Bamboo is in

When you think of bamboo your immediate thought is of a tall green plants and pandas. Me too, that is until I had a baby.  

The moso bamboo plant creates the most beautifully soft material which clever companies catering for the baby industry have started to make use of.  Products include cashmere soft blankets at a quarter of the price, absorbent, soft and slim-line nappies and beautiful baby clothes to name but a few.  

The advantages of using bamboo in baby clothes include it being:

• Soft;
• Eco-friendly;
• Absorbent;
• Breathable;
• Thermo-regulating;
• Hypoallergenic; and
• Cheaper and as soft as cashmere

If you are a fan, like me, of bamboo can I point you in the direction of three websites:

• For simply the most gorgeously soft baby clothes on the planet please see the lovely spring/summer collection at Bamboo baBy

• If you want to ensure your child enjoys silky cashmere soft blankets check out this great blanket available at Nigel Store which makes the most fabulous baby shower gift

• Those of you that use real nappies can either order bamboo nappies through Twinkle Twinkle or buy your own material and make your own at Eco Earth Fabrics

Amber Teething Necklaces - Do they really work?

When my son’s French Godmother recommended that I buy Edward an amber necklace I was dubious to say the least. 

Nearly 8 months on and my initial skepticism has gone out the window.   Edward has now got two teeth on the bottom gum with a further two coming in from above.  We have not had a whimper from him.  I took the necklace off for a week to see if it was just Edward not reacting to his teething at all but hastily had to put the necklace back on!

More popular on the continent, amber teething necklaces are certainly becoming more popular over here.   Amber has natural anti-inflammatory and pain relieving properties, which when worn next to the skin helps babies combat their teething pain.

If you are thinking of going down this route the biggest tip I have is put it on your baby as soon as possible.  I put it on Edward when he was 3 months old.  That way they do not notice it and do not pull at it.  I never take it off him, even when he goes to sleep or has his bath. 

The only drawback I have found is that is does not look very masculine!

7 months of struggling to get a breastfeed baby to take a bottle

When Edward was born I struggled to establish breastfeeding.  My ever patient Independent Midwives spent hours with me and with the help of a breast shield Edward finally managed it.  4 weeks later we had weaned him off the nipple shields and I was happily breastfeeding him.


However when he was 4 months old I needed him to take a bottle as I was due to go into hospital for an operation.  My husband and I had in the past successfully given him a bottle of expressed milk.  However 2 weeks before the operation cue the tantrums, the tears (both of us!) and the point blank refusal to take a bottle.

Almost 3 months on we have given up trying to persuade him of the benefits of the occasional bottle! We have tried all sorts of tactics and different bottles in the hope that he might take the bottle.  I finally admitted defeat.

However, today I was walking around the London Excel Baby show and came across the Milkysnugz stand.  Edward reached out to grab a hippo from the stand and I stood and listened to the sales pitch.  I thought I was probably throwing away £15 but Edward was pretty enchanted with the hippo.

This evening I put him on the floor to play with the hippo whilst I warmed a bottle and inserted the bottle into the hippo.  To my complete amazement he not only grabbed the toy but then put the bottle teat in his mouth and finished the entire bottle.

To all breastfeeding mothers who cannot get their baby to take a bottle please try this.

The Milkysnugz toys come in 6 different varieties:

• The Dog;
• The Bear;
• The Hippo; 
• The Elephant;
• The Rabbit; and 
• The Mouse.  

The Milkysnugz toys were designed to provide cuddly feeding aid that would make bottle feeding more fun and comforting for the child and encourage the baby to independently feed. 

Available to buy on Amazon and via the Milkysnugz website. 

The right to breastfeed and hospital overnight stays

A planned trip to hospital this week was postponed after it became apparent that it would result in at least one overnight stay without being allowed to have Edward with me overnight. 

Although this should not have been a problem, my husband is more than capable of a night alone with my son. Edward has recently decided that breast milk should only come from one source and it is not a bottle! 

This lead me to question what, if any, right do you have to have your child in hospital overnight with you if your solely breastfeeding? 

Although the right to breastfeed in public is protected under the provision of goods, services and facilities section of the Sex Discrimination Act 1975.  There seems to be nothing that gives a mother the right to have her child in hospital overnight if her child is still being breastfeed.  Although I suspect that individual hospitals may have their own policies on the matter there is very little on the subject available on the internet. 

I have asked various Doctors, other mums, nurses and midwives whether they think there is a right to have your child with you if you are required to stay in hospital.  Without exception they have all agreed that there should be a right but are unsure what that should be. 

Perhaps it would fall under the remit of Article 8 of the European Convention of Human Rights but that is only a qualified right and not an absolute right. 

I am lucky; my operation can wait for another day.  However, other mothers may not be so lucky. 

I would welcome your thoughts, comments or suggestions…

The best baby product on the market – Reusable baby wipes

A recently pregnant friend asked me the other day what my number one baby product was?  I did not have to think to hard.  Without a shadow of a doubt the Cheeky Baby Wipes reusable system wins hands down.  

Recently nominated for an award in the French magazine Famili, this is a product that no new mother should be without. 

Some reasons why you should get this product:

• It’s so much cheaper than disposable wipes;
• Its better for your baby’s bottom, no more nappy rash;
• One wipe does the work of about three or four disposable wipes;
• It’s better for the environment; and
• If you are anything like me, you will get addicted to the smell of the essential oils!

For £24 you get two boxes (with sprung pop lids, easy for one handed opening) one for clean wipes and one for your mucky ones, 25 terry towelling cloth baby wipes, one fresh and one mucky waterproof out and about travel bag, a small bottle of lavender and chamomile essential oil blend and one small bottle of Tea Tree and Tea Tree Lemon essential oil blend.  

Both the out and about mucky bag and the mucky box come with mesh liners so there is no need to touch the dirty wipes, just empty the mesh bags and their contents directly into your washing machine and wash them with your normal load at a temperature between 30° and 60°. 

The wipes come in either terry towelling or bamboo.  I have tried and tested both and would recommend the bamboo ones, as they are beautifully soft.  Cheeky wipes have recently released a new bamboo wipe version and what an improvement they are.  Check them out at here

However, what makes this product the best is the customer support that comes with it.   Helen at Cheeky Wipes could not be more helpful.  I wish her all the very best at the Famili awards, if it were up to me she would definitely win.    

How to tie a real nappy - origami style

Once I had the nappies delivered and had them washed (to allow for shrinkage of the bamboo material), I was left with the next mission – how to tie a real nappy. 

Luckily my mother was on hand and armed with a teddy bear my husband and I tackled the origami fold.   Although we had mastered putting the teddy bear in a nappy we knew that a wriggling son would be a challenge. 

I know that the origami fold will soon be too small to use for my son, so I carried out some internet research. 

Once again the website Twinkle Twinkle came up trumps with a useful guide on how to nappy.  The guide covers everything from how to tie a nappy to what contents to expect in your nappy and how best to deal with them!

Other useful websites I have found are:

• The Nappy lady website this provides you with you “how to tie it” you tube videos;
• Plush pants tying instructions; and
• A step by step slideshow is available on baby centre’s website.

I have found the easiest thing to do is pre fold the nappies as soon as they have been washed and dried and then roll the wings around the bulk of the nappy and store them in a draw below the changing mat ready to go. 

Wish me luck on learning the next nappy tying technique! I will let you know how I get on…

Make your own nappy boosters

Boosters help give flat nappies that little extra absorbency that is definitely need with a boy. The fleece wicks away the urine and keeps the baby dry and nappy rash free.  

However at £5 for a pack of 6 they are expensive. 

I made a cardboard template and used it to cut up old bits of fleece my mother had stored away in her attic.  Edward now has a variety of colourful and trendy animal print nappy boosters! 

• Fleece is also readily available to buy cheaply at your local haberdashery. 
• Choose darker colours that won’t show the stains over time
• Make plenty so that you can throw them away if you don’t want to carry them around when you are out and about
• They can be washed with the nappies, they are still going strong 4 months down the line.