Aden + Anais Sleeping Bag Review and Giveaway=

Four children in and I am still learning.  Dylan was three months old when he found his thumb and it was a complete game changer.  Overnight he started sleeping and not just a good stretch, but 15 hour nights.  He would settle at 7pm and not wake until 10 the next morning.  He has always needed a lot of sleep and I felt like I had this sleep thing sorted.

Archie came along and he was another species altogether.  He didn't want to sleep in the day and he didn't want to give in at night either.  He needed to be held, he wanted to be close and there was always too much going on.  Eventually we got there and he started sleeping through the night.

Finn was a new challenge, breastfeeding wasn't possible past a few weeks and my usual fix of offering a boob at every wake up wasn't going to work.  Everything I had read told me that bottle fed babies would sleep through earlier, but Finn clearly hadn't read those books and it took him a long 

time to master staying asleep all night.

And then Cora came along, different all over again.  It didn't feel like she was ever going to sleep and we spent a year trialling different ways to encourage her from swaddling to white noise to changing the temperatures.  Sleeping bags didn't seem to work when she was little but we tried them again recently and they have been a game changer. She still isn't sleeping through every night, but some nights I can settle her at 7pm and not see her again until 8am the next morning.

Aden + anais sent us one of their sleeping bags and it is perfect for these winter nights.  It is made from their classic muslins with a polyester filling and come in a choice of thickness, this one being a 2.5 tog.  

Sleep is still a battle as this baby girl of mine really isn't convinced that she should be taking a nap in the day anymore, but we are getting there slowly, finding out what works for her and what doesn't. 

Sleep is the holy grail for parents, it is what we spend the most time thinking about and the least time actually getting (or so it seems) and I am hoping that Cora's new sleeping bag helps us both spend more time sleeping.

I have an aden + anais sleeping bag to give away to one lucky winner and you can choose which one you fancy! Just pop over to the aden + anais website to choose your favourite and fill in the rafflecopter form below!


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No sleep // Baby Boo

These babies of mine really don't like sleep.  I never appreciated how well Dylan slept until I had Archie, and I definitely didn't appreciate that Archie was actually pretty good until Finn arrived.  Sleep is no longer something I take for granted, it is not something I get enough of and it is the subject of many an argument that most new parents can relate to (he definitely gets more sleep than I do).

At the moment, Finn wakes up once a night and Cora wakes up several times.  They are both put to bed at 7pm, but I have usually gone up to feed and settle Cora by 9pm and again before I crawl into bed around midnight.  She then wakes roughly every hour wanting milk and to cuddle up before waking for the day looking significantly fresher than I do.  Finn and Cora wake up smiling and bright eyed, I wake up feeling exhausted and walking in a zombie like manner towards the kettle.  They play with each other happily whilst I drink coffee and hope that my eyes will soon stop stinging.

When I was pregnant with Cora, the bloke and I agreed that when it came to night times, she would be my baby and Finn would be his.  Cora is exclusively breastfed so nobody else can settle her at night and if I am feeding her then I can't get up to sort out Finn.  BabyBoo sent us some sleeping bags for the babies and now I know they won't be waking up because they are cold!  These bags have detachable arms making them even snugglier and they are lovely and padded for this cold weather.  Cora's is a generous 0-6 months and Finn's is a ginormous 18-48 months (I could easily fit Archie in there it really is giant!).  I do think these are better suited to babies Cora's age upwards as the neck opening is quite wide, but both my babies look and feel snug and safe in theirs.  

Cora is sleeping in with me as it is the only place she will settle and she feeds so often.  The sleeping bag is ideal as she can sleep on top of our duvet but still stay snuggly.  Finn is in his own room and has this as his only covers.  I can't say that it has made a huge difference to their sleep, I have a feeling they are just not great sleepers, but I don't have to worry about them getting cold anymore.

BabyBoo also make bibs and Cora has been sent some lovely ones which you will see popping up on social media.  They are great for dribbly tots as they are fleece backed.

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Sleep (or the lack of) and the Gro Bag

Sleep - Something I am definitely not getting enough of at the moment.  I felt quite smug when Finn started sleeping through the night at 3 months old, and much less so when that stopped at 5 months.  He is nearly 14 months now which means it has been roughly 9 months since I last got a solid 8 hours and I miss it!

We have good nights and bad nights, some where he only wakes once, has his milk and goes back down and others (mostly when his teeth are coming through) when I seem to spend more time settling him than I do actually with my eyes shut.  

I am holding on to the fact that it won't last forever, but it would be lovely if he could manage a little more before the new baby arrives and the next cycle starts again!

The Gro company sent us one of their awesome Anarok print sleeping bags and I love the bright tractor print.  It is lovely and snuggly for Finn and the 6-18 month size still has loads of growing space in it, lasting us way past 18 months I imagine.  I feel reassured knowing that he isn't going to wake up too cold as he has kicked off his covers - I really don't need another reason for him to wake up at night!

Gro bags are such a simple and genius idea and I will definitely be using this for the new baby once Finn has outgrown it.  It isn't our first Gro-bag and I have bought them myself in the past, but it is our first Anarok print and it really appeals to my love of Scandinavian design and childish colours.

I took these pictures when Finn was ready to bed and therefore not particularly co-operative.  He was ready for his milk, cuddles and some songs and did not understand why I wanted him to sit in his cot!  He has no problem moving about his cot in it or standing up as you can see.  

Thank you to the Gro Company for sending us this beautiful Gro-bag, Finn is really happy in it, despite how he may look in these photos

And if anyone has any tips on helping him sleep through the night then I would love to hear them!

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Sleeping Like a Baby

Bambino merino, sleeping bag, merino wool sleeping bag, sleeping bag review, baby sleep

Whoever coined the phrase 'sleeping like a baby' clearly never had one.  Archie turns 16 months today and there are still nights I find myself wandering into his room in a daze thanks to his insistence that he needs a little 4am cuddle.  More often than not he now manages a good 12 or 13 hours uninterrupted but not enough for me to consider him 'sleeping through' just yet.

Bambino Merino make gorgeously soft baby and toddler sleeping bags and they sent us one of their baby ones (which goes from 2 to 24 months) for Archie.  It arrived beautifully packaged and I love the Ruby colour we had chosen.  The blue and red stripes looked great and went well with Archie's colourful sleepsuits.

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Change

Sometimes I sit back and realise what a beautiful, smart and wonderful child I have created.  I may be bias but to me he is perfect.  He cries, he tantrums and there are days I am counting down until bed time, but all in all he is such a happy and content little boy and I know I have been blessed.

With another baby on the way, I cannot let myself believe we will be lucky enough to have two children like this.  Whilst we do have only the one and all our time and energy to focus on him, we are making some transitions now to prepare him for toddler-hood.  He has always transitioned so well; from milk to solids, from breast to bottle, from crib to cot bed and from feeding to sleep to self soothing.  We have never had struggles or battles and he has done everything in his own time.  There are still a couple of changes we wanted to make though and it feels right to do it now before we have our hands full with two.

We are in the process of cutting out bottles.  There seems to be so much conflicting advice on how long to keep milk in bottles for, but eventually they must all move on and the time feels right for Dylan to start having his milk in cups.  He only has milk twice a day - when he wakes up and at about 5pm so we have already changed one feed over to his trusty cup.  Turns out - he isn't too bothered!  As long as he gets his milk he is happy whatever the vessel.  Next week we will drop the morning bottle in favour of a cup as well.  It feels sad to lose another 'baby' thing, but whilst he can transition so easily it seems silly to keep the bottles.

Our next challenge is moving from sleeping bags to a cot duvet or blankets.  He is 13 months now and old enough for proper bedding.  We have decided not to introduce a pillow until he is older, but are going to see how he goes with pajamas and blankets rather than sleepsuits and gro-bags.  He still manages to migrate around the cot at night, so we have started this now whilst it is not too chilly to see how it goes.  I know you can buy sleeping bags for children up to 3 years, but I love snuggling under my duvet and I am hoping he gets used to his before it gets chilly.

My little baby is growing up far too fast, but I am so proud of how well he copes with change.  He is becoming an inquisitive, talkative and adorable little boy and I really hope that any future changes are met with such ease and smiles.

How have you found making changes in your child's life?

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Ergo Pouch Review and Giveaway

As the evenings are getting warmer, I have been thinking about how to dress Dylan for bed.  Some go for just a vest or a sleepsuit, but I know how much I love the feeling of being tucked up, and even on a hot night I use a sheet.  So it falls to a thin sleeping bag.  The 2.5 Tog will be pushed to the back of the cupboard, and we are using our super light ErgoPouch 0.3 tog bamboo sheet. 

The white sleeping bag zips up the front - (the easiest way we have found) and is designed to kepp your child 2-3 degrees cooler when it is hot, and 2-3 degrees warmer when it is cold.  Perfect for those nights when you are not quite sure how to dress them, and ensuring that baby satys comfortable all night long.  The sleeping bag comes complete with a list of reasons why it is the best choice.  It is hyperallergenic, antibacterial, antifungal, eco-friendly and grown without pesticides.  It also comes with a mini room thermometer. 

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