Infant Feeding & Early Parenting, Food For Thought...
Intro
All content of this blog is my own opinion only. It does not represent the views of any organisation or association I may work for, or be associated with. Nothing within this blog should be considered as medical advice and you should always consult your Doctor.
Showing posts with label Freebies/Giveaway Promotions. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Freebies/Giveaway Promotions. Show all posts
Fancy winning a copy of ToddlerCalmTM: A guide for calmer toddlers and happier parents?
We talk a lot about different discipline approaches on the Facebook wall, and often people say if not time outs and sticker charts then what?
Author Sarah Ockwell-Smith has written this book to answer exactly that. With four young children and a psychology degree to boot, the mixture of experience and education come together in a practical package.
Unlike other parenting books written by nannies, or self proclaimed (yet completely unqualified) experts, Sarah has been there and done it with her own children - and as parents know, disciplining your own child with whom you are bonded, is very different to being a nanny.
The book covers:
Why toddlers are not mini-adults
The science of toddler sleep
Carrots and sticks - the problem with current popular parenting techniques
Coping with a picky eater
Communication - toddler style
Avoiding difficult situations The importance of unconditional love
Why you don't need to be permissive to parent respectfully
To celebrate Breast Milk Keepsakes is giving away a special edition breast milk pendant. A Breast Milk Keepsake is a lovely memento of your breastfeeding journey, it's a badge of honour and something tangible to have after your child has weaned from the breast.
Terms: The winner must be able supply at least 30ml of breast milk. The winner is responsible for the postage and packaging of the milk. If the winner is outside of the UK additional postage charges will apply.
Anyone who has breastfed an older baby or toddler, knows many love to fiddle! Mummy's lips, hair, straps and twisting under arm skin are a few popular favourites. It was because of this one mum had the inspiration to create something baby can "twiddle".
Founder of Monkey Mama Natalie says:
"Monkey Mama was born when I became frustrated at the choice of nursing necklaces that were out there, probably right around when my son, Isaac was a year old. I wanted something that would keep him focused, and, crucially, keep his twiddly fingers occupied and out of my bra, but the nursing necklaces I was wearing at that point with breakaway clasps had become a game for Isaac to yank off my neck at the start of a feed, and as such they'd become useless."
The search began for suitable beads, and I spent months coming looking for some that didn't look childlike and plasticky and wasn't made in a Chinese factory with questionable practices. I finally came across the beautiful handmade resin beads I use, which are made in a cottage Industry in Indonesia and ethically traded. I was over the moon when they arrived to discover that they were even more beautiful in person - so I got playing! Finally, I came up with a design that worked. It held up to everything Isaac could put it through, kept those fingers occupied and I loved how it looked. A bonus was that Isaac loved to play with it while I was wearing him. The first Twiddle Buster was born!
As word grew of Monkey Mama and more people found my necklaces, people would ask me on a regular basis whether the classic Monkey Mama twiddle busters were suitable for use as teethers. I always advise that while they contain no toxic nasties and won't break when bitten, if a little one has emerged teeth, there's always a small risk of chipping a tooth when they chomp down on something as hard as the resin used in these necklaces. So this prompted me to come up with a chompable Monkey Mama necklace, and the twiddly teether was born. It incorporates the colourful, twiddly resin beads of the classic twiddle buster, with a wooden teething ring, safe for babies to chomp on to their heart's content - a nursing and teething necklace in one.
As mama to a pretty intense little boy, I continue to have many more ideas than I have time and energy to turn into reality, but I do try hard to continually come up with new designs and fresh colourways. My most recent design introduction has been the Twiddle Clusters, which have proved a huge hit, with their Rorschach like bubbly forms and enormous flexibility in colour combinations.
When Isaac was born, I planned to give breastfeeding my very best try and hoped that everything would work out for us. I certainly had no idea at that time that we would still be nursing three years down the line! But he continues to want and need 'mama boobie', and so here we are. I could also never have predicted that our nursing relationship would inspire a thriving little business and a consuming passion for me, and that we would be helping other mamas and nurslings to have more settled, comfortable (and stylish!) feeds. My little monkey turns 3 on 15th February, and I'm unable to host any Monkey Mama celebrations as I'm off on holiday. Happily, the wonderful Analytical Armadillo has stepped into the breach to host a giveaway of three unique necklaces, to celebrate 3 years of Isaac and representing the evolution of Monkey Mama over time. There's a twiddle buster in cream, sky blue and rust, and purple to green spectrum twiddly teether and a purple and grey twiddle cluster."
How To Enter: LIKE Monkey Mama Necklaces' Facebook Page HERE - then post below and let me know which you would like if you win. AND/OR Share this blog entry - then post below and let me know which you would like if you win. Maximum 2 entries per person Giveaway closes Monday 25th Feb 2013
Zoom Images:
AND THE WINNERS IN ORDER OF NECKLACES ARE:
Raisin4Cookies Mother Badger Layla Congratulations! Please can Raisin and Mother contact me with their email addresses analyticalarmadillo(AT)live.co.uk, as they're not in the reply :)
Timely as I've just noticed we've reached 1 million hits on the blogger counter!
As many of you will know I don't do giveaways very often, because it has to be something I really like - so I'm very excited about this one!
Whilst many parents spend an age choosing the right car seat for their vehicle, often spending a ton of money (literally!), a lot are not aware that a snowsuit or other puffy/padded coat can compromise safety.
In a crash the coat may compress, making the straps too loose, putting the child at risk of being ejected from the seat.
A study released by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) revealed that 59% of child harnesses were too loose.
It's easy to check and see whether a winter coat or snowsuit is safe!
1. Take the car seat into the house and put the winter coat or snowsuit on the child.
2. Put the child in the car seat and buckle the harnesses as you normally would before car travel. Adjust the straps to the appropriate fit for your child.
3. Try the pinch test: Use your thumb and pointer finger to try and pinch one of the harness straps at your child’s collarbone level. If you’re able to pinch the strap, the harness is not tight enough.
4. Take the child out of the car seat without loosening the straps at all.
5. Take the coat off your child.
6. Put the child back in the car seat and buckle the harnesses again, but do not tighten the straps.
7. Try the pinch test again. If you can now pinch webbing the coat is too thick to be used safely.
Morrck have made a handy video demonstrating this:
Alternatives to thick coats:
1. Polar Fleece is warm without adding excessive padding.
2. Fasten baby into the seat and tuck a lightweight blanket followed by a heavier blanket over the top, ensuring nothing sits behind baby.
3. Blankets and car-seat covers that fasten over the top of straps are also available for baby carriers. There are options like the Morrck Hoody, a car seat poncho or the Maxi Cosi Car Seat Foot muff.
4. For older babies and toddlers, you can strap them in the seat and put their coat on backwards over their arms to keep them warm without compromising safety.
GIVEAWAY
The winner will receive a Morrck Car Seat Hoody in the size of their choice: 0-6 months, 5-18 months or 18 months - 4 years. Please see here
I owned and used one of these with my second baby and it was brilliant! The harness feeds through the openings in the travel wrap and fastens over baby’s indoor clothing. The hood means no faffing about with a hat either, and it lies completely flat behind baby’s head when it’s not needed.
You can wrap them up snug when out and about, and when you get indoors, quickly and easily open it up without disturbing a potentially sleeping baby for a ten minute pit stop!
You can read more on Morrck's Facebook page here, on Pinterest here, or Twitter here.
To Enter:
Share this blog post and let me know in the comments below (one entry)
"Like & share" on my Facebook page here (one entry)
Therefore maximum of two entries per person. Good luck!
We've talked lots recently about bedding - too much, too little, what type!
One thing I think most agree on is that natural fabrics are typically the best way to go at night. We first discovered this when my youngest was born at 34 weeks and in a heated cot.
After the first few days he became better at regulating his own body temperature without the heater, when suddenly one evening out of the blue it started becoming unstable again prompting concern - so much so they had to flick the heater back up to earlier levels. Whilst I sat the next day waiting for the doctor, one of the lovely SCBU nurses came on shift - the old school type. I explained what had been happening and she immediately checked his bedding; under the top fleece layer was not a wool/cotton blanket (the white layer you can see in the photo), but a second fleece. She explained that standard bedding was one cotton or wool blanket on top of baby and another wool OR a fleece blanket on top of that (wool were in shorter supply!) When he had been sick the night before, I remembered the nurse swapping the soiled wool blanket for a fleece. We swapped it for wool and within an hour they could flick the heater on his cot down again.
I then remembered visiting a mum recently who passed me her baby in the most amazingly soft sleeping bag, so much so I commented and discovered it was Merino wool. Again I thought little more of this until recent discussion regarding the use of synthetic fabrics next to baby at sleeptime.
Fleeces and sleeping bags are now very popular, but if they're synthetic can this impact on how warm/hot baby is at night?
I contacted Amie at Merino Kids - a company specialising in Merino Wool items for babies and children. We chatted about my SCBU experience and Amie explained why sleeping with synthetics can cause problems - baby gets hot, they sweat, the moisture can't escape and thus they end up cold (or in a cold sweat)
OK so it's actually a bit more complex than this and it turns out there are a whole host of reasons to pick Merino, but this page covers it fully:
I was also quite excited to learn Merino make their own sleeping sack range! "Standard weight" which covers 18-30 degrees and "Duvet weight" for temperatures 16-20 degrees. No other sheets or blankets required!
What's more I discovered that agresearch, New Zealand’s largest Crown Research Institute – an independent government-owned research and development organisation has explored this very area! Nifty!
"Product Comparison of Merino Wool and Polyester Baby Sleeping Sacks: Dr S R Collie, Dr A Tasker and M F Hnat."
"The Merino Kids sleep sack has moisture vapor absorption (MVA) that is approximately 80-times greater than the Halo"
"This intrinsic ‘breathability’ of the merino fiber, and hence the Merino Kids sleep sack, would better allow moist air to move away from the body’s micro-environment, preventing dampness and potentially chilling, while keeping the warm air around the body from escaping via convection."
"In the product comparison reported here, clear differences in thermophysiological comfortrelated performance have been identified between the merino wool Merino Kids and polyester Halo sleep sacks."
and
"The Merino Kids sleep sack had much higher moisture vapor absorption, approximately equal moisture vapor transmission and much lower air permeability, all of which indicate a much more sophisticated level of ‘breathability’ of the merino system, with it likely to be better at transferring moisture away from the baby while reducing convective heat loss and mitigating the chilling effect of drafts."
"These test results, coupled with the outcomes of previous research into sleeping comfort and the well-known low flammability and volatile absorption properties of wool indicate that merino is an ideal material from which to construct sleep sack bedding systems for infants."
It seems to me there is little point having natural flat sheets and top sheets, plus perhaps a blanket - if the item right next to baby is causing the problems discussed.
Instead why not use one natural item?
Merino kids have very kindly offered a gorgeous international award winning Go Go Bag™ for one lucky winner!! Choose either Newborn to 2 years or 2-4 years - further details below:
To enter share any article from this blog somewhere online and then post a message letting me know where. Please only share somewhere you are a regular (ie please do not spam somewhere you don't normally visit) Each share will get you one entry - the more shares the more entries.
Winner will be drawn Wednesday 31st August and announced on this page and on Facebook. If the winner does not contact me within 16 days from date of draw, I will re-draw.
I said when we reached 1000 Facebook fans I would run another giveaway - here it is....
This lovely Mum & Baby gift box from "Organic Babies" is the perfect starter kit of goodies for beautiful, soft skin - it's a perfect gift for new mums and worth £30!
It is certified 100% organic and contains:
Nappy Cream Baby Balm 40ml
Mum & Baby Moisturiser 150ml
Chamomile Baby Wash & Shampoo 150ml
Baby Salve 30ml
Green People use - 100% gentle, 100% vegetarian, 100% cruelty-free ingredients. Certified Organic plant oils, herbal infusions, essential oils and fair trade ingredients.
Green Peopl don't use - Sodium lauryl/laureth sulphate, Parabens, Lanolin, Phthalates, Propylene glycol, Synthetic fragrances, Irritating emulsifiers, PABA-sunscreen, Petrochemicals, Colourants, DEA, TEA, PEG’s, Urea, and all other unnecessary synthetic additives common in many of today’s health and beauty care products.
10% of net profit is donated to organic and environmental charities.
About Green People:
Green People is a forward-thinking company which specialises in organic body care products. With an extensive range of natural products – shampoos, face creams, sun lotions and body washes to name just a few – it is one of the biggest names in organic beauty in the UK.
However, it started from very simple roots: the seeking of a mother to help her young daughter.
Back in 1994, 2-year-old Sandra was suffering from eczema and severe allergies and just couldn’t stop scratching herself. With much determination, her mother, Charlotte Vøhtz, decided to get to the bottom of the problem. She discovered that many of Sandra’s skin allergies were being triggered by chemical-based household and personal care products. When these were removed – and with the help of a herbal cleansing tonic and a balanced Omega 3 & 6 intake – Sandra’s skin began to clear up.
Charlotte says: “From that moment, I realised that we all are children of the chemical age and that man-made chemicals found everywhere, combined with changing dietary habits, profoundly affect us all.”
She was so impressed by the difference that her natural methods and home-made natural skin care products had made that she thought she should share her discoveries with others. This was the start of Green People. Read more...
Awards from 2010:
Tips: Winner Best Organic Nappy Cream –Nappy Cream Baby Balm – Tips Awards 2010
Tips: Winner Best Organic Baby Lotion –Baby Lotion No Scent – Tips Awards 2010
Tips: Winner Best Eco Friendly Shampoo – No Scent Baby Wash & Shampoo – Tips Awards 2010
How To Enter You can obtain multiple entries by doing as many things as you fancy listed below, as many times as you want!
1) Share my Facebook group or any page of this blog somewhere (Facebook, Forum, Twitter etc) then let me know where - either on here or the thread I will start on Facebook- 1 entry for each place shared.
2) Join my Facebook group and say hi on the Organic Babies Thread - if you're already a follower you can also say hi on the Facebook thread for 1 entry.
3) Follow me on Twitter - then let me know either here or Facebook that you are following - 1 entry
4) Invite a friend to follow me on Facebook - get them to say hi on the Organic Babies thread and quote your name - 1 entry for each friend refered
Hope that's clear but any questions or queries please shout :)
To celebrate winning "Best Breastfeeding Blog", I am very excited to announce this giveaway offer in association with Lactivist - who promote gentle parenting and breastfeeding with witty slogans on t-shirts, bags, badges, keyrings and cards.
I'm a big fan of lactivist products - you can have the tees with shoulder poppers or envelope sleeves, short or long! there's even an organic range to go at!
The image is my eldest in her "I love mummy milk" shirt many moons ago now! <IMAGE REMOVED>
Another favourite of mine bears the slogan "I like milk from my mum, not from just any old cow."
For this giveaway you can choose a tee of your choice - it doesn't have to be a breastfeeding slogan if you prefer to promote co-sleeping or cloth nappies. Plus a nifty shopping bag! If you don't have any children under four, they make a great gift with Christmas around the corner, but maybe keep the bag for yourself ;)
Something else I think definitely worth a mention for the expressing mums, are some stickers that adhere to a bottle and read "100% Mummy Milk" - one mum commented she felt very proud promoting she was using human milk, as everyone always assumes it's a substitute in the bottle!
Entry Details:
Open to UK members only.
Reply either here or on the lactivist thread on Facebook telling us which is your favourite design.
Share any article on this blog and then let me know where you've shared it. If you share in more than one place, one entry for each share ie your blog - 1 entry, twitter - 1 entry etc, appropriate forum - 1 entry etc
Invite a friend to the Facebook Group - if they join and reply on the message there with your name - 2 entries
Suggest a slogan - share what you would like to see printed - 1 entry
Ok I said when I got 300 Facebook fans I would give a nifty little something away - so how about a couple of Brugo Mugs?
One thing I distinctly remember about having a tiny baby was never getting to finish a hot cup of tea, instead I used to find either untouched or half consumed cups dotted around the house like a disbanded army by the end of the day.
Although breastfeeding mums have a good excuse to grab the remote, some snacks and snuggle up feeding - many don't want to risk holding a hot drink over baby at the same time
I'd like to say this improved dramatically as they got older, but a far more common scenario was: put baby down for nap, run round grabbing a bite to eat and a quick tidy round, decide to make a brew, pick up paper, sit down read one line, have one sip and hear the familiar sound of baby waking. No really, it's like they have an inbuilt sensor! Once they're walking, crawling and pulling things from high surfaces - tea consuming opportunities reduce even further (I like my tea can you tell? lol).
My partner in sympathy bought me an insulated mug, which was handy in that it kept the drink warm long enough to have a chance to drink it - but as anyone who has used one will know, thermal mugs keep things hot; meaning it can be quite a while before your drink is cool enough to swallow without scorching half the lining of your throat. With hectic new baby life, that meant I could even manage to forget I had a hot drink sat cooling somewhere!
So when I spotted Brugo mugs online I thought ooooooooooooohhhhh, that might be handy for a breastfeeding mum....
What's nifty about a Brugo mug?
Well apart from the fact they look rather good, it comes down to Brugo's Thermodynamic Technology, which in English means not only does it keep drinks warm for several hours, it also cools some to the perfect temperature for you to drink....clever huh!
The lid has three options; lock, sip and tip and cool. When you first make your drink if you want to drink some straight away, you can twist the lid to the tip and cool setting. Tip the cup away from you for a few seconds and some of the liquid moves into the patented temperature control chamber.
You then swill with a "brandy" motion and that sip is instantly adjusted to the perfect temperature, while the remaining liquid in the main chamber stays hotter.
As the drink in the main chamber cools (generally by the time it's about 3/4 full), you can then switch to "sip", bypassing the cooling option and driniking straight from the cup. Lastly, and probably obviously there is the "lock" function which makes it spill proof. Please note - if you turn the cup upside down and shake it, a small amount of liquid will be released, it is not completely sealed so don't throw it in your handbag!
Is it perfect?
Being analytical, things are rarely perfect! I would like the option of a handle and I would prefer a slightly more indented lid to give a more ergonomic feel when drinking - but all the pros mentioned above out weigh these for me.
Want to win one?
1) Visit BRUGO MUG HERE and choose your favourite colour. There is the vibrant jazz range featured above, or the more sophisticated executive range, 13 colours in total!
3) Share my Facebook group or this blog somewhere (Facebook, Forum, Twitter etc)
2) Join my Facebook Group and under the brugo topic, let me know what colour is your fav and where you have shared.
We talk a lot about different discipline approaches on the Facebook wall, and often people say if not time outs and sticker charts then what?
