NurseryValue store

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.

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!

Picture the scene... beautifully immaculate house (ok, that may be a slight exaggeration!); late Edwardian property with period features, stripped floorboards.  In comes Shyloh.  And she’s hungry. 

For some reason I thought I’d go down the baby led weaning route.  To those who have no idea what that means, it roughly translates to, ‘let your baby fling food all over the walls, floor, cat, etc’.  Ok, it causes far more mess than fat kids in a pie eating contest, but in all honesty I think it’s been worth it.

I knew that Shyloh was ready to start eating solids when she stole a strawberry off my plate and shoved it in her mouth.  She’s lucky I didn’t try to take it back, as I’m usually very precious over my strawberries, but it was just too entertaining watching her suck the hell out of the fruit, drooling red slobber down her front.

From that point on, I became the puree queen – I was pretty anal about it, and made sure she started off on bland savoury foods, working her way up to flavoursome fruits.  Me and Thom had previously spent £400 on a blender (we were sucked in at a food festival, but the man said it’s the best blender in the world so it must be true!), so I was making sure I got my money’s worth. 

I started out pureeing things, as in all honestly, I was too scared to do baby led weaning – even though I had read up on it, I was terrified she’d choke on something.  But I didn’t really need to be concerned.  A baby’s gag reflex, unlike ours, is only halfway down their tongue, so if she attempted something that was too big for her, it soon came flying back in my general direction. 

Shyloh has been wonderful with her food, and continues to amaze me.  From about seven months old, she has been able to feed herself at meal times, she eats everything we eat, from coconut and chilli thai curry, to salmon and cous cous.  You can tell she really enjoys her food – I generally gauge this from how far the food has spread around her face. 

I must say though, not everyone is a fan of my method of teaching Shyloh enjoyment in eating.  My mum thinks, and I quote, that I’m, ‘bringing her up like a savage’.  I do try explaining the benefits but I’ve given up now.  I now just find secret fulfilment when Shy flings her food across mum’s freshly hovered floor. 

For anyone looking to try baby led weaning, I’d say go for it. I can give Shyloh a whole pear and she’ll work her way through it, leaving the core, or she’ll eat melon off the rind.  She’s learning to enjoy different flavours, textures and shapes at her own pace, whilst being part of family meals and eating healthily.  She’s awesome and I’m so proud of her, even if she does wreck my dining room three times a day!

I’ve just turned 30.  Yes I know, it’s hard to believe, given that I have the sprightly demeanour of an 18 year old, but nevertheless, here we are.  I always promised myself I’d have a child by the time I hit the big Three-O, but previously it was over drunken conversations with a close friend; ‘if I’m not settled down by the time I’m 30, you’re knocking me up, ok?’.  Thankfully for Thom (or unluckily, don’t think he’s decided yet!) he came along and changed my life forever.

I didn’t think I would feel any different turning 30, but I really do.  I’m pretty sure my body has become less cooperative with my brain.  I want to run marathons, jump off cliffs, go surfing, just like those girls on tampon adverts, but my body just isn’t up for it.  I take one look at the ‘Tank’ (aka, the Charisma) and wonder how I ever mustered the strength to push it up hills just after having a baby.  But it has its uses, for come winter (which will be in about a week knowing our luck with weather) me and Shy will be easing through the snow thanks to its massive tyres. 

I also seem to find pleasure in smaller things nowadays.  Don’t get me wrong, Shyloh is the source of my happiness, but you know you’re getting old when you’re excited about the new steam mop you’ve just purchased… not good.  Once upon a time it was dancing, movies and alcohol – these days it’s more about sleeping, mortgages and a nice cup of tea.  Putting it into words is depressing!

I knew my life would change with the arrival of a child, but I guess I wasn’t prepared for exactly how much.  I envisaged myself, a less attractive Anglea Jolie, swanning around the place, juggling life as an awesome Earth Mother, a full time worky person and amazing girlfriend.  In reality, I look dishevelled most days, I hate work, and I’m pretty sure Thom wants to kill me. 

Saying all that though, it’s amazing how Shyloh has the ability to make me feel ancient one moment (my own little vampire, slowly draining the life from me!), then the next, she does something so unbelievably cute that I feel as carefree as teenager on the last day of school.  I love her so much, I never knew quite how much happiness one tiny pooping, screaming, puking thing could bring. 

So to summarise… I guess I feel old, but young, all at once.  I intend to enjoy every waking moment with my Mini Me, not take life to seriously, and take each day as it comes.  Try new things, show Shyloh the world (ok, Aylesbury!), and always try to say yes to new things.  I’m pretty sure that should stop my aging in its tracks.  Stick that in your pipe and smoke it Dorian Gray! 

As we're soon approaching National Breastfeeding Awareness Week (25th June) I thought it only apt to write a blog about how my life has changed now that my boobs seem to be permanently out. It was always my intention to breastfeed, but I never really realised how hard it would be to get the hang of, and quite how difficult the whole process would be. I guess I imagined it to be something along the lines of; boob out, whack her on, jobs a good'un, but it didn't quite go like that.

I might as well take you back to the beginning - the birth of my wonderful monster. She latched on as soon as she came out, and almost instantly a feeling of utter pride washed over me. I found it amazing how this tiny thing, barely an hour old, seemed to know exactly what to do. Unfortunately, my euphoria was short lived, for by the time we got round to her third feed, it was like she'd forgotten. Plus, my nipples hurt like mad (sorry to any men reading this, but you have to know, it can be bloody painful at the start!). I asked a midwife for assistance, as I was deeply hormonal (not surprisingly), and concerned that Shyloh would starve... I was told to massage my breast and collect any drops that came out into a syringe. I immediately started sobbing, and it wasn't until the next duty midwife came along that she suggested laying down to feed her, which worked a treat. Obstacle number one over.

The early days are quite a blur, but I remember it being very tricky to get the hang of what I was actually supposed to be doing, and how best to teach Shyloh. Thom would have to make me a little bed of a million blankets on the living room floor so I could lay down every feed (glad we grew out of that!), and the cats would always want to lay with us. I felt like I was always breastfeeding in the early days, and to be honest I probably was, for there was a point where Shy would feed every 1.5 to 2 hours. We went to a breastfeeding clinic, and bless Thom, he had to sit there with a dozen women all with their baps out... probably would have been a pleasant experience for him under other circumstances! I also leaked like mad, I would be feeding off of one boob and the other would start gushing... ok, that's probably too much information, but you need to know these things!

I've had to feed in some pretty interesting places. Remembrance Day, slap bang on the 2 minute silence, Shyloh starts wailing so I resorted to feeding her on the floor of the cobble stoned market square in front of hundreds of veterans. During an interview... yes, you read right. Not only did I have to show my bits to four men I would potentially be working for, but baby then decides to puke everywhere. Suffice to say, I didn't get the job. I've had to walk through countless shopping centres, supermarkets, town centres, parks, restaurants etc with Shyloh attached to me. Great fun.

Thankfully, pretty much everyone has been really open and supportive when it comes to breastfeeding in public places, and my friends are used to me being half naked in front of them by now. My best friend was slightly uncomfortable to begin with, when I'd have to feed Shyloh he would sheepishly avert eye contact, slowly head towards the door whilst saying, 'I think I'm going to go see what Thom is up to' (bless him). I've had another friend, who is a glamour photographer and therefore used to boobs of all shapes and sizes, sit pretty much on top of me whilst I was feeding, stare at my boobs, going 'that's amazing, doesn't that hurt, why is she pulling like that, how many holes does it come out of, does it squirt everywhere or trickle out, what colour is it, that's sooooooo amazing!!'. I guess some people would have been traumatised by the barrage of questions, but I was really pleased that he was interested and wanted to know more about it all.

Not to say that everyone is in agreement. My mother, of all people has been a pain, and frequently asks me when I'm going to stop as it's an 'inconvenience' (grrr!). Once, in the very early days, she proclaimed 'that's not how you do it', and proceeded to shove my boob into Shy's mouth. I have had to bite my tongue on several occasions, and in the end sent her an email with information on breastfeeding so that she could stop coming out with ludicrous comments such as, 'you're milk isn't good any more', 'there is no point doing it after six months', and my personal favourite, 'if you carry on it's just selfish'. I have felt like slapping her in the face with a breast pad before, but I remind myself that it was all very different in her day.

There is a lot of support out there for women who want to learn more about it, or are struggling to get to grips with it. I don't think I could have coped without the breastfeeding cafe and the friends I made there. There are also groups, such as Le Leche League, who were a massive help when my milk production went down. For anyone who is thinking of breastfeeding, I would advise it wholeheartedly - I'm not going to bang on about the benefits as I'd be here all day, but I would say don't give up, it's hard work, but so so so worth it in the long run. I love the bond I have with Shyloh, and I will always remember this time fondly. It's been eight months now and I'm 'still' breastfeeding. An no, I have no intention to stop just yet. Why should I? There is so much contradiction when it comes to the how long to breastfeed for, but I believe that it's down to the individual. As far as I'm concerned, Shyloh will stop when she's ready. Ok, I may have to consider reevaluating this if she's coming home from middle school and asking for a feed! And anyway, if I stop now, I'd have to start buying milk to put it Thom's tea! Ha, just kidding Thom! Or am I? :) 

Travelling abroad with your children can be a daunting prospect. So we thought we’d compile a few points you may want to consider when taking your baby on holiday.

First and most important thing is to find out what facilities and nursery furniture are available at the hotel you are staying at. Some hotels will provide travel cots and high chairs; others even provide pushchairs for day trips. These items may be included, or may be hired on a daily or hourly basis. So it may be worth seeing if it’s cost effective to bring the items over yourself. But remember to account for all the costs involved, as baby goods can be very heavy and going over your weight allowance at checkout is very expensive.

Going abroad normally means taking an aircraft. We recommend not taking your super expensive daily pushchair with you as you find it will get dirty, scratched and even damaged when placed in the hold by the luggage teams. The last thing you want to find when you arrive at your destination is to find you’re without your pushchair. If pushchairs are not available to hire, consider borrowing a cheap umbrella styled pushchair, check eBay for a used one, or look on specialist retailers selling refurbished/reworked items. These offer great value solutions, and can either be disposed of or resold when you get back home.

Being able to take the pushchair onboard the aircraft with you has a number of benefits, but most importantly it allows you to wheel your child off the aircraft. Handling a child after a long flight can be very stressful, so being able to place him/her in a pushchair is quite beneficial for both parent and baby. Unfortunately, most budget airlines do not allow pushchairs to be taken onboard, but some airlines may allow you to bring a pushchair with you and place it in the overhead compartments, or in special cupboards in the stewards’ area. It’s worth checking with the airline to see what their rules are on weight and size; you can then look for pushchairs that fit the criteria of the airline. You may even want to base your decision on airline on its ability to provide an onboard pushchair service.

There are also a number of other baby products worth considering taking on holiday. The one we’ve indentified are baby booster seats. These booster seats are a great temporary replacement for a high chair, take up very little room in the suitcase and are really convenient for taking baby out with you in the evening to restaurants.

Refurbished pushchairs
Baby booster seat