JoJo Maman Bébé gets ready for the Royal Baby

A couple of weeks ago I had the privilege of getting a sneak preview of JJMB’s Autumn/Winter collection 2013 and it’s pretty exciting. They’ve got loads of cute new ranges and some great editions to popular ones we already know and love. I especially love their Xmas jumper range. Anyway I’ll be sharing more on that soon…

As a mum who was married the same year as Duke and Duchess and now with a baby born in the same year as the Royal babe I can’t help but feel extra excited.  So you can imagine how I felt about the new Royal Collection launched by JJMB today!! 

My absolute favourites are the Made in England baby sleepsuits which I definitely going to be purchasing and now we’re weaning I think a couple of Born to Rule bibs wouldn’t go amiss and then there’s the cute crown sleepsuits… There goes this weeks maternity allowance… ;-)

Pricing goes as follows: 

Bibs & Hats - £5.00

Sleepsuits - £14.00

Royal Booties - £14.00

For more information on the new range click here. 

Sweet dreams

Ok so this isn’t something I would normally review but when I was contacted to try out a new herbal chocolate drink I couldn’t resist.

Zenbev is a herbal hot chocolate that is supposed to aid sleeping by relaxing you. I was pretty skeptical before it arrived to be honest but as I’ve said in previous posts I do have trouble sleeping. I don’t know why but for some reason I tend to get really anxious as I’m going to sleep as my mind goes crazy planning the next day. I’m pretty sure I’m not alone out there though and this is a problem for most mums and something that will only increase when you either have more than one or they start school.

The drink itself is made up from organic pumpkin seeds and is rich in tryptophan, which in the presence of the right kind of carbohydrate stimulates melatonin, a natural sleep drug.

I’m not going to lie, it’s definitely not the tastiest chocolate drink I’ve ever had. It’s not unpleasant but there is a slightly herbal after taste mainly because it’s not that easy to stir in so you’re left with some of the half mixed powder to drink at the end.

However, I tried it for five nights in a row during a particularly busy period and it really worked. I felt much more chilled out when I got into bed and drifted off to sleep really quickly. My husband couldn’t believe it as I’m usually up for at least half an hour after him, so I’d definitely recommend giving it go.

My top tip is to add in an extra spoonful of Cadbury’s Hot Choccie to get the flavour balance right.

ZenBev costs £25.99 for a 250g container that should last around four weeks. There's also a lemon flavour you can try... 

For more information you can visit their site here. 

Summer's here

I don’t know about anyone else but I just thought after the baby that the weight would just drop off. It’s so depressing to know that still after nearly six months I’ve two stone to lose… especially with summer here and therefore clothing leaving little to the imagination.

So I did what any other wannabe yummy mum would do and invested in some shapewear. I initially tried out the cheap range in Primark but my advice is to stay well clear. Whilst they seem like great value I found the tummy sucker inners just fell down the whole time, which was incredibly annoying.

After that I decided to try out a brand I hadn’t heard too much about previously called Maidenform and they were great. They have a huge range to choose from with lots of different styles to suit almost any outfit but what made them great for me was the soft material they’re made from.

If you’re going to be wearing underwear that’s extremely tight for long periods of time then you need the material to feel soft and breathable. The last thing you want is to look skinny but be a jittery, sweaty mess ;-).

The prices are all pretty reasonable to with Thigh Slimmers at around £22, tummy tuckers around £25 and all over body slimmers ranging from £30-£48.

Then for when you’re feeling sexy again they’ve just launched a new range of lingerie called Comfort Devotion which is all made from plush material so you can look good and feel comfortable. I’ve been living in the pink bra ever since I got it…

For more information you can visit the Maidenform website here

Oyster baby - full review

Some of you may remember that I did a post about a small company called Oyster Baby before little A was born, well since that post I’ve been trying out the Oyster sling in action over the last three months. I have one verdict: it’s a lifesaver!!

Admittedly when it first arrived I was slightly apprehensive as it looked like the whole thing might be a little difficult to put together particularly if you’re juggling a little one. However it was actually surprisingly easy but I would recommend putting it on in front of a mirror for the first couple of tries.

The bamboo cotton material is really soft so you feel confident that it will feel nice up against the skin of your newborn baby. In the beginning I was a little nervous about getting the right taut so he wouldn’t either slip out or get crushed up against me but the fabric is actually quite elastic so if you tie it quite tight then he’ll feel pretty secure.

I started off using the oyster-snuggle position as little A loved it for sleeping when his wind was really bad. He’d literally be screaming for ages and then I’d pop him in the wrap and he’d fall asleep in about five seconds. It was particularly amazing for trying to get the housework done and taking him on short walks whilst I was recovering from the c-section.

Now at three months I’m using the oyster-lookout as his neck control is really good and Arthur is loving it. He’s fascinated by the world and it’s a great alternative to pushing the buggy around the park, plus you can guarantee he’s really feeling and experiencing the fresh air when we’re out walking.

I’m not sure how long I’ll be able to go with it as he’s such a monster in terms of his size – we went to a party at the weekend and he was bigger then the six month old – but up until this point I’ve loved this product and would definitely recommend it to any new mum. The feeling of him snuggled up against me moving around, like when he was in my tummy, was just such a special feeling and I’ll definitely be using it with any future little ones.

For more information on Oyster Baby click here. 

An apology

First of all I’d like to apologise for neglecting the blog for so long. As little Arthur grew from newborn to baby boy he’s been needing a lot of my time and attention so I inflicted a self imposed maternity leave on myself.

It takes time to settle into being a mum and my advice to any other new mum is to make sure you give it to yourself. Whilst I’ve found looking after and bonding with him easy as pie, settling into the role of ‘mum’ has been tough at times. Particularly when I’m a complete workaholic but we’re getting there and we’re both healthy and smiley so I’m back with lots of updates and posts for you over the coming days and weeks.

Lots of love,

Mrs W xxx