Contented Baby and Toddler Shopping Blog
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GLTC |
Going from a cot to a bed is a huge step. It can be very daunting for both parent and child as both parties worry about falling out! A safe and great solution is to use these useful fold-down bed rails, which are currently £10 off. When your child's favourite character changes from week to week, it can get terribly expensive if you have to keep on updating their crockery! A simple solution is using these cheerful (unpatterned!) melamine mug, bowl and plate sets. GLTC is offering £7 off if you buy them all as a set (5 mugs, 5 bowls and 5 plates). |
Grobags and swaddling |
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| I always recommend newborn babies to be swaddled in stretch jersey. This is not only more comfortable for the baby, but the stretchy jersey will allow your baby to have a little movement, whilst still being securely swaddled. Baby etc has a good one which looks really soft and snug. |
Baby Swing |
| If you have twins or perhaps a toddler and a small baby, using a baby swing can be a life-saver for both mother and baby if, for instance, she cannot get out for the late-afternoon nap, or the other baby or child is taking up mum's attention. I really like this one from Graco which has very smooth movement, is suitable from birth and has a very secure head support. |
Humidifiers |
| Recently I noticed a few posts about the benefits of a humidifier for babies if they are struggling with a cold or chest infection etc. I personally found that along with propping the cot up, humidifiers really did help enormously with babies and toddlers when they were ill. I particularly liked the ones that are designed to allow you to use aromatherapy oils, should you wish.
One of our members also mentioned that using a humidifier was also excellent for her baby with eczema as humifiers help prevent the central heating induced dryness that can lead to itching and discomfort particularly in winter. Click here and here to see two that were recommended to us. |
Weaning |
| Weaning can be a fun and exciting time, but boy can it be a messy business! Memories spring to mind of what a nightmare it can be trying to remove food stains (particularly carrot) from the necklines of babies' clothes, because bibs would never sit well enough around the baby's neck. To overcome this problem, first I used to put a muslin around the baby's neck, then put the bib on over the top. One of our members has recommended another great solution: this fantastic double terry bib which has a snug fitted neckline and avoids the problems of dribbles and stained clothes. |
| Once your baby starts self-feeding, you could still use these bibs, but I would recommend you use a pelican-type bib on top to catch squeezed-up food dropped by little hands. I particularly like this one as it can roll up for travel. |
Bathtime |
 Once your baby is able to sit unsupported I would highly recommend one of these rotational baby bath seats, that is secured to the bottom of the bath using suction pads. This bath seat enables you to free both hands so you can wash and play with your baby. I used to find that it was best to wash the baby's bottom first before sitting them in the seat, rather than waiting until the end of the bath, when they are usually engrossed in playing. |
| Talking about bathtime, this fabulous bubble maker has been a real hit with many of our contented babies. Getting the the bubbles to float into the air is a great way of getting them to raise their little arms so you can get to the areas that are sometimes difficult to give a good wash. With older children it can also be used to keep your toddler busy at the kitchen sink, whilst you do a few necessary chores. |
Wooden stepping stools |
 With so much equipment and so many toys being made of plastic nowadays, it was so nice to see this lovely wooden polka dot stepping stool for toddlers. This non slip stool will help your child reach the wash basin and the loo safely - don't give them any excuses for not washing those hands! A bit expensive, I know, but it is something that does get used a lot during the toddler years.
However, if you like a natural wooden finish, here is a great alternative. |
Bedtime |
Once your toddler is transferred from cot to bed, the problem of them then arriving at the side of your bed at 6am often occurs. Top tip: if you've got an early riser, start setting the animal to wake in 10 minute increments from their current wake-up time so staying in bed is achievable. Read Linda Russell's advice on how to implement the technique of the magic light, to get you toddler to stay in bed longer in the morning. Also remember that some toddlers may need less sleep than average. Between twelve and fifteen months many will drop their morning nap and only need one nap a day of two hours. By eighteen months some may even have to have their lunchtime sleep cut back to around one hour. |
Toilet training |
| Although all potties look the same, this one has been designed not to tip over as your toddler can put his feet on the base which prevents any spillages. |
| Potty and toilet training can be terribly frustrating for both parent and child. I found that when potty training toddlers it is important to keep a sense of fun. These ingenious little balls give them something to aim for in the potty! Hopefully they will also reduce the need for constant floor cleaning around the toilet too! |
New skills and responsibility |
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| Because of the busy lives so many families lead these days, it is so easy to overlook the importance of learning new skills, even skills that seem pretty minor, like tying shoe laces, can go a long way to helping increase your child's confidence. Remember, the more skills your child learns the more confident it will help him become when facing the many challenges he has ahead of him. Check out The Toddler years book to find out more on how you can help your toddler or child learn new skills, and at what ages you should start encouraging them to self-feed, dress themselves and take more responsibly for themselves. |
| Taking of responsibility, I think this magnetic responsibility chart is a great way of encouraging your toddler of young child to get involved with regular daily tasks. Although it may be quicker to do simple things like clearing the plates away, or putting their clothes in the laundry basket yourself, it does not really help them learn to take responsibility. During the second year I used to always get the toddlers involved with these simple tasks, then when a new baby came along, they were so used to doing simple little tasks, that it made times like bedtime much easier. Whilst the mother was dealing with the baby the toddler could be encouraged to run around putting clothes in the laundry basket (or in a pile on the landing). Allowing them to choose and lay out some of their clothes for the following day is another task to encourage their development skills and confidence. |
The Great Little Trading company is a huge favourite of ours. They currently have some very good offers on, for instance this 
I know many of you are having difficulties trying to find 0.5 tog grobags. We have tracked some down for you 
Whilst Velcro type footwear is great and saves time, at some stage a child does have to learn how to tie laces. I think
