Blog : Little Lilypad Co

• Each bag has 85 calories 
• Hoops and Crosses are made from 56% wholegrains and have no artificial colours or preservatives 
• A healthy balanced diet should include wholegrain but some 27% of children in the UK don't get any at all! 

I was shocked at those statistics but judging by my daughter's demolition of them, I won't have to worry about their lack of wholegrain with the Hoops & Crosses. My youngest daughter has always had organic "crisps" from the baby range but has never been a huge fan of the subtle flavours, whereas with the Hoops & Crosses, you could see that she was delighted by the Roast Beef flavour. The girls have only tried the Roast Beef flavour so far but there are Salt & Vinger and Prawn Cocktail flavours too, so I am sure that we will be purchasing those on our next shopping trip.

All in all, they get a big thumbs up in our house ..... and as for the monkey, well he is sitting on top of one of our kitchen cupboards, reminding us all to add Hoops & Crosses to our shopping list as they are perfect for lunch boxes too!

Disclaimer : We were sent one packed of Hoops & Crosses to review and have been paid a small fee for our time. Even without this payment, we would recommend Hoops and Crosses regardless.

The Baby Show is on the horizon and we know lots of lovely friends and family who are expecting this year and who can't wait to go to the show. When you are planning for the arrival of your new baby, there are countless things that companies will try and entice you to buy but here are our top ten things you really DON’T need to purchase for your newborn baby.

1.      A Nappy Bin

I had one of these in my eldest daughter’s nursery and after the initial purchase, you have to buy cartridges of scented bin liners (to take away the nappy aroma), when more simply, practically and reasonably, you can just take the nappy and put it in the outside bin!

2.      A Baby Wipe Warmer

I still remain baffled by this. Most parents I know, want to change a nappy as quickly as possible and will have removed, wiped and replaced a nappy in the time it takes to warm a baby wipe. Trust me, your baby would rather have a clean bottom than a slightly warm one.

3.      Shoes

Babies do not need shoes. They will not be dancing, running, walking or even standing for at least the first 6-9 months of their life, so trying to wrestle shoes onto a small babies foot is neither practical or essential. Shoes are not necessary and it makes it even more special when you go and purchase their first pair of shoes for when they really do need them.

4.      A baby bath

Let me explain that you have to fill a baby bath and then move it … resulting in water splashing everywhere. You don’t need it. Supervision is needed with children in the bath, regardless of how big or small they are, so just use the normal bath and save your pennies and flooring!

5.      Designer Clothes

Your baby will look adorable in a designer outfit but from experience, babies grow so quickly that you are better off putting the money into a savings account for when they will actually appreciate designer wear.

6.      Blankets

This seems to be the top baby gift, aside from clothing but it is recommended that babies do not sleep with a blanket until they are at least 12 months old, so they will just gather dust in the nursery.

7.      Interactive Toys

There is no doubt that toys form an integral part of a young person’s life but as a baby all they will do for the first few months is feed, sleep and fill their nappy. Toy’s don’t seem to form part of this routine for a while yet!

8.      Nursing chair

This is essentially a comfy chair in which you can feed baby. If you have a comfy chair, you do not need this.

9.      Matching nursery furniture / decoration

Baby will undoubtedly be in your room for the first few weeks and he/she really won’t care if their bedding matches the wallpaper. Save your money for when they try and decorate the wall themselves and you need to buy replacement paint!

10.  Electronic breast pump

I have used one. It is akin to being a cow in a milk production factory. Expressing breast milk is a necessity for a lot of mums but a manual pump is kinder and certainly less noisy when you need peace for your sleeping baby.

Do you have anything you would add to the list?