Competition Closing Alert – Set of Samsonite Children’s Travel Bags from Funky Moose
Our competition to give away a matching set of Samsonite Sammies children’s bags from Funky Moose closes tomorrow. The winner can choose a Frisky Duffle Bag and a matching Winky Backpack in a choice of three gorgeous designs; ladybird, bumble bee or crocodile.
Click here for further details and entry form.
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Spotted! My Hospital Bag – fab ready-packed labour bags.
A pre-packed labour bag?
My first instinct was to roll my eyes and sigh at the silliness.
But then I looked.
And found myself in the unheard of position of admitting I was wrong.
I actually really love this idea.
One of the really common frets of a first time mum is “what do I need to take in my bag for the birth?”.
And running my oh-so-experienced (well, I’ve done it four times) eye over the packed list of ‘ingredients’ in these bags?
I’d say there’s little I’d want to add. They’re well thought out, have good quality items, and pretty much cover all the bases.
At £85 it doesn’t sound cheap, but once you tot up everything you’d buy yourself to go inside, I don’t think it’s a lot at all. And that’s a large amount checked off your pre-birth To Do List in one easy purchasing click.
My one criticism?
Snip those horrible bows off the side of what was a very nice holdall!
The bags are available in a variety of colours (and there’s a twins version too), and are available direct from My Hospital Bag
Read MoreSpotted! Gumigem Teething Bubba Bangles.
Gumigem Bubba Bangle - The Chameleon - £8.50
Teething babies and jewelery don’t usually go together – unless it’s Gumigem jewellery!
Gumigem Bubba Bangles are fantastic teethers and look gorgeous too. Say you’re out, having coffee with a friend and little one gets a little restless, remove your bangle, hand it to baby and badda bing…. Happy chomping baby!
Available in two fab shapes and many different colours, Gumigem Teething Bangles are suitable to hand to your baby from birth.
Gumigem Bermuda Bangle in Kiwi - £8.50
Spotted! Perfect Car rug.
One of the things I’ve learned as a parent is that a blanket of one’s own is invaluable.
You drag them downstairs with you on a chilly morning, you use them in bed for a little extra snuggability, you curl under them in the corner of your room when you read (or are in trouble…), you lay on top of them when you’re sorting out your soldiers, you take them in the car for sleep-comfort on long journeys, you take them when you visit anywhere overnight for a little feel of home…
Invaluable.
And this rather lovely one from John Lewis is great – soft, big enough, and not too babyish to still be in use when they’re 9.
We love it.
The Here, There and Everywhere Cars Throw is £20 from John Lewis.
Read MoreCompetition Closing Alert – Meenymineymo Personalised Children’s T-Shirts to Win!
Our competition to give away five fantastic personalised organic t-shirts from the wonderful Meenymineymo closes tomorrow.
Click here for further details and entry form.
Read MoreThe MOST perfect child’s lamp – The Bunny Rabbit
Oh how I love this lamp!
And oh how my daughter loves this lamp too!
What a darling little rabbit he is – though at nearly a foot tall he’s not really in the ‘little’ rabbit class.
(and yes, he is a ‘he’. Wully, actually, is how he’s known around here. Just in case you were wondering)
Just a gorgeous gorgeous lamp.
Bright enough to read by, and yet dim enough to not make you yelp with eye-burny-pain if you turn him on during a 2a.m. emergency. And perfectly safe to leave him on all night as a night light for those small people who are afeared of the dark.
Really – what more do you want in a child’s bedroom lamp?
The fabulous Heico Rabbit Lamp can be found at Petit Home for just £35. I can’t imagine your home is complete without one, to be honest.
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Spotted! Charlie & Lola Writing Set
You can’t beat a nice set of writing paper, can you?
I know we don’t write many letters these days, tapping out our instant missives on a keyboard instead.
But who doesn’t LOVE to receive a hand-penned note?
And how much more likely are the small people to get into the habit if they have fabulous paper to write on?
My girl saw this and instantly oooh-ed in longing, instantly visualising the notes she would write to Sophie, Keira and the real-life Lola on it.
And at that price, I’m thinking that’s a bargain.
Charlie & Lola writing paper set is just a note over £5.oo on Paperfly.
Read MoreSpotted! Union Jack Soft Leather Slippers
Union Jack Soft Leather Shoes from Starchild - sizes 0-5yrs available - £17.00
With the Jubilee weekend around the corner and the Olympics in London this Summer what self-respecting kid wouldn’t want a pair of these, eh?
Free delivery in the UK too!
Pink Union Jack Soft Leather Shoes from Starchild - available in sizes 0-5years - £17.00
And you know what? They have them in grown-up sizes too…..
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New Competition – Hatley Pyjamas from Bubbahubb to Win!
Hatley children’s clothing have some of the nicest designs you can find. The fabulous Bubbahubb children’s clothing and gifts website are a fabulous source for all things Hatley (and more!) and they are letting us give away three pairs of Hatley pyjamas, one to each of three lucky winners in this competition.
Click here for further detail and entry form.
Read MoreCompetition Now Closed – Keycamp Seven Night Family Holiday to Win!
Our competition to give away a seven night self-catering holiday at one of Keycamp’s fantastic European Mini Fun Station parcs closes tomorrow.
Specially selected with little ones in mind, Keycamp’s 21 Mini Fun Station parcs offer toddler friendly accommodation equipped with cots, safety gates, plug socket covers, changing mats and loads more. There’s even free toddler clubs, including free swimming and cycling lessons.
50 Books Every Child Should Read
**we first posted this last May, but I’ve just come across it, exclaimed aloud a lot and resolved to post it again…*
This is a very clipped part of the article, reproduced with kind permission from Richard Davies of AbeBooks – you can see the original article here.
“Reading should be an essential part of any childhood. Teachers and schools can teach you many useful things (although I’ve not used calculus in my adult life) but a steady diet of literature can ensure a young person’s education never ends.
Below are 50 books that I and a few other colleagues recommend for a typical 11-year-old – some can be read at a much younger age while others are verging on the young adult genre. Some of these books I have revisited as an adult while reading to my eldest. Some are ageless classics and others are hyper modern. Some are sets or series so you are actually receiving more than 50 recommendations.
Many people, let alone an 11-year-old, would be hard-pushed to read all these books in 12 months. Mr Gove’s heading in the right direction – let’s just get young people reading.”
I showed it to Katy, and we spent literally 20 minutes Oooh!-ing, Yes!-ing, Oh-D’you-Remember?-ing, and long pauses whilst we drooled over the list. We both came to the same conclusion – we fully intend to work our way right through it.
Although the list says for 11yr olds, most of these I’ll be reading to my 8 & 9yr old too. Because they love to be read to at bedtime. And now I’M about to start choosing the books – because I know that no matter how much they dismiss the cover, one chapter in to some of these and they’ll be utterly hooked. Just like I was 30 years ago.
I’m also very tired of my children’s sad penchant for dismissing books in old used covers, wanting shiny new reprints even of old classics – this time they’ll be getting 2nd hand much-loved battered varieties to read from.
50 Books Every Child Should Read
(We are finalists in the ‘Small Business Blog’ category of the 2011 MAD awards. This is hugely exciting for us, and means veryeversomuch a LOT. If you would like to help us win, you can see how here.)
Read MoreSpotted! The Most Beautiful Giant Floor Cushion
Just. Want. This.
Isn’t it beautiful?
And yes I know it’s £150, but this is a cushion that will last your child a lifetime – sit on it as a child, and also use it for their own child to learn to sit on.
Perfect for the book corner of a child’s bedroom, but equally at home in your own sitting room.
Like I said. I just *want* one.
We Spotted it on Etsy in the fabulous Big Bird’s Boutique. (please note each one is made to order, so there’s some weeks delay before you can get your hands on your own one!)
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