Why Buy a Cot Mobile?

Nearly all new mum's buy a cot mobile but why should you buy one and what are the best type to buy?

The moderncot mobile was invented in the 1950's by Christian Flenstead with the first design being the Stork and got huge success all over the world. It is an original Denmark craft but now of course there are many many designers and models out there.

When babies are born, in the first months of their life, their eyesight doesn't focus that far so having a cot mobile to look at whilst they are lying on their back in their cot is a great way to stimulate them. You should go with the brightest colours and shapes possible. Some Mum's make the mistake of buying a mobile to match the room that they may have decorated in pale colours or beige and cream which is a popular one now and buy a mobile to match. These pale colours do nothing for baby and his sensory development will progress much quicker with the brighter coloured ones. The musical ones are a nice add on but not a necessity.

The most popular brands of cot mobiles are Mothercare, Tomy and Tiny Love to name a few.

The cot mobile is a definite good buy for any baby but ensure you follow my simple tips on getting the right one for the right reasons.

Why Choose a Moses Basket

Seems obvious but the Moses Basket name actually comes from the bible. The first moses basket was made by reeds many thousands of years ago.

Moses baskets are a must buy for any new Mum and baby nowadays. They are a great item as you can have the baby in any room you are in as they are so easy to lift around the house. They are small enough for baby to feel secure in them. In the womb, baby is in a small space and kept warm by the water. It's just the same feeling or as similar as it can get to be in a moses basket, wrapped up in blankets all comfy and warm!

There are many brands of moses baskets today but they basic designs are the same. Most are made from natural material but it is necessary to check the strength of the handles and how they are attached to avoid any accidents. Also, you should never use them for too long, around 3 months is ideal as baby can then start to roll and could fall out. They can be used on the floor and there is no absolute necessity for a stand, however having a stand makes it easier for Mum to lift baby out from a reasonable height to her.

In terms of what price you should pay - as I mentioned before, there are so many brands around such as Mothercare, Disney and Mamas and Papas and they range in price. Personally I think around £50 is the maximum you should pay for a moses basket, bearing in mind you are going to be using it for such a short space of time. Saying that, if you are going to have more children, you will get more use from it but they do not get a lot of money if you sell second-hand.

All in all, this is a must-have purchase for your new baby.

Wrapping Clothing Presents

by Tracie Murray

In my shop I get a lot of requests as to whether I offer a gift wrap service as you would be surprised at the number of people of find wrapping childrens clothes or any clothes come to that, quite hard. I don't offer this service as I don't have the time and also, as I sell over the internet it would not be practical to wrap and send the items.

However, you don't have to be a xmas present wrapping genuius to be able to wrap childrens clothes and make it look fantastic. I admit that if you take the item of clothing and put it straight into the wrapping paper then, not only can this make the package rather flimsly and easily rippable but it is pretty obvious to the child what the present is i.e. clothes!

So my advice is to be creative! Quite often I will parcel the package in a totally different object so that they have no idea from all their shaking and feeling that they are about to receive some clothes. Here's some examples:

1. Roll a t-shirt into a long sausage type structure and place inside an empty (and clean) wine bottle, then wrap up the wine bottle.

2. Fold up a pair of trousers and put in a small square box and then wrap the box.

3. Gloves, hats, scarfs etc - roll them into the shape of a ball, securing them with a band and then wrap as if a snowball.

These are just a few novel ideas for wrapping childrens clothes and they don't ruin the clothes, at worst they are a little creased but it is much more exciting for the child when they open it.

Cheap Childrens Christmas Presents

By Tracie Murray

Cheap Childrens Christmas Presents

If you are struggling for money this Xmas, there are plenty of things you can do to get your children presents that won't break the bank. Here are a few of my suggestions:

Childrens Clothesand Baby Clothes

Go online - this is the best place to find bargains - put in your search engine field phrases such as - cheap childrens clothes, childrens clothes sale or half price childrens clothes. This will bring up all the shops that have product relating to these phrases. Most online shops, especially smaller clothing shops, will keep on their site the items they have reduced. The larger national shops remove these items and sell them off elsewhere, normally to wholesalers who then sell back to retailers. You can get some great bargains if you are prepared to spend the time searching the internet.

Childrens Toys and Baby Toys

As above, the best way is to go online. You'll get the hang of this but the sort of search queries you should enter are things like - cheap childrens toys or half price toy sale. I couldn't believe it over the past couple of weeks I have been doing exactly this and found some great bargains! One shop that is always worth keeping an eye on is Wilkinson Plus. This shop offers a 'deal of the day' and quite often it is a toy and it is always half price and they are top toys that you may want. You need to go onto this site asap each day though as they do sell out really quickly.

Childrens Shoes and Baby Shoes

Are you getting it now? Go online and put in search field things like - half price childrens shoes or cheap childrens shoes. Just because you put in 'half price' or 'cheap' doesn't mean you will get cheap in terms of the actual product or make of shoe. Streetmonkeez has half price Levi designer childrens shoes right now!

Well that was just a few tips for you - hope they help.

Gifts for Children

If you're looking for a smaller priced gift for children then Streetmonkeez have a great range of toys and gifts under £15.

For some great childrens xmas gifts have a look at these:

• Singing Sock Pig - a great invention - its like a sock puppet but the pig sings (well sort of!) but the child has to press the mouth together in time with the actual song so it really helps their motor skills.


• Rub a Dub Stickers for the Tub - a very inexpensive gift which will give any child a great time in the bath playing with their stickers on the bath tiles.

These are just a couple of great kids toys available on the market.

Christmas Presents for Children - on a budget.

by Tracie Murray

It's that time of year again - every child's dream and every parent's nightmare. As a parent you want to see your children's faces light up on Christmas morning when they see the array of presents that Santa has left them but you know you can't afford everything you would like to get them. So here's a basic guide for a great Christmas within a sensible budget:-

1. Sales - Try and buy some of your gifts at the end of the Summer Sales. A lot of sales carry on into September and there are always gifts you can buy. Look at gifts that are not the big items they want but the smaller stocking filler type items. Here's a tip though - remember where you hide them and write them on a list so you don't forget that you bought them when you come to wrap up all the presents.
   
   
2. Sales Again - Don't forget the October mid-season sales. These normally happen mid-October - places like Debenhams always have a week or two-week mid-season sale that is really good value.
   
   
3. Charity Shops - These really are worth making the effort to trawl around - and regularly. The number of people that donate toys that have hardly been used and some new is amazing. You do have to visit them regularly though to pick up the real quality bargain items. You can let the shop know if you're looking for something particular and they will keep it back for you if they get it in. Another tip is sometimes to visit charity shops in affluent areas, the theory being that the things donated there may be of better quality or value.
   
   
4. Ebay - Personally, I am not a BIG believer in this one at Christmas. You can get the odd bargain but generally a lot of people think the same and bid on ebay around this time thinking they are getting a good deal. However, I have found many shops that are selling the items for the same or cheaper price than buying second hand. That said, you definitely can get the odd bargain if you are prepared to spend time searching.
   
   
5. Online/Internet - This is a biggy for savings in many ways. Firstly, online sellers tend to be able to offer goods at a cheaper price than a high street store as they do not have the overheads to pay for in a high street shop. Choose your search keywords carefully e.g. 50% off toy sale. There are always shops that have sale items and may just have the item you are looking for. Look for each item seperately - you may have to buy from several stores but it would work out cheaper to do this if there are huge savings on the items.
   
   
6. Discount Online - Many people do not know about this and it can save you hundreds of pounds on children's christmas presents. Choose your store that you are going to buy from online and then do a keyword search for that store e.g. Woolworths Discount Code. You will be presented with lots of sites that store the latest money off voucher codes for every store and you then simply enter this code when you checkout at that store. It takes a lot of effort as vouchers are out of date etc but it is worth it when you find one for 20% off.
   
   
7. Multiple Buys - Get together with the other Mums in your area and find out who is buying what for Xmas. It may turn out that several of you are going to buy the same item. Find that item in a smaller/less well known internet store and email the owner to see if they will give you a discount if you buy x many. This has worked many times for me but I stress, only works at the smaller, independent retailer online.

Well, I hope that gives you some useful tips for helping with the finances at Christmas.

Halloween Treats

It's that time again - Halloween - when all the the younger kids get dressed up by their parents (some willingly - some not!) as either ghosts, skeletons or the one that looks ridiculous - pumkins!

The older kids (mainly boys) get dressed up as the most horrible ghastly thing they can think of - normally hand made costumes - and go to as many houses as will answer the door to them with the intent of never having to perform a halloween trick but to see who can get the most sweets or money!

However, please spare a thought for the parents of some of these children who react highly to coloured and additive filled sweets that send them loopy and hyper and please choose sensible treats.

I like to get my treats from Marks and Spencers as they are completely free from additives, hydrogenated fats and much of the range is nut free which is really important.

I love this cake from Marks and Spencer - not sure what it tastes like but looks great!

Nursery School

I am having a bit of a nightmare at the minute with getting my 3 year old into the local nursery school. After ringing them they could only give me afternoons 4 days a week and 1 morning on a Friday.

For people who work full time though it is a nightmare as the afternoon sessions start about 1pm - 3.30pm so it makes it impossible for you to go to work. I happen to work in the local town where my nursery is but I can't hold a full time job or get childcare cover around this difficult session timing.

I asked them if I could swap to the mornings but they are full. However, it turns out that the mornings are full from a lot of Mums who don't work and could quite easily change to the afternoons with no disruption to their life but the council nursery won't ask them! I think is so unfair.

For information on childcare go to BBCs parenting site.

Children - Read With Me Week

Did anyone know that there was such a week? No, me neither - but it's a great idea and should be more publicised.

Read with me week is in the first week of November where all organisations such as nurseries, schools, groups etc will enjoy and celebrate book reading with plent of activites for children.

Go onto www.readwithme.co.uk for details of free registration.