Upon having a child, it seems that there are endless questions both Mum’s and Dad’s seek answers for. Relatives and friends can be an excellent source of information, it can often help to have impartial advice and suggestions from other parents as they are often facing the same challenges as you at the same time.

Although, most health visitors and midwives often suggest getting out and meeting other Mum’s and Dad’s in order to make new friends who may have children the same age as your little one, it can often be difficult to get out whether you have just the one or more children. This can be when the internet becomes a Mother’s Best Friend, from websites to forums to blogs, the internet is a rich source of advice which is easy to access.

Grace, Mum to Felicity and Lacey uses the internet to share videos upon her life as a Mum. Grace has over 1000 subscribers to her videos on www.youtube.com/thegracediaries and is so successful that she is now a youtube partner.  Grace has kindly taken her time to make a three part video to answer your questions upon being a Mum to ‘more than one’.

Mums Baby Magazine would like to thank Grace for her time and wish her the very best for Felicity and Lacey. If you have a VLOG that you’d like to share with Mums Baby Magazine then please email us writeforus@mumsbabymagazine.com

Claire from Loughborough is Mum to Rudy (3 months). Claire has been using the Kari Me sling since her son Rudy was only a few days old. Claire shares her thoughts upon this product.

I have been using the Kari Me sling since my son, Rudy was a few days old, initially using the front ‘cuddle’ position. This position made Rudy feel so secure and comfortable that he would often fall asleep whilst I pottered about.  The ‘cuddle’ position also allowed me to breast feed my son  ‘hands free’,  so I too could have a drink!

The Kari Me sling is beautifully made, mainly from strong, stretchy cotton (90%+) with no awkward buckles or straps. 

Once your baby is heavier and more alert (they must be over four months of age for their own health and safety) you can use the front facing out position, allowing them to investigate as you walk about. Rudy especially likes looking up at the trees from his supported place.  The Kari Me sling is fully adjustable to suit the user and allows many different positions, thus Rudy’s Dad is also able to use the Kari Me Sling without having to readjust straps.

Kari Me Slings are light and easy to pack up and to take out and about.  We’re looking forward to continuing using the sling as Rudy grows. The Kari Me Sling can be used from birth to three years.

The sling comes with a simple instruction booklet with diagrams fully explaining each position and how to wrap the sling. It is easy enough for even me to understand!  Although the sling is very simple and quick to put on it did take me a little practice to put Rudy into single handed, but it is easy enough once you’ve practiced a position a couple of times. I  highly recommend this product to other parents.

The Kari Me Sling is available in a wide range of colours, The Kari- Me Sling can be purchased online from www.kari-me.com for £37.95.

The all new Wonderoo V2 Cloth Nappies fit from birth to potty training age (8lb- 35lb). This Pocket Nappy features poppers which can alter the size and fit of the nappy according to the child’s requirements. Not only does the nappy itself alter in size but the all new three stage micro-terry/ bamboo insert can now be altered in shape and size using poppers. The absorbency/ padding can be altered according to activities/ times e.g night time/ day time using the Three-Stage absorbency padding:

• Stage 1: A small contoured bamboo terry insert (to be used alone for small babies)
• Stage 2: Large rectangular insert made from six layers of soft and stretchy bamboo terry (to be used for larger babies)
• Stage 3: The two inserts can be snapped together to provide extra absorbency for older babies, night times or heavy-wetters.

The Wonderoo V2 is the ideal cloth nappy for parents, Grandparents or carers who may find two part nappies difficult or overwhelming to use. The Wonderoo V2 Nappy is an ‘All In One’ Pocket Nappy which makes this nappy as easy to put on as a disposable nappy. Although, this nappy does need stuffing, this can be done once the nappy is washed and dry, making the actual changing process a ‘one step process’.

The Wonderoo V2 is now available in a wide range of colours with either a PUL or Fluffy Minky outer. This nappy isn’t only easy to put on but looks cute and is just as soft as it appears for little ones to wear. The Wonderoo V2 has all improved leg gussets with anti-wicking technology and is now trimmer and offers a more improved fit, making the nappy far more comfortable to wear.

The Outer PUL/ Minky cover is soft to the touch and is made from stretchy fabric, the inside of the nappy is made from micro-terry fleece which pushes any liquid into the pocket of the nappy where absorbent padding soaks up any moisture. The Micro-terry fleece therefore remains dry protecting babies skin. The moisture is locked in the pocket of the nappy keeping both clothes and skin protected and clean.

Upon product testing the Wonderoo V2 with Josh (15 months), Mums Baby Magazine found that the baby wearing the Wonderoo V2 was very comfortable and slept for far longer during nap time whilst wearing this product. Upon removing the nappy, the Micro-Terry fleece inside felt quite literally bone dry, the babies skin was therefore well protected reducing any chance of issues such as Nappy Rash (which is quite common for those children wearing disposable nappies). The outside of the nappy was still clean and dry as expected whilst the pocket contents were indeed soaked. Josh had no pressure/ wicking marks and seemed very happy whilst modelling and testing the Wonderoo V2.

 The stuffing/ inserts can be removed easily for washing. This nappy can be machine washed at 40 degrees Celsius, although can be washed at higher temperatures if required (perhaps if the nappy has been soiled and requires a hotter wash). To dry, hang out on the line or alternatively you can tumble dry this item on a low heat. It is suggested that children should not wear any creams such as rash cream which are greasy and can damage the absorbency of the Wonderoo V2.

Available from £13.99 from www.babykind.co.uk, The Wonderoo V2 is a popular choice of cloth nappy. Baby Kind offer this nappy for sale either separately or as part of a ‘Ready-Made Kit’ which includes all the accessories and items needed to begin using cloth nappies. Although this nappy may seem expensive to some, this is actually a very economic and cost saving nappy, considering that it fits from birth upwards and can be washed and reused as many times as you please!

Mums Baby Magazine were hugely impressed with this cloth nappy and see it as a cloth nappy which is the closest in design to disposable nappies which many parents may be used to. Therefore, this would be the ideal cloth nappy of choice for those parents starting out and wishing to ‘swap to cloth’. The Wonderoo V2 Fits well and is easily adjusted in length and width to suit the baby, therefore fulfils both babies and parents requirements.

Our children are quite literally a mirror to ourselves. Every action we carry out, our children watch with interest and soon enough begin to copy our movements and actions. Toddlers can often become frustrated as safety conscious parents try to protect their children from harm by removing items such as hot cups which could burn little fingers or plates which could break and be sharp and hazardous. Anything of significant danger is placed high up out of our children’s reach, our children still watch what we do with fascination whether they can reach or not… They later try to emulate us as we carry out the everyday chores such as make a cup of tea or load the washing!

One way in which to encourage role play without quashing our children’s desire to copy our actions through removal of dangerous items, is to offer infants, toddlers and children alternative items which are child friendly and safe to be played with.

The ELC Spotty Tea Set is available in either blue or pink, including four saucers, four cups, four small teaspoons, a teapot (and lid), a milk jug and sugar pot (with lid). Ideally, setting this tea set upon a toddler sized table offers your child the chance to role play without having to reach onto high surfaces or worse, play upon the floor. After all, our children see us at tables with cups and saucers, therefore we should offer them the chance to do the same! Why not setup a Family Tea Party or even a Teddy Bear’s Tea Party?

Available from the Early Learning Centre (www.elc.co.uk) the ‘Spotty Tea Set’ retails at only £8.00 and offers hours of educational, life skill based fun for tots and children.

Suitable from three years upwards, Bending Buddies are small toys which are crafted from wood and fully flexible.  In the centre of the bending buddy is a wooden cube, the cube has slits cut into each side which allow the arms, legs and head to be moved back, forth, left, right, up, and down.

These flexible friends vary in design, colour and animal. This toy is ideal for travelling as its small and light. It could also be a perfect ‘party bag’ filler!

Bending Buddies are available for only £1.30 from www.thewoodentoy.co.uk, this is a bargain price for hours of fun!