North London Cloth Nappy Library

Leave a reply

I’ve written before about my struggle with cloth nappies. ethically, I’m all for them. in practice, not so easy. when I found out about the North London Cloth Nappy Library, I immediately got in touch. Perhaps I could find some answers as to why I was having such problems.

The main idea behind the cloth nappy library is that you can try before you buy. There are so many different nappies and options, it’s really helpful to see (and feel) how the different brands compare, as well as speak to someone about them.

Run by Laura, this is a not for profit organisation. She says ” I want to make cloth nappies accessible, to explain the different types and all the things you need to use them, (like liners or a bucket) which i think is difficult to figure out til you see them and have a go at using them. I also think it’s important that people don’t think you have to be a certain ‘type’ of parent to use them, and my view is you don’t have to use them all the time – even just using them at weekends, especially if you work full time, or using disposables overnight, or when out or on holiday, is not a sin! I didn’t start using cloth nappies on Sophie til she was nearly one, despite my good intentions before she was born, and I would advise new parents not to put pressure on themselves to use them – give it a few months til things settle down a bit, you have enough on your plate with a newborn! Having said that I am lending some nappies next week to a lady whose baby is due now and she wants to use them from the start so I will be interested to see how she gets on. I think everyone just has to do what works for them really.”

Laura runs regular events at Paradise Park Children’s Centre in Islington where you can pop along, have a coffee and find out more. Have a look at her facebook page if you’re interested in more details.

Come back next week to find out what Laura recommended for us and how we got on with them…

This is not a sponsored post. I paid my library charge fees like any other customer and received no special treatment or advice. If you contact Laura, she’ll give you the same!

(photo via North London Nappy Library)

.the little pip. loves… La Dinette

Leave a reply

this is the first of a new series; a recommendation of products and services that I love, which I hope you will too.

La Dinette

“French word used to describe small crockery, kitchen utensils and furniture toys a child uses when pretending to be a cook or serving afternoon tea to friends or, a light, “no fuss” meal”

Run by Claire, a cordon bleu trained patisserie chef, La Dinette make and sell the nicest macarons that I have ever tasted, as well as the perhaps less well known cannelés (or to use their full title, Cannelés de Bordeaux). the macarons are gluten and artificial colouring free and clearly (beautifully) made by hand. soft yet crisp and a little chewy. the kind of delicious that makes you want another, but so perfectly made that you are sated after only a few. pale pastel colours, so gorgeous that you don’t want to eat them, but as soon as you take a bite, you are so glad you did. the cannelés on the other hand, aren’t delicate at all. they are crispy and custardy and equally perfect with a cup of coffee or a glass of champagne.

I think they would make a lovely present for a new mum, or ordered en masse for a birthday party or naming party. both the macarons and cannelés can be sent anywhere in the UK and arrive beautifully packaged in brown boxes; simple but incredibly appealing. I plan to start sending them to all my mum-to-be friends as soon as I get word that they’ve given birth. I can’t think of many other things that I could receive in the post that I’d like more after labour.

Claire has very generously offered a promotion to .the little pip. readers. enter PIP20 to receive a 20% discount on any online shop order, or direct order for weddings and catering when you mention .the little pip. The code is good until 30 June 2013.

available nationwide by post

Thanks to La Dinette for providing me with a review box of macarons and cannelés. All words and opinions my own. Find details of my sponsorship policy here

30 day wardrobe challenge (week four)

3 Replies

no doubt you’ve been waiting with baited breath to see how we got on with the remainder of the 30 day wardrobe challenge… well, here’s week four (week one here; week two here; week three here)

I think you’ll agree that we’ve been pretty poor at both wearing new outfits and taking photos of them. although I did wear two dresses, as did Pip, I still reverted to my mum uniform, which even if technically within the rules, don’t look all that different in real life. this challenge has helped me to dig out some things I don’t often wear, and in fact, I’ve worn a couple of skirts as well, so I think I have been in less of a rut than over the winter. I’ve also found some of my pre-pregnancy jeans, a couple of which do fit(!) and I took a whole bag of stuff to the charity shop. one things for sure; it’s easier to wear a variety of outfits when the weather is better.

I have enjoyed the challenge though, so I think I might have another go later in the summer. anyone with me?

—

skirt from Hush | dress bottom left PR gift from Godiva in 2011 | dress bottom right from Whistles; lipstick Nars Schiap; feather & chain mail earrings competition prize Anathema Designs | watch Olivia Burton | leather cuff by Teija (present)

Pip wears a variety of handmedown jeans, dresses & cardigans as well as two vintage dresses (worn as shirts) and a (present from a friend) Miller dress (pool table photo).

19//52

2 Replies

*a portrait of my child, once a week, every week in 2013*

Pip and I haven’t always seen eye to eye this week. she’s discovered investigating the entirety of our flat and the ability to tantrum and whine when she doesn’t get her own way. sadly for the both of us that has been repeated and frequent. and yet, this evening, we sat together after her bath. she deigned to have a massage of sorts with calendula lotion and I brushed her hair and teeth. she was calm and quiet and I read her a story. this is a bad photo, but the best I could snap. here’s hoping the upcoming week is calmer and more restful, for both of us.

Pip wears night dress by Green Baby (which has apparently gone out of business and been bought by Little Green Radicals. a shame as Pip has 2 of these nighties and we and she love them)

18//52

Leave a reply

*a portrait of my child, once a week, every week in 2013*

I’m a bit late with this. so late, in fact, that it’s time for week 19. but I couldn’t let the moment pass. these are Pip’s new shoes. bought last weekend. her first shoes!

Pip wears Gap jeans | handmedown socks | Tesco elephant vest | Bobux sandals

30 years (#SpecialK30 How I’ve Changed Linky Challenge)

1 Reply

1983

2013

30 years. (almost) my whole lifetime.

30 years ago, I was 1. judging from family photos, I spent my summer scruffing around in my parents’ back garden, playing with my dolls pram, playing in the sandpit and helping my Dad garden.

30 years on, my daughter is 1. we are spending our weekends scruffing in the garden. I am the one gardening. I am still pushing a pram. (so is Pip).

nothing’s changed. (well, maybe one or two things have changed. I have to get highlights now to look this blonde).

actually, Kellogg’s and Special K have changed. they’ve just updated their recipe for the first time since 1983. back then, it was wheat and rice. updated for 2013, they’ve added barley. they sent me a box, which I’ve been enjoying this week. I’ve always enjoyed Special K as my summer cereal (in winter, I still eat porridge) and carry a secret stash of Special K bars. I like it because it’s plain and straightforward but still satisfying.

This is my entry into the #SpecialK30 Linky on Britmums. Thanks to Kellogg’s and SpecialK for the review box of cereal. All words and opinions my own. Find details of my sponsorship policy here

‘science is for boys’ (says Tesco, this time)

1 Reply

it’s not just Boots (although to be fair to Boots, they have changed their minds now). when it was pointed out to Tesco that they actively market and label toys by gender and that this is damaging to our children, where imagination should be limited by, well, imagination and interest, not restricted by pre-conceived ideas of marketing, they immediately defended their decisions. their response was that “Toy signage is currently based on research and how our customers tell us they like to shop in our stores” adding that “further research” would be commissioned later in the year to ensure “an up-to-date reflection of customers’ thinking” {edited – apparently Tesco now have admitted that a specific chemistry set is inaccurately labeled. rather avoiding the main point}

I’m told that Tesco aren’t interested in anything besides profit. if they think that it will help them sell toys faster, or more easily, they’ll label them whatever they damn well please (statute law permitting). the suggestion was that the ‘how customers tell us they like to shop’ is based more on analysis of shop users, layout and ease of searching than it was based on customers being provided with the chance to feed back to Tesco their moral preferences. if Tesco would like to provide their research that proves me wrong though, I’ll happily correct this. (whilst shaking my head sadly at the thought that there may be people who actually support a limitation of toys by gender).

i’d posit that only labeling by type would be a lot easier and quicker for everyone concerned. ‘dolls’; ‘weapons’; ‘science’; ‘domestic appliances’ would be a lot more helpful rather than trying to guess whether someone has arbitrarily decided that a volcano factory should fall under ‘boy’ but a bug finder should be ‘unisex’. we don’t need Tesco to tell us what toys they deem ‘unisex’. so far as I’m concerned, they all are. perhaps more worryingly, if you filter ‘science and education’ by ‘girl’ you are faced with 49 products, almost all of them pink, mostly unrelated to science. the ‘boy’ filter on the other hand, may only have 38 options but includes chemistry sets, various experiments and items more traditionally associated with science.

I’m not going to rehash why this makes me so angry (you can see my previous post on the subject here). BBC radio presenters who invite listeners to ring in with their comments “is it ok for children to play with toys designed for the opposite sex” make me even more cross. it’s not just missing the point, it totally encapsulates why there is such a problem in the first place.

all children need to learn about the wider world, science, arts, politics, culture, music, languages and also about caring and nurturing for themselves and their chosen family, be that in due course a partner and/or children or simply the people they choose to surround themselves with. if my daughter chooses to be a cook or chef (and given her love of food, I wouldn’t find that surprising) I’d argue that maths and science would be extremely useful. if I have a son (or when I think about my nephew) I wish for him to learn about looking after others as just an important an education as earning money.

I’ve signed a petition calling for toys to be categorised by theme or function. you can follow Let Toys Be Toys on twitter and facebook.

sadly, this isn’t the last I’m going to be posting about this, I’m sure.

ps. it’s not just Tesco. Here’s a photo of a product by Next, suggesting that rockets are only for boys too. It’s not just their labeling either, that’s packaging too.

Plum Savoury Blends

Leave a reply

Pip might be a year old, but even now, we find occasionally that the little pouches of baby food are pretty handy to have stashed in the cupboard. When she is teething, or suffering from one of what seems like an endless round of ear infections and tonsillitis, we find that offering a comforting pouch of purée in addition to her regular food helps ensure that she is enthusiastic about eating and we know that she has got something in her little tummy. I also make sure we have one or two in her nappy bag in case of food related emergency on one of our excursions.

I’ve been a fan of the Plum range since we started the weaning process about 7 months ago. I think pretty much the first thing she ate was their stage 1 porridge, and even now, we start the day with a bowl of their more age appropriate porridge (although we just buy what is available in our local shop, so this month she is back to stage 2 but I just make it less runny and she eats it herself). She has such a variety of foods and textures that I don’t worry about whether the stage is technically too young for her.

When Plum contacted me regarding their new range of stage 1 pouches we initially had a discussion about whether Pip was an appropriate tester, but, we decided that she was as we still do buy the pouches. And still suffering from teething pains, she’s tried them all. At her age, whether she deigns to eat something is largely dictated by things other than taste, but I can safely say that she enjoyed the combinations.

Rather than rehash their press release, here’s what they had to say about the new flavours.

“Pear, blueberry & purple carrot is an unusual combination, and a
gorgeous deep purple colour too (get out the dark-coloured bib for this
one!) The flavours go together amazingly well, though – the earthy
carrot taste blending beautifully with the tang of blueberries and sweet
pear. (We chose the less well-known purple variety of carrots because in
addition to the beta-carotene their orange cousins have, they also
contain other powerful antioxidants called anthocyanins, which help
protect against a whole host of diseases. Plus, they’re gorgeous!)

Broccoli & apple might not be a combo you’d try for your next dinner
party, but it’s a good way to introduce babies to the sometimes
challenging flavour of broccoli. This super-veg is legendary for being
pushed around on the plates of kids everywhere, but it’s well worth the
effort to convince your baby that ‘trees’ are tasty – after all,
broccoli contains loads of vitamin C and lots of other healthful
compounds in those bobbly green branches! We’ve blended it with a bit of
apple, but let the fresh green taste shine through as well.

Sweet potato, corn & apple is another Plum-style recipe – unusual, but
it works! Sweet potatoes have a big nutritional advantage over the white
variety; they offer more fibre and beta-carotene and have less effect on
baby’s blood sugar. Corn has a natural sweetness babies love and some
powerful antioxidants as well, but it can be challenging to puree
smoothly for little ones at home, so we’ve added it here, too.

Like all of our Plum recipes, these blends also contain protein-rich
quinoa, making them well-balanced meals that are ideal for the littlest
ones. This is especially handy during early weaning – after all, if your
baby is only eating a spoonful or two, why not make it as nutritious and
delicious as possible?

These are lovingly-crafted combinations, designed to help parents get
vegetables into their little ones from the outset, providing the perfect
balance to sweeter fruits. Plum is passionate about providing babies
with delicious, flavourful organic meals made with the highest quality
ingredients, because we believe giving our kids the very best start in
life will unlock their future potential to be truly amazing in whatever
they do.”

I’m pleased that Plum have introduced some new and more unusual combinations. When we were new to the weaning process, I liked to make sure Pip ate a variety of different flavours and combinations even when solely eating puree. I particularly like that Plum include quinoa and more savoury type flavours, as a lot of the other brands rely heavily on apple. Pip is a good eater and loves strong flavours (olives being a favourite) so I wasn’t surprised that she enjoyed these pouches.

—

Thanks to Plum for the review pouches. All words and opinions my own (& Pip’s). Find details of my sponsorship policy here

this week (so far)

Leave a reply

tonight, Pip and Marto sat under the kitchen table having a tea party. Pip was using a toy teaspoon and a toy teacup to emulate drinking and eating yogurt or porridge. When Marto crawled under the table to join her, she offered him a cup of tea.

yesterday, I took the shopping bags to the door and left Pip in her pram at the bottom of the steps. as I went back to her, I waved (as I often do). this time, she waved back.

when we sing ‘if you’re happy and you know it’, she claps.

PS. I’m over at Talk Mum talking about weaning and my product survival guide, if you’re interested.

‘science for boys’ (according to Boots)

4 Replies

oh dear. another day, another fail from Boots. The Guardian is reporting that Boots has been selling toys classified into categories of “for boys” and “for girls” but that after vociferous customer feedback they have posted the following:

“Thank you to all our customers who have taken the time to share their thoughts with us on the signs we use in the toys and games area of our stores. We’ve always been proud of supporting women in science and in particular in their careers in pharmacy, and we were dismayed that our attempts to help customers shop our store hasn’t worked in the way we wanted it to. It was never our intention to stereotype certain toys. It’s clear we have got this signage wrong, and we’re taking immediate steps to remove it from store. Customer feedback is really important to us so thanks once again for your ongoing passion and support.”

obviously the fact that they have reconsidered the issue is a plus point but how did this ever become a problem in the first place? I cannot believe that a shop such as Boots could have sanctioned such a classification process in the first place.

I’ve yet to address the issues of gender and feminism and raising a daughter here. I’ve started a fair few posts but never got so far as hitting publish. I’m sure it will come as no surprise to you thought that I hugely object to the so called ‘pinkification’ and gender classification of toys and books, particularly the idea that sex or gender should play any part in what interests my child.

I find myself constantly disappointed by retailers and the staff that they employ. It’s not just Boots (although I note that they continue to classify their website by boy/girl and sadly all of the toys on the front page of the ‘girls’ page are pink or purple). I am told that it’s due to a mixture of customer feedback/market research and a (misguided?) attempt to help customers better navigate their site or shop. that’s not how I shop (and I don’t plan to buy books from Usborne as I particularly object to the idea that “Indicating which books appeal to boys and which appeal to girls works as a marketing technique because gender is one of the first criteria that is considered by those who are buying a book as a gift“). I’ve lost track of the number of times that Pip has been assumed to be a boy simply because of my purchase choices, or when I have been asked “is it for a boy or girl” when I have asked whether a shop stocks balls, or pyjamas or other similar products. (my response of “does it matter” has been generally met with confusion). Heck, even the so called ‘unisex’ shoes that we plan to purchase for Pip at the weekend are listed on their website under ‘boys’ (although the same shoe in pink, red, brown and white also appear under ‘girl’, with the red and brown options also appearing under ‘boy’ along with our preferred navy choice – which makes me wonder why they need the boy/girl distinction at all).

how I shop for Pip is largely derived from my taste, with the added input of her interests, which are appearing almost daily since she turned about 11 months. when I buy her a book, I don’t start by thinking what should a girl like. I like to shop at independent book shops where the books are simply sorted by type or age. I then pick on basis of subject and illustrations and whether I think the book can stand repeat reading out loud. likewise, with clothes shopping, I don’t start off thinking ‘I have a girl to clothe’; I think what does she need. and then filter by taste. or, more usually, I browse independent shops and websites and Gap (ha) and pick things I like, mostly when they are on sale. toys wise it is more difficult. we try and introduce to her a broad range of toys, mostly practical such as bricks, lego, shape sorters and so on although she does have a doll, a tea set and a pram to push the doll in. she also has a ride on truck/car. I want to encourage all aspects of personality and nurturing the nurturing and caring aspect of a child’s personality is important. she also herself expressed an interest in a doll. her birthday present from us however, was a homemade tipi and a Puffin treasury of Children’s Classics.

anyway, that is all digression. posts for another time, with more thought. I remain saddened by Boots. Again. (both my post yesterday and their refusal to provide me with a loan pram whilst ours goes off to be mended, although in comparison, this is worse. far worse). I already refuse to shop at places which obviously segregate toys in an arbitrary fashion, but I thought Boots were better than that. Sadly, perhaps, another shop to add to my ‘thanks but no thanks’ list.