I feel I should start writing my blog again, if only to keep a record of all the things that have been happening of late.
I'll start with the good;
Finn has learn to cruise, climb the stairs, clap, feed himself with a spoon, and has developed the cheekiest mischievous personality.
My lovely friend Lizzie and her gorgeous son Alfie came to visit for a few days which was amazing, it was great to spend time with her, have a few cheeky vino's and for the boys to play together. I've missed that girl so much!
I am now a fully qualified Baby and Pre School swimming teacher with Puddle Ducks, genuinely the best job in the world, I go to work smiling and come home giddy with excitement!
My 'mummy knows best' skills have finally led to all sorts of referrals for Finn, which leads me onto the not so good.
The Ugly;
We had Finn's development review today, his development has been put at that of a 9-10 month baby, I'm not sure I agree with this entirely, I would put him about 12-13 months maybe, however, this has lead to various interventions.
He will now need an MRI scan to see if there is any brain injuries, a X-ray of his skull to check growth, a blood test for screening various things, physio for his feet and possibly his arms; he'll be under the community paediatric health visitor, we will need to attend various structured play sessions, we'll have home visits once a week to stimulate him further and he has also had a dietician referral.
Rather a lot to take in in one hit. Especially when you're not given any answers as to what may be wrong with him.
As I sit here with my tub of Ben and Jerrys, I wonder whether I've done enough, if I could have done more to stimulate and developed him. Will he lead a normal life, will he be bullied? Should I have taken him to more groups, let him be around more children, what if, what if, what if, what if...?
All I know is that he is the most happiest, beautiful, loving, cheekiest little boy I know. He makes me laugh daily and is so affectionate it's unreal.
I love him with every fibre of my being and what ever is thrown in our way we shall take in our stride.
I'm sorry for being away for such a long time, as you can see I've been a busy bunny, but I hope to keep this blog up to date now as often as I can, it'll be nice to look back on and see how far we've come.
Mel x
Mel x
Tuesday, 4 December 2012
Thursday, 20 September 2012
WAHM's
I love twitter, it has rapidly over taken by love for Facebook, however my love for the book of face does still linger. I have found so many wonderful work at home mums (wahm's) who make beautiful items through Facebook so I thought I'd tell you a little bit about my favourites.
All of these mums sell such individual items and you can tell oodles of love go into every piece. I really believe in supporting local and handmade businesses and I think giving such items as a gifts rather than something bought from the highstreets make them all the more special.
Lemonade & Magnolia
Kylie is the wahm behind Lemonade & Magnolia, she makes quirky & kitsch loveliness for babies. I found her whilst hunting for dribble bibs in retro fabric. She also makes patchwork quilts, dickie bows, clothes, homeware etc, I currently have my eye on a few of her Christmas decorations. If you live near Leeds then she also stocks her items in the lovely Birds Yard. Every time Finn wears one of his bibs someone comments on them, they look super cute. Kylie has even offered to swap the velcro fitting on them for poppers for me which is very kind of her. You wouldn't get such fabulous customer service from a normal shop!
Daisy Days Designs
Now I'm sure most of you probably follow the lovely Chloe's blog, but she also has a wonderful page on Facebook selling handmade plaques, hangings, memory boxes, door signs and much more. I'm completely in love with her Cath Kidston and Emma Bridgewater decoupage letters, they would look so at home in my kitchen. I'm also loving her children's name wall art, the girls names with princess crowns, faeries and flowers are beautiful, damn me for not having a girl! Chloe has also started making Christmas decorations, my Christmas wreath got lost in our house move so I have my eye on her Wooden Christmas Bauble Wreaths.
A little something sewn
I'm not sure where I am across this page, more than likely it was from the Cloth Bum Mums group on Facebook. I'm so very glad I did as I found these amazing travel chalkboard mats, I think they're such a clever idea. To be able to chuck one of these in your changing bag and have ready made entertainment that isn't noisy, doesn't make a mess and provides imaginative play is fab. I'm totally sold on them and all the little people in my family will be getting one for Christmas! You can also buy gorgeous blankets, nappy wallets, bibs, bunting and lots of lovely other handmade goodies.
Tag Blankets By Cassie Creations
One of the very first wahm items I bought was a gorgeous taggy blanket for Finn when he was little. Super soft minky with silky soft tags attached. Finn loved rubbing the tags and always slept with the blanket, he still has a mini one in his cot now. Cassie has some lovely fabrics for you to chose your own blanket from, with colour coordinating tags. Finn very nearly didn't get his blanket, it's so soft I wanted to keep it for myself! I also love the minky cubes she makes, I imagine they would really appeal to young babies.
Have you ever bought anything from a Facebook seller?
All of these mums sell such individual items and you can tell oodles of love go into every piece. I really believe in supporting local and handmade businesses and I think giving such items as a gifts rather than something bought from the highstreets make them all the more special.
Lemonade & Magnolia
Kylie is the wahm behind Lemonade & Magnolia, she makes quirky & kitsch loveliness for babies. I found her whilst hunting for dribble bibs in retro fabric. She also makes patchwork quilts, dickie bows, clothes, homeware etc, I currently have my eye on a few of her Christmas decorations. If you live near Leeds then she also stocks her items in the lovely Birds Yard. Every time Finn wears one of his bibs someone comments on them, they look super cute. Kylie has even offered to swap the velcro fitting on them for poppers for me which is very kind of her. You wouldn't get such fabulous customer service from a normal shop!
Daisy Days Designs
Now I'm sure most of you probably follow the lovely Chloe's blog, but she also has a wonderful page on Facebook selling handmade plaques, hangings, memory boxes, door signs and much more. I'm completely in love with her Cath Kidston and Emma Bridgewater decoupage letters, they would look so at home in my kitchen. I'm also loving her children's name wall art, the girls names with princess crowns, faeries and flowers are beautiful, damn me for not having a girl! Chloe has also started making Christmas decorations, my Christmas wreath got lost in our house move so I have my eye on her Wooden Christmas Bauble Wreaths.
A little something sewn
I'm not sure where I am across this page, more than likely it was from the Cloth Bum Mums group on Facebook. I'm so very glad I did as I found these amazing travel chalkboard mats, I think they're such a clever idea. To be able to chuck one of these in your changing bag and have ready made entertainment that isn't noisy, doesn't make a mess and provides imaginative play is fab. I'm totally sold on them and all the little people in my family will be getting one for Christmas! You can also buy gorgeous blankets, nappy wallets, bibs, bunting and lots of lovely other handmade goodies.
Tag Blankets By Cassie Creations
One of the very first wahm items I bought was a gorgeous taggy blanket for Finn when he was little. Super soft minky with silky soft tags attached. Finn loved rubbing the tags and always slept with the blanket, he still has a mini one in his cot now. Cassie has some lovely fabrics for you to chose your own blanket from, with colour coordinating tags. Finn very nearly didn't get his blanket, it's so soft I wanted to keep it for myself! I also love the minky cubes she makes, I imagine they would really appeal to young babies.
Have you ever bought anything from a Facebook seller?
Thursday, 6 September 2012
This boy...
....Melts my heart on a daily basis. I am endlessly proud of him and he makes my heart swell with every little look he gives me.
Saturday, 25 August 2012
Bit of a leap
Finn seem to have gone through a massive developmental leap of late.
On 4th August he started commando crawling, a week later he pulled up in the bath, and a week after that he learnt to roll and how to go from sitting to crawling and now he's very near to cruising.
I can't believe how quickly he has learnt all this, we have his development review in a few weeks time and I fear they may well laugh at me! However we're still going as I have some concerns about his feet, one points outwards at nearly a 45 degree angle when he's crawling, and it rolls inwards when he's trying to stand. Also despite the huge amount of food Finn eats, he hasn't gained any weight since way back in March, so I'm hoping the doctors will be able to allay my fears.
I'm so very proud of him for finally hitting all these milestones, I had a little cry when he learnt to roll, i've been waiting for it for so long!
I'm hoping walking won't be too far behind but if i know my lazy lump well enough, he'll be happy crawling for some while yet.
Mel x
Monday, 20 August 2012
Just another messy monday
Today I had decided we were going to play with Oobleck, however I was being a little dim and decided to add cornflower to water instead of the other way round and didn't have enough cornflower. Plan B was shaving foam which went down very well!
I bought a can of 26p shaving foam and coloured it with food colouring, put it in bowls with various utensils and put Finn in the paddling pool to play with it.
The paddling pool was a bargain from Tesco's, £2.99 I think and it's perfect for messy play as it can be hosed down or showered off.
This activity kept Finn's interest for about 15mins, but he was fairly grumpy and tired before hand
I was quite impressed that he didn't try to eat any of it either!
The sun finally decided to shine after our rainy day messy play so we went for a walk to the park and to the library.
I wasn't too impressed with our local library to be honest but it does the job, I think we'll try out Story Time there next week.
Do you do messy play activities? What's your local library like?
Friday, 3 August 2012
Absence makes the heart grow fonder
Please excuse my absence over the next couple of weeks. I'm going home on Sunday and I bloody can't wait. I'm super duper excited to see all the beautiful people I've been missing for months and to see my family!
Traveling with a toddler isn't easy and I'll be driving back by myself. it's about 5 hours drive so I'm setting off at 7pm and driving through the night, if I'm lucky he'll sleep the whole way and go straight into his cot at the other end. Wish me luck.
Planning this trip has been like a military operation, I don't have time to breathe but that's the way I like it.
I'll post again when I'm back to the grim north! Eeeeeeeepp I'm excited, can you tell?!
Mel x
Wednesday, 1 August 2012
Little dribbler
Just how amazing are these, I'll post more when they arrive but i'm so excited by them I wanted to show you!
Mel x
Mel x
Tuesday, 31 July 2012
Trendy Toddler Tuesday
Linking up with Alex from Medicated Follower for this weeks TTT.
Jumper - Next
Dungarees/Jeans - Vertbaudet - these are actually dungarees but the top part poppers off to turn them into jeans, cool huh!
Shoes - Zara
We haven't done a great deal today, we popped out this morning and got Finn's passport photos taken, then this afternoon he went to nursery, and I treated myself to a afternoon of shopping, beauty treatments and a Starbucks!
Today we were sporting the Panda eye patch, I think it's clever they look so funky instead of medical, I imagine it helps when the child is a little older.
Jumper - Next
Dungarees/Jeans - Vertbaudet - these are actually dungarees but the top part poppers off to turn them into jeans, cool huh!
Shoes - Zara
We haven't done a great deal today, we popped out this morning and got Finn's passport photos taken, then this afternoon he went to nursery, and I treated myself to a afternoon of shopping, beauty treatments and a Starbucks!
Today we were sporting the Panda eye patch, I think it's clever they look so funky instead of medical, I imagine it helps when the child is a little older.
It's the small things
I feel quite odd writing this post, why you ask? I'm going to write about a household cleaner, probably not something many people blog about!
If you follow me on twitter or instagram (miss_roc) you'll have seen me harping on about my love for CJ's BUTTer.
I buy them in mini sample pots and they're scattered all across the house and there is always a pot in every bag I own. It's fabulous as a bum cream and safe to use on cloth nappies as many other creams aren't. You can also use it for dry skin, rashes, eczema, hang nails and a leave in conditioner. Oh and the scents also smell divine! The use all natural ingredients and there are even vegan options.
My love for the BUTTer brought me to the Carcass Cleaner which I use as a wipe solution and as a body wash for Finn, it's the only thing which doesn't irritate his skin.
This all led me to CJ's all-purpose cleaner. I don't like the thought of cleaning products with harsh chemicals in them around Finn. I had I thought about making my own products but that seemed like to much hard work, so this is my next best option.
This cleaner is literally “all-purpose”! We like to call this the miracle cleaner, as we use it to clean EVERYTHING from the kitchen to the bathroom, windows, walls, and even the carpets!
CJ’s AP Cleaner is a real alkaline soap that kills viruses, bacteria, and mold. It is safer for the family, and smells great too. Many “experts” believe that alkaline soap products are better to use than the harsh chemical products, as those products, although they do kill the bad stuff as well, tend to contribute to the development of ”superbugs”, and may increase health risks like asthma.
Pour this in the soap dispenser of your steam cleaner or just spray on the carpet and scrub (or run your vaccuum over it) to get rid of even the toughest of pet stains. Choose a scent you love and you might even look forward to cleaning the house! If that’s not a miracle, we don’t know what is.
This comes in a 4 oz bottle as a concentrate–just reuse an old 32 oz spray bottle, add concentrate and fill the spray bottle to the top with water. You’ll be amazed! (Shake well before use.)
My whole house currently smells like Mango & Mint, mmmm! It's cleaned stains off my rug that I've been trying to shift for ages, all my work tops are sparkling and not a drop of chemicals in sight.
I'm quite excited to steam clean my floor later with the Warm Vanilla Cake!
It's super easy to use, pour the concentrate into a 32oz spray bottle (roughly a litre) with hot water and you're done.
It's probably slightly more expensive than a standard cleaner at around £4.50 but then again it is 'all-purpose' and chemical free.
I bought mine from the lovely Emily at Baby Peach who was placing an order and asked if there was anything anyone wanted ordering especially, but you can also it them from Funky Monkey Pants and Wee Notions. I'd buy them from Emily though, she's fab and her customer service is amazing.
The BUTTer samples & Carcass Cleaner you can find from most cloth nappy website.
Monday, 30 July 2012
Look again
No messy Mondays for us today, we had an appointment at the Health Clinic to get Finn's feet checked, or so I thought. Turns out our Orthopaedics appointment was actually for the Orthoptic clinic, slight difference, who needs their eyes testing?! Simple mistake right??
Finn has an intermittent squint, his left eye wonders outwards when he is day dreaming. so after a few tests, the eye doctor decided that he needs to wear a patch for about 30mins a day in the hope his lazy eye will strengthen and he has been referred to the hospital for further checks where they will dilate his pupils. Poor soul! I think I'll know that hospital like the back of my hand soon!
He seems to have taken to the patch quite well and wasn't bothered in the lightest!
We also met up with another mum today that I'd met on netmums which was lovely, Finn and her daughter got on really well, looking forward to meeting her for a coffee again soon.
Finn has an intermittent squint, his left eye wonders outwards when he is day dreaming. so after a few tests, the eye doctor decided that he needs to wear a patch for about 30mins a day in the hope his lazy eye will strengthen and he has been referred to the hospital for further checks where they will dilate his pupils. Poor soul! I think I'll know that hospital like the back of my hand soon!
He seems to have taken to the patch quite well and wasn't bothered in the lightest!
We also met up with another mum today that I'd met on netmums which was lovely, Finn and her daughter got on really well, looking forward to meeting her for a coffee again soon.
Thursday, 26 July 2012
You are my sunshine
I seem to have found an astounding array of new websites for baby/children's clothes. Current favourite is LittleSunflowers.
I bought Finn a super cute batman vest in their sale for £7.75, which came beautiful gift wrapped, for free I might add, I don't know about you but I'm a sucker for pretty packaging.
I know i'm biased but just how cute does he look...
Little Sunflowers also do a loyalty scheme and offer free delivery within the UK, there is also a pretty awesome sale on at the moment, go check it out.
You can find their website here, they're also on Twitter and facebook
I bought Finn a super cute batman vest in their sale for £7.75, which came beautiful gift wrapped, for free I might add, I don't know about you but I'm a sucker for pretty packaging.
I know i'm biased but just how cute does he look...
Little Sunflowers also do a loyalty scheme and offer free delivery within the UK, there is also a pretty awesome sale on at the moment, go check it out.
You can find their website here, they're also on Twitter and facebook
Wednesday, 25 July 2012
Bright as day
I'm in love with this jumper from Boys & Girls
Sadly it's out of stock in 1-2 years otherwise I would of snapped it up, I'm gutted actually as it's currently in the sale for £18.40.
Isn't it cute! It's available here
To be honest I'm pretty much loving most things on their website, roll on pay day is all I can say!
Tuesday, 24 July 2012
Trendy Toddler Tuesday
I've been wanting to join in with this for ages but Finn is a scruff pot on Tuesday's as he goes to nursery in the afternoon, but I thought today I'd dress him in his normal clothes before changing him into his messy stuff!
Jumper - H&M, it's 2-4months, I know he's small, but seriously?!
Drop crotch shorts - next
Linking up with Medicated Follower who is hosting this week.
Monday, 23 July 2012
Messy Mondays - Jelly
Today was overcast and grey, a great shame after the beautiful weather we got yesterday. I don't think I'll ever get used to the changeable weather here. In Norwich it's beautiful and sunny, yesterday, today and tomorrow!
So for our first adventure in messy play I thought we'd ease ourselves in with jelly, however I didn't read the instructions and put too much water in so it was a bit sloppy, not that Finn seemed to mind.
It took a couple of minutes for me to get him to engage in the jelly, I think it was a bit cold, but when he started squishing it in his hands he had a whale of a time throwing it, eating it and generally playing with it. His favourite things to do was slap my hands when I had a handful of the stuff.
In hindsight I should have ran him a bath first as I ended up running upstairs covered in jelly to sort him a bath out. He then spent another half an hour playing in there and had a lovely nap.
I posted one of these photos on facebook and a few other mums commented that I was brave for doing this with him. I don't see messy play as brave, just day/week activity to do with your child. What do you think?
I also mastered getting Finn in a back carry in the sling today, very proud of myself!
So for our first adventure in messy play I thought we'd ease ourselves in with jelly, however I didn't read the instructions and put too much water in so it was a bit sloppy, not that Finn seemed to mind.
It took a couple of minutes for me to get him to engage in the jelly, I think it was a bit cold, but when he started squishing it in his hands he had a whale of a time throwing it, eating it and generally playing with it. His favourite things to do was slap my hands when I had a handful of the stuff.
In hindsight I should have ran him a bath first as I ended up running upstairs covered in jelly to sort him a bath out. He then spent another half an hour playing in there and had a lovely nap.
I posted one of these photos on facebook and a few other mums commented that I was brave for doing this with him. I don't see messy play as brave, just day/week activity to do with your child. What do you think?
I also mastered getting Finn in a back carry in the sling today, very proud of myself!
Thursday, 19 July 2012
Babasac - Review
I was recently looking for a new sleeping bag for Finn, I wanted a 2.5 tog as he is always cold, however with it coming up to summer I felt I needed a lower tog one just in case the summer appears, which hasn't happened yet.
Enter the Babasac, The Brand new 2-in-1 multi tog baby sleeping bag, with inner layers that easily
zip out.
 |
| Excuse the snot, he had a cold! |
Zip finishes at bottom for easy night changes
Saves having to purchase summer weight and
winter weight sleeping bags
100% cotton outer and lining
Available in 3 sizes
Fully tested to British Safety standards
BS8510:2009
0-6m: £37.99 6-18m: £38.99 18-36m: £39.99
I bought a size 6-18 months with a minimum weight of 15.15lbs, Finn is only just hovering over 17lbs so it will last him a wee while yet. I did feel it was lacking in the length department however a quick check on their website shows a max length of 87cm, which is similar to the Growbag at 86cm. I'm not sure if mine might have shrunk in the tumble dryer as it looks significantly shorter!
The Zip out panels make changing between togs a breeze, helpful on those in between days when you're not sure what tog to put them in.
Using it is easy, simply leave the layers zipped in for 2.5 tog or unzip for 1 tog. The Babasac can be washed with or without the layers.
I would definitely recommend this sleeping bag, it also saves a fortune as you don't need to buy two different tog bags.
You can find Mama Designs ltd, the makers of the Babacsac on twitter, facebook and on their website.
Mama Designs is also the face behind the Mamascarf which is a breastfeeding scarf, I might do a review on that at a later date as although I only breastfed for 5 weeks, I found the Mamascarf a godsend!
Mel xx
Monday, 16 July 2012
Messy Mondays
I want to start doing messy / sensory play with Finn now that he is getting more and more interested in, well, everything!
So I thought I'd do a little list of things I'd like to try with him and write a post about it each Monday.
1 - Cloud Dough
2 - Potato printing
3 - Shredded paper
4 - Sand & Water Play
5 - Jelly Play
6 - Oobleck/Gloop
7 - Spaghetti sensory
8 - Homemade finger paints
9 - Shaving foam play
10 - Custard
11 - Clean Mud
12 - Instant snow
13 - Kool Aid play dough
14 - Mousse Play
Do you do messy play with your child? Do you have any other suggestions to add to my list?
Mel x
Mel x
So I thought I'd do a little list of things I'd like to try with him and write a post about it each Monday.
1 - Cloud Dough
2 - Potato printing
3 - Shredded paper
4 - Sand & Water Play
5 - Jelly Play
6 - Oobleck/Gloop
7 - Spaghetti sensory
8 - Homemade finger paints
9 - Shaving foam play
10 - Custard
11 - Clean Mud
12 - Instant snow
13 - Kool Aid play dough
14 - Mousse Play
Do you do messy play with your child? Do you have any other suggestions to add to my list?
Mel x
Mel x
Sunday, 8 July 2012
Fluffy bargains
Thursday, 28 June 2012
A cheeky discount code...
I managed to pick up a few Christmas presents for Finn yesterday from the Early Learning Centre sale, shhhh but the code CROCODILE gives an extra 20% off. Go! Go! Go!
Mel x
Mel x
Wednesday, 27 June 2012
Bad parenting
Those of you that follow me on twitter, will know from my constant moaning that Finn is one of them children that go on hunger strike often. Generally he eats well, if he can pick the food up with his pincer grip. however probably 2/3 out of 7 he doesn't eat enough to keep a sparrow alive and drops the food off his highchair with great contempt.
My dilemma is, do I try to feed him healthy, nutritious food on his off days, or do I feed him what I know he will eat, which is generally either cheese on toast, a mini pizza, petit filous or Cheerios.
The latter makes me feel like a bad mother for not giving him any vegetables or fruit, the former again makes me feel bad as I know he won't eat. I swear he's trying to put me in an early grave.
The doctor has finally listened to me and has referred Finn for his development and weight, he's about 12 weeks behind developmentally and his weight has stayed static for about 3 months now, so I am glad someone is finally listening to my concerns. Despite this he is the happiest child known to man and is so chilled out he's practically horizontal!
When he eats, he eats the most huge portions, when he doesn't eat, he eats nothing at all! Does anyone else little one do this, what did, what would you do?
The latter normally prevails, tonight was cheese on toast followed by two petit filous, least I know he ate.
Mel x
My dilemma is, do I try to feed him healthy, nutritious food on his off days, or do I feed him what I know he will eat, which is generally either cheese on toast, a mini pizza, petit filous or Cheerios.
The latter makes me feel like a bad mother for not giving him any vegetables or fruit, the former again makes me feel bad as I know he won't eat. I swear he's trying to put me in an early grave.
The doctor has finally listened to me and has referred Finn for his development and weight, he's about 12 weeks behind developmentally and his weight has stayed static for about 3 months now, so I am glad someone is finally listening to my concerns. Despite this he is the happiest child known to man and is so chilled out he's practically horizontal!
When he eats, he eats the most huge portions, when he doesn't eat, he eats nothing at all! Does anyone else little one do this, what did, what would you do?
The latter normally prevails, tonight was cheese on toast followed by two petit filous, least I know he ate.
Mel x
Tuesday, 26 June 2012
Too routine?
Recently I made a resolve with myself that, I can't sit at home mopping about having made no friends up here, so I decided that I need to go in search of other mummies. My problem? I'm writing this whilst the kiddo naps, there in lies my problem.
I read Gina Ford whilst I was pregnant and promptly thought it was most definitely not the route for me, I'm pretty relaxed, and Finn is so relaxed he's practically horizontal. However, once he's been awake for 2-3hours, that's it, he is whacked and needs at 2 hour nap. Now this rules out pretty much every playgroup, music group, library rhyme time due to their 9.30-10.30 starts. Luckily I've found one group that runs in the afternoon every other Friday which I'm going to this week, but do I keep him awake, struggle through the morning with a whingy toddler who won't enjoy himself? I've decided otherwise. Currently our mornings are lovely, so I think I'm just going to have to wait until he pushes his naps back a bit or is able to stay awake in the morning longer until I can go find myself lots of lovely new friends!
My sleepy bedhead boy.
Mel x
I read Gina Ford whilst I was pregnant and promptly thought it was most definitely not the route for me, I'm pretty relaxed, and Finn is so relaxed he's practically horizontal. However, once he's been awake for 2-3hours, that's it, he is whacked and needs at 2 hour nap. Now this rules out pretty much every playgroup, music group, library rhyme time due to their 9.30-10.30 starts. Luckily I've found one group that runs in the afternoon every other Friday which I'm going to this week, but do I keep him awake, struggle through the morning with a whingy toddler who won't enjoy himself? I've decided otherwise. Currently our mornings are lovely, so I think I'm just going to have to wait until he pushes his naps back a bit or is able to stay awake in the morning longer until I can go find myself lots of lovely new friends!
My sleepy bedhead boy.
Mel x
Friday, 22 June 2012
Angelcare Sound and Movement Monitor Review.
I have been meaning to review the Angelcare Sound and Movement Monitor for ages. It's probably my top baby buy. Ever.
When I was pregnant the baby monitor market was a minefield, sound, movement, video, so many to chose from. I just wanted to be able to hear him, so I plumped for a tommee tippee basic one for about £20.
Then Finn decided to come 5 weeks early. Stepping into neonatal intensive care for the first time was like another world. So much noise, bells, whistles, alarms. I spent 17 days constantly watching Finns stats, listening to those beeps. I knew if he stopped breathing, even for a second.
We all know about SIDS and how to reduce the risk, sleeping on back, no smoking, baby at foot of cot etc. having a premature baby increases the risk of SIDS, and I happened to have one that rest to sleep any which way but on his front. So £80 lighter I bought this monitor. It has given me peace of mind everyday since. Especially fresh out of hospital. I have only just stopped using the SensorPad, and that was purely because I left it up north on a visit and had no choice. Otherwise I'd be using it still.
Product Details -
-Under-the-mattress SensorPad to monitor all your baby's movements, even the lightest breath
-Variable sensitivity settings, alarm will sound if no movement has been detected for 20 seconds
-Portable rechargeable Parent Unit, clip to your belt and monitor your baby on the go
-Enjoy crystal clear sound transmission and security with the unique combination of 8 channels and 2 frequencies
-Full colour digital display, batteries or mains operated
Pro's
- You can select the monitor to 'tic' constantly, if it stops ticking, baby has stopped moving and off goes the alarm. I found it very reassuring, and very soothing.
- The temperature is show on the screen, you can set an alarm to go off it's too hot or too cold
- Easy to change frequency, as I found out when classical music starting booming through it and scared me half to death
- super long battery life. I charge this at night, it lasts a 2 hour nap in am, a nap in pm, then about 4 hours in the evening until I recharge it.
- the nightlight is just enough for a dimly lit feed.
- It has a good range, I used to sit in the garden and it worked perfectly well.
- volume control
- easy to chose settings from sound/movement/ticking or all three
Con's
- the only negative I have is you can't have it constantly on audio, the only setting is to pick up noise, so my mum hates it, when I was little she could hear me breathing over the monitor, this is silent until a noise is made. This only became noticeable to me when I turned the SensorPad off, it went from constantly ticking to silence. However I'm used to it now.
- it is a bit complicated, that's only because it has so many different settings, I did have the instruction manual out for a fair few weeks.
- this is only really if you're forgetful but if you pick the baby up out of the cot without putting the monitor on hold the alarm goes off. Thats not really a con as its only doing its job, it's just a bit annoying!
- no two way talk back, not that I see why you'd need that but competitors have it.
- no lullabies.
The cheapest I can find it at the moment is £79.46 on amazon. In my opinion it is worth every penny if you want/need that reassurance. There is also a video version of this monitor.
Mel x
When I was pregnant the baby monitor market was a minefield, sound, movement, video, so many to chose from. I just wanted to be able to hear him, so I plumped for a tommee tippee basic one for about £20.
Then Finn decided to come 5 weeks early. Stepping into neonatal intensive care for the first time was like another world. So much noise, bells, whistles, alarms. I spent 17 days constantly watching Finns stats, listening to those beeps. I knew if he stopped breathing, even for a second.
We all know about SIDS and how to reduce the risk, sleeping on back, no smoking, baby at foot of cot etc. having a premature baby increases the risk of SIDS, and I happened to have one that rest to sleep any which way but on his front. So £80 lighter I bought this monitor. It has given me peace of mind everyday since. Especially fresh out of hospital. I have only just stopped using the SensorPad, and that was purely because I left it up north on a visit and had no choice. Otherwise I'd be using it still.
Product Details -
-Under-the-mattress SensorPad to monitor all your baby's movements, even the lightest breath
-Variable sensitivity settings, alarm will sound if no movement has been detected for 20 seconds
-Portable rechargeable Parent Unit, clip to your belt and monitor your baby on the go
-Enjoy crystal clear sound transmission and security with the unique combination of 8 channels and 2 frequencies
-Full colour digital display, batteries or mains operated
Pro's
- You can select the monitor to 'tic' constantly, if it stops ticking, baby has stopped moving and off goes the alarm. I found it very reassuring, and very soothing.
- The temperature is show on the screen, you can set an alarm to go off it's too hot or too cold
- Easy to change frequency, as I found out when classical music starting booming through it and scared me half to death
- super long battery life. I charge this at night, it lasts a 2 hour nap in am, a nap in pm, then about 4 hours in the evening until I recharge it.
- the nightlight is just enough for a dimly lit feed.
- It has a good range, I used to sit in the garden and it worked perfectly well.
- volume control
- easy to chose settings from sound/movement/ticking or all three
Con's
- the only negative I have is you can't have it constantly on audio, the only setting is to pick up noise, so my mum hates it, when I was little she could hear me breathing over the monitor, this is silent until a noise is made. This only became noticeable to me when I turned the SensorPad off, it went from constantly ticking to silence. However I'm used to it now.
- it is a bit complicated, that's only because it has so many different settings, I did have the instruction manual out for a fair few weeks.
- this is only really if you're forgetful but if you pick the baby up out of the cot without putting the monitor on hold the alarm goes off. Thats not really a con as its only doing its job, it's just a bit annoying!
- no two way talk back, not that I see why you'd need that but competitors have it.
- no lullabies.
The cheapest I can find it at the moment is £79.46 on amazon. In my opinion it is worth every penny if you want/need that reassurance. There is also a video version of this monitor.
Mel x
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