I thought I’d start writing a bit about my life as a mum, I’m hoping to share my experiences and ideas with others, but also I think it will be a great way to keep a record of all of the things we get up to for me to look back on. So I guess I should introduce myself: I’m Nancy, 27 and mum to Rueben (2) and Alfie (7months), I’ve been with my fiancé Jack for 10 years (lucky him), and we live in the beautiful Cotswolds (lucky us).
We love playing, painting, walks to the park and Saturday morning visits to the local farmers market to pick up some delicious local produce. I personally love photography and have enjoyed taking photos of our two boys, capturing lasting memories of our ever changing children. I love Instagram and often post photo updates of what we’ve been doing, my username is: @nancycullinane.
We all know too well how sensitive little ones skin can be, only the gentlist of lotions and potions will suffice; which is why I was so happy to discover Childs Farm. The British brand has a wonderful range of toiletries that are suitable right from the start, meaning even the most sensitive of skin can be bathed and moisturised in sumptuous smelling bath products. My discovery of Childs Farm began before I’d even had children, prone to eczema as a child and again in my adult life I needed something that smelt good, but also didn’t irritate my skin. I’d read somewhere online about the brand and thought it was worth a try – I’ve not looked back since; becoming a Child’s Farm brand ambassador a few months ago has allowed me to spread the word about something I really love.
With a recently launched baby range you can rest assured that your newborns skin will be getting the best care possible, I particularly love the baby oil which is perfect for baby massage and smells of delicious coconuts.
Other favourites include the strawberry and organic mint shampoo, organic sweet orange hair and body wash and the suncream with its no sting formula. Often products suitable for sensitive, eczema prone skin mean they are unscented, but Childs Farm have broken that boundry and created products that cater to the need for gentleness but not missing out on scent. I’d advise everyone to give them a try and if you use code CFAMB217 when ordering online you will receive 30% off your order.
We are now a good 7 weeks into weaning and I have to say after some dread, (you need to be somewhat organised) I am loving our weaning journey. First time round with Rueben I steamed, blended and pureed the life out of everything and anything! It was a labour of love, I was excited to be starting a new chapter in our parenting journey, but also completely lost in the world of weaning advise and should and should nots. So I went with what I felt comfortable with – purees, and lots of them! Admittedly looking back I went a bit OTT on the freezer stock, but I felt organised and always had something on hand to use, what I hadn’t bargained for was how quickly Rueben would be ready to move onto more lumpy, solid textures, sadly a fair few cubes of mush were wasted. Overall I was pretty calm about the process, I didn’t ever really fear choking (the grandparents did the worrying) I just trusted that Rueben’s body was ready to move onto solid food and he did all the work.
Rueben enjoying his porridge.
Second time round and I have layed off of the purees (ok, there were a couple of ice cube trays of veg) but nothing on the scale of Rueben’s weaning journey. This is partly because I have had less time to purée lots of things up, but also because Alfie quickly decided he wasn’t a purée fan. It’s still surprising at a mere 6 months old that a baby can let you know so quickly what they do and don’t want, Alfie’s way of showing me was keeping his little lips firmly shut as not to let any puree in.
Alfies first taste of porridge.
His first taste was porridge, but it soon became clear he didn’t want to be spoon fed, so I thought I’d try my hand (or Alfie’s) at baby led weaning. He’s really taken to it and much prefers to grab what I put in front of him, exploring both taste and texture. He has tried all sorts of things from toast to broccoli spears, cheese, ham, banana pancakes, cauliflower, raw pepper sticks, the list is endless and there seems to be no stopping him now. I’ve found Instagram really useful to give me finger food inspiration, anything chip shaped works well or with a natural handle such as florets of broccoli.
Alfie does really enjoy fruit puree and yoghurt, that’s one of the few things he will happily slurp from a spoon. We tend to buy Hipp Organic and Ella’s Kitchen fruit pouches. I’m just enjoying the process and not getting hung up on how much he’s actually consuming, simply letting him find his own way with new flavours and textures.
Rue and Alf 