How we potty trained Willow

This post has been a long time in the making. But I wanted to make sure we were all finished before I put pen to paper so to speak. It’s official, Willow is completely potty trained!

On Friday we took away the nappy for night time sleep. And you know what? She’s been sleeping better than she has in months! I’m in a sleep overdose, state of shock. Who knew, right?

I know some people really struggle to potty train their kids and I was anticipating this would be a very long, arduous journey. But she completely took the wind out of my sails by adjusting to this just as easily as she has done to all her life changes. Really this child is a champion. She is so adaptable and I hope this is a quality she takes with her in life because heaven knows I struggle with change.

So how did we do it? Well, we had a lot of help from her school and I really believed that it made the process so much simpler. But we also did a few things at home that reinforced the message. For those attempting it on your own, here are my top tips:

1. Wait until they’re ready. I have listened to so many moms complain about how difficult it is and I’m of the belief that they are starting too soon. Willow was almost three when we started. I had always been told that you start potty training the summer your child turns two. But willow’s birthday is in the middle of summer and looking back now, she really wasn’t ready at two. We started potty training in September and by the end of the month she was off nappies in the daytime and by mid-October, she wasn’t using them for naps either. It’s ok to wait.
2. Introduce pull-ups early. Willow has been in pull up nappies during the day since about 18 months (I thought we’d be potty training sooner, so I made the transition early). I really feel that this helped Willow get used to the mechanics of underwear and she learned how to pull them off herself.
3. Get yourself set up early. Even though we weren’t actively potty training I got the step and toilet seat adaptor early on. Willow loved to sit on it and we had quite a few instances where she made wees in the toilet on her own, especially after watching me go to the loo. Which brings me to my next point:
4. Let your child accompany you to the toilet. I found Willow learned a lot by watching me and it gave her the opportunity to ask questions and I could explain to her what was happening.
5. Get some literature on the subject. We got a few books about going to the toilet and would read them to Willow at bedtime. Often the story would prompt her to want to go to the toilet as well. This was incredibly helpful and you can reference the book during the day as well.
6. Decide on a reward system. For us it was stickers. Willow loved putting the stickers on the chart after each successful trip to the toilet.
7. Poos are difficult for toddlers at first. With Willow, she got the hang of number ones very quickly and it was a while before number twos followed. There are many reasons for this and it depends on your child how they handle it. Have patience it will happen. What helped us was learning Willow’s schedule and trying to time trips to the toilet to coincide with the great event.

Now onto the nitty gritty of toilet training:

Step one: Take the nappy away altogether. The school explained to us that there is a huge difference in how nappies and underwear feel to a toddler so it was best to go straight to underwear during the day. We made a big deal out of going underwear shopping. Willow got to choose the variety she wanted and that made her feel in control of the process. Get a lot of underwear, especially in the beginning because you will be washing a lot.

Step two: Take your child to the toilet every 25 minutes. It helped us to set the timers on our phone and A and I would alternate with trips to the toilet. Sometimes nothing happens and often I would take her and she wouldn’t go and then we’d have an accident not even five minutes later. It’s frustrating. But hang in there. Soon both you and your child will learn what the limits are and as they learn bladder control the time will get longer and longer between visits to the toilet.

Step three: Don’t push your child too quickly. We made the mistake of going out that first weekend and we had an accident in a shopping mall. Willow was embarrassed and it knocked her confidence a bit. Make peace with the fact that you’ll be homebound for a few days. It’s better for everyone. Take a change of clothes with you on trips for a while.

Step four: Ask if they need to go wee wee often. Kids get wrapped up in their games and activities and they don’t know how to anticipate the need to go to the toilet. By asking you remind them and often they will need to go. We also made it a habit to take Willow to the loo before we left the house or restaurant/shops/playground for a while. Just to make sure we were all set.

Step five: Road trips are possible while toilet training. I had one accident with Willow and it’s because we were stuck in traffic and couldn’t get to a service station in time. My top tip here is to factor in extra travel time and stop at every opportunity, especially in the beginning. These days, Willow only needs one stop about halfway through the trip or once every two hours.

Step six: Don’t worry about night time at first. We focused solely on daytime for at least three months. When it did come time for weaning her off the nappy at night we waited until she was consistently waking up dry. She was also waking up in the night to ask to go to the loo. I waited until all the craziness from Christmas and birthdays had settled down and then we decided to try. I had a frank conversation with her about sleeping in panties and she was so excited. I also try to cut down how much she has to drink after about 5 pm and we go to the toilet before bedtime. To be honest we haven’t had any issues yet and when we do I will deal with them. But each child is different with this aspect. Willow started sleeping better the instant I took the nappies away. She went back to sleeping through the night.

Wow, that was a long post, but I hope you found something useful in it and that maybe something we tried will work for you too. I found all the articles I read on potty training very disappointing and confusing. So I wanted to be thorough.

Toddler travel essentials

We have travelled a lot with Willow over the years, but her travel needs have definitely changed the older she gets.

Last week I flew with her to Cape Town and she was simply incredible. I was so proud of her. That said I did deploy the tricks I have learned and took a few things along with me that made life a lot easier. Most of these items can be used for both air travel and road trips. I just make adjustments as needed, depending on our situation at the time.

1. Try getting your child to sleep before you travel. With both road trips and plane rides, I try to make sure Willow is well rested before we leave. The chances that she will fall asleep en route are always very slim, she doesn’t sleep as well in a car seat or on an aeroplane and she is much harder to entertain when she’s tried. If I can time it that she naps before we leave I always try to do that.
2. Make it fun by doing things that you don’t normally do. For example, Willow watches a huge amount of cartoons on trips. It’s the easiest form or distraction for us and once you have had a peaceful journey there is simply no going back. We also do things we don’t normally do, like watch the aeroplanes out the window, eat sweets etc. I try making it an adventure.
3. Don’t forget your iPad. The iPad is a lifesaver! I have it loaded with toddler-friendly games, cartoons and movies. I make sure it’s fully charged before we go. If we’re travelling by car we have a mount that attaches it to the seat in front of her. If we’re travelling by plane I have it in one of those unbreakable cases that also acts as a stand. I also have a fun pair of headphones for her. These are kids’ headphones that have a noise restrictor on them so they can’t get too loud. We only use these on the plane.
4. Bring snacks! This is a huge thing for us. I never travel without snacks. For flights, we take lollipops with us to help with the ear situation. I also travel with two bottles of milk that have about 100ml in them. That was she can suck on the bottles during takeoff and landing. I also take biscuits, biltong, mini salami sticks, grapes, cheese etc. And a bottle of diluted fruit juice or water. And gum and water for me. I do tend to take more for road trips and keep the snack on planes quite concise. Our average road trip is about 4 hours.
5. Build up the anticipation by talking about your trip a day or two before. I tell Willow where we are going, how we’re going to get there and who we are going to see. It gets her really excited for the adventure ahead. I try to only start building her up a day or two before though. It’s a fine line.
6. Bring a comfort object from home. With Willow, this is quite difficult as she hasn’t attached to an object. But we have a rag doll that has become our travel doll. She loves to cuddle it and talk to it. She tells the dolly what we’re doing and shows her the aeroplanes. It’s adorable and helps her to come to terms with the trip in her own way. It is also really nice to have something familiar if your child is sleeping in a strange bed.
7. Try not to deviate too much from your normal routines. Kids find comfort in being able to anticipate certain events. With all the excitement of travel, I find Willow can get overwhelmed quite easily. While I do relax a lot of the rules, I try to keep meals at the correct times in the day and keep her bath and bed routine as close to normal as I can.
8. Don’t forget nappies, wipes and bum cream. Been there, done that! Thankfully we’ve always gone to a place where these items are quite readily available. For the car journeys, I just take a full bag of nappies with us. For our recent flight, I had to open the pack and spread the nappies out in amongst the items in our suitcase. They do take up a lot of room though. My suggestion is, if you can, buy nappies at your destination and take a few in your handbag or child’s backpack for on the go changes.

Travelling with a toddler: road trips

Passed out in the car after a long weekend with her grandparents

Willow and I have our road trip game down these days. We have been doing this for a while now and I have learned A LOT along the way!

Recently I took a five-hour solo road trip with her to Hoedspruit to visit with my family. A series of unfortunate events meant that we ended up spending almost seven hours in the car. While it felt like the longest car journey of my life, Willow weathered the trip incredibly well.

I’m not sure if I have detailed our travel issues with Willow on the blog before; if I have please forgive me. Willow has a very tumultuous relationship with the car seat. From when she was a little person she really hated it. Most babies fall asleep in the car, not mine. She would scream and scream and scream. It was incredibly unpleasant.

We tried everything. We tried to time our travels for nap time, travel at night. It all amounted to nothing. Thankfully she outgrew the screaming phase and has come to realise that car trips mean that she will be seeing her grandparents or doing something fun. That has made the trips a lot more pleasant.

All that said, I have discovered a few things make our lives so much easier in the car.

1. Bring snacks – what child doesn’t love snacks? I find snacks calm the beast. Great car snacks include Cheerios, biltong, fruit like grapes or blueberries, low sugar biscuits and fruit pouches. I also take water or coconut water with me.
2. Get the timing right – Admittedly this took a lot of experimentation. But we have found that road trips just work out better for us if we travel during the day. We usually leave after Willow’s nap at about 2.30pm. I know it may seem counterintuitive to leave post and not pre nap. But I find she is in a much better mood if she is rested. Kids don’t sleep well in car seats. It’s not really restful. She is happier and more willing to be entertained if she had a good sleep. It also doesn’t mess too much with her usual schedule.
3. Pack entertainment – This is whatever works for you. I bring along threading activities, stickers, crayons and paper, musical toys etc. I offer her all the toys before I give her the final solution.
4. Load the iPad with kids programs and get a mount to attach it to the seat back – The iPad is a lifesaver let me tell you. I have an old one which is just for Willow and it is filled with Dora the Explorer and Sofia the first. I try to limit her screen time normally, but on road trips, I tend to bust it out and let her watch for as long as she likes. Once you have had a peaceful road trip there is just no going back.

Getting in a workout while hanging out with your toddler

One of the things you don’t know about babies until you have one of your own is that just when you get used to their schedule they decide it’s time to change things up.

Willow has dropped to one nap for a while ago now. And now that she is in a much more active class at school she is taking her naps there on a more regular basis. This has meant that we don’t really nap at home in the afternoons anymore.

Previously this nap time was when I would do household chores, squeeze in a workout and other tasks that needed to be done. These days we are often playing. So this mama has had to get creative.

For me, the simplest solution was just to do the workout while she plays. Now that it’s getting warmer we head outside and she potters about while I do my reps.

I have needed to do some adjustments with regards to equipment. My hand weights and skipping rope no longer fit the bill. Instead, I use resistance bands, which are really effective. Otherwise, I will just do body weight exercises. I try to keep to a HIIT plan so that I can get the most out of a short amount of time.

I’m hoping that by seeing me working out I am also fostering a love of being active in Willow. I also let her play with the resistance bands or help me with my work out – a 12kg toddler is an awesome weight for some moves, even just to hold her kills my arms sometimes!

I have found this a lot more fun than I expected. She’s my little workout buddy and the goofing around makes things interesting let me tell you. Plus she rewards me by feeding me cheerios afterwards, who can complain about that?

One thing I can’t really do with her just yet is Yoga. She’s a little too active for that. So I try to reserve my sessions for when she’s napping on the weekends. Although I’ll be honest that doesn’t always happen.

And the chores? Those have been pushed down the list of priorities 😉

Must haves 12 to 18 months

The time has come once again to round up the items I have found the most useful during this phase of Miss Willow’s life.

I have done a few others of these that you can read here: Pregnancy, new born, 3 to 6 months, 6 to 9 months, 9 to 12 months.

As Willow has ventured into ttoddlerhoodI have found we need both more and less stuff. Its an interesting place to be in and it feels very transitional to me. I must say that I’m a little surprised by how much in on my must have list!

Grab some tea, this is a long post!

Sleep

Not much has changed here. We still use the same tools and have made a few simple tweaks as we go. The standard stuff we enjoy: the iPad with the White Noise app (we love this one) and sleeping bags (I have written a whole post on these here). On to the new things

SmartCam HD 1080p Full HD WiFi Camera

Digital Monitor or Nanny Cam: I have no idea why it took us so long to get one of these! I got it from A for Christmas and believe me it is life changing! We got a Samsung Camera that is not strictly to be used as a baby monitor. I want to put them all over my house now. Just be aware of security and make sure you set it up correctly!

Nuby Flower Child No Spill Bottle

Spill proof water bottle: A lot of the time when Willow wakes in the night it’s because she’s thirsty. I keep a water bottle in her crib now. She will often wake up, take a few sips them go back to sleep. This is similar our one.

Crib toys: I know this is not for everyone, but it has been my experience that Willow stays in bed longer when she has a toy or two to play with. It scores me and extra 15 to 20 minutes in bed.

Spoka Night Light

Night light: We have the Spoka from Ikea. This light switches off after a while. We don’t use it every night, we prefer Willow to sleep in the dark. But should we need to see in her room, or if she’s fussing it provides a nice distraction for a limited time.

Shoes

I try and have Willow barefoot as much as possible, but often I need to protect her feet f rom the cold or heat. When she first started walking I loved ShooShoos. These are soft soled shoes perfect for those first steps. They are really flexible and easy to walk in. As Willow got more confident and needed warmer shoes we put her in Bobux (which are not available in SA), ShooShoo Toddler shoes and Naartjie shoes. All have barefoot technology to aid in foot development. I must admit though, I’m looking forward to warmer weather and bare feet.

Clothes

Swings!

Love this girl!

A Gillet: Willow has a few of these from different shops. She has two lightweight ones from Bonds and Pick ‘n Pay, a thicker one from Naartjie and a puffer vest from Pick n Pay. IO found these essential in the cold months. I could keep her torso nice and warm but her arms were free so she could play freely. This are ideal for layering up!

Play time

Mini Bilibo

Bilibo stacking cups: We have had these for a long time, but they are starting to come into their own now. These are great open end toys with a myriad of applications. They come in bright colours and different sizes. Best part? They will provide years of play. Right now Willow loves them to pour water in the bath. If you see them snap them up!

Sand/water table: We got quite a small one due to space restrictions but this has been one of the best purchases ever! In the summer Willow would play for hours with her hands in the water. Now that it’s cold she loves the sand I have filled it with. This is a must have for sure!

Plastic tubs: Speaking of storage you will need some of these. I have large 56 litre ones and I don’t regret buying them for a minute. I can store all her toys in the tubs and bring out what we need when we want it. I also get Willow to help tidy up at the end of the day. They stack neatly in the corner.

Play tent: This is a great hiding place, quiet place to sit and read, my friends son who is a year older than Willow was pretending it’s the three little pigs house. We love this tent.

Balls: Pretty self explanatory. Get them in different sizes, textures, weights, whatever you can find. Ball pit balls are also a big winner in our house. We have filled a large plastic bin with them and Willow likes to sit in it. Bonus the tub doubles as the storage solution.

 

B Toys Par Rum Drum Set

Music and instruments: toddlers love music and dancing. There are plenty of good videos on Youtube with nursery rhymes, but a nice kids CD is handy as well, especially in the car! I also got Willow a music set that somes with a shaker, tambourine, drum and bells. The lid of the drum comes off and they all get stored inside. Genius.

Medicine

Neurofen: This comes with a dispenser and is invaluable for little niggles, teething pain and more. There is always a bottle in my house.

Gel Cooling Pads: We’ve had a couple of scary fevers in the past few months. I discovered these cooling pads at Dischem and we used them for the first time the last time Willow had a fever. They worked like a bomb! I wouldn’t use these for run of the mill temperature spikes, but when the meds are working to bring the fever down these are brilliant!

Body Care

Justine’s Baby Tissue Oil: If you live in SA get your hands on this stuff! I swear by it. It contains no mineral oil and smells delicious. Willow’s skin is amazing and we’ve had no chapped winter cheeks. Also I found this is great for teething rash.

Feeding

Toddler cutlery and crockery: Willow has gotten pretty good at feeding herself. I have a few sets of melamine plates and bowls for her. Although I’m still looking for the perfect solution, what we have now works well. I really like her cutlery set which comes from Dischem. It has stainless steel for and spoon which Willow finds much easier to eat with.

Must haves for you 9 to 12 month old

I just found this post hanging out in my drafts folder and realised I never posted it! Oh well, rather late than never right?

These are the things that we found indispensable during the last quarter of Willow’s babyhood.

I have put together a little list in the hopes that some out there may find it useful. Please keep in mind that Willow was this age during spring and summer and we had some extreme heat waves during this time. So this may differ for a winter baby.

Sleep

Aden and Anais Bamboo Sleep Sack

Aden and Anais sleeping bag: I weaned Willow off the swaddle at this time and the Aden and Anais sleeping bag came in handy. A big issue for us with the weaning was creating a new bedtime routine. I used the sleeping bag as a swaddle replacement. It worked like a charm. It is also great because I have peace of mind that she is kept warm in the night and not kicking her blankets off.

Sleepy bunny – Along with weaning Willow off the swaddle we were also forced to do sleep training. I found sleepy bunny at H&M for R80! It is a very soft and small cuddly toy which I use as a soother at sleep times. Before we started getting serious about sleep training I introduced the bunny. We nursed while cuddling with bunny and then bunny went into the bed with Willow. She still sleeps with it now and battles to settle when bunny is missing.

Lavender bed mist – This is great if you travel. For a week or so before going away, I spritz the room spray in her room so she associates the smell with home and comfort. Then when we are in a new environment I spritz the room with the spray. It has worked like a charm for us and we had good sleep while travelling during the festive season.

Standing fan – as mentioned we have had some serious heat waves and keeping Willow’s room cool has been a challenge. We bought a standing fan that is small and light – perfect for her room. The best part is that the blades are not exposed so she can’t get her fingers injured. This fan has been a life saver.

Relax Melodies White Noise App

White Noise App – As part of the sleep training we relied heavily on white noise as a soothing device. We have an old iPad which I loaded a white noise app onto. As part of her bed time routine I turn the app on and it plays all night. It also really helps when there are people in the house or she is sleeping in a new environment.

Bathtime

Bath toys

Bath Toys – Willow is a big fan of bath toys. We have everything from cups that pour to squirty toys to pretend taps. Bathtime is just not the same without toys.

Feeding

Exciting plates and cutlery – Willow decided that she would only eat if she can feed herself. She also wants to eat like the adults do. So I got her a little plate set and she loves sitting at the big table and eating her food. We have done away with baby purees and mashes. She eats pretty much what we do and loves it. I also introduced a for in the past week and she loves it! She still struggled to get the food on the fork but she is an expert at putting it in her mouth.

Munchkin 360 Cup

Munchkin 360 cup – This cup is awesome. You drink from it like a normal cup, but it has a special seal that prevents spills. It’s Willow’s favourite cup and she drinks from it at each meal time. She has been drinking so much water lately and I think its a combination of the heat and this cup.

Play

Swimming diapers – Willow has been spending a lot of time playing with water and going to swimming lessons this summer. The swim nappies are designed to let liquids through but catch any solid waste. We haven’t had an accident yet, but I feel it’s better to be safe than sorry. A lot of the time she is just in the nappy, but for swim lessons, I put a swimming costume on over it. We love this type which are disposable, but you can reuse them a few times. I also have this set which I think we’ll get more use out of when she’s older.

Swimming lessons – I am putting this on the list because I feel that it’s really important kids learn how to be safe around water. They can start swimming from six months old. Willow already knows how to climb in and out of the water safely, to flip on her back when she falls in and to get to the side of the pool as soon as she can. This year the lessons will build on what she learned last year and the teacher says she may be swimming properly by the end of the year.

 

Books and websites I found most helpful: birth to 18months

Navigating the waters of being a first-time mom is thrilling and terrifying all at the same time. There is a very specific moment when you leave the hospital with your newborn that you realise you are now

There is a very specific moment when you leave the hospital with your newborn that you realise you are now solely responsible for a human being and nothing can prepare you for that!

I ended up reading books or stalking forums quite a bit to find answers for my questions. I took comfort from the fact that someone, somewhere had been through what I was experiencing now and had advise to offer.

Google can be a very scary place, but I found some great resources that helped me to navigate the tricky waters of raising an infant.

I thought I would make a quick list of the books and resources I found the most helpful during Willow’s first year and a half.

My philosophy with books, websites and general advice is: listen to everything and take away what will work for you. You don’t have to try out every piece of advice. Just nod, say thanks, I’ll consider it and move on. But I always tried everything at least once. Also, when it comes to sleep give the method a good 7 to 10 days before you write it off!

I hope they help you!

General baby info:

The Wonder Weeks (This book is so interesting and was so incredibly useful! I think this is a must have.) Also, check out the website here, and the mobile app here

Baby Sense (Full of great info to help you understand your newborn and baby. I didn’t use all the info, but took what I needed.) I bought mine at Baby City. Check out the website here

Baby Centre (A great stop from pregnancy to babyhood and beyond. Sign up for their newsletter; it’s full of great topics.)

Parents.com

Weaning:

Ella’s Kitchen: the Purple One (I really enjoyed this one for its information on weaning and its step by step weaning layout. It made the whole process so much easier.)

Top 100 Baby and Toddler Meals in Minutes – Annabel Karmel (The recipes in the book are delicious. I still use them to this day and they have always been a big hit with Willow. Karmel is the queen of weaning!)

Sleep:

The No-Cry Sleep Solution – Elizabeth Pantley (This is the book I wish had worked out for us. I love her methodology. But Willow had other plans. I read this book and tried out many of the methods with degrees of success. No-cry was just not for us. I learnt a lot from the book and many principles are part of our nightly routine.)

Preciouslittlesleep.com (This is the site that changed everything for me. I can’t wait for the book that Alex is writing. Her writing connects with me, I don’t feel looked down on and her advice makes sense and works!)

Thebabysleepsite.com (Lots of really useful information on sleep regressions, schedules and wake times, etc. The weekly newsletter was something I looked forward to getting for a long time!)

Road tripping with a toddler

Willow was surprisingly chipper in the car both there and back

Since A and I both have parents who are a four-hour drive a way we do a lot of road trips. At least once a month we pack up our family and head out to visit one or the other set of grandparents.

We have done so for the past five years and have been travelling with a baby for the past year and a half. So I like to think that I’ve got a pretty good, but not perfect, handle on the whole travelling thing. That said life with a child is constantly changing. We often say that no trip is alike. But I think I’ve got a couple of good tricks up my sleeve to help make things go smoothly.

Packing cubs save space and sanity!

Packing

1. Don’t leave packing to the last minute: this is especially true if you have a baby. For me, this is a sure fire way to forget things at home. I always start with Willow first. I pack all the things we will need, then check and recheck during the week. On arriving at our destination I unpack the bags so I can repack it as the weekend unfolds. I try to start gathering up our things first thing when I wake up so that I don’t forget anything.
2. Packing cubes are your friend: My life changed when I discovered packing cubes. These are now so essential to me! I have two sets: a black and a purple which is great for keeping my and A’s stuff separate. They allow you to keep all your things in one easy to find place and help when it comes to packing up and doing laundry. As the weekend progresses I put the dirty things in the cubes – this means my clean and dirty stuff never mix. When I get home I just dump the contents in the washing machine.
3. What to pack: For a weekend away my rule is one pair of pants, two shirts, one pair of shoes, enough underwear and socks for the trip, in the winter a warm jacket and in the summer a hat. I apply that formula for the whole family. For Willow, I throw in an extra pair of pants and an extra top in case we have an accident. I also like to pack Willow’s outfits into Ziplock bags as I know that I may not be dressing her every day. This way the person who is helping out knows exactly what to put on.
4. Keep a toiletry bag packed and ready to go: This is great for someone who travels a lot. I have my skincare, body care, and hair care stuff in duplicate (and miniature if I can manage it) and I keep it in my vanity bag ready to go at all time. It takes a lot of the guess work out of the equation.
5. Check the weather: I’m a slave to my weather app. But I have been caught short so many times that I’m a bit paranoid now. Packing always begins with a quick look at the forecast and then I pack a jacket or sweatshirt anyway, just in case.
6. Put all luggage in together near the front door so it doesn’t get left behind.

Car trip

1. Pack a cooler bag that you can fill with a bottle, snacks and drinks. I keep things like mini biscuits, fruit, cheese, biltong, water and a bottle of milk and one of water or coconut water. You can never underestimate the power of snacks on a road trip.
2. Time your trip: We normally leave on a Friday evening and return on Sunday afternoon. We time the trips for sleep times to make it easier on Willow. Sometimes it doesn’t work, but most of the time it does and we are always grateful when it does! We have had trips of non-stop screaming and it is a lot to deal with.
   

   Toys and entertainment are essential. We have one of these Trunki boxes which is great for the car

3. Pack entertainment: I have learned that you cannot leave on a trip without entertainment. I recommend a notebook with crayons and stickers, a shape sorter, wrapping toys in wrapping paper or newspaper for the baby to unwrap, quiet book if you have one, the iPad, pipe cleaners with macaroni to string, a kids CD; let your imagination take flight. One thing I have learnt though: only give one toy at a time. That way when your child gets bored of it, you can replace it with something new and exciting. Also, I save the electronics for last.
4. Refuse bin or plastic bag is a must: I like to keep a bag in the car so I can stash used tissues and wipes, discarded food, empty packaging, etc. This stops the car from looking like a tip when we get home.
5. Learn silly songs and nursery rhymes: I have a repertoire of silly songs that we sing, complete with movements. They provide a great distraction when the going gets tough…

What are your tips and tricks for long car journeys? I’m always looking for new things to try as Willow gets older.

Autumn Capsule Wardrobe Update

I am currently putting the finishing touches on my Winter Capsule Wardrobe.  Before I reveal it I want to update you on how I fared with my current clothing capsule.

I was incredibly happy with how it turned out. The colour scheme was perfect – I loved how I had colours to work with, but that they were seasonally appropriate and suited my mood. I also really enjoyed how easy they were to layer. When I started the wardrobe we were still having some very warm weather, but towards the

When I started the wardrobe we were still having some very warm weather, but towards the end, it got very cold. The clothing I had chosen straddled the seasonal change perfectly and I loved the versatility of it.

I was able to create a lot of different outfits and found I was wearing a variety of different pieces. I will say that I think I had too many pairs of pants in my wardrobe. Also, the extra pieces I did add I didn’t end up wearing much and could have waited until the next season. Lesson learned. The no shopping rule is there for a reason.

My most worn items:

Melange bodycon skirt – H&M

Grey tube skirt

Medium wash skinny jeans – Pick n pay

Mid-wash jeans

Ripped Skinny Jeans – H&M

Distressed jeans

Burgundy jeggings – Pick n Pay

Oxblood jeggings

Olive super soft knit – Pick n Pay

Olive knit

Oversized maroon jersey – Pick n Pay

Maroon oversized knit (my favourite item)

Navy and White polka dot dress – Pick n Pay

Navy and white polka dot dress

Burgundy t shirt – Pick n Pay

Three quarter t-shirts.

Least worn items:

Printed skater skirt – H&M

Tribal print skirt,

Floral sundress – Pick n Pay

Floral dress

Tan jeggings – Pick n Pay

Tan jeggings

I used Stylebook to create outfits, plan my week’s looks and to keep track of what I was wearing and what I wasn’t. This app is incredible and has completely changed the game. I now have an even better idea of what my style is like and what I’m actually wearing. It has really helped me get my money’s worth out of my clothes.

 

Space to play: making a home playground

I have satisfied my makeover craving by creating Willow a little playground on our upstairs balcony.

I take her to the park a few times a week so when I saw a few miniature playground items in the shops recently I decided to recreate the park at home.

The one thing about the park is that there is no toddler play area – everything is all way too big for Willow Bug to play on alone. That’s the beauty of our little playground. Everything is miniature.

I bought her a bright pink toddler slide and a really fun rocker. I’m still on the hunt for a swing. I thought I had found one which would have been perfect, but it turned out to be a bust. We also got her sand to put in her water/sand table.

It has been a huge success. All weekend long all Willow wanted was to be outside playing. She loves the slide. She spent almost an hour playing on it. She was only distracted when she discovered the sand and spent another hour or so digging and filling a little sand castle.

I am so chuffed with how it all came out. The items are not overwhelming to the small space we have and they don’t look out of place in our small ‘garden’.

I was actually pretty surprised by how easy it was to create and how quickly its become part of our home.

My next project is a mini lounge makeover. I want to add more storage, rearrange a bit to use our space better and create a Willow-friendly play zone.

We don’t have the space to create a dedicated play room or area. So we share our lounge with Willow’s toys. Most days the mess is easy to tidy, but sometimes it feels like I live in a toy store. So we’re getting built in cupboards to help with the mess a bit and then I’m ordering Willow a table and chairs set so she has a place where she can sit to colour and play.