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So….about these toddler tantrums

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I love my daughter. I really do, she’s ever so sweet and well mannered. Cute, caring and generally a lovely child to be around. However I’m not one to hide any issues or live in denial and well the truth is the girl can STROP. When she does its as if my little angel disappears for a minute and out comes this monster. It really is normally for a maximum of about 2-3 minutes but boy are those 180 seconds the longest seconds ever. It will normally happen when she’s tired and she will always always check we are looking before she has a tantrums so I know it’s for attention. It’s never screaming or kicking or really even lashing out but it’s there. The throwing herself to the floor, the Nooo…noooo..nooo or just saying pleaseeeee over and over. Worse is the sobbing. Last week we went to a soft play where Izzy has a bit of a love affair with a yellow and red car. In her head you can clearly see she believes it is her car. When she sees it she lights up such is her affection for this piece of plastic. If another child is in it she happily plays with something else but when she gets in there woah do not try to get her to let another child have a turn. I always force it. I will not have a child who won’t share – but on our last visit we had actual sobbing and hugging me as if the world had turned against her.

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Aarrrghhhh this is not a fun development. I know it’s because she is becoming more understanding of her world while at the same time frustrated that she can’t communicate everything she wants to but I want it to end and she’s not even 2 yet. Help.

What are your tips for dealing with these outbursts? How do I help her cope with her emotions? Best ways to encourage sharing?

I feel like I’ve been spoilt in a way by having such a well behaved child and she still is but that almost makes these mood swings harder to deal with. The last month seems to have brought so many changes in our girl – the majority of which are awesome.. we can actually converse now don’t ya know? I’ll be writing about all those changes this week but for now your tips please.

Babies on board at Camp Bestival

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When you think of music festivals ..do you think: LOUD NOISES, dirty toilets and drunken teenagers falling over your tents guy ropes? This could be correct in some cases and is the reason why some festivals are not really my thing. Camp Bestival is not one of those festivals.

At least once a week on Twitter someone will ask me if Camp Bestival is suitable for babies/toddlers/children? I always answer with a resounding YES. CB is all about the family. Yes if you go right next to the stage when Dub Pistols jump on there will be loud noises but there are a hundred places you can go which are a lot quieter and calmer right at the same time. I used a lot of toilets during the 5 days we were there last year in all the different fields from the posh ones in the Camping Plus field to the busy ones next to the main stage and I honestly didn’t come across a dirty one – some can get a little *fragrant* but they are toilets and it really wasn’t an issue. There are even special children’s toilets and they are always well supplied with toilet paper and anti bac gel. There aren’t many drunken teenagers.. I didn’t see any – there is the occasional tipsy mum and dad though 😉

Baby on board

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If you are taking a baby – like I did last year then you will find baby changing facilities as well as a baby chill out tent where you can relax and feed your child in peace. Last year there were lots of free Bepanthen goodies which was nice. There are babies and toddlers everywhere – it will make you broody even if you have your own children with you. I had serious pram/stroller envy as there are so many cool ones on display.If that wasn’t enough most people have carts/trolleys which are covered with fancy paint jobs and fairy lights…and it really is adorable seeing all the little ones snuggly asleep while the parents munch on burritos and sip Pimms watching their favourite bands.

Tips for festivalling (made that up) with a baby/toddler:

* Clothes and bedding for all seasons – last year we had incredible weather.. It was gorgeously sunny everyday and my main concern during the day was keeping a hat/bandana on my daughters head and topping up the sun cream but at night well it does get chilly quickly and we had a padded sleepsuit for her as well as a Grobag and snuggly blankets for when she was in her pram. This year we are going to be using a Readybed and probably a fleecy sleepsuit too.

*Food – you will be able to buy all sorts of food at Camp Bestival and some of it really is superb but it can get expensive so packing snacks/pouches for young ones is a really good idea. Be sure to take a camping kettle if you are making up feeds or needing to warm food. Last year we cooked some really lovely meals on a tiny camping stove and I’m sure food just tastes better when you are camping.

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* Toys/books – you may find your child will wake earlier when camping due to the sunshine pouring in, the general hustle and bustle outside or just being in a strange place – it’s worth taking some small toys/games to occupy them while you continue to doze or make breakfast. We actually only had one night of slightly disturbed sleep the first night and then it was all fine – miraculous!

Don’t forget comforters, favourite blankets/teddies or dummies if you use them.

* Ear defenders – if you plan on going to watch the live music and want to protect those teeny ears don’t forget these. I think we paid approx £11 for ours. ( Edz kids from amazon)

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*Sling or baby carrier – we used carriers and a hippy chick last year and they were great.

* Nappies/wet wipes – take more than you would normally use as it would be just typical for them to get an upset belly wouldn’t it?

* Calpol/teething gels etc – hopefully you won’t need this but if you do get one of THOSE nights you will be so glad you brought these.

* Trolleys/carts – you can buy/make these beforehand or hire them at CB. We only hired one for the journeys to and from the car on the first and last day. The price was very reasonable and made things so much easier. If your child is out of the pram/stroller but still likely to get tired little legs in the evening I think it’s definitely worth hiring one for the whole festival.

* Suncream/rain covers/broliies – be prepared!

I will probably think of lots more tips so this post may be ever changing 😉

I know that many of you will still be worried at the thought of taking a young baby away but I really can’t encourage you enough to go – as a family we have said it was one of the best holidays we have ever been on and we do travel quite a lot! There aren’t many places when one day could include: Kool and the Gang, Rizzle Kicks, Mr Tumble and Dick n Dom alongside incredible food.. fabulous festival activities like the wall of death and bedtimes stories from Howard Marks. Each day is an amazing experience and you just will not be able to fit it all in.

Some lovely photos here of fellow Camp Bestival friends enjoying baby time :

So jealous of Abi and Bo in this pic!

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For those of you trying to decide I hope this pushes you in the correct direction and those of you already coming please say hello if you see us. We love making CB friends.

Read about last years CB here

Ticket Info here

I will leave you with two of my favourite photos from last years festival:

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Please ask any questions you can think of and I will try my very best to answer.

* We have been given press tickets to this years CB – thank you 😀

Sunshine makes it all better

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Forgive me for being typically British and discussing the weather but how lucky have we been in the past few weeks? The sun has certainly got his hat on and while we can never guarantee in the UK that it is here to stay or even plan BBQ’s more than a few days ahead – it’s been wonderful.

The sun has made my generally pretty happy child beam with pleasure, giggle with glee and just enjoy being outdoors a lot more which can only ever be a good thing.

We have spent the last fortnight mostly in the garden, me resting and Izzy running around like a crazy child. Picking herbs..holding them up to her nose and saying mmmm nice… Running in and out of her new playhouse ( passed on from my sister) opening and closing windows.. Splashing in her water pit and just having lots and lots of fun.

The list of benefits to the sun is pretty long but in my mind the main ones are:

VITAMIN D! So important and the sun is natural source for us.

AND even more importantly 😉 children get a lot more tired when they play outside. We have had better naps, better nighttime sleep and a fabulous appetite.

Just wanted to a share a few photos of our early summer days:

SPLASH:

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STACKING:

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DRAMA QUEEN:

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COOL:

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AL FRESCO DINING:

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FIRST FLIP FLOPS:

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RESULT:

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You make me smile

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You are just 19 months old but sometimes you seem so wise. Like when you put your hand on your chin and say “Hmmmmm”

Every morning when you see my bare belly you point and say “Baby..hiyaaaaaaa” this is normally followed by an air kiss and a big mwah sound. You will be a fabulous big sister.

I can’t believe how much you have changed in the past month. You shock me daily with your new words and your fumbling sentences.

My favourite today: “Maaaaaaam…what you doing?”

You say gone or goned a million times a day. When I pull my top down over my stomach you say “Baby gone” when one of us leaves the room you say “Mammy/daddy goned me” tonight I asked you where daddy was and you said “gone work” – you are so clever.

If you drop a toy or some food you say “Oh no no no” in the saddest voice.

You are so good when we go out and you will eat nearly every piece of food we put in front of you but you are mischievous and stubborn in the cutest of ways. You know when you are doing something naughty and you look at me and say No even before I do – unfortunately this doesn’t mean you stop doing it. I can see your determination already and I can only imagine some of the tantrums that could be in store for us but I love your spirit.

Sleep is still pretty good for us. You still nap for around 90mins – 2 hours at midday and you sleep most nights from 7pm-8am. Most nights you ask to go to bed just before 7.. You don’t stop during the day so you must get awfully tired – just before bed we have baby cuddles where you lie in our arms like a baby. You are a big fan of this. You love your morning play in your cot with your special upstairs toys and it means occasionally we have a nice lie in. Thanks for that 😉

On days when I feel pregnant walking through lead tired and sick of feeling sick you seem to sense it and come over for cuddles and kisses much more than normal – my special girl.

You are so happy when you see us each morning and I hope that never changes.

You love your grandparents and your aunts/uncles and cousins. You are surrounded by love and you revel in it. You know when we get closer to Grandma or Nanas house and you tell us – this is new and amazed us.

You are a big dog lover and I can see us having to indulge this and buy you one when you are older. It also makes me a little wary as you always want to cuddle them.

You have nearly all your teeth and they look so darn cute.

You still love In the Night Garden and Mr Tumble who I imagine you will be so excited to see at Camp Bestival ..you love music and dancing..especially when we say freeze and you hold your pose just like they do on Show me Show me. You like the TV but we limit it and you love to play much more.

Daddy takes you out on his bike and he’s teaching you to skate..most days you are a real Daddy’s girl but I can live with that.. I know you love your mammy.

If Dad leaves to go to work within 5 minutes you will come to me and cuddle for the longest time as if you don’t want me to leave too.

You can now say Clock more or less correctly. It occasionally sounds a bit different. This is amusing.

I can’t wait for the baby to arrive and complete our family but I am loving this time too. With just you being you. I’m glad we have had this time.

I only wrote an update about you a month or so ago and this may never interest anyone else but me and you but this is for YOU. One day I will let you read this so you will know that every day you make me smile, make my heart burst with love and make us both so very proud to be your parents.

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Mr Tumble is Funnyyyyyyy

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Izzy is 18 months old. I know. Shocking. The time really has flown and each day I see more and more of the person my baby toddler is becoming. Each day provides me with both the opportunity to tear my hair out and cry with laughter at different things she does or the funny gobbledygook language she can spout along with her quite remarkable collection of funny faces. It’s a special time and although I miss my baby – I adore my little girl.

I last blogged about Izzy and what she does/doesn’t do about 4 months ago which you can read here and so much has changed.

Sleep

This is the big one, the topic every parent dreads but at the same time can’t wait to discuss. The question: Does he/she sleep though the night? The answer : thankfully still improving! We now get approximately 12-13 hours straight through each night ( well maybe 6 out of 7 nights) with the occasional 6am wake up for milk. It feels marvellous to have our evenings back although most of its is spent washing, cleaning, cooking or organising but it just improves day to day life when you get a full nights rest. I know things can change and its taken us a LONG time to get here.

Fellow mum/dad tweeters are often asking for sleep tips/bedtime routines and I rarely offer advice as after all it took us so long to get to a good place that I’m no expert but then you know what maybe I am – after all it took a long time – yes but we got there. We figured out ( finally) what worked and put it into practise so I won’t offer advice as such but I will tell you what we do.

Bedtime:

About 6pm Izzy has her supper ( unsweetened porridge or toast) and brushes her teeth, then we watch In the Night Garden while she cuddles her snuggly ( a pink fleecy square of blanket with teddy attached which she has had since birth) she is also allowed her dummy. She is only allowed her dummy to sleep ( has been this way since 6 months old) so she knows its time for bed. We then cuddle or read and normally these days she will go to stand by the door ready to go up to bed as she is so tired. I take her milk up with me then we have a quick cuddle before we put her in the cot and she takes her milk. I close the door and leave her to it. She normally drinks her milk them drops off to sleep. Occasionally she will stir after 10 mins as she wants her dummy but mostly from that point she will sleep till morning.

I think having a routine is a great idea although we aren’t rigid as we like to go away and need Izzy to be flexible. Having sleep cues such as her snuggly which she doesn’t play with during the day make her realise its bedtime and normally she is more than ready for her bed by 7pm. Lately she has started standing by the door to the stairs waiting for us to take her up and last night she very adorably pointed at the door and said all in one go “Gotobed” yes she said a 3 word sentence. First one ever and probably a fluke but ahhh so sweet.

Food

Izzy still has a great appetite. She will eat all day long if you let her and is very open to trying new things – I hope I have a miniature foodie.

An average day looks like this:

Breakfast : Fresh fruit or a fruit pot along with toast ( sometimes with peanut butter – which she loves ) and water ( we still don’t give juice as she loves water )

Mid morning : an Organix or Plum biscuit or some cheese or similar snacks

After nap lunch : this varies a lot but could be a mini chicken roast dinner, ravioli, gnocchi, lasagne or occasionally a buffet of crudités, meats and cheese – this is something she loves and if you add a little houmous she’s in heaven. Normally followed by a yoghurt and water.

Mid afternoon- fruit or a biscuit or carrot/peppers

Tea time: again this varies but scrambled eggs, frittata and cheese on toast go down well as she’s already had her main meal.

Just before bed:

Porridge – we use ready oats from Asda. They are cheap and she eats them plain mixed with full fat milk. Occasionally I add some cinnamon but she’s quite happy eating it plain.

Food she loves:

Any raw fresh veg
Fruit
Organix ginger biscuits
Homemade bread
Eggs
Peanut butter
A roast dinner with gravy
Gnocchi
Mummy’s comforting chicken casserole

Food she hates:

I am really struggling to think of anything although occasionally the texture of meat annoys her and she did not enjoy tinned macaroni cheese last week but I tasted it too and I don’t blame her.

Toys

At the moment Izzy loves throwing her ball about. On a recent breaks she loved the footballs in the play area so we bought her a 99p light plastic ball in Tesco and she just loves playing that with me and her Dad. She loves a felt In the Night Garden set that my mum found in a charity shop last year and will play with it for agessss. She is fascinated with blocks and stacking cups and is getting good at making higher towers – she also delights in pushing them over so they come crashing down around her. She can solo play really well but also loves interaction with us and her cousins. Books are still firm favourites which definitely pleases me as I’m such a bookworm. Right now we are enjoying Dr Seuss Oh the Places we’ll go and The Tombliboos waving game.

TV

I’m prepared for some of you to judge me when I tell you my daughter adores the telly. We don’t let her watch it all day long but on days when I have been ill or she has been then Cbeebies has certainly helped. Her favourite programmes don’t change much, In the Night Garden is still our nightly viewing and helps to get her sleepy. She loves Get Well Soon.. Especially Dr Ranj but right now the biggest smiles are for the main man Justin. If you have a child then you know Justin. If you don’t have a child then you probably know Justin. The man is everywhere. Justin’s house, Gigglebiz ( my fave ) and Something Special (Izzy’s fave). Her face lights up when she sees him. I don’t actually care if you judge me on this as Mr Tumble is a star, a teacher and well just generally pretty awesome. Just from watching SS Izzy has learnt some Makaton,she learnt the sentence “Over there” and can use it accurately so it’s clear she understands what it means. My heart melts a little when I ask her where is Daddy and she will point to him and say “over there” ahhhhhhhhh. She will also finish my sentence when I say Mr Tumble is…Funny! Or Mr Tumble makes Izzy…laugh.
If we let her she would watch it for hours. But we don’t. She gets some tv time, then play time, food time and book time. We don’t let her demand it although she occasionally points to it when it’s off but we ignore that and she doesn’t whine.

Talking

I try not to worry about how much Izzy can say, some days she says very little and other day she doesn’t shut up. Perhaps she has the perfect mix of her parents 😉 favourite words are Yes, Mam, Dad, Ta, Nana, Gone,Hiya, Upsy Daisy and occasionally No! Ha she also loves to make a big ahh noise when hugging or kissing and will also tap your back during a cuddle which is mega cute. She gets confused with hi and bye and still gets baffled by voices on the phone. On days when she is quieter she will always shock us by saying a two word sentence such as Gone Sam ( talking about her cousin leaving the room ) or last night we had Go to Bed. I think when she masters some more words we are going to have a funny little girl.

The other stuff

She wears mostly 18-24m clothes but lots of 2-3 too. She has hardly any baby fat left but she is so tall-Daddy’s girl.

She loves to give kissed through the gate to the kitchen or join in if me and her dad are having a cuddle – we call it the Izzy sandwich and she finds it hilarious.

She adores both sets of grandparents and is so sociable and confident I wonder where she came from.

After walking for over 9 months she can now run pretty fast which is fun. Not.

She can be a stubborn little minx and loves to run away with her hands tucked behind her with whatever object she has stolen hidden behind her.

She can now open doors and climb EVERYWHERE!

When I come home from work she is always waiting by the window with her Dad – her face lights up and I get lots of window kisses:

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I still can’t believe she went from this:

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To this:

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To this:

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I can’t imagine my life without her. My wonderful girl.

Closer than close

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Baby wearing seems to be getting increasingly popular these days and I can finally understand why.

I’ve always been a fan of slings/carriers. In fact Izzy was just a few days old when we first used our babasling which was a lovely gift from a family member. We used it lots in the first few months even for breastfeeding and still use it occasionally at home when she’s a bit ratty but she’s just too big for prolonged periods in it.

Babasling – lovely and snug perfect for newborns and little babies, great for feeding

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As she got older, heavier and longer I used a Chicco carrier which I didn’t love but it did the job when needed and at festivals last summer I used a Hippy Chick ( a type of seat for your hip). To be honest I thought she was by this age (14 months) and weighing 25lbs a bit too big for a normal carrier but I am very happy to admit I as wrong.

Chicco carrier – does the job but Izzy didn’t seem as comfortable and it hurt me after a while!

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A lovely twitter friend of mine (@midwifetomum) is a big babywearing fan and quite some time ago mentioned going to a local sling library which I thought was a great idea and them promptly forgot about it. Quite some time later as we were planning this holiday I thought that it may be a good idea to see if we had a local library that had suitable carriers for this age. Yay I’m so glad I did that google search as we had one locally ( approx 15 min drive) and I managed to loan a mei tai carrier which was just £5 for two weeks (£50 deposit).

We are 3 days into our holiday and already it’s been a lifesaver. For the airport it was so convenient. She slept in it on the plane all cwtched (welsh word) up to her mammy and we have taken long walks, strolls on the beach and she loves it. I get so many kisses and cuddles that I think I’m going to really miss it when we have to give it back. The eBay hunt will commence soon I think.

For anyone who thinks babywearing is just for little babas or hippies. You are wrong.

I’ve always been a fan but now I’m a convert.

Mei tai – great for older babies/toddlers and easy to use.

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How much,how often and what?

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The last few weeks I have eavesdropped on a few twitter/playgroup conversations about what people are feeding their babies/toddlers. There seems to be a major feeling of guilt amongst a lot of us parents over just what we feed our children. It’s a bit of a battle for me. I constantly wonder if she’s hungry or if I’m feeding her too little or not enough or just not the right food. I definitely think more advice on this is needed. I don’t mean recipe books although they are great I mean how do we know just what to do? I know when I am hungry and I know what I like to eat but with Izzy it’s a whole new big scary world for me (and for her of course)

Izzy with sweet potato chips when she was unwell

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I decided to keep a diary of what she eats. I then promptly forgot. I blame the old baby brain if I’m allowed I still blame that now that she is 14 months. So I didn’t keep a diary but this is more or less a typical day:

Between 6-7am : 6oz of milk – she’s not yet on cows milk which is something I kick myself daily about. Hoping this changes soon?

Between 8-9.30am : a fruit pot/piece of fruit and a slice of toast (sometimes with peanut butter which she loves..marmite not so much) as a special treat she occasionally has a croissant.

Mid morning: some snacks perhaps including raisins, cubed cheese, toddler crisps/biscuits or similar

Lunch 12-2pm : this differs more than most meals depending on where we are, if we are out and about I will mostly take a pouch but at home she loves pasta dishes, a mini chicken dinner, spag Bol or cottage pie. A lot of the times it’s what we (me and OH) eat the night before and I save her a serving. She normally has a little biscuit or bit of fruit afterwards. It used to be yogurts but they don’t seem to agree with her anymore.

Around this time she will also have a 4oz bottle and some snacks of carrot sticks etc in the afternoon

Tea 4-5pm: on most days this will be something like scrambled eggs/omelette with some baked beans. She also like carrot and potato waffles from asda or perhaps some fish or chicken. I do find that when she has more protein in this meal she sleeps better.

Scrambled eggs with tomatoes and spinach

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Supper 6.30-7pm : porridge every night. She loves her nightly porridge and its a big part of her bedtime routine as she has it watching in the night garden and getting sleepy.

Bedtime 7.30pm : 6oz of milk which she feeds herself in bed then puts herself to sleep. This is a new but miraculous development and we normally go in her room a little later and put the bottle away.

That’s just a standard day for us. What do you do? Is it rude to ask for your daily diary? I’d love to compare.

What foods do your children enjoy? I seem to have (at the moment) an adventurous eater and she will eat pretty much everything we try. Gnocchi and polenta are just two new dishes to add to her favourites list. She also has a very cute new habit of pointing at food that she likes and saying mmmmm unfortunately this means that my dad who is a sucker for a cute baba always wants to give her cake! I figure I am pretty strict with her sugar intake normally so I let him spoil her occasionally.

I hope to hear from you all soon!

Gnocchi and sweet potato bake- a herby one for Izzy and a spicy one for us

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