Dreaming of A Jet Plane

I am sure that I am not alone when I say I am sat dreaming of hotter climates while I spend a lot of time on the commute because as all know January is a month where most of us travel when it is dark in the morning and arrive home when it is again dark. Without factoring in the weather, we have had snow, ice and rain already this month. Some of us can not wait to have some sun on our backs in the summer in the UK is not guaranteed, and it seems months till people jet off on their summer holidays. Why should you have to wait that long when your children's have a break from school next month in February or are you lucky like us and are not tied down to school holidays yet.

I am dreaming of jetting off on my a holiday soon because it is dark as I have mentioned when I am commuting it is always dark which never makes you feel amazing. I have a hell of a lot of work which is causing me stress because as some of you know, I am only around 4 months away from completing my degree. I feel like being able to spend a week with Jess and having a lot of quality time would make me feel less stressed and I could always work when she is sleeping on a night.  I also need to make sure I take a break because otherwise, I will become ill when I finish because the amount of stress will come down fast. This is something which happened at Christmas which is never good because it almost ruined quality family time which is never good and increase my mum guilt. 

It was not until I actually thought about it we have not been on a family holiday as a family of 3. The first summer Jess was born we went to Norfolk with Joes's parents so even though this was a holiday it was not a pure family holiday. Then last year because Joe was deployed we did not actually have a family holiday this is something which I really want to change very soon. I feel like we would have a lot of family time which would create some amazing memories which we could treasure for the rest of our lives.  Of course, this would be Jess's first time on a plane and I have not been on a plane for over 5 years which is not great when you love to travel and explore new places. 

Just because it is February does not mean that you have to travel hours on a plane to somewhere like the Carribean for hot weather which you might not want to if you have young children. This for sure is not something which I would want to do with Jess yet because I know she would not sit for that long.  You do not have to break the bank either February half term holidays deals can be found I found a holiday to Crete for only £123pp with the weather likely to be double the temperature of the of the UK. I think that travelling in February/March time is a good time to travel as it will not be as busy as in the summer which may night suit you should you have young children like Jess.  Also, it will not be too hot which could be a problem should you go in the height of the summer.

Have you ever travelled in a half term?

Charlotte xxx

This post is sponsered by Holiday Gems

Mum Guilt- Being A Working Mum

Mum guilt is something which I think every single parent struggles with and there is multiple reasons as you might have read a few months ago now when I did a post about the guilt which I suffer because of the fact that I missed two whole trimesters with Jess. Today I am going to share with you another thing which causes me mummy guilt is the fact that I am a working mum well university student mum which is the same as having a full-time job due to a number of hours I have to pump into my studies.

I was lucky to have a whole year of staying at home to look after Jess because of the fact that her birthday is September and this is when the academic year starts so I had to wait to be able to go back to continue my studies. At the time it was not one of the most enjoyable times for me because I would get bored quite easy I would love now to have the year with her. The reason behind this is because now she does have her own personality which is amazing and we can play a lot more which is something that I know she thoroughly enjoys.

However, getting time to play with Jess and spending quality time with her is something which I know I don't do enough because of the fact that I am always busy either commuting ok yes we do spend time together then but she is usually in her pram grumpy. Or she is at nursery while I study and now as I had reached my third year it can mean that I have work to do on a weekend because my workload is so much higher I don't always get it all done in the week which is something that really sucks and eats on family time.

When I start to feel guilty  for this I remind myself that I am actually studying in order to give her a better life because it should improve my job opportunities. Currently, I have to wake Jess up around 5.45 and she is not getting to bed till between 7/8pm. Of these hours I properly only see her for a couple of these most of them are spent on a train going to university which means the time is not good quality.

My stress levels, of course, this year are higher because of the fact that I know I need to succeed and get good grades in order to be able to continue my studies. I have spoken to a number of people about the fact that I sometimes feel super guilty about this issue and they always come back saying they don't know how you actually do it. Sometimes I think I do need to see the bigger picture and it is going to allow me to provide a much better life for her then she would have if I did not complete my studies. At the moment while I am slaving away over essay plans and readings I think about how amazing it is going to be to have Jess at my graduation. Another excuse for Mummy to purchase her a beautiful dress for the occasion. 

I am fully aware that the mum guilt will not go away even when I complete my studies because I am going to have a job no doubt which means that I do not work normal 9-5 hours. The benefit of already been a qualified sports therapist and someone who wants to continue into physiotherapy. I think one of the reasons why the mum guilt at the moment is even more increased for me is due to the fact that Daddy is not here. This means the at the moment Jess is spending a lot less time with us as a family than I would like and she is growing up a lot faster than I would like. I don't want to miss so much of the precious moments which occur while they are developing their personalities even more. 

I do not regret having a child so young because I know that I am still able to continue my dreams of a career. As well as enjoy all the fun times which I have as a result of having a toddler. Yes, it might mean that my days as a university student are over as I used to know them but there is nothing better than not been hungover at 9am in a lecture and getting huge cuddles and Jess shouting I missed you when you pick her up. Even though this does pull at the heartstrings because I know nursery does her so much good and allows her to learn and develop as a person but I can't help but feel guilty that at the age of 2 she misses me. 

I know I am not alone a recent study shows that 57% of  British parents priorities work over family life. I know for sure at the moment that I am one of them because of how important this year is in terms of my study. I know that I really need to work on my work-life balance and this is something which I am going to focus on more when Joe is home. I may even do a post on how I have changed my ways in order to spend more time with Jess. There are quizzes online such as this one which will help you see the work-life balance you have. 

Do you have mum guilt because of being a working parent?

Charlotte x 

Skip Hop Unicorn Backpack Review

A year ago I was on the hunt for a nursery bag because Jess was going to be starting nursery and it meant that I needed to be able to carry a few items for her every single day. I actually watched a video that Jess Avey did a video which was all about what was in her toddler's nursery bag. He has an amazing Skip Hop backpack and once I saw that I knew I had to have one. I think her son had the monkey one however, I knew that I needed to get one which could be a little bit more girly I am all for gender neutral but Jess does get called a boy a hell of a lot. This is when I saw this amazing Unicorn bag on the JoJo Maman Bebe website and this was before the unicorn trend actually started. I have seen a lot of people use these style of bags recently I think I have seen a couple of these people who have been had the unicorn bag.

These skip hop bags are actually £20 which to some people may seem expensive for a backpack bag for a toddler to carry or use for nursery. I did actually a discount code which got me £2 off this bag but I did worry that I had an purchased a bag which was actually expensive would not last us that long. This bag has actually lasted us at least a year I have been able to wash the bag I do not know if you're meant to wash it, however, I did and it looked as good as new. I only washed it on a gentle wash I would not recommend washing it on a high temperature I think I did ours on a 30.

This is inside the bag as you can tell there is a lot of space in this bag and it does actually have a couple of complete full outfits in the bag. As you can see there is a lot of room which means that a lot more could be carried in the bag. I think I have managed to put a whole weekend worth of clothes including spares and pj's as well as nappies and wipes which is a hell of a lot of stuff to fit in a bag which does not look like it will be able to fit that much in. This means you could use your bag as a weekend bag for your toddler or for your hand luggage if you lucky to be going on holiday.

The bag also has a huge pocket on the front which I have found is good for storing gloves and socks which is something which we always need now because Jess seems to be able to get her socks wet at nursery easy and I know I am going to need easy access to her gloves because of the fact that the seasons are changing and mornings are getting colder. I think this would be a great place for snacks if you are traveling because it is so easy to access them.  On the side, the bag does have a holder for a bottle which is great for when we are traveling because I can stick a fruit shoot in the pocket so I can grab it before Jess kicks off because she is thirsty.

The straps which are on the back can be adjusted which means this bag can grow with your toddler which is great because if yours is anything like Jess they will want to be able to carry their own bag. I can even adjust it so it fits over one of my shoulders should I need to carry the bag instead of Jess, for example, should I make the bag to full for her to carry it. I think that one of the reasons Jess wanst to carry her bag is because she thinks she is a big girl and because of the fact that the bag is so cute she wants to.  The straps as comfortable for Jess to be able to wear them all day which is great because it means that she is not going to get in discomfort when she wants to wear this.

I would say that the skip hop bags are worth the money because we have used ours nearly every single weekday for a year. However, if you are not going to use the bag every day and are scared that your child will not get their money's worth I would look for a discount code or on Amazon as they are on offer every so often. I think that the quality of this is still as good as new of course it does have a few scraps from the use but you could not tell we have had this bag over a year. I think that had I purchased a cheaper bag I may have had to repurchase a new bag by now.

Have you tried a skip hop backpack?

Charlotte x

Our Favourite Toddler Snacks

With the summer nearly over now I thought I would share with you some of our favouite toddler snacks because we all know that after a long day exploring there is something nothing better than been able to give your whining toddler a snack to tide them along till the next meal. This is something which we have had to do a number of times this summer because we have been exploring and that sometimes means that meals times do get pushed backwards.

Toddler snacks are not something new to us we have been using them since we started weaning of course we do try and use things like fruit as snacks but sometimes when you are always on the go like we see to be. We have to resort to snacks which come in packs which can be easy put into bags and had when someone is about to have a temper tantrum.

We really love the brand Organix we have used them since day one and have found that the bags which they come in are a perfect size which means they do not spoil a meal should they have them close to the time you may be eating. They have no nasties in them which is always a positive because if you are like me you do not want to pump your child with food which will not be good for them and send them super hyper. As you can see from the picture we love the crackers we also love the gingerbread men which they do carrot sticks, tomato crosses and they also do an amazing flapjack style bar. Can you tell that they are one of our favourite brands they are a name which we have come to trust and if we are out and about and we have no snacks with us and Jess needs something we would try and head in a shop and get an Organix snack.

Little Dish are a new company to us I think we tried them first around Easter time when we have been travelling. Jess had tried the Go Go biscuits which are wholegain, oats, flax and chai seeds biscuits. Which means that there is no rubbish in them which again is something which we love these are some snacks which I will admit I have actually tried myself and thought these were tasty. They come in a pack of 5 which means that you can always have some spare in the cupboards and they are individually wrapped so can pop them in the bag very easy. We have only tried the coconut and raspberry ones I need to keep my eyes out for the other ones because I am sure Jess will love them.

Ella's Kitchen are another brand which we love as well if you haven't heard of them they are another company who do not like to put naties in food and are very proud of that fact. Jess has not tried a lot from their snack range I think she has tried some of the crisps which she demolished which must mean that she actually likes them. However, the product that I really recommend is the nibbly fingers which are also like a flapjack treat which is great because I like that they are small which means Jess can actually hold them which is a problem with some of the larger snack she can not get her little hands around them. I would recommend Ella's Kitchen as you may remember I reviewed their cereal a while back.

The final brand which we love is Kiddylicous who make the most amazing wafers for sure these are something which we repurchase time and time again. The ones which Jess seems to love the most is the blueberry ones. Inside the pack you get two wafers which means that you can always give your child one now and then give them one at another stage during the day. They can easily be broken down which means that you child doesn't have to hold the whole wafer and make it very sticky and it also saves it been dropped and another tantrum occurring which is the last thing we all want.

What are toddler's favouite snack?

Charlotte x

Time To Potty Train Using Our Favourite Characters

Since Jess is approaching two I can not believe that only in less than a month she will be a two-year-old where did my little baby go. Jess has now decided that she is not a huge fan of wearing nappies and she now wants to start been potty trained it started a few weeks ago when she would tell us she needed a wee and I would have to hover her over the normal toilet. I knew that then I needed to pick some things up which would make potty training a hell of a lot easier for us. Not long after I purchased these items a lot of bloggers got sent some potty training items, however, I purchased these with my own money. 

The first item which we picked up was this paw patrol step which Jess is obsessed with it when we first purchased it would take it out of the bathroom and walk around the whole house with it. She used it as a seat and everything the reason why we purchased this was because it allows Jess to be able to climb up to the normal toilet and then it also helps her reach the sink which means that she can easily wash her hands after using the toilet because of course we still have to supervise her she isn't big enough to do this alone yet. This step takes up to 100kg which means that should ever I need a small step I can use this which is always a bonus and I have seen Jess take her toy pups to the step to show themselves them on the step.

Due to the fact the Jess has a small bum and if we put her on the normal toilet we would have to holder hover her over which would be very hard and I am sure there would have been a stage where I would have ended up dropping her into the toilet which wouldn't have been fun at the time but I am sure would have been looking back. So when I was to my mum she told me that I would need to invest in a toilet trainer seat which is something which you add to the main rim of your toilet and then it makes the seat smaller as your child sits on this and not the main toilet. I knew that when I saw Paw Patrol did this maybe I could get Jess to visit the toilet by asking her if she wanted to go and see the pups and so far she has been running to it when she needs the toilet. 

As someone who is rarely at home, I knew that we needed a potty which we would be able to take with us but would be discrete enough for people not to judge that we did, in fact, have a potty with us. I remember that when some of the YouTubers who I watched had a my carry potty when they were training their own children which made me have a look at them. They are very simple they are a potty which has a handle so can be transported around they are discrete so you wouldn't know it was a potty which is a bonus they are small enough to be carried under the pram which is another positive. The potty is leak proof and you can lock into until you are able to empty the potty of the contents which for us good for because as you know Jess likes to be outside which means sometimes when she is playing she does not want to come inside so she can go on the potty outside and we can deal with it while she continues to play. 

Of course, when you are potty training your child you need them to be able to pull their nappies down easy. I have found that sometimes at the moment with Jess been in the early stages she does not tell me with a lot of time so it can mean that she does end up going in the nappy. However, I have found that since using pull ups with her I have been using the Little Angels one because this is the company which we have used since birth. I love how simple these are Jess can pull them up and down when she needs which is great because it means that it is quicker for Jess to get on the potty which means that there is less a chance of an accident. These are super absorbant so if she does manage to have an accident it is not as much as a problem as if she had an accident in a pair of pants. 

What did you use for your child when they were potty training?

Charlotte x

Bye bye Dummy

If you have ever seen a picture of Jess or read my blog you will know since she has been born she has had had a dummy. This was not a choice I was actually given because of the circumstances and how ill I was shortly after having her she was actually in NICU. It was there that the lovely nurses decided to give her a dummy because they didn't know if she had reflex and there decided to give her a dummy to help.

I don't know if the choice was down to me if I would have actually given her a dummy so this maybe be something which I don't do should we have another child. I look back now and maybe I should have actually removed the dummy from her when she left the hospital but has kept her quiet for several times when I am glad and thankful for it.It is not something which I regret her having it is something which I am thankful for but I wish that maybe so many of the pictures did not have it in but this is something to know for the future.

However, since Daddy left way back in May we had just made that she was becoming a bigger girl and she only needed it when she was tired and needed to go to sleep. This was the first stage of weaning her off the dummy because I didn't want her to be a child who was addicted and wouldn't stop. Since then she has only been using it for bed and when she has been traveling on trains because usually she is tired as we travel early morning and towards bedtime.

This is something which I would recommend instead of going cold turkey with is to cut it to certain times when you think they need it the most it seemed to work for us. However, one day back in July Jess decided that she was going to throw her dummy this was usually me hunting for it on the train, however, this day we managed to lose it. This meant that Jess had to go to nursery without a dummy and they didn't give her a spare for the first time which Jess did not mind. She has been taking it out and putting it on the side when she has been playing so this proved to us that she did not actually need when she was there and was kept busy whether it be with other children or the workers in the room.

I took this as a sign that she was ready to stop having a dummy full stop and since that day I have not given her one. I believe that children tell you when they are ready and because we want to keep them small for a long as we can we do not want to push them to have no dummy. Since that day there is only one occasion where I cracked and that was because she was actually poorly. When she now asked for her dummy we say haven't the birds taken it so they can look after there little ones and then she no longer wants a dummy as she thinks of babies with them.

How did you get your little one to stop using a dummy?

Charlotte x

Mattel Play!- Liverpool Review

I know this post has been a long time coming ever single time I see the pictures I think about that fact I that I need to do a review however, I have not got around to it. That is the reason why Jess may look young in the pictures because they were actually taken back at Easter time when we visited Mattel Play! which is on the Albert dock in Liverpool.

The only reason I actually knew it was there was because I had seen the lovely Hayley from stretchmarks and sparkles visit with her boys. Mattel is a 3 floored building which is designed for under 5's. The top floor is dedicated to Thomas the tank engine which has you may know because Jess goes on a lot of trains she likes to watch Thomas.

On the Thomas floor there is as signalling box which allows your child to feel like they are in control of the whole network. As you can see Jess is playing with part of it here and I think we had to wait a while for her to actually come of because she was having so much fun. Also on the floor there is a little trains which the children can get on a be pushed around on it is almost like a ride on Thomas. There is a farm which allows the child to grow the fruit and veg before picking them which allows you to help your child learn their fruit and veg. 

There also was the colaeorks which has foam bricks in which you could build the areas was a little dark and this was not something which actually interested Jess. You could even drive a stationary Thomas which of course Jess spent a fair amount of time on. However I think Jess's favourite part of the floor was the ball pit which has Harold the helicopter in because she could with help get in a slide out the back into his ball pool. For sure this was the bit which she spent the longest in it was so nice to heard her laugh so much.

The second floor is dedicated to bob the builder which I will admit is a show which Jess has not seen a lot of. I think since the visit it is one which she has seen more of. On this floor they have beanbags which allow you to sit and watch episodes of the show however, only been one Jess wanted to play rather than sit. They have a kitchen which allows you to make food and drink for the famous builder making his lunch before he departs for the job I know this is an area which Jess would love so much more now as she is obsessed with play food.  They also have an area where you mend pipes and stop a water leak as well as build a new wall for a house. These are area which Jess spent some time at. The other activity  on the is a tracing your favourite character from the show however, Jess was still a little bit young to want to do this. I on the other hand had a great time trying to do it.

The third and bottom floor is an area dedicated to Fireman Sam. So as you can imagine as you enter you can put on fireman's helmets these were to big for Jess which is a huge shame. But when you got into the main room Thai was the smallest of all three levels you have little slide area which Jess loved walking up the stairs and sliding down. A speedboat which you could drive and use the hoses to put the fire out which was on a wall. This floor also has a little grocery store which Jess decides she would fill her trolley up and pretend to be a shoplifter. Mmm might have to keep my eyes on this little one. There was also a huge fire engine in there which you could play inside but this is not something we did.

When Mattel is busy you get a period of 2 hours from entrance however, we did everything we wanted and spent around an hour and half and we was all shattered after it. Overall we had an amazing time I seem to remember that it was not very expensive for how much you actually got I would revisit maybe in a years time when Jess may get more out of it. Anyway that's just an excuse to visit Liverpool again.

Have you visited Mattel Play If so what did you think? 7

Charlotte x

Keeping a Toddler Entertained Indoors

If anyone has a toddler like mine who loves to play outside. You will know how hard it is to keep them entertained when they are unable to  get outside because it is raining outside. Jess for one really hates been inside. There is only so many cartoons she can watch on the tv before she starts to her really bored and she doesn't have the attention span yet to be able to watch films.

Since the weather this summer seems to have been really hit and miss one day she will be able to go outside and enjoy the sun and the next day it will be horrible and have to be a day in. At the moment she is going to nursery around 3 days a week which is great and really handy should the weather be really rubbish them days as nursery can keep her entertained . However, on the days that it is horrible I have had to become creative and have some ideas of what to do because we can not be running to soft play like everyone else because those places give mummy a headache and are also bad for her bank balance.

Due to the fact that Jess is hardly in it does mean that some days she will be very content just playing with her toys because they are all new again to her and ones which she might not have played with for a while. I recommend rotating your child's toys around every couple of months so that they get to play with everything and it doesn't always mean you have to fork out for new toys.

Having fun with paints is something which we have done as well. A while ago I think it might have actually been way back at Easter time we popped to Asda and they had large rolls of paper for around £1 and also had some finger paints reduced due to a battered box. We decided that we would tape the paper to the floor so that did not end up moving and Jess ending up painting all over the floor. I would recommend getting some paints and some coloured pencils because it helps children become so creative and i know it is something which keeps Jess occupied for a long time on a rainy day.

Yes this picture is from nursery and I promise she was not crying because she was in the ball pit she just didn't want to leave nursery. Jess is lucky to have a ball pool at her nannys unfortunately currently we don't have the room for her to have one at our house which is a shame because she loves playing it in so much. She will pick the balls up and tell you the colours of the balls as well as playing pass with you and having a whale of a time. You can pick ball pools up for around the £10 mark and then it is just getting the balls I would recommend around 100-200 for the chad valley one that is the one which she has at the grandparents house.

Blowing bubbles is another fun thing to do if it raining sometimes we will blow them in the house and sometimes when Jess has a bath. There is nothing more that she loves that to chase them and help try and pop bubbles. I managed to pick this huge litre bottle of mixture from the works which is not a place I would normally have thought to visit looking for bubble mixture.  I recommend looking in stores such as this home bargains , B&M and such for cheap toys and activities. I must admit I am always keeping my eye out in these kind of stores for things to keep Jess busy.

Speaking of baths sometimes we have a lot of fun when it's raining by treating her to a lush bath bomb and then getting her bath toys out . I have known her stay in the bath for up to an hour and half which then makes her so tired and she has to go for a nap which means that she is entertained for even longer. Sometimes we do not even use lush we use her normal bubble bath because we keep lush for a treat.

What do you do to keep your toddler entertained when the weather is rubbish?

Charlotte x

Tips For Eating Out With A Toddler

This summer seems to be going very very fast would you believe that tomorrow is August. I for one can not believe how fast the year is actually going it is scary. Once the summer months approach more people seem to have more meals out this could be because you have had a lovely day out and a great way to finish the day by having a meal out. Eating out with Jess is something which we have done for a long period of time she has been used to eating out since before I think she could eat.
I have had questions by people who have been in the same restaurant as us on how I manage to cope eating out with a toddler and I have had multiple people come up and tell me that she is a huge credit to us because she is so well behaved while been out. I will admit I do not have the answers to everything these are just my tips and what I do to make sure that Jess is respectful to other guests who may be eating at the same place as us.

The first one is making sure that you are going to a restaurant which is suitable the last thing you want to do is get to a place and actually find out that your child is not going to want to eat anything on the menu. Most places do have a children's menu which for the majority you can find online because there is nothing worse than forcing your child to eat something which they do not want to consume. For example, we love eating at all you can eat buffets such as Cosmo's however, this is not a place we would go with Jess because she would not eat as much we would be more likely to hit a pizza hut.

If your child is as young as Jess is you might want to use a highchair which a lot of places have because this stops you worrying that they are going to be able to run around the whole restaurant and disrupt other diners. I have also found that making sure that she has something to play with always helps I have noticed that if Jess has something such as some colouring pencils and a menu which usually is the child menu she seems to be able to keep her entertained for a while which means that she is able to wait a little bit longer for her food.

Jess still used a bib when she is having food which means that when we eat out we make sure that we still take one because it helps catches the food which she may drop and this stops it been all over the floor. If there is one thing which makes me really embarrassed it is when I have to leave a messy table with food all over it and the floor so this is something which we have started doing and Jess seems to be fine with it because it is what she is used to we have a bib which folds up and lives in her changing bag so that we can just grab it when we eat out.

Another thing which you may notice if you have a young child who likes to use cutlery that when eating out it can be very heavy which means that Jess and other children her age may not be able to lift them. If you are like me you do not want to allow them to eat with their fingers when it suits you however, you do not want them to get into this routine and do it at home. I picked up a while ago in Jojo Maman Bebe this ladybird tum tum cutlery they are not to heavy for her at all they are the same weight as normal children's cutlery. I have noticed that Jess eats really well with them and she will ask for them if she knows I have them and the cutlery in the place is going to be too heavy fot her I think this is because she knows she will be told off if she eats with her fingers.

Make sure that you are not eating out too late with children as well because sometimes if you make them eat too late they will be very grumpy which will end up stressing you all out and make the meal unpleasant. I try to make sure that Jess goes for meals close to the times when she would actually be eating because otherwise she can be horrible and it is not something I also do not like her going out too late because it means that she is more likely to go to bed on a full stomach which is not good for her at all.
The final tip which I have is to make sure that you have a beaker or cup which your child is used to drinking from with you. The amount of times we have found that we have been out and the place we are eating at only has glass or cups which have a large rim and are unsuitable for Jess to drink out of. We do purchase the drink from the place we're we are eating and then just pour it into the cup which we have with us this means that Jess then can have a drink without it having to be a fruit shoot with a sports cap and does not end up with her drink all over herself.

What are your top tips for eating out with a toddler?

Charlotte x

Scuttlebug Review

Scuttlebugs is something which I have known that I was going to purchase for Jess for a long time because as you may know Jess is a child who loves to be outdoors and I am sure she hates it when she actually is stuck inside because the weather is not great. Way back at the start of May time I was looking at the scuttlebugs because I knew I wanted to get it early so that Jess could use it after nursery when the days were getting longer and also if we have a nice weekend. I found out that that they were retailing for around the £30 mark.

As you may know, I love a bargain and because of the fact that I was ahead of the season I thought I would have a look on Ebay and see if anyone was selling one which has been barely used because this is not something which bothers me that much. I knew that I was just going to give Jess it and it was not going to be a present at all.  I managed to pick one up and I think it cost me around £15 posted.

If you do not know what a scuttlebug is basically a three wheeled balance bike which children up to around the age of 3 can use as a ride on. They push themselves against the floor and it moves it can be used both indoors if you have enough space which is something I do not have. Or you can use it outside like Jess does.

The scuttlebug comes in a range of different colours however, we choose the black and red one which means that I could always save this should we have another child because of the fact that it is not that girly.  The scuttlebug we have is actually shaped and looks like a ladybird which is attractive and colourful to a child's eyes. 

It came folded away which means that you have to assemble the bike but it is very easy and does not take a long time it is literally 3 clicks and then it is up. This is amazing because as we all know children do not like waiting for a long time to be able to play with their toys. Something which I worried about when I had seen these previously was about how sturdy they were but I can report after owning one for a while that they are very sturdy. They are also so lightweight which means you could carry them to the park you could even fold these up and put it under the pram.  I have no concerns how long these are going to last because Jess has used this for a long time it is showing no signs of wear. I also love how small they fold because it means that it very easy to store if like us you do not have the largest amount of space to put toys. 

I do not know if I can imagine Jess playing on this next summer when she is nearly 3 because I have a feeling that she may be a little bit too big for it however, I know that she is taller than most children her age so this is something to take into consideration. 

I think that it would be worth keeping your eyes open for when these are on offer because I do not think that they are fully worth the RRP of £30 however, if you can get your hands on one of these cheaper I would recommend it. Personally, I think that they are worth around the £20 mark and have noticed Amazon does have them in certain colours for this price. 

Have you purchased a Scuttlebug, If so what did you think of it?

Charlotte x

Dear Dada- My First Dentist Visit

Dear Dada

Can you believe that it is a year ago this week since we first saw the nursery which I now go to how crazy fast as that gone I can not believe that it has been a year in September since I had wouldn't leave the chair at nursery and now I am one of the most confident little people you will meet. This week say me have another there has been a fair few of these in my short little life and this was that I had my first trip to the dentist on Monday. I know it is not something which Mummy was looking forward to maybe because she had to take me on a couple of buses each way and because of all the stairs in the dentist had to take me on my reins instead in the pram. At least the most damage I did was destroy the waiting room I did not cry and I didn't bite the dentist so I am sure this is something which mummy was very proud of me for doing. I passed my check up and do not have to return for another 6 months result.

I have also been to nursery this week which has not been as fun as usual because my little partner in crime has been away on his holidays which means that I have had to play with other children. Mummy has told me that it will not do me any harm but I can not wait for him to come back so we can be crazy again together. I am also losing a couple of my friends to upstairs next week it is not fair I want to move up there because I am a big girl as well. I was that grumpy on Thursday about it when mummy was dropping me off I headbutted her and it has caused her to lose a little bit of her front tooth. I know she was not very happy about this at all she has told me a few times. I think I better do something soon to get back into her good books.

I am liking having these couple of days at home during week but mummy told me that not to get used to them because in only something like 8 weeks it will be over and I will be back at nursery full time as she will back back to uni for  her final year of this degree. Booo it means she will be stressed and always arsey with us again. Plus it will end that she loses a day in which she sorts my clothes out because we all know she loves selling things which are to small for me so she can update the amazing wardrobe I have. 

On Saturday mummy and grandma left me with uncle Daniel so that they could head to town and do some jobs which they needed to do. I didn't go as they told me it would be very busy because it was pride in town this weekend. I know she picked up another part of a Christmas present which is crazy we haven't even had my birthday yet. I wonder if she had bought me anything for that yet. Thats if I make it to two without killing myself I am danger child. 

Today sees us have a huge family BBQ which is going to be scary as I have to seen some of the relation since I was about 6 weeks old. Mummy does love how you haven't even met them yet secretly she thinks that you are planning it so that you never have to meet them. Hopefully it is going to be an nice day and some nice weather for it because there isn't anything worse than a rainy BBQ. Even though that reminds me of one we had with Nanny and Grandad where it threw it down. 

Next week promises to be a quiet one mummy has an eye test maybe it will show she is as blind as a bat. She is also at work two days so that means I am not going to see a lot of her.

I miss you so much Daddy 

Love from Jess xxx

Open Wide- First Dentists Trip Tips

On Monday it was time for Jess to finally go to the dentist for the first time it is something which I wanted to get her to do from a young age because I didn't want her to be one of those children who actually became scared of the dentist. I will admit to anyone that I am not the biggest fan of the dentist at all. I actually had a routine appointment as well I made sure that Jess had an appointment with me because this would allow her to see what happen. Unfortunately, there was nobody available to come with me when we had to take her so this did not help me at all I was getting nervous. I shouldn't have needed to because Jess was a superstar she did not manage to bite the dentist at all and I do not know what I was worried about she didn't even cry. I can not believe my little girl only has 8 more teeth and then she will have the full set.

I am going to share with you some tips which I used for her first trip to the dentist and I also asked some of my fellow bloggers for their tips as well. I would say make sure that you have an appointment as well because then they do not feel like they are the only one who has to go through this process. I did this, however, when Jess got into the room she wanted her teeth checking before me so this was not actually an issue for us at all, however, I know for some children it may help a lot. I also recommend a few days before they go saying to them about the dentist and what is going to happen so Jess knew that she would need to do we told her she was going to have to open her mouth and say arrrrr.

I asked some of my fellow bloggers and these were the tips which they gave me for Jess's first trip

Talk positively about it. Let them see you sit in the chair first and see it's not a scary place. Let them climb into the chair if they can. Don't reward them with sweets!- Debbie, Myboysclub

My tips would just be to expect it not to go smoothly at first(meaning they may not let the dentist even really check) , it's somewhere they need to learn to love and if you have a stressful first experience it won't help.- Ayse, Arepops

Don't get stressed about it / worry just treat it like your going somewhere you always go with them so they don't get worried. Also let them know what the dentist does in the lead up to going, my two year old loves going to the dentist as he gets to show her how shiny his teeth are.- Lindsay, newcastlefamilylife.

My son has always come with me and sat on my lap whilst I have been checked. My dentist recommended this and it helps that he is really nice and very sweet to him. I think if you can get them used to being in that environment and they can see you are ok being checked they will follow suit.- Emma. Emmareed

I always told my children that the dentist was just going to count their teeth-  Sarah, Boorooandtiggertoo

We bought our son a little pretend dentist set the week before he went for his first check up. We all played at pretending to be dentists and then he thought it was all just a game when we eventually got there- Stacey, Onesmallhuman

My son always came with me to my appointments. When it came to his turn I booked my appointment at the same time and we went in together. The dentist saw me first and my son had his turn after me. The dentist barely looked in his mouth (they don't generally do much with the young ones), but it got him used to the idea - Erica - 92three30

Ours took a teddy that the dentist checked out first. They felt at ease after seeing the teddy get checked over and were excited about their turn- Beth. Twinderelmo 

Take them with you from as early on as possible! Both of mine have had their first check ups around 10 months, and it just gets the used to how it works. They always sit on my lap during my check up too, and my dentist is lovely and lets them 'help' by pressing the buttons and having their own mirror!- Emily. EmilyandIndiana 

Take your children from as early in their lives as possible. Both of mine have been since soon after birth. Let your children see you in the chair first and use positive words. It's important that your dentist is someone you are super comfortable with otherwise the kids will pick up on this. Also, if you're not happy with your dentist then I wouldn't want my children to visit that dentist.  There is a Peppa Pig episode where they go to the dentist. My son loves watching this and then acts out part of the episode when he is actually at the dentist!  Stickers and reward chart for things like dentist, hairdresser, doctor visits etc if nothing else is working. - Skye, cutenessandchoas


Have you taken your child to the dentist if so what where your tips?

Charlotte x

LittleLife Toddler Daysack Review

Ever since Jess had started to crawl I said at when she started walking would be purchasing her a rein bag the reason behind this is because it still allows her to be independent and if you knownJess you will know how indepdant she loves to be even nursery have commented on this. So Jess thinks that she is actually walking and been a big girl without having to hold my hand unless she is crossing a road and I can still control her which means that she can not run into the road or get into any other danger.

I remember around November time when Jess had started walking and started to want to go explore more I purchased her the Littlelife daysack because I knew that this was something that I had been looking for. They do as range of different animals so there will be one which shit your family they now even do character ones I have seen the gruffolo and Minnie Mouse. In hind site I kind of wish I had got the Minnie one because Jess has become obsessed with her in the last few months.  The Daysacks have the removable rein which means when Jess is a little bit older we can use it as a small backpack which has enough room in for her drink and a few other things such as snacks. Having the option  to remove the rein means that when she is in a huge open area such as the park you can remove it and let her run free without. Her thinking she is too free as she is still wearing the backpack. This is something which we have done a number of times now and is seems to be something which she seems to enjoy because she is more independent.

You can also adjust the chest pads which means as Jess grows the bag will still be able to fit her I think it is till age 4 you can use this little bag however I am sure a lot of that would be just using it as a normal bag. The shoulder pads are actually pretty thick and soft which means that it is comfortable for your child to wear which is something that you want should they be wearing this for a long period for of time. 

I have used this bag so much I have purchased a similar one for the car so that we always have one should we need to take s last minute journey and do not have this one Jess is still able to walk,.  We have used this bag in a number of places from the town centre, parks, seaside and farms. At all of them we have never found that we have had an issue with the bag. We even took her to the rugby at Easter with it and the security were amazed with it they said however I looked like I was controlling a drunk person.

It is not just me  who has used the bag obviously Joe has used it with her and both sets of grandparents have actually used it. It was his nan though who could be a little bit sceptical  about things like as she is usedmtomdoing what they did back in the day when she was bringing children up who even stated that they are a good idea and she wishes that they had them when Joe had been growing up. 

The bag is something which I could not be without now because we get so much use out of it. I think this most be one of the best £20 I have ever spent.

Do you have one of these bags, would you use one? Let me know in the comments 

Charlotte x

Dear Dada- I'm a big girl

Dear Dada

Another week has flown by can you believe it and it's another month down only a few more than then hopefully you will be back. I can't wait because it means I can have a lot of time exploring with you and showing you what a big girl I am.

Speaking of being a big girl this week saw the lovely amazon man delivered my potty and all of the things which I need for potty training. Mummy tells me I am a big girl because I tell her when I want to go on it and I have even sat on the big toilet with my little seat so I do not fall in. I have managed to do both functions now and my nappies are less soggy when I and wear them. I will have to get mummy to show you my potty because it is very cool it's a ladybird.

I did my standard 3 days at nursery this week and they told us that in September I am going to be going upstairs with 4 of my friends. Can you believe that I have come so far I have come from not wanting to leave my chair at nursery to been a confident girl who loves exploring and have made so many new friends. The weather had been pretty poo this week which means that we have been doing a lot of painting  we even did handprints the other day. The reason behind this was because it was national handshake day even mummy didn't know that that existed and she seems to know everything.

Friday we had a really chill day because mummy had to work at the weekend so we let her have Saturday a day early. I was really testing I think she thought that the terrible twos had come a little bit early because she sent me to bed a few times. The grandparents even let me go and take a nap because I didn't feel like I could cope you know that sometimes everyone needs a break and I think I pushed her that much that she just needed some time away from me. It must be hard for her because unless I am at nursery she doesn't get a break and even then she is in public.

This weekend saw mummy go for a day at work in York. I think that it was that busy she ended up going to bed so early because a mixture of sun and been busy made us a tired mummy. She got to see Olly Murs after the races however I do not think that she was that good so don't worry you will not have to go see him in concert.

Sunday saw us have a really chill day in the garden because it was nice and warm. It saw me play with my new bubble machine but I am scared of it and it's paw patrol hopefully I will get over it. I have been playing on my scuttlebug as well as you saw on Skype. I am dangerous on it because if the fact I like to reverse faster then I can go forward. We also got a treat of dominos on Sunday because nobody could be bothered to make food.

I miss you so much Daddy I can't wait to see you next week on Skype.

Jess xxxxx

Mum Guilt- Skipping Two Trimesters

You must have know you was pregnant? I thought it only happened in the films and TV shows where people did not know there were pregnant for a long period of time? No I can tell you that it doesn't only happen in these settings I did not know that I was pregnant till 26 weeks. 

It is not something that I will ever forgot I knew I had been getting more tired but I put this down to working part time being in the last few weeks of the second year of my degree. Meaning a lot of late nights making sure that the deadlines were completed so I thought nothing about it is and just took more naps during the day which is normal for students to do anyway.

Due to the fact I had been working on a project instead of going on work experience it meant that I had not seen a couple of friends for a few weeks I think it was about 4 weeks. One of them when I saw them said oh wow when did that happen I knew I had gained a little bit of weight but it was only a small amount and I put that again down to the poor diet I had because I was so busy and too tired to cook. I thought she was referring to the weight that I had gained in the last couple of months and ignored it. It wasn't until a few days later that I felt some almost like pops of air in the bottom of my stomach that I started to be concerned. I realised that this point that it had been about 2 months since I had a period TMI I know but because of stress I did not think anything of it.

I remember vividly going to superdrug purchasing a pregnancy test and then going to the university library because that was were my friends were at the time to do the test. I text one of my friends to come to the toilet with me to do the test because I was scared to do it alone. I purchased one of the the ones which tells you how many weeks I remember it saying 3+ weeks my first thoughts were OH SHIT.

I had been out partying only that week because I was a student who was enjoying been care free and having a few drinks and a few more was part of my life back then. It was a good way to socialise with friends. One of the first things which came into my head was like I am going to have to sort this I can't have a baby I need to finish my degree and be more settled before I can have a child. As some of you might know if you have read my birth story I told Joe on his 21st Birthday which meant he got really drunk. We spoke about everything and decided that our best option was to try and have an abortion or have give the little one up for adoption

At the time we didn't know how far along I was or anything so I booked in to see a doctor as soon as I could be cause of the situation I was in I wanted to have an abortion should it be possible. I didn't think I would be past the 12 week cut off.  I booked my appointment with the abortion people and a lovely friend who I am so thankful for them through the whole of my pregnancy because  I don't know if I could have done it without them. I went for a scan so that they could see how far gone I was I remember them saying are you sure you have not had any feelings of movements and I explained about the ones the popping of air. The lady I clearly remember saying well you can not have an abortion your over the legal limit you are around 26 weeks.

This is when we went down the route of speaking to the relevant people about adoption. I spent a lot of my pregnancy with social workers because I had to do all of the medial forms and everything ready for the when baby was born. There was a foster family ready so that there was people to look after her before a forever family was found.

This is where the mum guilt gets me because I didn't want to be pregnant I wanted the baby to be born so I could go back to my own life as horrible as it sounds. I didn't take pictures of my bump I don't have any scan pictures because I made them turn the screen away from me. I feel guilty because of the fact that that I had been drinking I know how dangerous that could have been. I blame myself now when she is crazy it is because she know she has all ready been drunk.

I feel guilty that the majority of the clothes which she got when she was a baby were picked by other people. I only actually purchase her one outfit and then after we decided to not go through with the adoption my cousin went out and purchase everything. Don't worry my family actually paid her to do it and it is something which I am forever grateful for.

One thing which eats me is that Jess is never going to be able to see the scans of her or what she was like as a bump. If we should go on to have another child I think I would take bump pictures and have scan pictures.

Has anyone else found out there where pregnant later than normal. If so do you have this mum guilt?

Charlotte x

Choosing The Right Nursery For Us

As I am sure many of you know if you have read my blog previously Jess goes to nursery full time and has done since September.  She was a year old when she actually went into childcare that she did not go earlier was the fact that I had to wait for the start of the next academic year to be able to continue my studies.

I made the choice after Jess was born that I wanted to return back to university to finish my degree at this stage I had already completed 2 years. I think I was 3 weeks of returning to complete my final year when Jess was born if you don't know we were thinking about getting her adopted it was not until I saw her for the first time I realised that I could not longer do it.

It was about this time last year when I heard back from York St John telling me that I had a place there to complete the rest of my degree. I transferred from Chester as there was no way I could look after a one-year-old with no support from my family while I would be in the final year. Hull was the ideal option for me as I do not live that far from the campus told me I would have to start again completely and do all 3 years where York St John told me that I could just do two years and graduate.

Then came the problem thatYork St John, unlike some university, did not have a nursery which Jess could attend which mean that I had to research where Jess would be going when I had lectures.
The first issue did I have her in a nursery in Hull or York. I could have had her at nursery in Hull which would have meant that Jess would not have to commute with me every single day, however, if I had a 9 am lecture it means I have to get the train at 7 am and nurseries do not open before 7 am. This would have meant my mum would have had to drop her off which would not have been fair.Also, should Jess become ill it meant that I would have to leave university and have to travel an hour home before I could pick her up this is not something I would have wanted. Looking back and seeing how many times she has been sent home since starting I think she has been sent home around 3 times which could have cause problems should she have been based in Hull.

When I decided that she was going to have to commute to York with me this means me googling nursery because I had no clue where the nursery where and I needed them in the city centre because I needed to be able to drop Jess off easy. I started emailing nursery and could not believe that some of them had huge waiting lists of around 6 months I think I was told.

I found two nurseries which would have been suitable locations I would recommend going to visit them because you can a feel of the nursery make sure go when the children are in as you can see how it is every single day.By visiting them we found that we liked one a lot more than the other due to the fact that in the nursery she is in the under 2's are actually allowed to go and play in their outside session whereas at the other nursery they did not have an outdoor section which means they had to take them on walks to get fresh air and they were not available to play out.  Being able to go outside is something which Jess now loves as you know so this is a huge benefit she can play out.

Another thing which swung it for us it the fact that she actually gets her meals included in the price of a day which may sound really stupid to some people but when you are paying around the £45 mark and it does not include food it meant that it was going to be another £2 for food per day which we was in it means that it soon adds up. For us both of the nurseries which we looked are were going to include wipes however, we have to provide the nappies and any cream which we want to use on Jess. We also have to provide suncream in the summer months as well.

Another factor which put me off the other nursery which we did not choose was that the under 2's would have been upstairs which for some of you may not seem a huge issue but when you do not have a lot of time in a morning.  The last thing you want to have to do is go to another room which is full of children. Also they did not have a separate sleep room which meant that when the nursery put them down to sleep it was basically like putting them on yoga mats which is something which did not please me massively. I love that Jess has a variety of rooms to play in and I always find her in a different one. The staff at the nursery are amazing and help so much like they even said to me that if I didn't want her to make a Father's Day card with Joe been away she could just do a picture.

Hopefully, this post is helped you if you are looking for nursery to send your little one. These are just some things which helped me decide which nursery we sent Jess to and I love our nursery so if your looking for one in the York area let me know and I will tell you which one it is

Do you have any tips for helping choose a nursery?

Charlotte x

Top Alternative Father's Day 5 Ideas 2017

This post is a reminder for some of you that it is Father's Day this Sunday don't worry I hear you all panic there is still time to get an awesome gift and get it delivered in time. Don't worry there is a range of different items because I know not all Dad's are the same because I know I could not get the same present for Joe as I would my own Dad.

The first item which I am going to share with you in this gift guide is are Panasonic Multi Room Speakers these are something which I am sure that Dad’s who are technical would actually like or those who are into music.  These clever speakers allow you to fill a whole room with the music which you want to listen to you can take them out into the garden as well use to a number of them including the SC-All05 having a 9-hour battery life. This allows your dad to have music playing while you all have a nice family summer BBQ this summer. They are also waterproof which means you can have the music playing in the rain should you continue to BBQ when the weather changes.

Panasonic do a range of different wireless multiroom speakers including the SC-All7CD which allow your dad to have the whole of his CD collection, itunes library or any online subscription such as Spotify on this one device. It allows the whole collection to be saved on the memory which the speakers have allowing you to stream that any time when requires meaning your house could always be connected. With the music you adore always playing out. Obviously the speakers may not be in everyone’s budget this fathers day as they range from £170 to £380  you could maybe chip in with other siblings and get this gift.  This is a gift I can imagine giving Joe and end up using a hell of a lot more because I love my music a lot more than he does I think.  

Raging Bull is a clothing brand that I was introduced to by David from DadVWorld if you haven't checked him out you should do. Raging Bull is a company which is part owned ex-England Rugby Player Phil Vickery. They do some amazing clothing however, the items which I love the most are these polo shirts they remind me of Hollister if you think your dad would like the Hollister but you do not think that he is cool enough to rock them. These raging bull ones are amazing they look so smart you could wear them to events such as family meals when you need to look a little smarter than you may normally do.

They also do a huge range of different clothing some of the other items such as the rugby shirts remind me of the ones which you seen in stores such as cotton traders if you have ever visited that store.I personal think that they are something which I know a few of the males in my life would like.
You can purchase Raging Bull from their website they do a wide range of clothing so if polo shirts or rugby shirts are not something your Dad wears you might find something. These polo shirts are £45 however, from the reviews I have heard they sure are worth the money. I think they are going to be something which I may purchase Joe for Christmas hopefully he will forget about this post before. I would have purchase for my Dad however, I am unsure if he would like them due to been picky with styles.

This is a picture of something which we have done previously for the grand parents we have made them photo albums of Jess. Apoligises for the poor quality picture bit it is the only one which I have of the photo albums. Last year for Father's Day I made Joe a memory stick full of pictures of Jess which he could load on his digital photo frame. So depending on the age of your Dad/ Grandad you could do either option. Personally, I love this idea should you be like us who have Grandparents who do not see their Grandchildren a lot because things like this mean more even to the men who may not admit it as often. You can use apps such as Freeprints which I have mentioned previously and you can purchase photo albums or even make your own scrapbook. You do not have to make them Winnie the Pooh theme like the ones in the picture I am sure if you look you can get some which are a little bit more masculine.

You could make a album full of memories which you have had with this person for example I have done scrapbooks as well of Jess's first year of life as well as one which have been full of Jess's cake smash which she did for her first birthday. We have done this so that people can remember the occasion and I am sure will love looking back at herself when she is older. This gift would not break the bank and sometimes the gifts which have had a lot of thought put into them are the ones which go down the best. This reminds me I need to update Joe's memory stick when he comes back as all the pictures are at least a year old now.

Another idea for Father's Day is to take your Dad out for a meal beware some places may make you actually book in advance if you want Sunday. Depending on what kind of food your family like there are a range of places you could go to eat. I back in February did a review of Wildwood which would be an amazing restaurant to eat and would not actually break the bank. They do some amazing Italian food as well as burgers this is a place that you could easy have just a main meal or have a three course meal. I seem to remember when I have been previously a 3 course meal for 2 people came to around the £50 mark. I know not every city has a Wildwood I am just lucky that we have one in York however, you could take your Dad to his favourite restaurant it could even be somewhere that does a nice carvery. 

This is an option which I would do with my own Dad however, we are both working on Sunday together which means that it could be very late and we will just want food as soon as we get home rather than having to wait in a restaurant which could be very busy. You do not have to take him for food on Sunday if you are like us and could be busy you could do it whenever it actually suits you. Another option is order a takeaway and maybe watch some tv or a film you both like as it will give you the quality time together which is sometimes what means more than spending £100's on an physical gift. This is what I have found from my past experiences. 

The final item of this is on going in this round up which is these shave by touch shavers from EvoShave. These amazing shavers are designed for Men but I am not ashamed to admit that I used these. I was lucky to receive some just before Christmas and I have never had a problem with them I must admit. The have a touch strip which you rest your fingertips on and it gives you control and also it is meant to give you perfect precision,  These would be great for the Men in your life who love to actually maintain there beards as you could use these shavers to make sure everything looks neat. 

Instead of having multiple blades like a lot of the regular shavers which you see on the market do evoshave only have one blade which means that the blade gives you the ultimate sharpness, strength and durable. I have had one of mine which I have been using for 2 months however, I know that I will not use it as much as Men do because I don't shave my legs till I need to benefits of not going on dates and tights hide your leg hair.  The top of the shaver has been personalised for father's day they actually say super dad on the top where you put fingers they also say it underneath.  These shavers are so cheap they are only £4.99 and available on Amazon 

What do you plan on getting your Dad for Fathers's Day 

Charlotte x

This post contains a paid for advert by Panosonic and also may feature a PR sample however, all views are my own 

Top Tips To Deal With Chicken Pox

If you follow me on social media just before Easter Jess got chicken pox.  This is something which she really suffered with as you can tell from the picture above she does not actually look like herself her eyes looks so dark and she looks so out of it. That is apart from been covered in really bad spots as you can see the one near her boob looks really angry I think this was one of the worse ones which she actually got.

During this period of time I when Jess was struggling I was given so much advice on what people to me would help get rid of the pox which is something I needed to do because of the fact that we were going away a few days after the pox came out .I think it was around a week after she got sent home from nursery. I am going to share with you what I found worked when she was struggling.

• Bicarbonate Soda baths this is something which Jess had multiple of during this time. This is supposed to help the healing and stop itching I did not want to use body washes or anything during this time cause I did not want to irritate them you can pick this up down the baking isle in the supermarket.

• Making sure that unless she needed to we kept her out of clothes she had her dressing gown on so that she did not get cold. The reason behind this is I did not want Jess to scratch the scabs as they form when they are healing. I didn't want to prevent the healing stage because we wanted to get her back to full health as soon as possible. 

• Pirition is something else which Jess used because we wanted to stop the itching because I am sure that if we had let her she would scratch them. I think she only got caught scratching a couple of times and I think that this could be a reason why because they were not itching as much.  Children who get chicken pox over the age of one can use this however, you might want to check with a pharmacy before you give your child this product. 

• I was recommended to use calamine lotion but I found it so hard to apply to Jess because it was always cold and she did not want me touching her. Let alone stay still long enough for me to apply it. I actually was lucky to get sent a tube of Care Virasoothe which is a gel that provides cooling and soothing relief reducing the urge to scratch. It also claims that it helps prevent scarring. This is something we loved because Jess allowed us to apply it and actually I think she looked forward to the relief as some of the worst spots were around her nappy area. 

•  Make sure that you have some calpol on hand we found that it was a godsend because it took any of the pain which she may have been in away. Due to the fact that Jess still had chicken pox when she was pretty young, it meant that she could not tell us we only knew she needed some relief when she was piercing screaming.
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• Make sure that your child is getting enough fluids because when you are ill it is easy to become dehydrated. Offer them juice more often than you may normally do because they may not want to eat a lot if they are anything like Jess was when she had them. For sure I had to make sure that she was really drinking a lot more than she would normally do in order to prevent her becoming really poorly

These are my top tips do you have any others to parents who may be dealing with chicken pox?

Charlotte x

This post contains a PR sample however, this does not affect my opinon