CatBird Baby Slings

Just a quick one to say how much I am enjoying being able to carry my nearly 15 month old in a sling again. I was recently given a catbird baby sling (the pikkolo) by my sister-in-law, and it is brilliant! It is so comfortable, very easy to use (even single-handed) and has so many carrying options.
I had been looking for a new sling, as I wondered whether dog-walking might be a bit easier with one, and possibly going on the tube too, what with all the stairs at our local station. I made a trip to Born, in Bristol and tried a couple out, but my daughter was tired & hungry, so not the best time to try them. I was also aware that the toddler slings carry quite a price tag, compared to the one we had from birth, which was half price in boots. I thought that one which could carry her on the hip might be the best way forwards, as she is happy to be carried around.However, I have found that she is perfectly happy to be carried facing me, in the front carry position. Wish I had got one months ago!

Here is a link to their website.

Two little words...

GET. DOWN.

....geeeeetdowngetdowngetdooooown....

Hmmm, quite recently my daughter has picked up these two little words from somewhere, and now uses them nearly all day everyday. She only has one volume for then too, and that is loud & angry, even when she isn't that cross. It must be frustrating to have found such new freedom on your feet, and yet still have to be carried or strapped into highchairs, car seats and pushchairs. It doesn't half make you feel like other people think you must be torturing your child when they do it in public. I know she is partly saying it because it is something she knows, and partly because she doesn't want to sit still, but it sure feels like rejection when she says it if you pick her up. She said it non-stop for an hours dog walk at Crystal Palace Park today & I felt terrible. The ground was too muddy for her to walk on in her soft cruising shoes, and we wouldn't have given the dog enough exercise had we gone at her non-existent pace. I guess this is a changing point where we need to get used to her walking for herself. Shame it is so wet out, seems like we have moved to a very swampy part of the world here. Time to learn to walk in wellies?
I think I used to have quite low blood pressure...

New Year - new fruit!

Well, I am pleased to say that we have finally found another fruit that my daughter will eat (that doesn't give her nappy rash: Pineapple j'accuse). She has always eaten a bit of banana, but for a child who would be perfectly happy to eat cheese, cheese and only cheese I was getting a bit worried about her fruit & veg intake. My husband suggested we try pre-prepared packs of melon, as this would be a small enough portion to cover a couple of days, and that was going quite well, with a few pieces of melon consumed each day.
And then, I bought some melon with grapes...

Grapes!
Hurray for grapes! (seems so obvious now)

She can even say grape!
We have also expanded to fresh raspberries, the occasional strawberry (and, if she isn't looking, a blueberry).

Mai-maze (More Maisy)

Merry Christmas us...!

We have just discovered the Maisy Mouse website (or Mai-maze as my daughter now calls it), I noticed a URL on the back of a new Maisy book (Maisy's Christmas Day, see below), and had a look straight away. I have to say if you are a fan of Maisy it is a great site. For children there are 3 episodes of Maisy to watch, 3 books to read, games to play, a section about each character, and a picture of each one to print out and colour in. There is also a section for grown ups where you can join the Maisy club for birthday ideas & an e-card, and a section of information for teachers.
So, thank you very much Lucy Cousins, you have made our Christmas!

Top 5 baby books at 14 months

As my daughter reached for the same book she always does, I realised that as she is growing up she is starting too have firm favourites in the book department. She used to go through phases of liking different books week by week, we could tell by her ability to pay attention to the whole book or not, and so we used to cycle through them all quite regularly. I was using a coffee table as a sort of book table, where she could stand and go through her books, now though, I have them standing upright in between the arms of an armchair, as if it were a bookshelf (something we need I think). So here are her top 5 board books:

1) Sweet Dreams Maisy (I am only including 1 of the 5 Maisy books that she loves)
2) My Little Ducklings Tab Book
3) Moomin's Little Book Of Numbers
4) Happy Dog Sad Dog
5) Clap Your Hands

A special mention also goes to:
The Very Hungry Caterpillar [Board Book]
and any That's Not My.... Osbourne books:
That's Not My Monkey

Here is an Amazon link to each book, and a little bit about why it features in her top 5:

1) Sweet Dreams Maisy: this was given to us by the HV at our 8 month check, in a Bookstart bag. I think that my daughter likes it so much because it includes her favourite words (star, sky, up) and in it Maisy sings "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" to her panda, which means the lucky reader also gets to sing. I was impressed that she seems to be able to follow the story, and it has a nice balance of words to pictures, not too simple, not too complex. If I leave a gap at certain words my daughter makes a sound approaching the sound of the word, which is very sweet indeed.


2) My Mum bought my daughter this book from Birdworld where we went for her 1st birthday. I personally get a bit fed up reading it, because she doesn't like to read the story (which includes some poor rhyming) and would rather turns the pages backwards and forwards pointing at fish. Still, each to their own, and she LOVES it.


3) We bought this on a recent trip to the Tate Modern. I wasn't sure whether my daughter would like Moomins, not knowing what/who they are, but she has taken to this book very well, and can name each of the items that the Moomins are counting. I like this book because the items being counted are spread over 2 pages, but mixed together not one per side, if that makes sense? It is the first time I have seen this in a counting book, and I think it makes it more interesting. For example, there are a couple of Moomins with 3 umbrellas between them, being rained on by 4 clouds.


4) A very simple book, showing opposites. It has bright backgrounds, and simple drawings. I like the little touches such as the flies buzzing around the dirty dog, and the sad ears on the sad dog. My daughter really likes counting all of the dogs on the back page showing each of the dogs from the previous pages "lots of dogs". We have to read this book several times a day, I think it has helped her understanding of hot and cold, and she can also now say "hair" with an understanding of what it is, thanks to hairy dog.


5) When I first looked in this book I though "what a swizz". It is basically the song "if you're happy and you know it clap your hands" with teddy bears doing the actions (including actions I haven't heard before such as "touch your nose", "touch the sky" & "turn around") but, my daughter loves it. She calls it "happy happy" and she can do most of the actions, although turning around took a while to master. she even sings "I am" when you get to the last verse. So this has changed my opinion of the book, I just wish it wasn't so long!

The return of the runny nose

The runny nose has returned today, after one whole week off (two weeks on before that.. been on and off since she turned a year old, and I suppose it turned into winter..).

So the question of the day (in my house at least) is:

Is the new snot caused by:

a) a reaction to her immunisations (not mentioned as a symptom on NHS sheet)
b) teething (also has one bright pink cheek)
c) a new cold (that is what it was a week ago)

Answers on a postcard to: The Snot Fairy, 8 Tissue Lane, Bogeyton, AT2 Sh00
It makes me glad that she is such a little mimic, as she does blow through her nose when I hold a tissue to her face and blow through my nose. Although I do have to catch her first, as if she sees a tissue she runs away..

We did manage a nice long dog walk at Wimbledon Common today, which looked very pretty in the snow.

The Windmill on Wimbledon Common

Dog walking with a baby

We have a six and a half year old Dalmatian called Jack, who we have had since he was a puppy. He needs a substantial walk each day, and so I have been trying to find the ideal walk in South West London for a big bouncy dog (with a naughty streak when it comes to discarded food) and a baby in a pram. I have considered a baby carrier on and off, but have yet to find the right one, that I could easily use on my own and that my daughter would be happy in.

The equipment:
Bugaboo Gecko in red (bargain from ebay - an old model, the Maclaren doesn't cope too well with rough ground such as grass)
Hunter Unisex-Adult Hunter Original Tall Wellington Boot in blue
Dog Poop Bags Degradable x 250 in black.

The contenders: Tooting Bec Common, Wimbledon Common, Streatham Common & Norwood Grove.


Tooting Bec Common

There are two busy roads that run through this common, and a main road the runs around the edge. For this reason Tooting Bec is the least ideal place to walk my dog. He would happily run across a road if he thought that there was even a small crumb of food on the other side. He is an idiot. It does however offer many flat paths for the pram, and a cafe with outdoor seating that is often full of dog walkers, and people with young children.

Wimbledon Common

In the search for a common with less roads we went out to Wimbledon. This is a great walking place for all of us, the only disadvantage is the distance from our house, and the number of picnics in the summer holidays. There is a car park by the Windmill, on Windmill Road, where you can pretty much open the boot and let the dog straight out into a field. Even if I go here every day of the week I can choose a different route to walk, which helps to keep the dog interested. Some days we visit the lake and look at the ducks, on freezing days we head straight up a long path and back again. They don't have many dog poo bins here, which is a shame, and I am often pushing the pram through poo...


Streatham Common & Norwood Grove

This is much nearer to us, and if you continue from Streatham Common into Norwood Grove gives a good walking area which is fenced in, hurrah! It is very muddy up there at the slightest drop of rain, which can make it hard going with the pram, but you do get excellent views. The car park now shuts at 3.30pm though, which is not so useful..