For a number of years – basically since we bought our house – we’ve had a mainly purple and silver theme for our decorations. I say mainly because there are exceptions – random decorations we’ve picked up along the way which don’t really fit the colour scheme but which we liked or were gifts etc. This year, I would LOVE to have a rehaul of our decs and you can probably guess what my dream theme would be – RAINBOWWWWWWW!!
A month or so ago, we started to potty train Cora. Henry wasn’t ready (still p*ssing all over the house if I took his nappy off 🙈) and I figured I’d personally find it more manageable to do one at a time anyway, given that I wasn’t sure how it was going to go and had basically no idea what I was doing. Anyway C did amazingly with wee and was dry within a couple of days. She started off doing well with number 2s as well but then seemed to regress after a little while, and now waits until she has a pull-up on at night to go 🙈 She’s not dry all night so we can’t take the nappy away yet but I’m sure she’ll get there eventually – I’ve read and heard that it’s very normal for 💩 to be a bit more tricky to crack.
Anyway the point of this post wasn’t really to be a potty-training update, but to share with you a fab product that we’ve been using on this journey. It’s a travel potty called the Potette. A fellow twin mum recommended it to me so when we realised we were rapidly heading down the potty-training road with C, we headed straight to Mothercare and bought one. They’re also available from lots of other places too – John Lewis, Jojo Maman Bebe, Amazon etc.
The Potette is basically a fold-away potty. You just open out the legs and click into place which takes seconds. Then you place a liner inside (a plastic bag with an absorbent pad in) and hook it round the legs – I always make sure I have one on there ready so I can whip the potty out and use it immediately (I mean, not for me to use, for C 🤣 My bladder control may not be what it was since I pushed those beastlings out but we’re not quite at that stage 🙈😂) The Potette folds almost flat and comes with a drawstring bag to store it in. There are lots of suitcase-style travel potties on the market but given the fact that I still seem only able to leave the house with 50,326 bags of crap, I really love that the Potette folds flat. I just slip it in C’s rucksack with her spare clothes and wipes. When the child has done their ‘business’ (hate that word in this context 🤣) you just take the liner off then walk around with a bag of wee or poo until you find a bin 🤣 I usually just shove them discreetly in the buggy basket.
In summary…
Upsides:
– Super convenient and easy to use
– Also doubles as a toilet seat
– Folds flat so easy to transport
– Gives peace of mind when out and about
Downsides:
– Buying extra liners is a tad on the expensive side. However, if you use the potty mainly just for emergencies like we do, you don’t get through too many. Failing that, I’m sure a carrier bag and a bit of kitchen roll would do the job 🤣🤣
I hope this was useful to a few of you 😊 There was no sponsoring, gifting or anything here – I just think this product is fab so thought I’d share the love. What have you found invaluable for potty training? (Other than a sh*tload of wine obvs – that goes without saying 🤣)
This week’s Twiglet Top Tip is a fabulous little company based near me in Surrey called ‘Tots Tastes.’
The lovely Caroline from Tots Tastes contacted me before Christmas to ask if we would like to try some of their meals. I freely admit I struggle to keep up with cooking for the twiglets – it seems neverending! Especially given that they can be fussy little buggers 😩 So needless to say I jumped at the chance 😁
Tots Tastes are a husband and wife team who are committed to producing healthy, fresh alternatives to commercially made toddler meals. Basically, all the benefits of lovely, home-cooked food without you actually having to cook it 🤣 Pretty perfect really! They use locally sourced produce where possible, with no chemicals or added salt, sugar or preservatives. You can choose from a selection of purees or meals, which come in single-serve portions and are all designed to be stored in the freezer and cooked from frozen in either the oven or microwave. I absolutely loved the ease and convenience of this 😁 They also offer ‘Make Together’ kits which include all the ingredients you need to make pizzas, bake cookies or even make play dough! These will definitely be on my list to try when I make an order – I love the fact that everything you need is provided 😁 What you might find surprising is that the products are extremely competitively priced compared to supermarket brands, with the frozen meals all costing £2.25 or £2.50. And if you use code ‘Jan40′ at checkout, you can get a whopping 40% off your order for the last few days of January (quick! ☺) They deliver to a wide range of locations in Surrey and Kent (check the website for further details), and delivery is free for orders over £20.
And most importantly of all, the twiglets LOVED the meals 😁 There’s a great variety on offer, from macaroni cheese, to chicken goujons and potato wedges, to curry.
I also loved the packaging – it’s super clear with the name of the dish and the ingredients on the side, plus a sticker saying ‘Made by Mum’ or ‘Made by Dad’ on the lid which I thought was such a sweet personal touch 😊
Check out Tots Tastes’ website to order some lovely meals for your little ones 😊And don’t forget to use code ‘Jan40’ if you order in the next few days 😁
So far my blog has been all about telling my parenting journey and discussing issues I’ve encountered along the way, with a few (hopefully) funny stories thrown in. I hope that it brings a smile to a few of your faces and maybe a bit of reassurance when it’s an issue you can relate to 😁 I’ve decided to introduce something new alongside my usual posts and start sharing some fabulous brands and/or products as we come across them. There are so many small businesses out there, particularly on Instagram, and it can be hard to know which ones are great, which ones are not so great or which ones you can trust. I for one, love recommendations and will often end up buying things I’ve seen people I follow wearing or using (#instagrammademedoit 🤣🤣) If you’ve followed me for a while on Insta, I hope it comes across that I’m an honest and genuine person – for example, I would always say if we were sent something for free (we are very lucky that that happens occasionally). I wouldn’t ever recommend something just because it was free but only if I genuinely loved it and thought it could either make things for others that little bit easier, or just to make you happy so they seem easier 🤣 Anyway, introductory spiel over…. Introducing my first ‘Twiglet Top Tip’ 😁😁 This week I’m featuring a lovely company based in Scotland called ‘More2Explore’ and their awesome product, the Adventure Belt.
The Adventure Belt is basically an ingenious hands-free version of traditional reins. It comprises a pouch attached to a belt which is worn by the child and is fully adjustable around their waist. I really like the fact that the buckle is childproof; undoing it requires a button to be pushed at the same time as squeezing the sides which means the child can’t undo it themselves. The adult then wears a simple, plain belt and the adult and child belts can be attached together with an elasticated bungee strap which clips onto each one (again with a childproof buckle so the child can’t detach themselves). I love the bungee feature – it’s adjustable so you can choose how far your child can walk away from you which gives them more independence whilst still keeping them safe and close. It also avoids the ‘straining at the leash’ which we would sometimes have with our backpack reins when Henry would get particularly impatient. To attach another child, they have a belt and pouch too, and the adult simply wears a second belt.
The main difference between the Adventure Belt and other types of reins is that it leaves your hands free which is so so useful, particularly if you have more than one child.
Also, there is a range of fun pouch designs and colours to choose from, including camouflage and animals such as a panda and tiger. The child can store small items in the pouch which really gives them a sense of ownership. Even when they don’t need to be attached to me, the twiglets often ask to wear their panda belts and they love collecting and storing little treasures on our walks.
I think this product is such a fantastic, innovative alternative to traditional reins, particularly for families with multiples. As we were walking around the shopping centre taking photographs, I heard a dad with twins say ‘oh wow, look at that – how amazing!’ And I genuinely think it is 😊 More2Explore have created discounted twin and triplet packs too so that you can easily purchase more than one belt. The belts are designed for 2-5 year olds but have been tested and sized for up to age 8. The Adventure Belt is perfect for use in busy, crowded situations. One of my biggest anxieties when out and about with the twiglets is the thought of losing one of them, particularly as Henry is a runner and liable to bolt at any opportunity. Having them attached to me is such a weight off my mind and makes it much easier to go out without a pushchair, especially as I have my hands free to juggle bags etc. I would definitely highly recommend it as a convenient, hands-free alternative to reins 😁
Check out More2Explore’s website to purchase or follow them on Instagram to find out more 😊
NOTE: We were gifted this item in exchange for some photos of the product – I was under no obligation to write a review but wanted to because it’s bloody awesome 😊 All views are my own 😁
