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I was having a conversation with my beautiful sister in law a week or so ago about finding great maternity clothes. We are both very similar in our love of fashion and our "habit" for regularly buying clothes but as mums (or mums to be) know, that babies and children are expensive little things so finding the best deals around becomes a mothers quest!

If you have a conversation with my gorgeous other half, he would tell you that I have an incessant need to buy clothes for myself and the children, whether we need them or not. My wardrobe is bulging with "essential" clothing and shoe purchases (and there are some other cupboards that "may" also hold a secret stash of necessary handbag purchases). Obviously the children need new clothes as they are growing little girls but I think my feet stopped growing quite a few years back so I need a good deal to justify yet another pair of shoes.

When I was pregnant, finding stylish, affordable maternity clothes was not only another excuse to buy clothes but a mission in itself and don't get me started on maternity swimwear (thank goodness for New Look online is all I can say). I am not particularly a fan of high street changing rooms, especially when you are trying to negotiate your way in to them with a pushchair, so shopping online suits me on lots of levels. Whether it is for designer shoes or school pumps you can get anything online but do you get the best deals too? (apparently someone once bought a bucket of fresh air on a well known auction site but I digress).

As mums, we are usually have to find a way to juggle the family budget whilst having to put clothes on our children's back, shoes on their feet .... when maintaining a perfectly immaculate yummy mummy look ourselves. So what do we do? Mums do what they do best, they get savvy! You can shop online to get the very best deal and you can use voucher sites such as NetVoucherCodes for high street stores such as New Look to get the best promotions. I have used lots of different discount sites to get the best products at the best deals and it is definately the way forward, I don't buy anything without searching for a discount code for it first.

As for being savvy, the money you save using the discount codes on your children's clothes ..... can always go towards buying more shoes for you! 

 

Disclaimer : Whilst we were approached and paid to write this post about NetVoucherCodes, having previously used the site we are happy to make this natural recommendation.

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We are all about providing natural solutions on the Lilypad blog but as parents, we are realists too. With my eldest daughter, I remember cooking, steaming, pureeing food till it was packed into every possible container and space in my fridge and freezer as I wanted her to have the most natural, organic food choices but when my youngest daughter arrived, I realised that becoming a frenzied cook, this wasn't always practical and I found Plum Baby!

I have loved the ease of their foods, how natural they are and ultimately how much my daughter loved them. So I was a little sad as we went through our baby led weaning stages that we moved away from these foods but delighted when Plum asked us to review their new range of products the "Little Foodies" range!

The sales blurb tells us that; "When Plum polled more than 2,000 of their Plum parents online, they found  that 65% of them were concerned about the impact of early-years eating on a child's future health, and no wonder - studies have shown that what we feed little ones in the first few years can have a real impact on their eating habits for life. That's one big reason they decided to offer these super-nutritious meals for older tots, complete with at least two of a toddlers daily portions of vegetables - because the sooner our kids learn to appreciate the wonderful flavours of veg, the healthier their choices will tend to be later on. The Little Foodies meals are full of exciting flavours, from savoury ragu to tangy tagine, and are carefully crafted to encourage little ones to love their food. They come in convenient, easy-to-serve dishes to encourage tots aged 1-3 years to feed themselves, and the chunky texture (including chewy bits like whole raisins and peas) will help them develop the jaw and tongue muscles they need for good language development".

So what did our tiny tester think?

Well she definately has her Dad's taste buds for good flavour and has never been huge fan of bland foods, so the Little Foodies range has been a huge hit. The stronger the flavour the better. She generally turns her nose up at "baby food", much prefering to eat the same as her big sister, which ultimately goes towards helping her co-ordinatinon (and cleaning of the kitchen floor 3 times a day).

There are four delicious flavours in the range but our tiny tester adores the Vegetable Biryani with Wholegrain Rice. You don't need to be meat free to enjoy it but it is perfect for young vegetarians as it is a gorgeous mixture of spinach, tomatoes, onions, raisins and chickpeas, flavoured with coconut and mild Indian spices. The good news for busy mums is that it also contains 3 of your toddler's 5-a-day portions of fruit and veg!

The texture of the Little Foodies range means that the little one thinks she is eating "grown up" food and we have definately not had the plate pushed away once during our reviews. (this is a big achievement, trust me) and we have had shout for "more".

Mums like me want food that is healthy, natural, not full of preservatives, quick and easy to make but full of goodness for our children. It seems like a tall order .... but sometimes it is about being "Little".

The Little Foodies range get a big thumbs up from this mum and my tiny tester!

 

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Breastfeeding is a very personal choice and being a hypnobirthing mum, I am a huge advocate for the "natural option", which is why I am more than happy to support the Keep Britain Breastfeeding campaign as part of National Breastfeeding Awareness Week (23rd-29thJune).

Having breastfeed both of my daughters but having had very different experiences with them both, I don't claim to be an expert but I am certainly an "experienced mum" (my midwife's words, not mine), so here are my top breastfeeding tips.

1. Nose to nipple. This was the most sensible piece of advice I was ever given. It is totally true and helps your baby to latch on as they will open their mouth widely and get a big mouthful!

2. Try different positions. This may sound obvious but just like us, babies can prefer certain positions more than others. My youngest daughter had a side preference too and for a while I found myself expressing one side and allowing her to feed from the other.

3. Be patient, it is not a race and I, for one,  never like to rush my food .... why should my baby?

4. Breastfeed how and when suits your baby. Some mums like to try and get a routine whereas others prefer to breastfeed on demand. There are no hard and fast rules ... make your own rules that work for you and your baby.

5. Breastfeeding is not only good for baby but for mum too!! Aside from helping your body adjust back to normal, it is reported to help fight the baby blues and may protect against breast cancer!

I could list a million reasons why it is good for you and your baby but the most honest one is that it is the natural choice. This is what we have been doing for centuries, giving birth and nursing our children is what we are designed to do. I know that for some women this isn't the right choice for them and the decision on how to feed your baby should be an informed one, but I would ask every expectant mother to simply try ... you may find it is the most natural thing you have ever done.

As part of The Keep Britain Breastfeeding Campaign, we are taking part in their Scavenger Hunt. The goal of this scavenger hunt is to inform and educate families about breastfeeding as well as providing an online platform for people to share their knowledge and own experiences during National Breastfeeding Awareness Week (23rd-29thJune).

The rules are here. 

Readers need at least 50 points from the rafflecopters to be elligible for the prize and we have listed below some other great reads where you can collect more points!

2 - a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

Find other bloggers taking part here ....

Simply Hayley

Red Rose Mummy

Oh So Amelia

Twinkle Mummy

A Baby on Board

 

 

 

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Did I tell you that I was going to a blogging conference this weekend? 

Did I tell you that I was a little nervous about it?

If you have no interest in Britmums, my nerves or are simply looking for the usual news, reviews or bonkers anecdotes, then I promise normal service will resume next week but for now, I am "virtually" introducing myself, pre conference.

Name: Donna

Blog: Little Lilypad Co

Twitter ID: @littlelilypadco

Height: 5ft 5ish

Hair: Short-ish blonde bob

Eyes: Seemingly a mix between my moms brown and my dads blue eyes. So I end up with a greeny-grey!.

Is this your first blogging conference?

I attended Blogsummit earlier this year!

Are you attending both days?

Yes .... leaving my baby girls! (not babies really but they always will be to me!)

What are you most looking forward to at BritMums Live 2013?

Finding new contacts, friends and skills!!

What are you wearing?

Heels .... always heels, see my post here.

What do you hope to gain from BritMums Live 2013?

To meet some of the amazing bloggers I have met virtually!

Tell us one thing about you that not everyone knows

My second toe is bigger than my big toe .... which apparently means I am dynamic and resourceful! Who knew??