The Almora baby changing bag by PacaPod

A few weeks ago it had occurred to me I should actually buy a changing bag for when the baby arrives. Having looked around on the internet and visited a few stores, my husband and I couldn’t agree on a bag. He had his eye on a “man” changing bag from John Lewis and I had my eye on a pretty girly one from Mothercare.

I was beginning to think we’d have to buy two bags! Then I came across the Almora baby changing bag, from PacaPod.


Stylish and very practical, it is a changing bag, nappy bag and cool bag all rolled into one.

Sold in four colours and different patterns, I picked the Highland tartan design, it is great for both mum and dad.

It features a feeder pod, changer pod and changing mat and has a fully adjustable shoulder strap that can be worn across the body or wrapped on a pram. Perfect.

Now all I need is a baby and I am ready to go!

The Almora costs £75 and is available to buy from PacaPod at www.pacapod.com/baby-changing-bag-print-almora.html  

Mothercare's Snug moses basket

Now I like to think of myself as a traditional kinda person.
I always imagined buying a classic moses basket; the same type my mum had for my younger brothers and sister.
This was until I literally fell into the Mothercare's The Snug Moses Basket!

Luxurious and stylish with a unique snug wicker basket, I could not imagine my new arrival sleeping in anything else.

The mattress is dressed with a lovely velvor coverlet and fitted flat sheet with soft padding. The moses basket has strong cream leather handles making it easier to transport. 

At a cost of £99 for the basket and a further £29.99 for the rocking stand, the moses basket is quite expensive.
However, it was love at first sight and I was sold.
We pre-ordered the basket straight away and had to wait a few weeks for it to be delivered.

Now it has arrived and I can't wait to see our newborn looking so snug and comfortable :-)
xxx

Mylo - Mamas & Papas' amazing pushchair

Having spent months trying to decide what pram we would buy, my husband and I finally stumbled upon the Mamas & Papas creation, Mylo.

With my heart originally set on buying the Silver Cross Balmoral, it was hard to find any other pram that even came close to this amazing traditional coach-built design.
Having decided the Balmoral is too large and heavy for everyday life, I didn't think we would ever find a pram I loved half as much. 

However, that all changed when we discovered the sleek and stylish Mylo puschair - loved by celebrities Alicia Keys and Gwen Stefani!
Unlike the Balmoral, Mylo has a range of fashionable accessories and innovative features for both baby and parents:



Features for Baby
- Unique soft moulded seat - best in class for baby comfort.
- Seat faces both ways - face mum and dad, or face the world
- Multi-position seat recline for sitting up or comfy naps
- Front and rear wheel suspension for a smooth and comfy ride
- Travel system compatible with the Aton car seat - adaptors sold separately
- Five point safety harness with adjustable height setting as baby grows

Features for Parent
- Iconic design with a choice of co-ordinating accessories
- Unique and effortless single handed fold, with or without seat attached
- Compact fold for easy storage, even with the seat attached
- Light and easy to steer
- High quality fabrics and leatherette handle - adjustable for your comfort
- Includes rain-cover and extendable hood for getting out and about in any weather
- Lockable swivel wheels for easy manoeuvrability
- Large easy access shopping basket with easy access

While a tad on the pricey side - £595 for the chassis, another £200 for the carrycot, not to mention the car seat, footmuff and so on - I would say the money we spent on the black jack Mylo is worth it. However, as we are yet to try it out with a baby, I'll reserve my full judgement until afterwards!

While the service we had from Mamas and Papas was pretty appalling (long story) there is no denying the quality of their goods.

Visit http://www.mamasandpapas.com/ to find out more.

Isabella Oliver - maternity wear at its best

32 weeks pregnant and I have finally discovered Isabella Oliver - the chic maternity desgn label. 
Claiming to offer 'pregnant women around the world unrivalled quality and fit' I just had to find out for myself if this statement was true. 

I was not to be disappointed. Well, only in the sense that I wish I had discovered the award-winning brand sooner in my pregnancy. That way I could have taken advantage of the amazing flattering clothes. 


The garment which sealed the deal for me is the Olivia Maternity Dress. 
As soon as I tried the jersey dress on I was in heaven!
With a V shaped neckline and ruched body this dress clung to my body in all the right places. It is smooth, comfortable and very flattering. No longer did I feel like a whale, I was now a sexy goddess! 
No wonder celebrities Reese Witherspoon, Jennifer Garner and Natalie Portman were spotted wearing Isabella Oliver clothes when pregnant! 

I wore the Olivia dress on a night out with heels and lots of accessiories but it would be great with a pair of tights and flats for the day.

The dress comes in cobalt blue (my choice) and wine. 
It costs £119 and is worth every single penny.
See for yourself and visit www.isabellaoliver.com for more maternity wear designed in amazing fabrics that will flatter your new pregnancy curves. 
Genius.  

Becoming a mum-to-be...

I'M HAVING A BABY!!!

Six months pregnant and the reality I will soon be a mum has now hit me! For the first four months, nausea, extreme tiredness and worry took over my life. I'm a bit of a worrier at the best of times but for the first few months of pregnancy, it was extremely hard to relax and feel incredibly excited about the news. What if something happened to the baby? What if the ultrasound showed there was no baby? Would I be able to cope with such a life changing event?
Even though my husband and I had planned this pregnancy and were 100% sure we wanted a child, it still didn't stop my worrying.

Now six months down the line we couldn't be happier :-)

At our anomaly scan we decided to find out the sex of the baby. We were absolutely thrilled to be told we are having a boy!!! Since finding out the sex everything has become so real. On August 26th I felt my little man move for the first time :-) To say it was amazing is an understatement.
I feel him every day now, sometimes it is just small butterfly type movements but other times it is pretty intense. While eating ice-cream the other day it would seem our baby was having a blast inside me! I can't work out whether he loved or hated it...

For the remainder of my pregnancy I will keep you all updated with the goings on, reviews of baby products and no doubt I will have a moan about some of the rubbish side effects of pregnancy - back ache, tiredness, heartburn, sleeplessness, urinating a lot - the list is endless!

Bye for now
Naiomi xxx