Living Arrows | Bright Sunshine-y Days...

'You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth' Khalil Gibran.

Thankfully the weather has drastically improved and we've been spending every spare second outside, playing and sorting out the garden borders. 

Living Arrows | Rain Does Not Stop Play

'You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth' Khalil Gibran.  

It's been 3 months since my last Living Arrows post and I can't quite believe the difference in Iris. She seems to have grown so much both physically and mentally. She's no longer a baby and is now a fully fledged toddler. She's learning to speak with such ease and clarity it really does amaze me. My favourite words this week have been dinosaur and mammoth. Like most people the weather has kept us indoors this last week so we've been doing a lot of indoor play and I've discovered some amazing play accounts on Instagram. 

Living Arrows | Freedom

'You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth' Khalil Gibran

When it comes to children I think freedom can be a confusing thing. Does too much freedom create unruly children? Does too little create timid children afraid to reach out? I don't have the answer but I know that throughout my childhood my mother managed to achieve a near perfect balance of freedom.

Travel | 72 Hours in Amsterdam (Child Free!)

We visited Amsterdam for a very specific reason and that was to see Ed Sheeran. We'd tried for hours to get tickets to any UK venue but it just wasn't happening so when we found tickets for Amsterdam that were cheaper and readily available we dived right in and decided to make a weekend of it. We flew from our local airport that is just 20 minutes away and we stayed at NH Museum Quarter. The hotel was in the perfect location, just a five minute walk from the beautiful Museum quarter and we were lucky enough to have a room with a canal view. The rooms were light and spacious and thankfully offered guest controlled air conditioning as we stayed during the summer heatwave.

Parenting | What Is Reflux And How To Treat It.

Reflux occurs when the oesophagus is underdeveloped and allows stomach contents to flow back up into the mouth and throat. There are two types, Reflux and Silent Reflux. Reflux tends to manifest as significant vomiting whereas silent reflux tends to be where the stomach contents flow up to the mouth and irritate the area. 

Most Used Items | Our Weaning Essentials

Weaning can be scary and just like with breast vs. bottle you will be judged on how you approach it. Sad but true. We personally adopted the baby led weaning approach and it worked exceptionally well for us and Iris is a fabulous eater but it won't work for everybody. Weaning is like the entirety of parenthood, it's down to you to work out what's best for your family and the types of product you use for weaning are also very much down to personal choice but for us these are the things that have found most useful.

Gift Ideas For A One Year Old

They always warn you that children grow so fast but until you've had a child of your own you don't really understand just what that statement means. From birth to 12 months old your child completely transforms from a helpless newborn that is entirely dependant on you to a feisty, independent toddler. 

At this age attention spans are short but there is so much development happening that the right toys can be instrumental in aiding a child's development. This is the age where 'learn through play' really starts to develop and it is a joy to watch. This gift guide aims to provide gift suggestions that will keep a child engaged and allow them to exercise all their newly developing skills.

Review | Mutsy Evo Travel System

Mutsy? Not a brand you've heard of right? Prior to attending the Baby Show at Birmingham NEC in 2017 I hadn't heard of them either. I researched all the pram and pushchair brands that were going to be at the show, the price points and read any reviews I could find. We knew we wanted an all-in-one system, something with a carrycot, that could adapt to fit a car seat and then convert to a stroller. We wanted a product that would last for years but we didn't want to spend a fortune. Practicality and quality engineering were paramount, 'designer' brands were irrelevant. Prior to the show I'd narrowed it down to four options. The moment I saw the Mutsy Evo Stroller and Carrycot the others were blown right out the water.