Play Ideas For Your baby

Babies begin to learn from the moment they are born. The first few months of a child's life will be very important in terms of future development.

Babies respond extremely well to interaction from parents, and play can be a great way of providing stimulus and building a relationship of trust between parent and child. There are several play ideas which can keep a child entertained and stimulated.

Playing is a natural human instinct; it is important for emotional, physical and cognitive development. It also has the added benefit of keeping a child happy and content. A particularly beneficial type of play involves repetition. It may take some children a while to learn how to play with certain toys; however, they will quickly learn if they're given regular opportunities. Perseverance will often lead to a situation where a baby giggles with excitement at the mere sight of a favourite toy. Busy Peas is a great brand that has developed a great range of educational toys and books themed around healthy eating.

Baby Jewellery Buyer's Guide

Parents across the world have been adorning their children with beautiful baby jewellery for centuries. It is something widely accepted in many cultures and often seen as a symbol of wealth and social status. Today, most mothers or fathers buy their kids jewels to accessorize their child’s wardrobe. This article is about the safety issues that parents need to consider if they want their child to wear jewellery.

Design

Long necklaces can become a choking hazard as well as loosely attached pearls on bracelets. A baby may try to chew off bangles on a bracelet and end up hurting or chocking themselves. Long necklaces can wrap around a small infant’s neck and rings can cut off circulation if they are too tight.

When you shop for baby jewels, safety should be your priority. Make sure that small components are not loose and firmly fixed into the piece. A string of pearls can be dangerous if the necklace is too long or if the chain is not durable. If the string breaks, pearls can come loose and end up in your child’s mouth, throat or nose and present a choking hazard.

Useful Tips For Buying Baby Sleep Suits

Baby clothes can be a bit confusing to first time mothers - what to buy? How many? Will it even fit?

From day one, newborns will need four to six sleep suits, two cardigans, two hats and four pairs of socks as a basic minimum. You might well find you need more than that - babies are messy, and will need several changes of clothes in one day. Of course how much you buy will depend on how often you are prepared to do the washing!

Sleep suits are a practical choice for newborns as they spend a lot of the day sleeping, and when they get messy there is only one item to change. They also make nappy changes simple and easy. When it comes to choosing sleep suits for your baby, there are several things you might want to bear in mind.

The Funky Baby Look and How to Get it

Fashion is no longer limited to the realm of the adult. Gone are the days of drab and dull plain-looking baby clothes in lieu of new, chic and suave clothes that draw the eye. As the funky baby look has gained prominence, a number of new designers have stepped in to create designs that offer fashion conscious parents a variety of different looks to dress their baby or toddler up in. This article will take a look at the growing ‘funky baby’ fashion trend while providing information on the most successful designers creating funky baby clothes today and advice on how best to utilise the funky baby look.

5 Things to Consider When Buying Baby Clothes

Buying clothes for a baby is an exciting part of being pregnant and having a baby. Not only are clothes essential items to buy your baby, they are also an opportunity for you to make your baby look fantastic and show them off to your friends and family. Because of this, there has been an increase in the number of funky and unusual products for the discerning parent to choose from. However, there are a number of things to consider when choosing baby clothes. Here is an overview of five of these -

While it can be tempting to buy glamorous clothes for your baby, it is important to consider their comfort. At different stages in your baby’s development, they have different needs at different times of the day. Newborns sleep a lot and need to be comfortable to do so. As your baby gets a little older, they will become more mobile and need the freedom to move. Busy Peas offer a great range of clothing that takes into account these considerations including funky bodysuits and comfortable day wear. Similarly, Ella & Otto produce some fantastic pyjamas that are comfortable, practical and stylish, while Logoshirts are great T-shirts for comfortable day-to-day wear.

The Advantages of Organic Baby Products

It is pretty simple to go overboard on spending when you begin shopping for clothes and blankets for the new member of your family, but wouldn't you rather devote that money on the right products?

Retailers frequently take advantage of new parents through praying on their fears, advising them to purchase the most expensive items because they are the best. But this is simply inaccurate in most cases. Manufacturers increase the prices of their fabrics because they know that new parents are ready to pay. Nevertheless, when it comes to blankets or clothing for your baby, it is not the brand name that you want to buy, but rather more than just a label. You need to find out that the right or suitable fabrics you are putting on your child's skin are not going to bring any harm to them. Because of this, it is a good idea to look into organic baby clothing selections for your child.

What Makes A Good Baby Toy

The first 3 years is a key time in every child’s development. It is during these formative years that the brain is developed, and what happens during this period in their life will have a more profound effect than any other time, or any other developmental stage.

As a child explores and interacts with the world around them, the toys they play with become a fundamental in broadening their specific developmental stage. Baby Toys should stimulate their imagination and develop their concentration skills, as well as amusing them and keeping them occupied.

Toys provide interaction that will boost a huge variety of stimuli, such as visual stimulation, help them develop their hand-eye co-ordination, work on their fine motor skills and different textures develop tactile responses, among other things.

Why Baby Changing Bags Are an Essential Purchase for Mums & Dads

Baby Changing bags come in all shapes and sizes and vary in cost and design. Often times, ones choice will be based on budget considerations, or perhaps the style, feel, funkiness and design are further up your list of criteria. Either way, there are a few things one might need to consider.


From a practical point of view, look for a bag that is comfortable to handle, and has a strap that is strong, otherwise you may find that replacing your bag is a regular occurrence. A quality bag will give you many years of trouble free service. 


Look for a changing bag that possesses a section of its own for nappy related material, a bag with insulated pocket or section for maintaining bottle warmth/coolness, and a bag that contains a pouch that is for putting messy nappies and messy bibs in. 

How To Make Baby Bath Time Go With A Splash

Many babies love bath time, and many parents give their babies a warm bath all over once a day. If you prefer not to give your baby a complete bath every day, it is still important to clean his face and nappy area regularly. For babies that don’t enjoy bath time at first, you can try topping and tailing for a few weeks.

Most babies however find warm water quite soothing. Baby bath time can take practice and confidence, but it soon becomes easy to get into a routine which makes the experience pleasant for both baby and parent. Before bedtime is usually a popular time for bathing, especially as it can help to lull your baby and get him in the mood for sleeping.

Remember that tap water can dry out your baby’s skin, especially in a hard water area. Use soaps that are gentle, pH neutral, hypoallergenic and free of preservatives to protect fragile skin, while lotions can be used to soothe all over or particular areas of hardness and flaking. Baby lotions should not make your baby’s skin greasy. Instead they are emollient, leaving skin soft, protected and pleasant smelling. Baby lotions contain ingredients to hold and attract water, fatty acids to condition the skin and antimicrobial ingredients.

How to Help Baby & Mum Get a Good Night’s Sleep

One of the most important things for a new-born baby is getting a good night’s sleep. It’s said that as infants, we do most of our growing during sleep. Our minds also process and remember the things we’ve learnt during the day at night. So getting your child into the proper routine is crucial.

And it’s not just infants that need good sleep patterns. Sleep is also very important to new mothers also. The stress of being a new parent, coupled with the fact that many women suffer from varying degrees of depression after giving birth, means that a good night of rest is just as important for mum as it is for the baby.

So how do you make sure both baby and mum get a good night’s sleep? The most important thing is routine. You need to set up a bedtime routine almost from the start. Choose a time to put your baby to bed and stick to it. Also, make sure the routine just before bed stays the same. This will often include a bath and a story, but the exact details are really up to you. Just make sure you stick to whatever routine you put in place.

What the celebs love

I don’t know about you, but I absolutely love following celebrities, and when they have babies it gets a whole lot more interesting! 

One product that is loved by celebs the world over is ‘Aden& Anais’ range of Swaddle blankets.  Hollywood stars such as Jessica Alba, Jennifer Garner and Sarah Jessica Parker (to name but a few) are often snapped out and about with their babies and an Aden & Anais blanket is often seen to be with them.  Having looked at these blankets I can totally see why celebs love them, there are loads of amazing prints and patterns to choose from and they are just so versatile, they can be used as burp cloths, car seat linings and also as pram covers – a very handy and stylish way to shade your little one from the sun.

Aden & Anais ‘Baby Cakes’ Swaddle

Pacapod baby changing bags are also catching the eye of the celebrities.  Adventurer Ben Fogle and his wife Marina have two children; Ludo, 1 and Iona who was born in May last year, and they both love the Pacapod design!  Ben was quoted as saying ‘We love our Pacapod, congratulations on creating such a brilliant product; we have been using it constantly.  We absolutely love it and have been using it in all elements – from the whole thing to taking out just the individual pods’

The above quote is exactly why the Pacapod are loved – you don’t just get one bag, you get one bag plus a ‘changing pod’ and a ‘feeding pod’ – which can be used individually and are also designed to keep everything separate from each other – so there are no dirty nappies next to baby food!

Plus there is a huge choice of different designs and prints to choose from – all with the same two handy  pods inside.   If you are after a sophisticated baby changing bag you might want to look at the the Pacapod Coromandel Tan changing bag, this certainly has an air of sophistication about it.  If an ‘out and about’ bag is more your style, then take a look at the Pacapod Almora Print changing bag which comes in quite a few different colours including ‘Midnight’ and ‘Sand’.  Comedian Jason Manford has also been known to Tweet about how much he and ‘Mrs M’ love their Pacapod he believes that it is ‘the perfect bag for expectant parents’.

With praise as high as this, we believe that the Pacapod really can do no wrong!

Pacapod Almora Sand design

Then there are ‘Busy Peas’ sleepsuits loved by Brit Actress Lucy Benjamin (best known for her role as Lisa in Eastenders).  In just July this year she was interviewed for ‘Hello’ magazine pictured with her newborn baby girl Rosie, who was happily snoozing on her mum’s lap wearing a Busy Peas sleepsuit.  These sleepsuits are fantastically colourful and are based around different fruit and veg characters such as ‘Carry Carrot’, Stewart Strawberry’ and ‘Gene Aubergine’.  Plus it’s not just the sleepsuits that may catch your eye – you can also get super cute character soft Busy Pea toys too (which by the way I absolutely love – ‘Gene Aubergine’ being my favourite!) these make fabulous newborn gifts!

Busy Peas ‘Gene Aubergine’ soft toy

As previously discussed I love following the celebs and I like to think that they wouldn’t be seen out and about using something that doesn’t work for them and their baby, therefore I believe that one of the best recommendations a product can get is to be bought, used and loved by a celebrity!

D for Diamond's New Look!

Just to let you all know that fantastic children's jewellery brand 'D for Diamond' has had a revamp of all it's packaging, and we love it!  With stars and flowers a plenty, all pieces of jewellery still come with their own boxes and certificates, but on top of that you now get a sweet little gift bag too!

Due to the popularity of D for Diamond jewellery we have also expanded our range to include lots of fantastic new pieces, that we think would be ideal for children who are slightly older.  These new pieces include items such as this beautiful apple locket, which opens up, so within it your little girl can keep a picture or a precious little keepsake.  This makes an ideal birthday present, especially with it's fantastically colourful new box and  gift bag!

Beautiful Apple Locket

So kick back, make a cup of tea and have a little browse of all our new stock and the D for Diamond revamp!

Have fun, and Happy shopping everyone!

The MollieBee Team

Sorry it's a bit late, but Happy New Year everyone!

Sorry it's a bit late, but Happy New Year everyone!

Time really does fly doesn't it. Only feels like I have blinked and all of a sudden we are out of xmas and at the end of January. Quite scary really! I hope everyone's festive breaks were enjoyable and wish you all the best for 2012.

MollieBee are working hard to source new products at the moment and today we attended the Bubble Show in London. It was great to meet existing suppliers and a few new faces which could see some new stock pretty soon. 

Embracing social media is very important to MollieBee. It seems everyone is now connected through Facebook or Twitter. If you aren't following us at the moment, please do drop by and have a look. Our Facebook fans are all entitled to 10% off, so it is definitely worth your while.

  

Enjoy shopping folks!

MollieBee.com

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

Merry Christmas From MollieBee!

Well Christmas is very nearly here! – it appears to start earlier and earlier every year, and every year I try to be more prepared than the last! – so far this year that hasn’t happened.  The Christmas tree is up ,and a few presents have been bought, but I still have many more to go!

Here at MollieBee we are always on the lookout fresh and funky designs to fill our online shop and we believe that this year we have managed to find many.  Therefore if, like me, you still have many presents to buy for the little people in your life (and when you think about it, the little ones is what Christmas is all about, isn’t it?) why not take a look around our shop, here are couple of ideas for you to get you started:

For stocking fillers we have many items under £20, for example the Skibz Baby Dribble bib, or the Ella & Otto organic range of hats and toys.  Skibz Bibs come in many different designs and do two things at once, they protect your baby’s clothing from any dribble that may escape and at the same time they make a gorgeous fashion accessory.  Ella & Otto do a beautiful Organic range in their collection which includes the below hat and rattle as well as super soft sleepsuits, sleeping bags and blankets.

Skibz Rainbow design

                                          

                              Ella & Otto Moose Rattle Toy and Moose Hat

Jewellery is also a very popular choice at Christmas, here at MollieBee we stock a range of D for Diamond baby jewellery which I think makes a beautiful gift that can either be worn, or put away as a ‘keepsake’.  Each piece of D for Diamond jewellery has at least one diamond set into it, making it a beautiful, extra special gift for your little one.  It comes in it’s own gift box with a ‘this diamond belongs to.........’ certificate – plus it has the added bonus of being very easy to wrap as the gift boxes are all square!

D for Diamond Girls Butterfly Pendant

So don’t leave all of your shopping till the last minute, I know I’m not the only one out there who has been known to make a mad dash for the shops on Christmas Eve!  In fact you don’t even need to leave the comfort of your own home.  So why not make a cup of tea, grab a mince pie, get comfy and log on to MollieBee.com for many more Christmas gift ideas!

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!

MollieBee.com