Play and Learn Every Day

2 1/2 years old

Swimming with a Baby and a Toddler

08:30

7 months old

Our Sunday Storybook - Baby Baa Baa

10:19

7 months old

Play With Your Food - Nom Nom Kids Pouches Review

08:30

I can't believe that Ivy has been eating solid foods for over a month now, time is flying by! She's doing really well, happy to eat everything that I've given her so far and getting better at eating properly (not sticking her tongue out as much!) I make all of her food at home in big batches and then freeze it in small portions to give to her each day. But when we're out, it can sometimes be a pain to take a frozen pot of food out, so we often buy a pouch of organic puréed food. Now, we are very lucky because the pouches that we buy do have very good quality food in them, so I don't worry about giving them to Ivy once in a while, but it can get a bit expensive if you're doing it all the time. As we seem to be having lunch on the go more and more lately, I decided to try out these reusable pouches from Nom Nom Kids. They sent us a Weaning Kit containing 10 pouches, 15 lids and a wipe able pen. It's funny how much things change, because I don't think that reusable pouches existed even 2 years ago when I first started feeding Ethan, but now they're everywhere! I like these ones because you don't need some sort of big contraption to fill them, you just have pouches and lids. The side of the pouch opens (like a sandwich bag) you spoon in the purée or smoothie and then seal it up and you're done.

I made a few big batches of food (with Ethan's help of course, he's getting very good at chopping up fruit and vegetables for Ivy!) and then filled up some pouches for Ivy. The weaning set comes with a pen as well, so I just write down what's in the pouch and the date and then pop the pouches in the freezer, ready for Ivy's lunches.

I tried them out a few times this week, and these pouches are just as easy to use as the filled ones. I didn't have any issues with them, not one bit of food leaked out. Ivy loves the colourful packaging and was more than happy to have these for her lunch. I even tried making some smoothies for Ethan and putting them in the pouches, and they work great as well. The only downside is that you have to wash the pouches yourself, and you do want to make sure that you get them really clean to avoid getting any bacteria in them. But they can be washed in the dishwasher and sterilised in a liquid solution to get them extra clean. Overall we are really liking them, I haven't done the math but I'm positive that the amount that I've spent on some nice organic fruit and veggies is less than the cost of the 10 pouches that I filled would have cost from the shop!

* This is a review post and contains an affiliate link, Nom Nom Kids sent us their Weaning Kit to try out and write an honest review *

7 months old

10 Ways to Help a Frustrated Baby Learn to Crawl

08:30

Ivy desperately wants to crawl, she is constantly on her tummy shouting and crying in frustration because she can't get anywhere. Well, she can actually wiggle her way quite far backwards, but she doesn't seem to notice that she's actually moving, so we need to get this baby crawling to cheer her up! (Then once we've got her crawling it will be time to think about learning to walk!)

Here are my top 10 Ways to Help a Frustrated Baby Learn to Crawl

1. Don't - well, this is for those of you with babies that aren't frustrated and shouting at you because they just can't do it. If your baby is happy to sit and play or to roll around and play, just sit back and enjoy it! They've got a lot of years to come when they'll be whizzing around, there is definitely no need to rush things (no matter how competitive the other parents can be!)

2. Set goals - put their favourite toy (or their big brother!) just out of their reach and encourage them to make their way towards it.

3. Roll on something - I use a ball to put Ivy on and hold onto her as I roll her back and forth on her tummy for her to get the feeling of moving forwards. I also use a toy to get her reaching and building up that upper body strength. You can buy a roller toy that works in the same sort of way (but is much easier for your baby to stay on).

4. Distract with other fun toys to play with while sitting - Sometimes all of this crawling and getting frustrated can just be too much, so we need a break. This is when I have to get out a really fun and distracting toy like this flashing lights sensory ball that Ivy loves, to keep her occupied for a little while sitting up.

5. Watch other crawlers - I take Ivy to a weekly baby class now, and she absolutely loves to watch the older babies crawling around, she really seems to be taking it all in and processing what they're doing so that she can try to do it herself at home.

6. Get on the floor and crawl around with them - This really seems to help Ivy to be less frustrated, I think that she likes everyone to be on her level and it gives me the chance to help move her arms and legs for her and to model how she should be moving.

7. Get a big ring to climb into - We've already got the Galt Playnest that Ivy loves sitting in and playing, but now I use it in a different way, but placing her on her tummy outside the ring, and putting a toy inside for her to reach for. Again she's working on her upper body strength and learning to reach her arms forward. If you don't have a play nest you could try propping your baby up on some cushions instead.

8. Pull along on a blanket - Ivy loves a magic carpet ride! I put her on her tummy on the blanket, and pull her around the room. She's not actually working on her crawling skills, but it does give her the sensation of moving around and it gives her the opportunity to see parts of the room that she doesn't usually get into.

9. Push on their feet - As one of Ivy's main issues is that she crawls backwards, she really does have a lot of the other movements right. So if I just place my hand under the soles of her feet, she pushes against it and then moves forwards instead of backwards.

10. Try different floors, carpet, tile, etc - In the main part of our house we have wooden floors, and a few of our play mats are quite slippery, so it's no wonder really that Ivy is having trouble moving forwards, because she just can't get a good grip. So as often as I can, I take her upstairs to one of the bedrooms with different carpet for her to try crawling there and see if it makes any difference.

We've been doing all of these for about a week now, and Ivy is making definite progress. She is still mostly moving backwards, but she has inched her way forwards a couple of times. I think that the big day is coming very soon!

* This post contains affiliate links, just in case you're interested in purchasing any of the products mentioned. *

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