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Chantelle Hazelden, from Mama Mummy Mum, shows us some crafty ideas for entertaining children during the holidays.

During the school holidays I sometimes struggle to think of things to keep the children occupied that don't cost an arm and a leg. I found one of the best things to keep my kids entertained is to do some sort of art & crafts with them, it doesn't have to be expensive as a lot of things you will normally have around the house anyway. 

1:  Musical Shakers

2: Pasta Jewellery

3: Potato Printing

4: Magic Mud

5: Paper Fans

You can read Chantelle's blog here for more tips and follow her on twitter and Facebook.

Kate from Family Fever gives us 5 ways to keep the kids entertained during the holidays through baking!

One of our favourite activities, especially during the school holidays, is baking. The children enjoy making all sorts of treats, both sweet and savoury – and of course, they enjoy sampling them too!

Below I have listed my Top 5 ‘Baking with children recipes’

DOUBLE BERRY MUFFINS

Ingredients: 

300g plain flour

3 teaspoons baking powder

125g caster sugar

50g butter

3 eggs

4 tablespoons sunflower oil

1 teaspooon vanilla essence

150g natural yogurt

100g blueberries and 100g raspberries

 

Method

Preheat oven to 200*C/Gas mark 6. Mix together the flour, baking powder and sugar. Melt the butter, and then add this to the flour mixture. Add the eggs, oil, vanilla essence and yogurt and blend with a fork until just mixed. Stir in the berries.

Divide the mixture between 12 muffin cases and bake for 15 minutes.

APPLE SCONES

Ingredients:

1 apple

75g butter

375g self raising flour

1 teaspoon cinnamon

75g caster sugar

1 egg

150ml milk

 

Method

Preheat the oven to 200*C/Gas Mark 6. Peel and dice the apple. Heat 25g of the butter in a saucepan and add the apple – cook gently for 5 minutes until the apple is soft.  Put the flour, cinnamon and 50g of the sugar into a bowl. Cut the remaining butter into small pieces and add to the flour mix, then rub together with your fingers to make crumbs.

Add the apple and the egg and stir to make a dough, adding the milk slowly to make the right consistency. Roll out and cut with cookie cutters. Place on a greased baking tray, brush with milk and sprinkle with the remaining sugar.

Bake for 12-15 minutes.

ANIMAL COOKIES

Ingredients:

175g butter

75g caster sugar

275g plain flour

 

Method

Preheat oven to 180*C/Gas mark 4. Cut the butter into small pieces, then put in a bowl with the flour and sugar. Rub between your fingers to make tiny crumbs. Squeeze the mixture together to make a dough.  Place the mixture between 2 sheets of non-stick baking paper then roll out thinly. Peel off the top piece of paper, and cut animal shapes with cookie cutters.

Place these on a greased baking tray. Bake for 10 minutes. You can then decorate with icing pens, sweets, sprinkles etc.

FRUIT SALAD PIZZA

Ingredients:

300g strong white flour

Pinch of salt

2 tablespoons caster sugar

1 teaspoon fast-action dried yeast

25g butter

1 egg

125ml warm water

Jam and fruit of your choice for topping

 

Method

Brush a flan tin with some oil. Put the flour, salt, sugar and yeast in a bowl. Melt the butter, and add to the flour mix along with the egg. Slowly mix in the water until you have a soft but not sticky dough. Knead the dough for 5 minutes (kids love this bit!). Place the dough in the flan tin and press over the base. Spread the dough with jam (approx. 4 tablespoons).

Top with the chopped and peeled fruit – we like to use apples, plums and peaches but you can use whatever you fancy.

Leave in a warm place for about half an hour to allow dough to rise, then brush the top of the flan with some melted butter and sprinkle with some sugar. Bake for 15 minutes at 180*C/Gas mark 4 for 25 minutes.

CHEESY MUFFINS

Ingredients:

100g cheddar cheese

125g cornmeal (if you don’t have cornmeal, use the same quantity of plain flour instead)

175g self raising flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

150ml milk

2 eggs

2 teaspoonsDijonmustard

4 tablespoons sunflower oil

Salt and pepper

 

Method

Preheat oven to 200*C/Gas mark 6. Grate the cheese, and mix with the cornmeal, flour and baking powder. Add the milk, eggs, mustard and oil and a pinch of salt and pepper. Stir together until just mixed.

Spoon into 12 muffin cases and bake for 15 minutes.

 

These are our all time family favourite baking recipes, and we make them over and over again. The only problem is, that they never last very long!

Hope you enjoy giving these a try, and let me know which is your favourite!

Read more from Kate on her blog, and follow Family Fever on twitter and facebook.

 Guest Blogger Kate from Family Fever takes us through a range of techniques for getting the little ones to bed on time.

Getting your little one into a sleep routine can be really hard, yet there are some little tricks that can help you to achieve the holy grail of a full night’s sleep!

With my children I have always found that a set routing before bed is really important, even right at the beginning. We start with a warm, bubbly bath in a warm room. Following the bath it’s a massage with some baby massage oil. It is worth attending a few baby massage classes if you can, as you can learn some great massage techniques to help with relaxation and any specific problems, such as relieving colic.

Once baby is in their pyjamas, it’s time for a feed. This is always done in a well lit room to prevent baby falling asleep on the breast or bottle, as I believe it is important that babies learn to fall asleep on their own. This way, if they wake in the night, they may be able to settle themselves without needing a feed. While feeding, I find it a lovely time to softly sing or chat to your baby, the sound of your voice will naturally relax your baby, and it’s a great bonding experience too.

Once feeding is over, we pop baby into a baby sleeping bag. This keeps them warm and toasty all night, as they are not able to kick off their blankets. Just ensure that they are dressed appropriately, so if it is really warm, use a light sleeping bag and a bodysuit. If it is cold, you can use a thicker sleeping bag and a sleepsuit. We use a nursery thermometer for peace of mind.

Then it’s into a dimly lit room for a story. We have done this right from the beginning as reading to children is so important, and even right at the beginning babies enjoy listening to the soothing sound of your voice, and looking at pictures in books.

Baby Massage

Finally, put your baby into their cot awake. This way they fall asleep on their own, and are more likely to be able to settle themselves again if they wake in the night. If your baby cries when you pop them down, place your hand on their tummy and say shhhh shhhh. Leave a soft nightlight on if it helps your baby settle. This can also be useful for night feeds. If you do feed in the night, keep the room dimly lit, and try not to interact with baby too much, keep it sleepy and soft so that baby learns to understand the difference between day and night.

This has always seemed to work for us, and both our children slept through the night from a fairly early age. We will be using the same techniques for baby 3 when he arrives in May.

 

Read all about the real-life trials and tribulations of a working mum on Kate's blog, Family Fever, and follow Kate on Twitter here.

Thumb-print wrapping Paper

How To Make A Valentine's Card with Your Toddler

Heart Glass Clings

Felt Heart Lolly Pops

Heart Crayons

Symmetry Art Love Hearts

Valentine's Crafty Candy Box with Template

Valentine's Hand Print Card

Valentine's Crayon Resist Water Painting Card

Printable Love Coupons Book

Pom Pom Heart

Valentine's Post Box

Painted Dolly Hearts

Love Letters

Valentine's DIY Project

 

If you have your own Valentine's Ideas, Let us know in the comments, on our facebook wall or via twitter!

Part 1 - You and Your Lifestyle

Part 2 - Your Baby's Needs

Part 3 -Three-in-one pram and pushchair combinations

 

Part 4 -Two-in-one pram and pushchair combinations

 

Part 6 - Three Wheeler Pushchairs

Part 8 - Buggies and Strollers

Buggies and strollers are lightweight, versatile and simple to use. They're ideal for shopping, travelling and holidays, and most can be used for newborn babies.

If you have twins, or small children close in age and weight, double buggies and tandems are ideal.

Part 9 - Accessories for your Pram, Pushchair or Stroller

Mummy Blogger Natasha gives us her best Money Saving Tips for Mums.

As I look over my expenses from last month, I can’t quite believe how costly Christmas has become now that I have a little one.  It shouldn’t be a shock; they say that babies cost about £50,000,000 in the first year or something mental like that.  But now that the festive cheer has gone, and all we’re left with are heating bills and un-kept New Year’s resolutions.  So I’ve come up with a list of a few things that should help us all make it through the next few pay days!

 > Meal times – as appealing as baby ready meals appear for their convenience, its far more cost effective to make your own.  If you’re cooking spag bol for the family, just remove a load for baby before adding any salt and these can be frozen in batches.  The same goes for dessert.  Got a load of fruit that’s getting soft?  Just whack it all in a blender and freeze in ice cube trays to pop out what you need when required.

 > Clothes and toys – ebay is a great source of clothes, purely because our babies are never in them for long.  There are also many Facebook selling pages for local toys and clothes available in your area.  Just do a search for your town and the word ‘baby’ or ‘sale’ and you should find loads.

 > Sign up to baby clubs – pretty much every supermarket out there has a baby club nowadays, and signing up gives you the heads up on events and money off vouchers.  It’s still worth shopping around though, sometimes the offers aren’t as good as they seem!

 > Bedding – baby sheets and blankets can rack up a ludicrous amount of money.  You can buy double sheets for adult beds, cut them in half and give them a quick hem on a sewing machine.  Alternative, drop it all off at Grandma’s and ask her to do it!

 > Nappies – if you’re brave enough, opt for reusable nappies.  If not, buy disposables in bulk when sales and events are on and stock up.

 > Days out – there are so many places to take the little one’s for an enjoyable day out without having to spend a penny.  Sites like www.daysoutuk.com, www.moneysavingexpert.com and www.visitengland.com are a great source of information.

 > Fun play – you don’t need to spend a fortune on toys to keep your sprogs entertained, lots of things can be made with simple household items.  Bottles can be filled with beans or rice to make fun rattles (just make sure the lids are stuck on with glue to sellotape), play dough can be made with flour and water for messy play.

If you have any other money saving ideas, please feel free to post them on our FB page!  Photos are also welcome.  

What is Sensory Play?

Sensory Play is a fairy new and exciting part of child development, allowing children to learn through experience.

The theory is that, whilst your child may be learning to talk, and their first words could happen at any time, all their senses have been developing constantly since birth.

These senses can be stimulated, and bonds built between child and parent, without the need for verbal communication. 

Your child may have developed a question, and have no way of communicating it verbally. Sensory play encourages your child to scratch, sniff, lick, grab, stare, rub etc. Investigating, using their senses, and answering the question themselves. 

Sensory play is also used to develop the neurological pathways associated with each sense. Motor skills also get a boost, as children manipulate whatever material or tools they have been given. Creative, Dramatic skills come in to play, as children use their imagination to find new ways to use these materials and tools.

Ideas for Sensory Play

The best way to control Sensory Play is to make sure all activity happens within a designated space. Use a plastic tray or box, and even introduce a lid to signal when playtime has started and finished.

Sticky - Take some left-over white bread and add your child's choice of food colouring. Green for example. Then pour on four dollops of PVA glue. This makes a sticky (and cheap) alternative to playdough, that will stimulate the smells and touch senses.

Shaving Foam - Mix straight from the can with food colouring to make bright and vibrant bath-paints. Just make it clear that you are in charge of the can and that no foam goes in their mouths.

Mud - Again, using a tray, set up a mud bath kitchen in the garden. This allows for sensory play with Mud with a quarter of the mess!

Jelly - Make a batch of jelly. Whatever flavour, it doesn't matter as this is for playing with and not eating. If it can fill your play tray even better. Encourage your child to mix into the slimy jelly some alphabet magnets from the fridge. This will combine the idea of touch, colours and shapes. 

Sand box - A classic. Introduce any of your child's toys you don't mind getting a little mucky to introduce the concept of sand with something more familiar.

Touchy Feely Runway - Lay down a number of different, flat surfaces on the floor and secure if needed. These could include a cork board, some bubble wrap, cling film or a place mat from the table. Allow your child to walk, roll or craw along the runway and experience each texture.

Do you have your own sensory play ideas? Let us know in the comments, via twitter or facebook.

 

We all know how tricky it can be to keep everything clean and tidy with a crawler or toddler around. To help try and make some sense out of all the mess and madness, we've put together 10 tip to make organising the kids a little easier.

Play spaces within Living spaces. Use a mosquito net or bed canopy to section of a play space within a living room or bedroom. Make use of corners to make cosy play spaces.

Use plastic washing baskets to store Outside toys.

Keep all you creative materials in one box, (preferably with handles) for easy transportation between rooms.

Make the most of every nook and cranny. Any space between furniture can have a shelf added to it for extra storage. The space between the bed and the wall can be used to make a small, but safe hide-away.

Keep several different boxes of toys and rotate them on a weekly basis. This will refresh your child's interest in each toy, and make everything easier to pack away at the end of play time.

Recycle old suitcases, hat boxes, food boxes, baskets and wooden bowls as toy and activity storage.

Store toys in clear plastic boxes so they're easier for your child to find again.

Make giant labels out of thick cardboard and cover in sticky-back plastic for durability.

Recycle trays from you local garden centre for storing small collections of buttons, shells, conkers etc.

Use jars, pretty tins and small gift boxes as storage for art and craft supplies.

 

Do you have your own de-cluttering tips and tricks? Let us know in the comments, via twitter or by writing on our facebook wall!

 

Are you purchasing a Pushchair for the first time?

Do you have no idea what you need or what to look for?

Have no fear. Nursery Value has put together a handy Pushchair Buying Guide to help you work out what's best for you and your baby.

Click here to read the Pushchair Buying Guide.

 

Have we missed anything important from the guide? Let us know in the comments, via twitter or facebook.

1. Select an artificial tree 
Run your hands across the branches to make sure large clumps of needles do not fall off. These are choking hazards for toddlers.

 

2. Display your tree in a base that is either secured to the wall or is wide, heavy and stable.

 

3. Select toddler-friendly ornaments for the bottom of the tree while keeping breakable ornaments toward the top. 
Ornaments at the bottom of the tree should not be glass or ceramic and should be large enough that they can't be swallowed. Make sure any painted ornaments are hung high on the tree, since the paint can be toxic if your toddler puts them in her mouth.

 

4. Apply minimal decorations. 
The more ornamentation on your tree, the more tempting it will be for your toddler. Avoid overusing strands of lights, garland, tinsel, icicles and ribbon. 
Tinsel is a choking hazard, so if you choose to use it only apply it to the part of the tree your toddler cannot reach.

 

5. Hang ornaments with short strands of ribbon instead of hooks to prevent your toddler from poking himself or swallowing a sharp hook.

 

6. If you have trouble finding ornaments that are safe to be placed toward the bottom of the tree, craft homemade ornaments with your toddler's help and allow her to help trim the tree.

 

7. Look for low-voltage LED lights, as these are less likely to become hot to the touch. Also try to find lights that are labeled "lead free." If you cannot find lead-free lights, string them high enough that your toddler cannot touch them or put them in her mouth.

 

8. Instruct your toddler not to touch the tree. 
If your toddler does not understand, or chooses not to obey your request, you may decide to place a baby gate around your tree or position furniture in a way that blocks access.

 

9. Avoid displaying authentic mistletoe, holly or poinsettias on the tree or in other areas of the home. These can cause poisoning or irritation if ingested by a toddler.

 

 

If you have your own toddler proofing tips, let us know in the comments or via twitter or facebook!