If you want to see dinosaurs in London, where do you go? The Natural History Museum.... or a windswept hill in SE19? Crystal Palace is famous for its dinosaur statues dating back more than 150 years. They really are something special - they were the first time anyone had attempted to make scale three dimensional... Continue Reading →
How to make a floral letter decoration for a girl’s bedroom
My daughter is now two and a half and during lockdown we decided to redecorate her bedroom. She has a lovely mural on one wall (a giant decal sticker) and a bookcase full of books but other than that we hadn’t much much effort in, as she doesn’t really play in her bedroom yet apart... Continue Reading →
Eating out with toddlers – and socially distanced – at the Greyhound, Carshalton
The last time I took my daughter out to a restaurant for a meal was at a Harvester last November for her cousin’s birthday. S wouldn’t sit still for more than five minutes, so members of my family took it in turns to occupy and accompany her as she explored the pub, which already had... Continue Reading →
Book review – The Work/Parent Switch by Anita Cleare – How to parent smarter, not harder
Before lockdown, my husband and I were both commuting to work in London most days (occasionally working from home) which meant we didn't get to spend a great deal of time with our daughter on weekdays. So when I saw someone in a parenting group on Facebook recommend a book called The Work/Parent Switch, by... Continue Reading →
Recreating the magic of Butlin’s at home
Like many people this year, we had to cancel our holiday due to coronavirus. We had booked a Just for Tots break at Butlin’s with my family, including my two-year-old daughter and three-year-old niece, who I thought would have a brilliant time together. My sister and I loved Butlin’s when we were children – I’m... Continue Reading →
Best toys for three-month-old babies
When they are very young, babies don’t really play with toys – or even pay that much attention to them initially. But at any age, toys are part of helping a baby develop. There are a few things that my daughter really liked while she was three months old (and beyond – I'm very delayed... Continue Reading →
Working from home during lockdown with a toddler
Tips for surviving lockdown when you’re working and have a toddler I read a great meme recently that said ‘We are not all in the same boat, but we are all in the same storm’. Lockdown looks very different from one person to the next, and while I can’t pretend to know what is going... Continue Reading →
Chessington World of Adventures with babies and toddlers – review
This is a partial review of Chessington World of Adventures and more my first impressions of going with a baby – my 16 month old, who wasn’t quite walking yet at that stage. We ended up leaving early because both my daughter and husband started feeling unwell (nothing to do with Chessington!) so didn’t get... Continue Reading →
Sutton Sports Village soft play review
What’s it like at Sutton Sports Village and Trampoline Park soft play? You’ve got to have a lot of energy to go to soft play – at least until your children are old enough to explore by themselves! There are two types of soft play – a room where soft play equipment is set up... Continue Reading →
Not just for children: Free Cakes for Kids
Think back to when you were a child and celebrated your birthday. I’ll bet there was cake, and you can probably remember some of your favourite cakes as a child, right? I was obsessed with Sarah Lee Double Chocolate Gateaux and often had one of those for my birthday but I also remember very clearly... Continue Reading →