Lascal Buggy Board from Cheeky Rascal

With four small children I find myself using a variety of ways to get around.  Sometimes I have a double buggy, sometimes a single and a sling and recently we have been testing the new Lascal Buggy Board Maxi + from Cheeky Rascals.  Archie walks or scoots nearly everywhere but as a non-driver sometimes I want to go somewhere a bit further and it is so much easier letting him hop on when his legs get tired.

We have been using the board with our iCandy Raspberry but it works with almost all pushchairs - I like how Archie sits inside the handle on this one though.  It clips on and off easily so if I am using this stroller whilst he is at preschool I can leave the board at home.  

The seat can be put up or down depending on whether the child wants to sit or stand and there are handles on the seat too so they can hold on there, although Archie always wants to use the buggy handle instead. The seat is spacious and comfortable for him at nearly 4 years old and it isn't nearly as heavy as I imagined to push.

Of course adding 18kg of child onto a buggy does make it heavier and more cumbersome, that is obvious but I can get this up and down curbs and around shops with no issues and a baby in a sling on my front too.

Archie loves facing in to the buggy, usually I have Finn in there but in these pictures it is Cora and they both love being able to interact as we walk.  Cora's legs are shorter so they fit quite nicely together, when Finn is in the buggy he has his legs either side of Archie and is happy that way.  I think it would fit best with the child in the buggy forward facing but I prefer to have them parent facing so we find a way to make it work.

I love how the buggy board gives me the freedom to go a bit further on foot and not worry about tired little legs struggling to get home.  I think it will be so valuable once Finn is a little older and walking more so that I can get away with just a single stroller.  The buggy board is suitable from approximately 2 years to 5 years (20kg) and can be folded into the buggy too when not in use.  It comes with extenders to ensure it fits most buggies and there are easy instructions online to show you how to fit for your pushchair.  It handles different terrains well and retails at £99.99

We really love our buggy board, thank you to Cheeky Rascals for sending us one to test.

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What Cora Wore // Princess and the Frock

It is Christmas party season and there are more reasons to get dressed up than ever.  I was adamant throughout pregnancy that I would not be seduced by tiny dresses, they look impractical and unnecessary.  It turns out that they are both of those things as well as being adorable and irresistible and I love dressing Cora up in a pretty dress.  I like finding ones that are a little different, girly and sweet but not pink or floral and I have found some great online sellers.

This Eden dress is from The Princess and The Frock and I love the colour, the little collar and just how sweet Cora looks in it!  It would be perfect on its own in the summer to show off those chubby baby knees but she has been wearing it with a white vest and tights and a little blue cardigan for the winter. 

The Princess and the Frock have some beautiful festive prints too and I am finding it hard to resist their stunning penguin dress at the moment.  If you have a little lady in your life then go and check them out! 

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5 Months Baby Girl

5 months baby girl, five long, short months.  In most ways it feels like Cora has been here forever now, the days before her arrival, my pregnancy seem so long ago.  At 5 months old she has found her place in our crazy family and we feel so adjusted to life with four.  In other ways she is still so new though, she is still a baby, even if you can't call her a newborn anymore.  

At 5 months Cora is still exclusively breastfed, we haven't started weaning yet and I haven't even pumped yet to try her on a bottle.  This means that I haven't left her yet for longer than about 30 minutes.  We are planning to start weaning around Christmas time (she turns 6 months on December 27th) and I have a pump ready in case I want to go out over the festive season.  I am pretty happy staying in or bringing her out with me at the moment though.

Cora weighs 15lb 11oz at 23 weeks and she still wears 3-6 month clothes.  Some are starting to get snug whilst others are still quite roomy, it depends a lot on where they are from.  the romper in the pictures is actually size 0-3 month and she has a few bodies that still fit in the smaller size, I think maybe her length is in her legs.

At 5 months Cora can sit unaided for short spells, but she is easily distracted by her own toes and falls over.  she sits well with support and she can roll over from her back to her front (but not the other way yet).  We recently brought out the jumperoo and she is happy in there for a few minutes, but she still prefers kicking around on the ground.  Her playmat is her favourite place to be, other than on Mummy of course.

Sleeping has deteriorated rapidly and this little lady will only sleep in my bed at night now.  She also likes to wake for a snack roughly every hour which is exhausting.  She tends to have a short nap in the morning before one of her brothers ends up waking her and then a longer nap in the afternoon when Finn sleeps.

At 5 months old, Cora is happy and chatty.  She smiles and giggles and has a really ticklish neck.  She adores her brothers still and they fight over who is her favourite.  She has slotted into our mad house perfectly and I can barely remember life before her.  I can't believe she is going to be 6 months in only a few weeks!!

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Nappy Niggles

One of the questions I am asked most at the moment is whether it is much different having a girl after three boys.  Honestly, it really isn't.  At the moment Cora is just a baby and babies are all pretty similar, they feed, sleep, cuddle and chew things.  I get to dress her in pretty dresses sometimes of course - I don't think the boys could pull them off quite so well - but the biggest difference is when it comes to nappy changing.

According to new research from Waterwipes, a third of new parents fell totally unprepared for and overwhelmed by the realities of changing nappies on a real baby and I don't think anything quite prepares you for how much of your life you will spend changing nappies, especially  with two little ones.  

Their research also found that half of new dads thought they did half of the nappy changes whilst 6 out of 10 mums think it is mostly them.  Nappy changing is definitely split here at the weekend but I think I did nearly all the nappies in the very early weeks.

The big question is who is easier to change - boys or girls?  Apparently 40% consider girls easier whilst only 21% think boys are.  Probably due to the amount of practice I have had changing boy nappies I would have to fall into the 21%!

Water wipes spoke to parent expert Lisa Clegg, author of The Blissful Baby Expert who gave these tips:

"The most important thing to remember is that you’ve got this. To help you feel more at ease with even the most challenging change, here are my five tips to get you in the nappy zapping zone;

1. Prepare and have everything out and ready before you begin – a fresh nappy, a disposal bag and a few wipes. Using a chemical free wipe such as WaterWipes means you don’t have to worry about irritating your baby’s sensitive skin

2. Keep making eye contact and talking to baby, your voice can be soothing even if they become restless,

3. Don’t stop if baby cries, the quickest way of soothing them properly is to keep going until the job is done

4. Use the distraction of a favourite toy for a slightly older baby

5. Always finish with a cuddle -  it’s reassuring for them and for you!”

Collaborative Post

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Blogfest with Aveeno

Last month I attended Blogfest, a big blogging conference in London.  It was my first time and I had a brilliant day.  The team at Aveeno sponsored me to attend and I came away from the day feeling inspired to start vlogging (I could do with some of that inspiration coming back as I still haven't started).  The sessions that I attended focused mostly on YouTube and how to create great content and I loved catching up with bloggers I know and meeting new ones.

Before the event we had a chat with the team at Aveeno about their new baby range.  Aveeno is a well known name when it comes to skin care and I was recommended it so many times for Archie's dry skin.  The new baby range is even more gentle and designed specifically for babies and there incredibly sensitive skin.

A baby's skin is still developing for at least the first year of life and it loses and gains water more rapidly than adult skin.  It is up to 30% thinner than adult skin and can be prone to dryness and irritation.  Aveeno is developed with colloidal oatmeal - something that his been used for generations to look after sensitive skin and clinically proven to help reduce the itching and irritation of eczema.

We have been using the products on Cora, the emollient cream after a bath and the daily barrier cream to keep nappy rash at bay.  We use reusable nappies and the Aveeno cream seems compatible with them.  I have also been using the emollient cream on Archie - baby products are still perfect for his skin at 3 and it has made such a different.  He has suffered from dry skin for a long time and it felt softer after only a couple of days and is much less itchy for him.  Whilst the normal Aveeno range would be fine for him, I prefer using the baby care products as I can then buy one bottle to use for all the children.

My to do list has grown since the event although as always I have more ideas than I have actual time.  I would love to start vlogging more, sharing an insight into our lives and routines and hopefully capturing more special memories on camera to look back on when the children are bigger.

Thank you to Aveeno for sponsoring me to attend Blogfest, Cora and I had a great day and she has been a little bit softer ever since.

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That Festive Feeling

Christmas is coming - the Coca Cola adverts on TV tell us that, the Christmas music in every shop I walk into, the twinkly lights, the trees and the multitude of letters from school informing me of Christmas fairs/plays/shows/parties tell me that.  The bigger boys are excited, they sing the Christmas pudding song as they walk around the house, they draw pictures of Santa and his elves and they write list after list.  Finn and Cora are still blissfully unaware but I am sure it won't be long until Finn starts to pick up on the excitement.

One of my favouite parts of Christmas is the build up and whilst it can be argued that it goes on a bit too long now (I refuse to start before December 1st), the anticipation is magical.  All the activities add energy to what would otherwise be a pretty miserable month of earlier nights and colder days.  Christmas spirit seems to infect everyone, we group together, we think of others, we plan ways to make other people smile.  

As I type this, I am baking a pudding ready for 'Christmas 1' with the Pogues classic number playing in the background.  My little sister is heading off to France for 5 months over the winter so we are having a full Christmas celebration before she goes.  Roast turkey, pigs in blankets, Christmas crackers, silly jokes, party hats, the lot.  I can do nothing but accept it is already Christmas as early as December 4th.

Our house hasn't had the full treatment yet, I am reluctant to provide Finn with something else to climb on and I dread to think how long our tree will look pretty for before three small boys mess it all up.  We don't send or receive many cards and the tinsel is still packed away.  We are organised on one front though, our stockings are hanging over the fireplace ready for the big man in red to come and visit.  The children were each sent a personalised Christmas stocking from Arty Apple and they were so excited to open them up and get them ready for Christmas eve (the real one on the 24th, not Christmas 1 eve).  

Whilst Dylan and Archie are spoiled for choice when it comes to personalised items, I think Finn and Cora are going to find it much harder and it is lovely to have something like this that we can bring out every year.  At the moment this is as far as our decorating has got, but I know after our Christmas 1 I am going to be feeling more festive and ready to bring out the rest of our decorations.

Whilst the rest of the world is enjoying a normal Sunday and getting ready for Christmas, we will be celebrating it early, enjoying the desserts that are *definitely* going to turn out as good as the pictures online and enjoying an important family day whilst we are all around.

If you want to grab a personalised stocking, sack or bib ready for the big day then you still have plenty of time to get an order in! Check out the Arty Apple website

Thanks to Arty Apple for the stockings - we love them! So soft and well made and perfect for four small children hoping for some gifts on Christmas morning.

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What Cora Wore // Iglo and Indi

'Is it much different, having a girl?'  I get asked this all the time and at the moment, it really isn't.  Cora is a baby just as the boys were babies.  She feeds, sleeps, poops and cuddles.  She likes chewing things, standing up with support and then chewing more things - much the same as her brothers did.  Changing her nappy is obviously very different but that is about it . . . well until it comes to dressing her.  I have gone so much more girly than I imagined I would and I am loving being able to explore the other side of the shop.

My lines on what is 'for boys' and 'for girls' is pretty blurry and Finn has plenty of clothes with 'girls' written in the label.  Dresses were a step to far for me though, and whilst Cora is still non-mobile I am enjoying dressing her in them.  I love stretchy, comfy and practical.  Not too many frills or bows, not too much pink but still feminine, still 'girly'. 

This fox dress from Iglo and Indi at Dapperbaby is just perfect.  The cotton is so so soft, the colour is beautiful (in case you haven't noticed I love all things yellow) and the fox on the front makes it look fun.  This dress is size 6-12 months and Cora is an average sized 5 month old.  I love that she will get so much wear from this as it fits fine now but has plenty of growing space too.  

And because this is currently my favourite thing in her wardrobe and because she was in a super smiley mood when I tried to take a photo, I took a lot of photos . . .

I paired the dress with some socks I picked up somewhere ages ago and I can't quite remember where (I think you can find them on ebay) and her Tootsa MacGinty fox hat  - I love this outfit!  We are popping tights on underneath the socks now that it is getting more chilly.

I don't think it will be long until dresses become impractical and this little lady of mine wants to start moving, so I am making the most of being able to dress her however I like!

Thank you to the lovely Emma at Dapperbaby for this dress - we love it!

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