The oh so relaxed second pregnancy...

Well I knew I was pregnant but I just suddenly seem to have realised that this usually equals a baby being born.

At 32 weeks this finally sunk in as we were clearing out the cupboards and I was flicking through an old notebook to see if it could be chucked. In it I found a list I had made in preparation for our daughters arrival, our first baby. It was do detailed and specific:

8/10 white 100% cotton vests washable at 50 degrees. Short sleeved.

8/10 white 100% cotton baby grows washable at 50 degrees. Front buttoning.

2 x decorative girls baby grows.

...and so on.

At first it made my laugh at how new everything was then and how different I was. This has now turned to slight panic, I have a couple of months to go and haven't actually thought to check I have everything.

We know this baby is a boy so we don't really have many clothes that can be used again, the nappy mat went in the bin long ago and the play matt is bright pink and has been lent out to somebody? I know where the moses basket is but the stand has disappeared... I can't remember what I packed in my hospital bag... my free boots changing bag is now in tatters... The baby monitor is broken... I think it's time I put some thought into this.

I think I assumed as we'd done it all, we had it all. Not so though!

It's nice to be relaxed but a list may be on the cards. I think there are some things I might do this time that I didn't before.

I would love some advice on products I am considering this time, which I didn't use before. Mainly:

A baby sling
This seems like a good idea with 2 children. Has anybody had good experiences with them?

A buggy board
My daughter will walk a bit but can be tempted to run off or complain of sore legs and beg for a carry. At 3 it's not worth getting a double buggy, is this a good solution?

An electric pump
We struggled last time and I fed my daughter with a mixture of breast feeding and formula. I had a hand pump but it didn't work for me, think perhaps I should try this this time?

Any tips? I think it's time to do a bit of planning, stay calm and hopefully everything will fall into place just in the nick of time.

Happy New Year... it starts here

My first post of the year... so clearly my New Years resolution wasn't to be more punctual!

Christmas was a wonderful, relaxing time with family which is always so hard to give up! 2013 will be a new chapter for us with a new baby due and lots to sort out with the house. It also signals change as I think I am finally loosing the battle with commuting hours, child care and train fares, so will need a big plan of action post maternity leave! I didn't have my blog last time I was off on maternity leave, I'm hoping it will give me more time but I'm guessing it might mean the opposite.

I hope 2013 brings nothing but good things for everybody and I look forward to sharing our news, reviews and competitions. X

My favourite baby doll yet – Baby Born Interactive Star Doll

When I first saw this Baby Born doll I wasn't too sure. I have to admit I was slightly put off by her outfit, a trendy mix of black and silver (and just a little bit bling) which I just wasn't sure my daughter would get. She also comes with bracelets and her own ID card which didn't live up to my ideas of a cute doll. I guess this is designed to appeal to older children and after getting her out of the box and playing with her, she has completely won mummy over!

Honestly, we just love this doll! She comes with a feeding bowl, sachet of porridge (which you can actually feed to her), spare nappy, potty, bottle, card, change of bracelet and dummy.

This is a great range of accessories which come to life when used with the doll.

If you give Baby Born a drink of water from her bottle and lie her down she will wet her nappy (you get one spare), they are really realistic little nappies and great for playing mum. 

You can also sit her on her potty, push her belly button and she will do her wee wee very nicely into the potty. 

Poor little mite, if you squeeze her arms a few times she really cries – just look at her little face, my little one is going to love taking care of her. All the features are really easy to operate and her clothes are easy to get on and off so little ones won't get frustrated playing with her.

As if all this wasn't enough it is wrapped up nicely by the fact she NEEDS NO BATTERIES! This is fantastic considering how much interactivity there is. Plus when she drops off to sleep she is nice and quiet and wont suddenly scare the life out of you when she starts snoring when you were least expecting it!

Baby Born Interactive Star is available in Toys R Us for Christmas and is our top pick of the baby dolls we have played with.

It's a sad review as it is our last review as Toyologists, but I'm pleased we finished on a great product. I can't believe it is over, I hope you've enjoyed reading them as much as we have enjoyed taking part. Happy Christmas and thanks Geoffrey! 

Chou Chou Baby Monitor Doll Toyologist Review

This was the second of our baby doll reviews for the Toys R Us Toyologist programme – this time it was the Chou Chou baby and monitor up for playtime! The doll is nice enough looking but I was just slightly put off by her complexion - so pail the poor thing! Her face is nice though and she comes with a great twist to set her apart from other dolls – the baby monitor!

My pregnancy brain seems to be getting the best of me at the moment so it took me a few attempts to follow the instructions and get the doll working. It's actually very simple, if you set her to auto she works in conjunction with the monitor, otherwise it is freestyle play!

The monitor is a nice idea as it enhances the idea that your child is really caring for the doll. It tells your little one what their baby Chou Chou needs, so if they are crying and the milk bottle symbol appears, the crying is stopped by giving the doll her bottle and so on. The monitor also plays a lullaby for when she's tired, and there is also a dummy to comfort her. My daughter isn't especially into baby dolls so not the best case study but she did enjoy being in charge of the monitor. Her friend who is baby mad absolutely loved it however and I think could spend hours making sure she was caring for baby Chou Chou correctly.

I'd say a fantastic twist on the traditional baby doll with some great interactive play. If you are looking for a doll for Christmas who is a bit different from those in their collection baby Chou Chou is a great option.