It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year!

Well, here we are at the beginning of December once more – how quickly has this year gone!?!?! – a sure sign that I’m getting older (and feeling it!). Once again I have to say that Christmas is my absolute favourite time of the year, from the mince pies to the children’s navitity play, and is it wrong that I’m already looking forward to eating Christmas Dinner?!?
So how’s your Christmas shopping going? Mine is following the same pattern that it follows every year – I get started in November, congratulate myself for starting it so early then don’t actually finish it off until mid December where I suddenly panic when I realise that Christmas day is round the corner, there is no way I want to go into town and wrestle with all the other Christmas shopppers! – and this is exactly why I love internet shopping so much!
This year at MollieBee we have some fabulous stocking fillers for little ones. We’ve recently brought in some gorgeous rattles and comforters by brilliant designer Ella & Otto

Ella & Otto 'BeepBeep' Bunny Comforter

These colourful little guys are make brilliant stocking fillers as they are small, soft and squashy, easy to wrap and totally affordable! –your little ones will love them! The comforter bunnies come in the Tweet Tweet and the Beep Beep designs and matching items are also available.
The other soft toys that we have been totally loving this year are the little ‘Busy Peas’ characters! All these guys are small, cute and extremely lovable, plus with names like ‘Pete Pea’, ‘Carry Carrot’, ‘Stewart Strawberry’ and ‘Gene Aubergine’ – you can’t really go wrong.

Busy Peas 'Gene Aubergine' Soft Toy

Again all of these guys are small, soft and fit perfectly into Christmas stockings! – Plus there are also matching items available including ‘All in Ones’ and ‘Bodysuits’ – what more could you want!?!?!
Do you know anyone who is due to give birth this Christmas? – and if so are you wondering what to buy the new baby as a gift? – well take a look at these super cute ‘newborn sets’ by creative designer ‘Olive & Moss’:

     

Olive & Moss 'Michael the Monkey' Newborn Set

These brilliant newborn sets are a generous size 0-3 months. Choose from the cheeky ‘Michael Monkey’ or cute ‘Betty Bunny’ prints, either one is sure to bring a smile to your face. The sets are made up of a sleepsuit that has closed feet to ensure that feet are kept warm at all times, and a matching hat which will keep precious little heads warm and snuggly!
Well there you go, I hope that we have given you some fab and funky stocking ideas! We also hope that you are not finding your Christmas shopping too stressful – remember ‘It’s The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year!’, so sit back, relax have a mince pie, and we wish you all a very Merry Christmas!


The MollieBee Team

It's time to get ready for Autumn!

Well I think that it’s safe to say that Autumn is definitely here (in saying that, I stepped outside my front door to today to a very unseasonable warm September day – a late summer maybe?!?!).  Anyhow – Autumn starts here, and I am ready for it! – I’ve put all my summer clothes to the back of the wardrobe, and all the chunky knits close to hand at the front!

It isn’t just adults that need to get ready for Autumn – you need to get your little one ready too!  The days are getting shorter and the nights are getting colder, so now is the perfect time to stock up on snuggly blankets to keep your little one warm and cosy.

 If you’re worried about blankets being plain and boring, don’t be! – Toby Tiger are a perfect example of what blankets can be like! – with bright and bold colours and patterns they are a brilliant addition to any pram, buggy or cot, plus they keep your baby warm as well as looking fantastic.

Toby Tiger Baby Blanket – Green/White Stripes

Another way of keeping your little one snuggly throughout the night would be with a warm a cosy baby sleeping bag.  Tucking your little one into one of these at night means that there are no blankets to kick off leaving your baby exposed to the coldness of the night (and waking you up in the process – not ).  Sleeping bags come in all different colours and designs, which means that you are able to find one that will match your nursery perfectly, and if it doesn’t match, then so what? – buy it because you love it!  Ella & Otto are a brand that demonstrates the great pattern choices you can get perfectly, with their ‘Beep Beep’ car design, their ‘Tweet Tweet’ bird design, and the ever so popular ‘Animal’ design sleeping bags you really are spoilt for choice!

Ella & Otto Baby Sleeping Bag – Tweet Tweet design

So don’t feel sad about the arrival of Autumn, embrace it, and go shopping!

Happy Autumn!

From,

The MollieBee Team

Moving forward into a world of baby Funkiness!

Right – what are a lot of new parents out there looking for when it comes to baby products and gifts? – well if it’s a little baby boy, blue of course and a little girl, pink obviously! – well not any more, no longer do you have to pound the pavements looking in the blue and the pink sections of baby shops – nowadays designers are moving away from this and moving more towards funky, bold and bright designs – whoever decided that pink should be for a girl and blue for a boy anyway!?!?! – if that’s the unsaid rule then I’m a firm believer that this rule should definitely be broken!

Now then, what would be the main item of clothing that you will find in any new born baby’s wardrobe? – yes the sleepsuit of course (also known as the babygrow, playsuit, or romper suit).  Any new parent will tell you that your little one will get through loads of these little necessities on a daily basis, so will need plenty of them in their wardrobe, so yes by all means buy some cheap and cheerful plain ones in packs of 5s and 10s, but do they all have to be the same?  Why not treat yourself and your little one to a funky bright sleepsuit that will really get him or her noticed, there are some really fun designs out there, Toby Tiger, Busy Peas, Olive & Moss to name but a few, loads of thought has gone into designing these sleepsuits to ensure that your little one looks his or hers best at all times.

Another item that you will not be able to do without (and also need a lot of) would be muslin cloths – these little pieces of material have so many practical uses, from bibs, to swaddle blankets to sunshades!  There are lots of different muslin cloths out there, but one of my favourite designers around at the moment is Aden & Anais they are so funky and there are so many to choose from it’s no wonder celebrities such as Jennifer Garner, Ilsa Fisher, Gwen Stefani and our very own Jamie Oliver love them! (and this is naming only a few).  With a huge  range including animal print, stars and cupcakes, I promise that there is something for everyone!

Moving away from the plain to the funky also allows you to buy gifts easily without knowing the sex of the baby before he or she is born!  Not all expectant parents find out the sex of the baby before he/she is born,  say for example one of your friends is expecting a baby, and, as a well prepared, well organised friend you have decided to get the baby a present before he/she is born, but is it a boy or girl?!? – pink or blue? (there’s that unwritten rule again!) you don’t want to just buy beige or white! – you want something a little different that they will love!  Going funky will eliminate this problem as a lot of the bold designs out there now are more unisex (also easy to pass on to next child whether it be a boy or girl!).

So next time you’re shopping for baby products or gifts – and you find yourself drifting towards the pink, blues, whites and beiges (whether you are browsing online or High Streets), stop, have a little think and make the break – go funky, you won’t regret it!!!!!

Enjoy your new found funkiness, 

MollieBee.com

Swaddling your Baby for a Peaceful Night’s Sleep

Why Swaddle your baby?

Swaddling is an age- old technique used to help your baby sleep by making him feel secure.  The theory is that as your baby is securely swaddled he feels as though he is still safely in his mother’s womb.  Not only that, it also restricts arm and leg movements thus lessening the chance of your baby ‘startling’ itself awake –therefore you would hope that your baby would sleep longer and have fewer arousals.  Swaddling has become popular again with the help of Companies such as Aden & Anais who have a huge range of swaddle blankets with lots of different colourful designs.  These blankets are made from 100% cotton muslin a material that that helps your baby’s body temperature to adjust naturally which basically reduces the chances of your baby overheating – whilst at the same time keeping him warm and snugly.

                                                 Aden & Anais 'Stars' design swaddle blanket

Swaddling – how to do it.

Some parents may be put off swaddling their baby as they are not sure how to do it.  It isn’t difficult and just takes practice (plus it’s well worth it if it means that your baby will sleep more soundly – meaning you will also get a better night’s sleep!).  Below are some basic step by step instructions on swaddling:

Step 1 – Lay the swaddle blanket in a diamond shape, then fold the top corner down to form a triangle.  

Step 2 – Place your baby in the centre of the folded area with his or her head just above the fold of the blanket.

Step 3 – Wrap the left corner of the blanket over his body and tuck it beneath him, then bring the bottom corner over his feet and tuck it into the top (it is also fine to skip this part and leave your baby’s feet free if they prefer it.) Then finally bring the right corner across his body and tuck it under. 

There you have it – one secure happily swaddled baby! 

We stock different packs of Aden & Anais swaddle blankets, so you can choose from a pack of 4, pack of 1 or you can go organic! - the choice is yours!

Happy Shopping!

MollieBee

Baby Jewellery – Perfect for a Christening or a Keepsake

Baby jewellery has been used for many  years as a Christening gift, and due to demand the range of baby jewellery is still expanding.  D for Diamond are a popular brand that do many different items of baby jewellery including baby bangles which made an ideal Christening gift or keepsake.  D for Diamond is unique as each piece of beautiful jewellery has at least one diamond set into it, making it that little bit extra special.  Also each piece is beautifully gift boxed and comes with it’s own diamond certificate where you can write the name of whoever the diamond belongs to (cute!)

We have just added the super cute ‘Angel’ bangle to our D for Diamond collection.  Again this bangle has a diamond set into it – making the perfect gift for any ‘little angel’

For a little boy we find the train bangle a very popular design (again with a diamond set into it), we think these designs combine fun and tradition very nicely as they still incorporate the silver which is traditional for a Christening.

Now, I’ve talked about Christenings, and as perfect as D for Diamond jewellery is for a Christening gift – you don’t have to wait for a Christening to buy one, as they also make great keepsakes.  They are lovely to mark the joyous occasion of a birth, and as the bangles are adjustable you can even choose to put it away until your baby is slightly older and may decide that they want to wear it themselves.

As well as the bangles, we also stock a few of the D for Diamonds pendants, the butterfly being one of our favourites.

 

This piece has two diamonds set into it, and is a perfect present for any little girl (it looks super cute with a summery party dress!!!)

So whether you need a Christening gift, a birthday gift or a ‘just because you like it’ gift take a look at our D for Diamond range!

Happy Shopping!

MollieBee

Happy New Year from MollieBee.com

Happy new year to everyone from MollieBee.com

This year we are looking to expand our range in funky baby products and retro baby products. We will be working hard to bring parents products that are something a little bit different. We have just about recovered from the festivities (and the very cold weather!) and are looking forward to a properous 2011. We hope you all have a great year too!

Check out our fantastic new range of Babymel changing bags. We think these bags represent superb value with the quality and style not compromised in any way. We also now have a range of baby care products from Burt's Bees. We think that once you have tried Burt's Bees products for your baby you will not go elsewhere. We also have a few treats for mum too! Check them out at our website.

Above you can see the Babymel Amanda Black & White Floral Changing Bag and the Mama Bee Belly Butter from Burt's Bees.                                      

Take care

MollieBee.com