Funky Fitness to get your Monkeez Movin

 

Todays guest blogger is Liz Clarke from Movin Monkeez. Liz is a Personal Trainer offering post natal buggy fitness and Movin Monkeez classes in Southampton, in addition to the usual Personal Training options. Her aim is to make fitness and exercise accessible and fun to families. Full details are available on her website www.lchealthyliving.co.uk or call 07887914413 for more information. 

 

Liz has loads of hints and tips on keeping your little one active. Here's what she has to say.

"Have you ever watched babies and toddlers move? Quite naturally they have wonderful posture and amazing strength.

 

You only have to watch a young child who’s not quite able to walk, yet can pull themselves up on a sofa or chair… How many of us adults could do perform an equivalent exercise so effortlessly?

Watch a toddler ‘bend’ to pick up toys – see how they perform a perfect lift – bending from the knees and keeping their backs lovely and straight.

 

So at what stage do children stop being fit and active? When do they start to prefer slouching in front of the TV to running, climbing, crawling and skipping? And what can we, as parents, do to prevent inactivity and potential childhood obesity setting in?

 

 

Habits form from a very early age and so it’s vital to encourage children to explore, keep active and develop their physical skills. And, of course, children learn from what they see around them. This places a huge responsibility on parents to lead an active life, but also to find activities which encourage movement and body awareness.

It is with this in mind that Movin Monkeez was created – designed specifically for crawlers to pre schoolers,

Movin Monkeez introduces fitness and dance to pre-school children and compliments the Early Years Foundation Stage offering fitness, co-ordination, structure and above all fun for your little ones. Children will learn the basics of fitness, dance, rhythm and movement in a fun and safe environment.

We focus on using props such as scarves, balls, beanbags, instruments, balancing equipment, parachutes and many more. The children explore different movement exercises to fun and stimulating music along with working in groups and pairs and most importantly are ‘on the go’ for the entire lesson.

The physical stuff is combined with activities aimed at teaching little ones a little bit about healthy lifestyles and food choices.

 

Childhood obesity is a rapidly growing problem and brings so many other, potentially serious, health related problems. For example, insulin dependent diabetes is one of the fastest growing non-communicable diseases in children and brings with it a lifetime of medication and considerable physical problems.

 

But we can change this – we can ensure that our children have a healthy, happy and active future. All we need to do is get them started as early as possible. Make fitness a lifetime habit – something they ‘just do’ rather than a big deal.

 

You don’t have to do classes – just get out and move with your little one. Go to the park, climb, slide, run, throw, set up ‘garden olympics’. Don’t let the impending winter weather stop you – children love to be out and moving and there’s no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothes!

 

And guess what – the health benefits won’t just affect the children – come on parents, get fit and have fun with your little ones!"

For more information about Movin Monkeez classes and parties near you check out our website at www.movinmonkeez.co.uk

 

Massive thanks to Liz for a brilliant guest blog! I think we might be trying some of these ideas at home! Let us know if you do and how you get on!

 

If you have a little one and or one on the way don't forget about party boxes from Life's A Celebration. Everything you need to party all boxed up and sent to your front door from Baby Showers to 100th Birthday parties. If you want to chat to me directly about your party then just get in touch.

Speak to you soon folks

Maxine 

 

 

Chatty Children - Early Communication and Language

Todays guest blogger is Nikki Sayers from Dandy Development. Award winning baby and toddler development classes that combine baby sign, music, movement and sensory experiences with enormous amounts of fun! Today she's talking about encouraging and supporting early communication and language.

 

Here's what she had to say!

 

 

Chatty Children

Ways to encourage and support early communication and language.

"There is so much more to communication than just words. To become good communicators children have to focus, listen, remember, understand, select words, speak clearly, use body language and take turns!  It’s no wonder it takes time to master and that some children find it complicated.

Our son found learning language difficult.  Baby signing was wonderful; it relieved tantrums and meant that he could communicate his basic needs.  I began looking for other ways to encourage his speech, but no-one would help.  Eventually we were granted a place on a parent based therapy course, and subsequently attended other courses, where we learnt a range of techniques to support and encourage him.  I wondered why this information wasn’t readily available to every parent, and thought it was wrong that I had to fight so hard to get it!  The language techniques are simple, easy to learn and effective for all children.  They involve making small changes to the way you interact with your child, but can make a huge impact on their development. 

Here are a few techniques you can try…
Make the most of your time together by turning off any background noise so they can focus on you.  Let them choose a toy, follow their lead and tell them about the items they are holding – keep your language slow, simple, child-like, clear and repetitive.   You can give a running commentary of what they are doing, for example “car, small car… car is moving… up ramp… car up, up, up… car down, down the ramp.”  This repetition is very important; children need to hear a word over and over again before they understand it and even more times if they are going to attempt it themselves!

You can increase the quality of interactions, and the chances for eye contact, by moving your whole body so you are at the same level and face-to-face with your child.  This gives them the best opportunity to copy you and puts you in the best position to encourage and support them. If they crawl off, follow them and get face to face again – this can be very difficult and tiring!  Praise any attempts at speech with enthusiasm and encouragement.

Once your child starts to use words, irrespective of pronunciation, show you understand by repeating the word correctly.  You can help by adding another word, for example if they say “cat” you can repeat it and say “yes, black cat”.  This technique can be applied to any level of development, to encourage 3, 4 or 5 word sentences, or to encourage an older child to use adjectives. 

These techniques (plus others), combined with baby sign, can give development a real boost.  We have watched our son become a chatty child and it is incredibly rewarding.  Give the techniques a try; I was so impressed that I was inspired to create baby and toddler classes incorporating them.  You’ve got nothing to lose and a whole lot to gain!"

Written by Nikki Sayers who has created Dandy Development baby and toddler classes.  Classes held in Leamington, Warwick, Southam and Offchurch.  Visit www.dandydevelopment.co.uk for more information.




Don't forget about Life's A Celebration for all your children's party needs too! We have a full range of party boxes from baby showers to kids parties to grown up occasions. Pop across and give us a look or drop me a line if you want to chat with me directly.

See you soon!

Maxine

Baby shower elephant cupcake toppers and bunting

Hi there everybody,

 

Todays guest blogger is my good friend Poppy Lee from Papaver Designs. Papaver Designs creates luxury handmade wedding stationery and bespoke paper lanterns as well as other wedding accessories to make your big day special.

 

Every Wednesday Poppy also publishes a very popular 'Wednesday Wonder'  blog were she teaches you how to make various wonderful things. I can totally recommend you check it out.

 

I am so excited that Poppy has said she will share this weeks Wednesday Wonder on my blog. Today she's going to teach us all how to make Baby Shower elephant bunting and cupcake toppers.

Wednesday Wonder- No. 38 – Baby shower elephants, cupcake toppers and bunting

 

Hello, My name is Poppy I design bespoke Wedding Stationery and beautiful paper lanterns for all occasions. I am based here in the North East. Each week on my blog poppylee.blogspot.com I do a paper make, these can be anything from Origami cranes to tissue paper pom poms.

As a treat for featuring on the lovely Life’s a Celebration blog this week,  I am offering two Wednesday Wonders for one. Two little tutorials for you to enjoy both with free templates.

Wednesday Wonder part one – Bunting

What you will need:

 Print off template in draft mode

 Scissors

 Tissue paper

 Paper clips

Step One:

Print off the elephant template onto a4 paper in draft mode to save ink.

(to print off the template above right click on the template and open link in new tab)

Step Two:

Fold several sheets of tissue paper so that it is the same height as the elephant, you will then need to concertina fold the tissue (like a paper fan) making sure it is the same width at the elephant.

Put two paperclips on each side of the template.

 

Step Three:

Cut around the elephant template. Keep adding paperclips to the template as you’re going to keep things secure. Make sure you don’t cut at the join points, the tail and the trunk or you won’t get a paper chain.

Step Four:

Unclip the template and unfold, I got 4 elephants from 1 sheet of tissue paper. Add a little tape to the back of each chain at the trunk and tail to make a longer paper chain.

Wednesday wonder part 2 – Elephant cupcakes

 

What you will need:

v  Print off template in full colour

v  Cocktail sticks

v  Masking tape

v  Pritt stick

v  Scissors

Step One:

 

Print off the elephant template that you need from the images below

 (to print these templates off right click on the image and then click on Open Link in New Tab)

 

 

Step Two:

Cut a strip of 3 elephants and fold along the line, cut the semi-circle between the legs.

 

 

Masking tape down a cocktail stick on the inside, do this to all three.

 

Step Three:

Glue down all the of elephant strip.

Once dry, cut out each of the elephants

If you have any problems printing off the templates then get in touch with Poppy and she will email them across to you directly!

 

Thank you so much to Poppy for a fantastic Wednesday Wonder Blog. If you have a baby shower coming up then have a go at Poppy's ideas. Don't forget about Life's A Celebration's baby shower party boxes either. Everything you need to celebrate. In fact if you visit the website at the moment we're running a competition to win a Baby Shower Party Box for 7 people.

 

Maxine

x

A Year in Books

Todays guest blogger is Deb Giannasi from Barefoot Books. She's talking today about books in the first year of your baby's life. There's some fabulous ideas in here about how important reading is no matter how old your baby. There's even a discount code at the end of the blog!

Here's what she had to say.

"As an ambassador for Barefoot Books and a new mummy, I am passionate about books, reading and education. For me, it is never too early to introduce the wonderful world of books to babies; it can be a pleasure for both parent and child. We all want our babies to to be babies and for them to enjoy their time with us before moving on to a more structured way of learning, at school , but we can all play a big part in our children's education. Reading to young children is extremely important in the development of communication skills and can also be beneficial to their emotional development; helping them to make sense of the world around them . Reading is also fun, engaging and allows our children to be creative.

If you are thinking what age is best for your baby to be introduced to books, I would always say as soon as possible; not quite straight out of the delivery room but almost! Personally I am not one for a strict routine but over the past year, since having Sofia, we have naturally fallen in to a nice pattern that suits all three of us. Whether you are like me or you have a more robust routine, introducing books early on can help establish a relaxed bedtime routine as well as allowing for great bonding time. As your child grows and becomes more interested in something other than sleep and milk, you can start to introduce books that your child can interact with and enjoy, particularly books that have emphasis on colour and texture for those exploring little eyes and hands. To help with ideas on what books you can buy/loan during your child's first year, I have out together a few of the books we have enjoyed with Sofia, who will be turning one shortly and is growing to love books more and more.

Newborn onwards

As I mentioned, bedtime is a great time to introduce books to young babies, whether that be short, calming stories or books to aid you in singing lullabies whilst your baby drifts off to sleep. My favourites have been Night Night Stories, by Usborne; a small collection of short stories featuring animals that need a little bit of reassurance before they go to sleep and Barefoot's Baby's first book that features lot of little rhymes and stories that are a great introduction to children's literature

3 months onwards

This is a great age to start to introduce colours and textures, as you baby's eyes start to explore and there hands start to reach out to touch new things. I have loved the Priddy books that we were bought, with Fuzzy Bee being a book that is picked up again and again by Sofia. The Priddy books are bright and attractive for babies and some have rustle, giving added fun for baby. Baby Touch books are also great, with simple and fun images that bring a smile to your baby's face.

6 months onwards

By 6 months, your baby will be wanting to explore more and more and will be more efficient in trying to turn pages and engaging with the images on the page. Babies will love texture even more at this stage, so books like the Usborne ' That's not my.... range ' are great. Sofia has also loved a beautiful Peter Rabbit finger puppet book; first of all giggling at daddy using the puppet and now trying to move the puppet herself. Introducing classics is wonderful for you as well as baby, as you remember what your favourite books were when you were a child;wanting your child to enjoy reading stories even more.

9 months onwards

Your baby is now getting more and more eager to get involved in the storytelling process and is quick to try and jump ahead and turn the pages. This is a great age to introduce action rhyme books, like the Claire Beaton from Barefoot, and get used to singing pat-a-cake over and over again. ' Heads ' by Matthew Van Fleet  is also a fun book that allows those little fingers move little flaps on the page to reveal animals tongues, heads, feet etc.

12 month onwards

It's hard to believe that your baby has grown so quickly and is now very active, wanting to sing and dance like a little toddler. Books that have CD's attached, like the brilliant Animal Boogie from Barefoot allow interact and move about as you are telling a story. These books can be enjoyed from baby years right through to school years and are a great addition to a child's library. At this age babies can also hold their attention a little longer and may enjoy more detailed stories that are a little more in depth. As well as the classics, like 'Guess how much I love you', picture books that allow a hide and seek like game are great, with HUG by Jez Alborough a definite favourite in our house.

For help in getting access to books  take a look at Bookstart, an organisation that supports you to enjoy books with your child from as early an age as possible. You may have heard about Bookstart through your local children's centre or library but if not ask next time you drop in. Your local children's centre may also have a 'Toy Library', a scheme in which you pay to loan toys and books, including giant books with toy characters from the book that are great for reading in groups.

If you would like to buy the Barefoot books featured or browse some of the titles, take a look here and search by age group to find a book suitable for your little one. If it is your first visit to barefoot then please enjoy 20% off your first purchase using code TWENTY12 at the checkout."

Fab hints and tips in here. Don't forget that if you or your friend is pregnant and you're looking for a stress free but gorgeous baby shower then all you need is a Life's A Celebration Baby Shower Party Box. If you want to chat to me directly about your party then just drop me a line!

See you soon folks

Maxine

Music for your baby!

Todays 'Baby Month' guest blogger is Neil Bankhurst from The Music Pod. Neil is a very good friend of mine and loves his music! His company The Music Pod is a recording studio in the North East of England that offers fantastic recording parties for all different kinds of occasions. Todays he's talking about music ideas for pregnant ladies and babies!

Here's what he has to say!


Music is a good thing! Here at The Music Pod our strapline is “Where Making Music is All That Matters”.

So here are some suggestions for how music can play the part in the pregnancy days and also the baby’s life too. We all know that when our kids come along it changes everything and rock stars are no different. If you’re hosting a baby shower for your friend or you’re pregnant yourself then these songs have all been written to celebrate the rock stars’ children – ideal songs to play in the background of your shower.

1) Stevie Wonder – Isn’t She Lovely? Taken from his 1976 album Songs in the Key of Life it celebrates the birth of his daughter, Aisha.
2) Paul Simon – St Judy’ Comet. A song written about trying to get his little baby boy to sleep.
3) John Lennon – Beautiful Boy. The song was written for Lennon's son Sean, his only child with Yoko Ono.
4) Bill Withers – Just the Two of Us. Just a nice song with a lovely sentiment!
5) Thin Lizzy – Sarah. The song was written by the band's frontman Phil Lynott and guitarist Gary Moore about Lynott's newborn daughter.
6) The Beatles – Hey Jude. Widely accepted that Paul McCartney wrote this for John Lennon’s son Julian.
7) Amy Grant – Baby Baby. Dedicated to her 6 week old daughter Millie.
8) Jim Croce – Time in a Bottle. Written for his son A.J.
9) Minnie Riperton – Lovin You. Apparently written as a distraction for her daughter Maya so she would sleep.
10) Rod Stewart – Forever Young. Written in 1988 about his children.

Here at The Music Pod we love music. Isn’t it great how a music track can take you back to a particular moment in your life?  We think that music should play an important part in any baby’s development and it is widely recognised that music and dancing can help your infant. So we say put some music on, doesn’t matter what it is, turn it up, and get everybody singing and dancing!

The Music Pod is a recording studio and rehearsal room. We can offer recording parties which are ideal for a baby shower with a difference. Get yourself together and sing a couple of tracks, have some food and a really great time. Everybody will get a CD to take home and if you choose a couple of tracks listed above it will make a great keepsake especially for the mum to be.

You can get in touch with us at info@themusicpod.co.uk or 01207 588958. Or visit our website at www.themusicpod.co.uk. You can also find us on twitter at @themusicpod or facebook at The Music Pod or Party at the Pod.

Thanks Neil - another great guest blogger as part of 'Baby Month'. If you would like to book a baby shower recording party with Neil and have all the baby shower supplies from Life's A Celebration then get in touch and together we'll get you a baby shower to remember!
Don't forget about our baby shower competition too!


Maxine

Childcare Choices

Hello - todays guest blogger is Sarah Burr from the Hampshire Branch of Little Angels Nanny and Nursery Agency. She's talking today about the different choices parents have when picking their childcare.

Here's what she has to say.

My name is Sarah Burr and I run the Hampshire branch of Little Angels Nanny and Nursery Agency.

I have and NNEB (diploma in Nursery Nursing) and a Diploma in Home-based Childcare, which is the qualification required for child minding.
I have over 14 years post qualified experience and this has been based in a variety of childcare settings.  I have worked in a private Day Nursery as a nursery nurse and a senior room leader , in a private home as a nanny and also in my own home as a child minder. Therefore I feel I can give my unbiased advice to parents who are making that hard discussion – What type of childcare to choose?
I am a Mummy to 2 adorable boys, the eldest of which had a short spell with a child minder then 10 months with a nanny and finally 18 months in a day nursery before I had my second child and he started preschool, I then opened the Hampshire branch of Little Angels NNA and became a stay at home Mummy.

If you aren’t lucky enough to have a family support network locally that are willing to help with childcare a mummy’s return to work presents the following options:

Child minder - This works best if you already know a child minder, depending on the child minder this can be a flexible option for times and shift patterns. This type of childcare offers a home from home type setting but the child will need to fit into the child minders daily routine as she will have found one that works for the children in her charge. They are Ofsted registered and therefore regulated and checked on a regular basis. This is by far the most affordable form of childcare (approx. £3-£4 per child per hour) as the child minder doesn’t need any experience to gain the Diploma in home-based childcare, in my opinion the evening course was very basic and short, this isn’t to say the child minder doesn’t have additional childcare qualifications or a passion for childcare but my advice would be to visit a few and ask questions about their max number of children and their daily routine. The Ofsted registered child minder will have public liability insurance and a valid first aid certificate along with an enhanced CRB (police check).

Day Nursery – Depending on the setting you choose they generally offer childcare between 8am and 6pm with 3 meals, sleep facilities and a keyworker system where 1 nursery nurse will be allocated to your child and be responsible for the record keeping and your child’s routine although the general care of the child will be share amongst the staff members. The staff are generally younger and less experienced but they have the support network of other staff and mentors and this is generally how nursery nurses start to gain their experience before becoming nanny or moving into a more managerial role.  The child will be socialising with other similar aged children and they will learn the routine of the nursery and get used to structure. This isn’t a cheap option as most nurseries will charge around £40 a day. The child will have a learning journey filled out for them and parents will have the opportunity to attend parents evenings to talk through the child’s developmental progress with the key worker.

 

Nanny – this option is by far the most flexible one and would suit families with more than one child, with long or unpredictable working hours, shift patterns or parents with hectic lives and not enough hours in the day!
As the parents you write the job description for your nanny, you interview your nanny and you choose the nanny that fits your family perfectly. Nannies will do childcare, housekeeping, washing, ironing, cooking, cleaning, errands, dog walking, the list is endless and as long as you discuss and agree this then you can potentially just be parents at the weekend and spend quality time with your children.

When you employ a Little Angels Nanny you have the peace of mind that they have valid childcare qualifications, at least 2 years post qualified experience, a current CRB, First aid and at least 2 glowing professional reference that I have thoroughly checked along with identification and authenticity of their documentation and certificates.  Little Angels will organise interviews, assist with interview questions where required, assist with contact writing and send the CV’s with photos of the nannies attached so you know who to expect at interview.
The nannies will have public liability insurance and be eligible to become Ofsted registered if they aren’t already. They will be able to accept the childcare vouchers too!
A good nanny will fill her day with outings, routines, social groups, outdoor play, messy play, quiet time and will do all of this to fit your child’s routine thus promoting consistency of care and a easier return to work for the parent in the knowledge that their child is happy and safe at home with a nanny that you regards as a member of your family.
A nannies salary varies depending on the job description, hours, number of children and experience but generally ranges between £6.50 and £12 take home per hour.

For further advice or to register for free go to their website www.littleangelsnna.co.uk
Or contact Sarah on 01489 784471
sarah@littleangelsnna.co.uk


Some great hints and tips from Sarah! Hope it's helped you in your decision making.

Don't forget about Life's A Celebration for all your party needs and definitely don't forget that we have our Baby Shower competition running. Win an entire baby shower partybox for 7 people; just visit our website to enter.

Speak to you soon.

Maxine