18ct Gold & Diamond Anchor of Hope Charm by Links of London, click here to view
Anchor Tank Top by the Little White Company, 0-3mths up to 8yrs, click here to view

As of mid July I will be receiving a lot of visitors to coo over the new Little One and looking at my rather aged collection of PJs it is time to get the wardrobe sorted.  For super comfy and chic PJs I love these by Hush.  I love the lemon stripe bottoms (above), the Floral print ones and Antique Floral Pyjama Trousers (below).  They also make great gifts for mummies-to-be.  Now if only I could also wake up looking like her…

As I type this I keep glancing tentatively to my right.  Little A is currently perched on his new potty for Day 1 of the dreaded Potty Training.  With babe no.2 on the way, now is the time to embrace the big boy pants and at 2yrs 5mths I feel he is ready for the challenge.  At his 2yr health check, the nurse said not to rush it and that girls were generally ready to train and quicker to learn than the boys.  Now Little A is talking lots and and I feel he has grasped the concept of “bye bye” to the nappies it was off to Waitrose to pick up our John Lewis click and collect oh-so-special Dinosaur Big Boy Pants.  I think the key is to buy lots and I have heard that Primark also do some good bulk packs.  We chose three packs of 5 mixed Dino ones for variety and the brain washing started a week ago with the arrival of our very smart Baby Bjorn party – we got the grey.  It definitely has a wider seat than most and it is really comfy for Little A and so far he has enjoyed sitting on it for relatively long periods.  The bear on the front is a help and I love the fact you simply pop out the inner potty to empty and clean it.

Potty training in One Week by Gina Ford, £6.99 at Amazon
Ok so it might have an ambitious title but that’s fine by me.  Keeping Little A in the house for 3 days straight is like keeping a tiger cub in a hamster cage.  You may or may not be fans of the Gina way but this book contains lots of great case studies of what to do when things don’t go to plan alongside Gina’s straightforward approach.
Aquaint 100% Natural Steriliser Spray, £3.00 at JoJo Maman Bebe
Obviously germs are playing a big part in the potty training week and cleanliness is the top priority. Loving the discovery of this Aquaint spray in this handy travel version. Perfect to pop in the nappy bag (might have to rename that now!) and as it is 100% natural it is completely safe to use around babies and children and harmless should it be ingested.  You can use it on your little one’s hands, highchair trays, table tops, dropped dummies and teething rings, any grotty surfaces and it kills 99.9% bacteria in seconds.  Great to give Little A’s hands a quick spray if we can’t wash our hands when out and about.
BabyBjorn Toilet Trainer, £28.95 at John Lewis
Towards the middle of next week I am hoping that as well as mastering the potty Little A will have learnt how to go on the ‘big boy’ loo.  So he doesn’t disappear down there, I have bought a trainer seat which slots straight onto our loo seat.  Ours is this ‘toilet trainer’ (above) from BabyBjorn and as well as being the most aesthetically pleasing it adjusts to different sized loo seats and I think worth the money.

Onto the next genius invention to grace our home for this crucial period.  My Carry Potty is the brainchild of a mother of 3 and is perfect to take with you out and about. Sadly with no lawn to speak of in London Town we will be heading to our usual circuit of parks and playgrounds and this certainly fixes the quandry of what happens when Little A will need to ‘go’.  I am sure my mother would have just turfed me outside but alas urban living and revolting public loos mean I am very pleased that Little A will have his own travel potty.  Its bag free design means it is faff free and you simply empty it when you reach home.  100% leak and odour proof and with a cute handle which Little A has been constantly road testing, I think this will be invaluable once he is potty trained enough to leave the confines of our house.  It is also working a treat as our ‘upstairs’ potty so you don’t have to go to town buying lots of different ones. Perhaps one of the most clever aspects of the My Carry Potty is the fantastic book and sticker chart that comes with it.  Little A really responds to learning from characters in books and seeing George and Hollie’s adventures with their Carry Potty has definitely smoothed the whole process.  So far we have had 2 misses but more promisingly there are 3 stickers on the chart so things are looking up!

My Carry Potty with free Potty Training Storybook is £24.99 and available from Cheeky Rascals.  We got the blue.

We wanted to book a holiday with Little A before his new bro or sis arrives on the scene and so it was off to Egypt we went. At under 10 mins transfer time from the airport, the Four Seasons Sharm El Sheik is quite the find for winter sun.  I shudder at the thought of toddler taming in most luxury resorts but the Four Seasons caters above and beyond for the little people in our lives.  An apple juice awaited Little A in the complimentary transfer car, a pot of Play Doh appeared at check-in and a hamper of nappies, disposable bibs, Johnsons goodies, animal sponges and a flock of rubber ducks lay waiting in the room.  Not only was Little A in tow but Granny came too.  We stayed in a 2 bedroom suite which worked perfectly: Little A was in with us (in a cot already installed by the hotel), Granny had space in her own room with ensuite and we also had a sitting room with kitchen equip.

The resort itself is luxuriously laid out amongst gardens, fountains and with a choo choo – read Funicular – to take you down to the beach what more could Little A dream of.  Ahmed, the golf cart driver, soon became a firm ‘high five’ favourite and all the staff were mega child friendly.  Little A didn’t venture to the kids club but I saw lots of treasure hunts and bake-offs taking place and the resort seems to offer a lot for all ages. My personal favourite was the fact that a travel cot would miraculously appear by your sun lounger should you request it so Little A could enjoy his lunchtime snooze under a poolside cabana whilst you caught the rays. For those more in favour of the beach there is a crate of sand toys for the littlies and a jetty for fish spotting which given the Red Sea location means parrot fish rather than goldfish. On my birthday we took Little A on a glass bottom boat trip which was pretty cool for toddlers and adults alike.

On the food and drink front, 3 restaurants out of 5 were are open to kids and provided kids menus and crayons.  Granny treated us to a night out and whilst she and Little A enjoyed the fab room service, we ventured to the rather slick Sails restaurant overlooking the sea.  All in all I don’t think you would find a more luxury hotel that caters so well for kiddiwinks. Definately a spenny trip but exceptional once you are there.

Ooh if I had a girl.  Special mention goes to this gorgeous Orange Chive Liberty print quilted jacket perfect to step into Spring.

If Little A is about to have a new experience or we are up to something exciting or different from our day-to-day life, I always turn to the classic children’s books starring twins Topsy and Tim to give Little A a steer on what to expect.  We have Topsy and Tim… Go to a Wedding (perfect to prepare for his page duty at the end of the month!) / Go on an Aeroplane/ Have a Birthday Party and best of all I have bought Topsy and Tim: The New Baby.  I am not sure that Little A is entirely au fait with how life will change once the stork visits our house in the summer but these two books have been fab to help with the preparation.