April Issue - Baby Buzz Magazine

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Whatever happened to traditional toyshops? Whilst most have disappeared from Britains high streets, theres one still going strong; After Noah is like toyshops used to be. ....................................................................................................................................................................................................
Take a stroll down any high street and youd be forgiven for being unsure of the town you were in, with the same selection of familiar, bignamed retailers sprinkled liberally along the road. Wander along Upper Street, Islington however and remarkably youll nd many small independents alive and well. Right in the middle, between Highbury & Islington and Angel Tubes, is a jewel of a shop named After Noah. After Noah rst opened its doors more than 23 years ago selling traditional and vintage toys and over the years extended its vast selection of all things childlike to an eclectic selection of toys that you just dont seem to nd anywhere else. More than just a shop, its a real experience; its appeal is a combination of Aladdins cave & a magical kids emporium. Having the favourite local hangout of every mother, stopping off for a natter, while the little ones tuck themselves into corners, in the many areas they can play with the toys. Catering for all kids, this unique shop stocks goods from newborn upwards and really is worth a visit. Open every day until 6pm (except Sundays when it closes at 5pm), you should make time to see it and if you cant, you can buy almost everything online at www.afternoah.com - and they ship nationwide.
A Real Toyshop
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TOYS
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established a following throughout north London and beyond, it simultaneously is
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Favourites Discount
10%
Sophie the Giraffe Teether 13.50
Best Sellers
Elephant Glove Puppet 12.99
Wooden London Bus 12.99
Lets Go Fly a Kite 5.99
when you shop online using this code: babybuzz04 Offer ends 30th April.
www.afternoah.com
a family-run company
Editors Welcome
Hi Everyone
I hope you all had a wonderful Easter! How much chocolate have you eaten this Easter? Did you use any of the wonderful ideas in the last issue to give to your children instead of chocolate, I hope so We have some fantastic features this month including the start of a multi-part feature from gardening expert Dawn Isaac (gardening consultant behind the hit childrens Cbeebies show Mr Blooms Nursery and an exclusive from new author Angus Kennedy, who delivered baby no. 5 on the kitchen floor, a month early! The book, called The Kitchen Baby, is written from a pretty unique, fathers perspective and highlights (sometimes quite graphically) the horrors that were endured and at times made me cry, laugh or just be purely astounded at what was happening. We also have our wonderful regular features by Allergy UK, Nature Child and Busy Bee Benefits to name a few. This month we have done something a little differently for our Food & Recipes feature, in that we have a mum who has launched a wonderful new range of satisfying meals and snacks to provide our recipes, keep an eye out online for MyMummyMadeIt. This month we have 2 amazing travel systems to give away in our review section, not to be missed, plus an amazing array of other wonderful competition prizes including a hanging tent from one of Parents in Business who featured last month WinGreen. Remember - you have to enter to be in with a chance to win! As always, if there is anything you would like to know or would like us to review, just pop us an email with your contact details and well get straight back to you. My email address is: nickie@babybuzzmagazine.com
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Please support this months amazing charity. Pop N Grow make and supply premature clothing to babies all over the UK. Each set costs just 11 to make and so they rely on donations in order to maintain the amazing work they do. Please donate any amount, it all helps For more information or to make a donation please contact them at:
Nickie
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Contents
Baby Buzz Magazine Limited Unit 136 North London Business Park Oakleigh Road South New Southgate London N11 1NP Company No: 8234631 Editor Nickie Evans nickie@babybuzzmagazine.com 0208 361 0727 07535 541 303 Assistant Editor Cindy Evans Customer Services Jenny Blythe Website & Design Emily Hewett, I am Emily contact@iamemily.co.uk Baby Buzz Magazine is published monthly by: Warner Midland Limited Disclaimer:
The views expressed in this magazine are not always those of the publishers. Neither the publisher nor any other person associated with the production and publication of this magazine makes any guarantee, warranties or claims as to the accuracy of any of the contents of this magazine. We include and use products and services that we believe to be of a reputable standard but we advise readers to make their own judgements. The publishers and magazine will not be held accountable and or responsible for any loss caused by errors, loss or negligence resulting from Baby Buzz Magazine Limited. We do not accept responsibility for any unsolicited material or photographs published. Terms and Conditions for our competitions can be found on our website at the time of being published. No section of this magazine is authorised for use or reproduction in any form without the prior consent of the editor.
COVER STORIES 12 Parents in Business - Inspirational stories 36 Angus Kennedy - The Kitchen Baby 40 Get Growing with Dawn Isaac 48 Mr Mum - Trials and Tribulations 49 Mummy-2-be - Trimester 2! Family Focus 9 BusyBeesBenefits - Childcare Vouchers 24 MojoMums - Helping mum get her mojo back! 33 Bestbear - Checking nanny and childcarer CVs and references 34 Jo Tantum - Baby Sleep Expert 35 Dr Ella Rachamim - Be ready to parent Family Business Focus 12 Parents in Business - Inspirational Stories 20 The Buggy Network - mixing business with bottles 22 Business of the Month - Trunki 65 Whats On? 70 Business Card Directory Health & Wellbeing 23 Allergy UK - You and your new baby 26 Pure Hair & Beauty - Top tips for looking after mum 54 Yoga - Stretching your childs mind, body and soul 58 Naturechild - Breastfeeding - why it doesnt have to be hard Get Creative 45 Jo Jingles - Herts 46 Paint the Town - Enfield 47 Active Creative - London Food & Recipes 27 Recipes with My Mummy Made It 28 Yummy Discoveries - your feeding and fussy eating queries answered 30 Little Dish - parents reviews Travel Destinations - by Holiday Tots 55 UK - Cornwall 56 Abroad - Brittany News & Reviews 51 Buggy Reviews and giveaways 52 Product Reviews 53 Clothing and Baby Essentials Reviews Competitions - Page 8 Cobweb Knits - Blanket & Hat Set Pink Lining - A gorgeous tote bag and smaller mum on the run bag Shnuggle - Moses Basket Starter Set Spring Baby - Benji the Rabbit Gift Set WinGreen - Stunning red gingham hanging tent
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Cover Credits: Rachael Feraira Photography: www.rachaelpereira.com/
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A warm welcome
A Warm Welcome To
Aidan Louis O'Malley 7lb 9oz 28th February 2013 Julie Forde and Paul O'Malley
Lola Isobel Hewett 6lb 13oz 22nd February 2013 Adam and Emily Hewett
Evie Grace Down 6lb 13oz 15th March 2013 Stewart and Hayley Down
Lily Mary Thomas 27th January 2013 9lb 1oz Natasha Louise Keenan and Matthew Thomas (Big Brother: Archie Thomas age 17 months)
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Photo Noir portraiture takes a step back in photographic time - it is classic black and white portrait photography simply executed to create the most beautiful images.
Classic - Timeless - Simply Beautiful
LIMITED SESSIONS ARE AVAILABLE AND MUST BE BOOKED BY 31ST MAY 2013
Where simplicity is key - clothing is dark, expressions are soft and natural, and the final black and white finish all help to maximise the emotional impact of these striking timeless portraits.
Now you can picture your own child in a stunning Sue Kennedy Photo Noir original.
Simply phone 01279 433392 and mention that you saw this feature in Baby Buzz Magazine to receive your free Photo Noir session. Once your session has been shot, a special preview show will take place where you can purchase your beautiful images from our exclusive product range.
Framed Photo Noir portraits start from only 80
I am excited to be offering these gorgeous portraits at my studio. As a photographer I love to experiment and this style is essentially an update on an old classic style and a joy to create. To me a simple Photo Noir portrait is a thing of timeless beauty something my clients can enjoy on their walls for years to come. I have a studio based in a beautiful quirky location on the edge of Harlow its an old flour mill stuffed with creative businesses everything from artists to designers, plus several sheep, ducks, chickens and a donkey! This is where I photograph newborns and older babies. The grounds are beautiful and I often use them for my outdoor shoots too.
Sue
website
SueKennedy.co.uk
blog
SueKennedy.co.uk/blog
telephone
facebook
Facebook.com/ portraitphotos
twitter
Twitter.com/ SueKennedyPhoto
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Competitions
(acorn Darima Frampton
COMPETITIONS
www.pinklining.co.uk
For your chance to win the acorn blanket and hat set, simply answer the following question: How many hat designs are there in CobWebKnits wildlife range ?
For your chance to win the green dragonfly tote bag and matching mum on the run bag simply answer: In what year was Pink Lining established?
www.cobwebknits.co.uk
For your chance to win a moses basket starter set, simply answer the following question: What new product is about to be launched in the Summer of 2013 ?
www.shnuggle.com
EMAIL ALL ANSWERS TO:

INCLUDE: NAME, ADDRESS, TELEPHONE NUMBER
INFOBABYBUZZMAGAZINE.COM
What with winter and the cold spell hopefully now just a thing of the past, answer the following question for your chance to win a gorgeous red gingham hanging tent, courtesy of WinGreen. Let your childs imagination run wild! How many colours are the hanging tents available in and at what price do they retail at?
www.wingreen.co.uk
Busy Bees Benefits
Childcare vouchers Get Them While You Still Can!

Childcare vouchers have been a popular and valuable benefit for working parents for a number of years. We have talked about them in most of the issues of Baby Buzz to date, because they can save families so much money. However, the scheme is set to change under new plans by the Government, announced on 19 March. 2013. As new systems will need to be put in place to operate the new funding scheme, parents may not be able to access any money until Autumn 2015, when the scheme will be phased in. It will initially only apply to children under 5 and will eventually be available to pay for childcare up to the age of 12. Childcare vouchers will continue to be open to new joiners until the Tax-free Childcare scheme starts, so if you are currently employed, pay tax under PAYE and are not currently using childcare vouchers, talk to your employer about putting a scheme in place. It could save you and your company hundreds of pounds even before the new funding is made available. If your employer has reservations about offering it, here are some great reasons for them to change their mind:
Under the childcare voucher scheme, an employee could access savings on registered childcare via their employer if a scheme was on offer They will save up to 402 per year per employee (before (childcare vouchers are a voluntary service charges are applied) in employer National employee benefit). Employees could Insurance contributions give up part of their salary up to Offering childcare vouchers is proven to help with 243 as a basic rate taxpayer, or less if recruitment and retention of staff they were a higher rate or additional rate taxpayer. They paid no income It costs nothing to set up a scheme and only takes a couple tax or National Insurance on this of minutes over the phone sacrificed amount, which created an annual saving of up to 933. This could only be used to pay for registered childcare. The scheme Employers who offer childcare vouchers can be sure their was run based on each working parent and their individual tax employees will enjoy a seamless transition to the new status, so if both parents worked and were in a childcare voucher scheme if they are eligible scheme, they could together save 1866. Childcare vouchers are currently used by around half a million parents. However, there is Its easy to find out more information just log on to no compulsion for businesses to offer the scheme, so take up is www.busybeesbenefits.com. patchy. Childcare vouchers also arent available to those on minimum wage (as sacrificing part of their salary would breach minimum wage regulations), nor to those who are self-employed. It is particularly important to join a childcare voucher scheme now if only one of you works as the new funding will not be available to To provide financial support for childcare to more parents, the households where one parent is employed. The childcare voucher Government is now proposing a scheme which could provide up to scheme will run until 2020, but will close to new joiners once the 1,200 in savings on registered childcare per child. It will only be Tax-free Childcare scheme is up and running in 2015. You can save available to households where both parents work (or the single up childcare vouchers for later use, even if your child is not yet in parent works in a single parent family) and they are not already in childcare. receipt of Tax Credits or, later, Universal Credit. It will include those on minimum wage and those who are self-employed, whereas One the new scheme is available, parents already using childcare these groups are excluded from the Childcare Voucher scheme. The vouchers can choose which of the schemes will suit them best and Tax-free Childcare scheme will also no longer be offered via save them the most money. employers. It will be up to parents to choose a voucher provider themselves. The parent will pay 80% of their childcare bill and the If you are interested in Childcare Vouchers or registering for the Government will subsidise this with 20%. Where childcare costs Tax-free Childcare scheme once it becomes available, visit exceed 6,000 per child, the Government will not provide any www.busybeesbenefits.com subsidy after the 6,000 threshold has been reached and parents will continue to pay anything over this amount themselves. Under the childcare voucher scheme, additional rate taxpayers (who earn over 150,000 could also make savings on childcare, but they will be excluded from the new proposals. Following the announcement, there will be a consultation period where those involved in the current scheme will have an opportunity to comment and contribute to plans for how the transition to the new scheme will work and the details of how it will operate. It is expected the consultation will go on until the end of
Fertility & the law
Fertility and the Law

In the third article on Fertility and the Law, Karen Chapman, Solicitor at Chapman Pieri Solicitors considers the legal implications of donor conception. There are two types of donor conception; egg and sperm donation through a licensed clinic or known egg and sperm donation. The law is generally more straightforward for those conceiving with an egg or sperm donor provided by a licensed UK clinic. This can make the legal issues more clear cut. When conceiving through a licensed clinic, the donor of either the egg or sperm will remain anonymous so the donor will have no legal rights. The law on known donation in the UK can be complex. In general where the recipients are treated as the legal parents, the donor is not treated as the legal mother or father if donating to a married couple or civil-partnered lesbian couple as long as the conception takes place artificially whether at home or a clinic and both partners consent. If the donation is to an unmarried couple, the conception must take place at a licensed clinic and both must sign parenthood forms. In other cases including donation to a single woman and donation through intercourse the donor is treated as the legal father, in which case there may be a financial responsibility in law to the child. The child may even have a right of inheritance. If a donation takes place on the basis that the donor will be involved as a co-parent it is important to take steps to protect the position, for example by getting legal advice to ascertain whether it is possible to be named on the birth certificate, which in part depends on the choice of the co-parent mother. A co-parenting agreement may well be advisable so that all parties involved make their intentions clear from the outset. For further advice contact Chapman Pieri Solicitors on 0208 882 9850 or visit www.cpfamilylaw.co.uk
Katies Kingdom
Tel: 07447 920 355
Welcome to our brand new soft play group, which is in an enclosed area, so safe even for the littlest ones. There will also be a bouncy castle providing fun and good exercise too as well as rideon toys and shapes plus a colouring corner, mega blogs table and much much more! We will also be introducing pop-up shops to the group which will be selling a range of goodies from kiddie bits to home wares. If you know anyone who'd be interested please give details as we love to see something every week! We will have refreshments and cakes available, all made by local bakers as well as fruit, sandwiches and snacks. ~ We Look Forward to Seeing You ~
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SALE OF BEAUTIFUL QUALITY PRE LOVED BABY & CHILDRENS CLOTHING, EQUIPMENT & TOYS
NEWBORN - 12 YEARS OLD
OPENING HOURS: MON-WEDS: 11am - 3pm FRI: 9am-5pm
TELEPHONE: 07989 587 813 / 07880 704 334
THE BARN, 1 PYE CORNER, CASTLE HEDINGHAM, ESSEX, CO9 3DD

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Are you in need of some inspiration or encouragement, is starting your own business the right thing to do? Read what this months businesses have done and how and why it worked for them
Who is behind the Product? My husband Adam, studied Engineering at Uni and then went on to work in Manufacturing. When our first child Rose was born I found it really hard to sleep when she did. We had this new little person in our room that we were responsible for and it took some getting used to! She slept in a wicker moses basket next to our bed and every time she moved in her sleep it creaked and made noise. The hood never stayed up and it was also really hard to clean. We asked lots and lots of parents at Mother & Toddler Groups and online what they liked about moses baskets and what they would improve. Adam started to design a new and improved version of the traditional basket and the Shnuggle was created. A hypoallergenic, almost silent and very easy to clean modern moses basket with a hood that stays up. How did the company get started? The company was started officially in 2009 and we set up a basic website. We both continued to work on our day jobs. I managed a Government funded debt advice service so my team regularly heard updates from me about Shnuggle and two of my advisers received Shnuggle baskets for their first babies! We shipped orders when the kids went to bed (by this time Liam had arrived) and worked from our kitchen and garage. What is the company about? In the beginning it was all about the Shnuggle basket. We quickly realised that to grow we really needed to continue to offer a range of innovative baby products that would help to make parenting a little easier. What do you hope to achieve? We are launching our fantastic Shnuggle Bath in Summer 2013 so we are hoping to see it in shops across the UK. The Shnuggle bath is made from a soft touch material that is warmer for baby's skin and helps to keep the water warmer for longer. We also hope to grow our business even further and offer our products across Europe. We already ship to different countries but if we can supply retailers in other countries this will keep the cost of delivery down for our European customers. What has been the highlight of starting your own company? The highlight of starting our company has been hearing from lots and lots of Mums and Dads who love a product that we designed! We regularly receive feedback and photos from Mums showing us their cosy babies sleeping in their Shnuggle basket. That's the best job satisfaction for us! What has been the downside of starting your own company? It has been a struggle financially and all of our resources have gone into the business. We have funded it all ourselves but it hasn't been easy. Also, getting the balance between family life and the business is tricky. We are building the business to help secure our children's future but as you would expect they would rather bake buns or play dinosaurs with us so we have to make sure we make special time for the family. What would your advice be to any parent wanting to start up their own business? If you have a business idea and you really believe in it then you can make it happen. Do your research and look for local 'new business support' programmes. We have recently received government help to help with marketing and developing new products and also joined a local council Business Bootcamp which really helped us to fine tune our business plan. Get as much feedback on your idea before you spend any money on it and speak to other new business owners - they are a wealth of knowledge and most are happy to help. Finally, expect to juggle growing your business with earning money elsewhere and this could be for one or two years before your business can support you. It will take time and you wont be a success overnight (unless you are very lucky) but with perseverance and always keeping your customer at the centre of what you do, you'll be amazed and what you can achieve.
www.shnuggle.com
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Parents in Business
Who is behind the product? Me, Virginia, my husband Daniel and little Zoe, the shoe lover in the house. How did the company get started? It all started with Zoes first steps. I could never find shoes for her that I would be happy with and ended up buying three or four pairs every time we were travelling to Spain. People at playgroups used to notice Zoes shoes and would asked me where I bought them. The idea to start Little Footies played in my mind for some time until I got the courage to start it over. What is the company about? Little Footies is an online shop that stocks high quality Spanish shoes for children from 0-8 years. Our shoes are ethically made in Spain, under strict EU standards, with either 100% leather or environmentally friendly materials. Little Footies offers high quality products as well as great value and designs. What do you hope to achieve? I hope Little Footies will grow step by step over the next few years. We would like Little Footies to become a reference for unique Spanish shoes for children in the UK. Our long term goal is to establish a high street shop to make Spanish style accessible to the public.
www.littlefooties.co.uk
What has been the highlight of starting your own company? It always brings a smile to your face when you see the first purchases. It means that your business, your product, is out there, that people likes it; and that gives you strength to carry on every day. What has been the downside of starting your own company? Starting up is always difficult. All the paperwork and organising takes a lot of time and working full time on another job with a small child makes everything even harder. Then you pick up the rewards and you see that all your hard work is worth it. What would your advice be to any parent wanting to start up their business? Get crazy with marketing! If you dont have a strong marketing strategy you will not reach enough people to make a living out of your business. And if I can give another bit of advice: Work on your business a little every day; do not leave everything for the last minute or the weekend. Time can easily be managed if you work on your business thirty minutes every day instead of five hours on a Sunday.
Parents in Business
Who is behind the Product? Im Rowena and I set up Rosy Rosie a couple of years ago encouraged by a very supportive Husband and two enthusiastic daughters - Hannah (nearly 10 Mummy) and Abigail (4). I was given the nickname Rosie by my schoolmates when I was 4. How did the company get started? Out of my constant need for presents and gifts! As a parent, multiple Godparent and friend to lots of people with (lots of) children, I was always on the look out for fun, good quality and cost effective presents, my criteria always being would I like to receive this? I also handmake my own range of scented soy wax candles and have a number of very talented friends who create beautiful and covetable things who needed someone to sell for them. I started by taking pitches at various fairs and fetes mainly Summer and Christmas events - and was really encouraged and touched by the warm welcome the stall and all my products received from customers. Soon, I realised the constant question, Do you have a website? needed addressing and so I launched www.rosyrosie.com last September. What is the company about? Whilst I wanted products that are fun and a bit different I also wanted them to have a decent ethical and sustainable provenance - often handmade - and ideally were made here in the UK or at least supplied by UK companies who supported community projects in the countries they operated. All our suppliers have to fulfil this Rosy Rosie criteria. What do you hope to achieve? To steadily grow the range of products sourcing even more artisans with top quality and limited edition products and become the go-to place for present solutions! What has been the highlight of starting your own company? Aside from finally having a good stock of presents close at hand?! The people I have met - my suppliers are hugely inspiring and talented entrepreneurs - and in the main women! And my customers are always charming and like a chat as much as me. What has been the downside of starting your own company? It can as frustrating as it is satisfying. Sometimes I feel like I am wading through treacle. I have great ideas and know what needs to be done but I just cant accomplish everything as fast as I would like. What would your advice be to any parent wanting to start up their own business? Make sure you have a support network around you. Not just your partner who will inevitably find themselves listening to you an awful lot and undertaking more childcare than they anticipated. But also take time to build other relationships - with your suppliers, with people who could help you with ideas and advice like marketers, web experts, trade experts. Perhaps also seek out local business networks so you dont become too isolated. I certainly would not have achieved what I have achieved without such a team of other people. Oh and do a big cook up every few weeks and fill the freezer.
www.rosyrosie.com
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Parents in Business
Who is behind the Product? Helen Thomson, wife to George and Mother to Fletcher who is 6 and Purdy who is 3. How did the company get started? Whilst pregnant with my son Fletcher we bought a house that needed redecorating. Having been alarmed by the smell of the paint that we had bought from our local DIY shop I decided to look into whether it was safe to decorate whilst pregnant and what the fumes were that I was breathing in. I found that most paints have some pretty nasty stuff in, including VOCs (volatile Organic Compounds), Formaldehyde, petro chemicals and Xylene all of which can have a harmful affect on your health. Even after the paint has dried it can off gas and release chemicals into the room which can still be breathed in. If you consider that babies breathe 40-50 times a minute I needed to know that the environment I had created for my baby was going to be as pure as possible with no chemicals at all. This is where the idea came that a paint should be produced that was free from any harmful chemicals,VOCs as well as being totally safe for Mums and Babies. What is the company about? The Nursery Paint Company produces non toxic safe paint that is sustainable, antibacterial and safe to use throughout pregnancy and safe for babies to sleep in straight away. What do you hope to achieve? We want our brand to be recognised and that when you come to decide to decorate your nursery it is done with the safest of products. What has been the highlight of starting your own company? We have had a great resp\onse from everyone, it seems everyone gets the product. The feedback from Mums and Dads has been phenomenal and they absolutely love the quality of the product and the colours. What has been the downside of starting your own company? So far there hasnt been any (touching wood) it has been great! The response has been terrific, yes there are stressful times but when you believe in a product so much those stresses are few and far between. What would your advice be to any parent wanting to start up their own? Being organised is essential. I try to know what we are all eating for the week so that I am not rushing home and having to start cooking, so meals are cooked and prepared at the weekend. When you are with the children, give them your attention, its too easy to become engrossed on twitter and facebook and they soon pick up on it.
www.nurserypaint.co.uk
Parents in Business
Who is behind the Product? That would be myself, Mr Paul Roberts with 20 years experience in the business working for all the major brands, initially with Mamas and Papas, then head hunted to Silver Cross when they still produced in the UK, Then spent a great 5 years with Emmaljunga Barnvarnsfabriken in Sweden heading up the UK, Then introduced the Norton motorcycle mark into Nursery based at Donnington with their Great British heritage. How did the company get started? When my son was on his way it was time to do something the way we wanted and develop something high quality at affordable prices, take all the experience and good points we had gathered and load them into a product that would appeal to the parents of today. Knowing what put us off and what really worked. So we took the plunge at the worst time ever and went for it! What is the company about? Simple! The best quality at the most affordable prices. No hidden surprises of accessories etc. We have a full range of products to offer by the summer of 2013 with British heritage brands supporting what we can do and making joint ventures with us in a full range of Car seats. We make products that really make a difference to people lives easy for public transport or sitting in the Nursery. What do you hope to achieve? That is a very good question, we want to make a difference, we want to be different and stand out from the crowd, we want to be exclusive, we want to be remembered and most of all we want to be British. What has been the highlight of starting your own company? We have enjoyed meeting our customers first hand at consumer shows as normally you do not get the chance as a Designer, MD or warehouse operative. What has been the downside of starting your own company? The unforeseen circumstances that arise that really affects your business a supplier of a bearing or wheel can stop everything and restricts cashflow as your invoice stops, this will happen in every business from time to time as it is real life. Its how you deal with it that truly sets you apart. What would your advice be to any parent wanting to start up their own business? Ensure you have a water tight business plan and cashflow forecast, if you have IP ensure this is filed with a reputable law firm, give yourself some extra cash for the unforeseen circumstances, Stay focused on what you are doing and not anyone else.
www.mee-go.co.uk
Parents in Business
Who is behind the Product and how did it get started? Susan Engvall and Helene Nyrell are the women who started me&i in 2004, working from their homes in the town of Barsebck, Sweden. Back then, they simply couldn't find cool, high-quality kids clothes, as the choice was severely limited and very gender-specific. They joined forces with Camilla Blom Polfeldt, art director and print designer, to design their first collection. It was a runaway success, and from these humble beginnings it has shown impressive growth and has developed a big following among Nordic families! There are 14 people in the head office in Malm, Sweden, and 750 salespeople across Sweden, Finland, Norway, Germany and the UK. Our job is to communicate the me&i brand at home parties and events all over the region, building our own individual businesses with great support from head office and our local teams. me&i have been in the UK for 2 years, and I joined right at the start, becoming the UK North Team Coach after my first season. Initially, I saw a tiny picture of a cute dress in a magazine, and enquired about joining the company that day! My youngest child was nearly 1, and I could see that the time was coming when I would have to make a decision about what to do next. Luckily. I found me&i at just the right time! What is the company about? I fell instantly in love with the bright, retro styles, and unisex and child-centric design. I really love that me&i offer clothes cut for children, including cloth-nappy babies, and not just scaled-down teen styles. There are so many great design features that show that we know how children love to wear their clothes, and how we can make them last longer on our children! We only use the best and most comfortable fabrics, sourced in Europe and made in small factories which we have personally visited to ensure safety, environmental and ethical compliance with EU rules. It's great to know that the people who make our clothes are adults with proper rights and pay, not forced or child labour from the other side of the planet! Also, me&i are passionate about our fabrics! We wash-test our clothes for quality and robustness, and can demonstrate that our intense colours don't fade in the wash. Furthermore, the whole range is certified to stringent levels by the independent testing company Oeko-tex. They test for chemical residues and make sure the clothes are safe to wear. If you knew what was in some brands of clothes when you bought them, you'd think twice about putting them on your sensitive children's skin! What do you hope to achieve? Right now we have only 25 representatives in the UK, as we are very selective in the people we are looking to work with. We think the potential in the UK is huge, as Scandinavian style is very hot right now, and yet our quality and values are timeless. Some of the top sellers in the Nordic countries have incredibly successful businesses, working just 12 weeks each year, making excellent money, and having lots of time with their families. We are a little way from that in the UK, but it shows what is possible! What has been the highlight of starting your own company? I'm thrilled to have the chance to continue to develop my business skills, and remind myself that there is a competent adult inside the mummy! I love having access to the whole range of children's and ladies clothing, and therefore being able to make a statement about my taste for colourful, unisex clothes. Practically everyone in the company is a flexibly-working parent, so we all understand and work around the unpredictable demands of family life! It's great to be part of an international team, and we support each other using social media and regular phone contact. What has been the downside of starting your own company? Our business model at me&i is quite different to most home party companies, and sometimes party hostesses don't realise that their discount or gift is based on the numbers of people coming, and is nothing to do with what they spend. Its important to make sure everyone knows this, as that's what makes a me&i party a no-pressure occasion! I do find myself explaining the same things a lot. What would your advice be to any parent wanting to start up their own business? Make sure you give it time to succeed, and don't be put off by initial set-backs. There's a certain amount of trial and error involved in any new venture! Do what you can to give yourself a good work-life balance, and ensure that you have good support for your family. If your other responsibilities are weighing on your mind, then you won't feel free to get stuck into a working role. And finally, make sure it's something that will stay varied, fun and involve you in doing something that gives you a buzz!
www.meandi.se/en/
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Parents in Business
Who is behind the Product? Friends Katie, Beth and Sarah. We have five children between us, with two more on the way! We are all from different career backgrounds, Katie formerly worked in retail for ASOS.com, Beth in the charity sector and Sarah is a chartered accountant and accountancy teacher. We all bring very different skills to the business. How did the company get started? On the birth of her second child, Isla, Beth received one particular handmade gift from a family member and was blown away by the practicality of the blanket. When Isla was wearing the blanket out and about, Beth was always asked by Mums, where they could get hold of one. The idea for Nod Pod was born and Beth consulted Katie on how to get started. Katie was equally enthusiastic about the potential of Nod Pod so together with Sarah we formed a partnership. What is the company about? The Nod Pod is a soft fleece baby blanket with legs and a hood to keep baby safely wrapped up and snug. Traditional blankets keep baby warm, but when simply draped they are easily wriggled out of and became bulky or impractical when trying to keep the little one covered in the car seat or the pram. Only too often, vulnerable little feet and hands can be seen poking out into the cold. The Nod Pods simple and versatile design keeps little ones warm and cosy whether they are in a baby carrier, car seat or a pushchair, easily accommodating straps or zips without the need for fiddly threading. We sell the Nod Pod on our website and through independent baby clothing and nursery equipment boutiques. We have a lovely range of colours and prints to choose from in sizes 0-6m, 6-12m and age 1-2. What do you hope to achieve? We started the business as we all had great belief in the potential of our product. We wanted to do something that would work around our children and our philosophy is always family first. Whilst our children are young, our aim is to gradually grow the company at a pace that suits our commitment to our families. At the same time though we are very ambitious for the future and in the long term we would love to see the brand grow into a global success story! What has been the highlight of starting your own company? The freedom to make decisions and put ideas into action without having to deal with the constraints and politics of a large organisation is very liberating. It is a lot easier to work hours which are compatible with raising small children. There is a lot more flexibility around when to put the hours in, as opposed to in a corporate environment where there is often little flexibility for working parents. We usually find ourselves working hard in the evenings and at nap times. What has been the downside of starting your own company? In the beginning of a new business it is very difficult to make the kind of money you earned in a former career. Its definitely important to take a long term view as there is no guaranteed pay packet at the end of each month! What would your advice be to any parent wanting to start up their own business? If you truly believe in your product or service then go for it. Be realistic in your expectations about the hours you will need to put in and the returns you will make in the first few years. Seek out other parents who are in business for advice and support as it can be a lonely so its vital to have a network of support and encouragement.
www.nodpod.co.uk
Parents in Business
Who is behind the Product? I am Bomme and together with my husband (Klaus) founded Kinderroom in November 2009. We live with our two daughters Juliana and Maya in Royal Leamington Spa where our shop is. Kinderroom (www.kinderroom.co.uk) brings together a collection of beautiful, stylish, good quality and value for money childrens furniture, toys, gifts and room accessories. I run the daily operations whilst Klaus is in the background advising customers on our furniture ranges. How did the company get started? Klaus had long been frustrated with his then day job and he dreamed of working with wood. This led him to write an article about his dream business for a glossy lifestyle magazine. The article was never published, but it gave birth to the idea behind Kinderroom, a shop that sold everything that you would expect to find in a childs room. What do you hope to achieve? We are passionate about helping every family to buy the best childrens furniture for the childs room that their child will enjoy, is practical, will suit their budget and will stand the test of time. We promote furniture that will grow with your child and that can be repurposed over time. For example, a bunk bed can be transformed into two single beds.
What has been the highlight of starting your own business? The excitement of seeing our ideas and plans grow from nothing to something. We were highly delighted when we opened our shop in Leamington (31a Warwick Street, Leamington Spa CV32 5JX). We were even more delighted when our first customers trusted us to help them in acquiring the right furniture for their children. It is incredibly rewarding when you have a highly satisfied customer. What has been the downside to starting your own company? I sometimes feel that I am being pulled in all directions and this can be very stressful. If there is a job to be done, then basically its down to me. It can also be hard to separate out family time from Kinderroom as owning your own business is a twenty four seven job. What would you advise to any parent starting up their own business? Get qualified paid help for the jobs in your business that you either have no experience of doing or that you believe you wont enjoy doing. If you dont enjoy doing it, you wont be good at it. Dont be afraid of making decisions and if something isnt working, change it! If you want to get in touch, contact us at contact@kinderroom.co.uk
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www.kinderroom.co.uk
Buggy Networking
Bringing baby bottles and business together!

With our launch last month going so well we're well on our way to creating a fantastic group of members with wonderful guests at our meetings! More of you are spreading The Buggy Network word and coming to visit and join up for membership. I want to build a really strong network of amazing women in business that work together for each other whilst doing amazing things for themselves along the way: that's what networking is all about. As an example, here's a story about how two members met each other and plan to generate business for each other... Mary Tryphona and Elena Ioannou are two working mums that have been coming to our meetings since launch. Sitting next to each other for the first time at our Baskervilles Tea Rooms meeting (which also has fantastic cake and green tea) they had a good chat. Mary runs Gold Boutique and is a fashion guru designing belts, jewellery and accessories that can literally transform your wardrobe to into completely new outfits! Elena and her husband run Paramount Health & Fitness gym in Palmers Green which also provides a crche facility for you to leave your children in for an hour whilst you do your workout. She has a fantastic child minder looking after the children called Fortuna Carletto. The Buggy Network had held a meeting in the crche and Ive seen first-hand how wonderful she is with the children, including my own. The interesting thing is that Mary has been talking about her birthday coming up in a few months and how shes been looking for a venue and she hasnt liked any of our suggestions yet, until Elena asks when the date is exactly that she wants the venue for? She wondered as shes is actually renovating the old Snooker Club in Southgate behind the tube station into a brand-new bar. All of our faces turn to stare as Marys face lights up! "REALLY?! I used to love it there! Brilliant!". And it was sorted! Mary and Elena had a really good chat (which of course we all took part in) and decided that she was having her party there at what will soon be called Dillons. It will be ready at the beginning of May and Marys birthday party will be held there shortly afterwards. Not only that, but Mary told another friend about the venue and they have booked their party there too! Dillions will be a sports bar during the daytime, but at night a normal bar for those of us that arent quite into the sports bit. Our Mary loves sports though so I expect it will be a Spurs party although it will likely be the most fashionably dressed one ever! Just from sharing a problem for business or even pleasure therefore you can find a solution through getting to know someone and what they do. They say a problem shared is a problem halved? A problem shared at the Buggy Network is a problem solved as many members and visitors will testify to. So to be unique you go Gold Boutique, but when its time to party Paramount Gym will take you to Dillons Bar to party like a football star!
For more information, please contact: www.thebuggynetwork.com
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21
Business of the Month
BUSINESS OF THE MONTH

Rob Law MBE is the founder and director of Magmatic Ltd, the brand behind the much-loved childrens brand Trunki. The company is dedicated to the invention and distribution of iconic yet attainable products for tots on-the-go. All their creations are designed in England and distributed worldwide, including the unique Trunki rideon and BoostApak the innovative booster seat that doubles as a backpack. The company is a template of success for young British business, imagineering mould-breaking design-led products that compete on quality and value, not just price. There are 25 team members based at Magmatics headquarters, a converted chapel in Bristol. The office was created to Robs unique specification which included a slide, table tennis boardroom table and Astroturf mezzanine floor. The open, non-hierarchical work environment is designed to encourage creativity and communication between all departments. The forward-thinking office also features a library tucked away in the roof of the building allowing staff to get away from it all, and relax with a laptop on an oversized bean-bag! Trunki Instantly recognizable, Trunki is the worlds first and only rideon suitcase for globe-trotting toddlers and is the brainchild of Law. The tots-eye-view luggage concept has been designed to allow young children to actively participate in the travelling experience in a safe and practical manner, and have great fun doing it. Toddlers can Pack, Carry & Ride their hand luggage-approved Trunki, whilst parents can keep them in tow during the journey and relieve a little bit of the stress. The Story A regular business traveler, Law made the simple observation that children get bored during journeys, particularly at airports. He initially thought of the Trunki concept while studying a BA (Hons) in Industrial Design at the University of Northumbria, and won a national luggage design competition in 1998 followed by a Princes Trust Business Start-up Award in 2003. Just over 6 years after officially launching to the retail community, Trunki is a market leader and has received 76 industry and consumer accolades, most recently winning the much coveted National Business Award The Santander Small to Medium-Sized Business of the Year. Over 1.4 million units have now been sold, with distribution secured in more than 97 countries. May 2012 saw Law fulfil one of his long term goals manufacturing Trunki in the UK to supply stockiest across the country. Keen to spread the word about UK manufacturing, despite it being more expensive than China, there are many tangible business benefits which outweigh the current trend of just focusing on lowest prices. Background Law originally hails from Chester and is 35 years old. He graduated with a first class honours degree in product design and has worked internationally, including stints in New York, Taiwan, Australia and for some of the UKs leading design consultancies. Law is a popular and engaging personality on the lecturing circuit, not least for his dragon slaying tips and fresh take on UK design. He has also proved an inspiration for young British designers. When not designing tomorrows must have on-the-move products, Law is an adventure junkie and can commonly be found mountain biking, surfing (poorly!) or warming up for a marathon somewhere. Law was awarded an MBE on New Years Day 2011 for Services to Business.
BABY BUZZ MAGAZINES
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Allergy UK
Once your new baby has arrived you may be thinking of ways in which you can minimise the risk of allergy developing during the early months of its life, especially if you already have other family members with allergies. Allergy UKs Deputy CEO, Lindsey McManus shares her tips for caring and protecting your babys skin. Research has shown that our skin, plays an important part in the development of allergies. As babies may be more sensitive to certain environmental factors than older children, most parents want to know what they can do to protect their child. Baby Skin Care Research into how the skin of a new born baby is cared for and how this may impact upon the development of allergies has been enlightening. We now know that in many children, eczema is a genetic disease where the ability of the skin to act as a barrier is reduced. The child becomes more vulnerable to substances penetrating this protective barrier, and a child at risk of allergy may become sensitised to potential allergens. This is particularly the case if skin is inflamed or broken. There are studies being carried out into the links between baby eczema and other allergies, and whilst there isnt anything that you can do to prevent eczema, there are things you can do to prevent your babys skin from becoming dry. Making some decisions in the light of research may help parents reduce the risk of allergy for their child. A newborns skin is very delicate and the natural oils on its surface are there to protect it. By only using plain water to bathe your baby or when changing nappies, you will avoid skin problems triggered by detergents in soaps and bathing products. You may want to tell the hospital staff that you dont want your baby bathed or that only plain water should be used. There are many products available that have been formulated for use on babys skin and most parents will choose to use a product that can make life a little easier at what can be a very tiring time. If you find a product that suits your baby it is sensible to stay with that product, but if you suspect that it may be irritating your babys skin stop using it, go back to using plain water and seek the advice of your GP or health visitor. Some babies are born with very dry skin. If so, your GP or health visitor can advise you on special products that that you can add to the bath or creams that are safe to moisturise the skin of very young babies. There has always been concern by parents surrounding the introduction of peanuts to the diet of infants and the development of peanut allergy; this carries over into the use of skin care products. Some creams for babies contain peanut oil (arachis oil) and there is some question as to whether using these products on infants with nappy rash or eczema may be associated with the later development of peanut allergy. If you are at all concerned about this, check the ingredients on the packet, or ask your healthcare practitioner. Most babies will suffer from nappy rash from time to time, this is caused by the ammonia in stale urine in the nappy irritating the skin. In this case only use plain water or water based wipes at nappy change time and avoid scented products. Nappy rash can also be aggravated at times of illness, but if it doesnt clear up after a few days or if the rash spreads outside the nappy area or the skin and becomes broken or weeping, do seek medical advice. Clothes It is worth remembering the first clothes that your baby wears will be right next to their delicate skin, so take care when washing clothes. Avoid strong detergents, biological washing powders are designed to remove stains and dirt at low temperatures and contain strong chemicals and enzymes to do this. These can cause a non-allergic reaction in adults as well as babies, known as irritant dermatitis. To avoid this use non-biological washing liquids or powders for washing babys clothes and if you use traditional nappies. Key Points: Early treatment of eczema and other skin conditions may prevent allergies developing To protect the skin you may wish to bathe your baby in just plain water for the first month If your baby is born with, or develops, very dry skin ask for advice from your GP, Midwife, or Health Visitor There are special creams and bath products available on prescription, made specifically for very young babies with dry skin Nappy rash is common in all babies Consider seeking medical advice when nappy rash spreads outside the nappy area, or the skin is broken or weeping Use a nonbiological clothes washing product.
You and Your New Baby
For more advice on allergies in childhood go to: www.allergyuk.org/child-allergymenu/child-allergy or call Allergy UK on 01322 619898
Mojo Mums
HELPING MUMS GET THEIR MOJO BACK!
Mojomums is a unique concept, providing information, guidance and support for mums who work, want to work, have their own business or are thinking of going back to work. Mojomums offers mums a one stop solution, giving them the confidence and support to re-ignite their careers successfully. It comprises of a buzzing online community offering support, advice and practical services which are all tailored to the working mum as well as a specialist and tailored recruitment service to place mums in jobs, to suit their lifestyle needs and expertise. I love this idea as so often new mums needs go unnoticed in this area Jacqueline Gold, Chief Executive Ann Summers & Knickerbox
Here are Mojomums top 10 tips for getting back into the workplace: Work wardrobe advice what are the five staples to buy which wont look out of place in the office: CV Overhaul A black pair of trousers. Whatever the season, a good Have a good look at your C.V. It is likely to be very out pair of tailored trousers will go with anything. of date. A pair of heals. It is amazing what putting a pair of Make it relevant and dont be afraid to state if you heals can do to your confidence. They will instantly have had a career break to have children. add a smart work feel, as well as adding inches to you
Remove work experience from when you were at school, it may have been relevant for your first job but employers want to see your most recent skills. A strong personal statement at the top is essential. This sets the tone for the rest of the C.V. Dont use clich stock phrases, instead make it interesting so you will stand out. Try and go into detail about your last role, including all your responsibilities and achievements. State your job titles and companies you have worked for clearly when employers get a lot of C.Vs through they scan them for relevant experience. Most importantly use spell check it! Bad grammar and spelling is a huge turn off and conveys the message that you have poor attention to detail.
Mojo Mums
and making your legs look longer.( Even if they are not that comfortable, no one will notice if you kick them off under your desk! ) A new handbag. The time has come to ditch the baby bag and get a trendy handbag that it just for you. No nappies, wipes or toys just diary, lipstick and phone! A smart cardigan. A good cardigan can be worn on its own or with a nice top underneath. It can also be used for casual wear. A smart pair of ballerina shoes for days when you have the school run to do and no time to change.
should develop you and not be a hindrance. The multitasking, negotiating, patience and training are only few of them! Treat yourself Whether its a new haircut, handbag or facial, a treat thats just for you can make you feel more confident and ready to face the world of work again. A small reminder of what you can buy with your new extra income can entice you into getting into gear and making that next step forward. Make sure your family is behind you Talk to your family about your decision to return to work. Having their support is invaluable. Look happy! Now you have made the decision to start looking for work, and you are sure that it is the right one, you should make sure that you convey this in any meeting or interview. A positive approach is contagious and people want to be surrounded by happy confident people. If you are a mum who wants to work but are unsure of what your next steps are, please contact jobs@mojomums.co.uk or call 0845 5192836 and we will be happy to help. Current vacancies can be seen on www.mojomumsrecruitment .co.uk, and please check out www.mojomums.co.uk for hot topics, blogs, work and money, advice, fashion plus lots more. We are always on the lookout for contributors, advertisers and bloggers so please get in touch!
Be happy with your childcare and have a backup plan This is crucial. If you are not comfortable with who has your children during the day, you will not be able to work effectively. Think about what works best for both of you. Is it easier for someone to come to your house? Do you want them in a nursery environment with lots of other children? Do you want them to be with only a few children? From au pairs to private nurseries, the options are endless. Once you have decided on the best option you have, make sure you have a good back up plan in place. Speak to relatives and friends and be sure to mention the backup plan in interviews. Organise some no pressure work experience If you feel ready to re-enter the world of work, but want to ease yourself in gradually, a work placement or work experience is a fantastic way of dipping your toe in. Mojomums have introduced a work placement scheme whereby mums can work in their chosen field in a relevant company and department and brush up on their skills and re-gain their confidence. Brush up on social media/internet skills a lot changes in 9 months. This is useful not only for networking but for being able to research companies. Being able to use the internet is a pre requisite nowadays for any role. Finding information quickly is a great skill to have for all jobs. If you have had a career break, it is good to show potential employers that you have made an effort to keep up to date with the latest technology. Get yourself onto Linked in and re-connect with your old work colleagues. The more people you connect with the more confident you will become. Strike up conversations with old bosses, you will soon realise that you can still communicate with these people as well as talking to other mums! Meet with recruitment agencies Any interview practise is good experience. At Mojomums we help mums by giving them feedback on their interview techniques in order to help them in the future. Use your skills Remember that they skills you have acquired during your time off having children are fully transferrable. This break
Contact us at: hello@mojomums.co.uk www.mojomums.co.uk
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Hair & Beauty
TOP TIPS FOR LOOKING AFTER MUMMY TOO..

why not pamper yourself! These are all ingredients you would have at home in your cupboard or fridge so no excuses. Tip 1 To fight those flakes of an itchy scalp lemon juice and olive oil is a good mixture, the lemons acidity can help clear the scalp of any loose dry flakes, and the olive oil can help moistures the newly exposed skin. Mix 2 tbsp of olive oil, 2 tbsp of fresh lemon juice and 2 tbsp of water, double the mixture if you have long thick hair. Massage into the scalp and leave to sit for 20-30 minutes then shampoo out and condition. If you do feel your scalp is bad try this procedure every 2-3 days till it eases of a little. Tip 2 is for frizzy hair which is something you can develop even if you didnt have it before. I do like this one as it contains avocado as which is great for the skin and hair its oils are very light and moist which is similar to our natural skin and they are full of proteins and nutrients which is the best combination for smoothing and weighing down unruly hair. Mash up half an avocado and massage into clean dump hair, leave it in for 20-30 minutes or if you really want to boost the treatment up and go for something a little stronger for your hair add a couple of table spoons of mayonnaise, try this every two weeks.
If its coming up to the second or third trimester, many of you expectant mothers could be thinking about doing something a bit different with your hair to help flatter your new face shape, or the change in your hair.
What you need to avoid is a look thats going to make your face shape look rounder. I would recommend you avoid a short sharp bob going above the chin as this style can really enhance any roundness to the face that might be creeping in during your third trimester. Try and stay a couple of inches below chin level. I would also avoid short fringes, and try to keep a little bit of length on it or try a side fringe for a change. If it gets in your eyes you can use a small amount of gel or wax just to hold it in place. If you are going to go for the shorter style, I would suggest soft lines and maybe a bit of a choppy style. Middle partings are a no no! Go for a side parting for a change this will help elongate the face shape and give a bit of height, some long layers will also help and a bit of length at around the shoulders could be a good idea. Your hair texture could be changing so ask your stylist for advice on how to deal with your new curls if it was once straight, or straight limp hair which could be new to you. Dont rush in just yet for a perm or a straightening treatment as this could all change back once baby is here. The hair and scalp does change a lot you could also be dealing with dry hair and dry scalp when it was once greasy or vice versa! Im going to give you some home remedies for you to try. As Babys not here yet, you will hopefully have a bit of time on your hands,
www.babybuzzmagazine.com twitter.com/@Babybuzzmag
Tip 3, which is an easy one, and will help with oily or greasy hair, you need corn flour for this one, pour 1 tbsp of corn flour into an empty salt or pepper shaker and shake it into your hair and scalp until its all gone, leave it on for 10 minutes then use a paddle brush and completely remove from the hair. Thats just a few tips for you to try at home all natural and all work. I want to add one last thing to all the baby buzz readers and thats a big thank you for any of you that voted for us in the English hair and beauty awards Pure hair and beauty won the Beauty salon of the year award for the London region which is a fantastic achievement, So thank you all so much.
www.pureenfield.co.uk 0208 363 2236
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Food & Recipes
Every month we feature specialist baby food products and recipes from well known brands and so we thought it would be nice to see just what else was out there. For the April / May issue we contacted MyMummyMadeIt, a company set up by mum Natalie Rodner who struggled to find time to prepare food for her second daughter.
My mummymade it
150g sweet potato peeled and chopped 150g carrots peeled and chopped 100g parsnip peeled and chopped 1 small apple peeled and chopped 150g diced chicken breast 75mls water Place all of the ingredients into a pan with the water. Cover and cook over a medium heat until all the ingredients are tender and the chicken is cooked (approximately 20 mins). Mash with a fork or puree to suit your babies taste :) Portion out place in the fridge for maximum 1 day or freeze
For the last 3 years, My mummymade it has been serving nurseries and busy mums in Hertfordshire and North West London. This has been such a huge success that we are expanding to enable us to offer this service to the rest of London. Natalie Rodner who is based in Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, founded My mummymade it in 2009 after she struggled to find time to lovingly puree and mash food for her second daughter. She used the occasional shop bought jars and pouches to make life a bit easier but found them very unappetising and knew she could do better. Natalie has developed a service offering the freshest and best meals for babies and toddlers just how you would make it. Natalie understands the guilt many parents feel when feeding their children shop bought ready meals and this eliminates the guilt as it is homemade by a mummy. The meals are all made to order and are tailored to each individual babies tastes from the texture to the ingredients that goes in to each meal. The food is then delivered fresh ready to go in the freezer to be reheated when needed. In addition My mummymade it supplies hot meals daily to the First Place Nursery group offering a meat and vegetarian option. Natalie Rodner, Founder of My mummymade it: It has been an exciting few years and there seems to be such a demand for My mummymade its service that we are now expanding to offer the service across the whole of London and South East. Our aim is to offer a helping hand to busy parents and offer a fantastic personal service.
75g skinned salmon fillet 15g unsalted butter 2 medium potato peeled and chopped 3 good handfuls of fresh spinach 75 mls of milk Place the salmon in a pan cover with milk and poach over a medium heat until the salmon is cooked approximately 10 mins. In a separate pan cover the potatoes with water and bring to the boil once tender drain. Place the butter in a pan and saute the spinach for 3 minutes. Lift the fish out of the pan add to the spinach add the potatoes and mash or pure to suit your babies taste :) Portion out place in the fridge for maximum 1 day or freeze
150 SR flour 1/2 tsp baking powder 1 large free range egg 125ml full fat milk 1 medium apple peeled and grated Handful of raisins Pre heat oven to 180C line muffin tins with cases. Melt the butter and allow to cool. Sift flour and baking powder into a large bowl mix in the raisins. In another bowl mix the egg, milk and cooled melted butter add the apple. Pour the flour over the wet mixture and mix together - do not over mix. The mixture should look lumpy and uneven. Spoon mixture into the cases and bake for 12 15 mins Allow to cool on a wire rack. Freeze or eat within 2 days :)
It is easy to order online at www.mymummymadeit.co.uk or if you would like to speak to someone call Natalie on 07851 475 613 or via email: natalie@mymummymadeit.co.uk
Food & Recipes
Your feeding and fussy eating queries answered:

Not every child has such a wonderful transition from bottle or breastfeeding to weaning. What can be an extremely easy experience for some parents can also be an extremely difficult one for others. We were contacted by the lovely ladies behind Yummy Discoveries, The baby-led weaning recipe book who agreed to put forward some questions and answers that most, if not all, our parents could relate to. Anna Walton is a Counselling Psychologist and Child Development Specialist. Felicity Bertin is an Osteopath specialising in paediatrics, Breastfeeding support worker and author of Yummy Discoveries: The baby-led weaning recipe book. Anna and Felicity work together at Yummy Discoveries, teaching parents how to wean to prevent fussy eating issues and supporting families to solve their fussy eating problems.
The team of registered health professionals at Yummy Discoveries answer some of the questions you often ask us about feeding and fussy eating.
6 MONTHS-12 MONTHS What is baby-led weaning? Baby-led weaning is where you allow your child to feed themselves rather than spoon-feeding them pureed or mashed foods. Is my child more likely to choke with self-feeding? Provided your baby is in control of any food that goes into their mouth, is sitting upright and the food served is appropriate, then there is no reason why choking is any more likely than with spoon-feeding. Foods such as grapes, cherry tomatoes and olives should be cut in half since their shape is a choking hazard and whole/large pieces of nuts are potentially risky. Raw honey is also to be avoided until over 12 months as it is a source of botulism. Never leave your child alone with food. My baby keeps gagging when hes eating is this normal? The gag reflex is there to prevent things being swallowed that shouldnt be. While your baby is working out how to swallow food, they may occasionally gag and may even vomit. Gagging is what happens when the gag reflex is triggered and your childs mouth ejects the food. This is normal and means that your babys gag reflex is working correctly. Choking involves food getting stuck in your childs airway, (partially) blocking it and is very different to gagging. With choking, food has gone beyond the gag reflex. In adults, the gag reflex is often triggered voluntarily as a way of trying to induce vomiting. You may have heard this referred to as sticking your fingers down your throat. If youve ever had to do this, you will know that the reflex is quite far back (roughly the length of your middle finger). However, in younger babies, the trigger zone for the gag reflex is a lot further forward in the mouth than in adults. It is natural that spoons, little fingers and first foods will trigger this reflex, so gagging is likely to occur when you first start weaning. As your baby develops, the gag reflex will move backwards. What is a good first food for my baby? Something that you feel happy serving that is bright and attention-grabbing. If you watch your child at play, you will see that a toy grabs their attention, they reach for it and most likely put it in their mouth to explore it further. Have you ever wondered why there are no beige toys for sale? They arent interesting, so children wont be drawn to explore them or engage with them. To children, food is an extension of toys and they will go through the same pattern of exploration with food as they would with a toy, so it is sensible to serve up a bright, colourful food to trigger curiosity rather than beige baby rice. An example of a first food might be a small pile of grated cucumber alongside big chunks of cucumber.
Food & Recipes
12 MONTHS+ How can I encourage my child to eat a wider range of foods? Taste and texture are symbiotic they work together. Research has shown that if you increase the textures a child is exposed to then they will naturally be inclined to accept a wider range of tastes and vice versa. Thats why serving the same food in different ways can also help (e.g. cucumber chunks and grated cucumber). So experiment with your cooking, serving up foods that are crunchy, such as cucumber sticks, and slimy, such as rice pudding. My child used to eat everything and now refuses to even try something new! What happened? Initially, when you start weaning your baby at around 6 months, they will probably be happy to eat and taste most things you serve. However, many parents report a "fussy period" around 10-18 months and it is no coincidence that it happens when your little one starts to learn to walk. A protective mechanism, termed Neophobia, kicks-in, which turns your once happy eater in to a suspicious child, fearful of new foods and textures. Neophobia is the fear of new things and this is likely to be a throwback to our ancestors. When we lived in caves, your baby would have been much more likely to eat something poisonous once they became mobile. They could have been toddling around picking berries and leaves from trees which could be potentially poisonous. So this fear of new foods and the keenness to look to you, as the parent, to demonstrate that it is safe to eat before putting it in their mouth is one of the ways the human race has survived. During this time, it is more important than ever that you sit and eat the same foods with your child to model eating new foods. This will help reassure your baby through this "fussy time" that these new foods are nothing to fear. You will have to do this many times, so dont expect them to remember for next time, once youve showed them once! Is it okay to bribe my child to try a new food? No. If you try this, youre setting up good and bad foods (e.g. eat this and you can have a pudding). Youre also starting to beg your child to do something, and this opens up the opportunity for an ever intensifying battle for control. It might work once, but when they learn that you really, really want them to eat that food (and if thats your way of addressing things as a rule), then they have a great opportunity for bargaining with you, or asserting their control (which is a normal part of development) three times every day. Youll end up in battles you dont need. Should I force my child to have a food they say they dont like? No. Your aim with all food issues is to enable your child to make choices about food. Forcing them is more likely to create pressure
and therefore, a negative association with that food; and maybe even with the experience of eating, in general. Also, they will undoubtedly get stressed and that inhibits digestion and desire to eat, so thats the last thing you want to do. Try not to worry and just remember that your job is to help them make their own choices. However, remember not to reinforce the fact they dont like it, as children under 5 dont have stable likes and dislikes. Tell them: Thats ok, you just havent tried it enough yet, but dont make any alternatives either allow them to choose not to eat the food, and to learn the consequence (e.g. to go hungry until snack time, breakfast time etc). This learning process is important, both physically and psychologically, for your childs development.
info@yummydiscoveries.com www.yummydiscoveries.com
Article written by Felicity Bertin & Anna Walton of Yummy Discoveries
Food & Recipes
Every month we host a Focus Group with mums all coming together to test various products and discuss different topics. This month we tested a selection of food ranges from Little Dish. Find out what our mums thought. Would you like to join our Focus Group? Sign up now at info@babybuzzmagazine.com.
Emily: Nickie: Great size portion and full of flavour, my daughter seemed to enjoy this a lot.. Ive always been a little disappointed in ready made meals for babies and toddlers as they always lack any flavour and seem extremely bland, this one however was an astonishing success with my daughter eating this as if there were no tomorrow, and I hadnt starved her beforehand! Will definitely be getting this one again for her. A little too big of a serving for my son but it wasnt overall too bad and he seemed to enjoy the amount he ate. He isnt a big eater at the best of times so I wouldnt hold it down to the flavour of this meal. Didnt go down well at all, there didnt seem to be as much flavour with this one and the texture was a bit stodgy. Not a hit at all, which was surprising when the previous meal was gorgeous. Very thick in texture and really needed a little bit more flavour. Didnt seem to enjoy this as much as the other meal, perhaps a little more flavouring would improve this dish. Very impressed that this didnt contain egg! Nicely packaged and had a really nice taste. Very filling and was a great success all round. Very nice, sweet little packages, they have a good fridge shelf life not that we needed it, as it was a hit with our children! This was a huge hit with us adults as well as children! We combined the childrens portion with a little cheese sauce and ours with a tomato based sauce, you wouldnt have been able to tell the difference as all the flavours were present and were suitably filling.
Sarah:
Eve: Nickie: Maria: Eve: Jo: Nickie:
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Shelley Herman Independent Consultant
Visit my website https://uk.nyrorganic.com/shop/Shelley-Herman *For facials in the comfort of your own home with the award-winning Certified Organic *To view the lovely gifts, gorgeous mother and baby ranges, beauty, mineral Neals Yard products. Im fully trained, insured make-up, aromatherapy and natural remedy products for all the family. and specialise in skincare and facials. If you need a last minute gift I run a Gift Service from home. I always have a *To organise a pamper party with the fabulous range of Neals Yard gifts and products in stock which can be wrapped and Neals Yard products at a time and place delivered for you (delivery extra). If youre local youre always welcome to (home, coffee morning, playgroup) pop over to browse. convenient for you. Im available for pamper, indulgence and charity events where I can offer Its a great way to try the products before you on-site pre-bookable mini-facials as well bring along a range of products. buy whilst having fun with friends! Party Hosts receive a free mini-facial, a free Neals If youre a mum (or dad!) or therapist looking for a fun extra income which Yard gift (full size product) together with free you can build around a family from home or use to complement an existing and half price shopping (depending on sales). business Im also looking to increase my amazing team of Consultants please contact me for further information. *For free advice to help you find a suitable natural remedy from the range for such things To keep up-to-date with news, events and special offers visit and like: as womens issues, family illnesses, colds, flu, https://www.facebook.com/pages/Neals-Yard-Remedies-Organic-UKcoughs and eczema to name a few. Shelley-Herman-Independent-Consultant/405975969469258?ref=hl
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Family Focus
Checking Nanny and Childcarer CVs and References

By bestbear.co.uk and be satisfied with on a personal basis. You may be more exacting than the last employer over boyfriends or staying out at night. What might not seem like a problem to the last employer may be one to you, or vice versa. Remember when looking at written references, employ ers often leave out details that they were not happy with, sticking to things that they can praise. It is only by telephoning that you will uncover the whole truth about a childcarer's performance. Even if you are employing a nanny or au pair on a short term basis, still insist on at least two references and take as much trouble to check them. Foreign employees can often appear without references or say there is difficulty in getting them - never accept this. If the referees don't speak English find someone who can translate for you. It's not too much trouble - it's common sense. Checking and re-checking childcarer references is vital. Remember you are ultimately responsible for anyone you employ and regardless of whether you are employing a nanny, maternity nurse, childminder or using a nursery, you must always check their references thoroughly - however time consuming the task. This is one of the most important aspects of the recruitment process! We suggest that a nanny or childcarer should have at least three references and you must check at least two of them. At bestbear.co.uk we encourage employers to check as many references as possible - don't just stick to the references offered, go through your prospective employee's CV -they should have a reference from all of their previous employers. If not, ask why.
It may be time consuming but thorough checking is the only way to be absolutely sure of the childcarer you are employing. If at all possible take the time to meet previous employers face to face. It Interviewing a referee: is always the most reliable form of childcare reference checking When you telephone referees make it clear that you are speaking although it can sometimes be tricky to arrange. in complete confidence and as parent to parent you would appreciate their honesty. They will know how you feel and most will try Because we understand how important reference checking is, and and be as helpful as possible. You must check that the written how time consuming and difficult it can be, we offer a compre- reference (if you have one) matches what the referee tells you. hensive and independent Nanny and Childcarer Reference Check- Again it is useful to have a list of questions or points that you want ing Service, which will help you find out whether your prospective to discuss and you might want to find out how much the nanny was employee is trustworthy and reliable. paid in terms of negotiating a salary.
http://www.bestbear.co.uk/find-childcare/reference-checking.php
Let us do the running around for you! CV and reference checking musts:
Ask to see originals of training certificates and if possible speak to college heads or teachers. Once you have made your decision act quickly - good nannies are Check CVs for gaps. You need to know that you can ac snapped up! count for your prospective childcarer's whole career. It is easy to miss things out and try to cover up jobs that went wrong. You need to be ruthless in checking that every job written down actually happened and went on for as long as it states. Job lengths are often extended to cover mistakes - you need to be aware of them. If this is a childcarer's first job you still need to speak to at least two character references - and family doesn't count! Even if the references are glowing you must take the trouble to see if they are real - it has been known for nannies to fake references. A good nanny or childcare agency should check them thoroughly, and be skilled in asking the right kind of questions of previous employers. However, there are many points that you can only glean
You may find that the referee becomes less forthcoming on certain points - you must press them if you feel they are holding any information back. They may like the candidate and feel reluctant to ruin any chances of getting another job even if they found her unreliable.
Tel: 08707 201277 help@bestbear.co.uk

Family Focus
Hi to all you Sleep deprived partners out there,
A recent poll conducted by Mother & Baby Magazine found that sleep deprivation was one of the causes for post-natal depression Top Tip 2- Stick to a routine for 7-10 days/nights and then if it and that it played havoc with the relationships and working lives of doesn't work move on. Be consistent. Babies only have one long new parents. sleep in 24 hours, so it makes sense that it is when we have our long sleep between 11pm- 7am. Otherwise your baby will just nap all The survey found: night after waking around 12.30/1.30am. 56% of working mothers said weariness left them in a "state of despair" 82% admitted a lack of sleep affected their performance at work 88% felt fed up, exhausted and pulled in too many directions 70% said their tiredness was so debilitating they felt unable to function properly 61% said their boss was not understanding Tiredness also put the mother's relationship with their child under strain 55% said lack of sleep made them irritated with their baby When you become a parent for the first time it can be very exciting, but it can also be daunting. There is so much preparation before your baby is born, all the classes the advice from family and friends, usually all different! And of course all the books that you buy to read, which sometimes just gather dust. All of this never really prepares you for the massive impact this gorgeous little person will have on your life. Sometimes what happens, is you decide a method you want to parent by, and your baby may have other ideas. You may have a vision of you snuggling in bed with your baby, when in reality your babies keeps you awake by kicking and poking your eyes. You may be a strict routine mum who plots her day to the minute, but then your baby doesn't stick to the plan! Some Mums start demand feeding and co-sleeping and then decide for whatever reason that they actually want a routine. This is where I can help, I am the Uk's leading Baby Sleep Expert working with babies and parents for 25 years. I work with each baby individually working out a routine on their natural patterns. Using my Spaced Soothing Technique to teach babies to love sleeping without distress. Top Tip 1- Keep a 48 hour sleeping and feeding log to help you see if there are patterns in your baby's day. Then you can write a personalised routine based on YOUR baby. Parents tend to do lots
of different things once they become desperate for sleep, this means both you and your baby get confused and stressed.
Top Tip 3- Introduce a dream feed - a calm, dark feed before you go to bed at 11pm. Then settle your baby and you can all fall asleep at the same time. Babies make lots of different noises before they go to sleep. This is normal, and it can sound like you have a little animal in the Moses basket - snores, squeaks, shout out-then quiet. Top Tip 4- Try not to rush to them at every sound as it may disturb them settling to sleep by themselves. If they wake after a 30/45 minutes sleep cycle, leave them a few minutes to see if they resettle themselves. I offer support to all parents with my book , Baby Secrets (www.Amazon.co.uk) my email/phone/home/overnight Support through my website www.JoTantum.com and my Sleepytime products in Waitrose. Twitter-@JoTantum facebook - Baby Sleep Specialist. Exclusive announcement- I am launching my Sleep Workshops and Sleep Angels Training Workshops, so you too can help Sleep Deprived parents with my techniques - if youre interested, please get in touch - helenpa@babysecretsltd.com.
Family Focus
ARE YOU READY TO BE A PARENT?

(Medical) Articles by Dr Ella Rachamim
Paediatrician and Parent of three (inc. twins) and Director of Be Ready to Parent
The DoH recommends vitamins daily for ALL children from the age of 6 months to 5 years. http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/pregnancy-andbaby/pages/vitamins-for-children.aspx#close For some reason this important piece of information is not filtering down to parents and health professionals. Vitamins can be obtained on prescription from your GP, bought over the counter or sometimes, if you are struggling to get them, then your Health Visitor can help. There is no particular brand that takes precedent just your barn door multivitamins for kids. What is absolutely vital is Vitamin D this vitamin is essential for bone health and we are seeing a rise in rickets in the UK because of Vitamin D deficiency. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-20710028 So not only does sunlight (what sunlight you may ask?!) help your body produce vitamin D, but this essential vitamin is incorporated into all the standard multivitamins for children, hence the reason we must give them to our children from the age of 6 months. Vaccines - to give or not to give? Being a paediatrician I guess you are asking the wrong person to have a debate over vaccinations I am 100% pro vaccination in all its forms. I wish the chickenpox vaccine was available to everyone here as part of the routine immunization schedule in the UK as it is in Australia and I cannot wait for the rotavirus vaccine to be put into place here. Vaccination is the best form of prevention and protection in my book. I cannot understand why one would not to vaccinate ones child but I know that people have their reasons and as a paediatrician my job is to provide them with the evidence, have an informed discussion with them and then I guess leave it up to them to make a choice. Interestingly though in the USA it is compulsory that a child is vaccinated in order to go to nursery and in some areas it is linked with child benefits. Should we follow suit? http://www.meningitisuk.org/beatitnow
Also be fair to other parents and don't send your child to nursery if they show any signs of diarrhoea or vomiting - Norovirus is highly contagious. With tummy bugs, hand hygiene is paramount to try and stop it spreading to other family members making the whole holiday period one you would rather forget. Lets hope that your child will some gain immunity this year to stop it happening again next year.
For more information please contact:
www.bereadytoparent.com ella@bereadytoparent.com
Dr Ella Rachamim: My personal challenges have made me really think about how I can help new parents best. Being on the other side has opened my MENINGITIS B VACCINE Please read+sign up so all children can get eyes to what it must be like to suddenly find yourself in a completely it. This is an amazing discovery. new role as a parent, with a beautiful baby dependent on you for all their needs. My child is always ill, is this normal? It is perfectly normal for your child to have loads of coughs and colds of varying severity. Sometimes so mild you do not even notice, other times really disturbing their sleep and eating. It is obviously worse in winter time, and unfortunately tummy bugs (norovirus) are also at their peak this year. There is no way of really avoiding these illnesses as many are airborne but I your child is ill then try and avoid coming into contact with other children and therefore making them ill is my only piece of advice.
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Exclusive - Angus Kennedy, The Kitchen Baby
BABY BUZZ - A Must Read:

ANGUS KENNEDY, THE KITCHEN BABY
Have you ever had one of those moments when someone passed a comment on something and told you you have to try this or you have to read that? A friend of mine recently forwarded me a link to a book called The Kitchen Baby, and whilst first impressions were ok its another Ive had a baby book, within the first page I was hooked, first gripped with worry, then welling up with tears and gradually as I read on, relief and laughter crept in to. What makes this story so endearing is that first and foremost its uniquely written from a dads point of view and the feelings and emotions that we dont too often read about from the male perspective and secondly the honesty and frankness in which the book is written, there has been no tweaking or re-wording or editing made other than from the writer himself. We asked father and author, Angus Kennedy, the feature questions for our Parents in Business section but also sought approval to write the first excerpt to give you all a taste of the book, which will leave you wanting to know what happened next? and lost my house when my wife was pregnant with our first baby. So the reasons for starting a company are very interesting and account for a big part of its success. In the past I said oh yeah lets make loads of money be the best. But that was when it all fell down. I believe that a successful set up must be driven by a passion to be of a genuine service to people, to offer something better than they can have anywhere else. I started a mens magazine years ago. It was called Mens Quest, I lost all my money every penny. I had to sell the house and we shopped in Oxfam for the year and I went on the dole while I put the pieces back together! But success is the ability to be continuously happy with the process of failing. I have failed many hundreds of times and now at last. You know what? I think I nailed it! Its early stages but my book is selling fast and its the one dream that I never gave up on. Never, ever give up. A good idea is one that never goes away. It will haunt you till you die, so you must do it in the end or youre sure as hell going to have to come back in another life and get on with it! So, how you say. Well its a faith, it was about an innate belief in the self. When they all say no, you say yes, when they all say yes, you say no. When they all say its no good you know it is. Passion, its all about being something for someone else from the heart. To make a difference to peoples lives and offer your heart. If you do something from the heart it will be received so. If we worry about money then, funny that ! We stay worrying about it. If we look forward to riches they come. People told me they cried when they read my book, they laughed too and that is better than any cheque in the world. People loved what I wrote in The Kitchen baby, and I love them for loving it. I know it sounds soppy but in essence that is the energy behind everything the money too. What is the company about? Its a publishing company for ebooks, non-fiction. Books that lift peoples hearts. There is an ebook revolution right now. Before I was spoken of as in-the-gutter-vanity writer. Now I am out to
Who is behind the product? Well me 100%, its me, Angus Kennedy! My blood, my soul, my past lives, every cell in my body and more. I decided to write a book and when you start out on such a crazy idea like that when you have a normal job during the day, 5 kids and you just had a baby; it was the hardest thing that I ever did! I lost 3 kilos doing it. The only other people behind it where, a freelance proofreader, freelance editor and cover designer. But I set the entire publishing business up from scratch, bank account, trading the whole shebang. How did the company get started? Its a very good question. I mean I have started quite a few businesses and failed many times. I have lost a lot of money in the past thinking I would be a rich man. I have been bankrupt
that I cant give this animal all my life anymore. You cant donate your life to a job or someone elses goal for ever. One day you need to tame the lion within and throw the ego and logic to the wolves and LIVE YOUR LIFE! What would your advice be to any parent wanting to start up his or her own business? Keep your old job! Dont just throw away what you do have as it might not work! I still of course work hard in my job. Keep the costs down and dont do what anyone says when it comes to spending money. Dont listen to anyone! If you are new in an industry, the sharks are on you as a fresh kill. Keep your money tight. Keep your passion open and tell everyone what your intention is. Dont bother with a business plan, they are crap. I did loads and failed. Just write in one sentence what your personal intention is with the business and how you want it to change your life and other peoples- that simple. Its not enough to say I want to be rich. Rich, for what exactly? A new car and to go where with it? You must keep asking the questions until you nail your reason to exist. And that is why failure is so prove how wrong that is. At last with ebooks my work can at last important. I have failed many hundreds of times to write a best be read. The Kitchen Baby had to be published so I set out to do seller. I have been falling for 30 years, but now, I am so close to it, while of course managing another company, with 4 kids, a being so close! new baby and a wife with depression with post natal shock disorder. If I am successful and I do become a best selling I would not be surprised if The Kitchen Baby did make it as one Author then any one in the world can do anything. On paper I of the greatest books of the decade. I can feel it coming. Thats should not succeed. But I never gave up hope on myself even so exciting, you feel the future, and the buzz is in the air. Who though everyone else had forgotten about my dreams and lost will phone next? Every day I have an unexpected call. Always hope in me. They were tired of listening to me after 30 years of expect the unexpected, good things happen too you know, if trying! But if you never stop trying you will beak through. only you believe it. I am in so many magazines over the summer I am on the radio, TV you name it! How did that happen? Luck, What do you hope to achieve? perseverance? Perhaps, but what about if you finally discover Again, what is achievement? Its different for everyone as we are your real self and that when you do. Its not luck, its just the all made to do different things. I dont just want to write books Universe saying Ok Angus you are on the right track! that bring people pleasure and lift their hearts. I want to help people be what they want to be through my writing and radio Honestly whatever you do, you must never give up. I really hope presentations and talks. I failed all my exams , my mum was an I do really make it as I want to inspire people as I have had a alcoholic and my dad died of cancer when I was only ten. I want tough life in the past. Be prepared to fail, dont give up an to show people that if I can make it, they can too. I want to send existing job and do the new one on the side (no matter how that message out to everyone in the world. Switch the flipping much you hate it!). And when you are down like I have been TV off and do something for someone in your life. Its the many times get up. Read this article and go and brush the dirt off greatest people that make people great. sit under a tree and then; go at it again! You were only trying to open the wrong door. But out there somewhere in you life is the What has been the highlight of starting your own company? right door and giving up and sitting down hoping, wont open Talking to journalists like you! I have the uppermost respect for anything. You will know when it all opens. You will call it luck but these wonderful people. Since the launch of my book it took off, its all meant to be. why because journalists liked it and saw where I was coming from. I wanted parents to stay together. Get this, this week For more information, please contact: alone I had a two-page feature in the Daily Mirror, and then there is radio, magazines the lot. I have been asked to do Angus Kennedy columns, you name it. The book has changed my life and with it, Author / Writer Thinker and owner of: I hope the lives of others as many said they laughed and cried Kennedys Publications Ltd when they read it. I have a long way to go, but the day I saw my Phone messages via 01622 871122 picture and the book over two pages in a major national newspaper, I knew that my new life had begun. My wife and I opened a nice bottle of shampers that night! What has been the downside of starting your own company? Part of you says that you mustnt let go of what you do have; I have a wonderful job running a magazine publisher. Its a small business and has been my life to date. The downside is knowing
To purchase your copy of The Kitchen Baby, simply visit: www.amazon.co.uk
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38
Oh Christ, not here! The Babys coming!

OK, what about a drink for Sophie? If she stays in Angus! I have to get to the hospital! The babys hospital for a bit shell need fruit and drinks. That hospital coming, its coming now! food can be a bit rough at the best of times. Sophie was bending sideways and holding on to the side of the bed to support her weight. The urgency of her screams invaded my sleep. I hadnt noticed her in the bedroom in the dark - I was out for the count. It was almost two in the morning and this baby was a month early. It couldnt be now, surely. Was this for real or was I dreaming? Oh Christ! The baby; it really is happening - battle stations! I leapt out of bed, ready for action, and tried to dress in the dark, but ended up throwing a few pointless things into the empty hospital bag whilst rushing to the toilet with my jeans around my ankles. Sophie was groaning quite loudly and, by the way she was moving, I knew we didnt have long. OK, lets go - Ill get you to the hospital! I said, now ignoring the half-filled bag and forgetting all about my toilet stop. Oh my god, this really is it! I felt like shouting out of the window and into the dark: Its our baby! I looked through a gap in the velvet curtains at the outside world as I moved to where Sophie clung to the bed. There was not a soul in sight in our hamlet. It was really dark; not even the light of a late-night reader glimmered from the house across the field. Our farmhouse was cut off, on a steep hill and up a long track in the deepest Kent countryside. My mind was racing from one thought to another like an angry wasp that had been sprayed with insecticide. Little did I know that something was unfolding right in front of me that would change my life forever. We arrived at the top of the stairs. I cant, Angus, I cant. Sophie was almost crying the words out. She wasnt talking anymore; it was more a kind of groaning. I knew we really didnt have a lot of time. Her words seemed to be seeping from her mouth - she simply didnt have the energy to propel them out; all her energy was falling to her womb. She seemed to know something I didnt. With the last few babies it had been very different. By this stage, we were in a ward with medically-dressed people running everywhere to the sound of reassuring beeps from monitors with comforting lights conveniently situated to boost our confidence. All I could hear this time was the pump form the fish tank and the hamsters plastic wheel spinning in the darkness. This time there were no beeps, no lights - and no midwives in blue-and-white uniforms. I could sense by the way was talking that she was beginning to lose all her energy. I thought she was going to collapse on the floor. I just didnt know what was going to happen next. Eight months of wonderful, parent-bonding pregnancy were nearly over and now this was itI was electrified. I could feel that I was about to become a father again. This was the beginning of life and, for me, this is one of the greatest occasions of the human experience; the metamorphosis of a foetus into a son or a daughter.
Sophie was breathing heavily now and I took her arm and supported her as we walked very slowly along the landing to the stairs. I was so fired up that I was accomplishing everything in my head - but actually was achieving very little. OK Hospital bag in the carDont forget shampoo Where did I leave that Mars bar? Have we Sophies nails stabbed into my forearm as her knees got time to make a sandwich? Yes, shell be hungry, yes, a gave way at the top of the stairs. She lurched forwards as if cheese and tomato sandwich. Who do we call? What about she were going to tip over .. To be continued the other four kids? I need to tell our emergency and dreadfully homesick au pair, who arrived only a couple of To find out what happens next, get your weeks ago and cant speak a single word of English. It was like having another child in the house! We had decided that this would be the last au pair after a string of disasters. The au pair agency pretends that life as an au pair is wonderful fun with minimal housework. The families are told their au pairs will help out. What really happens is that we ended up with homesick teenagers who do absolutely nothing, and just want to go home the moment they set foot in the house.
copy now at: www.amazon.co.uk
(Prices start from 6.29 in hardcopy or 3.08 for Amazon Kindle)
39
Get Growing - Monthly Exclusive with Dawn Isaac
Get Growing - Get Gardening as a Family

By Dawn Isaac, garden designer
and writer specialising in children's gardening - www.dawn-isaac.com
If, like me, you've spent the last few months huddled by a fire, clasping a hot water bottle and muttering darkly about never ending winters, you'll be delighted to know that spring has, at long last, sprung. And what better way to see in spring than to get gardening as a family? Well, I'm here to help. For the next few months I'll be giving monthly tips and advice on how to get sowing and growing with young children. Now before you start panicking about crop rotation systems and Latin names I want to make one thing clear. This is not difficult. The thing you need to remember is that seeds want to grow and plants want to fruit. It's kind of their job. OK - feeling better? Good. Then let's get started. Where does your garden grow? First of all, you need to decide where you want to grow things. The perfect spot would be south or west facing. To the directionally challenged amongst you, I'll put it this way - it should be sunny most of the day. However, if not - don't panic. You can still grow things in slightly less sunny areas - you just need to chose your crops carefully. If you have a bed already dug, that's great. If not, you could strip a small area of lawn and dig over the soil underneath. If the soil is very hard to cultivate it could be because you have a heavy clay soil in which case you may want to cheat a bit. It's OK; I won't judge you. Raised beds work well on poor soil as you can fill them with a good quality topsoil ideal for planting. If you are a DIY whizz then you can knock some up from old scaffolding boards and corner posts. I also find oak sleepers work well bolted together to form beds. These are great for small children as they bring the beds up to their height as well as serving as handy places for them to sit. Container Growing But don't worry if you've no space for large beds, or indeed if you've no real garden at all. You can grow an awful lot in pots. Large containers are best because there's more space for planting and the larger mass of soil means that the pots don't dry out too quickly so you're not watering them every five minutes. Plastic pots work well - they're usually quite cheap, are good at retaining water and, if you invest in some acrylic paint pens, you can even let the children decorate them which will give a real sense of ownership to their garden.
Get Growing - Monthly Exclusive with Dawn Isaac
Get Growing - Get Gardening as a Family

Choosing composts If you go for pots, you will need to add some potting compost. A general purpose one from the local DIY chain or garden centre is absolutely fine. If you can, try to buy peat-free - it's kinder to the environment and so you can garden with a smug "I'm saving the planet" look on your face - a hugely important accessory Sowing seeds - good ones for kids Now you just need to decide what to sow. It's always good to try and get the children involved in these decisions. Think as a family what you like to eat - and sow a bit of that. Think about what it's hard to buy at the supermarket - and sow a bit of that too. And then just pick some stuff because it looks or sounds a bit crazy - that's always fun. The cost of seeds can soon add up so you may even want to find another family to split packets with. After all, who really needs 200 lettuces? Now is the time to sow things outside which don't mind a bit of cold as we're still very far from "frost free". For younger children larger seeds are easier to handle and less likely to be randomly scattered in the wrong place. Don't sow too many of the same seeds in one go. If you do this everything will be ready to eat at exactly the same time and no one will thank you for serving radishes every day for a fortnight. And don't forget to label your crops. For really young children who can't yet read you can even repurpose some plastic play food as plant markers.
NEXT MONTH: Tender crops to sow

What to plant this month:
Broad beans - a good size for young children Peas - sugar snaps work well and are very tasty to eat straight off the plant Carrots - try Parmex (round (yes round) and perfect bite-size, or Purple Haze (purple carrots - a good talking point) very tasty Lettuce - different colours are good - as are "Cut and Come again" which children can pick leaves off as and when they fancy Potatoes - a great size for little hands Radish - very quick to grow Kohl rabi (looks like an alien from Doctor Who)
www.dawn-isaac.com
Get Growing - Monthly Exclusive with Dawn Issac
Get Garden Creative

April project: Hula Hoop Cloche
It can still be quite chilly in April, especially at night, but you can protect your crops with this easy to build Hula Hoop Cloche. This project is from Dawn's book - Garden Crafts for Children (CICO RRP 14.99) You will need: 2 hula hoops (ask a grown up to cut them in half) 8 pieces of bamboo cane, 40cm long 2m length of horticultural fleece 8 large, coloured clothes pegs 1 Insert the lengths of bamboo cane in the ends of your four Hula-Hoop sections so that half of a bamboo cane is sticking out from each end of the hoop. Push the bamboo part of the hoop structure into the earth on either side of the crops that you need to protect or the seeds and soil that you would like to warm up. Ask a grown up or friend to help you cover the hoops with a piece of horticultural fleece. It is a much easier job if there are two of you. Secure the fleece at the bottom of each of the hoops with a clothes peg. Make sure you gather up the fleece before pegging so that there are no gaps to let in cold air.
2.
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Try this... In the summer months why not take off the horticultural fleece and use your cloche frame for growing dwarf climbing beans or pea plants?
Dawn Isaac, RHS Chelsea medal-winning garden designer with a speciality in designing family, school and pre-school gardens
www.dawn-isaac.com
Sleep Tips
Top sleep tips from Child Sleep Works

By: Maryanne Taylor, Child Sleep Consultant, Child Sleep Works
There is a bottomless pit of information available about babies sleep on the internet, on facebook, in books, magazines, TV programmes and from well-meaning friends and family. While it is great to have access to such a vast amount of information, the downside is how to glean the right information out of what is often completely conflicting tips and suggestions. So how do we separate the myths from the facts? Lets look at a few examples:
An attachment to a security object, or lovey, can help your child feel safe and secure if he/she wakes up at night or to help with separation anxiety.
Early morning I read that if I cut my babys daytime naps, shell sleep better at night Treat all wake ups before 6am as night wake ups. MYTH. Early mornings can be caused by too late a bedtime or not enough sleep during the previous day. This is definitely not the case for babies. The old saying sleep breeds Food that will help induce sleep include poultry, oats, bananas, sleep is true, and filling a babys sleep tank during the day will set her honey and green leafy vegetables. Try to include some of these in up for a better nights sleep. the evening meal. My friend told me that if I put my baby to bed later, hell sleep later in Naps the morning MYTH. From around 5 months, try and have your baby take at least one nap at home as he/she now needs a quiet, dimly lit and familiar Actually the opposite is true. Putting a baby to bed earlier will often environment to go to sleep rather than on the move. ensure a better nights sleep with a later morning wake up. As mentioned earlier, Sleep breeds sleep, so contrary to what one might think, a baby who fills his/her sleep tank during the day will I read on an internet site that a baby needs to sleep in bright sleep better at night. surroundings during the day and dark at night MYTH Dont feed your baby before each nap. Feed him/her when he/shes up and alert instead of ready to go to bed which helps weaken It is important in the early weeks to differentiate between day and night, food/sleep association. and ensuring that the baby is exposed to natural light during the day and dim light at night will help set their body clock to day and night. Dummies: However, it does not follow that the baby needs to sleep in a light Dummies can either be a huge help or a huge hindrance! If using a environment during the day, and actually a dark room for those daytime dummy, try not to use it day and night. If it falls out, dont constantly naps will help the baby sink into a deeper and longer sleep. put it back in, and if your baby does not seem interested, dont force it. I am so often asked what the basic principles are behind encouraging Try to encourage your baby to put the dummy in themselves as soon good sleep habits in babies and children, especially after a change in as they can by putting it in their hands and guiding their hands to routine such as starting a new nursery, moving house, birth of a new their mouth, rather than putting it straight into their mouth, the idea sibling or going on holiday. Obviously, we cannot force a child to sleep being that they will learn to put it back in themselves, saving you but we can certainly provide the environment and tools to help them on from having to get up every time it falls out their way. My top tips are as follows: If you are up many times a night just to put the dummy back in, consider getting rid of it altogether. Remember, short term pain for Your childs bedroom long term gain! Make sure that your childs bedroom is a warm, comfortable and inviting room, with not too many distractions. And remember that each child and each family are different, and what Use a dim night light if your child is nervous of the dark. works for one child, may not necessarily work for another. There is no If necessary, use a white noise machine or a fan, especially if there is one solution which fits everyone. The most important piece of advice I a lot of external noise. can offer is to trust your instinct as a parent. If it feels right for your child and yourself and it works well, then stick with it. Bedtime Routine Try to make bedtime around the same time each day. Sleep well! A bedtime routine is a powerful cue leading up to sleep time. It needs to be simple, comforting and predictable with calming and quiet Call: 07760 252750 activities. After the bath, it should all take place in the bedroom. Email: info@childsleepworks.co.uk Dont rush through the bedtime routine (as tempting as that may be!). Falling asleep Help your child learn how to fall asleep on their own without a sleep crutch such as being fed, rocked to sleep, or holding your hand.
www.childsleepworks.co.uk
44
Get Creative
Get Creative - Herts
Each month we endeavour to find something fun, educational or just plain messy that you can get up to with your children or perhaps something you want to do just for yourself! There are so many fantastic opportunities out there which dont have to cost the earth and are rewarding in many more ways than one. For the April/May issue we are pleased to give you access to a range of fabulous babies & toddlers classes, arty days out and just plain fun groups to keep you occupied during school holidays. Since we have now launched in Hertfordshire and Essex, the groups and classes will be from each area For Jo Jingles and Creation Station there are classes available Nationwide and should you be interested in attending one not within the area we have visited, please visit the respective websites for location details. Full details can also be found on our website: www.babybuzzmagazine.com.
Before a few weeks ago, Id never heard of Jo Jingles. Within the space of a few weeks, Ive attended a class and seen it publicised everywhere. So what is Jo Jingles all about you might ask? Well quite simply it introduces music, singing and movement to our pre-schoolers. This isnt anything like what you would imagine, nothing is regimented or made to feel like our little ones are being bamboozled into doing something they simply dont want to do. I was introduced to Ursula, who runs the classes in Cheshunt, Ware, Hertford, Hoddesdon and surrounding areas and decided to take my little one along to see what it was all about. I was amazed to see 17 children present. The atmosphere in the room was very much alive and the children were all very keento get started. With many years experience working as a nursery nurse and teacher in Rome, Ursula is thrilled to be running the Jo Jingles classes and brings a huge amount of exhuberance to the class. With a strong voice and commanding presence the children all warmed very much to her, and whilst my little girl was quite shy at first, within no time at all she was happy to be jumping about and participating in everything going on. The group consists of various activities involving many accessories and props and the music is loud whilst not unbearable and Ursula continues to make herself heard aiming clear instructions to the children. Whilst this all just sounds like the children are having fun, the children also learn various coordination skills through interactive play and repeating the movements as shown by Ursula. Definitely something I would recommend taking your toddler to. There are now over 100 Jo Jingles franchisees running classes in more than 600 centres throughout the UK, Ireland and the company launched in Australia in October 2010 in Perth and Sydney. Jo Jingles classes are fun & educational, structured according to age and introduce different educational themes each week. The aim is to give babies and toddlers from 3 months to school-age a fun introduction to music through the use of songs, nursery rhymes, percussion instruments, movement and dance, sound games & stories.
Come Along and Have Some Fun !
E-mail: ursulajojingles@yahoo.com
Web: www.jojingles.com/eastherts
45
Get Creative
Get Creative - Enfield

For the April/May issue we were invited to something a little closer to our doorstep for another session of ceramics therapy! Paint the Town is a gorgeous little studio located in Hampden Square, N14 own and run by the lovely Stella LaCorte. As with a lot of the pottery craft places located all over the UK Paint the Town has a set studio fee of 5 for adults and 4 for children. Paint the Town has been open for five years now and it struck me that the reason why it has been so successful is that it has so much variety. You dont have to just come to paint the many different styles of pottery available but you can also choose to participate in the Decopatch which is a paper mache style creation that you glue and stick an assortment of different things too. Admittedly this is a little more expensive at 16.50 but the ideas are endless and gives you a completely different creative outlet. I know that bringing an older child to a place like this is the norm, so we decided to approach this a little bit differently and bring two toddlers aged almost 2 and 3 The choice of pottery item to paint was smaller to enable a good grip but this was easily accepted and the excitement was very much apparent. Paint the Town also specialise in capturing little Hand & Footprints using ceramics, clay or silver at fantastic prices, which so far seem to be the best value so far out of all the places we have visited to-date. For this particular session I took my two year old daughter, sister-in-law and 3 year old niece. First impressions are that the studio is clean, tidy and organised with paints and palettes clearly and easily accessible to all participants. There is a little cafe area to the rear with a selection of good coffee, tea and refreshments for young and old. Prices start from 4 and can range up to 25 dependent on the size of the product you choose to paint. Each item is clearly priced underneath. There isnt a great deal of space for buggies which was perhaps the only downside. Stella was very warm and friendly and gave clear instructions on what we could do and where to find things and informed us when the products would be ready for collection. This isnt just somewhere to take your child, you could easily immerse yourself here for an afternoon of quiet creativity time and then come away with a little present to show what you have accomplished. Even with two young children busily painting away, the afternoon was calming and therapeutic, everyone was engrossed in what they were doing and trying to create their own masterpiece.
There are a range of additional products that can be purchased or arranged such as silver fingerprint jewellery with prices starting from 55 for a pendant and 95 for cufflinks. There are also 3D casts available from 120, which include an engraved plaque and are displayed beautifully, to clay prints starting from 85 for 1 hand/1 foot and again are engraved and displayed with an engraved plaque giving a lovely finishing touch. There are also fantastic pottery painting parties / fabric painting, decopatch or bathbomb parties which can vary from 14 (no food) to 17.50 (including food). The times include 1 hour studio time, invites, all materials, staff assistance and drinks.
For more information please visit: Paint The Town 13 Onslow Parade, Hampden Square London, N14 5JN Tel: 0208 920 0868
Website: www.paintthetownpottery.co.uk
Get Creative
Get Creative - London

Active Creative provide a range of engaging, unique, creative movement, physical education and music programmes. Our classes follow an exciting, proven structure including Warm-Ups, Character Dances, Musical Beginnings, Rhythm / Coordination Exercises, PE Action Activities and fun and funky Choreography aimed to inspire and engage all children. Active Creative provides a range of classes and programmes to meet the developmental needs of boys and girls aged 2-12 years. All schemes of work are planned in line with EYFS, KS1/2 guidelines, allowing lesson material to be adapted to meet the varied stages of ability and progression of individuals in every class. So who is in charge of the Mill Hill Dinky Dancers Group? My name is Susanna Barral-Davies, wife to a loving husband, mother to two fabulous kids and a very proud Franchisee and Class Leader for Active Creative. As a girl, I had a huge passion to dance, so at five years old my parents took me to my local dance school in Hendon, nothing fancy but I loved it! I danced there from five years old until I was 18, taking part in various shows. I trained in modern, jazz, disco, freestyle, as well as ballroom and latin, taking all my exams along the way, passing with Honours. I took part in lots of competitions and began to train as a teacher. ...But it wasnt until I had my daughter that I realised quite how passionate I was about Dance, PE and Action activities! It was her love of music and movement that I came across Active Creative and their Dinky Dancers programme, whilst looking for a fab class for her age group. They were looking for Class Leaders in my areathe rest is history! What difference does it make to you and to the children that attend? Two and half years on, and I still love going to work. Each class is different, full of fun and laughter and best of all, my children can enjoy it with me! They say you shouldnt work with animals or children.but I have never had so much fun at work! Leading classes and setting up the Active Creative business in North London has not only enabled me to share with children, families and schools my energy and enthusiasm for dance and movement but it has made me a better mother to my own children. I am much more patient now and have more fun with them too! I have recently become the Franchisee for Borehamwood and North West London, and am in the throws of launching new classes in the area as well as growing the great reputation we already have. After 10 years working in retail I no longer dread Monday mornings.whooo hoooo. as its all about the children now! Community classes, pre-schools, health clubswherever there are children. I am keen to Make Movement Matter!
ACTIVE CREATIVE celebrate 10 years with QiSS Award

Active Creative is proud to be celebrating 10 years as one of the biggest providers of creative, physical, dance, music and PE based activities for 2-12 year olds in the country with their first Quality in Study Standards (QiSS) Award, achieving Emerged status. Gaining their Emerged status with QiSS is an exciting step forward for Active Creative, who have been running their Dinky Dancers, Boogaloo Boogie, Motion Commotion and The Performing Arts Club workshops and classes in schools, Early Years centres, and community venues around the country for a decade now. Active Creative run one-day workshops, in-curricular classes, weekly lunchtime and afterschool clubs and community classes across many areas of England and the Welsh borders.
susannadavies@dinkydancers.com www.dinkydancers.com/ClassDetails.asp
Testimonials - Mum Carla We have been going to Dinky Dancers with Susanna for two years now and Georgia still loves it as much now as she did then. The classes are so varied and the content each week is great. Having a theme each term is such a good idea as it gives the children a chance to go home and practice their dance. The children all love the warm up and it's lovely seeing their smiles when their names are called out. Susanna is great with the children and keeps them interested throughout the class each week. Max has been going to the classes with his big sister since he was five days old (he has just turned one) Susanna involves Max in everything that she does and he gets so excited every week when he realises where we are. I would highly recommend this class as not only is it good fun but also the children respond positively to everything they are taught. Carla Bispham
47
Mr Ma !
By Lawrence McGrandles Jnr
As a stay at home Dad my role seems to have become very well defined over a fairly short period of time. My duties include but are not limited to getting up for the first breakfast sitting which consists of son number 1 and his fixed regime of porridge with jam Daddy, tea can I have a curly straw Daddy and toast with marmalade, jam and chocolate spread Daddy. This breakfast sitting is fairly constant as my son is on the autistic spectrum and likes uniformity. He also likes jam. While the first sitting is going ahead I make a sandwich, not jam, for my wife to take to work neatly filling the time it takes for son number 1 to power through his jam augmented breakfast. Next its a quick dash upstairs to get mladdo washed and into his school uniform. With any luck this will have all taken place before the arrival of the council provided transport that takes my son to his school. Hasty goodbyes and stern warnings of best behaviour are issued as well as hurried negotiations on the viability, or not, of taking an xbox 360 to school in a small book bag. As the front door closes on son number 1, all things being perfect, breakfast sitting number 2 commences with the arrival of my 2 year old daughter or to give her her proper title, The Queen of Sheba. What follows is a session of haggling that would make any merchant in Marrakech tremble as we to and fro over what is offered and counter requested for breakfast. Eventually a compromise is reached and we sit down to breakfast, the Queen and I. My better half will usually be heading for the front door at this point in order to catch the last possible train to get into work on time accompanied by enthusiastic and overly loud good byes from the diners. At the half way point of whatever the Queen finally agreed to have she will invariably push it away from her stating my dont like this and no amount of coaxing, cajoling or threatening will change that, so we leave the table and head upstairs to get washed and dressed. If its a good day and the stars are aligned then the wash and dress phase will be quick enough that I can grab a quick shower before we leave for pre-school, if not then I throw my clothes on over my PJs and hope I dont get hit by a bus on the way there (or back) as no one really needs to know the details of a mans PJs other than his next of kin. The ten minute walk to pre school can take slightly longer if the Queen decides she will be traveling by scooter as this involves minimal scooting and maximum pulling along by yours truly, not unlike some sort of urban human husky. Although due to the height of the scooter being fractionally too low to pull while standing upright it ends up being a strange crooked backed urban human husky. On arrival at pre-school I have to be quick and attempt to snatch a goodbye as generally there is no backward glance as the Queen heads in to check on her outlying principality in the company of her usual suspects. With the morning rush over its a slow walk home while attempting to straighten out the crooked spine and onto phase two, the chores. Breakfast dishes are put in to soak and a wash is put on. If I am still in undercover PJs this will be the time to grab a shower hopefully timed to perfection so the fill cycle on the washing machine causes me to play a game of scald/freeze in the shower and if I am going for bonus points maybe even a couple of crazy slip but not fall dance moves. Having washed myself and the dishes (separately) its time to tackle the front room which rather than being an adult oasis of calm
Mr Ma
and sophistication looks like we are actually lodgers in Justins House. The floor is decorated in a style that could be most accurately described as Kiddy Carnage, small world toys vie with wooden blocks for prime position awaiting the soft sole of unprotected feet. With everything finally pushed to the periphery of the room its a quick hoover then hang out the washing. It is at this point on one of those days that the cats attempt at a world record hair ball will be discovered and have to be shovelled up, he really is going for that record. Sometimes there will be time for a cup of tea before going back to pre-school to retrieve her majesty from the pitifully short three hour session. Collecting her majesty is actually one of the best parts of my day because it always goes the same way, I go into the hall where all the kids are waiting sitting on the floor on mats and wait for her to see me. As soon as she does I get the full beam smile that will in the future no doubt act as a get out of jail free card and she runs up to me with loud cheery daddy which I take my time to enjoy because I know I have another crooked backed scooter drag, lunch haggle and untold tidy up tantrums coming my way but for now its me and the Queen happy to see each other again.
48
Baby Blog with Lindsey Jenkinson
The Mummy-to-Be
Well, here we are in month four of being pregnant and I must say, Im liking the second trimester much more than the first. For a start, I can walk more than two feet without getting exhausted, bursting into tears and having to have a lie-down, which has definitely improved relations at work. With that in mind, I decided it was time, after the twelve-week scan, to tell my colleagues that I was harbouring a little ginger lodger somewhere in my abdomen. I work in a busy department of five, with me being the only female and we all get on extremely well. Im rubbish at breaking news, so once again (as with my family) it took me ages. When I did manage to get the words out, the chaps were all delighted and took it in turns to punch me on the arm/pull my hair/generally push me about. This is what happens when you become one of the boys. I must remind them to stop doing this in future as my bump grows I dont think itll be good for the baby! Something else thats improved this month is my appetite. Although Ive been trying to stick to a healthy and varied diet, the smell of most foods has turned my stomach so Ive been living plain jacket potatoes with cheese, plain pasta with cheese, plain crackers with cheese and plain bread with cheese. Mmmm...plain! Cardboard has never looked so appealing. I was a bit concerned about the lack of spinach in my diet, but my doctor said that instead of panicking myself into a frenzy thinking I was saddling the poor baby with a lifetime of scurvy and rickets, I should just accept that my body will want bland food until it adjusts to being pregnant, and suggested I take Vitamins C & D as well as calcium supplements. Listen to your body! It knows what its doing! Trust it! was her advice. Thankfully, Ive had a bit of a breakthrough over the past week and am now able to add exotic items such as tuna and baked beans to my jacket potato repertoire. Pickled onion crisps have also put in a random appearance, despite me not particularly liking them pre-pregnancy. Speaking of feeling queasy, its not only the smell of food that Ive had to contend with, travelling on public transport has become one long round of Guess the Smoker. My sense of smell has become so acute that not only can I identify what my fellow tube passengers had for breakfast this morning, I can also detect any smokers (or indeed shower dodgers) in the vicinity. I feel like a character in Roald Dahls The Witches, but instead of sniffing out children, I can smell a fry-up at 50 paces and a Marlboro Light in a jiffy. Much as I love a quiz, I sincerely hope this particular talent dies down soon so I can stop heaving into my snood on the Underground. Now that my energy has picked up, and fed-up of having to don skis to get to work through the snow (slight exaggeration,
Trimester 2
I live in zone three), my best friend and I decided to book a little holiday. Weve been joined at the hip for the past twelve years, and one thing Im really going to miss when Baby puts in an appearance is being able to plan ridiculous trips to all corners of the world. Weve seen our fair share of dodgy Hawaiian youth hostels, Middle Eastern souks and Malaysian durian farms (never again), and I really wanted a last trip together before Baby got too big. We opted for a few days in the Canary Islands as a) it wasnt snowing there, and b) it didnt look like it was going to snow there. In fact it looked lovely and warm. They have this thing called the sun in Spain which makes everything toasty apparently you can take your duffel coat off and everything! Me being pregnant, we decided against our usual Ryanair/cheap youth hostel/crisps for every meal combo and splashed out on a lovely hotel. A week later my boyfriend, Andrew, dropped us off at the airport and we toddled through the snow to catch our flight. Id read that the second trimester is a good time to take a holiday, and it was! Feeling the sun on my face was gorgeous. After a couple of months of feeling exhausted, queasy, hormonal and freezing it was lovely to be able to relax in the warm weather with a great book and my best friend. For the first time since discovering I was pregnant I felt truly relaxed. I finally had time to think about everything that had happened over the previous crazy three months. Wow, what a journey! I know its only the start, but Im really looking forward to the rest of it now. Roll on the next scan, the NCT classes and the enormous elasticky waistbands. Bring it on! Well, after Ive eaten my emergency packet of Pickled Onion Monster Munch of course...
Lindsey
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Amazing Review Giveaways
For our March and April issues, we have been given three fantastic buggies and travel systems to review. Well now, its your turn to answer a simple question and get a chance to win them for yourself. The products have very slight wheel usage but the car seats and carrycots, where they have been included as a full set, have not been used and are brand new. Simply email me the correct answer at: info@babybuzzmagazine.com and include your name, address and telephone number. Competition ends on 10 May 2013.
www.joiebaby.co.uk
For your chance to win a Joie Aire+ travel system in Ladybird Red, simply answer the following question: What price does the Aire+ retail at?
www.littlesaints.co.uk
For your chance to win the stunning Bumbleride Indie in Aqua, simply answer the following question: What car seats are compatible with the Bumbleride Indie?
www.mee-go.co.uk
For your chance to win a gorgeous mee-go with the Lilac colour pack, simply answer the following question: How much does each colour pack cost?
News & Reviews
Anybody who knows me, knows my views on 3 wheeled buggies and it would take a lot to dissuade me from these impressions as Ive seen and experienced negative results after owning my first 3 wheeler some time ago. I am, however, open to all new ideas and the improvements that are being made every day to the travel systems and buggies that are being brought to the market. It was at the recent Baby Show at the Excel Centre that I was introduced to the travel systems I have reviewed for this issue. The first one to be reviewed was perhaps the one that gave me the biggest surprise, purely for the fact it was a 3 wheeler and I absolutely loved it.
Is it easy to handle / use? Absolutely! As is clearly outlined in the sales pitch, the Bumbleride Indie is not your average jogging, all-terrain stroller. The Indie stroller combines the best of both worlds by merging the off-road ability of a multi-terrain stroller with the lean agility of an urban jogger. It also helps that the front wheel swivels a full 360 degrees but also has the option of a forward facing lock position. What car seat is the Indie system compatible with? The Indie is compatible with the maxi cosi, besafe and cybex car seats with respective car seat adapters. Is it cost effective? For the quality of the unit and the fact that you save a lot of money on the car seat unit to convert into a travel system the retail price of approximately 549.00 certainly isnt unrealistic (with the carry cot 569.00 and with the carry cot and footmuff is 599.00) How easy was it to put the Indie together? Even for me where the most simplest of systems is a struggle, I was pleasantly surprised at how easy this was. Even better was the ease in which it collapsed, I had it mastered within a minute which is by far the quickest so far. How practical is it? If you are the outdoorsy type and tend to go over a variety of terrains then this is perfect for you! You can use this from newborn, it has a multi-adjustable reclining backrest and it comes as standard with rear suspension, a height adjustable handle, bumper bar, large storage basket and removable cup holder, every benefit really has been considered. Will the system fit into the boot of a standard family car? Whilst this isnt the smallest system once collapsed we certainly had room for a small piece of luggage and some childrens toys whilst on a short-stay vacation. What age is it suitable from? Birth and upwards thanks to being able to convert it into a complete travel system. What comes included in the package? SPF 45 sun canopy Cup holder 2" air-inflated tires 5-point breakaway harness with shoulder pads Adjustable handle Raincover and pump Additional Extras: Maxi Cosi Car Seat Adaptors: 25.00, Snack Pack: 24.95, Travel Case: 65.00, Carrycot: 75.00, Footmuff: 69.00
Is it easy to handle / use? Very. The unit feels very stable and handles with great ease. The unit doesnt feel heavy and folds and unfolds very simply. What car seat is the mee-go system compatible with? The unit comes as a complete set so no need to purchase the car seat separately. Is it cost effective? The great thing with the mee-go is that there isnt a multitude of items that need to be purchased or take up excessive amounts of storage. The pushchair with a clever bit of adjusting turns into the carry cot and vice versa. The set comes complete as a travel system so has the car seat included. The full system can be purchased for 399.99 with colour packs an additional, yet affordable, cost should you wish to change the look of your travel system. How easy was it to put the mee-go together? Again extremely easy, everything comes put together with the mattress included for extra comfort in the carry cot. How practical is it? Ideal for almost every family. After a day trip out we came across quite uneven terrain and so it felt a little bumpy, but still secure and at no point did we feel that the little one was in danger, in fact she slept through most of it! Will the system fit into the boot of a standard family car? Once in collapsed mode, the system still felt a little bulky but nothing more than a few of the others tried and tested over the past few months. What age is it suitable from? Birth and upwards thanks to being bought as a complete travel system. Any negatives? My daughter is extremely tall for her age and resembles a 4 year old and we found that she was a little bit too tall for this system with her head just above the top edge. She seemed to be comfortable enough and slept quite well in it, but Im sure that for any other child is should be fine up to the state age bracket.
Buzz Rating: 4.5/5

Buzz Rating: 4/5

Tried & Tested
Focus Group
As youve seen already with the food reviews, this month some of our focus group members also got to try a selection of new and exciting baby related products recently brought to the market. Would you like to join our Focus Group? Sign up now at info@babybuzzmagazine.com.
Beltup Kidz Restraints (www.beltupkidz.com)

Nickie: I have had a problem with my little girl constantly popping her hands out of her straps in her car seat and have been desperately looking for a remedy. It was accidentally find the product on a social media network that prompted me to contact Managing Director Una Driscoll and ask her to send them to me to trial. Ive now handed out 6 of the products and pretty much all of the feedback has been good. If I had one small criticism, it would be that the connection parts that fit to the straps are a little fiddly and that the velcro cover is a little awkward. Ultimately the final goal is achieved and works a wonder and ensure my little one stays safe which is all I could as k for. Beltup Kidz are very generously offering our readers a 10% discount if you enter the code BU10KZ upon checkout.
Baby Buzz Rating: 3.5/5
The Anyway Up Cups (Haberman Products)

Eve: Emily: Oh my god these actually work! With all the beakers and cups on the market that all claim to be leak proof and then surprisingly arent - I can actually say these work! I was actually about to buy one of these, when I was given one to review! What a brilliant product, nice to see that something actually works and does what it is supposed to do! I wish I could comment on this, but every person I gave a cup to all have said the same thing, that these actually work and do exactly what they say they will do. Note to self - keep one for me next time!
Baby Buzz Rating: 5/5
Nickie:
The Complete Party-Box (www.thecompletepartybox.co.uk) Nickie: Wow, where do you start. Before you think this is just your ordinary party pack, think again! Once you have purchased this all you literally need to do is organise the food, the cake and, if not being done at home, the venue! Everything else is fantastically taken care of inside this magical box of goodies. If what is inside isnt enough for you, then the box itself is a beautiful wicker hamper basket that mum will love! Enough about the basket, whats inside! No wrong question, what isnt inside! It is jam packed full of all sorts of goodies including party bags filled with all sorts of products catered towards your theme. There are 4 different themes (Pirate, Dotty Dolly, Under the sea and Jungle) and also 2 different sizes according to the size of your party. If you have slightly more children attending, not to worry just give the numbers and the pricing can be adjusted accordingly to accommodate everyone. Im almost hesitate to say much more, as the surprise element was just as amazing! But for those of you who think no I could do this cheaper or Im not sure its worth the cost then Id really urge you to think again! Think about the stress, the hassle, the running around you could save and focus on your childs party? The hamper contains a party plan, so for those parents not so sure on what to do you can follow this step-by-step to make things really easy. There are also music codes that you just enter into a website and voila your music issues are all sorted as well! This hamper contains everything from a pre-wrapped pass the parcel, make your own masks, art activities, all the tableware and the goodie bags can fit in! Most of the items are reusable and good quality. Boxes start from 120, but you get so much and I mean so much more than just the hamper packed full of goodies, but no stress or running around - everything is taken care off for you! As if this wasnt enough, creator Joanne Robertson has also created a new range of bunting, calling Unique 'only for you' bunting - made from cherished items that you don't want to give away and would otherwise be kept in a box.. This way, you can use it for any celebration, and the memories of your little one wearing the items will come flooding back!
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Baby Buzz Rating: 5/5

Your Views
Baby Buzz Rating: Yoga teacher Indira Das-Gupta reviewed the raspberry boatneck top and grey cropped pants from Asquiths 4/5 range of exercise clothes which are also suitable to be worn during pregnancy.
I was immediately impressed with the clothes from Asquith as they are several notches above what I tend to wear to teach Yoga. I definitely wouldnt mind being seen in these clothes outside the Yoga studio which I cant say for most of my usual gear. I wouldnt normally opt for a top in raspberry but it was a lovely colour which would flatter all skin tones. All Asquiths garments feature a trademark row of Swarovski crystals which instantly injects a subtle hint of glamour to your look. Asquith also prides itself on only producing clothes made from the highest quality organic cotton which makes the clothes feel super soft against your skin. I taught two lessons wearing the clothes and thought that the top was perfect for Yoga as its longer length meant that I didnt end up revealing my midriff unintentionally when stretching. It also stayed firmly in place without riding up which meant I didnt have to adjust it at all. My only minor criticism is that if you were busty, the in-built bra wouldnt offer enough support. The grey pants were also perfect for Yoga as its easy to get your feet tangled in longer trousers in some positions. They were ideal for teaching as my students could see the positioning of my feet. I felt that despite the roll-down waist the elastic in the waist band was a little too tight for someone who might be pregnant and so you might want to go up a size. I would definitely recommend the clothes as they were very comfortable to wear, felt lovely against the skin and also looked good. You wouldnt expect something that feels luxurious to come cheap but they are worth the extra investment. To enjoy 20% off Asquith London simply enter promo code BABYBUZZ20 into the promotional code box when prompted at the checkout at www.asquithlondon.com Code not valid on sale items or with other offers.
Claire (Mum to Sam 11 months) The design on the carrier was fun and colourful which was a nice thought, a lot of the other carriers are plain and dont tend to have much of a pattern or theme. The initial instructions were a little difficult at first to understand and I struggled with getting Sam into the carrier. My preference was definitely to carry him to the front and he seemed to settle and feel more secure this way. The instructions in the booklet arent the clearest and the suggestion of swinging your child on your back for the rear carrying wasnt the most encouraging, although perhaps that was my perception of reading it. The padding isnt as much as on some of the other carriers Ive seen but for the slightly older child I think this would be ok.
Baby Buzz Rating: 3.5/5

Yoga with Indira
Yoga stretches your childs mind, body and soul and its great fun too!
One of the most beneficial aspects of Yoga is the way it teaches us to breathe properly. It may seem ridiculous to suggest anyone would need to learn how to breathe correctly after all its something we do without thinking, something we cant live without. But that doesnt mean were doing it properly. When were angry or upset we take short shallow breaths and only breathe from the chest. In Yoga, we breathe right down into our abdomen, slowly and deeply, which instantly makes us feel calmer and more relaxed. When children get upset about something they can make themselves short of breath, so showing them how to calm down is a great lesson to pass on. Some people find the spiritual aspect of Yoga off-putting or dismiss it as something for hippies, which is a shame. At its core Yoga is about having compassion for others and learning to love oneself. There is so much pressure on kids these days its hardly surprising this is impacting on their self-esteem. Yoga teaches us that theres something special in all of us. Yoga is non-competitive, which is one of the main things that appealed to me when I first started attending classes over a decade ago. I was put off sport at school because I felt like I wasnt any good at it. But when you practise Yoga its not about being good or bad at it. Being able to touch your toes doesnt make you a better person than someone who cant. Were so focused on appearance in our society that its good to be reminded its whats on the inside that really matters. And if we can teach children that, hopefully they can avoid feelings of low self-esteem.
You can improve your childs posture, strength, attitude and selfesteem through regular practice, says Yoga Superstars founder Indira Das-Gupta Even if youve never tried Yoga, youve probably heard it can help with things like back ache. But 2-6 year olds dont get back ache, right? So what could your child possibly gain from Yoga classes that they couldnt get from a more mainstream activity such as football or dance? In a nutshell: a lot! Any physical activity is good for your child, but its hard to think of anything that works on the mind, body and soul in the way that Yoga does. Its not just another form of exercise, it takes a holistic approach to health and recognises that even if you have a fit strong body, you wont feel content if you neglect your emotional well-being.
If this all sounds a bit too serious for your average 2-6 year old, think again. More than anything, the classes I run for kids are about having fun. Often, when I teach adult classes I look around and everyone seems so serious. At Yoga Superstars or when I practise with my own children I nearly always end up in a fit of giggles. We go on adventures to space or the jungle and the children let their imaginations run wild. Whenever I get my mat out to practise at home now, my children want The idea of Yoga classes for children might seem new, even faddish, to join in. As far as theyre concerned Yoga is simply about enjoying but in reality people of all ages have been practising Yoga for yourself. thousands of years in India. To this day, it continues to be a part of daily life in many schools in India. There is a reason for its longevity it works. Yoga Superstars is at Paramount, Green Lanes, N13 5TT every Monday from 4.30-5.15pm. Classes are 3 for members and 5 for non The benefits your child can derive from Yoga are almost too many to members. The first class is free for all Baby Buzz readers! Indira is also list. But one key area where its invaluable is in instilling good posture, available to teach in schools, playgroups and privately. which in turn can help prevent problems such as back pain in later life. The increasing amount of time children spend on sedentary activities www.yogawithindira.co.uk such as playing on the computer and watching television is wreaking havoc with their posture and leading to slouching and rounding of the lower back. Its not a coincidence that in India the number of back problems has soared since people started sitting on chairs instead of the floor. Yoga keeps the spine supple and teaches children to be more aware of the way they carry themselves, which means they can either correct bad habits or stop them forming in the first place. There is a strong connection between posture and mood. When children are sad or shy they tend to hunch their shoulders and look down. Yoga teaches them to stand tall with their shoulders back so they look and feel more confident. Another consequence of children spending more time indoors is that theyre less active, leaving them lacking upper body strength and having under-developed motor skills. Yoga helps with both these areas and helps increase flexibility the greater the range of movement in your body, the less likely you are to suffer aches and pains as you age.
Top Travel Destinations by Holiday Tots, the Baby Buzz Travel Experts
A bit of family luxury in Mawgan Porth, Cornwall

I am a busy mum of four and my job is to seek out stylish family holiday accommodation for Holiday Tots (stylish and individual family holiday accommodation specialist). So when I came across these 4 and 5* Eco cottages in Cornwall, a short walk from Mawgan Porth beach, it was an easy decision to include them in the Holiday Tots portfolio. They offer 5* star luxury for families with babies and children of all ages and it is no wonder they were highlighted by The Independent as one of The Best 50 British Escapes! Located at the end of a private lane nestled in the countryside the cottages offer a fantastic getaway with a real sense of being away from it all. Mawgan Porth itself is on the stunning North Cornwall coast between Padstow and Newquay and its unspoilt beauty has been visited by families for years. It was recently featured in ITVs Holiday Home Sweet Home and has the remains of a settlement thought to date back to the 5th Century AD! The beach itself (a Sunday Times award winner!) has acres of golden sand and is perfect for kite flyers, surfers, building castles, playing family games and exploring rock pools. There is an array of wonderful eateries and walks including a circular Cornish Pub Walk and some great family activities such as pitch and putt, surf schools, fishing, mini golf and more. Of course its a great base from which to visit the rest of Cornwall too! There are six family friendly holiday cottages at Merlin Farm varying from a budget studio, sleeping two adults and a baby, through to luxury barns with three bedrooms. All have wonderful views of the Cornish Countryside and their own enclosed garden area. This unique farm setting offers children the chance to get up close to Horace donkey and the horses and there is a communal lawn with a play area for children under 6. As with all Holiday Tots properties there are plenty of items on offer for all your needs especially if you are travelling with babies and toddlers and the beach of Mawgan Porth is just a few minutes walk away... For more details visit Holiday Tots or the Merlin Farm Holiday Cottages website directly at www.merlin-farm-cottagescornwall.co.uk. If you decide to book please mention Holiday Tots and you will get a free bottle of Prosecco! There are plenty of holiday properties to suit most families in Cornwall. Why not visit the Holiday Tots website www.holidaytots.co.uk or drop me an email with information on what you are looking for and I would be happy to help. Email: sachelle@holidaytots.co.uk. As always, Happy Holiday wherever you decide to go! Sachelle x
Stylish holiday properties, little ones welcome!
www.holidaytots.co.uk
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Top Travel Destinations by Holiday Tots, the Baby Buzz Travel Experts
Sitting on the northwest peninsular of mainland Europe is the picturesque French province of Brittany. With an astounding 1700 miles of coastline and countless beaches, Brittany is a haven for holiday makers. Many families venture to Brittany each year as their first holiday abroad with their new family members. Its close proximity to the UK means that although you are in a different country you feel you are never too far away from home: with a mild climate, Brittany is the perfect destination for families with young children. Brittanys diverse landscape means that there is something for everyone: coastal beaches, parks, lakeside beaches, forest walks and gardens with a wide range of activities from water parks and theme parks to canoeing along the canals. If you are looking for something to educate and enlighten, visit the many castles and museums or zoos, planetarium or aquarium. There are some wonderful beaches in Brttany, here is a small selection and you can find more on our blog at toddleto.co.uk as well as a guide to some great tourist attractions in the region. Northern Brittany is home to Dinard, one of the most popular tourist destinations in Brittany, probably due to the miles and miles of golden sand. Dinards beaches stretch into the distance with the most popular the Place de lcluse, distinguishable by the rows of stripy tents. Also lying to the North East and close to Dinard is Saint Cast le Guildo and a wonderful beach for families: long, flat and protected by cliffs and backs onto the town of St Cast. Moving along down towards the West Coast is Morgat which sits on the Crozon peninsular, and this is host to a number of beautiful beaches. When the tide is out, this crescent of sand becomes home to many rock pools providing hours of wonder for children: you can go crabbing and even spot starfish and sea anemones. The sea is shallow for quite some distance, so its also great for paddling in with young ones too. Low tide is the best time to go, as the caves in the cliffs are accessible to explore with your little adventurers. Much of the western coast of Brittany tends to appeal a little more to the older traveller due to the dramatic shoreline, However, Audierne is another resort that is great for kids, as it is simply your regular seaside holiday, buckets, spades, a bat and ball and a rubber ring or two are all essential accessories. And so to Southern Brittany... Try Quiberon if you are looking for a bustling beach for a day, situated on the Quiberon peninsula. It is a bit of a pain to get to, with just one road going to and from it (an alternative way in is by train) but it is worth the effort. Bustling with visitors, Quiberon is a huge stretch of white sand, adjacent to many buoyant hotels and an attached fishing port, the activities are endless but theres also room to simply sit back and enjoy the sunshine. For a more relaxing break, Cap Coz, Fousenat, positioned in the south, is ideal. This is the perfect place to bring a picnic, your own bat and ball, and buckets and spades and create the holiday you want for yourself. If you would like more details on what Brittany has to offer, including more information on Beaches and tourist attractions visit our new Toddle To... travel blog www.toddleto.co.uk or Brittanys official tourist board www.brittanytourism.com
Family-friendly Brittany
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Jani White - Naturechild
It is a very sad indictment of our modern culture that breastfeeding has become something that is considered to be potentially challenging and that there seems to be a growing trend that many women have an expectation that it will be difficult.
BREASTFEEDING AND WHY IT DOESNT NEED TO BE DIFFICULT

wound up and nervous before the feed, the feed doesnt go well, baby is crying, mother gets even more wound up and then both are in a state of frustration and the stress hormones make it even harder to calm down and find a way forward. And the worst feeling for mother is the over-riding sense that she is not able to nourish her own child.
This is sad, because, of course, we are meant to breastfeed, we are designed to breastfeed and the brilliance of our bodys wisdom is an ability to adjust the levels of protein, nutrients and fluids within the milk according to our babys needs. There is a remarkable symbiosis between mother and child, and the breast has an uncanny ability to read how to adjust the milk composition to meet the exact particular needs of the baby, adjusting hour by hour, so that each feed is just right for that baby in that moment. Arent hormones extraordinary! But why is it that we have entered an age when breastfeeding is not the primary source of nourishment for babies? There is what has become a detrimental pressure on women in our society to do whats best, and the key campaign within the NHS for the last 20+ years has been the message that Breast is Best. Unfortunately this key message has somehow become somewhat undermining in much the same way that women are given a false expectation that unless they have had a perfect labour that somehow they were not good enough. We are seeing a similar effect about breastfeeding, that when it is not happening in an easy and fluent way that somehow the mother feels she is not good enough. This is of course absolute rubbish! Every woman is different, every labour is different, and the experiences of the labour will most definitely affect the thoughts and feelings of both mother and baby in those first hours and first days. When there has been a stressful situation then the stress hormones will interfere with the flow of the breastfeeding complexes and it may take a few days of adjustment before things calm down enough to help to engender the right sort of hormone flows to aid the ease of breastfeeding. Add to this the fact that many labours are long and arduous, perhaps baby was not well positioned and thus the labour became difficult. Perhaps interventions were used, maybe there has been an epidural, maybe an assisted delivery, forceps, suction or C-section. The labour will very much affect the baby, and very often when the baby has not been in an optimal position then the way the skull plates have compressed means that the babies jaw is compromised and it becomes difficult for baby to get a good latch. This is a primary reason why so many mothers and babies struggle in the early days. This can often lead to sore and maybe cracked nipples because the baby is not able to get around the nipple properly, and by this time perhaps the mother is in a right state; the breastfeeding hurts, she gets
I know whereof I speak, for my first child was in an OP position, meaning a back to back labour, the second stage was very long and arduous, and by time he was born he looked like some kind of alien cone-head. We could not get a proper latch for 5 days! And in those 5 days, throughout the shift of hormones, I suffered a crucifying loss of confidence that I could not nourish my baby. It was one of the worst experiences of my life, and has been a key reason that I am so concerned to help take the fear out of breastfeeding and to help mothers learn to relax and trust that with perseverance, it can all come out just fine. Once we did get going I was able to breastfeed for fully 12 months.
The key message to take away from this article is to remember that each mother and each baby needs to find their own way forward. The advantages to breastfeeding are very clear, and I will always encourage every mother to persevere for as long as it suits her lifestyle, it will bring so much benefit to both you and your baby. Equally, there are many reasons why it may suit mothers to need to consider bottle feeding or mixed feeding (a combination of breast and bottle but thats another article unto itself!). Our work culture may be a big part of this. Many women are concerned to have their babies ready to go to nursery when they will need to go back to work, thus being on bottle and early weaning needs must be the way for many people.
If only I had known about Craniosacral Therapy when all that was happening! Cranosacral is a treatment that can be given safely, and very effectively, to new-borns throughout the first days and weeks. It is completely safe and noninvasive. A trained therapist (many midwives have done this training) will place their hands on the babys skull plates (the cranium) and on the plate of bone at the base of the spine (the sacrum). Through very gentle, almost imperceptible movements the therapist will help to adjust the bones so as to bring the jaw into correct alignment, easing pressure in the babies skull (often the reason why a newborn may be fretful and unsettled) and will help to bring a correct alignment to the spinal column, bringing correct flow of the spinal fluids, creating calm in Helpful Guide what was a disjointed system. Ina Mays Guide to Breastfeeding by Ina May Gaskin If you are struggling with latching, having a Craniosacral session can often bring great ease, and often it will help if the mother also has a treatment! Craniosacral Therapy can help to bring her out of her stress hormones, the sympathetic response (fright or flight), and to come back into her para sympathetic response (rest and digest). Breastfeeding is hormonally driven, and being in parasympathetic is a vital aspect to successful feeding. If we are stressed we stop the breastfeeding hormones from doing their job. Many babies will just latch on and will be away with a flying start. But even the mothers with the easy feeders will find things challenging, not to mention how much more acute our sensitive feelings are when we havent had enough sleep! And of course there are those rocky moments around day 3-5 when we are going through such a humungous hormone shift as the milk comes in.
The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding by La Leche League International What to Expect When You Are Breastfeeding And What If You Cant? by Clare Byam-Cook The Food of Love by Kate Evans Top Tips for Bottle Feeding by Clare Byam-Cook
I would like to return to the core mantra of all the work that I do with mothers and babies, which is to find Whatever Works. It is important to find the solutions that suit you as an individual, that suit the way you would like to choose to raise your children, that suit you as a family and that allow you to structure your lives the way they need to be in order to to meet your needs. Please do not feel bad about making the choices that really work for you. One of the key things I wish to help change is this tyranny of feeling that there is a right way or a wrong way. There isnt. There is only your own way. So do try to read as many good books as you can on the subject while you are pregnant. Do know who your local breastfeeding councillors are, do know if your local GP surgery has a midwife clinic and/or a health visitor that you can turn to post natally for help, advice, reassurance and a calm and steady supportive shoulder to lean on. Find the support network that is the new mums in your area, ask your friends, talk to everyone. Then sift through and find the solutions that work for you.
Association of Breastfeeding Mothers: Counselling Hotline 08444 122 949 www.abm.me.uk La Leche League www.laleche.org.uk The Craniosacral Therapy Association www.craniosacral.co.uk Website: www.naturechild.co.uk Mobile: 07932 00 00 25 Email: jani@naturechild.co.uk
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Bebe Jacob
Whining, whinging, moaning and complaining. Arent they set to drive any parent mad? And I dont know about you, but my children seemed to whine and complain the most AFTER wed just had a great time. It would mainly be on the way home from a fun outing to the park, or the zoo, or maybe the day after wed had a good time. In my mind they would spoil a good memory with whinging, whining or complaining about that -or about something else. Whining is a cry for attention and a way of trying to persuade you to listen. One thing we do know, if your childs whining for something, fulfilling his request will only shut him up temporarily, and it will actually make him whine more -and probably more loudly in the future. After all he has now learned that whining gets him what he wants. TIP 1 Im sure most parents know this logically although its not always easy to resist but do not give in. You are only increasing the chances of them doing it again -and more loudly next time -whether its whining, temper tantrums or complaining.
Winding Down the Whining
not your job to fix it. Know the difference between that and when your child is unhappy. If its the latter, take it more seriously as then they might need your help. A child may be really unhappy if they are complaining about being bullied or frightened about something. Most of the time our children are not unhappy. They are just upset. You can teach your child that there are other ways to get your attention and to express the fact that they are upset. TIP 5 Remember, whining is an attempt to communicate. It irritates us, it even sends us a little crazy -but your child is feeling powerless and wants to communicate with you. At that moment your child does not feel connected to you, and may not feel very loved or lovable. Which is why perhaps this moodiness often comes after having had fun together. Your child didnt really want it to end as they were feeling so close to you. So they whine to remind you they exist, and that they now have a mixture of emotions. Your job as the parent is not to fix it or start playing with them again, but just to be close by when they whine and again to reflectively listen. You can do more than this as well. Think to yourself The sound of whining may be driving me crazy but its the sound of my child feeling alone with his emotions so he needs me more than ever to connect. He needs to let out emotions and this is his way of doing it If hell let you, dont say anything, just hug him.
Whining, whinging, moaning and complaining are all your childs way of expressing what they want when they dont have the emotional vocabulary. So tip 2: TIP 2 Teach them the emotional vocabulary. You can do this by reflectively listening to what they are telling you at any time. Whether they are whining, whinging, moaning or complaining you can listen -without interrupting or judging and then say You sound so frustrated/angry/upset/cross/jealous. I know you want....... This takes time and patience on your behalf. So combine it with tip no 3. TIP 3 Ask them to say it in a normal voice. When theyre whining, dont respond with anger or punish them. They are trying to communicate. They just havent found a mature way of doing it. Keep your tone very neutral and say Ill be happy to listen when you can use a normal voice. I call it an at home voice which they know does not involve shouting or speaking very loudly but sounds as near as possible as if they are asking for something without all the emotions. Again this takes time for your child to practice if they are used to getting their own way with a whiny voice. TIP 4 When they are whining, whinging, moaning or complaining, they are doing it to get your attention because at some stage they have learnt that it pushes your buttons. So dont fuel that. Dont let it get to you and remember, there is a difference between a child being upset and being unhappy. Your whining child is more often that not upset not unhappy. Being upset is a part of living life. We get upset because we dont always get what we want in life and life never runs smoothly all the time. It is
So remember........Your child usually doesnt need what hes crying for (or whining about). He needs to feel connected and loved by you -but is going about it totally the wrong way. But bad attention is better than no attention and he doesnt have the emotional vocabulary or the maturity to do it any other way. So dont give him what he wants. That wont solve it. What he wants is your connectedness to him again. But not by lecturing. He needs a hug, a smile, a soft look in the eyes, a feeling hes understood. All of those things which are the opposite of how youre feeling when hes winding you up. Its a challenge isnt it?
Bebe Jacobs info@parentingcoachingnow.com Tel: 07939 880 856 www.facebook.com/bebeparentcoach www. parentingcoachingnow.com
Carli Adams
The Art of Newborn Posing Bailieandbelle.com
Newborn baby photography is not the next big thing! It is THE big thing right now in the photography world. We have all seen images of perfectly formed babies in all sorts of cute poses and in or on different types of props. Carli from Bailieandbelle is a newborn photographer based in st. albans who has undertaken many courses in the art of newborn posing. Newborn baby posing came to the UK from the US, whilst I have been a newborn photographer for a few years and the increase of this genre excites me, I have however, seen and heard of some very scary practices within the newborn photography world. Practices that should not be undertaken without extensive training and having the correct knowledge and insurances to cover the safety of that fragile baby and reassure its new parents.
Dads arm is no more than a few inches above a bean bag and his other hand.. is holding the baby in place
There is a very small time window to enable the photographer to capture these shots perfectly, it is when the baby is under 14 days old. At this time they are still curled up into their little balls and sleepy, therefore easier to pose. The session can last anything from three to six hours. I do not It is critically important to use a trained pose baby until he/she is fully asleep. This takes newborn photographer, who also holds public lots of feeding, shhing, rocking and a very warm liability insurance. Many of the poses are what studio room! we call composites and use two images blended together. This is not for the benefit of the The best part of all of this is seeing the proud photographer, in fact it takes them much longer parents cooing over their pride and joy and to edit an image this way. knowing they are perfectly safe and can capture this time in their babys life forever. It does however fully cover the safety of the baby. I could possibly pose a newborn with its head in its hands and let go for a few seconds, but bearing in mind they have little to no head control and how fragile their little necks are I am sure no one would want me to do this. Instead we take two shots as shown below.
If you would like to contact BailieandBelle or view the portfolio, please visit: www.bailieandbelle.com or telephone 07962536933
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LegoLand - Term Time Fun
As I mentioned previously, my initial, and very wrong, impression about the age suitability of the park is even more proven by the new addition of the Duplo Valley Section. As many parents will tell you, Duplo caters towards the youngest members of our family and perhaps more suitable to little fingers and inquisitive mouths! As most people will know, my littlest one has an obsession with tasting everything, whether it be crayons, sand, paint, you name it she will try it. The blessing with the Duplo bricks is the size, for me they arent a hazard, as even her little mouth cant handle the size of these. Have you ever felt like you were the last person to go somewhere? It seems everyone Ive spoken to has been to Legoland and so I decided to see what all the fuss was about. Our visit was scheduled towards the end of March, so I had anticipated a nice day out with my oldest daughter and her friend (Mia & Mia - it was a funny day calling out their names!). What I wasnt expecting was a day full of snow! Most people will tell you, I dont like snow, I have no patience for snow and in March - THERE SHOULDNT BE SNOW! However, I had planned a day out with the girls and together we were determined to have an exciting day full of fun activities. Thankfully Legoland accommodated this very well and snow was no hindrance to us! From our end we all like rides but not stupidly fast ones that scare the pants of you so the fact that the park had closed 4 or 5 of its fastest and scariest rides really wasnt a bother to us and for safety reasons we completely understood the rational behind it. Other users also didnt seem to mind at all and the park looked busy and with lots of children having fun (us parents did however look rather cold watching our children have fun on all the rides). The park has so much to offer and really caters for children of all ages. My initial thoughts were that Legoland caters for children perhaps from early school age to about ten years old, but then you forget even as adults we all love Lego and if anyone puts it in front of me Im excited to see what I can build, its also a great fun activity to do with your children. If time had allowed, I would have liked to have stayed at the Legoland Hotel as this is all themed around Lego (funnily enough) and it would certainly add to a fun weekend away. Ultimately we did have lunch in the hotel restaurant and the set buffet price was great and the food surprising. I say this in a good way. Most buffets have you think of mass produced food, dry and probably not the greatest quality, what Legoland has done is provide fresh quality and highly tasty food available by the chefs who are only too happy to oblige. The half-pounder burgers were delicious and both girls thoroughly enjoyed them. The Lego shaped potato chips were fun and a good addition. Not everything is fried, there is a healthy and non-fried section also available which for the more health conscious covers their requirements also. The creation of the Duplo Valley series means that our little ones can start using their imagination (with a little help from mummy, daddy and perhaps brother or sister) from a much earlier age. Prices vary as with the older series of Lego sets but the beauty of Lego and Duplo is that they are timeless classics which will never date.
Book now for massive savings!

TICKET PRICES AND INFORMATION: Adult (16 - 59 years): Child (3-15 years): Senior (60+ years): 36.60 36.60 45.60
There are substantial savings to be had if you purchase online, so well worth doing if you can.
For opening times, please visit the website: www.legoland.co.uk

Disco Duck
Disco Duck is dancing his way to a venue near you! Are you looking for a fun music and movement class where you can join in with your child? Well, Disco Duck has the answer. Why not bring your child to a Disco Duck class, where they will have lots of fun, whilst developing their coordination, fitness and rhythm!
The Duck has landed!
Disco Duck is the ultimate Pre-School dance experience, written and created by ISTD Fellow and Examiner Amanda Hughes. Amanda comments, Young children come alive and respond to actions, they also respond to the beats from pop music. I have been running these classes locally now for 3 years and have been overwhelmed with the response. Building on this success, the next step on the journey is to ensure all children all over the country, can benefit from the Disco Duck experience. At the end of last year Laura Davies discovered Disco Duck and now runs the fun Pre-School Disco Duck classes in Hatfield and Sandy. Disco Duck classes are well structured with fun elements, created to develop the very beginnings of rhythm, co-ordination and gross motor skills with inspiring and imaginative music and themes. Laura says I love watching the children and their parents interacting and having fun together during my Disco Duck sessions. It is great to see the children using their imagination and getting so involved when we are discussing where Disco Duck is going on his journeys each week, it makes my job so enjoyable. One local mum, Gemma Cook comments, My daughter loves attending Disco Duck. She gets so excited about going. The children follow simple small dance moves which they can do and keep up with. Definitely worth the money for the joy she gets from it. With Disco Duck you dont have to wait until the next week to enjoy our sessions: We also deliver Disco Duck parties and all you have to do is supply the venue! There are also lots of other activities you can continue to enjoy with your children during the week for example, dance around your living room to our wake up warm up song or colour in a picture, or read our Disco Duck stories!
What is Disco Duck?
Special offer: Book your first class for 2.25! Classes take place on Thursdays at Green Lanes School, Hatfield from 4.10pm-4.40pm or Saturday mornings at Sandye Place Academy, Sandy from 11.30am-12.00 noon. Please contact Laura on 07921817633 or email: davieslaura@hotmail.co.uk Website: www.disco-duck.co.uk
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Your Local Community
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WHATS THE BUZZ?

FAMILY FUN IN APRIL
Here comes April and the fabulous news that Baby Buzz is expanding to include two new areas: Hertfordshire and Essex. Welcome to all our new readers. I hope youll find something wonderful on these pages to enjoy with your families. Wishing you all a Happy St. Georges Day on the 20th of the month. Wed love to hear if theres something amazing going on in your community that we can share with our readers. Send your email to nickie@babybuzzmagazine.com.
LONDON LITTLE ANGEL THEATRE, N1 Box Office: 020 7226 1787 www.littleangeltheatre.com 21 April CLOUD CHILD Its a windy day perfect for hanging out the washing. But theres a surprise on the clothes line a child from the sky is caught up with the sheets! How can we make friends when were from different worlds? 11 May 21 July WERE GOING ON A BEAR HUNT A family go on an expedition of a lifetime running down the grassy bank, wading through the cold river, squelching over the oozy mud, stumbling into the dark forest, then peering into a cave CIRCUS SPACE, N1 Box Office: 020 7613 4141 www.thecircusspace.co.uk 16 March 22 June (Selected Dates) YOUTH CIRCUS EXPERIENCE DAY Aimed at young people aged 8-16 years old who want to try a great range of circus skills. Try flying trapeze, diabolo, tightwire walking and static trapeze in a spectacular training space. JACKSON LANE, N6 Box Office: 020 8341 4421 www.jacksonslane.org.uk 14 April MY BROTHER THE ROBOT Once upon a time in the future there will be a little girl called Bobbie. When she announces that she wants a brother, her inventor dad locks himself away in his lab and creates a special robot brother. But one day, when Bobbie gets into danger, will her robot brother be able to save her? 21 April DONT LET THE PIGEON DRIVE THE BUS The friendly bus driver leaves us with one simple instruction: Dont let the pigeon drive the bus! But will you let him drive??? 5 May SENSACIONAL Among ladybirds, flowers, squiggles and curlicues, children get to explore an astounding digital world in this beautiful, interactive show. LAUDERDALE HOUSE, N6 Box Office: 020 8348 8716 www.lauderdalehouse.co.uk 13 April THE LITTLE PAPER GIRL Theres a dirty great cloud over Papertown that casts a gloomy shadow, but high above is another world where the Spider spins her magic. 20 April ALIEN ENCOUNTERS Explorer Nora is 9,000 years old and shes been pretty much everywhere, but she knows there's more to see. 27 April WHOS IN FOR TEA? Have you ever wondered what happens in Wonderland when Alice isnt there? 4 May WIZARD LOONS JACK AND THE BEANSTALK At last, Wizard Loon, the truly unbelievable magician who gave Jack the five magic beans, reveals all. See how he discovered those magic beans and watch, amazed, as Jack outwits the wicked giant.
ROSE BOWL CENTRE, N1 Box Office: 020 7354 3524 www.hoxtonhall.co.uk/youth/rosebowl Until 31 July VARIOUS Events and activities every Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday for ages 8 years and upwards, including art, singing, movie making, drama, boxing, football and much more.
ARTSDEPOT, N12 Box Office: 020 8369 5454 www.artsdepot.co.uk 21 April CURIOUS Journey into a world where kitchen meets garden and where pots and pans get mischievously mixed up with planters and pails. A story without words, Curious is a spirited play for the very, very young. 5 May STAR Join the green-fingered Gardener and the tidy Tailor who live at opposite ends of the world. All they share is a bright star glittering in the sky above them. One sad day this star disappears. As the Gardener and the Tailor search high and low for the star, they find something even more amazing and unexpected. 12 May THE THREE BILLY PIGS Once upon a time there were three little pigs... ...and now it's time for them to leave home. They set off to build their dream houses in the green field on the other side of the river. But then these homes are put to the test by a misunderstood wolf who has a little bit of a problem. And who is the grumpy person who lives under the bridge? CHICKENSHED, N14 Box Office: 020 8292 9222 www.chickenshed.org.uk 20-21 April TALES BIG DAY OUT A perfect opportunity to enjoy a family day out at Chickenshed, this mini festival has both much-loved and new routines from Tales from the Shed, plus lots of stalls where children can watch or take part in fun and creative activities. 26 April-6 July TALES FROM THE SHED Tales from the Shed is a highly entertaining, interactive theatre show that is perfect for young children. It is informal, lively and amazingly engaging as the performers and audience share the same space. RICH MIX, E1 Box Office: 020 7613 7498 www.richmix.org.uk 5 May HUE BOY Hue Boy has a problem that everyone is talking about... he is small and doesn't seem to be growing. His family and the villagers all have their opinion on what he should do and his school friends tease him. Until one day Hue Boy understands what it is to be tall despite his height.
V&A MUSEUM OF CHILDHOOD, E2 Box Office: 020 8983 5200 www.museumofchildhood.org.uk 2-12 April (Selected Dates) THE EMPERORS NEW CLOTHES Story Spinner is back with a creative adaptation of Hans Christian Andersen's tale The Emperor's New Clothes
ARCOLA THEATRE, E8 Box Office: 020 7503 1646 www.arcolatheatre.com Until May 4 MOBY DICK Nantucket.1851. Centre of a whaling industry that transformed blubber into the oils and candles that lit the world. Its there that a schoolmaster called Ishmael arrives to ship on a whale-boat. He enrols under Ahab, Captain of the Pequod a man bent on destroying the white whale that lost him his leg. Certain the destruction of his nemesis will slake his thirst; Ahabs singleminded pursuit of Moby-Dick consumes Ishmael, the crew and the Pequod itself. DISCOVER, E15 Box Office: 020 8 536 5555 www.discover.org.uk 12 April A BEASTLY DAY Don your favourite beastie costume and join us at Discover for a day of beast-themed activities. 12 April BEAST QUEST AT STRATFORD PICTURE HOUSE Calling all valiant knights and questers! Six mythical beasts are guarding magical golden armour for the evil wizard Marvel. Help the good wizard Aduro, in this interactive event, to solve cryptic puzzles and free the beasts from Marvels evil spell. Also, get an exclusive preview of Adam Blades brand new series, SEA QUEST! Deep in the water lurks a new breed of Beast Exclusive goodies for everyone. STRATFORD CIRCUS, E15 Box Office: 0844 357 2625 www.stratford-circus.com 20 April BLOWN AWAY The wind can whisk you up into the sky, the wind can take you on an adventure! What if, one windy night a little girl arrives in your bedroom and tells you shes the wind? Join us as a small boy finds himself swept up and whisked away on an unforgettable journey with her. Flying through the air with the world so small below them, they feel big, and when youre big you can do anything at all! LILIAN BAYLIS STUDIO, EC1 Box Office: 0844 412 4300 www.sadlerswells.com 17-18 May VARMINTS Varmints is the brand new childrens dance theatre show, which tells the poignant tale of one small creatures struggle to preserve a world in danger of being lost forever.
THE ALBANY THEATRE, SE8 Box Office: 020 8692 4446 www.thealbany.org.uk 28 April DONT LET THE PIGEON DRIVE THE BUS The friendly bus driver leaves us with one simple instruction: Dont let the pigeon drive the bus! B but will you let him drive??? 12 May WE NEED BEES Bertie Bee is at the bottom of the heap in a busy beehive, and spends his day pollinating boring old apples. But Bertie dreams of wild flowers in the countryside so one day he rebels and flies away, only to put the whole hive and his best friend in danger. Will he be able to make things right and save the day? . CUTTY SARK, SE10 Box Office: 020 8312 6608 www.rmg.co.uk/cuttysark 5 May PIRATE PARTY Join us in a pirate takeover at the NMM and on-board Cutty Sark for a fun-filled day of activity thatll shiver your timbers. CANADA WATER CULTURE SPACE, SE16 Box Office: 020 8692 4446 www.canadawaterculturespace.org.uk 11 May EACH PEACH PEAR PLUM Adapted from the much-loved book by Janet and Allan Ahlberg, Each Peach Pear Plum is a game of I spy for little ones and their families.
MUSEUM OF LONDON, EC2 Box Office: 020 7001 9844 www.museumoflondon.org.uk 6 May FIRE! FIRE! Travel back in time to 1666 and the Great Fire of London with our costumed storyteller. SOUTHBANK CENTRE, SE1 Box Office: 0844 875 0073 www.southbankcentre.co.uk 14 April MOON AND GENIE Jamal needs to cook a meal for his Grandmother. Is there anyone who can help? As night falls and the moon shines, the air is filled with magic.
Until 28 April YOU THINK YOU SEE ME BUT IM INVISIBLE Someone is coming who will turn everything upside down This someone can build things, invent stories and dance. This someone can dress up, transform, become someone else. This someone loves music and has a fridge thats never empty. This someone is hardly ever sad. This someone is a curious clown who lives in a tiny place full of things. This someone can eat 100 sausages and change the order of everything you know, even if its only for the smallest of moments. Are you ready to follow him? BLACKHEATH HALLS, SE3 Box Office: 020 8463 0100 www.trinitylaban.ac.uk/blackheath-halls 4 May RUMPELSTILTSKIN AND THE WHEEL OF FORTUNE Poor Polly Buckwheat, the Millers daughter, is in a bit of a pickle! If she doesnt turn a roomful of straw into gold by morning, the greedy King will turn a bit nasty. But should she accept the kind help of an eccentric dwarf who mysteriously appears in her prison cell? 4 May THE PRINCESS AND THE FROG This beautiful new ballet by Let's All Dance combines all the ingredients to charm audiences young and old. An original score, gorgeous costumes and crystal clear storytelling draw you into the magical world of classical ballet, and make it accessible to all. A lovely production and a heart-warming tale.
UNICORN THEATRE, SE1 Box Office: 020 7645 0560 www.unicorntheatre.com 24 March-28 April MR HOLGADO Conrad tells his parents that theres a tiger living on top of his wardrobe (who eats champagne truffles, no less!) but they dont believe him. When Conrads parents suddenly welcome a mysterious stranger, Mister Holgado, into their home, Conrad suspects hes more of a threat than any tiger ever could be.
SCIENCE MUSEUM, SW7 Box Office: 020 7942 4000 www.sciencemuseum.org.uk 23 April-8 May (Selected Dates) BUBBLES, BUBBLES, BUBBLES! This interactive show features bubbles of all sizes going up, down, this way, that way, and all over the place with a little help from the audience!
GARRICK THEATRE, WC2 Box Office: 0844 579 1974 www.nimaxtheatres.com Until 21 April POTTED POTTER Potted Potter takes on the ultimate challenge of condensing all seven Harry Potter books (and a real-life game of Quidditch) into seventy hilarious minutes. Even if you don't know the difference between a Horcrux and a Hufflepuff, this brilliant comedy will make you roar with laughter. This show is perfect for ages six to Dumbledore (who is very old indeed). PEACOCK THEATRE, WC2 Box Office: 0844 412 4300 www.sadlerswells.com 25-28 April LONDON CHILDRENS BALLET THE SECRET GARDEN With a cast of 55 talented dancers aged 9 - 15, this mesmerising adaptation, telling the story of young Mary Lennox and the forbidden locked secret garden behind her uncles Yorkshire house, is a perfect way to introduce the whole family to the joys of ballet and classical music. WYNDHAMS THEATRE, WC2H Box Office: 0844 482 5120 www.delfontmackintosh.co.uk/Tickets/ Tiddler/Tiddler.asp 20 April-4 May TIDDLER AND OTHER TERRIFIC TALES Under the sea, out on the farm and into the jungle, these terrific tales are woven together with live music, puppetry and a whole host of colourful characters from their best-loved titles: Tiddler, Monkey Puzzle, The Smartest Giant in Town and A Squash and a Squeeze. ST PAULS COVENT GARDEN, SW2 www.actorschurch.org/calendar.html 12 May COVENT GARDEN MAY FAYRE AND PUPPET FESTIVAL Lots of Punch and Judy shows, folk music, food and dancing. THE FORGE, NW1 Box Office: 020 7383 7808 www.forgevenue.org 20 April THE GRUFFALO An enchanting session of storytelling and live music! Come and rediscover some of the nation's favourite children's stories and bring them to life with songs and music.
POLKA THEATRE, SW19 Box Office: 020 8543 4888 www.polkatheatre.com 19-20 April PIED PIPER When the Pied Piper plays his flute the rats run, the greedy mayor rubs his hands and the children dance...Pied Piper is an exciting new Norwich Puppet Theatre production. This humorous and irresistible one person show combines a skilful mix of puppetry, foot-tapping live music and storytelling and will have audiences young and old entranced. SOHO THEATRE, W1 Box Office: 0870 429 6883 www.sohotheatre.com 22 April-5 May THE GIRL WITH THE IRON CLAWS Growing up isnt easy, especially when youre in love with a bear. This is a story about a girl who dares to follow her longing. The youngest daughter of a king, she feels like a misfit. Then one night a compelling dream leads her deep into the forest, where a chance encounter sets her on a fateful path she could never have anticipated. 17 April-5 May SWAMP JUICE Welcome to a swamp like no other. Bickering snails, opera singing mice and a rather spineless swamp monster. Using shadow puppetry and bits of rubbish, acclaimed Canadian performer Jeff Achtem debuts a gurgling new adventure about life in a swamp, with a stunning 3D finale. LYRIC HAMMERSMITH, W6 Box Office: 0871 221 1720 www.lyric.co.uk 20 April THE TINDERBOX As he sets off on an epic adventure, find out if the brave soldier will manage to save the beautiful princess.
4 May EGG AND SPOON In this highly interactive adventure especially for little ones, make friends while you play peek-a-boo in our puddles and dance at the butterfly party. 11 May MISUNDERSTOOD MONSTERS Georgie and Squeezy are on a dangerous mission to capture monsters and overcome their fear of spiders, crocodiles and aliens.
PUPPET THEATRE BARGE, W9 Box Office: 020 7249 6876 www.puppetbarge.com Until 19 May THE HARE AND THE TORTOISE AND OTHER TALES FROM AESOP Get ready for a fantastic collection of marionettes that tell a selection of classic tales from Aesop.
4 May GIRAFFES CANT DANCE An enchanting session of storytelling and live music! Come and rediscover some of the nation's favourite children's stories and bring them to life with songs and music. A lovely experience for all the family! TRICYCLE THEATRE, NW6 Box Office: 020 7328 1000 www.tricycle.co.uk 27 April BIRBALS ANIMAL TALES OF INDIA Based on Traditional Tales Birbal, famous adviser in the court of King Akbar tells delightful moral tales. The stories are brought to life with models, masks and costumes and audience participation.
COLCHESTER ARTS CENTRE, CO1 Box Office: 01206 500 900 www.colchesterartscentre.com 4 May THERES A MONSTER UNDER MY PIANO Question. What do you do when you hear a strange munching noise inside a piano? Answer. Call the Piano Doctor of course. He might be able to help with his bag full of ears and his collection of weird and wonderful tools. But when he looks inside the musical notes are packing their bags and running away. What are they scared of and who is hammering at the keys? 11 May THE WAVING CAT OF JAPAN A tropical storm, the wicked Sorceress, a not so smart Prince and three tricky tasks to perform before midnight? Yikes! Luckily, Maneki Neko the waving cat is on hand to try to help THAMESIDE THEATRE, RM17 Box Office: 0845 300 5264 www.thurrock.gov.uk/theatre 20 April WIND IN THE WILLOWS We follow the lives of the loyal friends Mole Ratty and Badger in their attempts to help the exuberant Mr Toad become a better creature. QUEENS THEATRE HORNCHURCH, RM11 Box Office: 01708 443 333 www.queens-theatre.co.uk 4 May SKULL AND CROSSBONES THE POTTY PIRATES Hoist up the Jolly Roger with the Potty Pirates, Captain Crossbones and Sally Skull, in their special magic pirate show. THE BROADWAY BARKING, IG11 Box Office: 020 8507 5607 www.thebroadwaybarking.com Until 28 April (Selected Dates) DEREK, FLOPPY AND FRIENDS Come and join Derek the Duck and Floppy Fish with their fun-filled, story-telling and puppetry bonanza. BRAINTREE ARTS THEATRE, CM7 Box Office: 01376 556 354 www.braintreeartstheatre.com 11 May THE GIRL WITH NO HEART A stark, yet beautiful fable about the power of a child's heart in a fragile paper world ravaged by war. THE MARKET THEATRE, SG5 Box Office: 01462 433553 www.markettheatre.co.uk 27 April THE ROYAL STORYTELLER Her Majesty Queen of Everywhere will take time off from her royal duties and invite you into her home, introduce you to some of her favourite pets (some of them are very naughty) and then read you a wonderful story from the Magical Book of Ancient Tales.
OLD TOWN HALL THEATRE, HP1 Box Office: 01442 228091 www.dacorum.gov.uk/arts 20 April THE SEA SHOW The Sea Show is a quirky and hilarious mix of puppet show, natural history and comedy cabaret. Meet crazy characters like Morwenna the beautiful mermaid, Ruan the reformed seagull and salty seadog Captain Pemburthy, as well as a cast of mischievous sea-squirts, anemones, limpets, crabs and pilchards. 11 May WIND IN THE WILLOWS Kenneth Grahame's tales of the River Bank, the Open Road, and The Wild Wood are all here in this vibrant musical production. THE RADLETT CENTRE, WD7 Box Office: 01923 859 291 www.radlettcentre.co.uk 30 April-1 May THE GRUFFALOS CHILD One wild and windy night the Gruffalos child ignores her fathers warning and tiptoes out into the snow. After all, the Big Bad Mouse doesnt really exist... does he? THE ARK THEATRE, WD6 Box Office: 020 8238 7288 www.arktheatre.co.uk 10-11 May BRINGING DOWN THE MOON Mole burrowing out of the ground sees the moon for the very first time. He thinks it is the most beautiful thing he has ever seen and wants to play with it. Mole sets out to pull the moon down but soon finds out that some things are not as easy as they seem, or as close as they look!
GREATER LONDON, HERTFORDSHIRE AND ESSEX KENNETH MORE THEATRE, IG1 Box Office: 020 8553 4466 www.kmtheatre.co.uk 19-21 April SEUSSICAL THE MUSICAL The Cat in the Hat is the host and emcee (and all-around mischief-maker) in this romp through the Seuss classics. Ultimately, the powers of friendship, loyalty, family and community are challenged and emerge triumphant, in a story that makes you laugh and cry. TOWNGATE THEATRE Box Office: 01268 465 465 www.towngatetheatre.co.uk 28 April CHRIS AND PUI ROADSHOW 2013 CBeebies' favourite double act is bringing songs, rhymes, comedy sketches and lots of joining in for all the family.
GORDON CRAIG THEATRE, SG1 Box Office: 01438 363 200 www.gordon-craig.co.uk 8-9 May BEN AND HOLLYS LITTLE KINGDOM The Little Kingdom where everyone is very, very small is home to Princess Holly and her best friend Ben Elf. Holly is a young fairy princess who is still learning how to do magic properly and sometimes her spells dont work out quite right.
Business Card Directory
Ruby blu is a beautiful vintage style shop offering funky retro gifts, childrens clothes, toys, jewellery, cards, home products, fragrances, books, bags and much more. Gifts for all, or a treat just for youa shop with soul.
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11am-3pm on the first Sunday of every month at Enfield Island Village, James Lee Square EN3 6GS
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Email:
Alison@Amante-glass.com
Website: http://www.amante-glass.co.uk Facebook: Facebook.com/amanteglass
Shelley Herman Independent Consultant Tel: 07789 668196 Website: uk.nyrorganic.com/shop/Shelley-Herman Email: nyrshelleyorganic@hotmail.com
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Cloth Nappies, Baby Clothes & Gifts
www.party-baby.co.uk
Free UK postage on orders over
Baby Signing Classes Wanstead, Woodford & Loughton Help your baby communicate BEFORE speech with our award winning MUSIC programme! Sing and Sign benefits include: *Reducing frustration (for baby and parent!), *Enhancing early vocabulary and understanding, *Stimulating your baby's intellectual and emotional development Small classes, weekly themes, singing, signing and making friends! Book NOW for summer term classes: Contact: Vicki 07958 307 837 or Syrah 07834 728 415 vickiandsyrah@singandsign.com www.singandsign.com
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Counselling / Psychotherapy, Supervision and Training Counselling for all life events and circumstances with a qualified, accredited and highly experienced Counsellor based in the E18 South Woodford area. To make an appointment or to enquire further please contact me at:
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Baby & Childrens Nearly New Sale Saturday 11th May 2pm 4pm Sell your lovingly used babies & childrens clothes, toys, books, equipment etc Buy pre loved treasures for your little people *************************************** Maxwell Community Centre,Maxwell Road,Borehamwood WD6 1JJ *************************************** Contact Shelley to book a table & for further information: 07944 096819 shelleybr2000@yahoo.co.uk Entry fee 1 per adult
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A same day comprehensive Baby Proofing service, completely hassle-free
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76

April Issue - Baby Buzz Magazine

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April Issue - Baby Buzz Magazine

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EXCLUSIVE!!

INCLUDING ANAIRE+ TRAVEL SYSTEM AND MUCH MORE!

established a following throughout north London and beyond, it simultaneously is

Sophie the Giraffe Teether 13.50

Elephant Glove Puppet 12.99

Wooden London Bus 12.99

Lets Go Fly a Kite 5.99

APRILS BABY BUZZ FOCUS GROUP

Cover Credits: Rachael Feraira Photography: www.rachaelpereira.com/

Classic - Timeless - Simply Beautiful

(acorn Darima Frampton

EMAIL ALL ANSWERS TO:

Busy Bees Benefits

Childcare vouchers Get Them While You Still Can!

Fertility & the law

Fertility and the Law

TELEPHONE: 07989 587 813 / 07880 704 334

THE BARN, 1 PYE CORNER, CASTLE HEDINGHAM, ESSEX, CO9 3DD

Bringing baby bottles and business together!

Business of the Month

BUSINESS OF THE MONTH

BABY BUZZ MAGAZINES

You and Your New Baby

HELPING MUMS GET THEIR MOJO BACK!

Contact us at: hello@mojomums.co.uk www.mojomums.co.uk

Hair & Beauty

TOP TIPS FOR LOOKING AFTER MUMMY TOO..

www.pureenfield.co.uk 0208 363 2236

Food & Recipes

Food & Recipes

Your feeding and fussy eating queries answered:

Food & Recipes

Food & Recipes

Eve: Nickie: Maria: Eve: Jo: Nickie:

Tel: 07789 668196 Website: uk.nyrorganic.com/shop/Shelley-Herman Email: nyrshelleyorganic@hotmail.com

Shelley Herman Independent Consultant

Back to Basics - Childrens Fashion

Traffic T-Shirt From 15.00

One Tractor From 15.00

Dinosaurs From 15.00

Medallion Dress From 22.00

Moody Frogs Tunic From 22.00

Singoalla with Panda in Pocket From 22.00

Pants with Panda in Pocket From 20.00

Kissing Frogs Body From 19.00

Pants with Kissing Frog in Pocket From 20.00

Le Papilion Dress 99.00

Strappy Lace Trim Nightie 55.00

Hopes& Dreams Silk Dress 119.00

Annie Get Your Fun 59.00

Chloe Top 49.00

Sweet Expectations 89.00

The Kate Dress 89.00

Magic Maxi Dress 105.00

The Stunning Leather Man Bag Olivier 269.00

The Stunning Leather Elizabeth 199.00

Checking Nanny and Childcarer CVs and References

Tel: 08707 201277 help@bestbear.co.uk

Hi to all you Sleep deprived partners out there,

ARE YOU READY TO BE A PARENT?

For more information please contact:

Exclusive - Angus Kennedy, The Kitchen Baby

BABY BUZZ - A Must Read:

Exclusive - Angus Kennedy, The Kitchen Baby