The Maxi Cosi Iora Review

Advertorial

One of the hardest parts of having a newborn is the sleep deprivation.  It doesn't matter whether it is your first or fifth baby, it is exhausting.  I spent a week living on adrenaline with Rex, able to wake up every hour of the night and still feel human in the morning. Around day 7, things started to change though and the reality was a lot more tiring! 

 

One thing that I find really helpful in combatting just a tiny amount of that tiredness, is having Rex close enough to reach without me having to move at all.  We chose an Iora co-sleeper crib from Maxi Cosi after seeing the options in person for several reasons.  It seemed a great size for a baby expected to be big, had a huge basket underneath and I loved how the design looked. 

I didn't end up actually putting it together until the day he was born but thankfully it was really easy to assemble.  The crib has five different heights so it can go alongside beds of varying heights and has long straps to attach it to different types of bed frame.  You have the option to use it as a free standing crib with solid sides, or to have one side down so baby is right next to you.  The box also includes a bag for if you want to travel with the crib but this is something we haven't tried.  It is easy to fold though and I am sure it will accompany us on an overnight trip in the future!

With a breastfed baby that wakes frequently in the night, the convenience of not having to stand up at night is fantastic. I can reach out and touch him to reassure him or help him put his dummy back in if he wants it without having to move.  When he needs a feed, I can sit up and reach over to pick him up without having to get out of bed and it is easy to put him back down.  I feel happy being close enough that I can hear his breathing and react to his cues and I hope he will fit in the crib until it isn't safe any longer (usually around 9 months) as it is a generous size.

The Iora has a large basket underneath which I use to store nappies and wipes for night time changes and a few small toys so that we can play in the morning without having to get out of bed.  I also have spare muslin cloths and blankets under there and there is plenty of space for more.  I love how the colour of the crib goes well with our bedroom.  It is also available in a lighter grey and a beautiful dark blue so you can plan to your interiors.  The mattress is described as ' the most comfortable mattress your baby could ever dream of' amd it does seems to be very comfortable as Rex is happy sleeping in there every night 

I am so pleased that we chose the Maxi Cosi Iora as Rex's crib as it fits all our needs and looks snuggly and comfy for his night time sleeping.   Whilst this one was sent to us so that I could share our opinion, it was our first choice and all the love for it is genuine in every way!

Read more ⇨

A Mermaid Themed Bedroom

I have been so excited about the prospect of decorating a bedroom for Cora and I decided that a mermaid theme fitted her personality and style as well as been fun to shop for! Cora loves the water and the beach and she pushes away in the pool, wanting to swim off by herself (although lacking the skills to actually do this).  The room ended up being very girly and coastal with a few mermaid accessories but I love the coastal vibes, the coral and gold and the little touches of turquoise sea.

Valspar provided us with some paint in their 'nursery colour of the year', Rabbit's Foot and I love the colour.  It works perfect as a base for this coastal room and it is so unisex on its own and I think by changing a few accessories we could create a completely different room.  The paint is washable and stain resistant (as well as coming in over 2,000 shades) which is ideal for a toddler's bedroom too!

All the walls are painted with Rabbit's Foot and I used a pure white wood paint to touch up the skirting boards which were looking very yellow! I bought some gold spots to make a feature wall behind her bed and I love how they add a bit of fun to the room.  (There is a list at the bottom of the post with where I bought everything from).

I loved the idea of having shelving with some pretty things on (these have been placed out of cora's reach) and I love how they have turned out.  The beautiful mermaid print was designed especially for Cora and the shells in the jar are ones we collected together at the beach last week.  There is a tiny jar with some sand from our favourite beach too which we found for sale in a local independent shop and it seemed like the perfect finishing touch to the shelves.

It wasn't easy finding a plain coloured cot bed duvet set but I eventually tracked this down which is perfect for the room. 

When I was looking for inspiration on pinterest I found the most beautiful room with a gorgeous wooden mermaid on the walls. I couldn't find anything quite like it but whilst searching I did come across this wooden wall hook which is now hanging on the wall for some of her jumpers.

I wanted to create a little cosy corner where Cora can sit and read books or play with her toys, and where we can snuggle up to feed in the evenings.  I have ordered a giant floor cushion to go underneath but it hasn't turned up yet.  I found three lovely cushions and a little storage basket and we already love cuddling up here with a book.

I have kept the room simple with all white furniture (plus this is what we already had) and I love the end result.  I think her room is calm, colourful and perfect for my little water loving girl.  I have listed below where I bought everything. 

The paint - Valspar Rabbits Food

The gold spots - Etsy

The shell cushion - Matalan

The mermaid doll - Little Lapins

The shelving - Ebay

The green jar - Etsy

The mermaid print on the shelves - Lois Gunn

The mermaid print on the windowsill - Etsy

The waves - Babipur

The gold letter C - Next

The gold pot - Dunelm Mill

The curtains - Look Again

The cushions -Wilkos

The storage basket - Vertbaudet

The Mermaid plaque with hooks - Ebay

PIN ME!

This post is in collaboration with Valspar

Read more ⇨

A Rainbow Bedroom

When we moved house we decided to move the two little ones in together and create a rainbow themed room for them.  As we are living in a rented house we kept the white walls and went with a fresh white feel to the whole room with some colourful accessories.  Finn and Cora are loving their shared rainbow room and sleeping really well in there together.

Both children have white cot beds and Cora has a new NaturalStart mattress from Harrison Spinks which combines hundreds of baby springs with luxurious natural fillings.  I bought both Finn and Cora's sheets from etsy and Finn's pillow case in part of the Little Bird bedding collection that I bought him last year.

Finn's rainbow blanket was lovingly knitted by my talented mother in law and we bought Cora's whilst on holiday a couple of years ago.  Both of their cots are cotbeds so will be turned into beds as they get bigger.

Above Finn's beds are the words 'You are my sunshine' in acrylic from Baby Abode.  They custom make acryclic and ply wall art and I love how different this looks.

Above Cora's cot I have hung some cloud bunting that I bought from Etsy. She has her two favourite dolls in her bed including her mermaid which was a birthday gift and made by Little Lapins.

I bought a white chest of drawers from ikea and I put three pictures on the top.  The first was painted by a friend for Cora for her birthday, the second was made by Lavender House Gift Company and is so beautiful.  I love the delicate details and it is something that we can keep for Cora.  The third is a print from Kirsty Mason designs and goes perfectly in their rainbow room.

On the floor I have made a comfy play area with a Little Bird rug, cushions from Mama Designs and Tiger stores and a lovely little shape sorter we were sent from Born Gifted which the children play with every day.

There are three shelves above their play area for their Grimms rainbow and bobbins from Babipur and I have put some of their Pantone books on the third, although I need to find the rest of the collection in one of the unpacked boxes.

We have kept the room simple and minimalist, giving the children more space to play and keeping the room calm to help them sleep.  In the evenings we put on their rainbow light which projects a rainbow across the room.  It is the perfect nightlight to help them fall asleep in the evenings.

I have loved decorating this rainbow room for them.

Some of these items were sent to us to include in these photos and others were purchased by me.  I have only included things that we genuinely love.

Read more ⇨

Cora's little Corner

When we moved into our house I was pregnant with Archie and we were quite sure that he was our last baby.  We chose a three bedroom house that we thought would see us through the next few years.  Finn was a surprise and Cora even more so and suddenly with six of us in a three bedroom house space is quite tight.  I don't fancy moving with four so little so we are finding ways to make the most of our space for now.

Cora is still sleeping in with us and we don't have a real long term plan beyond that.  We may put the three boys in one room and our baby girl in another, or we may put Cora in with Finn so there are two in each room.  For now we are all happy where we are and we have created a small space for Cora in Finn's room.

A girl needs somewhere to keep her clothes and Cora has a white chest of drawers as well as a few bits hanging in my wardrobe.  Minene kindly gave me some storage to help keep her corner neat so now all the little baby toys are kept in a lovely black and white basket and her bibs and socks are in the lidded soft box on top of her drawers.  

Finn's room is now triple purpose - it contains his cot, wardrobes and the nursing chair as well as Cora's little corner and a desk as it is also our home office.  For the smallest room in the house (bar our box of a kitchen) it is pretty busy!

Being a fourth baby has some definite advantages - a more relaxed Mama, adoring big brothers and more experienced parents, but it does mean you don't get quite as much space of your own.

Read more ⇨

How to Make Very Hungry Caterpillar Wall Art

When we decided on a Very Hungry Caterpillar theme for the nursery, I browsed online shops and ebay looking for the perfect little touches to make Archie's room special.  I could find wall stickers, but there didn't seem to be many pictures. 

After using my creative side when we originally did Dylan's nursery, I decided to make Archie some wall art and it was the simplest thing to do.  I bought 4 blank white canvases and 4 fat quarters of different Very Hungry Caterpillar fabrics.  

Armed with a heavy duty stapler and a pair of scissors, I had some lovely wall canvases in no time, and enough spare fabric to make a little taggy or sew some shapes on a plain blanket.

I think they look fun and are so easy to do that you can make them for any room theme given the right fabric.  It worked out only £10 to make 4 new pictures for the little man's beautiful room.

Read more ⇨