Clothes for Kids enjoying the Summer Music Scene

With Festival Season well and truly under way, it seems as though no weekend throughout the summer months is complete without a music festival.  Once upon a time, it was the infamous Glastonbury Festival which dominated this niche.  However, the last decade has seen many others begin to emerge – V Festival, Reading Festival, Download Festival, Party in the Park, O2 Wireless Festival – the list goes on. 

However, there has been an unusual and unexpected development in recent years where festivals are concerned: they are attracting more and more families.

Mums and Dads pushing buggies towards the Pyramid Stage was virtually unheard of fifteen years ago.  However, music festivals are becoming increasingly family friendly.  Glastonbury itself has The Kidz Field – a massive festival within the festival, complete with appearances by children’s TV personalities, activities, attractions and play areas.  The music festival, it seems, is providing a funky twist on the traditional camping holiday.

We are all familiar with imagery of teenage crowds dressed in their baggy grunge-style clothing, moshing away to their favourite songs.  So, if you’re parents with young children and you’re planning to take your little ones along to a music festival, what on earth do you dress them in?  How do we go about kitting out the kids for a hip, outdoor event, and, is there a solution which honours the peace-loving, environmentally-friendly traditions of a festival like Isle of Wight’s Bestival (whose tagline is “Increase the Peace”) whilst staying on-trend and being comfortable too?

You will be pleased to know that there is.  Boys&Girls is a company which specialises in ethical clothing for children .  They only use 100% organic GOTS and fairly traded FLO certified cotton for their entire range.  Also, if you were thinking that organic clothes translates to “boring” or “hippie”, think again!  Boys&Girls pride themselves on designing funky kids clothes that are in keeping with the latest trends as well as being comfortable too.  “More “parks & playgrounds” than “paddocks & ponies”,” says their website, “we combine brilliant colours, the softest quality fabrics and distinctive designs to create clothing that is perfect for today’s vibrant, urban lifestyle.”  There are clothes suitable for all weathers too, taking into account the changeable nature of a typical, British summer.

Boys&Girls cool kids clothes are just the thing for the festival circuit this Summer – durable during play, comfortable enough to wear all day, cool, fairly-traded cotton fabric to keep their skin cool in the sunshine, and bright, cheerful colours to celebrate the season.  Just knowing the children are comfy and happy will allow you Mums and Dads out there to sit back and enjoy the music.

One job I really could live without is sorting out my childrens toys (they are 8 and 4).  Once packaged up as a lovely present are now a pile of bits.. nothing complete, gathering dust and taking up space.

Sitting amongst the pile of bits are 3 plastic boxes full of bits…

Big Bits, small bits and pink bits…

But i have no desire to throw these away.  Even if they loose some bits it doesn’t matter!

This toy has been played with again and again and again.  Always evolving, keeping up with trends, it’s appeal spans age groups and genders.  I think an entire house was once built with it..

It’s LEGO!! 

So what’s next for this lovable brand?

When Dottie and Belle contacted me and asked me to try out their Cake Kits I jumped at the chance.  I am no baker neither is my partner so the challenge was on!   

Dottie and Belle was set up by Zoe and Sophie, mothers of young children.  Following the revival home-baking they realised that a lot of busy parents just don’t have the time to embrace it or the inspiration to make a special cake for the special people in their life.  When I browsed their website I was very impressed with the choice and the themes available from Dinosaur, Cowboy and Indian, Ballerina, Spaceman and Chocolate Star Cake plus others.   I opted to try out the Pony Cake Kit   (scroll down to see my version!) and you have a choice of plain sponge or chocolate sponge.  Each cake serves up 40 little portions.

The kit arrived in a beautiful pretty pink box, tied with rafia and contained all the ingredients, proper cake tins, cake board, recipe card and all the decorations.  All I had to do was provide eggs, milk and butter.  I made the cakes first and then set to icing and decorating the cake.  When finished I stood back and was quite proud of myself… what do you think?

Each cake costs £36 and takes 5-7 days to arrive at your door.   The finishing touches such as the figarines and sprinkles make these kits very special.  I also felt that they introduce a bit of nostalgia with the traditional themes and the figarines can be packed away and used another time.

As a one-off creation for a special occassion these kits are great and if you are no baker it will give you a sense of achievement, plus it might impress your kids.

To compliment the kits they have created 6 traditional party bags for your little guests to take home.

Personally I don’t think you have to be little to enjoy receiving one of these cakes, I already have my eye on one for a grown up birthday party!

For details and pictures of all the cakes please visit their website www.dottieandbelle.co.uk

Have you checked out our Parenting Directory?  If you are looking for useful services and products  to make your life easier then a browse through it is worth your while.

Take for example  Trotters  they appear in the Children’s Shoes Section but they offer far more… much, much, more   

 Tell me more?

They are a  small family owned company who set up their first shop in October 1990 solely dedicated to children.  They cater for 0-10 year olds. They offer exclusive brands which are great value and unique.  These include the gorgeous Confiture and the hugely popular Chelsea Clothing Company.

Where else can you buy your children a new outfit, have their feet measured and then finish off the experience with a smart new haircut while they sit in-front of an aquarium. 

Plus they offer a professional service and also the ‘Trotters promise’ which hasn’t changed over 21 years.  But during this time they have opened new shops, an on-line store and you can find them on Facebook.

Shop

They have 4 stores in London and 1 in Guildford.  

But I don’t live anywhere near those locations

Read on… it’s worth it!

Why is it more than Shoes?

Ok, apart from shoes they sell babies and childrens wear, accessories, beachwear including sun protection clothes and sunglasses, gifts and gift vouchers.

Hairdressing Salon

Kids come from far and wide to be treated to the great experience that is a Trotters haircut. They get to sit amongst the fish in our magnificent aquarium and first haircuts are rewarded with a special certificate for bravery that can be kept for life to remember the experience.

On-line Store

They now have a very helpful on-line store to purchase all items that can be found in the shop from the comfort of your home.  The exception being haircuts or shoe fitting.

Blog and Diary of a New Mum

Read their Blog which includes up to date news and weekly Diary of a New Mum written by their Operations Manager who has just returned from maternity leave.

Events

They offer lots of events, check out their website for a monthly ‘What’s On’ Diary. 

A couple of events coming up:

Foot Health Day on 5^th May at their Guildford Branch which includes a 10% discount on footwear all morning.

Postnatal Yoga Evening on 4^th & 11^th May in a couple of their London Shops.  Including Q&A and Goodie Bags!

At Parenting we Love Trotters, hope you do too!

So next time you are looking for children’s wear check them out, or have a browse through our directory for other fantastic products and services.

Please help us to create an even better Directory…

Do you have a Parenting Service you think should join our directory ?  

Can’t find what you are looking for then let me know juliet@parenting.co.uk.  

 This Easter the Science Museum have fun packed activities and are giving you the chance to win an overnight stay!

The winner of this unique prize will enjoy an overnight stay in the Science Museum, for one adult and five children.

The competition winners will enjoy an evening of entertaining demonstrations as they explore new exhibits, including dinner, and breakfast the next day after sleeping next to the tracks of the incredible Sno-Cat – the vehicle which was used in the first expedition across the Antarctic in 1958.

People wanting to enter the competition simply need to visit the Science Museum Facebook page and answer 5 simple questions. Most of the questions are in relation to the brand new exhibitions and displays that are opening at the Museum this Easter.

The new Science Museum exhibits include historic Antarctic Sno-Cat vehicle, golden time-eating clock with no digits or hands and the complete attic workshop of one of the great engineers. 

Find out more about this competition by visiting http://www.facebook.com/sciencemuseumlondon      

To find out more about what’s going on this Easter at the Science Museum and for answers to all 5 competition questions visit: http://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/easter

During our ‘ASK THE EXPERT LIVE FORUM’ last week one parent asked for advice regarding the morning rush.   

Question:     I would really appreciate your input. Over the past year I’ve tried several approaches to engage my almost 6 yr old son in the morning routine, with pretty poor results. Pre school preparation is frantic,stressful and draining for all concerned. He has an 8 yr old & 3 year old brother so as you can imagine, helping him to adopt any concept of time & urgency would be welcomed all round.He is generally a well behaved boy who just wants to play and despite his determination to stay focused on the task in hand (dressing, eating breakfast…)he is repeatedly distracted. For both our sakes – is there any possibility of breaking this cycle?

 

Mornings and young children are a tricky combination. There is nothing like a 6 year old strop to bring everything to a crashing halt. And however much you try, it would take patience of saintly proportions to remain calm having asked your little cherub to ‘please get your shoes and put them on nicely’ for the sixth time! The trouble is if the morning starts off with yelling, shouting, cajoling, threatening and tears all round, the day has gone downhill before it’s even started.
It may be tricky to get a routine established at first, you’ll probably come up against resistance with one or two of the above, and there may still be days when chaos rules … but if you persevere with calm resolve and let everyone know what’s expected of them, mornings in your house can be transformed and everyone can start out with a real chance of having a nice day! 

Eight top tips for stress-free mornings:

1. The night before is crucial, get as much done as possible to take the pressure off the morning. So, prepare lunchboxes, check with older ones if they need anything special for the next day, and make sure homework is done. (Nothing worse than a last-minute rush over breakfast!)
2. Get up first, get dressed and start the day as if you mean it. You may have to start earlier and resist the lure of an extra 10 minutes’ snooze but the payoff of a stress-free morning is worth it!
3. Decide which order works best in your house. Some households work better having breakfast first then getting dressed, some the other way around. Decide which is best for you and your kids.
4. Switch off the TV. Dragging kids away from CBeebies is a real challenge, one best avoided! Having said that, it could work as an incentive for them to have 10 minutes of TV once they’re actually ready.
5. Keep your expectations realistic about how much your child can do on their own to get themselves ready. Some kids love to get dressed, others need help. it could be worth compromising by helping them with some tasks and encouraging them to do other things by themselves. A star chart could work here, perhaps with drawings or cut-out pictures of around five tasks to be achieved. These work best if kept simple!
6. A few minutes positive attention can go a long way. Here’s where sitting down to breakfast together can double up as a nice chat about the day ahead giving your child a confidence boost at the same time.
7. Avoid shouting! It may take superhuman powers to avoid getting angry when a small person is playing up but as soon as you’ve lost it, the situation is likely to escalate into tears, more shouting, and everyone feeling wretched. Meeting them at eye level, listening, then responding in a calm voice can take the heat out of the situation.
8. Build in an extra few minutes for those last minute crises which are sometimes unavoidable.

This tips were given to use by Parent Confidential. 

Would be very interested in your thoughts.

 Sugar and Spice and all things nice…..

Apparently having 2 girls makes for the most harmonious family life. Doubling that number leads to dramas and 4 fights a day on average The second most satisfactory combination is 1 boy and 1 girl. The third most satisfactory is 2 boys.

It seems the more girls you have the more of a handful they will become, more so in fact than boys. 

The research carried out by http://www.bounty.com concluded that those with bigger families found it harder to keep peace on a daily basis.  In fact families with four children of any gender found it harder .  Meal times, mornings and the bedtime routine emerged as key areas which become difficult with four children.

According to this research they came up with a list of ‘Best’ to ‘Worst’ combinations.  Here’s a rundown of the top 12 starting from the best:

Two girls

One boy and one girl

Two Boys

Three girls

Three boys

Four boys

Two girls and one boy

Two boys and one girl

Three boys and one girl

Three girls and one boy

Two boys and two girls

Four girls

Where do you rank in these findings?  Would love to hear about your experiences.

 In the Night Garden are going on

a Live UK Tour.

Get tickets early to avoid disappointment! Buy Now 

 I was recently approached by Child’s i Foundation to spread the word regarding their Mother’s Day Campaign for abandoned children and vulnerable mothers in Uganda.  Every year hundreds of babies are abandoned due to poverty, disease and violence.

As a mother I would rather the money that would have been spent on a gift for me to go to a worthy cause. 

Don’t get me wrong I love chocolates and flowers but these are things that are not essential to my life (i can already hear ‘speak for yourself’!').  Plus my family (including me) are they type who leave to the last minute and spend more than we have on something that is a ‘token gift’. 

So this may be the perfect solution and I can always insisit on something that costs nothing but means a lot… quiet house, breakfast in bed, homework done without having to ask.. the list goes on.

This is what your money could buy:

Clean drinking water for a week

A care bundle for a child going home to their family

Milk formula for a baby for a month

(This is just a sample of gifts you can view them all on the Child’s i Foundation website).

These gifts are desperately needed supplies for Babies Home, Family Placement team and Prevention Centre in Uganda.  In Uganda poverty, disease and violence leads to hundreds of babies being abandoned every year. Child’s i Foundation is helping to solve this endemic problem.

Send a Card to Someone Special

If you choose to buy a gift on behalf of somebody else this Mother’s Day, Child’s i Foundation will  send that person a handwritten card featuring one of our beautiful babies explaining just what a difference their gift is making to families in Uganda.

There are six different designs to choose from, just tell them if you’d like to send a card, who it is for, and any special message you’d like to include when you buy your gift.

Alternatively you can buy a card for a minimum donation of £5.

What do you think? Are you already doing something different, let us know!

50% Discount to all Parenting Followers until end of March

Findababysitter.com has 1,000′s of babysitters, nannies, au pairs, childminders, housekeepers, childcare jobs and more on their database. 

It is free to search for your specified area and type of childcare required with affordable plans for parents to contact recommended childcare professionals.

Until the end of March they are offering you a huge 50% discount.

Just visit Findababysitter and type in PARENTING at the checkout.

Offer ends 31st March 2011

 Check out an article written exclusively for Parenting about finding childcare that is suitable for your needs.