Tag: baby
Enjoy 25% Off Joules Weekend Sale
I adore the Joules clothing range for my family and this weekend Joules has an incredible 25% off full price items for everyone:
Have a look at the beautiful selection of clothing, footwear and accessories at Joules and get 25% off full price items when you use discount code AF25.
This offer is valid until midnight on Sunday 21st April.
Wobbles When Weaning
Before long you will have mastered the art of weaning your baby with pureed fruit and vegetables. After a couple of months of puree your baby will be ready for the next stage of weaning, eating foods with more texture.
Adding texture is an important stage in weaning and development for your baby. It helps to strengthen jaw muscles, encourages the development of speech, helps to ensure healthy teeth and prepares your baby for chewing food and eating family meals.
The best advice I received when I was introducing texture to my baby was to take things slowly. There’s no need to get anxious or frustrated if your baby spits out the lumpy bits or refuses textured food altogether.
You may find your baby takes to textured food straight away or it could be some time before your baby is happy chewing and swallowing lumpier food. Either way, there are things you can do to help make this next stage of weaning as easy as possible for both you and your baby.
Tips for the Smooth Introduction of Texture
1. Until your baby is at least ten months old they should be able to easily mush any lumps in their mouth, with or without teeth.
Lumps in food need to be small, soft and manageable for your baby.
2. Begin by slowly adding texture to the foods your baby likes.
Introducing texture to your baby’s puree will most likely be met with a surprised face! You can start by adding grated fruit, mashed vegetable or finely chopped food to your baby’s puree which is a subtle way of encouraging your baby to eat thicker and lumpier food. Introduce new food textures one at a time.
3. Keep baby interested in texture.
When your baby is happy with some texture you can start to vary the texture you give by adding baby pasta shapes or grains such as couscous into their favourite meals.
4. Offer your baby finger foods if they’re developmentally ready.
Babies will often eat lumpier foods if they’re feeding themselves.
5. Don’t force your baby to try something if they don’t want to.
The key is to keep things relaxed and fun so your baby looks forward to mealtimes. This helps to avoid fussy eaters later on.
Initially, I found my baby was happy to eat food with a thicker consistency but she didn’t enjoy food with lumps in it. She would spit the lumps out or refuse to try what I was offering. I took my time and continued to give her food with texture for several weeks until one day she just ate the spoonful of lumpy food as if it were the most normal thing to do!
Lydia Oliver – Nutritional Advisor Only Best For Baby
This article was published in the April 2013 edition of Mummy and Me Magazine.
I offer one to one nutrition programmes for breastfeeding, post pregnancy weight loss, weaning, weight management and health. Contact me.
Grobag Baby Sleep Bag Review
Last week we were sent a Grobag baby sleep bag to review by The Gro Company. Baby sleep bags have been made by The Gro Company since 2000 and today an astounding 95% of parents in the UK choose to use baby and toddler sleep bags for their little ones.
We received an all year round 2.5 tog sleep bag for toddlers aged 18 – 36 months old. With a 2.5 tog sleep bag it’s recommended that your baby’s nursery is between 16 to 20 degrees Celcius. The free nursery thermometer that comes with every Grobag has been helpful for keeping an eye on the temperature in Imogen’s nursery.
Imogen is tall for her age so I was really impressed with the length of the sleep bag we received. It’s suitable for a child up to a maximum length of 98 cm. There is also a good width on the sleep bag which allows Imogen to move freely in the sleep bag during her sleep and when she’s awake in her cot bed.
Imogen’s Grobag fastens at the front with a zip that has a thick cotton zip guard to ensure it never rubs on her skin. There’s a popper at the bottom of the Grobag to safely ‘lock’ the zip so a curious toddler can’t open their Grobag.
The design of Imogen’s Grobag is Treetop Tales. It’s a crisp white on the back of the sleep bag with colourful circles and friendly characters on the front including a giraffe, owl, snail and chick. It’s bright and cheerful with rich colours that will suit all nurseries.
Some of the unique features I love about the Grobag baby sleep bag:
- Imogen stays cosy and warm throughout the night so there’s no worrying about whether she’s too hot or cold
- There are no covers or blankets to kick off which gives us peace of mind during the night
- The Grobag opens easily for any night time nappy changes
- 100% cotton fabric is used for the outer and lining of the Grobag
- The Grobag allows Imogen to move freely during her sleep and when she’s awake and playing in her cot bed
Grobag baby sleep bags have won many awards over the years and the Mother and Baby Awards 2011/12 Gold Award for Best Nursery Product.
Grobag sleep bags come in a range of sizes from 0 – 6 months up to 6 – 10 years. There’s also a range of three tog ratings so you can ensure your child is in the right Grobag for the particular season and temperature of the room.
You can find out more about Grobag baby sleep bags online at The Gro Store.
A sleepy toddler ready for night time slumber in her Grobag sleep bag.
Grobag baby sleep bags are recommended by FSID the Cot Death Charity and meet the British Safety Standard.
Disclaimer: I was sent a Grobag baby sleep bag for the purposes of this review. All opinions and thoughts are my own.
