You know when you think you do something really well and have that "it will never happen to me" attitude? Well I have to admit that I was that "smug" driver! I have been driving for some (ahem) 15+ years and always thought that I was a confident and competent driver, unfortunately for me that didn't help when another driver pulled across the road in front of me a while back!

If you have ever been in a car accident you know just how shocking and unpleasant it can be. Even if it is just a small shunt, the shock can really affect your confidence  on the road. The jolt of an impact can cause injury and panic and if you don’t respond in the correct way, the consequences in both the short term and long term can be very damaging. I vividly remember my daughter looking at me and asking "mummy, did we just crash?", thankfully we were both okay.

Three stages

Having dealt with the motor fleet of previous companies I have worked for, I do know what I should have been doing but even I needed a reminder. Essentially, the things to do after an accident can be broken down into three stages – immediate, short term and long term. In the immediate aftermath of an accident you should try not to panic. Don’t move suddenly or try and get out of the car unless it is necessary or you have made sure you are ok to do so. Remember that shock may take over and you might not realise the extent of your injuries and always tend to yourself before checking on others.

Get out of danger

If it is safe to get out the car, check on the well-being of other people involved and call the police and an ambulance. It is always better to err on the side of caution. Remove yourself and any other people from any danger and stand well away from the car or road. (we had to get the air ambulance out to us as we were in a rural area, which was more embarressing for me than it was actually needed)

Swap details

In the short term you need to swap insurance details and make sure the police have a full account of what happened. You may need to try and get statements from other witnesses as these could come in handy later on. Make sure you get the details of all involved. Names, addresses, numbers, license plates – any information you can get may be useful. It may also be a good idea to take photos of damage to any cars. Try and build up a complete picture of the incident as best as you can.

Establish blame

In the longer term you need to try and assess what happened and who was at fault. You will need to involve the relevant insurance companies and establish a claim if you were not at fault. The payment we received for this post, will help go towards next year's car insurances :-)

Don't forget that all the information gathered from witnesses, police and photographic evidence at the time of the accident may be useful. It is always a good idea to use specialist lawyers like http://www.injurylawyers4u.co.uk if you think you are entitled to a claim as they specialise in these kinds of cases.  

If like me, you follow all these steps correctly, you can get the best possible outcome from any accident but I do hope that you genuinely never have to use them.

Today is my beautiful daughters birthday and whilst she may drive me nuts at times, I am thankful for her every single day. It may seem odd to say that but you may remember a while ago, that we did a post about a fellow blogger who found her baby girl forever sleeping on the 2nd February 2013. Matilda Mae was one in 600 babies who die from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome in the UK each year. I have been in awe of Jennie's strength and dignity and she has articulated their tragic journey so carefully, emotionally and beautifully, it makes me want to hug my own children a little tighter and be grateful every day.

Matilda Mae will never be forgotten by her family, the blogging community and every single person her story has touched and that is why we want to share the details of The Lullaby Trust. The Lullaby Trust funds research into SIDS so that families like Matilda’s can be supported and try and find the answers they so desperately need. The Lullaby Trust also guides and supports families in making the first steps towards growing their family once more, with their Care of Next Infant program. They also provide a bereavment support service and help to educate parents on the importance of safe sleeping.

Jennie has been approached by many companies offering support, so an auction is due to open tomorrow, May 11th and will run until May 20th. It is being run by Tots100.

We genuinely hope that you will show some support for the auction, even if it sharing this post with your friends on Facebook or Twitter or maybe even placing a bid yourself.

Thank you for reading x

• Each bag has 85 calories 
• Hoops and Crosses are made from 56% wholegrains and have no artificial colours or preservatives 
• A healthy balanced diet should include wholegrain but some 27% of children in the UK don't get any at all! 

I was shocked at those statistics but judging by my daughter's demolition of them, I won't have to worry about their lack of wholegrain with the Hoops & Crosses. My youngest daughter has always had organic "crisps" from the baby range but has never been a huge fan of the subtle flavours, whereas with the Hoops & Crosses, you could see that she was delighted by the Roast Beef flavour. The girls have only tried the Roast Beef flavour so far but there are Salt & Vinger and Prawn Cocktail flavours too, so I am sure that we will be purchasing those on our next shopping trip.

All in all, they get a big thumbs up in our house ..... and as for the monkey, well he is sitting on top of one of our kitchen cupboards, reminding us all to add Hoops & Crosses to our shopping list as they are perfect for lunch boxes too!

Disclaimer : We were sent one packed of Hoops & Crosses to review and have been paid a small fee for our time. Even without this payment, we would recommend Hoops and Crosses regardless.

The Baby Show is on the horizon and we know lots of lovely friends and family who are expecting this year and who can't wait to go to the show. When you are planning for the arrival of your new baby, there are countless things that companies will try and entice you to buy but here are our top ten things you really DON’T need to purchase for your newborn baby.

1.      A Nappy Bin

I had one of these in my eldest daughter’s nursery and after the initial purchase, you have to buy cartridges of scented bin liners (to take away the nappy aroma), when more simply, practically and reasonably, you can just take the nappy and put it in the outside bin!

2.      A Baby Wipe Warmer

I still remain baffled by this. Most parents I know, want to change a nappy as quickly as possible and will have removed, wiped and replaced a nappy in the time it takes to warm a baby wipe. Trust me, your baby would rather have a clean bottom than a slightly warm one.

3.      Shoes

Babies do not need shoes. They will not be dancing, running, walking or even standing for at least the first 6-9 months of their life, so trying to wrestle shoes onto a small babies foot is neither practical or essential. Shoes are not necessary and it makes it even more special when you go and purchase their first pair of shoes for when they really do need them.

4.      A baby bath

Let me explain that you have to fill a baby bath and then move it … resulting in water splashing everywhere. You don’t need it. Supervision is needed with children in the bath, regardless of how big or small they are, so just use the normal bath and save your pennies and flooring!

5.      Designer Clothes

Your baby will look adorable in a designer outfit but from experience, babies grow so quickly that you are better off putting the money into a savings account for when they will actually appreciate designer wear.

6.      Blankets

This seems to be the top baby gift, aside from clothing but it is recommended that babies do not sleep with a blanket until they are at least 12 months old, so they will just gather dust in the nursery.

7.      Interactive Toys

There is no doubt that toys form an integral part of a young person’s life but as a baby all they will do for the first few months is feed, sleep and fill their nappy. Toy’s don’t seem to form part of this routine for a while yet!

8.      Nursing chair

This is essentially a comfy chair in which you can feed baby. If you have a comfy chair, you do not need this.

9.      Matching nursery furniture / decoration

Baby will undoubtedly be in your room for the first few weeks and he/she really won’t care if their bedding matches the wallpaper. Save your money for when they try and decorate the wall themselves and you need to buy replacement paint!

10.  Electronic breast pump

I have used one. It is akin to being a cow in a milk production factory. Expressing breast milk is a necessity for a lot of mums but a manual pump is kinder and certainly less noisy when you need peace for your sleeping baby.

Do you have anything you would add to the list?