What Blake Wore: Regatta Paxon Parka

With autumn/winter approaching and with Blake starting Pre-School it was important for us to find him a good quality coat. Blake loves being outdoors so a coat that protects him from the elements is essential. When its lashing down with rain and really cold during the coming months I will be relaxed in knowing that Blake will be cosy and dry in his new coat. 

So what are my main must's for a coat for Blake: 

- Must have a hood

- Durable

- waterproof 

- Affordable

- Pockets

- Smart

The Regatta Paxon Parka (In surf spray) meets all of these and is a smart looking coat made of waterproof and breathable Isotex 5000 coated fabric. Featuring internal storm cuffs and taped seams, it comes with a durable water repellent finish.

 It has two lower patch pockets which are a good size and is lined with polyester with strategic warm fleece panels, meaning that the coat is cosy and warm.  The coat is thigh length with a fine quality 'faux-fur' trim hood (which is removable).

We tested out the coat on a visit to our local park, although it wasn't raining that day Blake was eager to wear his new coat and very reluctant to take it off which is a great sign. 

The length of his coat is ideal as it covers his bum so I wasn't too worried about the slide being a bit wet from the rain the previous day. I'm yet to test out the durability and how it fairs in the rain however you can tell that the coat is well made and is such great quality. 

The material is really thick and I can see it will be long lasting (until Blake outgrows it). 

I love the design and how smart it looks, the colour surf spray really suits Blake and the coat over all makes him look so much more grown up. Blake doesn't usually like having his hood up however with this coat I've had no issues, I have a feeling it may do to the faux-fir trim.

Size Wise the coat is definitely a true fit, I usally find some coats to be really baggy on Blake however this one fits perfectly with room to grow. As you can see in the photos the sleeves aren't too long either which I do find tends to happen on other coats Blake has had in the past. 

The pockets are a great size and will be handy for when it gets much colder to keep his gloves inside. They also clip closed which is handy so that nothing can fall out of the pockets. 

*Disclosure – we were sent the Regatta Paxon Parka free of charge in exchange for our review, however all thoughts and opinions are my own.*

Dealing With The Terrible Two's

Looking at the cute and cheeky little face of Blake you wouldn't believe how bad Blake's tantrums have been recently. Since he was about 18 months Blake has had the start of the "Terrible Two's" and since then they have gradually got much worse. 

In front of others Blake is the dream child he has no tantrums, very rarely cries or hits. In fact he is rather shy and very clingy towards me when we go to groups and takes awhile for him to join in. 

At home is a different kettle of fish he is stroppy, demanding and from time to time I describe him when talking to Stuart as a little brat. He will start throwing objects, once he is told not to, we get the hitting his head on the wall followed by the laying on the floor kicking and screaming. When he is asked not to do something or wants something and we don't understand him we will get the smacking, headbutting, crying, screaming. 

He's starting testing his boundaries too, just the other day I was asking him not to eat with his feet up on the table which resulted in the smacking me around the face and finding it hilarious. We are starting to have to give him consequences to his actions and I think we are going to have to start using the thinking corner. 

On the flip side he is loving be praised for doing something good such as putting himself down for a nap, listening to us for example I asked him to shut the bathroom door the other day and he did it so we clapped and told him well done for listening. 

Other behavior we are dealing with at the moment is the refusal to nap and to stay in bed at night. We have had to pick him up and put him back into bed so many times kicking and screaming however we are lucky that this hasn't happened every night.  He does know he needs to stay in bed he just doesn't want to. 

He will also throw strops when it comes to not having the same foods every day and trying to get him to try something different. This then results in being woken at silly o clock as he is hungry.The joys of a fussy eater!

Blake is behind in his speech and so its tough when it comes to also understanding him as he gets so frustrated at not being able to communicate what he wants.

KidloLand App

I was recently contacted by Kidloland to see if Blake would like to try out their nursery rhyme app. It is an app designed specifically for children 0-5 years and is very easy to use and child friendly.

At nearly 2 years old Blake loves nursery rhymes and so this app is ideal for him. The app is free to download on Android, iOS and Amazon The app comes with a few free songs but the subscription gives you unlimited access to download.

The app has all your favorite classic nursery rhymes, educational songs for learning ABC's, animals and much more. 

One of the things that Blake loves about the app is that you can tap on the animals and other character's and watch them come alive, which makes it even more fun! Once you have downloaded the songs you are able to enjoy them offline anywhere. 

We will be using the app when we are away on holiday in Cape Verde to keep Blake entertained for example when waiting for food or on the airplane.

The app is very entertaining and as soon as I put the app on my tablet Blake was straight over to me to see what was going on. The music is very catchy and all the images are bright and colorful. 

I wish that I had known about the app sooner since Blake loves it so much. There is so much for children to learn with this app and I can honestly say a subscription is worthwhile as you get so much more from it! 

Have you heard of Kidloland? Does this sound like an app your child/ren would love? 

Or maybe it's an app that your kid's already love? I'd love to know. 

Baby Classes and Groups

Back when Blake was three months old I started going to baby groups and classes with him as a way to get out of the house, meet other mum's and for Blake to be around other babies.

I've never been one for liking big groups of people and the idea at first filled me with dread. 

I remember the first group I went to was a new mum's group for new parents with non mobile babies. It wasn't as bad as I was expecting and i got talking to two ladies who also had boys and we are still touch over a year a later. The first time going I admit can be scary especially if like me you are introvert but I'm glad I got out of my comfort zone and just  went. 

 

These sorts of groups have so many great benefits too and I still go to at least one a week. 

Blake currently goes to a Baby Beeps sensory class on a Thursday morning and we also are attempting to get out and go to one at a local church on a Tuesday afternoon or Friday morning. Another thing we chose to do with Blake is swimming lessons which have been so beneficial. First of all it's given us something to do as a family every Saturday afternoon but also Blake loves splashing around in the pool and is definitely a water baby. 

One of the things that got me to start going to groups  was lets be honest when you are a stay at home mum it can be lonely.  Not only that but being stuck indoors at home with your baby can be suffocating and can also be quite boring after awhile. Going to groups/classes has given us the much needed change of environment. The great thing is that these types of groups are either free or don't cost the earth to go to. 

Another reason is you get to meet other Mum's/Dad's and your little one gets to interact with other children of the same age and/or different age groups. 

Some groups also have the added bonus of free coffee and cake for us parents and if your child is old enough healthy snacks and drinks for them too. 

Now over to you Do you take your little ones to groups/classes?

Blake 18 months

I can't believe that Blake is now 18 months old the last 6 months have just whizzed by and he is changing everyday and growing up way too fast.  This is going to be a rather long post so you may want to get your self a mug of coffee and a biscuit and get comfy. 

Blake is now in size 18-24 months clothing and has been for a few months now. He also still has his baby chunkiness. At the beginning of March we got him his first Clarke's shoes in a size 4G although he has gone up to a 4 1/2 now. 

He has about 12 teeth and more coming through so he has been very dribbly recently. 
Lucky it's not interfered that much with his sleep and he still sleeping very well at night and having approx 11 to 12 hours a sleep at night. 

Nap wise it really depends on him sometimes he will have a 2 hour nap and then be awake the rest of the day, other times he will have 2 naps at an hour each. So over all in a 24 hour period he's getting approx 14 hours of sleep. 

He has become a really fussy eater since Christmas and has gone from eating loads of different foods to hardly touching his food. He has stopped eating vegetables and has also gone off banana's which he used to love but now loves eating grapes instead but also doesn't mind apple, melon and sometimes raisins. Its so hard to know what to give him for dinner these days as he also wont eat meat unless its turkey dinosaurs or chicken nuggets. He still loves fish pie and will also eat fish fingers or fish cake. He loves yogurt but not keen on chocolate which i suppose is a good thing.  He also is still drinking milk from his bottle and water from a cup.

Blake still loves going to swimming lessons on a Saturday afternoon and loves splashing in the pool. We also started going back to baby beeps but after the summer holidays I'm thinking of taking him to the sessions for up 4 years. We've also started to go to a local church as they hold a little toddler group which is fun and only £1 a session. He also loves to go the park which we do quite a lot, we have a park with a sand pit and splash park which I am going to try out quite close to us. Blake also loves going to soft play and we have taken him to the farm local to us which he loves. We are planning to take him to the Zoo some point this summer and have got some other fab family day out ideas of things to get up to.

Blake loves reading, playing with his trains and has been trying to slot the play coins in his laugh and learn piggy bank. We have also been practicing building blocks and I've been trying to teach him new words. At the moment he isn't too keen on crafts but loves messy play activities. We recently got a scuttle bug for Blake to use when we take him to the park which he just loves. 

He currently still isn't walking fully. He is able to walk from one side of the room to the other but he is pretty lazy with it and much prefers to crawl. He loves playing ball games and is really good at throwing and catching. 

Talking wise he can say a few words and I'm trying to encourage him more.
He can say : Mum-Mum, DaDa, Nan-Na, Hiya, No, Yay, three.

Wicked Uncle Toys

If you have children you will know it can be very easy to buy toys for little ones as there is  so much out there to choose from. Of course this can make buying toys hard as well. That's where Wicked Uncle can help you out, aimed at all the family to give a helping hand when buying toys for little ones. Wicked Uncle have a selection of toys suitable from babies to teens in a range of categories from age range, A-Z, gender and popular toys. This makes finding the ideal gift much more easier. As Blake is 18 months in a few weeks, I decided it would be a good idea to choose toys suitable for 2 years +.  Then he will still be able to play with them next year. 

My first choice was the Grow it: My very own garden set. This is great for imaginative role play and is bright and colorful making it eye catching. The set comes with 9 chunky pieces great for small hands. Another fab thing about the set is that the watering can is like a proper one, so that children can also practice watering real plants as well as the toy ones.  The set is made from durable soft plastic which can be easily washed.  Blake loves trying to use the watering can, planting the carrot, radish and two flowers using the shovel with the three colorful pots.

I also chose the Fix it: My very own tool box from the same brand, which is also great for imaginative and creative play. Again the set is made from soft and durable plastic with eye catching colors making it a fun and stimulating toy. The chunky six piece set contains a realistic sounding drill,  hammer, screwdriver, saw and wrench as well as a tool box to keep it all in. It's great for little ones who love to fix things. Blake loves using the drill but doesn't seem to have much interest yet in playing with the other tools (unless you count throwing them at me). I've been encouraging him buy "showing" him how each tool works, I think as he gets older he will certainly start to gain interest. 

Both the Grow it: My very own garden set and Fix it: My very own tool box retail at £19.95 

which i feel is a great price for toys that are of such high quality and fun to play with. 

What do you think of my choices?  Have you purchased anything from Wicked Uncle? 

Packing Your Swim Bag

Blake has been having Swimming Lessons for eight months now and there are some essentials for going swimming with a baby. Blake loves his weekly lessons and its such a delight to see his excitement when getting in the pool. One thing is that he hates with passion the changing rooms. He will scream and cry until we are out of there. 

Anyway on to the essentials. 

Nappies and Swim Nappies

We take a couple of Huggies little swimmers with us which Blake wears under his splash about cloth nappy. Its always good to make sure you have a few your regular nappies with you for after swimming. 

Swim wear

For you and for baby. Blake wears a splash about wrap in the pool to keep him extra warm. 

You can also purchase swimming costumes for both boys and girls. 

Towels

One for you and one for baby for keeping warm and dry after being the pool. 

We use a regular towel but you can also use hooded towels for babies. 

Coin for lockers

We have forgotten our pound coin for the locker once but was lucky that the pool was able to give us some change. We now make sure we always have one with us. 

Changing Mat

We like to use our own as the changing table at our local pool is very hard and cold for Blake to lay on. You can buy special swim ones too but we have chosen not to. 

Snacks

After swimming your baby is going to be most likely hungry. We keep snacks in our bag to make sure if Blake is hungry after we don't have to rush to a shop. 

Do you pack anything else when you go swimming with your little one/s?

Natural History Museum

Dinosaurs seem to be a bit of a theme at the moment in our home. Blake has a puppet that he loves and he also has a few books as well which include dinosaurs. So when I heard that the Natural History Museum were releasing a new personlaised dinosaurs collection to their shop, I knew we had to have something from the collection. The exciting new range of products include cute and colorful gifts as well as fashion essentials. They are perfect for giving a personalised touch. The prints will delight little explorers and they have fun facts on each product.  The collection has a range of 7 lovely items prices starting at £12 with the highest costing item being the rucksack at a bargain £20. 

We have been sent a dinosaur puzzle for the purpose of this post and I wanted to share with you my thoughts on the range. We were sent the 36 piece puzzle which is £15 but they also do a 96 piece puzzle also for £15. The puzzle is of excellent quality, colorful and eye catching. At the moment Blake is at an age where this kind of puzzle isn't suitable for him to complete as he is only 16 months. However we have used it as I am trying to teach him new words so I have saying the colors and words like teeth, sharp, spiky etc and also reading his name which is on the puzzle. As he gets older and he is able to complete the puzzle he will also have lots more fun as the puzzle has loads of fun dinosaur facts and comes with a question sheet so that we can test his knowledge. I really love the idea of this fun puzzle which helps aid learning. 

What do you think of the personalised dinosaur collection? 

InfaCare Night Time Baby Bath

Hi everyone, back at the end of February I shared with you our bedtime tips and routine for Blake. My main tip is to make sure you have a good routine which also includes giving Blake a bath every two nights.  

I have recently been asked to try out the new InfaCare Night Time Baby Bath with Blake. 

InfaCare's bubbly bath time treats are formulated to be as natural and gentle as possible for babies delicate skin. Both the InfaCare Baby Bath and InfaCare Night Time Baby Bath are ulta mild and PH balanced with long lasting bubbles which make it popular among parents and kids alike.

Recommended by hospital midwives and healthcare professionals, the Infacare bubble baths have been clinically tested and developed to promote natural levels of acidity and alkalinity in skin and hair. Reassuringly, each is designed to prevent irritation, and mums say it helps with allergies. Recently launched, Night Time Baby Bath is fast becoming a favourite with mums across the country; with up to 70% describing it as ‘ideal’ for their bedtime routine.  

I have been using the InfacCare Night Time Baby Bath with Blake for a week now and we are very impressed. First of all a little goes along way and it makes loads of bubbles which Blake loves. The scent is also such a gentle powdery fragrance which to me smells a tad bit like violets.  I definitely can say that it is such a relaxing fragrance and I am tempted to use this in my own bath.  I'm unable to say from an allergies point of view how this works as in generally Blake hasn't had any issues with his skin. We really do love the new InfaCare Night Time Baby Bath and it's definitely going to be my new go to bubble bath for Blake. 

Now I just need them to come out with a matching body lotion in this relaxing fragrance.

RRP –  InfaCare Baby Bath £2.15 for 400ml / £3.19 for 750ml and Infacare Night Time Baby Bath £3.49 for 750 ml

Have you tried Infacare before? If not what do you tend to use? Are you tempted to try out the New InfaCare Night Time Baby Bath?