Blog : Little Lilypad Co

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The Little Lilypad is a lifestyle blog mostly written by a mum to two beautiful, cheeky and entertaining daughters. It is sometimes written by the Man on the Pad or by one of our baby bloggers. Occasionally we accept guest posts too. There is frequently talk of sustainable living, saving money, lifestyle and travel. It is hopefully helpful, sometimes funny and always honest.
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Category: Views & Ramblings

  1. Blogsummit Birmingham 2013

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    This time last week I was at Blogsummit in Birmingham. Now I appreciate that to a lot of the readers of our little blog, this means absolutely nothing and I have to admit a mere two years ago, I had no clue that I would be excited / nervous and interested in going to an event like that. Blogging just kind of happened on the Lilypad, it was never a conscious decision and we have made some (okay maybe alot of) mistakes in terms of promotion, advertising, SEO and even (quite frankly rubbish) content. *whispers* There are alot of people that write for a living and I take my hat off to each and every one of them because I write when I feel like it, when I have something to say, to rant about, to share or simply to remember, I never consider it "my job".

    So despite being in awe of lots of amazing bloggers and a bit worried that there would be cliques, there was lots of friendly faces and a totally happy vibe. Once I had got past people looking at my boobs (at my name tag - obviously!!), it was great to meet lots of "online friends" in the flesh. It was cool to meet up with Pink Oddy too, as we haven't seen each other since 1994 when we both left senior school ..... bizarrely we had no trouble recognising each other, must be a testament to our youthful looks (and obviously nothing to do with Facebook keeping us updated!)

    I loved the enthusiasm of the speakers from boggling my brain in the SEO masterclass to meeting some great contacts in the Brand Panel session. The Tots 100 had clearly worked hard to bring a great collection of people together but like a lot of the great ladies that were there that day, my favourite sesson was Andy Cope's Art to being Brilliant. Now obviously I am already brilliant (ahem) but he exudes optimism and in the fast paced seminar he reminded us all that happiness isnt "over there", it is here and now and we should be enjoying every second of it. 

    There were a number of us that moved on from Blogsummit to continue to "enjoy" the day with a few vino's and something to eat and it was great to get to know the people behind the blog. I spent alot of time chewing the ear of Emma and Laura, both of whom are super cool ladies. My mum always told me never to talk to strangers but when you read someone's blog, you begin to understand them as people and it is fabulous to find out that they great in "real life" too. I know Emma and I will sharing vino's again in the future!!

    So did I learn much - Definately.

    Would I go again - Absolutely

    Am I Brilliant? - Well I am definately not a "mood hoover" and I intend of being part of the 2% of the population who is eternally optimistic, positive and happy!

  2. How to find good childcare

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    Making a choice about leaving your child with someone else is one of the most heart wrenching, emotional and difficult decisions you can make, especially when they are a baby. I have always been really lucky in terms of having parents, family and close friends to look after my babies when I needed them to but quite recently, due to circumstances, had to look at alternative options.

    First and foremost the official stuff, you need to ensure that any childcare service is registered. All those in England should be registered and and inspected by Ofsted (Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills) at least once every 3 years. This means that they meet the relevant standards of care and as a mum; we always think that no one is capable of looking after our babies like we do, but having set standards certainly helps to ease your worries.

    I love a list, so I firstly drew up a shortlist of the childcare providers in my area and then arranged to visit them. Prior to the visit, I wrote out a list of questions, questions about the meal times, first aid, activities, hygiene standards, working hours (early drop off and late collection or only 9-5?) adult/child ratio, security and structure. They are looking after the most precious thing in your life, so you are entitled to ask these questions.

    Once you have made a decision, ask for references from other parents who have sent their children to that nursery / child minder. Another parent will give you an honest opinion, which is ultimately what you are seeking.

    I personally struggled with the whole separation anxiety of leaving my daughter with someone who didn’t know her and her routine, which is why having my best friend as a child minder worked perfectly for me. It meant that she had one to one attention and could develop a bond.

    Leaving your child in the care of another is always a hard but often necessary decision for a parent but it doesn’t have to fill you with worry.

    Give yourself time to find the right setup that works for you and your child and instead of worrying about leaving them; you can look forward to them running in for a cuddle when you collect them!

     

  3. Reminding me not to be smug!

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    You know when you think you do something really well and have that "it will never happen to me" attitude? Well I have to admit that I was that "smug" driver! I have been driving for some (ahem) 15+ years and always thought that I was a confident and competent driver, unfortunately for me that didn't help when another driver pulled across the road in front of me a while back!

    If you have ever been in a car accident you know just how shocking and unpleasant it can be. Even if it is just a small shunt, the shock can really affect your confidence  on the road. The jolt of an impact can cause injury and panic and if you don’t respond in the correct way, the consequences in both the short term and long term can be very damaging. I vividly remember my daughter looking at me and asking "mummy, did we just crash?", thankfully we were both okay.

    Three stages

    Having dealt with the motor fleet of previous companies I have worked for, I do know what I should have been doing but even I needed a reminder. Essentially, the things to do after an accident can be broken down into three stages – immediate, short term and long term. In the immediate aftermath of an accident you should try not to panic. Don’t move suddenly or try and get out of the car unless it is necessary or you have made sure you are ok to do so. Remember that shock may take over and you might not realise the extent of your injuries and always tend to yourself before checking on others.

    Get out of danger

    If it is safe to get out the car, check on the well-being of other people involved and call the police and an ambulance. It is always better to err on the side of caution. Remove yourself and any other people from any danger and stand well away from the car or road. (we had to get the air ambulance out to us as we were in a rural area, which was more embarressing for me than it was actually needed)

    Swap details

    In the short term you need to swap insurance details and make sure the police have a full account of what happened. You may need to try and get statements from other witnesses as these could come in handy later on. Make sure you get the details of all involved. Names, addresses, numbers, license plates – any information you can get may be useful. It may also be a good idea to take photos of damage to any cars. Try and build up a complete picture of the incident as best as you can.

    Establish blame

    In the longer term you need to try and assess what happened and who was at fault. You will need to involve the relevant insurance companies and establish a claim if you were not at fault. The payment we received for this post, will help go towards next year's car insurances :-)

    Don't forget that all the information gathered from witnesses, police and photographic evidence at the time of the accident may be useful. It is always a good idea to use specialist lawyers like http://www.injurylawyers4u.co.uk if you think you are entitled to a claim as they specialise in these kinds of cases.  

    If like me, you follow all these steps correctly, you can get the best possible outcome from any accident but I do hope that you genuinely never have to use them.

  4. Top 10 things you DONT need for your new baby

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    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?