Teething or Hungry? #BabyBabble

My Finley-Doodles is constantly gnawing on his fists and drooling like you wouldn't believe. He's only 12 weeks old, can he be teething already?

If I didn't know any better I would have most definitely say yes.

However, having said all that, when Carson was 12 weeks old he tasted his first spoon of baby rice as he really was an incredibly hungry baby - just as Finley is.
Finley drains 180ml - 210ml bottles every 2-3 hours, especially with him sleeping through the night now too - his waking day revolves around feeding and poo'ing, occasionally giggling! - How kind!

Soooo, I decided to give the rice bash. I can't feel any teeth and the similarities between Carson and Finley's feeding behaviour made me bite the bullet and go for it. I opened the rice, I mixed it with his milk and I offered the spoon to his lips.

12 weeks old baby rice, carsonsmummy blog, baby rice, when to add rice to milk

I know that guidelines suggest you do not feed baby anything other than milk until 6 months old, but I'm a great believer that each and every baby is different. Guidelines are not there to be followed rigidly, simply to help in the recognition of the milestones of what "most" babies need or do and at what age. As a mum, you tend to know what baby wants, intuitively.

Never have I seen Finley so excited before! He was babbling, cooing, giggling, waving his arms and legs around. It was hilarious, and incredibly heart warming. If I took longer than a couple of seconds to get another spoonful he would get seriously angry and shout at me. He also cried when it ran out! Greedy guzzler would have carried on all evening I'm telling you. He even grabbed at the spoon and almost poked his eye out whilst trying tried to put it towards his mouth himself. Mind, he does that with his bottle and dummy too actually. Grabs on for dear life!

12 weeks old baby rice, carsonsmummy blog, baby rice, when to add rice to milk

I left it for a couple of days after his first taste. I wanted to check his toilet patterns were OK and not in any way compromised by the addition of this foreign food! He was absolutely fine. Not a single change at all.

I'm not going to start weaning at 12 weeks old though, noooo! I don't want his milk intake reducing and being replaced by food. But I am happy to occasionally offer him some rice on those super hungry days.

He's had the chance to enjoy something a little different this week and I continue to be baffled at how quickly time flies... Seems like only yesterday I was whinging and whining about SPD and heartburn....

#BabyBabble


Remember, sharing is caring. 
So go ahead and tweet, facebook, g+ or scream from the rooftops. 
Spread the word to get your posts seen on this weeks linky!







#TeamDietChef: My Second Week!

I continue to follow my Diet Chef 28 Day plan with great gusto. Why? I really have yet to dislike anything! I am NEVER hungry, I don't have to deprive myself of any treats and it's all just so convenient. You can read my intro post about my plan HERE

I sound like an advert I know, but honestly, I'm absolutely loving it. As you will have seen yesterday on my week 6 weight in post, week 2 of Diet Chef brought more great results, in fact, better than the first week:

Diet Chef Week 2 Results:
Start weight: 16st 12lbs
Last week weight: 16st 9.8lbs
Current weight: 16st 7.4lbs
Weekly Loss: -2.4lbs.
Total Loss: -4.6lbs

Whilst I'm yet to find a single morsel I do not like yet, I am beginning to discover some firm favourites. Today, I'm going to focus on... 

LUNCHES & DINNERS

The sausages in onion gravy are HUGE! On previous "diets" I was always told to avoid sausages as they're fatty and salt laden - not what you want when trying to trim down. You definitely do not miss out with these bad boys though - big meaty sausages with so much flavour, and you get a decent amount of the rich gravy too. 

I've already touched upon the pork meatballs last week but I was clever enough to order 2 of these so had them again this week - just as tasty yet again. A big fave right now and so very versatile in terms of making a meal. Add pasta, rice or couscous, or serve over home made potato wedges, whatever takes your fancy.

Chicken Tikka Masala - one of the most flavourful curries I've ever had outside of an authentic Indian restaurant. I even had to share with hubby in the end as the curry I'd made him separately just didn't cut the mustard compared to mine!

Chilli Con Carne is crammed with flavour and the amount of meat is substantial, unlike other microwave meals. I prefer mine over a bed of veg rather than rice, but I am thinking of a small jacket potato with the next one - that would be tasty I'm sure.

I'm pleasantly surprised at the size of the chicken breast that has been in my Chicken Chasseur and Coq Au Vin too. It's so moist that you can pull it apart with a gentle stroke of your fork. THAT is how I like my chicken in 'saucy' dishes. 

Lunch time is one of the busiest times of day for me right now, especially with Carson being on his Summer Holidays now. On a hot day a chocolate shake or vanilla shake blended with ice is just perfect, and easy to consume whilst busy too (just don't let them sit too long whilst you're ironing or whatnot, else you start to get sediments collecting at the bottom of your glass. I'd say 15 mins - tops)

Pea & Ham Soup is a classic soup that has a danger of tasting too salty for me, be it from a tin or in a restaurant. Diet Chef's pea & ham soup, however, has that perfect ratio where you can actually taste both the peas and the ham - not one more than the other, and not too salty either. The colour is a little off putting, but the taste more than makes up for it. I used some of my additional calorie allowance to dunk a piece of bread in. Mmmm, Just like momma used to make!

The Tomato Soup is a far cry from a tinned alternative. Now this is where the "chef" of Diet Chef comes in to play. Absolutely delicious. I've only had a tomato soup this good once before, at my sister's wedding back in 2010. I recommend anyone ordering a hamper to tick the box for tomato soup!!

Have you ever had Scouse? Basically a peppery stew, slow cooked for hours consisting of spuds, carrots, onions and meat? It's a classic round here and, made right, it's the bee's knees of home comfort. 

Well, the Chunky Vegetable Soup is EXACTLY like scouse - minus the meat. Maybe Diet Chef could add a new dish to their range, using this as the base and just add braised beef or lamb to it? Peppery and hearty - you're full before the bowl is done. 

Meatless Scouse?
Next week, I'll be going into further detail on my favourite snacks and breakfasts but for now, remember - if you are interested in joining #TeamDietChef you can check out the plans HERE and don't forget to use this code to save £10 off too: MYAGDHF@

What do you think of my plan so far?

Weigh in: Week 6!

It's a quick weigh-in right now, given it's first thing in the morning! I have my Diet Chef post to pop up later today where I'll be sharing some of my firm faves so far too, so do come back for that!

This is what I was greeted with this morning


That makes my weightloss in week 6 so far as...

Week 6 Weight Loss Results 
Start weight: 17st 5.8lb
Current weight: 16st 7.4lbs
Weekly Loss: - 2.4lbs
Total Loss: -12.4lbs

Get in there JoJo! (Even if I do say so myself!) Lost more this week than I did last week and I'm only 1.6lbs away from a stone. If I lose that next week, it's a stone in 7 weeks.

Come onnnnn!!

As for Diet Chef and my weightloss with them so far , after just 2 weeks...

Diet Chef Week 2 Results:
Start weight: 16st 12lbs
Last week weight: 16st 9.8lbs
Current weight: 16st 7.4lbs
Weekly Loss: -2.4lbs.
Total Loss: -4.6lbs ... Not too shabby eh?

All comments appreciated and if you're on a weightloss journey of your own, please do leave your links.

All up for supporting whoever would like supporting. I know how much it helps to have a supportive network around. I, for one, love my blogging buddies ... you really gee me up. Thanks again guys xx

...In other news... I really do need to paint my toenails. Sick of seeing the same green every week lol!

Safe Sleep during Summer with The Gro Company

This is the best start to a summer we've had in, well, as long as I can remember! There comes a point though were it's just too much as far as trying to sleep goes. 
It's not so bad for older children and adults as we can toss and turn and put one foot out of the bed (and up the wall!) to cool down. But for babies - they are entirely helpless when it comes to the heat.

It is imperative that your baby doesn't overheat, and in the summer this can be very distressing for a parent. Are they wearing too little, are they wearing too much? It's one big hot, sweaty headache.

The Gro Company endeavour to make safer sleep for babies (and longer sleep for adults!). You'll have seen that I've reviewed a couple of their products before such as the Gro-Anywhere Blind (read HERE) and the Gro-Light (read HERE) and I think very highly of their innovative products. They're exactly what you need with a little one on the house, that's for sure.

Today, I'm going to share with you how to get a sound and, more importantly, safe night's sleep in this summer heat - without having to worry one bit.

Gro-egg Room Thermometer

This handy little night light-come-thermometer not only provides you with accurate info as to the heat of your littlun's room, but also colour codes the night light for even easier detection of temp changes that you need to be aware of.

From pale blue, to yellow, to orange, to a deep red, it's easy to see whether the room is too cold, too hot or just right without having to decipher the meaning of the numbered degrees C.

We used this last night and I'm actually really very glad we did, because I had no idea the room was quite so hot - a whopping 23.9c at 10pm at night. When I first plugged it in, it was over 25c and was bright red. Honestly, I knew it was hot - but I wouldn't have thought that hot. Made me realise how I'd been over-dressing him for bed in this heatwave. Scary.


The gentle glow of the light was sufficient enough to see Finley's face in the night to have a quick check on him and should there have been a dramatic change in temperature throughout the night - I could have easily popped an extra layer on if needed.

Gro-egg's retail at £21.99 at the Gro Store HERE ..... but.... I've found them on offer at Amazon HERE for just £13.50 at the moment!! Woohoo!

Definitely worth investing in this heat and will be incredibly helpful as the night's get cooler too.

** You can pimp up your Gro-egg with shells that pop over the top, transforming the look of the egg into a character such as an owl or monkey too. They're in the region of around £6 but they're on offer for £4.49 at the moment on Amazon HERE. **

Grobag Baby Sleep Bags.


The last thing you want is to be worrying whether your littl'un is too hot under his covers or too cool, having kicked them off.

It's all very well having the brilliant Gro-egg to tell you the temperature but then you have to fix the sleeping environment to suit on top.

Available in a vast array of designs, age/sizes and togs, Grobags are the answer to that blanket issue.

Even the packaging is wonderful about the Grobag, it comes complete with a  handy guide as to what baby should wear at what temperatures, with what tog bag. On the other side of that is also a room thermometer too. This info card and thermometer comes with all 0-6m and 6-18m size Grobags.


Such a handy bit of information for all parents to keep. 

Grobags come in a variety of warmth ratings (togs):
  • 3.5 tog for cold room temperatures of 12-15°C (54-59°F)
  • 2.5 tog for standard room temperatures of 16-20°C (61-68°F)
  • 1.0 tog warmer weather and in rooms of 21-23°C (69-74°F)
  • 0.5 tog hot weather and very warm rooms of 24-27°C (75-81°F)
We opted for the cute carnival design for Finley and the 1.0 tog which is perfect for this time of year.

What I didn't know about Grobags, until I received mine, was that they actually fit a 5 point harness, so you can not only use them in their cot/bed, but also use them instead of blankets in the car seat or pram thanks the vent at the back and the two way zip at the front. I plan on taking mine on our little break away to Blackpool in a couple of weeks so it certainly saves me taking a load of different type of blankets for either our day trips or bed time.


Finley babbles to his Grobag, well, the characters! He slept soundly in it all night for the past couple of nights and has not woken up once during the night. He actually slept right through and, this morning, we had to wake him at 9.20am!! That, obviously, could be a coincidence but let's face it - the comfier you are the better the sleep. So who knows!

Grobags aren't just for babies - they also go from 0-6m right up to 6-10yrs. So if you're planning on camping this summer and a sleeping bag sounds unbearable right now for your older children - perhaps a Grobag could take their place instead?

Grobags retail at around the £25 mark at the Gro-Store. The Carnival design, specifically, is £25.99. For peace of mind in the comfort and safety of your baby throughout the summer nights, it's a pittance in the grand scheme of things.

What have you found that helps baby during these hot summer nights?

DISCLAIMER: Finley was gifted the above mentioned products for the purposes of review. All opinions are my own and I was not paid to write this post. Hope it's helped you fellow mums & dads out!


Keep ya' pants on and WIN with Easybelts

Carson is more academic than a physical kind of boy! He was the last in his class to learn how to jump or zip his coat and he battles with buttons too. So, complex fashion accessories like belts are an absolute no-no for this little dude.

Until, that is, we heard about Easybelts. A velcro belt that's fit for little hands to do do up themselves.

We were kindly offered the chance to take a look at one and were asked to choose a design we liked, so I called Carson to the lappy and let him browse the styles. They're available in a variety of designs and colours - from plain black to multi-striped with a feature image such as footballs or racing cars. He spent AGES looking through and eventually decided on the brown striped racing car design. Unlike clothes, these belts don't come in age sizes, but waist sizes. This makes perfect sense as, if your littl'un is anything like mine, there's always issues with leg:waist ratio in clothes! There is also an option of a standard or larger D-Ring, depending on how much ease the wearer needs in getting the belt through.

As soon as it arrived, it was like a party in our house! Never seen Carson so excited, LOL. He's got to review this belt for "the internet friends" of mine! He chose his outfit that would match the brown stripes of the belt and got started, all by himself. Funnily enough he chose a pair of shorts that are drawstring which always fall down - the reason they do, is because I can't tighten them for him as he can't undo knots, meaning a potential disaster at toilet time!!

Check out his handy work with the Easybelt...


Apart from him being ridiculously proud of himself for doing it up by himself, he was thrilled about the car design too, asking me to make sure his top was tucked in for all to see.

Moody Catalogue Pose!
And cue the "Am I Handsome?" pose too...

Handsome?
I asked Carson for his review and these are his actual words...
" It was quite good you know. I put it through the hole (D-Ring) and tightened it up and fastened the velcro myself. The style was a car and I thought it was going to be a tiny car when I chose it on the computer but really it was gigantic so I looked very swish indeed. I thought I couldn't really do a belt but I could with my car belt. With that belt now, all the ladies will love me." - Carson, age 5.
Big head!

Seriously though, I'd recommend Easybelts for any young child. They're thick so not likely to snag or fray and they are easily wiped with a cloth to clean too.  They also offer teen and adult sizes for those with difficulty in buckle & pin belts in general. Handy for any arthritis suffers, or similar.

Easybelts retail at around £6-£7 each and you can view the entire range HERE at Easybelts website. They'd love you to follow them on Twitter or like them on facebook too, I'm sure. Go say hi!

In conclusion, I think they're brilliant and I think you get the picture that Carson does too.

What do you think?

We've been given the opportunity to offer 3 of you lovely lot a chance to win a child's belt of your choice, simply enter via the rafflecopter widget below to register your chances and keep those fingers crossed! Competition closes at 11:59pm on 22nd August. GOOD LUCK GUYS!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

DISCLAIMER: Carson was offered a belt free of charge for the purposes of review. All opinions stated are my own - honest and open as always, and Carson's - fishing for compliments, as always!

Win competitions at ThePrizeFinder.com

#BabyBabble this week

Helloooo and welcome to another week of #BabyBabble.

Can't wait to get reading your updates, it's a highlight of my week, I tell you. My fave was Sparkles & Stretchmarks "Mummy Madness" ... I ruddy hate Peppa so to see her in a target shot pic was somewhat satisfying LOL. Go check it out HERE if you haven't already done so.

Join this week's #BabyBabble linky by commenting on this post, grabbing the badge or link back to Coming from Carson's Mummy (whichever you prefer!). Then, simply add your post to the linky widget below. 
I'll give you all a shout-out on twitter and promise to comment on every single one who follows the linky rules :-) Please remember to comment on other bloggers linking up. This linky is all about giving some blog love, thus receiving some back.

I could have written a bajillion posts for this but am storing some back for the rest of the month in case I have a boring couple of weeks as far as baby blog topics go! I have decided to link to a post I wrote, just yesterday, about Finley having FHS (Flat Head Syndrome/Plagiocephaly). It's an important topic IMO so would really appreciate your comments/hints/tips this week (even more than usual - if that's possible?!) So you'll find mine linked up at number 1 below, go check it out then link your post up too.

#BabyBabble


Remember, sharing is caring. So go ahead and tweet, facebook, g+ or scream from the rooftops. 
Spread the word to get your posts seen on this weeks linky!




My Baby Has a Flat Head!

Flat Head Syndrome - Plagiocephaly

Carson had a flat head as a baby, but I really wasn't too concerned as he was my first baby and people would all put me at ease saying it would round out. It didn't. Don't get me wrong, it doesn't look too bad and it's not something I think of or even notice on a weekly, never mind daily, basis. It's just, I wish I hadn't have been so eased by people's comments that it would round out on it's own.

But Finley has it real bad this time round. his left hand side is so flat it kind of makes the other side look pointy. It's difficult to photograph as he won't keep still, but rest assured it's there, and I hate it. It looks worse as he's starting to lose his hair in that area too, drawing attention to it.

Here you can (hopefully) see that his left side (Left pic) goes straight up as is flat, whereas his right side (right pic) is nice and round...



They say that more than half of children these days have FHS/Plagiocephaly and it's largely due to the advice in recent years that children should always be placed on their back to sleep to reduce SIDS. Obviously, FHS is a small price to pay in comparison.

OK, so what can I do to prevent FHS? 
I'll just note now that my research so far has quite firmly pointed against sleep positioners or rolled up towels/blankets in the carry cot/crib etc. However, these are the most positive hints and tips I've found so far...

> Swap sides to feed - we do this already as hubby is a lefty and I'm largely ambidextrous (Aren't all mums? It's all that multi-tasking!)
> Carry/hold baby as much as possible - we hold him all the time, it's the only time he stops crying! Seriously though, it's not practical when you have a 5yr old and a house to maintain on top. I suppose a baby sling would come in handy for this though.
> Encourage tummy time - this is so easier said than done. Finley doesn't mind laying on his tummy on my chest, but pop him on the floor or couch and we have a screamer. 
> Place baby down facing something new/different - this makes no difference whatsoever for Finley, he's a nosey monkey and looks in every which way anyway. When he wants to sleep, he wants to sleep (and I ain't stopping him!), but this means his head moves to his preferred side, like so... 


So it's all very well dishing out ways in which you can limit Flat Head Syndrome, but it hasn't worked for me - with either baby.
So, I'm going to embark upon a mission now to find handy products that can a) prevent FHS b) stop FHS getting worse and c) aiding in the correction of FHS. With regards to prevention I really wish I'd thought ahead and gotten something suitable from birth and it's certainly something I would mention to any expectant mums in the future.
I'll be reporting back over the coming weeks/months with my findings and recommendations for purchases/tips etc.

In the meantime... have you experienced FHS with your kids? Do you have any recommendations?


Week 5: Weigh in!

Having been on Diet Chef this week, it was anticipated that I should lose around 1-2lbs per week if their personalised advice was anything to by.

I've not been hungry at all this week and I had my very first voddy night in a year with Tracey from One Frazzled Mum...

Drinking from Jam Jars!!


I remain positively optimistic though about weight day today, I've not had the need to snack or crave anything sweet as Diet Chef is really REALLY doing it for me at the mo.

So, without further babbling on....


Diet Chef Week 1 Results:
Start weight: 16st 12lbs
Current weight: 16st 9.8lbs
Weekly Loss: -2.2lbs.
Total Loss: -2.2lbs

You can read about My first week on Diet Chef in more detail here if you like.

That makes my weightloss in week 5 so far as...

Week 5 Weight Loss Results 
Start weight: 17st 5.8lb
Current weight: 16st 9.8lbs
Weekly Loss: - 2.2lbs
Total Loss: - 10lbs

Woohooo! 2.2lbs off this week. Brilliant. I'm so pleased. With a total of 10lbs off in 5 little weeks, I couldn't be happier at the moment.

#TeamDietChef: My First Week!

As I wrote about here last week, and you have no doubt seen on Instagram and Twitter, I've embarked upon a 4 week trial of Diet Chef: the pre calorie-calculated, pre-portioned breakfasts, lunches, dinners and snacks, all delivered directly to your door.

They don't just dump it and run though! Here is my personalised advice from Diet Chef:
Based on your height, weight, age and level of exercise we estimate that you will burn 2542 calories (kcal) per day. For a healthy weight loss of 1-2 pounds per week stick to 1842 calories per day.
Once you add your daily milk, fresh fruit and vegetables you will be consuming around 1200 calories per day - so you should add a further 642 calories daily to reach your target intake. This will ensure a steady and more sustainable weight loss.
So not only do they tell me what I can expect to lose, it tells me what I likely burn off in a day and how much in additional extras I should have alongside this plan. Very responsible of them to do this because I genuinely would never have thought about how much extra should be added on. In fact, someone only tweeted me yesterday to exclaim that they didn't know you could have any extra's!

Anyway, my personalised advice makes for awesome news! I can add a piece of toast with my morning muesli, add a little bit of rice or pasta with my dinner, or have an lolly-ice with the rest of the family!

The dinner's are superb. Incredibly tasty and great sized portions. You wouldn't think that a) they were microwave meals and b) they were low in fat and calories. They taste like a real treat! My fave veg at the mo is cauliflower, so I've been adding it to my meals to bulk them out, along with brocolli too. As you can see with the pork meatballs, I added a fistful of pasta tubes and a sprinkling of cheese too.


Yes, all dinners are microwavable in an average of 3 minutes!

Lunches consist of pasta or couscous pots, soups, shakes or protein bars. I can definitely say that the shakes have been a godsend in this heat last week. Made with a handblender and slightly less water than advised, I added ice and bloomin' well enjoyed! So far I've tried Vanilla and Chocolate - both taste gorgeous. The Apple & Cinnamon porridge, made with milk, is one of the most beautiful breakfasts I have ever had - chunks of soft apple in a creamy cinnamon oaty porridge. Mmmm!! The Banana & Vanilla, made with water this time, was a little stodgy. So I would deffo advise using some of your milk allowance for the porridges. 


Snacks are wicked! By far the best, is the popcorn, the packs are bigger than my head! No more watching a movie with a sugar and fat laden bag of toffee popcorn, wooah no! I'm sorry I only chose 5 bags out of the 28 snacks I had delivered. Having said that, the biscuits are perfect for when you crave that sweet tea dunkin' moment (normally when Finley's asleep and I've finally finished all the tidying!) They're thin and crunchy, unlike the breakfast cookies they have. They, are all doughy and moist, not dissimilar to the fresh cookies you get from the bakery in Asda or Tesco.

I've not been hungry once this week. Genuinely.
If anything, I've been a little too full at times (going crazy with the cauliflower haha!)

I have had my first voddy night in a year though with one of my best friends Tracey, but the day before I ensured I saved a few of my extra calories, and again on the day too. I also declined a slice of chocolate birthday cake and dya know what... it was only because I genuinely didn't feel hungry for some, not a case of being scared about the effect it may have on my diet!

To see my weight loss in the first week of Diet Chef, click HERE!!


A Spoon WILL help the medicine go down

I read an article on the Daily Mail which, quite frankly, was a scaremongering piece warning parents of the dangers of using a spoon to dispense medicine. They claimed that only droppers or syringes should be used to prevent causing harm to your child.

Personally, I HATE using the syringes you get with paracetamol for babies. When they're distressed enough as it is and thrashing about the place, you have to be SO careful that you don't stab their poor little gums with the tizzy nozzle at the end and then even when it goes into their mouths, I panic over whether or not they fight it and the syringe goes in too far making them gag. *shudder*

As far as older children go, Carson will always want to self administer his medicine and will not take it from a syringe as it is 'babyish'. OK, so some medicines come with those double ended spoons that allow you to choose the necessary dosage. But these spoons are so easy to spill on administering meaning it is unlikely they get enough of a dose as required. For me, I seem to get the most unsteady hand at times like this!!

So, is the Daily Mail article right in that spoons should never be used? Not at all.


spilly spoon, carsonsmummy blog review

Spilly Spoon's are the answer to such a dilemma. Medicine is poured into the handle of the spoon making for a non-spill way of giving medicine.

carsonsmummy blog review, spilly spoon

Not only can you accurately measure from 2.5ml to 10ml, but the spoon can be laid flat allowing you to pick up your child before administration which can help reduce distress further. Older children can take their medicine themselves without spilling it everywhere too!

carsonsmummy blog review, spilly spoon
We used milk here, just to show you!

Dishwasher and steriliser safe, small enough to keep in a change bag and seriously stress-reducing, they retail at £4.99 but are currently on offer for £4.50 at Amazon at the moment. I say go buy one!
Spilly Spoon Medicine Spoon (Green)

In the meantime, you can try win a spare one as Spilly Spoon have provided me with 2 more to giveaway. All you have to do is leave me a comment below with your thoughts on the Spilly Spoon and enter via the Rafflecopter widget below to register that you've entered. There are, as always, other ways to gain entries but you don't have to do these. Competition closes on Sunday 3rd August at 11:59pm. Please allow up to 28 days for delivery. This is open to all UK residents - sorry to my international readers. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Win competitions at ThePrizeFinder.com

Tooth Fairy or Not Tooth Fairy?

Tooth fairy or not tooth fairy... That is the question!

Recently Carson's been talking about other children in his class losing their first, and even second, tooth. It's hard for Carson to understand that whilst other's in his class are approaching 7 in the next 2 months or so, he's one of the youngest in his year and not even 6 years old yet so his teeth aren't ready to be coming out as fast as his friends.

On Friday night there was nothing wrong with Carson's teeth. Not one sign of wobble whatsoever. But, it seems no matter how much I told him that they'd come out of their own accord, it fell on deaf ears. He played and played and twiddled and fiddled. By the Saturday night he'd lost his first tooth.


As you can see he is incredibly proud (now the blood has all gone!!)

I must admit I panicked at first and googled for the average age of first tooth loss. Luckily it is between 5-6 years of age so it's actually not that bad (pheew!!)

When I was a little girl, I believed in the tooth fairy. I got 20p for a tooth but she never came to collect until I'd been good for 2 whole days (harder than you'd think being the eldest of 4 with only 3.5years between me and the youngest!). High five to the 'rents for their little twist on that. It's bribery in it's most innocent form!

My dilemma is whether or not the tooth fairy is outdated? Is Carson likely to be picked on for being so super excited to tell everyone that she'd been? 
If it's still acceptable to plug her as real, what's the going rate these days... inflation in the near 25 years since I had my visit, I'm guessing it's going to set me back a small fortune :(

I've promised him some pennies if he can not play with his teeth and lose any more before he goes back to school but, to be honest, I think now he's had the joy of the first loss - he won't push for any more anyway. He's tasted success the once... it better be enough!


World Football Inspired Fashion

My husband doesn't support England. Never has, never will.

He thinks it contradicts what the entire domestic season stands for. It makes him laugh that English players in rival teams go all out to injure or get each other sent off throughout the season but then they come together as an England team and expect it to be hunky dory. Well, it aint. That's why England are, frankly, poop! I hear y'all disagreeing with me but, c'monnn, I'm not wrong. Am I?! So... Hubby supports Holland. #random
Holland support, world cup, carsonsmummy

See the piccy of us during a Holland game  - he is VERY into it, wearing his shirt and stuff. (Excuse my lack of make-up in this picture, It was a late game!)
carsonsmummy review, football inspired outfit, holland, netherlands, go dutch

So when, one of my current catalogues, JD Williams encouraged me to create an outfit inspired by all this football going on, my first thoughts where Holland - Obviously!

Something a little like this (pic on the right) would cost a very reasonable £75 for all three items -
Dolcis Sandals (£25), Slim leg Jeggings (£22) and Jeffrey & Paula Ruche Neck Top (£33)

It's timeless in that you can mix/match with anything else, dressing it up or down (an alternative to to re-buying a new football shirt every year!) I love the wide hem on the top and have purchased loads myself from JD Williams including 2 Jeffrey & Paula ones, in jade and hot pink, but with v-necks.


Another idea I had was Brazil. Their flag colours are stunning and perfect for the summer.

What do you think of this outfit I put together on the left? For both the dress (£55) and leather clutch (£18.50) you'd get change from £75.

Mega bargain.

Would I pull this Brazil-inspired look off though?

The Joanna Hope Twist dress does go right up to a size 26, but in the process of losing baby weight I decided against this for myself (although the bag is to die for so shall be purchasing that using my credit account!)



eventually settled on France. Oui Oui!

I got the colours of the flag in there along with some 'typical' french features!

I went for some stripes in the navy blazer (£19), red espadrille wedges (£25), timeless black slim leg jeggings (£22) and a bit of bling to boot (£7.50).

On paper, this looked pretty 'french' to me and I thought they'd go really well together as an outfit. Theses items don't just look good together, but they're wardrobe staples to be used again and again, mixed and matched, dressed up or down. Just as with the Dutch idea above.

Kindly gifted my world football themed outfit by JD Williams in order to see if it can be pulled off in real life as it is on paper.

Here are my thoughts...

Aside from the blazer coming up a little big (or perhaps my weightloss is showing quicker than anticipated), I love this outfit.

  • > The blazer is light but warm, perfect for summer evenings or autumn afternoons. You can't really see that it's navy in the picture but it is! With lovely gold button detail too.
  • > The shoes are beautiful with a very comfortable insole. My toes still have movement and the cut-out detail provides airing *SUCH a bonus in this heat!*
  • > The jeggings are a true-to-size fit with a slightly higher waist than I've had in the past. This is deffo a plus for me, nothing makes a new mum more confident in herself than high waisted jeggings IMO! They've also washed very well.
  • > The necklace is a statement accessory. Much heavier and chunkier than I anticipated, but it means you can wear the most simple of vest tops whenever you like and tszuj it up in an instant!

You can like JD Williams on facebook HERE 

carsonsmummy blog review, jd williams

**PLEASE excuse the hair!! 
My hairdryer exploded mid way through blowing AND it was the hottest day of the year so far**

Hope I did France justice with my outfit!

What do you think of my French, football inspired fashion?

Which outfit would you have chosen?

submit to reddit

Symptoms and Treatment of Cradle Cap

Not only is cradle cap unsightly but it PONGS!! Honestly, I couldn't get to the bottom of this foul earwax type smell radiating from Finley, even after he's had a bath. After much sniffing like an excitable dog, I figured it was coming from his hair. Ewww, how strange. There's my gorgeous little pumpkin with skin smelling all beautiful and looking all soft... with a hair whiff like you wouldn't believe. Upsetting really. Luckily cradle cap causes no pain to baby, it's a greasy, scaly, yellowish patch of skin found on the scalp and sometimes in the ears and eyebrows.

My Health Visitor had previously advised, in general, not to wash Finley's hair more than twice a week to prevent stripping the natural oils from the hair and skin. 

Dentinox Cradle Cap Shampoo (rrp £2.59) is formulated to treat cradle cap effectively but gently.
I was kindly sent some shampoo to have a go of and we are now in the fourth week of doing so. 

The shampoo itself doesn't have much of a fragrance but it is a silky texture, foams well and leaves hair soft and clean. It also didn't bother Finley when it dripped down his face (whoops!)

You can use Dentinox as an every day shampoo but we don't always wash Finley's hair when we bath him. This is, of course, a personal choice made by the general advice of a Health Visitor. 
That said, our usage of Dentinox over the 4 weeks equates to one solid week of application. 

I must admit that we didn't notice a difference for the first couple of weeks but were advised to persevere and I can honestly say that today I've noticed a dramatic change. The patch he did have was from the crown to the forehead but now only remains to the right side at the forefront of his head and the smell no longer takes over his poor little head! t's difficult to photograph but I think this shows it well...

A big difference with just a small dry patch left.

I'll continue with the Dentinox Shampoo at the rate of which I'm using at the moment as it is clear that it still works this way whilst keeping in line with our shampooing routine. If you choose to wash your littlun's hair on a daily basis, I believe you will see a noticeable difference within a week of using Dentinox, and it only costs £2.59! Once it's completely cleared, continue using Dentinox to prevent the condition returning. There'll be plenty left over to do this as a little goes a long way on baby's little head. 


Other Dentinox products that may come in handy at this time in babies life...

NEW DENTINOX EYE WIPES - Containing a sterile saline solution, Dentinox Eye Wipes are designed to gently cleanse a baby’s eyelids and lashes, safely, removing sticky residue and refreshing a little one’s eyes. Suitable from birth and ideal when out and about, Dentinox Eye Wipes are just the innovation that parents have been crying out for. RRP £3.49


Having used these when Finley has sleep in his eyes, and once when he had an eyelash stuck and it was irritating him, I can agree that they do clean safely, the wipes themselves are thick and soft so you don't have to worry about your nails breaking through them or hurting baby. Eyes are precious, don't risk causing an infection by using fragranced, thin, cosmetic wipes. I wouldn't anyway. These come individually wrapped so you can pop a few in your handbag or change bag, just in case.

DENTINOX TEETHING GELSuitable from birth, this soothing gel, which can be applied every 20 minutes if necessary, gets to work swiftly, providing effective pain relief. It is sugar free and contains an antiseptic. RRP £2.39


Whilst I've not used this yet with Finley, I used it with Carson through his teething years and found it eased some pain almost instantly. I'm really glad I have some in ready for when that time comes for Finley. I remember the taste is really quite nice, kind of sweet - not antisepticky! In my opinion this is a much better alternative to paracetamol at the distressing teething stage, it's well worth the cost.

Have you ever had to tackle cradle cap? 
What did you use? 

DISCLAIMER: I received the above-mentioned Dentinox samples for the purpose of reviewing on the blog. I wasn't paid to write this post, all opinions are my own - open and honest as per usual :-)


Sadly saying no to a Haven holiday...

Not been on holiday in 2 years, when we last went to Haven Hafan Y'Mor in late April 2012, we managed to get a 3 bed Deluxe for circa £160 for 4 nights. It was the second time we'd visited that park and we'd also previously visited Presthaven Sands. Each and every time, Carson had the TIME. OF. HIS. LIFE!! Our holidays had all been before he started school so we didn't have to think about when we were going, we just did.

We haven't been on holiday since due to an array of reasons such as family problems, work commitments, school terms and then, of course, falling pregnant and the dreaded SPD. Maternity pay is also a mega bummer. So difficult to get by on a fraction of your normal wage! It's not like your bills let you take a maternity break too! So this was to be the 3rd consecutive year without our beloved Haven holiday.

Well... an amazing thing has happened. We have been gifted a holiday from a family member! WOW!  *twirls around in thankful glee, squealing* We are so incredibly lucky and Carson is absolutely thrilled beyond belief (almost as much as me)

However, that said, we jumped straight on to the Haven website to get booking again and was absolutely mortified to see that a bog standard 10ft, 2-bed 'van, during the summer holidays, self catering, sets you back £670 for 4 nights. As we don't drive, so will have zero additional storage space, we will have the pram and suitcases for 4 people's worth of towels and clothes plus a shed load of nappies etc so realistically we would have needed a 3 bed to dump stuff in... PLUS we would have to upgrade to a superior to ensure bed linen is included as we couldn't possibly carry that as well! So in realistic terms, a 4 night stay would cost us £777 for the week we want.

Sorry Haven. Not happening.

So... we decided to save HUNDREDS of pounds, and opt for The Village Hotel in Blackpool for 4 nights instead (which also includes breakfast and a fruit bowl in our room!). There'll be no cabin fever as we're going to visit Blackpool Zoo, Nickolodeon Land & Pleasure Beach and Sealife Centre & Madame Tussauds. There'll be time for plenty more too! We still get to go swimming as the hotel features both an indoor and outdoor heated pool too. There's a bar, restaurant, massive grounds to walk around/picnic in and I even received a tweet the other day to say that there'd be a children's entertainer on site during the summer!

I can't wait to write all about it and share some new memories with you - I'm gunna have sooo many pictures (Instagram followers - I apologise in advance LOL)

Sad to think that without this awesome gift from incredibly generous family members we just couldn't afford a holiday full stop during the summer holidays any more. It is extortionate before you've even left the house, and I was totally floored by the HUGE increase in costs compared to non-school holidays. I appreciate that an increase is necessary during peak times but wowzers... how can the average family afford to holiday when 4 nights, plus travel costs and food, (never mind any spends!) will set you back at least ONE THOUSAND POUNDS. It's no wonder most people go abroad these days and it's an incredible shame.

Let's see if our Blackpool holiday will prove successful and I will report back late August after we return!!

submit to reddit

Finley's first #OOTD in this week's #babybabble

Never done an outfit post on any of the kids before, but I felt compelled to do so this week as my fave outfit of Finley's has just about had it's day - gutted!

He's only worn it 4 times and when I popped it on him the other day I noticed it was getting tight. Oh my gosh time is flying soooo fast. Is it really time for him to be going into 3-6 months clothes already?

I've said it before, I'll say it again... SLOW DOWN TIME!!! *panics slightly*


Here is pic of Finley wearing my his fave outfit on 11th June and again on 14th July.

It's a vest and dungarees set from Next Baby and cost £18. The little stitched monkeys on trains are adorable and the colour really bring out his eyes, what do you think...


And then, there's these gorgeous baby vans! 

Dapper little dude! These were a gift so I don't know where they were from or how much they cost but I've found similar ones from Cloggs.co.uk costing £19.99. Definitely not something I would spend myself - he's worn them twice and they're just about fitting him now, I bet they won't fit next week! 

I was never very 'gooey' over baby clothes for Carson, but I seem to embracing the tiny clobber choices these days. I even do a squeal every now and then when I see something uber-delicious for Finley-Doodles.

I'll have to do an #OOTD for Carson soon now... *stares at the ironing pile!*

Join this week's #BabyBabble linky by commenting on this post, grabbing the badge or link back to Coming from Carson's Mummy (whichever you prefer!). Then, simply add your post to the linky widget below. 
I'll give you all a shout-out on twitter and promise to comment on every single one who follows the linky rules :-) Please remember to comment on other bloggers linking up. This linky is all about giving some blog love, thus receiving some back.

#BabyBabble


Remember, sharing is caring. So go ahead and tweet, facebook, g+ or scream from the rooftops. 
Spread the word to get your posts seen on this weeks linky!


Carson's Sports Day

Carson had his sports day yesterday. I was expecting it to last 30-45mins as it did last year in F2, but this year, Year 1, was completely different and it lasted 2 whole hours.

carsonsmummy, sports day

I don't know how the kiddies didn't look exhausted because the parents did, and I've got sunburn and tanlines something rotten today!

carsonsmummy, sports day

Gone are the days of the egg 'n' spoon. We had a running race, a relay race, a walk-like-a-scarecrow-with-a-bean-bag-on-your-head race (really!), football dribbling & penalty taking, throw a bean bag in a hoop race (x2 one hoop flat on the ground, another like upright) and a crawl-under-the-sheet race.

carsonsmummy, sports day,
With his vest/dress!!
I love watching Carson getting so excited, I only wish the day was more organised. Parents didn't know where to stand/what to do. It wasn't explained that the children would be moving around the field in different groups, and it certainly wasn't advised that it lasts 2 hours!

carsonsmummy, sports day

It began at 1.15pm and I thought I'd be home by 2pm for lunch, but I ended up staying there 'til 3.15pm and they all ran in to get their uniforms inside their PE Kit bags and came back out again to go home. I was starving!! And oh so thirsty, it was an absolute scorcher yesterday (hence the sunburn!)

carsonsmummy, sports day, football

Anyway, Carson had tons of fun and it wasn't at all competitive, which was nice to see. I know competition can be a great thing for them but it really was about the fun this year... for the kids!

Linking up to The Oliver's Madhouse #ActiveFamily linky.

Super Busy Mum
google.com, pub-8301510335931825, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0