PRETTY YOUNG THING

We have been using the Ergopouch Cocoon Swaddle and Sleep bag with Amelia since she was two weeks old. Up to this point we were swaddling her with blankets. I was abit worried about using a sleeping bag with Amelia because she was so small I felt like they would just swamp her but the Ergopouch was perfect. It's a size 0-3 month so it's smaller than the other sleeping bags on the market that seem to be size 0-6.

The Ergopouch sleep bag fitted Amelia really well. It has poppers on the arms so I could tighten the arms so it fits her better and stops it from moving around. I like this feature because I could tighten the fit but also I have the poppers open now that Amelia is bigger.
It zips down the front and you can upzip it easily for nighttime changes. We found it really easy to change Amelia throughout the night. We were having to wake her up for feeds for a while so we were waking every 3-4 hours so we changed her alot throughout the night.

We have only just started using some of our other sleeping bags as Amelia is now 9lb 4oz and I think they fit her now. So she has only been wearing the Ergopouch pretty much every night since she was born. We have washed it nearly every single day and it still looks like new. It has bobble slightly but you would expect this with something thats been washed so much. The colour still looks great and all the zips and poppers look intact.


We have the 2.5 tog bag as we knew Amelia was due in November so would need a winter sleeping bag. This has been perfect, it keeps her nice and toasty but not too hot or cold. The also do a 0.2 tog so thats perfect for a summer baby.

We love the Ergopouch Cocoon, we've started getting Amelia into more of a routine so we pop her in at around 8pm for her feed and we pop her into her bed. She goes down so well, I think she sleeps loads better in her sleeping bag in the night, we tend to use blankets in the day and she just kicks them off and they bug her.

I'm going to look into buying the next size up in a summer tog for Amelia as she doesn't have a summer tog yet and we've found the Ergopouch so easy to use, it's washed up really well and Amelia settles so well in it. There's lots of other products on the Ergopouch website and they seem to have lots of promotions over on their site too so check them out.

Britain is a nation of foodies, with 66% of UK adults describing themselves as passionate about food and drink. It comes as no surprise then that 50% say they are passionate about home cooking and 53% of millennials eat out at least once a week.
Brits spend a small fortune on food – whether it is takeaways and restaurants or luxury food from the supermarkets. On restaurant bills alone, the average Brit spends around £44 per week. But what does our money get spent on? Designers of modern kitchens , Harvey Jones, takes a look at the UK’s eating habits by region.

Takeaway lovers
According to a survey by Payment Sense, the average Brit spends around £9.75 on eating out or takeaways for themselves at least once a month. Annually, this works out at £117 per person!
Whilst Bristol is named the Takeaway Capital of the UK with a reported 279 takeaway restaurants, Leeds appears to be the greatest lover of the takeaways. 77% of Leeds folk admit to having at least one takeaway a month.

This love of ordering in isn’t reflected across the whole Yorkshire region however. Less than 25 miles away, people in York don’t dine as regularly on takeaways, with only 25% of them ordering a monthly take out.
Chinese appears to be the favourite cuisine too – a favourite across the whole country. Only 3 out of the 30 cities questions didn’t crown Chinese as their favourite takeaway – and of all respondents asked, 35% voted Chinese as their favourite. This trend is mirrored between male and female respondents too.
Indian takeaways follow closely in second place with 24% of the votes – and it stole the crown as the number one favourite in Aberystwyth, Coventry and Wolverhampton.

Eating out
According to The Sun, the average Brit can spend around £288,000 in their lifetime eating out at restaurants, which many people claim is because they are simply too lazy to cook at home.
Whilst Millennials are expected to eat out more than any other demographic, the average Brit now eats out twice a week with pub grub steeling the title as their favourite option. 18-29 year olds spend double the amount of other demographics on eating out – with an average spend of £88 per week!
London is the city of eating out according to The Chronicle, with the capital consuming the most Indian, Chinese, Thai, fish and chips and pizza meals at restaurants than any other city. The South East and Northern Ireland aren’t far behind the big city though, whilst Scotland appears to be the region that eats out the least.

Birmingham is also known as the Curry Capital with 43% of Brummies claiming curry restaurants are their favourite, and 34% of Londoners seem to agree. Glasgow prefers authentic Spanish tapas (14%), while 14% of Edinburgh folk loving Sushi.
Pub grub is one of the most popular choices in the UK – and Liverpudlians couldn’t agree more; 49% would choose traditional pub grub.

Home cooking
With busy work schedules and family life, dinner time at home has become far less formal and structured than previous decades. In 2017, just over 20% of British families said they sat down to dinner together once or twice a week, and one in five have their ‘family meals’ whilst sat in front of the television. However, some people prefer to cook their own meals at home, as they can control their own ingredients (49%).
According to Statista, 64% of people enjoy cooking, whilst 55% describe cooking as something they have to do but don’t. There has also been a 10% increase in the number of people preparing meals from scratch at least once a week from 2005. But which regions are most likely to cook homecooked meals?

Judging by how much London, the South West and Northern Ireland eat out, we can assume that they are the regions that are least likely to stay home and cook meals. However, Scotland, Wales, the North West and North East were the regions that appeared to eat out the least, leading us to the assumption that they are more likely to stay home and prepare home-cooked meals more often.
The kitchen, for many, has become the heart of the home meaning we now tend to spend more time there. Now that open-plan living is on the rise, cooking a meal doesn’t have to be a lonely task; you can prepare a family meal in your kitchen whilst catching up with the family.




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From eccentric socks to dressing against our gendered expectations, many people push the limits of social norms when it comes to fashion. Research has shown that non-conformists can be viewed as being of a higher status and more competent than those who follow the rules of fashion. We take a look at what different clothing says about the wearer…

Against gendered expectations

The line is becoming increasingly blurred between male and female clothing. Many people are speaking up, opposing the ideas that men and women should be dressed according to their sex. But, are you presenting yourself in a different way when you dress against the gendered expectations?
Although fashionistas are saying that they don’t agree with gender rules, some research suggests that we’re still stuck in our old ways. Psychologists in New Jersey found that attitudes towards gender stereotypes hadn’t changed much between 1983 and 2014.
There is an argument that shows that it’s favourable for women to cross the gender barrier but perhaps not men. Back in 1990, it was found that — despite the sex of the applicant – if the clothing that they wore was more masculine, they were more likely to be hired. When men dressed in pink however (a colour commonly associated with females), they were seen as less intelligent than women who were wearing the same colour.

Eccentric wear

Another way of going against the grain when it comes to style it through eccentric clothing. When we think of outrageous outfits we may think of people with brightly coloured hair, patterned clothing and over the top jewellery. But, there are other ways to express freedom through dress.
For example, people who wear unconventional socks are viewed as being rebellious and expressive. One of these people is Justin Trudeau, the current Prime Minister of Canada, who shows off his fun side by wearing funky socks with a traditional suit. You can make your own subtle ‘eccentric’ changes through patterned socks by CT shirts, online retailers of men’s shirts and accessories. Or make yourself stand out from the crowd through bright scarves and other extras.
By dressing against the norms, studies have shown that you build a brand of being ‘gutsy’. And in fact, people have the potential to see you as more brilliant, creative and successful. One study, published in 2014, found that those who go against conformity can be viewed as of a higher status than those who don’t. They were also considered to be more competent — potentially influencing the impression that they give off in the workplace.
Not only does it affect people’s perceptions of you but it can also affect the way you think, feel and act — this is through ‘embodied cognition’. Since eccentric dress gives you greater potential to express your individuality, it’s possible that it can make you feel more confident and comfortable in different situations. This could then go on to improve your performance at work or in challenges where you want to push yourself.

Against the dress code
In some situations, for a job interview perhaps, it can be argued that dressing in accordance with expectations is the best thing to do.
Under some circumstances, we think that people with extraordinary appearances are more successful.
Men who wear smart, fitted suits as they are often expected to wear in a formal situation, were perceived as being more confident, successful and thought to be earning a higher wage. This was compared to men who weren’t dressed as smartly — in a loosely fitted suit.
In one study that looked at the effects of clothing, it was found that senior managers were rated less favourably if they were dressed more ‘provocative’. This was a skirt slightly above the knee and one button on the blouse undone. It’s clear to see that it is important to consider our dress style carefully as people can make many assumptions without any evidence.
In some environments, wearing your set uniform can improve your productivity. Research found that in a lab, those who were wearing lab coats felt smarter and went on to perform better!
As we can see, dressing against societies expectations can have many effects on the opinion of others and your own performance. Although it’s important to express yourself through dress, you don’t want to hinder your work or your impression on others in formal situations. Wear a pair of crazy socks underneath your day-to-day outfit instead… 




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Babies have especially delicate skin, so it’s both important and beneficial to look after it where you can. Healthy, smooth, soft skin can help keep your baby happy and comfortable throughout the day. So, with that in mind, here are some ways that you can help to keep your baby’s skin healthy.

Reducing the risk of rashes

The right clothing can be a great way to help keep a baby comfortable while also helping to avoid the risk of any rashes developing through skin irritation.

For example, if you’re looking for clothes that fasten closed, either with zips or buttons, try to find styles that have a layer of fabric between the fasteners and your baby’s skin, so there’s nothing digging into them while they move around.

Look for clothing that’s made from 100% cotton, which can help reduce friction on the skin while your baby moves about through the day. Consider looking for organic cotton, which will have been farmed without the use of potentially harmful chemicals and fertiliser, making it easier on skin, as well as more environmentally friendly.

Providing relief for nappy rashes and other issues.

Nappy rash is also something you should be aware of. This can develop for quite a few reasons, from a nappy chafing the skin, to being unable to change a nappy, such as overnight or during a long journey.

If it does develop, gently clean your skin with perfume-less soap and baby wipes, before gently patting to fully dry the area. Applying a product like Chemist-4-U Dermacort Cream before putting a new nappy on can also to create a protective barrier for the skin to help stop further irritation or rashes developing.

Things like insect bites, nettle stings and friction burns can be harder to prevent, though. These can cause a lot of pain, irritation and inflammation to a baby’s delicate skin. Quickly applying a medicinal cream to the affected areas can help these small injuries heal quicker, while also helping to reduce any pain and discomfort, meaning your baby can be back to their happy self before you know it.


Keeping covered through the seasons

The highs and lows of the year bring very different kinds of temperatures and weather to deal with, so it’s useful to stay prepared when it comes to looking after your baby’s skin.

In the summer and early autumn, where temperatures are higher and the sun is shining, it’s nice to get out in the fresh air and play around. While out, make sure to protect their skin by applying a fairly high SPF sun cream, especially if your child has particularly pale skin. This will help prevent sunburn, which can be particularly painful for a baby’s delicate skin.

In the winter, babies are at particular risk because they aren’t able to regulate their body temperature as well as adults. They also lose body heat a lot quicker when exposed to the cold. Making sure they’re wrapped up warm when they’re outside can help avoid frostbite.  You should also provide lots of water, so that they don’t lose too much moisture while out in the cold. Keeping advice like this in mind can help keep your baby happy and healthy long-term.










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I thought i'd show a few menswear picks for the spring. I love the Spring because it's warming up abit but we still get to wear jackets and jumpers. I think the sporty trend is going to overlap into the spring so I think sporty hoodies and jackets are going to be very popular. Why not try pairing a hoodie with a nice pair of jeans and a smart pair of pumps/ trainers.

I've picked out this lovely camel colour t-shirt from River Island, I like the little black detail on the chest and think this would look fab with a nice pair of jeans or tracksuit bottoms for a casual everyday look.

These Boohoo Men jeans are really smart but the washed out look makes them a little more casual so perfect for everyday but not too distressed. I think these are a good all rounder pair of jeans that could be worn with any of the tops / hoodies above

I love this grey long sleeved top from River Island, Clint really likes this too! I think its a great item. It's easy to dress up or down but looks great either way. I love grey right now, It's really on trend.

How amazing is this striped tshirt, it's from Boohoo. I think stripes always make an appearance in the spring and with a nice pair of ankle grazers and some cute pumps, it makes a very Parisian outfit.

As I mentioned before I think hoodies will be very popular this spring so here's a couple of my favourites. The Khaki one is from Boohoo and is very simple so ggreat for everyday and will go with anything. I love this LA hoodie from River Island, Clint actually picked this out as he loves things with American prints on. He's been wearing alot of hoodies right now with a nice pair of jeans and his Timberland boots.












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If you have read my breastfeeding story then you will know that we had intended to breastfeed Amelia but she wouldn't latch. We were combination feeding at first and now she is only having formula. I was reluctant to buy things like a Sterilizer and bottles because I didn't think we would need them but we were very lucky to receive some products from Mam which was a lifesaver when we got home from the hospital.

First up is the Mam 6 in 1 Electric Steam Sterilizer*, it was really easy to put together and set up. We hadn't even got it out of the box but managed to get it set up once we got home with Amelia. Aswell as being a Sterilizer it's also a bottle warmer, Defrost & food warmer and Keep warm function. Amelia is now 12 weeks old so we've been using it everyday for the last 12 weeks. It's so easy to use, you can sterilize about 4/5 bottles at a time, right now Amelia is still drinking from smaller bottles. It only takes 3 minutes to Sterilize and a couple of minutes to cool down and dry the bottles. It's not very bulky so it doesn't take up loads of room in my kitchen and it's a nice simple design. 

We've also been using the Mam bottles. We were kindly sent a pack of 3 Easy Start Anti Colic bottles * and we got 2 in the Sterilizer aswell as a couple of small bottles that we were given at The Baby Show. I had a couple of other bottles just incase Amelia didn't like the Mam ones but she took the Mam bottle right away and we haven't had any problems at all. She was only taking 3 ounces for a while so these smaller bottles were perfect, they fit in my changing bag really easily, shes now taking 4 ounces so we wont be able to use these for much longer so we need to pick up some of the bigger bottles. I think they are really affordable and Mam do so really great bottle sets where you get a good selection of different sizes. They have kept really well and look brand new even though we've been using them for 12 weeks and they have been sterilized alot. 

We also use a soother with Amelia, again we use the Mam ones and she took to these really well. I didn't want to use a soother but wasn't completely against the idea. We didn't use them for a couple of weeks but I found Amelia would cry out for food and she would stress herself out and scream so much whilst she was waiting for us to sort out her bottle and cool it down etc where as the dummy would soothe her whilst she waited for her bottle. We've found she likes the dummy to soothe her at bedtime too. They have lasted well and still look brand new. 

We picked up the Mam powder box in Boots for when were out and about. It's really handy and easy to use. Each compartment can contain up to 40g of milk powder, which means it is also suitable for storing a variety of snacks, soothers and bottle teats. Again it fits easily into my changing bag. 

I'm loving all of the Mam products we've tried so far, as I mentioned above we need to get some of the bigger bottles for when Amelia starts drinking 5oz so I've been keeping an eye out for those and I might grab her a few new dummies too. 






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We went for a lovely Sunday stroll yesterday. We took Amelia to our local park, we had a nice stroll around the duck pond, she was asleep (obv) but it was a lovely way to spend our Sunday afternoon. We went to my moms for our sunday dinner

I'm so in love with this jumper from Primark, it's such a gorgeous colour and I love the lace detailing and it was a bargain when it scanned through at £5. I bought some new black jeans, these are the supersoft super stretch jeans from New Look. My maternity jeans are now too big but i'm not back down to my pre-pregnancy size so needed to grab a new pair. These boots are old but they are really sturdy and i've seen studded boots have made a comeback

It was bright today but very chilly so I popped my H&M coat on, I'm super excited for the summer.
I can't wait for picnics and walking Amelia around the park in the sun.

I'm hoping to be back blogging more regulary and now the weather is brightening up I will drag Clint out to take some more outfit photos, even if they are just of my comfy mom outfits.

Today I thought i'd share my breastfeeding experience. The whole thing has been abit of a whirlwind and I wanted to document it for next time we have a baby and to share my experience with others who are considering breastfeeding.

I knew I wanted to breastfeed Amelia but I was very open-minded and knew it would be hard but I would try everything I could to breastfeed.

I wanted to breastfeed for a number of reasons, I felt it would create a closer bond with my baby, money - I thought breastfeeding would be a more affordable way to feed my baby, the health benefits for baby and having milk on demand and not needing to worry about carrying bottles around, how I would heat milk up etc.

Amelia was born weighing 6lb 5oz and was considered small, because of this they had to monitor her blood sugars meaning she needed to be fed. We did skin to skin and Amelia was fine, pretty chilled and wasn't really crying for food but they explained that she needed to ideally be fed within the first hour so they could check her sugar levels. I tried to get her to latch for a while and the midwives helped but stressed that she needed to be fed so I agreed to give her a bottle. Once I was moved from the labour suite to a ward I knew I would want to give breastfeeding another try but I didn't really know what to do and how often she would need feeding etc how long to do it for? I gave it another shot and was given some more help from another midwife to try and get her to latch but she just screamed and screamed. I felt so bad and just gave her another bottle. Everytime she was due a feed I would try and try to get her to latch. I had help from the midwives to get her to latch but she still wasn't able to latch and was getting herself really worked up and stressed out. A midwife then gave me some syringes to try and get some milk by hand expressing. Again I didn't really know what to do but I tried and managed to get a little bit but I found this difficult because it took a while to get a decent amount and I just wanted to sleep. I was happy that i'd managed to give a little bit of my colostrum to Amelia even though we didn't manage  to establish feeding. We were kept in over night because we hadn't managed to breastfeed, I decided to just give her formula and thought we wouldn't be able to breastfeed anymore.

We got home and I thought that was it, I did try to get Amelia to latch a few more times but she still just screamed and got herself so worked up that it was quite distressing for me. I had the Medela Harmony breast pump  *already so I decided to try expressing and I was so excited when milk actually came out, and it was a really decent amount of milk too. The hand pump was really easy to use and I liked that it was quiet and discreet. It was also really easy to use. From this point I was expressing when I could which was very difficult as we were having alot of visitors. I was managing about 3 times a day which I was very happy with, so we were combination feeding for a couple of weeks. It's actually alot harder to pump than I actually thought it would be. At first I think the adrenaline helped but it quickly became harder and harder. It wasn't just physically hard but also mentally. I felt a bit pushed out because I would hide in another room to pump away from my family or I couldn't really hold Amelia whilst I pumped so I felt like I was constantly trying to put her down when all i wanted to do was hold her. It was draining because I was feeding Amelia her bottle, changing her and getting her to sleep and then I would sit and pump for an hour and then do it all over again. We bought the Medela Mini electric breast pump and this made pumping easier, it was quicker and easier, the only thing I didn't like about the electric pump was the noise. It's quite loud and again meant I would sit in a separate room. I started to find it really difficult to find the time and motivation to pump and then I got Mastitis which btw is HORRIBLE! I had flu-like symptoms, I was exhausted and my boob killed. I went to the doctors and was prescribed antibiotics and it started to clear up. I was told that I could continue to give the milk to Amelia even from the infected side and then she broke out in a rash and was so unsettled. She was still drinking her milk and her temperature was fine so the doctor wasn't concerned about her but this made it so much harder as I was just drained and exhausted. I made the decision to stop giving her the milk until the antibiotics were out of my system. I continued to pump but was even more un-motivated once I wasn't even giving it to her. It did clear up and then it came straight back. My milk supply was very low so I decided to stop expressing and my milk supply very quickly dried up.

I do think that Amelia was just too small and just found it hard to latch and I don't think I could have done much more. I had hoped that i'd be able to express all of her bottles and eventually get her to latch but once I had got Mastitis this wasn't an option anymore and I really didn't expect pumping to be so hard!

We have still had some issues with Amelia's feeding. She has always drank her formula really well. She is still only drinking 3 ounces (90ml) which for her age isn't alot but shes still only 7lb15oz so it's about right maybe a little under average. Shes always been quite a sicky baby, even when she was drinking the breastmilk she was sick alot of the time. I had mentioned it whilst in hospital, at midwife appointments and when we took her to get weighed but shes always put weight on so it's not been a concern. We got her weighed a couple of weeks ago and although she had gained weight they were not happy with where she plotted on her chart so we had to go back the following week, they were happy with her weight gain the following week which was good. We actually had our 8 week appointment and jabs that week so i'd mentioned her being quite sick and we've now been prescribed Gaviscon. I haven't given it to Amelia yet because shes not been too sickly this week but I will try it because I think she might have reflux as sometimes she pulls faces like she has a nasty taste in her mouth. The doctor did explain to us that some reflux is normal so this made me feel a little bit better.
I'm finally feeling more confident with Amelia's feeding (just 10 weeks in) i'm hoping that she continues to put weigh on nicely. I want to write updates on Amelia to document her first year so I have it to look back on.

A few other products I used during breastfeeding and pumping included Boots Ultra Slim Breast pads which honestly were rubbish, the sticky bit isn't very sticky so they kept falling off/ out of my bra when pumping. They were free by signing up for the Boots parenting club so I can't moan too much.

I had a couple of Nursing bras that I used, first up was the Panache Sophie Nursing bra in the black lace. This was really comfy and because it's bra sized it fitted me really well. It is also abit prettier because of the lace detailing on the cups.

I also used the Theya Fleur back fastening comfort bra * which is very popular for nursing and during pregnancy. It's such a soft material and such a comfy bra. The bra is also really smooth so you can wear it under anything, even a t-shirt. It is also perfect for those who suffer from skin conditions such as eczema, psoriasis, epidermolysis bullosa and ichthyosis because of the soft material it's made from. I found it easy to use as the nursing clips are easy to unclip. 

I wore nursing bras for a few weeks whilst I was expressing as I found my boobs were fluctuating and I found the non-wired bras were the comfiest.

I also used the Haakaa silicone breast pump, this is a portable pump which you don't need to pump yourself as it pumps the milk itself. I found the milk came out really slowly but I would put it on the side I wasn't pumping to catch any milk that would otherwise be wasted into a breast pad. 


1/2/18 - Amelia has now started drinking 4 ounces and is so much better drinking her milk. She's still quite sicky but not as bad. She's putting on weight well and at her last weighing was 8lb 8oz which is fab.  









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