My Top Teething Essentials

Teething... it's a daunting word isn't it.

Before very recently I had no idea about what products were available to help with the 'teething process' or even what to do with them! 

When you become a parent you expect to have to learn new things but you don't expect you will have to deal with teething until around 6 months, Maci began showing signs of teething at around 2 months old and it is only now you can distinctly see her two bottom teeth that have come through but she has more on the way...

Here are a list of my top teething essentials... they have made this experience a little easier for Maci and I so I hope that these items can help you too.

Amber teething bracelet 

 When I first asked on my instagram about what everyone suggested for teething products I had so many replies suggesting these and I must admit I was very sceptical. Although coming from a Beauty Therapy & Holistic background I knew the powers of natural crystals so I figured I would give it a go and I wasn't disappointed. Maci wears this 24/7 even when she isn't showing signs of teething but I personally believe this made a difference.

(When you purchase Amber Teething Bracelet/Necklaces always make sure they come with an authenticity booklet or certificate)

Sophie La Girafe

Sophie is an 100% rubber teething toy. The giraffe shape means that even babies as small as 3 months can hold onto her legs and neck. Sophie also squeaks providing an entertainment aspect to keep the baby entertained. These toys can also be sterilized.

You can find more information here - Official Homepage UK

Calpol

I feel like this is one of the most important items on this post because Calpol is a must-have in a babies changing bag (teething or not!) 

Calpol can be taken from 2 months old (or the appropriate weight) and babies can take up to 2.5ml every 4 hours. 

Calpol works perfectly alongside all the other products on this list, I kept the calpol for when Maci was being very grumpy and then I would give it to her in her bottle.

Brush-Baby Teething Wipes

 I only discovered these a few weeks ago and they aren't the most effective things although I feel like they provide some comfort and relief. These Bush-baby teething wipes slide onto your finger (almost like a finger toothbrush) and then you peel off one side to expose a camomile paste which you then rub onto your babies gums. 

These can be used from 0-16 months.

And last but no means least...

Dentinox Teething Gel

This product is INCREDIBLE! Dentinox is well known for its great products but this one tops the charts for me. You simply pop a small amount onto your finger and rub it into your babies gums to allow instant comfort. You can repeat this step every 20 minutes if needed.

Dentinox Teething Gel contains active ingredients lidocaine and cetylpyridinium.

So those are my top teething essentials, I hope if you're struggling with a teething baby or toddler these products help you.

If you have a favourite teething product that I have not mentioned please share it in the comments!

Until next time,

Storm

What's in my changing bag - 16 weeks old

Hello! 

If you're reading this its most likely because you're nosey (just like me!) and you'd like to find out what I carry round with me in my 'narnia' of changing bags!

Despite the fact I am writing this as Maci is nearly 4 months old (how has that happened?!) the contents of my bag has not changed drastically since she was born, only the sizing of the clothes have changed.

The changing bag I use is the one which matches my pram which is the 'Silver Cross Pioneer' in 'Vintage Pink' 

The bag has many different compartments inside meaning it is easy to organise your belongings into categories and you also have four bottle compartments, two on the outside of the bag and two on the interior.

As you can see my bag is fairly organised (doesn't always look like this!) I organise it by putting clothes in the big pocket at the front, nappies, wipes and milk powder in the middle big section then muslin clothes and bibs in one of the pockets in the back and then I use the other section for Calpol, emergency sterilising tablets and other bits.

The nappies I am currently using are the 'Lupilu' lidl branded nappies - Personally I have found many other well known brands aren't as absorbent as these and these are wonderful and barely ever leak!

I always have a few muslin cloths and bibs in the changing bag because we have many 'puking incidents' during the day whilst we're out and if we have muslin cloths usually it means we haven't got to have a new change of clothes.

I remember when I first took Maci out of the house I packed so many spare clothes and lets be honest, its hard to know what to take.

What I usually pack is -

2 short sleeved vests (or long sleeved depending on time of year!)

2 Baby grows

1 pair of socks

1 hat

Since Maci is teething at the moment Calpol is a necessity... so this is always in our changing bag recently.

Once again Bepanthen is another item you will always find in our changing bag, babies skin is so sensitive I tend to pop this on Maci even if she isn't red it just protects her skin whilst she's wearing her nappy.

When your baby is born you are advised to always carry their red book in the changing bag incase of emergency... plus if its always in your changing bag you haven't got to worry about finding it when it comes to those horrible injections because you already know where it is!

I haven't actually spoken about Maci's bottles on here yet so I thought this would be a good opportunity to. 

When Maci was a few weeks old we knew something wasn't quite right and we were told she has Colic and silent reflux meaning she has to have special 'anti-colic' bottles. At the time we decided to use the 'Tommee Tippee Anti-Colic' bottles but since then I have also tried the 'MAM' Anti-Colic bottles which also work very well.

And finally, this is what I use to carry around the milk powder without it spilling everywhere. I picked this particular one up in Morrisons and it has three compartments inside which you measure out the exact amount of milk powder your baby drinks and then once they are hungry you simply open the little cap and tip it into the sterile water in the bottles... makes it a lot easier!

So that's what I have in my changing bag, its a lot isn't it!?

If you're a parent, what do you have in your bag which I don't, let me know below.

Storm

The White Horse Hotel Romsey - Light Lunch Menu Review

A few days ago I had the pleasure of being invited to The White Horse Romsey to sample and review the brand new 'Light Lunch Menu' - Safe to say I wasn't disappointed.

As soon as I walked through the doors I knew this would be a pleasurable experience, the decor was homely and fresh. The staff were attentive and lovely, what more could you want on a rainy Saturday afternoon?

First of all we were given some of the homemade bread to try, the bread was fluffy and light. Perfect!

And who knew bread could look so photogenic?

The bread came paired with small dishes in which you could pour your own oil and balsamic vinegar which was already placed on our table.

 We wanted to sample as many dishes as possible on the new 'Light Lunch Menu' so we ordered a few dishes (as you can see)

My favourite appetiser was definitely the Salt & Pepper Squid Paired with a Chilli Jam - Usually I am not a lover of anything spicy although the flavours from the seasoning on the Squid was delightful. Simply couldn't have enough of this!

 Another dish we tried was the Confit Chicken Croquettes now once again this is something I wouldn't usually order but I wanted to see what The White Horse had to offer and these were delicious. The only downside is that I feel they were slightly lacking in moisture although once again, these did come with a Tarragon Mayonnaise which complimented them very well.

Now who doesn't love Sweet Potato Fries?! But they aren't as easy as you may think to cook, if these are on the menu at a Restaurant I am reviewing I will always order them because usually they are 'overdone' or simply 'not cook enough' meaning they are soft... These were cooked perfectly, they had the exact right amount of 'crisp' to them and the seasoning finished them off impeccably well.

  

It would be rude not to try the deserts wouldn't it?

For desert I ordered the Dark Chocolate Delice - which was astounding. The flavours were impeccable and it was most certainly my favourite desert I have had in a long while.

My overall opinion of the new 'Light Lunch' menu at The White Horse - Romsey is that I would highly recommend that if you're local to go and try this amazing food. Not only is the menu perfect the staff are very attentive and passionate about what they do.

I would like to say Thank you to the staff at The White Horse - Romsey for the pleasure of allowing me to come and review the new menu and also thank you to LifeofEmmax for asking me to come with you.

Storm 

Easy Ways To Keep Your Home Clean - Products

Hello! 

Hi, how are you?

Now you're most likely here because you enjoy cleaning... In this post I am going to share with you my top few cleaning products and how to use them to make your home feel clean and fresh quickly and easily.

Having a twelve week old baby means that I simply don't have the time very often to 'deep clean' my home meaning I have had to find quick alternatives that I do almost every single day to keep on top of the cleaning. 

Before having Maci I spent a lot of time at home due to being so poorly during pregnancy so I would spend a majority of my time (when I wasn't being sick) cleaning and in doing so I became extremely 'House Proud' which continues to this day. 

I have composed a list of my top few cleaning products (no particular order)-

 Let's be honest, we all put off cleaning the oven and other difficult items but 'The Pink Stuff' makes it so much easier. I must admit I was a bit apprehensive when I first heard about this product but I can confirm it is as good as everyone says it is.

This Product is one of my most recent discoveries, I came across this product in Morrisons and thought 'heck, why not give it a go' and I was pleasantly surprised. It is a 'Antibacterial citrus spray' also you can spray this on 'food surfaces' meaning it is perfect for the kitchen! Plus it smells incredible, always a bonus right? Oh and it was only 77p...

Now this wouldn't be a cleaning post without some Zoflora featured at some point... Who doesn't love Zoflora. I usually pick up the 'Fresh Linen' scent but the other day whilst in B&M I came across this one and had to give it a go.
For those of you who may not know Zoflora is a concentrated Disinfected that I usually dilute with water and wipe down the kitchen sides once a day.

 Having Laminate throughout our whole home means that it becomes quite dirty and with Laminate you can't really mop it because it becomes wet and then starts to lift so I was so ecstatic when I found these wipes which are made especially for floors plus they are anti bacterial which is perfect when you have two doggies running on the floor too.

My partner does a very physical job meaning that very often he comes home from work with his clothes stained and dirty and of course once i've washed them I don't want to put Maci's baby clothes into a 'dirty' washing machine so I always use this product to give it a thurer clean, it works a treat!

This is definitely one of my favourite products on this post because it smells delightful! All you do is simply tip a 'lid full' of the powder into your toilet to help reduce limescale and of course make it smell lovely!

I hope this post has given you some ideas on how you keep your home clean and tidy easily... Let me know in the comments below if you purchase any of these products and how you find them.

Storm

My Top 5 Newborn/Baby Essentials (Gadgets!)

Hey,

If you're reading this it's most likely because you're due a little human soon (congratulations!) or you may just be curious what interesting things I consider my Top 5 Essentials to keep my little person alive and well.

 Everyone's opinions vary on what is considered 'essential items' and to be quite honest I am very much into my 'gadgets' so when I found out I was having a baby I definitely ventured into the world of newborn/baby ones.

(These aren't in order of importance as they're all equally important in my eyes!)

1: Tommee Tippee Perfect Prep Machine

 

When I was pregnant I had heard about these machines and I genuinely thought I wouldn't use it that often but oh my goodness, it makes your life so much easier. No need to boil kettles and wait for the water to cool down all you do is select the ounces you want on the dial on the top of the machine and then press the big button and like magic the water comes out at the perfect temperature for your baby. Let me tell you at 3am in the morning it is much safer to be using one of these machines rather than boiling the kettle... You have to change the filters every now and then (when the red light flashes) and that is the only downside to these machines (filters retail for around £10)

2: Tommee Tippee Steam Steriliser

 Another great gadget from Tommee Tippee... the steam steriliser! Before having a baby I wasn't even aware you had to sterilize items let alone do it two or three times a day. This machine makes that process so easy, all you have to do is wash out the used bottles (I use fairy liquid) and then pop them into the slots and put 80 ml of water into the bottom of the machine, close the lid and press the 'power' button. Then before you know it all the bottles/dummies/teething toys inside are sterilized and you don't have to worry about any germs. The machine usually takes around ten minutes to sterilize the items.

3: Sleepyhead Deluxe

 This is probably my favourite item on this post because I know how much Maci loves it too... This was another item that I thought we wouldn't use as much as we have. We really couldn't make do without this, Maci sleep in this at night in her cot because she feels safe in it because it is quite 'snug' around her little body whereas in her moses basket she wouldn't settle because she could move around and she didn't like that. 

These Sleepyheads are also perfect for travelling, recently myself and my partner travelled a few hours from home for a couple of nights to visit some family and we didn't need to cart around a massive moses basket all we needed to take was Maci's sleepyhead (we had a cot in the hotel room). Another thing that I love about this brand is that there are so many different designs for these items, I personally have never seen another one similar to Maci's and that I really like. 

The only downside to this product is that they are a luxury item, they retail for around £130 although I would consider it worth every penny and when Maci outgrows this one I will definitely be purchasing the Sleepyhead Grande.

4: Tommee Tippee Sangenic Tec Nappy Disposal Bin (Pink)

 I never thought I would see the day when I end up blogging about Nappy Bins but here we go! 

This item was one of the first 'baby products' I brought whilst I was pregnant and quite honestly I brought it because I was curious as to what it actually was, I didn't realise how crucial it would become in our home. It is basically what it says on the box a 'Nappy Disposal Bin' and it means that you don't have to put any used nappies straight into your usual bin, you can pop them into here and it keeps the odour in and then once its full you then empty it into a bag and you don't have to worry about it. You have to purchase 'refill' bags for this bin so that when you place a nappy into the top of it and push it down (using the specific part in the lid, so no hands get mucky!) it automatically falls into the refill bags. 

The only downside to this item is that it gets full fairly quickly meaning I constantly feel like im emptying it although this wouldnt prevent me from purchasing it as it's a great item.

5: Silver Cross Pioneer Pram & Changing bag (counts as one, right?)

Choosing a Pram is a huge decision and I certainly did my research before I chose which one I wanted. I absolutely love my Silver Cross Pioneer and all the accessories that you can buy for it such as; pram umbrella, cup holder and a matching changing bag.

This Pram is very durable and easy to fold away to put it into the car. To remove the car seat from the chassis you simply press two buttons, can't get easier than that! It also has a massive basket underneath meaning it is the perfect Pram to take shopping!

The changing bag has many sections, it has four bottle holder sections (two on the outside and two inside the bag) which are insulated too. Inside the bag you have three big sections meaning you can organise it to suit you.

Personally I find Silver Cross products extremely hard wearing and durable, I highly recommend any of their prams.


I hope this post has helped some of you out and may of introduced you to some new products.

Let me know below!

Until next time,

Storm