Review: MioFresh by Bambino Mio

You may remember back in July I reviewed the MioSolo washable nappy... And loved it! Well, at the time Bambino Mio also sent me a sample of MioFresh to try, but we were only a few weeks into our cloth journey and I decided that I'd let our nappies get some more use before putting it to the test.

The teacher in me likes to do everything at the end of the summer holidays, "before the new term starts". Why sanitising my nappies was important to me, three days before going back to work, I am unsure, but it seemed like a good time!

A couple of weeks back D and I were scratching our heads as our nappies seemed to only be lasting a couple of hours tops. We had initially put it down to the hot weather and E drinking gallons (she's the girl that finishes everyone else's drink at a playdate!), but this was getting silly. I was convinced that the nappies didn't smell 100% clean, but D was sure they were fine, so I took his word for it... And set to work on picking the brains of some of my cloth friends... After a lengthy conversation with one friend, it came to light that my choice of washing powder might have been the root of the problem. I knew you weren't meant to use fabric softener as it clogged the material, reducing absorbency, but I didn't know you couldn't use liquid full stop. Ah! So, last week, ALL the nappies ended up in the bath with some washing up liquid before being rinsed about 10 times in the machine and then washed with powder. Problem solved, hello absorbency! But I still wasn't absolutely sure that they smelled as good as they could... I guess these things take time, but this was my other reason for deciding it was a good time for the MioFresh.

So, yesterday, all our nappies, boosters and wipes were thrown into a big bucket for a soak. Following the instructions I added 15ml per gallon of water (I used 4 gallons) and left them while we went out for the day. I was expecting the MioFresh to have a smell - a good one, like pine, or something antibacterial - but it was completely odourless. After a good six hours of soaking I stuck the nappies in the machine to rinse, as per the instructions, and then for good measure added another 15ml to my normal non-bio powder and stuck them all in on a 60˚ wash (although MioFresh claims to be effective as low as 30˚!). When they came out of the wash, there was no smell. No washing powder smell, no pine, no lemony fresh, no nothing. And now they are dry on the line, they are still without smell. That to me is an indication of exactly how clean they are! No powder smell, no sanitised smell, just fresh. And, I'd go as far as to say they just look a bit brighter, a bit fresher, a bit like they have a new lease of life! 

The instructions on the MioFresh were simple and clear to understand, giving the method for hand washing, soaking and use in the machine. The instructions are also clear to stress that coloured nappies could fade with prolonged use of MioFresh, which is worth bearing in mind if your nappies are all brightly coloured with gorgeous prints! It is 100% chlorine free, for the eco-conscious amongst us and is antibacterial, deodourising, hypoallergenic, biodegradable... All words us mums like to see on products that are coming into contact with our babies skin. MioFresh retails for £4.60 for 750g, which would do 50 washes, or 12 soaks in 4 gallons of water... But I don't anticipate needing to do that for a while! I think that represents great value for money, especially as it's probably something you wouldn't throw in to every wash, to protect your colourful joy, and maybe just use once a month to give everything a good perk up. 

So, here's another product that I will buy, use and recommend. Us cloth parents know that our nappies aren't just nappies, they're an investment, and anything that keeps that looking and smelling good, in my opinion, is worth having, especially if it doesn't hurt the environment or my bank balance in the process. Thanks, Bambino Mio! 

E enjoying what my husband has declared
as his "favourite reusable nappy".

You can visit Bambino Mio here, or visit them on Facebook or Twitter. 

Bambino Mio kindly supplied the above products for free for the purpose of review, however all opinions are my own and completely uninfluenced by Bambino Mio or any other party.

Silent Sunday

When the duck doesn't take to water and other stories

Raising your child is full of milestones. You're always moving towards something, they're always achieving something, you're always excited about them, or apprehensive about them or occasionally dreading them... Just as I write a friend has posted this status on Facebook:

Daughter can now open doors. Uh oh.

Milestones can present us with new challenges. Some challenges are fun and some are... challenging. But irrespective of the frustration it may cause, underneath it's another reason to be proud of them.

Some of these milestones aren't just about our children achieving. Some are emotional hurdles for us as parents too. I remember the first night I left E in her crib and went back downstairs at 8:30pm rather than just going to bed with her. I was glued to the monitor, terrified that she'd stopped breathing. Then at 10 weeks she was too big for that crib and we moved her into her room. I sobbed and sobbed and almost mourned for my tiny (well, as tiny as she ever was!) baby who seemed to be growing up so fast. Fast track to Christmas and my little girl was starting to walk. She was so independent, even if a little unsteady and always busy. I was GUSHINGLY proud but it was just another thing to get my head around. They don't need us in quite the same way forever. The list goes on. When we said good bye to bottles I was overjoyed that I could perhaps have a KitchenAid in 

place of a steriliser, but it was just another tick on the sheet signifying that we were getting into toddler-dom, waving goodbye to our baby days. The list goes on... The muslins being packed away, buying a toothbrush, when she started seeming to enjoy "helping out" with chores... Watching her care for her dolly. All amazing, heartwarming, but all a little bit sad. E has taken everything in her stride. I have been more worked up about all this than her! 

However this week we've come up to a milestone that I've not been apprehensive about. I've not been sad that the time has come. I felt that she was ready and I needed to support the girls at her nursery in something that was becoming a bit of an issue.

It was time for a bed.

I'm sure I've mentioned before but the one thing I will be a boasty-pants about is how good a sleeping E is. No nonsense, no messing around, sleeping though from very early on. So to me if didn't occur to me that swapping the cot for a toddler bed would be an issue.

And it probably could have been a lot worse. But night one was a nightmare. 

Despite an initial excitement for what seemed to be a small indoor trampoline, when it came to leaving her to it last night she screamed. And when I eventually felt the need to go back in, madam had found every tactic under the sun to delay my leaving again. Books. More books. Shall we read "un-ooor", she asked, holding up one finger, often used for negotiating TV shows on iPlayer and biscuits. Having read several more than "un" I went to leave again. Cue hysterics, door slamming... Eventually my husband found her asleep in her armchair. I transferred her, and she slept well until 4:30 this morning. I cannot recall what happened in that hour, but the travel cot was deployed at 5:30. She slept until 8:30, resulting in a lie in... Every cloud. 

So, options. Put the cot back up. Persevere. Bed guard. Run away and hide.

I decided that I couldn't just put it away. Mama H doesn't give up. She will win! So, I enjoyed lunch with friends and left with a borrowed bed guard... It was assembled pre bed (after she awoke from napping in her bed... She just went down asleep from the car...) and at bed time it seemed to dramatically change her opinion on the matter. Even if it made it trickier to get in and out of. 

I left her to it at 7pm. There was some shouting. Cow came over the stair gate. She made my feel bad repeatedly calling "mimi", furniture was rearranged and the door was slammed. It went silent at 7:45 and when I popped up she was reading in her arm chair. I returned at 8:10 fully expecting to find her snoring like Grandpa in the chair again. But no...

SHE WAS IN HER BED! And I was so elated I took a photo and then logged straight on to blog about it.

I know this isn't the end of the journey. I know that tomorrow night will still be tricky. I am fully ready for a 4am wake up tomorrow. But I feel like we've made progress and actually, I think my instincts were right. She was ready for this. I must trust my mummy instincts... She just didn't fancy it all that much to start with... And why not, those cot bars are all she's known since we left those plastic hospital cots behind.

And of course, I am AS EVER, gushingly proud of you, little E. As ever. Sweet dreams.

My friend's pregnancy in photographs

Mummy Morkus over at Life and Times of Mummy Morkus has written a post all about her pregnancy in pictures... Which I took!

She's a new blogger, writing about her adventures with her daugher who I was convinced would be a son.

You can see more of the photographs here and her newborn pictures here.

Happy humpday! 

Don't forget you can follow me on Twitter (@oneformybaby12) or Instagram (@thursdayschildfridaysthoughts).

Big foot

"Oh she DEFINITELY has your eyes!"
"She looks so much like daddy in this picture!"
"She's just your mini-me."
"Her hair is just the texture of D's hair"

The list could go on. When I found out I was expecting E, I dreamed for hours of what she would look like. My husband's gene pool is strong and everyone expected her to look like daddy, or his sister. She doesn't. She looks more and more like me, just with bright blue eyes and much lighter hair. My nose, my curls... My big, wide feet. She treads lightly on the earth, but unfortunately not on my bank card, it would seem, as her feet cause shoe doom every time we go to the shoe shop.

When she started walking at 9 months her feet were a 3H. So the choice of shoes were pink or pink. At Christmas. To clash with all of those lovely red Christmas knits. And to try and keep the cost down over the last 8 months I've settled for shoes I don't *love*. But it seems to have become more of an issue recently. In May we paid £39 for some sandals - continental DARLING - because even a Start-Rite H cut into her feet at the sides. And they lasted 8 weeks exactly, as her feet have grown at a rapid pace. You see, E's issue isn't just that her feet are elephant wide, they're also super chubby on top, which makes t-bars an issue, jelly shoes a no go, and high street a bit of a ballache. 

So, I noticed the other week her toes were handing over the ends of her sandals. Super. Off to the shoe shop we go. Thankfully we have a WONDERFUL independent children's shoe shop in Thrapston, Funky Lil Feet, who are honest, helpful and super dooper lovely... And they have a loyalty card system. Double win. Out came TWENTY boxes of shoes. Too narrow, cut in, digging in a bit, can't get her feet in... Until we came to the Little Pets, by Petasil. Campus in Turquo. They fit like they're made for her.

I won't lie, I nearly died at the price tag. £49. I don't spend that on my own tootsies. But that said, I feel I can justify the cost. A little. And here's why.

These shoes are BEAUTIFUL. Where is the adult size 8?! A beautiful peacocky-turquoisy-green with a little flower detail on the front. Feminine, but not girly girl. Gorgeous floral print insoles with a well built in-step and cushioned edge around the top of the heal. The soles are transparent and through them you can see more flowers! A prod with my fingers tells me the insoles are squidgy and divine. They feel sturdy and well built. A good length of velcro on the fastening ensures that any foots is well secured in the shoes, and the velcro in sewn on well.

They don't dig in anywhere. That's the first time I've felt that her shoes are perfect for her wide and chubby H-widths. They don't cut in, rub, leave marks. She has been out for hours in them. She runs and skips and plays in them. They have growing room.

And while they're perfect for the summer, they're hardwearing enough to see her into autumn as a trip out in damp weather on Saturday proved. And, despite them being more expensive that your Start-Rites or Clarks, having looked on the Petasil website I'll be going back for her winter boots because every pair of shoes is equally as stunning and gorgeous as these.

I think the saying "you get what you pay for" is what I'm looking for here. Comfort, style, fit, practicality and no compromises. And then it comes to fashionable little feet, that's what it's all about.

Easy crochet hat

Last month I took up crochet. I was seeking a hobby that I could do in front of the television: My photography is a whenever affair but the processing all takes place upstairs on the iMac and my sewing machine projects happen in the dining room. Both quite antisocial, away from the husband, my weekly favourites on TV and quite intensive. Cannot be done while E plays. Having failed at knitting in my youth, I thought I'd try crochet and one of the girls at work taught me before we broke up... Safe to say, I am HOOKED! *pun*

I've already made E and my step-mother scarves for the winter, and am in the process of a gorgeous blanket for Charlie's baby. I'm learning to make decorative roses, but have mastered a simple hat, and thought I'd share the "pattern" with you. I say pattern, because some of the process was done by eye and guess work... See what you think.

My hat was made from Sirdar Indie Riot wool, which is super chunky and marbled. I chose Flint Creek. It's easy to crochet with with a 8mm needle and is lovely and soft! 

E's hat (v1 & 2 - v1 being a smidge too small so headed for my god daughter!) is made from James C Brett Marble Chunky in MC8 and I worked with an 8mm needle for this too. I love the way it forms natural stripes irrespective of how wide you go. Magic wool! 

I bought the Sirdar from Hobbycraft as I popped in for something else, but the rest of my wool I've bought from independent sellers locally. Please try and support your local shops!

So this "pattern" is made up from nosing around other patterns I found online and finding something I could a) understand and b) mess about with easily to make different sizes. I am going to try and write down what I did for the adult hat and note any differences for the toddler hat, but a lot of it, once I got going was really about judging size by eye, which is why the smaller of the kids hats is probably a little too long for the width. Obviously the chunkiness of your wool will have an impact too. I'm not being very helpful am I?! Good luck! I'm very much a beginner and as long as you're familiar with the basics I'd say it wouldn't cause you too much bother. I'd welcome feedback, and if you're stuck for stitches, I always refer to this fab site for help. 

1. Chain (Ch) 3.

2. Slip stitch (Sl st) into the first ch to make a ring. You need to leave a hole in the ring for the next stage, but you can tighten it later.

3. Ch 2, double crochet (dc) 11 into the middle of the ring. Once complete, pull the tail from when you cast on to tighten the ring (else you'll have a hole in the top of your hat. Not ideal!(

4. For the next round, ch 2, dc 2 in each stitch around to the end and then join the round with a slip stitch and pull tight.

5. For the next round, ch,2, dc 2 in the next stitch, then dc 1 in the next two stitches and repeat all the way round then join the round with a slip stitch and pull tight.

6. Repeat stage 5. Alternating the stitch keeps the top of the hat flat and it should look like you're making a coaster.

7. At this point, you need to decide if the top of your hat looks wide enough. For the toddler hat, I did another round like this because the wool is thinner and it doesn't grow so fast. What I will mention is that you want it to be a bit smaller than you think it should be. You'll be surprised, I think. Once you're happy, you're going to follow stage 8.

8. Ch 2, dc 1 in each stitch and slip to join at end of round. Looking at my adult hat, I think that's about 9 or 10 rounds (should have written it at time of making!) and the toddler hat 12 rounds. Keep putting it on the head of the recipient and make sure you don't get so carried away it covers their eyes! Allow for the final two rows which are a bit different and will be wider than any previous two rows!

9. Ch 3, then triple crochet (tc) into each stitch. Sl st to join at the end. 

10. Ch 2, then dc into each stitch. Sl st to join at end, pull tight and cast off.

11. Weave in your ends on the inside of the hat to hide them.

12. Add an optional bobble.

Embracing creativity

18 months ago, this was my worst nightmare.

Now I secretly quite enjoy this.

Embracing creativity. That's me.

Tomorrow, I continue my "Wing it" series, with something which looks dull but is proving desperately popular at home at the moment.