Category: Baby Blog

1. Can you take your baby swimming after having their injections?

   Posted on 9:19am Sunday 8th Mar 2015

   Is it safe to take a baby or toddler swimming after having their injections?

   This is a conversation starter that I have had numerous times at playgroups and with fellow mums and as a parent, I am not sure that there is a definitive answer. The Water Babies website tells us that NHS guidelines say you can take your baby swimming at any time, regardless of whether they’ve had their injections. The high quality of the water required in public pools makes the likelihood of transmitting infections very unlikely; plus, the diseases against which your baby is inoculated can’t be carried in chlorinated water anyway. 

   The toddler had her second round of MMR injections recently and I was unsure how she was going to react to them. 

   

   She was giving her instructions to me from the side, so I think it is fair to say she was fine.

   

   She has mastered getting in and out of the water safely and loves being able to jump in and swim to me now. She will swim independently around me too, her confidence growing week on week.

   

   Swimming every week has made a noticeable difference in her own confidence and ability. Typically with children, we don't make it every week because little ones get poorly, that's life. The Water Babies team understand if you have a bit of a cold but if either you have any significant illness, including ear infections, (the dreaded) chicken pox, or vomiting/diarrhoea, it is not fair on you, your child, the other families, your teacher, or indeed the pool. We have been there when the pool has had to be emptied as a result of a "poo" incident and it only leads to disappointment for lots of people.

   

   So going back to the debate of whether children should go swimming after having their injections, should you or should you not go swimming? The Water Babies team tell us that they have had lots of little ones who’ve been for their jabs in the morning, come swimming in the afternoon, and had no problems at all. In fact in some ways it may even help them a little, since the warm water can soothe grizzly nerves or stiff little arms or legs.

   Ultimately, you know your baby or toddler best, so if you think they are okay to swim then do as our little one does and just take the plunge!

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2. #Lastingchange : Postcard from Kenya

   Posted on 5:13am Monday 26th Jan 2015

   I had a blog post scheduled up for today, something about a minor family crisis that happened over the weekend on the Lilypad that I was going to share on the blog, but then an email dropped into my inbox from Team Honk. An email that talks about their visit to the Mothers 2 Mothers project in Kisumu, Kenya. An email that makes you want to do something.

   Kenya has the fourth-largest HIV epidemic in the world. An estimated 1.6 million people are living with HIV and 1.1 million children have been orphaned after losing one or both parents to the disease.

   Thanks to Comic Relief funding, Mothers2Mothers is helping pregnant women living with HIV to access the life-saving health services they need to prevent mother-to-child transmission. The project is targeting Nyanza province where prevalence of the disease is almost three times higher than the national average.

   Women often discover they are HIV positive during ante-natal care and mentoring helps them to come to terms with this, to deal with the side effects on antiretroviral drugs, to eat well and to deliver babies with the best chance of being HIV negative. Women also learn to breastfeed safely, and to avoid stigma.

    

   

   Team Honk are finding out more about these projects and through blogging, are sharing them with a wider audience. They met with Elizabeth who says: “HIV is just a condition, you can go further, you can make wonders, you can help others” #lastingchange . The project exudes positivity but continues to need help with funding.

   Breastfeeding is something close to my heart and the World Health Organisation recommends exclusive breastfeeding while taking HIV antiretroviral drugs. Mentoring enables women to breastfeed safely #lastingchange

   So you can see that I changed my blog post for today, it was a small change in my world but the work being done by Comic Relief is making big changes across the world, let's see what else we can change?

   #lastingchange

   @RedNoseDay launches today for 2015. Let’s celebrate the difference donations to @ComicRelief make to lives across the world.

    

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3. New Year : New Projects : New Furniture

   Posted on 2:14pm Wednesday 21st Jan 2015

   We have been talking a lot lately about the new year and how that brings a fresh approach to things whether that is your lifestyle choices, your eating habits or just the push to have a spring clean but what about when you know something needs changing but you don't really want to change it?

   My husband has been talking about getting a new sofa and I even went as far as making a mood board on the styles I like ...

    

   

   
   

   New sofa moodboard by littlelilypadco featuring a 3 seater sofa

   Now I appreciate that this may be of no consequence whatsoever to the readers of our blog, but the reasoning behind this may make you smile. I talked about my birth story some little time ago and it remains without doubt one of the most empowering things I have ever experienced. The short version is that I sat on my birthing ball and breathed through the surprisingly strong initial surges while my husband was busy downstairs (we had opted for a home hypnobirth) preparing the mood with candles and inflating the birthing pool and had tried to call my mom and the midwife but no one answered! Unfortunately for me when baby decided she was going to make an early appearance, the rather large pool was no where near filled and I was forced to make my self comfortable on the sofa (you can now see where I am going with this post can't you?) and continue to practice my hypnobirthing techniques despite the deviation to the ‘plan’!   

   The little one arrived safely, in the comfort of our own home ..... on our own sofa (thank goodness it is leather) but there are still friends of ours that look a little uncomfortable sitting there when they visit. In fact we have one male friend who pointedly refuses to sit on it. (It is clean I promise .... the photo below confirms it).

    

   So you can see my dilemma, the truth is we probably do need a new sofa and let's be honest, I don't usually need much persuasion to go shopping but this sofa is where our daughter was born. How many people can tell their children that they were born right there <points to sofa>.

   So what would you do? Select a gorgeous new hardwearing sofa (although it is highly unlikely I shall be giving birth on this one) and throw away the old one (and the memories) or do we keep the birthing sofa forever?

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4. Duvet & Pillowcase Set from award-winning baby and toddler bedding company baroo

   Posted on 2:14pm Sunday 30th Nov 2014

   Established in 2004, baroo specialises in the design and production of award winning baby and toddler bedding and accessories. baroo gives parents everything they need to transform their little one's bedroom with stunning, fun and imaginative nursery interiors and accompanying accessories.

   Over the past decade baroo have taken a huge amount of pride in their design and production process which is why they have become a well-loved and trusted brand amongst children, parents and celebrities as well as snapping up some awards along the way.

   This season, baroo are especially proud of their new collection which consists of 6 gorgeous new designs to capture the imaginations of children and parents alike.  Each design consists of a duvet and pillow case set and are made to fit their super snuggly duvets and dream filled pillows. 

   

   The beautiful soft colour palettes of the Tweet Dreams and Sweet Pea collections create the prettiest environment for any little princess whilst the cool and contemporary design of the Urban Fox collection will be a sure hit with mischievous boys. The fun and funky Rocks 'n' Spots and Ellefunk collections are designed to appeal to both boys and girls and will instantly brighten up the plainest of rooms. For those looking for something a little more neutral or who don’t yet know the sex of their baby, the soft grey design of the Counting Sheep 5 piece bedding bale is the perfect solution for a gender neutral nursery.

   Baroo believe that parenthood is an adventure like no other which is why they have tried to make things that little bit easier for new parents by offering beautiful co-ordinating accessories to compliment each range such as crib and cot bump pods and coverlets and essentials such as hooded towels, nursing pillows, muslins and burp cloths. Everything you need to create a stylish and practical nursery.

   With lots more wonderful designs in the pipeline and plans to expand on their existing collections, baroo is leading the way in exclusive, inspirational children’s interiors.

   You can view the new collections on their newly launched website www.baroo.co.uk 

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