Corporate baby girl gift box review

Few months ago before L was born we had a delivery from Corporate baby. 

"Whether you are looking for a unique gift for a friend's baby shower or a corporate gift for an employee, colleague or client, you will find a stunning selection of luxury gifts with Corporate Baby.
Our multi award winning luxury gifts are created to the highest standard and are presented in a beautiful keepsake gift box, as extravagant nappy cakes or unique clothing bouquets & cupcakes. Simply choose from the menu above to view our collections".

As far as I remember it was actually the first pink item for our little monkey since we found out it's a girl. 

Corporate baby website has a variety of boxes for you to choose for a girl, boy or if it's a surprise bundle. I have picked Sweet Dreams box (£29.99) 0-3 months which was nicely presented and packed, like I guess any product from Corporate baby.

The box is made from coloured high quality card, it has a a magnetic clasp and can also be securely held closed with a lovely tartan pink ribbon attached. 
The gift box itself is not your usual box which you can buy in a card shop it's a keepsake box with memory box topper for photo insertion, inside the box you will find a lovely handmade Congratulations card and 7 baby items, which are nicely divided by coloured tissue paper.

The Bronze gift set offers the delightful Essential Sweet Dreams dress with velour sleeves and matching white velour bottoms. A gorgeous outfit for any little girls wardrobe! 

Essential bronze contents:
x1 Pink keepsake gift box
x1 Sweet Dreams Dress
x1 Sweet Dreams Bottoms (velour)
x1 Cotton Hat
x1 Cotton Mitts
x1 Pink Patterned Bodysuit
x1 White baby girl Bib
x1 Handmade Gift card
Before L worn Corporate baby's outfits I have washed and ironed them and must say they remain in the same condition as arrived, which proves great quality of every item.

Sweet dreams dress is a pink tartan dress with white velour sleeve and 2 double poppers at the top made of 80% cotton and 20% polyester.
Sweet dreams elastic waist bottoms embroidered with cute pink hearts on left leg and pink hem at the bottom of each leg.

Cotton hat has a lovely knot which can be readjusted if it's too big. Bodysuit, mittens and hat have the same pattern which makes it a funky set on it's own. 

White baby girl bib with velcro fastening is simple but very cute.

Baby mittens and hat are slightly different from the picture presented on the website but I'm happy with items regardless of them looking slightly different from the original picture. 
As L is a small baby, she just fits into the outfit and looks incredibly cute in them.
Hat is slightly too big for her, if you remember Smurfs that's how she looks, so funny and cute!
The keepsake box is now full of cards from family and friends, first silver spoon, syringes from Vitamin K oral drops, leftovers from heel prick, hearing tests and some bits and pieces from baby shower. It's great, but I think I need another one now for her first outfits!

It is a great present for a new baby or christening, and I'm so happy to own it!

Disclaimer: I was sent the above items for the purpose of this review. All thought and opinions are my own.

Colic

I remember the evening when L started to behave weirdly- she was crying, bringing her legs to her tummy. We knew that something is wrong. While my husband was searching online I did what my doctor advised once in case if she has colic- to put a baby facing down on a lap whilst baby is lying in this position to rub her back gently and move her in slow circular movements. 
It did work, eventually she calmed down. But since then all our evenings were pretty much the same, we didn't look forward to it at all as you can imagine.
My husband's online research suggested that she has signs of colic as well. 

"Colic  is a medical term for excessive and frequent crying in a baby who appears to be otherwise healthy and well fed. It usually begins within the first few weeks of life, but often stops by the time the baby is four months old and by six months at the latest. In most cases the intense crying occurs in the late afternoon and the baby may clench their fists and draw their knees up to their tummy or arch their back".

As midwives and health visitors are very skeptical about Internet advice we asked our health visitor to see what she thinks. 
As we already bought gripe water health visitor advised us to use it first. As recommended on a box we were giving L a full teaspoon after every feed few times a day. There were odd days when L seemed more content but I can't say it fixed the problem. 

If you remember from my weekly updates we noticed that L has green stool, which concerned me a lot. I was worried that it could be due to her not feeding properly, or due to me eating rubbish food. 
Just to put my mind at ease I consulted with breastfeeding support worker who confirmed that it could be due to her not getting enough hind milk plus the fact that I don't eat properly doesn't help either.  She recommended how I should position myself whilst feeding L and for how long she should stay on each breast and recommended to change my diet. I did all that and unfortunately it didn't fix the problem. 
This time I had to turn to health visitor, to my surprise she said that green poo is cause by colic. I am unsure if her colic and green poo are connected but I'm willing to try almost anything!

Thankfully I came across Nelsons and their fantastic news about launching New Nelsons Colica Colic Granules- the first homeopathic remedy for the relief of colic. I would love to give it a go!

Although colic is considered a harmless condition, a recent study by Nelsons reveals that almost half of parents (49%) think that colic is the most distressing ailment for parents. 

Nelsons gives the below tips to help parents comfort a baby who has colic:

• Try soothing baby with a gentle rocking by walking round the house while holding them. You could also try taking them out for a ride in the car as the vibration, noise, movement and change of scenery can be soothing.
• Give your little one a gentle massage on their stomach.
• Try giving your baby a colic remedy like Nelsons Colica Colic Granules, a homeopathic medicinal product used within the homeopathic tradition for the symptomatic relief of colic.
• Hold your baby close so that they can hear your heartbeat to help calm them.
• Your baby spent months bathed in a warm amniotic fluid so try a warm, peaceful bath.

I have written this post to enter an amazing competition to win a hamper full of Nelsons goodies (Rescue Remedy, Spatone, Nelsons Calendula Cream) worth over £50.

Sudocrem care & protect review

Before I got pregnant I didn't know much about nappy rash or how bad it could be for babies.

"Nappy rash is an irritation of the skin caused or aggravated by contact with wee and poo in a nappy. The rash starts with a slight reddening of the skin in the nappy area and can progress to soreness and discomfort".

When L was born for the first few weeks we used Sudocrem baby care cream (soothes and protects against nappy redness) but only when little one had a nappy rash caused by baby wipes.
We also tried to have as many nappy free time as possible, which worked but didn't solve the problem.
Few weeks ago we were sent Sudocrem care & protect cream (30g) to try and it changed everything!

"Sudocrem Care & Protect helps to care for your baby's delicate skin, protecting it against the causes of nappy rash. It's gentle yet effective and can be used daily at every nappy change even on newborn babies".

Straight away I have noticed the difference in textures: Sudocrem baby care cream has more thicker texture where as Sudocrem care & protect is lighter. I was a little bit skeptical at first as wasn't sure that the cream "stays" on the skin as it's so light.

We started using Sudocrem care & protect on a daily basis, and it seems that L doesn't mind it at all, normally she would hate anything to do with changing clothes or nappies.

How we use it
Every nappy change I either use baby wipes (last resort) or use cotton wool and water to wipe her bum and legs. Gently dab her skin with a small towel, squeeze a little drop of a cream onto my finger and spread it evenly.

Results:
We have been using it daily for the past few weeks and as a result L doesn't have any rash or any redness at all. She is enjoying our nappy changing routine and doesn't mind the cream at all. 

If you are interested and would like to try it yourself here is the pricing range and where you can buy the product: 
RRP for 30g tube - £3.99, 40g tube - £4.99, 50g tube - £5.99, 100g tube - £9,99. Available in Boots, Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Superdrug, Savers, Asda, Morrisons and Independent Pharmacies. 

Disclaimer: I was sent the above item for the purpose of this review. All thought and opinions are my own.

Mamamoosh Milkscarf- breastfeeding cover review

When I was pregnant with L I was very determined to breastfeed and still am. The most uncomfortable part of the whole breastfeeding experience for me was the idea of breastfeeding in public. 

Since L was born we had numerous visits from midwives, breastfeeding support workers, health visitors, doctors, family members who were particularly interested in my breastfeeding technique, as you can imagine my dignity went out of the window. But I didn't want for it to be a norm, I just couldn't imagine myself sitting somewhere in the park or in front of others and whacking my breasts out.

Mamamoosh were kind enough to provide me with the Milkscarf (£29.99) in mink.

"So easy to put on you can even do it one- handed, while you're still holding your baby. Made from soft, light jersey the Milkscarf has a semi- rigid neckline so you can look down and maintain eye contact with your baby as she feeds in complete privacy".

How does it work?

The Milkscarf is a 2 in 1 item, it can be an every day scarf and a breastfeeding cover. 

For discreet breastfeeding you just need to put a neckstrap over your head, cover yourself and baby with the rest of the Milkscarf and Voila! Neckstrap itself has a flexible boning around the neckline which allows you to see your baby.

                                        

What I liked:

- The principle is great, you don't need to tight anything, it's just simple as it looks. 

- I was really impressed by the width and length (60cm x 150cm) of the scarf. For me it is very important as I didn't want any parts of my body to be on show. 

- It is very compact when you don't need to use breastfeeding cover and fits in my changing bag perfectly with other baby's bits and bobs. 

- I picked mink as it is a neutral colour and doesn't attract attention, as it is available in a range of colours you can pick what suits you best!

- After several washings it looks very good, apart from few fluffy bits on the neckline but it's my fault as I tumble dried it. 

What I didn't like:

- Neckstrap on several occasions failed me, maybe due to my awkward sitting posture I didn't see L and I had to ask my husband to pull the material so that I can see if we have a latch. Mind you in the car I didn't have any problems at all with it when was feeding L. - Even though Milkscarf is made of a stretchy, soft, breathable jersey fabric I felt that the material stuck to me and interfered with baby's feeding.

I can certainly recommend Milkscarf, regardless of my experience it is a great breastfeeding cover and I will continue using it, as it is my little helper!

Disclaimer: I was sent the above item for the purpose of this review. All thought and opinions are my own.

Little L is 2 months

Our little L is 2 months old (9 weeks old). She was christened last Sunday, it was both special and stressful day for her. I couldn't bare her crying, I even started doubting my decision that it was wrong timing to baptise her, that maybe if we did it later in her life it would be less stressful.
On Wednesday was another stress for her- her first immunisation (diseases protected against: diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, polio and Haemophilus influenzae type b; Pheumococcal disease; Rotavirus). L was smiley herself in the morning and even in GP's, which is not normal for our crying baby. She was a start, cried a little whilst had injections and fall asleep in the car. The whole morning I felt that I'm so nervous as if I'm having these injections done, but I thought that if I stay calm L will be calm as well.

Development wise she is more smiley, especially in the mornings, hold her toys, during tummy time lifts her head but gets tired and grumpy few seconds after.
L's hair are growing as well, I have also noticed she has a cradle cap, and according to the doctor a stork bite at the back of her head, which hopefully will disappear in time.

I love her more and more every day, I can be cross with myself thinking maybe I'm not doing enough, but when I see her smile or when she is settled I feel happy and content.
Daddy taught her how to stick her tongue out, she looks so happy when she does it.

L finally moved to 0-3 months clothing, but still can fit in some of her newborn outfits. I think I might take her for a weigh in next week to see if she is moving nicely along her development line.

My mum staying over for 2 weeks so daily routine is a bit different, but normally she would be happy to sleep in her swings for a bit, as she doesn't sleep for long during the day, play on her play mat longer then couple of minutes.

I understand her needs more, from the very beginning she wasn't a typical newborn, we never had these clues from her when she is hungry but now I know that she need food every 2 hours and even close to that time she will be more active/crying.

L is changing a lot and I look forward to new milestones!