My favourite 10 baby helpers

I don't believe anything is a necessity when you have a child except to love them. So I though I'd share some of my favourite items that make all our lives easier. I love these products for their econess as well as how practical and versatile they are since most are now being used by Gabriel as well as John.

I love my Ergo. It's so easy to use, stylish and very versatile. I have it in the car at all times and use it about a million times a week. I bought mine when John was 6 months old and continued to use it with him on my back until I got pregnant; he was about 2 at this stage. I find using my Ergo is so much easier than trying to carry a heavy 6kg baby and it also keeps my hands free to catch or hold onto a slippery toddler. I love that the baby's weight sits on my hips and the thick shoulder straps rather than pulling on my back.        

I love walking and just love my Mountain buggy. I love that it's a New Zealand company so built for our conditions. They are so sturdy and can handle pretty much anything I throw at it. Even better they are still fantastic second hand. 

I love cloth nappies we've only ever used Itti bitti and so far they've stood up to a very active toddler and a wiggly little baba. I love the colours and that they are made from organic cotton and bamboo. They are super absorbent, fluffy and super easy to use.  I must also mention I love bamboo velour baby wipes. They last for many many years and have so many uses and also wash and dry really well. Cloth wipes will save you a lot of money and rubbish. 

  Gina Ford's books were a huge help when John was little as we had no idea what we were doing. Gina's easy to follow routines really worked for John and allowed him to sleep through the night very early on. Her routines allows me to know what my boys need, when they need feeding and putting them to sleep before they have to cry for these things.      

My favourite kid's toy has to be Sophie the giraffe. I love that she is made from natural rubber and is 50 years old. Both my boys have a Sophie and both of them love her. She was/ and currently is in both my boys bassinets. She was also the first toy/ object that both boys "talked" to. Sophie's not just a pretty face she is a teether and John's Sophie has been so chewed on she has hardly any paint left.   

Using a good quality natural balm on my baba's bum really helps reduce rashes and pain. I love my botty balm which I've been making and using for ages now. It's easy to make your own and so much cheaper. When my boys do get nappy rash I use my benzoin ointment.

I was anti-pacifiers before I had children, however they really can be a lifesaver. I really like the Hevea pacifiers. They are made of natural rubber and I like the nose and chin cut outs. Not all children like or need pacifiers but I find they have really helped both my boys get to sleep easily.     

Playpens are just fantastic. They keep your baby safe so they can play and sleep whenever they want. We bought this one second hand before John was born and he was in there all the time. Now that Gabriel is here he plays in the playpen. It keeps him safe from harm and allows him to have his own space.


Baby's need to sleep somewhere so we bought a second hand touchwood cot. I chose this cot because it's a four in one; bassinet, cot, toddler bed and a children's sofa. Another great New Zealand company; super versatile and long living. Gabriel will be the third child who uses this bed and it will have many years of life left in it. We got a latex mattress made for the bed which is super comfortable and hypo-allergenic.
   
Second hand clothes or second hand pretty much everything will not only save you heaps of money but is also much better for the environment. Children grow out of clothes so quickly that there really is no need to buy brand new. Clothes are easily passed down from one child to the next and beyond.


What are your favourite baby helpers?

Rethink winners

Drum roll.....

Jisun Moir

and 

Emma Abrahams from craving fresh 

Thank you so much for the great prizes. Thanks   

Thank you so much everyone for visiting my page and entering. I loved all your entires and comments. Keep them coming.

Cheats pompoms

My mother in law does lots of lovely knitting for my boys. People often stop me in shops and ask who made the items. John just go some new slippers for him and Lala (his special tiger friend) which had pompoms on them she shared with me how easy they are to make.

For these small pompoms you'll need 10 metres of wool. Leave a "tail"of about 10 cms of wool then wrap the rest of the wool tightly around your fingers.

 

When you've wrapped all the wool around your finger cut another piece about 20cm long and use this plus the tail to wrap around the centre of your pompom and tie several knots in the centre of your wool wrap. Make sure your knots are really tight otherwise your pompom will come undone. John loved playing with one of the ready made pompoms and pretended to make a pompom as well. He insisted I took photos of him as well. So cute. 

Cut both sides of your wool wrap. Fluff up the pompom. You might need to give it a hair cut so all the bits are the same length and cut off any tails.

Once finished sew the pompoms onto whatever you want to decorate. John is so super proud of his and Lala's new matching slippers. Aren't they cute!  Thanks grandma.

 

Linen cupboard organisation

Every time I go in this cupboard I get what I need and quickly close the door it's such a mess and I just didn't know what to do with it all. Embarrassing isn't it!?

So today I took the bull by the horns and went through all the crap in there. I threw a bunch of stuff out, some stuff will go on freecycle and the rest I just plain tidied. I took the bottom two shelves out and put the buggy in there so now it's no longer in the middle of the hall. Not sure if the buggy will stay in there but for now it's nice and tidy.

Wow feels so much better to have this cupboard sorted. Another cupboard off my list.What have you organised this week?

Scraping the barrel

It amazes me how when something appears finished there is still plenty of product left. Here are some of my tips to save you money and get every last drop...  

When a soap pump or most other products that are in pump type containers, ie shampoo, shower gel, dishwashing liquid etc just add some water and shake. You'll be amazed at how far the watered down version will go and usually at no reduction in quality.   

Items in a tube simply cut open and stick your fingers in. I thought this cleanser was empty but cut it open and have been using it for over two weeks now and it's still going. 

 

Other items such as skin creams with a pump I simply take off the pump top and use the inner tube to scrap out the last of the cream. Simply rub the tube on your face, hands or body. 




 Do you have an tips to share? 

Giveaway; Rethink bags

Super market shopping can create a lot of extra plastic coming into your home. To help me reduce how much plastic comes into our home I've been using rethink produce bags for ages and just love them. Recently I bought a bunch of the string bags to take my shopping home in rather than using the plastic reusable bags. I love that all rethink products are made out of sustainable certified organic cotton and are so easy to use, clean and stay looking good for years. 

Rethink kindly sent me a star net to use and also this wonderful list of prizes to giveaway. The new star nets are fantastically big and sturdy. The star net will be great for taking to the beach or going out shopping.         

I have 2 prize packs to giveaway. One pack has a star net and a mini pack and the other prize is a string bag and a multi pack. Please use the entry form below to enter. Leave a comment below with your answers to the leave a comment entry. Open to New Zealand only.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thank you so much 

for the amazing prize pack. I just love your products and love using them.

Some motherhood truths

Motherhood is one crazy ride. I want to share some things I've discovered, experiences, pains and joys. I know everyone is different and I'm sure there are some superhuman mums out there that can do everything and be just super awesome and amazing all of the time. Well I'm not one of those mums. 

Warning Gabriel is 12 weeks old and I think I'm slightly sleep deprived so this post is very raw and emotional.

Truth number one; being a mum is fun, exciting, painful, guilt-ridden, frustrating, loving, joyful, excruciating, exhilarating, exhausting, emotional, and amazing. Wow what a crazy number of emotional to feel and often that's just on Monday.

Sex will not be the same again. Upside smears are easy.

Watching your child sleep is just amazing and no matter what has happened during the day everything is forgotten and your heart breaks at how angelic they look.  

Your body will not be the same again and for a while will no longer feel like it's yours and can be painful to look at in the mirror. You'll look like a mama kangaroo with your mama pouch.
You now understand why your mother always wore waist high pants. Muffin tops are just not my thing so best hide them. 

You'll have no idea how much you can love such a small person and this brings a whole new meaning to unconditional love. Watch out for mama lion protecting her cubs. Warning DO NOT get in the way or mess with her kids!

Your abdominal muscles spilt and separate during pregnancy. It can hurt but it happens slowly also it takes a while for them rejoin. 

When your child smiles at you their whole face and eyes light up and is the most amazing feeling and you can't help but smile back and try not to cry.

Picking up your child and smelling their backside is not only normal but necessary. Yes eww.

Using the toilet or having a shower on your own is a luxury. Some days having a shower is not a possibility. Even getting out of your pjs sometimes well just doesn't happen.
Having children around you allows you to see the world as they do all fresh, new and exciting. It's amazing watching children discover the world around them. 

Somehow the rest of the world disappears and your home becomes the centre of the universe. Some days you'll live in a bubble of happiness, other days one of denial and sometimes moments of hell.

You'll go to bed feeling guilty about the day and how much you've messed your kids up and vow to do better the next day. Come the morning no doubt by early in the morning you've already told them off and you'll feel guilty all over again. Yeah go me.

When you walk out the door and have make up on and nice clothes (which don't have puke on them) this is a great day and you feel like you can take anything on because today is a great day.
Mostly your children are so much a part of you you can't imagine your life without them or what you did before they came along or comprehend how much your life has changed in such a short time.

The 3 loves of my life.

To my boys: I love you so so much and I hope that tomorrow may be better than today but I can't promise that. I can only promise to try to be better and be the best I can be. Most of all I want you to know that no matter what I sometimes say or do I really do love you with all of my heart and never for a second will this change. I love you so much that sometimes my heart hurts and I want to cry.  I would really do anything for you. You are the loves of my life.