. The flag needs a little personalising and we are looking at getting a little number plate just for fun :-) 

Good reflectors on the wheels and nice flag so people see you coming, all in all a great little buy.

We got this one from ebay, from KMS direct and it was £64 inc postage which was stated as 48hr but was in fact next day had I been at home to receive it which I wasn't :-) unfortunately there was a little damage to a small bit of the frame but KMS Direct have been good in sorting this and if I hadn't been desperate to use it I could have returned it and got a new one at no cost for the return, so I am still happy with their product and service. 

Defiantly a good buy for active families, or anybody who enjoys a bike ride. We just need to figure out where to put it when we are not using it, maybe we will have to buy a BBQ cover to put over it and the bike for the time being. 

Just been for a second ride to get a few bits of shopping ended up doing a massive shop but it all fitted in :-) was hard work biking home, defiantly daddy's turn to bike as I strolled behind :-) 

C 

PEEP - Water Play :-)

My most popular posts are play and food related, I will be doing some weaning posts soon, but to keep you interested heres another messy play/ exploring idea. Easy to do at home, best in the garden when summer finally arrives but just as easy in the bath, or a paddling pool on the kitchen floor, or even just a big storage box.

Make it a little more fun by inviting some baby friends over or getting in yourself, its great to see babies learn from watching others enjoy an experience.

So the idea, water play. 

These photos are from the PEEP session, they used a large shallow base almost like a tray for the babies to sit in, a couple of inches of warm water with bubbles and toys in, the most popular toys were ones the babies could fill with water and then watch as it poured through a little hole, and try to grab at the water coming out, if your at home and don't have anything like that, save a yogurt pot or similar and pop a hole in the bottom when you've washed it and it will do the trick :-) or even a sieve or pasta drainer would do similar. 

 

We also blew bubbles over the babies so they were watching them float down and pop on the water. Ruby loved it she loves bath time anyway, great chance to play in one of her comfort zones (water) 

Another simple idea for water play and bath time toys that I thought of trying and Rubes seemed to like. Was using the inside of a chocolate box, you know the bit that holds the chocolates :-) (a nice excuse to eat some choccies). 

She enjoyed watching the water fill up the little pockets and then run out when she lifted it up, also when pushing it under water bubbles pop out the side, it makes great noises when she pressed the pockets and when slapping it against the water...its always the cheap or free things they like, just keep experimenting till you find the best one. This chocolate tray had previously been used to stamp on when she was in her door bouncer, it made great popping and crinkling noises and really encouraged bouncing :-) 

Remember to stay safe near water :-) 

C 

Center Parcs Holiday -Review

So looking for a holiday with baby, don't fancy abroad just yet, like us, well we opted for Center Parcs. 

We had been to Center Parcs several times before, and are both fans. But everything changes with a baby, so would Center Parcs adapt well to suit our new little family.

We went for Gary's 30th Birthday week in January and Ruby was just over 3 months, we chose Sherwood Forest for a few reasons, mainly due to it being the nearest, and we felt comfortable driving that far with Ruby knowing it shouldn't be a problem, but we had also been to Sherwood before so knew our way around and what the terrain would be like for a buggy. However when it came to our arrival day home was covered in a foot or snow and Sherwood Forest wasn't far behind, very beautiful it has to be said, so terrain made little difference with snow on the ground, however first positive the tracks and paths were well gritted and our buggy easily coped although we used the carrier mostly, our preference. 

Arrival was easy Ruby had just started crying as we arrived and the lady who welcomed us did it as swiftly as she could to help, which was appreciated :-) we found our villa, an executive 2 bedroom villa in the Pine area, we swiftly unpacked across the snow. 

The villa as usual was up to Center Parcs high standard, we had a high chair and a wooden cot, all we needed was cot bedding, firstly the cot was excellent prior to our break I had been trawling through forums trying to find reviews including what the cots were like, we have a travel cot but it took up so much room in the car we decided we would use the one supplied, and it was great, a nice size, easy to assemble, clean and with a nice mattress, I was delighted. The bonus being Ruby loved it too and slept like a log every night, we had her in our room and slightly moving the very easily movable bed allowed enough room for her to be along my side of the bed, which is just what I wanted. 

The next most important thing and the next thing I had been worrying about was weather the microwave would fit out Avent steriliser in, and be able to spin it around, it did and was very easy to work and find the right settings. 

After setting up home, we went for a stroll up into the village square and the pac mart, and although we had packed all our baby bits we looked at the good range of baby essentials they had on offer. Good to know for next time. 

We had a lovely mix of family nights in watching DVDs and painting by numbers (don't ask haha), and a couple spent out at the Sports Cafe, eating burgers (buy one get one free night :-)) ) and playing pool whilst Ruby slept in her buggy by the side. We felt very welcome in the evenings to sit in the Sports Cafe with Ruby on the sofas, with Gary enjoying the football and me enjoying the free wifi. The wildlife was great and Ruby loved seeing the geese right outside. My highlight was our fire on the last night which was lovely after a cold afternoon out in the snow.

Activity wise was were our holiday was different to previous ones, we decided to mainly swim which Ruby enjoyed, tip for younger babies at Sherwood, go up to the outdoor pool but stay in the little piece of it that is actually inside, the water felt a lot warmer than the main pool. Ruby loved swimming outside as she was gazing at the sky and waterfall, our swimming sessions lasted about half an hour in the water and then half an hour either side for changing, maybe a little longer, so defiantly filled our afternoons. The changing facilities were good at Sherwood, although on our next holiday in March to Penrith Center Parcs they were put to shame, an update needed there CPs, excellent electronic lockers and plenty of family changing rooms at Penrith, but by no means were Sherwood's bad, they could just do with a few more changing rooms with baby tables, as at the busy times you may find you need to wait, but get baby wrapped up in your towels and this is a minor thing, but room for improvement. 

       

Like I said we spent some time in the Sports Cafe, playing pool and we did plenty of walks,  our holiday felt full, we also spent time relaxing at the villa and watching DVDs the wifi was great for sharing photos with family whilst we were away.

We didn't on this occasion, but we had before and a friend has since with their baby, completed the treasure hunt, great way to win a free activity if you collect the clues the quickest, and if you don't win its a great value afternoon filler.

Our second break to Penrith, Ruby was 5 months, and since we had already been to Sherwood I felt far more organised I didn't pack anywhere near as much, we had an lakeside apartment this time,and didn't know what to expect. 

Firstly it was lovely, well done Center Parcs on creating a great value accommodation option, we were villa lovers but the apartment really impressed us and we would not hesitate to re book into one. Great open plan and everything you need with a lovely kitchen, without really knowing your in an apartment not a villa, except for the fire alarm going off once. I understand CPs have to follow fire safety however their smoke detectors are VERY sensitive I set the one in our villa off every night, honestly I burnt noting, and although I never set it off int the apartment I lived in fear it.

So baby furniture in the apartment, we were really pleased after being told on the phone there may not be a cot or high chair, on arrival we had a high chair set up at the table, and after checking the cupboard, a band new travel cot, easy to set up, great size, easy to move around, and again Ruby slept like a log every night. 

The location was great, close to all the main bits, a massive plus for Penrith is that there villagesquare is  undercover, nice for miserable afternoons. Again we filled our time with trips to the pool, walks and games of pool, we added in a game of badminton- we booked one of the last sessions and took Ruby in the push chair and played with her on the side lines. We also tried the geocache challenge, basically a GPS treasure hunt, when we did this we had Ruby in the carrier, which was great and after about a 5 mile walk, maybe less, we WON, much to our surprise. A great way to explore the parc. So we chose a round of adventure golf as our prize, which was excellent, made even better as we were joined by a red squirrel.

All in all a great holiday, made extra special as it was my birthday this time, and Gary proposed, I couldn't have picked a better place, Center Parcs will always be special to us, a moonlit walk after playing pool at the Jardin de Sports on our last night, stopping at a little group of benches off one of the paths near the nature hut, it was the last thing I was expecting from Gary, to watch him get out two glasses and a bottle of bubbly from the changing bag and a ring from his pocket :-) 

Over night it snowed heavily, and we thought we might be stuck to we left before lunch after a cooked breakfast at the Sports Cafe and a quick visit to the Pac Mart to buy much needed baby milk and snacks in case we got stuck we set off on a very snowy long journey home, which much to our relief Ruby slept though, and then slept through the first night home too...bonus :-) 

Although we hadn't weaned Ruby yet on either of our holidays, we noticed the great facilities in the restaurants for babies, microwave, bottle warmers and food, and plenty of high chairs and play areas for bigger kids. 

Like I said the changing rooms were excellent at Penrith for families, and the furniture in the villa and apartment was also great, I wouldn't even consider packing our travel cot next time. Another great facility at Penrith was the family toilets, which had baby changing, a tv with cartoons on, and different height toilets, something for everyone and great for all stages of family life, I was very impressed :-) 

Near both sites are large supermarkets, so if you don't want to cram the car full of food for the whole journey buy close to the parc. 

Next time, we defiantly will be getting a baby bike tailer or taking our own, and we will probably use the creche at some point but we weren't ready to leave Ruby on either of these holidays, and our holiday didn't suffer so its only a maybe for next time, however we did have a nosey at the creche at both parcs and they looked lovely, and the babies or children seem to have plenty to do. 

There is also a soft play activity for young children I saw this at Penrith and it looked fantastic! 

Thanks CP

C