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This day I love.......

Little Man loves to sit up.  He loves to watch the world go by and take in his surroundings.  With the nice weather the girls have spent most days outside playing and Little Man has wanted to join them.  He has not been very content laying on the picnic blanket in the garden, and when sat up with pillows he has an urge to start crawling and gets frustrated, so I needed a solution.  The Babymoov compact chair provided this.

Whilst the Babymoov compact chair is designed for babies over 18 months of age, it worked for Little Man.  It is also designed to act as a portable highchair and using the straps can be securely fastened to a chair to provide a high chair when out and about.  We use it in the garden, as a seat for Little Man to play and watch his sisters.


He was incredibly happy with his new found freedom.  He was secure in the chair and well supported, and loved having the tray to pat his hands on and play with his toys.  


There is some assembly required out the box, this was a little fiddly, but once done it does not need doing again.  Everything folds together incredibly compact which makes it really portable.  There are also 3 adjustable heights making it grow with baby and last longer. 


Given the weather was so nice we decided to have lunch in the garden.  The girls sat at their picnic table and Little Man made full use of his Babymoov compact chair. 


Little Man was incredibly happy to be able to have his lunch outside and with his sisters.  He loved his new perspective on the garden and the outside world.  


We will be taking the Babymoov compact booster chair with us when we go for picnics or when we go to visit parents as it is perfect for travelling and for use both indoors and out. 

The compact booster chair was provided for review, all words are my own opinion. 


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I never intended on writing a post about the decision behind how I feed thing 3.  My personal belief is that as long as your child is fed then it really does not matter if you breast or bottle feed.  Today I was pushed over my limit of tolerance with my decision and I need to write this, to remember this point.

I don't attend baby groups as a general rule because in the past the ones I did attend were full of Mums comparing their children.  I have very little interest in this, children walk, talk and do everything else at their own pace and in their own time and I do not feel the need to compete with other Mums.  Today I broke my rule and decided to attend a group, I won't be going back.

The group was entitled 'Infant Feeding support group' what it should have been called 'Breastfeeding ONLY group'.  My baby is bottle fed. 


I am happy and comfortable with this decision, it is the right decision for my family.  My girls were breastfed.  My eldest until 15 months and youngest until 9 months.  I absolutely hated breastfeeding, I felt useless, ashamed and very hormonal.  I hated feeding my kids whilst sat on a toilet because I was too embarrassed to feed them in public.  I hated the dirty looks if I did brave it.  I hated the loneliness of sitting on my own, because I was too scared to feed my kids in front of my family and I really disliked not knowing how much my girls were taking.  The first few weeks were painful, no cream helped and my milk never came in.  I never leaked and never felt 'full'.  I still to this day have the scars from where the girls bit me and caused me to bleed.  I felt like I missed out on my eldest growing up because I was the one breastfeeding her sister and could not play or give her the attention she needed.

This time was going to be different.  I offered Thing 3 the option when they were born, but they could not latch and rather than stressing and getting upset they were then bottle fed.  It actually was the best decision, well so far anyway.  It is much easier, much less painful and I still feel connected to the girls.  I am not embarrassed to feed Thing 3 and feel just as close to him as I do the girls.  The bond between me and baby is just as strong as it is with the girls.  He still roots, he still looks to me for comfort and I hold him close mimicking a breastfed baby positioning.  

Today I was forced to justify this choice.  The day went like this:

Them : 'Hi, I am the infant feeding support worker, is your baby breast fed?'

Me: 'No'

Them : 'Oh, that is a shame.  What happened?'

Me : 'Nothing, we decided to bottle feed'

Them : ' Oh, well how old is baby?'

Me: '5 weeks'

Them : ' Hmmm, well it might be possible.  Hmmm, well am not sure but if you wanted to we could try to start lactating again'

Me : 'Errrrr, no its OK thanks'

Them : 'Well your baby looks very small, it really would be much better for them for you to at least try'

Me : 'No am OK thanks. Can I ask if there is a bottle feeding support group?'

Them : ' No, just this one for breast feeding but here is a leaflet for bottle feeding'

Me: 'So who do I ask for advice?'

Them : 'You could try the NHS website'

I was then asked to talk some more about why I was bottle feeding and told it was very important that only I fed baby in order to build a bond and avoid any confusion and dysfunction in later life.

My questions therefore are this, why give someone a title of 'Infant feeding support worker' if the support is only available to those who are breastfeeding? And why have an 'Infant feeding support group' if the support is only available to breastfeeding Mums?

My family and I are comfortable with our decision to bottle feed, but I know there are plenty of Mums out there who need support.  Who thanks to all this pressure feel like failures that they cannot breastfeed, when actually they should be proud of themselves for feeding their babies.  Why can't we support each other regardless of how we feed our babies?  Formula is there for a reason, but we should not judge each other based on our decisions to feed our children.

I do not judge those who choose to breastfeed, or for how long they choose to breastfeed.  Good for them if that works for them and their family.  I do not judge those who choose to bottle feed, good for them  and I do not judge those who do a combination of both.  As I said before as long as baby is fed, does it really matter?

What perhaps has shocked me most about today is the 'Infant support  worker' did not know my state of mind, never asked about support but instead pressured me and made me question my judgement as a mother.  I hate this.  She had no idea to my background.  I could have spent weeks coming to terms with wanting to breastfeed and instead having to bottle feed.  The journey someone takes to feed their child, is their journey and no one else's.  Perhaps it is worth thinking before one Mum judges another.


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Thing 3 has decided to be formula fed, which we are all comfortable with.  Having not had a formula fed baby before I am having to get used to taking formula with me when we go out.  This means organising feeds.  Twistshake helps with this organisation.

TwistShake is the net generation of baby bottles.  Available in 3 sizes 6oz, 9oz, and 11oz and a huge variety of colours, they also feature an easy grip design and heat retaining plastic.  There are several components which make the TwistShake unique.  The first is the container, you simply fill this with the desired amount of formula you need.  You can stack the containers to make up a days feed, or as many containers as you need for when you go out.  These containers can then be transferred to the bottle with no spills and no mess.


The anti colic nipple has a bulb shape and a flexible top which makes it easy for baby to latch to and feed from.  TwistShake is easy to clean and both microwave and dishwasher safe.  The real clever part of TwistShake is the mixer.  This effectively dissolves the formula and reduces the risk of clogging.  This ensures no disruption to the flow of milk for baby and can help reduce colic.


TwistShake is simple to use, easy to clean and easy for baby to use too.  Not only that it comes in some amazing colours so really stands out from the norm.  It is perfect for travelling or when you are visiting friends or relatives.  A really innovative baby bottle! 

We were provided with a bottle in exchange for review.  All words are my own opinion. 
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Apologies my update for the things that have arrived for Thing 3 is a little late.  Thing 3 has had a wonderful week and has received a lot of amazing items

SnuggleBundl

If you haven't seen SnuggleBundl you really need to go and take a look.  They offer a great solution for transporting a sleeping baby from a car seat into the house or even the pushchair.  Meaning the car seat can stay in the car.  This is great because there is no lifting a heavy seat or disturbing a sleeping child, not only this but it means a baby can sleep in the lie flat position.  Perfect for any parent but particularly those who have had C sections.  I cannot wait to use SnuggleBundl with Thing 3.  The girls have already been practising with their babies


Cloth Nappies

This week I have ordered some cloth nappies from some pre loved cloth sites and they have arrived.  I am going to do as I did with the girls and use cloth nappies when at home and where possible out and about.  Although I tend to use disposable when out because I had a habit of forgetting the used nappy in the bag and then not washing it soon enough [you get the picture].  At home however I loved cloth nappies because I just put them straight in the wash.  The combination approach worked well for us.  I have been amazed though at just how much choice there is, as there was very little when my eldest was born.


Tommee Tippee

I am really lucky to be working with Tommee Tippee and will be doing a more in depth review when baby arrives.  This week Thing 3 received some Tommee Tippee milk feeding bibs.  I loved these bibs with the girls.  They have a larger part round the neck which stops the milk dribbling down babies neck keeping it dry.  The soft material is also perfect for wiping away any spills.  They are so much more absorbent than other bibs and are on the top of my must have list for any baby.


We also received some closer to nature advanced comfort bottles.  These bottles feature a special vent which helps to reduce colic.  I was very lucky that neither of my girls suffered with colic and I wanted to do everything I can to help Thing 3.  The bottles come in a pack of 4 and I am looking forward to seeing how Thing 3 gets on with them.

As Thing 3 is a very lovely surprise, it also means that I am starting from scratch with everything.  The Tommee Tippee Closer to nature complete starter kit has everything in it I need to feed baby.

Electric Steam Steriliser
Travel Steriliser
Electric Bottle and Food Warmer
3 x 150ml Closer to Nature Easi-Vent Bottles with Slow Flow Teats
5 x 260ml Closer to Nature Easi-Vent Bottles with Slow Flow Teats
2 x Medium Flow Teats - 3-6m
2 x Fast Flow Teats - 6m+
4 x Milk Storage Lids
6 x Milk Powder Dispensers - 0m+
2 x Insulated Bottle Bags
1 x Bottle and Teat Brush

Thing 3 is feeling really loved and I feel we are almost getting there for their arrival.

Dreamgenii

Ok I won't lie this is not strictly for Thing 3, but it would not be here without Thing 3!  With my girls I struggled to get comfy during the later stages of trimester 2 and trimester 3 and would fidget in bed trying to find the best sleeping position.  I can slowly see this creeping up on me again, as I begin to wake in the night to get comfy with Thing 3.  



The Dreamgenii is multi award winning and Patent pending.  As I am now 20 weeks I cannot wait to start using it.  From 20 weeks the Dreamgenii can help encourage optimal foetal positioning which can lead to a shorted and less painful labour.  I really like the sound of this, along with the fact it supports back, bump and knees it sounds fantastic.  I shall let you know how I get on soon







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It was a rainy day today but my youngest wanted to see some animals.  We decided to visit the farm, and thought we would try a new one.  Matlock farm park is a new farm for us, but the site looked amazing and one I wanted to take my daughter to.

We arrived and was immediately greeted by the farm cat, my youngest was so excited by this and seemed to want to stay and play with the cat.


We headed inside [or outside as the case maybe] and began to explore.  There was a beautiful wooden pirate ship themed play ground but it was a little wet so we headed over to the meerkats.  My youngest had arrived just in time as it was feeding time.  She was given an egg and some meal worms to throw in, which she took great pride in doing.

We began to explore more of the farm following the trail, which is pushchair friendly.  I came across this beautiful face peering over the fence


My daughter loved that she could feed the animals and was allowed to interact with them.  The alpacas were normally too scared to come over to be fed but they came over for the first time to my youngest.  Even the baby, Poppy, came over and took food.


My youngest wanted to stroke all the animals, even the pigs!


I was impressed by Freddie, I don't think I have ever seen a red deer before.  He was very handsome


Of course you cannot visit the farm without seeing some cheeky goats.


Or in this case some cheeky Donkeys


There was even time to feed the ducks


and give carrots to the horse


Before we headed over to the small animal centre.  My youngest held a Rabbit, Guinea Pig and a chicken


 Before meeting a very cute Leopold Gecko


We had a wonderful day exploring the farm even in the rain and are looking to go back next week with her sister for the Halloween activities. 

This day I love a rainy day at the farm,


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The Vital Baby Trap a Snack makes it easy to carry snacks whilst out and about.  The lid is made of slatted plastic which is incredibly soft and makes it easy for little hands to get snacks out without the snacks spilling all over your handbag.  

I use the Trap a snack when I take the girls swimming.  I can fill with the girls favourite snacks, be it dried fruit, cheese or rice crisps and I know that the snack will stay in the tub.  This removes those half opened packets in my bag that spill everywhere and generally means less mess.

The girls were a little reluctant to use the trap snap at first, I think unsure what they were putting their hand into.  Once I should them what to do and that food comes out they were more than happy to use.  My youngest loves the easy to carry soft handle on the side.  She can carry her snack around and I am not worried about her tipping it up and making a mess.

vital baby trap a snack

The Vital Baby Trap a snack is perfect for on the go feeding.  For taking snacks with you and not having to worry about the mess or half opened packets.

We were provided with a Vital Baby Trap a snack for review.  All words are my honest opinion of the product. 
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i love that my daughters have a keen interest in outside from such a young age.  They are both always wanting to go outside and both showing an interest in looking after wildlife.  After work today we took the opportunity to first check on our seeds we planted a few days ago

checking on plants

My eldest was pleased to see a few green shoots, I think she will understand more when she sees the flowers.

After watering our flowers we gave the birds some water too.

water

Before giving them some more food

filling with seedsbird feeder


My eldest loves watching for the birds and told us that we had to go back inside and be quiet so we could watch them and not scare them away.

over the bridge

We went back inside and I started to cook the girls their dinner.  My eldest said she wanted to help and to make us some ice cream

making ice cream

I am not sure why she needed to wear a bib or fill it with pegs to make an ice cream but I do love her imagination.  We did have some ice cream after dinner which my youngest thought was yummy

yummy

This day I love looking after the birds
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With today Valentines Day my daughter had made her Daddy a special card.  She had stuck lots of pieces of red felt onto some card to create a Love heart and then covered in glitter

Valentines Card

Her Daddy really loved his card.

Whilst I was getting ready this morning the girls were very happily playing together and my eldest was trying to show my youngest daughter how to look after her 'baby'

love baby

It was really lovely to watch them playing together nicely, although I am not sure why she chose to sit in the wardrobe to do it.

The girls had baby sign class today, which is something that they both really love to do.  My eldest has started to sign even more recently, especially around her sister.  I am wondering if she is trying to help her sister communicate with her?  In the lesson the girls were given rabbit ears to wear as part of one of the songs and I loved how cute they both looked in them

Rabbit ears

It is one of my eldest favourite songs and she loved hopping like a rabbit.

My eldest really loves to help me, although her idea of help is not always the same as mine.  She wanted to help me today by feeding her sister

feeding

My youngest did not mind, she loves her food.  I was not too pleased as I wanted my eldest to eat her yogurt and not feed it to her sister.  In the spirit of Valentines we really have had a day filled with love.

This day I love Rabbits and love.


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Thisdayilove has teamed up with yoomi to provide 1 lucky winner with the new 8oz Feeding system. 



Yoomi is a premium easi-latch bottle, a travel warmer and a bedside warmer in one compact and stylish package, a 3 in 1 feeding system.  At the touch of a button, yoomi warms baby's milk to the natural temperature of breast milk in just 60 seconds.  The new feeding system includes the new super quick charging pod to make feeding even easier.  

Yoomi is a bottle and warmer all in one, yoomi


  • warms feed in 60 seconds - great for night feeds and when out and about
  • breast milk temperature every time - no guessing temperature, perfect every time
  • portable, ideal for feeding on-the-go or at night
  • naturally shaped teat for easy latch-on
  • unique 6 anti-colic vent system for less colic
  • rechargeable warmer  - 150 charges
  • 2 minute charging pod (compatible with 750-1000 watt microwaves)
  • 100% BPA free
  • all yoomi parts interchangeable across the range

What's in the box:

  • 1 x 8oz bottle with orange collar and slow flow teat
  • 1 x warmer
  • 1 x charging pod

I have used yoomi products with both my girls and combination fed with no problems, yoomi is a great feeding system and would also make an ideal gift for a new baby.  
Winner of four, Loved By Parents Gold Awards (Best Product for Bottle Feeding (twice!), Best Innovative Feeding Product and Best Travel Invention) and selected as a Finalist in the Tots to Travel Awards, yoomi can be used anytime, anyplace, anywhere and is the most practical solution to feeding on the go
To be in with your chance of winning this amazing price please follow the instructions on the rafflecopter below, competition opens 13.11.12 and closes 30.11.12, one lucky winner will be chosen at random


a Rafflecopter giveaway



ThePrizeFinder - UK Competitions
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About me

About Me

Welcome to This Day I love.

My name is Leyla, also known as Mum to my 3 humans and dog Mum to J. I have a passion for the outdoors and love to run. I can often be found off road exploring the trails and fells and covering distances all the way up to 50 miles. As a family we love travelling and discovering new adventures, as I try and run around the world!

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