Here at The Hip Infant the aim of our blog is to offer busy carers a little whimsy. We aim to fill our blog with interesting products, tid bits and day dreamy thoughts to provide some time-out from busy world of caring for a babe. But today, it’s time to get serious. With summer upon us and the weather heating up, we’re indulging in outdoor bbqs, backyard swimming pools and all the other quintessential activities that come with the Australian summery lifestyle. But as we up our outdoor activity so too do backyard pool drowning incidents. So please, before the silly season gets too busy brush up on your first aid skills. If you haven’t done a first aid course, book in now. Today.

Soon after Goldilocks was born The Blue Eyed Chef and I completed a first aid course run by Kids First Aid. It was great. I didn’t want too much information, if that makes sense, I wanted it geared towards things I would face in daily life. That is, I was more concerned with CPR , dealing with choking and treating burns, than say wrapping a limb after a snake bite (also important, but for me, not a priority). This course was perfect and I highly recommend it.

Run by paramedics, they recount real life stories that made sense to me and that I still remember. I wasn’t looking at pictures in a book I was being told real life situations and thinking how they could relate to me. I wasn’t being tested, I wasn’t required to attend 3 different sessions on a Saturday morning, instead it was a one off 3 hour session that you can take your child too if need be. What’s more, it focused purely on children.

Kids First Aid run courses in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Geelong, Central Coast, Northern NSW/Gold Coast, Newcastle and Canberra. You can either attend a session or if you have a group big enough (say your mothers group, a group of friends also having children or get all your family together, particularly those who might be guardians of your babe – we took my Mum for example) they will run a session for you at home.

The course covers CPR, drowning, choking, breathing problems, fits and fevers, poisons, allergies and anaphylaxis, bites and stings (ok so I did learn how to wrap an arm after a snake bite after all!), burns, electrocution, head injury, fractures, bleeding and meningococcal.

Please, if you haven’t done a first aid course, do the reasearch and book one in now. Life is too short to say ‘if only I had……’.

I love this little comforter from one of our fav brands Ella and Otto.

Not only is the car pattern seriously cute, but made from soft cotton outer fabric and polyester filling little ones will love to snuggle and cuddle up to this bunny.

My best piece of advice when it comes to comforters…if your little one loves their comforter, buy 2! You never know when one will get left at a shopping centre, be dropped from a pram or accidently discarded at the playground. Better to be safe than sorry!

Ok so I’m a little nervous to write about this blog. My last blog on one of our latest hip gadgets The Boon Spoon, generated quite a little controversy on our facebook comments page. So whilst the jury’s out on The Boon Spoon (despite the feedback it’s still walking off the shelves!) hopefully you will all be impressed with the Flexibath.

Anyone who’s had a baby bath knows that once you’re done with it, it’s a pain in the backside! As great as they are for newborns or those without conventional baths they are cumbersome and take up alot of room when they are not in use. The Flexibath is made from polypropylene and is BPA free and it’s real beauty lies in it’s ability to fold into a compact rectangle, that can be stored against a wall, in a cupboard or under a bed! For safety it has a non-slip floor. I think this product is fabulous. Particularly for those families that are pressed for space, live in a shower-only apartment or for families that travel or regularly camp.

Available in 5 stylish colours and measuring in at 65.5cm long and 38.9cm wide (we all know how fast they grow!) you will get some great use out of this with a toddler easily fitting in for some bath time fun!

Splish Splash in the Flexibath!

I’ve talked before about how I’m not a huge fan of ‘gadgets’ and ‘paraphanalia’ but it seems to come with the territory of having a child. I’ve learn’t that there are a few ‘must haves’ and I think I’ve been persuaded to add the Boon Inc Squirt baby food spoon to my ever growing list!

At $19.95 this is a great gadget that is definitely worth a try! Let’s face it. Getting a child onto solids is a messy process, this great little spoon dispenses one mouthful at a time and holds up to six tablespoons. It has a cover to keep it clean and germ free in between use. It makes one handed feeding a snap and is great for when you are out and about.

Most importantly it’s dishwasher safe and BPA and PVC free.

Pull out the Squirt baby food spoon and I can promise all the other carers will be jealous of such a handy and useful product!

Alimrose has long captured the market in the ‘great baby gifts’ category. They continue to produce lovely, sweet rattle designs and nursery accoutrement at cost efficient prices making them the ideal baby shower or hospital visit gift.

The latest that we are loving is from the Flatties Rattle range. Easy to hold, the snug design contains an internal rattle that will delight little moving hands, at $19.95 they are a great gift!  The range includes giraffes and elephants in lovely printed fabrics that suit box sexes.

Check them out, you’ll be impressed! The only hard decision will be which fabric to choose!

We are super super excited to bring you this fabulous new product! Drumroll please…………………The Wean Machine!

I can still clearly remember introducing Goldilocks to solids, at the time it was recommended you introduce at 6 months (this has since changed to 4 months) but she was big and a piggy so I started at about 17 weeks. My GP told me not to rush it, stating that once you start there really is alot of preparation and carry on involved. I ignored her advice and loving mixed up rice cereals with ease. It was only when I started on the vege purees, the peeling, the blending, the freezing in little containers, the defrosting and so on and so on that I realised what she was talking about. Gone where the days of whipping out my boob or a bottle with ease, minimum mess and minimum tidying. All of a sudden I was blending and mashing and washing tiny little containers. It was timely and well….to be honest not that exciting wondering which vegetables I should mix and match. This gadget takes the stress out of the weaning experience producing maximum results for minimum effort and mess!

Let it be said straight up I’m not a huge gadget girl or as I like to call it ‘paraphanalia’ girl. In my experience, particularly in the kitchen you can get by on a few decent pots, pans and utensils. I’m of the school where I don’t have good glasses, china or serveware. I like to use everything all the time. You never know what’s around the corner and it makes me happy to drink out of nice wine glasses rather than save them for special occassions. I’ve found this philosophy also translates to having a child. You start out kinda like when planning a wedding, thinking you need all the bells and whistles and then realise that most loved things turn out to often be the most practical. Well here is one such piece of ‘paraphanalia’ that would be TOP of my wish list if I was introducing a child to solids.

This easy to use Wean Machine contraption makes baby food wherever you are in three easy peasy steps.

1) You simply fill the bowl to the recommended amount

2) Squeeze the handles together

3) Spoon feed your baby (with the included spoon of course) straight from the bowl!

Voila! It couldn’t be more easy!

Best used on ripe fruits and well cooked vegetables, really the options are only limited to your imagination and what is ‘squidgeable’ ie you can’t go feeding a t-bone steak or piece of uncooked apple through The Wean Machine, but cooked pumpkin, potato, pasta in sauce, broccoli, strawberries, bananas and avacados will all make scrumptious mush for your new little eater (not necessarily mixed together!).

The product includes 2 grill covers for the different stages of weaning, is top shelf dishwasher safe and of course it’s BPA and PVA free…one can only ask what’s not to love? Top marks to the inventors of The Wean Machine and…thankyou for making life easier for us!

Check out our weekly Recipe Tuesday blog tomorrow for some exciting weaning puree recipe ideas!

Made from 100% natural rubber and non toxic paints this lovely little Vulli Giraffe teether is great for infants and toddlers when those pesky little teeth are coming in.

Right now we could do with one. Goldilock’s canine teeth are coming through and I’m reminded what it’s like to have a newborn as she wakes up screaming every hour or so in the middle of the night! I should have taken a leaf out of her bestie’s book long ago – he  carries his Sophie with much pride and doesn’t like it if anyone touches it. Having had it since he was a baby, he hasn’t outgrown it and still loves it.

At $34.00 they are a little more costly than your plastic ring that you stick in the fridge (which, can I say I never had any success with) but they will stand the test of time and are suitable from infancy to toddlerdem! I also like the tradition of them too. They are still made exactly the same was as they were in France when first produced in 1961. Like they say….if it ain’t broke don’t fix it?

Anyone who’s read this blog before will know I’m a massive fan of a sleeping bag, particularly the Aden and Anais muslin ones over the warmer months. As the nights get cooler the new Ella and Otto ones will be top of my wish list.

For those new to the sleeping bag game there’s a few things you need to know, things that will help you too become a convert!

They make a great transition from swaddling to sheets. Goldilocks is a tosser and turner and I fear with sheets she would end up under them or without anything on at all and hence cold. So they keep wriggly babies cosy, warm and reduce risk of SIDS.

They are great for travelling or sleepovers. Our’s is a definite cue for Goldilocks that it’s bed and bottle time. She see’s it come out and now says ‘zip up’! We recently flew overseas and it was great on the plane.

Sleeping bags are rated in ‘togs’. They range from 0.5 (sheet equivalent) to 2.5. The great thing is that when you pair them with the right clothes your babe or toddler won’t be hot or cold. So if you’ve got a 2.5 and the night is warm a short sleeve sleepsuit might be all you need.

These stylish little Ella and Otto cocoons are 2.5 rated and include a zip guard to ensure no pinching as the zip goes up! There are four fashion forward designs available, so there’s something to suit every little persons taste! My favourite? The Lollipop Tea Rose.

Give them a go, hopefully you and your babe will love them as much as we do.

My dirty secret..I have a bag fetish. Nothing quite as sophisticated as a nice designer bag fetish. I am obsessed with shopping bags, any type, style colour or size. I use them in the same way most would use a handbag and carry all sorts of ‘stuff’ in them and change them depending on my mood, what I am wearing and where I am going.
So it seems fitting to let you in on another little secret, Fiona Kate Simple Gorgeous Storage extraordinaire is having a super sale on her super cute drawstring bags. Yes for only $5.95 you will receive two gorgeous drawstring bags, they make great gifts especially with Christmas just around the corner. I know I for one have more than a handful of teachers pressies to buy, not to mention aunties and grannies and I know what they will all be getting!
So quick pop on over to Fiona Kate, stock is limited and this is one bargain you do not want to miss out on!

Last week I visited my favourite homewares store who has recently branched out into a clothing store and had a bit of a splurge on a pair of pants.

The pants, from Australian company Sosume are lovely and soft, made with organic and natural fabrics and feel like I’m wearing pyjamas (in truth they probably look like it too). Manufactured in Australia, 3% of the proceeds are donated to charities which promote and aid sustainable development and practices. So the buyers remorse (spending in the GFC and all that) was outweighed by the thought that I was making an ethical purchase and giving a little bit back through my purchase.

To my suprise, as I handed over my credit card the lovely shop assistant told me I could dampen the label and plant it in potting mix only to have a lemon scented bottlebrush grow! Ha! Not only had the (not so) little purchase made my day, it had also made my garden! A nice touch from Sosume. Well done!