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As part of our baby blog series and after the safe and gorgeous arrival of our new nephew, we are delighted to show a review of the Tommee Tippee Closer to Nature Microwave Steriliser from our baby blogger, Suzi .....

As a first time mum and having not been around many new born babies, I must admit that I did not have a clue about where to start when it came to feeding and sterilisation.

My first reaction to the abundance of sterilising products on display at a baby show I attended was; does a little person really require all this equipment?! So I was extremely relieved when my sister in law asked me to review the Tommee Tippee Closer to Nature Microwave Steriliser and assured me it was all I needed to get started.

I began motherhood breast feeding my new born baby boy and after a few days, also started to express and combine feeds with formula bottles. From this day on the Tommee Tippee steriliser has not left my microwave and I can honestly say it really does what it claims; sterilises in super quick time, is easy to load and provides a great sterile surface for making up the feeds. It took a few attempts at reading the instructions to work out the steps required to ensure sterilisation, but this was most likely to do with my ‘baby brain’ from lack of sleep than anything else, and once cracked the process is actually very simple. 

A great feature of this product is that it keeps the items inside sterile for 24 hours and it can therefore hideaway in the microwave with all the sterilised bottles, saving on all important kitchen work surface space. Whilst it’s designed to hold four Tommee Tippee products, another plus is that it also works perfectly with other brands of bottles and accessories, including breast pumps. My only  wish is that it would hold more than four bottles, but in all honestly if the container was any bigger it wouldn’t fit into most microwaves and I think Tommee Tippee have probably used all the space possible for this type of steriliser.

In summary, this steriliser is practical, efficient and is serving my baby’s need for sterilised bottles perfectly. To top it off Tommee Tippee include a soother in the package which came in very handy at 3am the other morning when nothing else seemed to be working! I will definitely be recommending this steriliser to my sister who is due in January with her first baby, and like me hasn’t had much prior practice!

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Seperation Anxiety. It is that label that is put on children when they are seperated from their parents, whether it is because mum has to return to work or parents are simply going out for the evening. My eldest daughter was never overly dramatic about me leaving when she was a baby (she has made up for the drama as she has got older) and I was a little smug about bringing up a well adjusted little lady. Obviously my youngest daughter came along to ensure that I landed back down in the land of the living with a crash.

It's unclear why some children pass through this phase with barely a whimper while other children become totally consumed by it (daughter number one and two are prime examples of this) Separation anxiety tends to go up and down throughout the toddler years but most parenting experts agree that the period of extreme clinginess usually passes between 18 months and 2 1/2 years and that by age 3 they should be fully out of it. (only another 6-12 months to go then).

We blogged previously about separation anxiety and water wobbles at the little ones swimming lessons but most recently she has become even more attached and even more distressed at any separation.

We have received lots of words of wisdom from:

Maybe she is too young to be left?

Have you tried letting her take something that comforts her?

Do it gradually.

You need to just leave her and she will adjust in time.

But as every child is different, so are the ways in which we need to deal with them. Parenting is the hardest, most emotional, rewarding, empowering, challenging and exhausting job in the world.

She is a happy carefree little girl, who wants to go to the park with her mum, who wants to pick apples with her sister or daddy, so who am I to question the need for her reassurance before she grows into the person she wants to be.

In the words of my own mother, it is a moment in time. 

 Image courtesy of africa at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

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We often do reviews on the Lilypad of great products that we are sent to try but sometimes there are products that we buy, are given or have always used, that deserve a mention or credit for being generally fab! So we have decided to start a things we love series and this is what we love this month ....

Aqua Maris Junior Nasal Spray

We have had this sitting in the cupboard for months and thankfully have had no reason to use it but with the change in temperatures lately and being back at school, it came as no surprise to find that the cold bug would be back too! I loved the nasal spray for babies so I knew I would love the junior version, the only problem this time is having a "junior" child wrestle with you to try and stop it going up her nose. The whole family ended up doing it to prove that it didn't hurt and it became quite hilarious to watch. So this gets a big thumbs up from the whole Lilypad family for clearing your nose and making us all laugh too! ( and at £4.50, it has got to be cheaper than a constant use of tissues!)

Johnsons Foaming Baby Shampoo

Everyone has their preferences as far as shampoo's are concerned and Johnsons is the name that resonates with most parents, so we were quite excited to try their new foaming shampoo. Bath time is a big deal in our house, it is the part of the day where everyone seems to end up in the smallest room in the house, getting soaking wet, drinking imaginary cups of tea (with added bubbles) and having our hair done in the bathroom salon! The good news is that it has the exclusive JOHNSON’S® Baby NO MORE TEARS® stamp of approval, which means its gentle and mild for delicate eyes and won’t cause stinging and tears. The girls thought the foaming shampoo was brilliant, even more so that they could use the pump themselves, the bad news is that it didn't last all that long because they kept pumping it.

Munchkin Bentos Box

Back to School means back to packed lunches (which I dread) but was quite excited to receive the Munchkin Bento Box to review. Inspired by the Japanese ‘Bento’, create a lunch box full of variety for your little one with the Click Lock™ Bento Mealtime Set from Munchkin. At £7.50 it is not cheap but it keeps food separate and fresh so sandwiches, fruit, yoghurts and other items can all be stored neatly and compactly in one place. Unfortunately as we have a growing girl, the lunch box seems more suited to younger children as the compartments are relatively small ( although this will be great for the little one going to nursery). My daughter generally likes plain and simple lunches (she is a creature of habit) but we have seen some great bento lunch box ideas here.

Weleda Wild Rose Day Cream

I recently bought some of the Weleda face products. Over the years I have tried all sorts of different skincare products from high end to high street but after receiving a sample of the Weleda face cream, I knew I needed to buy some. The sales blurb told me that that counteracts fine lines, dryness and dull skin (which is a bonus for me) but it made my skin feel amazing and is fabulous under makeup, so is perfect for busy mums like me!

We also love .....

Autumn ...... you can't buy it but you can feel it all around us. Autumn makes me think of warm cozy nights in front of the fire, of gorgeous colours everywhere from leaves on the ground to woollen scarves. We may be saying goodbye to Summer but Autumn is pretty fabulous too!

What do you love this month?

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When I was a child my Dad always had a project, the project was always a car and his favourite saying was "it will be finished by Christmas". To be honest I am not sure any of those projects were ever finished by Christmas and I have very vivid memories of parts of hot rods in our back garden (the scrap man would have had a field day) but Classic Cars and American Hot Rods were a big part of my childhood.

For the purpose of this post, I asked my mum for some photos and she couldn't remember where they were (we are talking over 30 years ago before the age of digital cameras) so I went looking on the internet for my Dad's car club and was amazed to find some forums showing the cars from 1987. We used to go to roadshows a few times a year, with a group of my parents friends and their children and while the men showed the cars, the women and children would set up "camp". I remember as children we used to go off for the day, exploring the campsite, fishing by the rivers and going on the fair rides. I never once remember any one of us having a mobile phone or a fear of anyone and anything.

My Dad has loved building those cars and aside from my mum being frustrated by engine parts and grease, he never had to worry about deadlines and I am pretty sure that he never had specialist car insurance on those cars either. But that was back in the days when life seemed much simpler. I know it is easy for me to say that, I was a child and I hope that my daughters look back on their childhood and remember when life was uncomplicated and simple.

For now, I am spending some time browsing through the internet looking at pictures that remind me of that simple childhood and wonder whether this Christmas maybe the year that his current project gets finished.

What evokes memories of your childhood?

Thank you to my parents friends for this amazing image!