1st Birthday Present Ideas

Having recently had Chloe’s birthday it is  fresh in my mind as to what makes a nice present and things I’d like to get for mine and other babies! So without further ado, here it is!

Books

• That’s not my... - these touchy feely books are classics, I’m yet to find a baby who doesn’t like them.
• Little people, BIG DREAMS - I bought Clo two of these for her birthday, although she is too young to properly engage with them I think they make great decor and is something nice to grow in to.
• Calm Down Boris! Both kids love this book! The puppet on the front makes it interactive and it’s a fun book to read!

Clothes

• Pyjamas - one of the joys of babies becoming toddlers is them starting to wear pyjamas, it makes my heart melt when they look like little people! 
• Luxury items - not necessarily high couture fancy items but things that are a bit special and make you feel like your baby is getting a treat.
• Personalised items - I am a sucker for something personalised, it’s the feeling that something is made just for her that makes me feel fuzzy  inside.

Toys

• Tea set - For Chloe’s birthday we got her a tea set and almost instantly she started to engage with role play, one almost thinks it’s like she has spent a year watching me have a coffee cup permanently in my hand  
• Little People - Another hit has been the Fisher Price Little People, Clo was already playing with Toms old Batman figures and now has some of her own to add to the fun. The sets really vary in price depending on what size you get but have recently been on 2 for £15 at Argos .
• Baby Doll - We were lucky enough to be given a selection of toys from a friend that didn’t need them anymore and included were several dolls which Clo really took to! She loves patting them and giving cuddles (and lobbing them on the floor).

Other

• Plate Set - my sister has bought both my children Emma Bridgewater plate sets for their first birthdays and they are simply beautiful, a nice gift that gets daily use!
• Personalised puzzle - my sister also got Clo this puzzle when she was christened, it’s a lovely gift to grow with her and should assist when it comes to reading and writing her name!
• Something to make - we received a set to make for Chloe as part of her present and it got me thinking how lovely it would be to receive a hand made item. Someone investing time and effort into a gift is just the nicest thing! 

I hope these ideas were helpful and I would love to know if you have anything to add! 

A Year Of Chloe

How quickly has this year has passed? I found it hard to think of a way to sum it up, so I wrote a Chloe poem. As you do.

My sunshine and showers girl

My determined girl

My loud girl

My give patty bum hugs girl

My animal loving girl

My Tom admiring girl

My heart on her sleeve girl 

My cheeky girl

My smiles girl

My laughs with her whole heart girl 

My inquisitive girl

My smarty pants girl 

My won’t take no for an answer girl

My beautiful girl

My bow clad girl 

My blue eyed beauty girl

Daddy’s girl

Mummy’s girl

My moon and my stars girl 

The last year with Chloe has been an absolute whirlwind but she makes my heart happy every single day, even when I’ve not slept and she is hitting me in the face with a remote. I can’t wait to watch her grow and become more herself. She completes us. 

The dreaded return to work, and why you shouldn’t dread it

Most of us have to do it at some time so here are five tips on how to manage merging your old pre-baby work life and your new one! 

You won’t miss this!

• Be organised

If you want to have an easier transition then I would suggest you plan, plan, plan! Once that little milk monster is in bed then leap into action, get as much done the night before as possible so the morning is: get up, dressed, fed and out. 

It will take a while for you to find your rhythm but planning ahead makes a huge difference. I will do a blog post on our nighttime and morning routines to show what works for us! 

That initial return to work is very tiring as you aren’t likely to have used your brain too much on maternity leave so it might be a bit of a shock to the system, help yourself as much as you can to be ahead of the game!

• Be prepared that things have changed

In the period of time you have been off, the world has continued to turn, which sounds obvious but when you are tits deep in your baby bubble you do tend to forget that. When you return to work there will differences. The person that has provided your maternity cover may have done some things better than you, don’t let your ego be too bruised but learn from them. Equally the organisation may have changed, take this as an opportunity to reevaluate your role and what you want. Also, people know you’ve not been around, it’s ok to take some time to find your feet. Don’t feel that you need to come back like you haven’t been away, you have, stop being a dick to yourself, you are better than that. 

• Realise that you have changed 

Nicely following on from this, you are not going back as the person who left. Your world has been passed through a blender, it’s unrealistic to expect that you can waltz in and be exactly as you were before. You will have new priorities, less sleep, new ways of being, and all of that is ok. What you may also have is new skills, better time management, new ideas! Being different can be a great opportunity to up your game in a new way. People will adjust to the new you, don’t pressure yourself. 

A caveat to this is, don’t be a dick and repeatedly use the baby as an excuse to skive, be moody or lazy. We all have bad days and need some slack but you aren’t the first person to have a baby and you don’t know what other people have going on.  (Rant over, soz)

• Find the upsides 

Before you return to work you are likely to be feeling a bit nervous, maybe a bit sad and apprehensive which are all valid and relevant feelings. I now challenge you to think of some positives to the return; drinking tea when it’s hot, peeing alone, talking to adults, freedom to play sweary rap music in the car, not talking about poop, wearing grown up clothes and caring how you look and of course TALKING TO ADULTS!

Now what will be good for your baby? Spending time with a family member? Being around other similar aged children, building independence from you, trying new things! Someone else changing the minging nappies, dealing with tantrums, tiring them out! 

It’s good to share the physical load of looking after a baby and it’s good to get a bit of your pre baby self back. Trust me mama, this can be a good thing. 

• Share the responsibilities 

This has taken me 5 years and 2 babies but me and my husband are getting there so don’t expect attitudes and cultures to change in a day. But whilst on maternity leave it is likely that the lion’s share of housework and baby care has fallen to you, well once you are back it’s time to reconsider this as it’s disproportionate for you to continue carrying all of this. As I said it’s taken a *very* long time for the shift to happen but it’s important to consider who is going to be responsible for what, don’t let things all fall to one person. 

Overall what I hope you get from this is that going back to work isn’t so bad, it could actually even be a good thing! 

The no bullshit guide for buying baby clothes for new parents

I hope this is helpful, I find that when pregnant you get a bit bombarded with companies telling you things are essential and really it’s a load of old shit. This is what you actually might need...

I used to love picking clothes for Tom, he was such a dreamboat

Clothes

• Scratch mitts - don’t bother they won’t stay on
• Shoes - don’t bother, they won’t stay on 
• Hats - you seriously don’t need many, you won’t use them as much as you think 
• Bibs - my fav are from Sainsbury’s, they pull over the head and are massive to catch everything 
• Dribble bibs/bandanas - adorable lol go mad! 
• Socks - primark are best - nice and stretchy and wash well and cheap so doesn’t matter when they get lost or mismatched 
• Vests - primark - they will be shat on and sometimes you will just throw them in the bin or the stain doesn’t wash out. Wouldn’t spend loads. Get the ones that like vests and not short sleeves, looks better under clothes. Don’t go mad on long sleeve vests, buy a few and get more as and when, you won’t need as many as you think! 
• Trousers - chinos and jeans are cute but a pain in the arse to get on and off- you don’t want that when they are covered in shit! Go for soft and stretchy. Lots of brands do nice leggings for boys or the harem style looks nice 
• Tops- those vests that are a shirt (all in one) are an absolute pain to get on and off (especially in a poonami situation) so save for special occasion or avoid! 
• Outerwear - try and get things that do up rather than go over the head, just feels like you are pulling them around and you are usually a bit nervous of that when they are brand new! 
• Babygrows - see above! Boots do very nice designs but are all pull over the head ones and it’s just a pain in the arse. Get ones with fold over sleeve so you don’t need scratch mitts - most places do this these days but deffo worth checking as it’s handy and keeps their little hands warm 
• SIDENOTE- when the baby is brand new keep him in babygrows, they just want to be comfy and snuggly, they don’t need to get dressed! 
• Baby sleeping bags - seriously just get 2, you don’t need loads. You can always get more if you need it but don’t freak and get loads they just take up space. 

Brands

• Aden + Anais - the BEST muslins, but expensive - can get deals on amazon if you keep an eye out or T K Maxx. Also make nice gifts 
• Boots - bit overpriced but cute designs, often does sales, don’t forget parenting club for extra points 
• Gap - washes well, lasts well. Good for boys clothes. Join the mailing list and you always get extra discounts. Has a good sale section year round 
• Next - really is good for baby clothes, expensive but good sales. Sizes BIG so clothes last ages, washes well
• Primark - good for basics and also does really good muslins (some shops are really rough, they aren’t all created equal)
• Joules - expensive but brilliant quality, has an outlet on eBay. Really lovely 
• M&S - also really good quality, good sales. On the baby grows they often have a coloured popper so they match up, it’s nice 
• Sainsbury’s - does the best supermarket baby clothes, designs are a bit more fashionable, washes well. Get on the 25% off
• Jojo maman baby - way frickin overpriced but does a good sale so worth keeping an eye on
• T K max - the best place for lovely baby blankets 
• Zara - cute, pricey, can come up small
• H&M - does lovely organic cotton stuff, weird sizes but you get used to it! Reasonably priced and some interesting designs

I would say this is a comprehensive guide to what is actually worth getting for newborns - 6 months. This is predominantly aimed at boys but most of it applies to girls and I can do a separate one if anyone is interested!

10 Shit Things About Having A Giant Baby...

1. Labour : Now I'm not pretending that any labour is nice, but my perineum would have found a 6lb baby more comfortable shall we say, than a 9lb one. 

2. No one can guess the babies age : Is he a slow toddler? Is he is giant baby? Roll up roll up and take a guess. Many a weird conversation with people on the bus as to how old Tom is, this leads nicely into ...

3. Can he do... : People assume that as your baby is big then they are advanced. "Can he walk yet?" was asked from something stupid like 6 months. The answer is no, he is still a freekin baby!

4. The adorable new born stage passes in a blink. Now I think this applies to all babies but if they stay petite then that new born bit lasts just a tad more *wistful sigh* 

5. You don't get to enjoy half the baby clothes you buy as they are so quickly gown out of. You end up relying on shorts as they adapt with height, no ankle swingers there!

6. Kicking : Tom likes to use his long legs to his advantage and will kick of springboard off me! This leads to many a head but, so that's frickin great 

7. Blame : Big baby = your baby is a brute. Now this winds me up something chronic. In baby groups parents will watch Tom have the toys taken from him as he is large enough that they think he could take them back, but when Tom goes Godzilla on them as he doesn't have the coordination (as he is still little on the inside!) then I get some right looks! Grr

8. No awesome sale bargains : I see so many lovely clothes in the sale, but not for Tom, oh no, apparently every other mother of a toddler has had them!

9. In between sizes : Tom just seems to always end up sitting between sizes for ages! Currently he has outgrown half his 12-18, but some of the 18-24 is too big or long. It's so frustrating when you don't want to buy more clothes that might not fit by the time you leave the shop!

10. The scary realisation that your child will be taller than you. And I mean child. I am 5"3, Tom comes up to my hip. At some point he will be looking down on me on the walk to school! 

So there it is. I think there. Are some nice things about being the mother to a gigantic baby but I will leave that for another day!

Did I miss anything? Let me know in the comments below!