In an attempt to learn some colours and liven up bath time, we have been experimenting with rainbow baths. A few drops of non toxic food colouring into the water and Voila! …. instant fun. We spend the time while the bath is running gathering anything around the house of that colour.
We start in the bathroom with the bath toys such as the Boon bath toys you see floating in some of the pictures, and then move our way through the house. Siena loves looking through her toy box and her bedroom for the right coloured toys! She has just begun to really catch onto the concept of colour (especially pink!). I let her collect anything of that colour and then we decide whether or not they can go in the bath or if it has to stay outside and watch (like her favourite pink teddy).
The only real problem I have found with Rainbow baths is … remembering where I put the green salad servers or the red pasta spoon a few weeks later.
The Catch Bowl by Boon made the transition from spoon-fed to self-fed so much easier. Siena (16 months) was quite confident at feeding herself finger food, but when it came to stews or Weet-Bix we weren’t having much luck. If I left her unattended for a few seconds the bowl would be up-ended; contents in her lap, on the floor, or if I was lucky - hiding under the up-turned bowl on the highchair. The 3 second rule doesn’t quite work for pumpkin soup splattered on the walls and floor.
The Boon Catch Bowl has a large suction bottom which sticks strongly to the highchair or table, but best of all, it has a large flexible ‘lip’ between the bowl and Siena which catches any falling food and re-directs it back into the bowl (as you can see in the video!). We still get the occasional food splat in her lap and she still reverts back to using her hands sometimes, however mostly the food goes in her mouth with the spoon or fork. The bowl goes in the dishwasher and washes easily, however, the flexible rubber ‘lip’ on our bowl has stained a little with tomato-based foods.
The Boon Catch Bowl is a must for any one trying to transition their little one to independent feeding. It is so much more enjoyable to eat your own hot meal at the same time as your family or to have a few extra minutes to do other things whilst she feeds herself at breakfast time. The only member of the family who is not happy about the bowl …. the dog!
When I was a young teenager at school I remember there being two distinct groups of people. Those who preferred a button fly on their levis and those who preferred a zipper! Fast forward 20 years and most of my clothing choices these days revolve around bubs …. isn’t it funny how things change!
Perhaps they don’t change that much. Speak to any mother and it seems to be a similar story with bibs - just a few more categories: velcro, tie up, press studs, over-the- head, etc. It’s quite amazing how much detail a Mum will go into if you ask her the simple question “What type of bib do you prefer?” When it comes down to it, most Mums will say it has to do the following things:
- Stay on!
- Wash well
- Be absorbent
- Keep clothes clean
The Nature Baby Organic Free Range Bib ticks all of the boxes. The press studs are super strong, even when I challenged Siena to try and pull the bib off she couldn’t - unlike her other bibs with press studs! The material is a gorgeous, soft, organic cotton which is absorbent, washes well and dries quickly. It is a great size. I have the 6 month plus which covers Siena (14 months) well. It is also nice and wide so when she flies her spoon around in the air it protects her shoulders. It’s an added bonus that functionality matches style … really great neutral colours and beautiful animal prints. Perhaps the most important judge of the bib is Siena …. she loves them! She even pats and tries to feed carrots to the rabbit. Chwck out the Nature Baby Free Range bibs here…
Siena has always been a great little eater. She eats just about anything, so mealtimes have always been relatively easy for us. Lately she has been trying to assert her independence with spoon in hand.It is always when you need to rush out the door that she purses her lips and demands the spoon from you. These are also the times that you are trying to feed her something like spaghetti bolognese – not the cleanest of meals. Here is a list of what to do and what not to do when letting your toddler take the reigns.
1. Do provide foods that are healthy and good for the body as well as good for the skin (yoghurt and avocado), as this is where most of it is likely to end up.
2.Don’t let her feed herself wearing the gorgeous outfit given to her by her Grandparents.
3. Do encourage her to use the correct end of the spoon … you’ll be there all day if she prefers to use the other end.
4. Don’t be worried if she uses her hands – she’ll probably get more food in this way anyway.
5. Do put down a protective floor mat … or get a dog.
6. Don’t believe her Dad when he says, “she gets her bad eating habits from the dog” … the dog can not pick up his own bowl!
7. Do set a good example (not like Dad or the dog).
8. Don’t think she is not getting enough food – she’ll let you know if she is starving.
9. Do give her lots of encouragement and try to make mealtimes enjoyable.
10. Don’t ever think that a whole avocado pip will not fit in her dainty little mouth!
My husband and I love to travel! One of our favourite places is Siena in Italy, so when we had a little girl just over a year ago, we named her Siena. We have started to teach her about the world using The Kids Earth by Bebe. Every parent knows that you are never too young to learn - your heart skips a beat when your little one gives you the gift of their first smile, wave or step ….. well the Kids Earth has given our hearts another reason to skip a beat when Siena (not quite 13 months) pointed to Australia on The Kids Earth when we said the word to her the other day.
The positives don’t stop there - she loves to hug it tightly and use it as pillow. It is also the perfect size (approx. 30cm diameter) to roll back and forth to Mum or Dad and even our dog. The cheeky dog has actually picked it up in his teeth a few times and carried it outside but it hasn’t got a mark on it! I know my Mum is right when she says “It will all go so quickly - before you know it she’ll be all grown up!” So for the moment I need to enjoy every second watching my baby girl learn and grow because before long she’ll probably be jet-setting around the world and I’ll wish I never taught her about other countries … instead I’ll be wishing that I gave her a cuddly ball with a picture of our backyard on it!
Meet Rachel, one of our new resident Road Testers. Rachel is Mum to Siena and is from Victoria. Welcome aboard Rachel! We look forward to reading Rachel’s Road Tests and also her Guest Blogs.
