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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  1. Win FREE tickets to the NEC Baby Show

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    We love babies and we love The Baby Show so here is a quick run down of what is on offer.

    The Baby Show is back offering a shopping haven for new parents and parents-to-be at the NEC Birmingham from 18th-20th May 2012. Forget the hassle of the high street, The Baby Show takes out the stress and confusion of shopping for your baby by housing the UK’s biggest baby brands all under one roof, so you can compare and try products before you buy! With over 250 must-have brands including Fisher-Price, Mamas & Papas, Mothercare, Marks & Spencer, Britax, tommee tippee and new companiesMammae, Poco Nido, Kinderroom and Curaprox,there will be brilliant buys for all!The UK’s leading parenting experts will also be on hand to offer advice on sleep, breastfeeding and first aid.Tickets are available in advance for £12.00 or two for £20.00, to book tickets visit www.thababyshow.co.uk.

    The Baby Show in association with Prima Baby and sponsored by Fisher-Price is an exciting event filled with the latest and greatest products in food & feeding, pushchairs, nappies & wipes, toys, clothing, furniture, car seats and carriers, from major brands. Parents who come to The Baby Show will also find substantial offers and savings that cannot be found elsewhere.

    Fisher-Price

    Fisher-Price will have the best available toys on display, ensuring thatparents and parents-to-be will find something that’s ideal for little ones at every age. 

    Prima Baby

    Prima Baby at stand N15 are giving visitors a free goody bag when two issues of Prima Baby magazines are purchased for just £2 (RRP £2.80 per magazine).

    Face of the Show

    The show sees the welcome return of the hugely popular Face of The Baby Show which offers parents the chance to enter their baby in the competition to find the face of The Baby Show and have the chance to be part of the 2013 marketing campaign. Hosted by Bumpkins (formally Sonam studios) each child will be photographed, capturing the very best images to be entered into the competition. What’s more, all parents will be given a free copy of the photograph of their child to take home from the photo experts at Bumpkins.

    Me Time

    For those looking for a relaxing and tranquil day out knowing your little one is cared for, the Fisher-Price crèche provides the perfect place and the safest hands in which to leave your children, where they can enjoy the latest toys for free and be supervised by fully trained and professional carers. The show is geared to making visitors lives easier and offers a home delivery service as well as the Emma’s Diary FREE shopping drop-off and collect by car service. There’s also the Emma’s Diary Mums meeting point, a fabulous arena to meet other new and expectant mums for a well-earned cuppa! The Pregnacare Juice bar will be serving fresh juices and smoothies across all three days to quench those shopping thirsts and give visitors a chance for a refreshing break. Superdrug are also at The Baby Show, be sure to stop by the Beauty Booth and take advantage of some great show discounts.

    Free at the café!

    Plum Baby’s under 1’s Cafe, will be serving little ones a sample of free baby food from 9.30am -5.00pm every day, as well as offering exclusive show offers on the Plum range.

    The main stage

    Not only a shopper’s dream, but The Baby Show is an event filled with expert advice from information including talks on breastfeeding by Clare Byam-Cook, sleep with Jo Tantum and first aid talks from The British Red Cross. 

    New Brands

    New brands showcasing at the event this time include:-

    Partners Labour of Love – A brand new app to assist pregnant women in the build up to birth

    My Beauty Bundle – Perfect gift for pregnant women or new mums

    BabyDam– Has changed bath time for good

    SnuggleBundl – Innovative approach to lifting your baby

    Laboraide by Opro – A product to assist in pain-free birth

    Baby Mum-Mum – Food snack for babies, big American brand – new to the UK this year

    Waterbaby– New bottled water containing Folic Acid for a healthy pregnancy – new to the market this year

    The Baby Show at Birmingham NEC takes place between 18th–20th May 2012. Tickets are available in advance for just £12 each from www.thebabyshow.co.uk but we have TWO pairs of tickets to give away! Just enter below!

    a Rafflecopter giveaway

  2. What age do we stop holding hands?

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    My daughter and I walked out of school on Friday and without thinking, she slipped her hand into mine and we walked along chatting and laughing. At 6 years old, she is not quite self conscious enough to think its not cool to hold my hand, or kiss me goodbye but I know that time will come, I am just holding on for as long as I can.

    It got me wondering about holding hands, when do we stop?

    We hold our babies hands and they wrap their tiny hands around our finger, we hold our toddlers tightly when we teach them to cross the road, we walk proudly with our children on the first day of school and never ever want to let them go.

    holding hands

    Our children grow up and reach out to hold the hands of their friends and boyfriends ((shudder)) and they dont believe they need to hold ours any longer.  They have their life in the palm of their hands and as they grow up, they want to be set free, not held back. I know this so I am thankful that I still have some one to hold my hand. I am a thirty something woman who still loves the simplicity of holding hands, the innocence and the safety it inspires.

    So when are we too old to hold hands? I recently saw an elderly couple walking along the road holding hands and if they are anything to go by, the answer is never.

    So I suppose that whilst I may not always be able to hold my daughters' hands forever, I will have to be content with always holding their hearts.

  3. Social Media for kids - a complete guide for Mums

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    Following on from our recent informative guest post about social media, we are delighted to share another guest post, which heralds as "A complete guide for Mums"

    There's no getting away from social media sites. By the end of 2011, almost half of the UK's population had signed up for a Facebook account and, while the majority of users were adults, younger teens still represented a significant slice of the pie.
    Technically, a child has to be 13 to use Facebook in the first place but some simply lie about their age in order to get an account. There are other social sites to consider and kids of any age can run into problems on them.
     
    Benefits and drawbacks of social media
    Researchers have uncovered a phenomenon that's been labelled 'Facebook depression'. Many users tend to portray their lives as a never-ending round of fun and excitement and teenagers with self-esteem issues may feel lacking in comparison. Youngsters who overuse social media sites can also exhibit anxiety, may get less exercise and could be distracted from schoolwork.
    It's not all bad news however. Psychologists also point out that the use of social networks can help develop empathy. Introverted kids can be encouraged to socialise and social networks can also be used as teaching resources to engage disaffected youngsters. As with most things in life, social media sites can cause the most harm when used incorrectly or to excess.
     
    Kid-friendly sites
    There are a number of social media sites designed specially for kids. Sites such as Yoursphere and giantHello offer kid-only environments and most have a number of safeguards built-in. These may include real-time monitoring of on-site activity and stringent parental permissions and filters to help manage incoming messages and online friend requests. Kid-friendly sites not only provide a safer online experience but can be used as 'trainer sites', giving you the opportunity to discuss the various issues before they move on to other platforms and sites.
     
    Keeping them safe
    One of the major concerns expressed by parents is that kids might be exposed to unsavoury and even predatory individuals on social media sites. 'TMI' is a common acronym these days. If you don't know what it means, it stands for 'Too Much Information' and it's a good watchword to drum into your kids. Discuss the dangers and help them understand that giving out too much personal information online could lead to unwanted attention, identity theft and malicious impersonation.
    Cyberbullying is another huge issue for today's kids. Victims can be affected just as badly as if they were being bullied in person. Encourage your child to talk to you if it happens to them and block the offenders immediately.
    Be prepared to report them to the website through which the bullying occurred, the relevant ISP's (Internet Service Providers) and even the police.
     
    Teaching resources
    Educators of all kinds are increasingly harnessing the power of social networks to engage with young people. There are hundreds of tips, tools and teaching resources available, ranging from platforms designed to make homework accessible and fun to tips and guides to staying safe online. Some of these are aimed specifically at teachers but others can be of great use to parents as well.
     
    Author:
    Carlo Pandian lives in London and blogs about education, technology and parenting covering everything from school art supplies to Iphone apps. When he’s not online or cycling around town, you can’t get it out of the kitchen for his love of food.

  4. Sisterhood : Mother, daughters, friends and everything in between

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    Having two daughters, I dread the days that they will be squabling and often wonder if they will grow up to be good friends or drive each other insane . I love this particular quote and hope it will be true of my girls ....

    "Friends are the family we choose for ourselves"

    Life  happens. Men don't always do what they're supposed to do but your girlfriends are your gift to yourself. Through the job promotions, childbirth and heartbreak too, no matter how many miles are between you, the good ones will always be there when you call.

    I am lucky enough to have 3 best friends (who thankfully all get on) and collectively they have taught me to laugh at myself, listened to me ramble after too many vinos and been there when I needed a good cry. It doesnt matter if I saw them yesterday or weeks ago, I know I can call on them when I need them.

    We have all had colleagues who forget favours and acquaintances who are only there for the big events but your "sisters"  are there, no matter how much time and how many miles are between you. Sometimes, they  will even break the rules and walk beside you when you are wrong .... or come in and carry you out of the mess. They will pick you up when you fall down and if they cant pick us up, they will lie down beside you and listen for a while.

    Girlfriends, daughters, granddaughters, mothers, aunts, sisters, cousins and everything in between, friends are a precious gift. They are someone that knows everything about you and loves you just the same!

    Friendship should never be taken for granted and I hope when they have grown up (hopefully into well rounded women), that my beautiful daughters will also call me their friend.