Making Mealtimes a Fun Learning Experience

There has been a lot in the press over recent years about how the British are losing their grip on the meal time traditions that were once considered the norm. Sitting together as a family is so important as not only is it a great opportunity to get the whole family sitting down together at least once a day, it also offers the opportunity for children of toddler age and up to see and mirror your eating habits. 

From Pinterest

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Learning new skills and doing things for themselves are both extremely important. Making mealtimes as fun and as grown up as possible certainly helps when teaching little ones to be big boys and girls at the table. 

Picky Eating 

There are few thing as frustrating when it comes to parenting than having a child who will eat everything and anything one week and only red food the next (how many of you are smiling and nodding or gritting your teeth at the memory of this stage just now?). There are a number of ideas for how to get past the picky stage, from hiding vegetables in sauces and other foods, taking a firm stance or not forcing the issue as your little one will dig their heels in prolong the "I don't like any of this" stage. 

Regardless how you and your family have decided to tackle this fun stage many report that injecting fun into the mealtimes often helps. Food arranged by colour, to make faces, or patterns and more turn boring grown up food into something kids want to try. Many parents find that allowing your child to help shop for ingredients, to choose and to help prepare food also breaks down some of the barriers they've put up. 

The Right Utensils 

A large part of learning to eat with the grown up is all about using the utensils right. These rather lovely Zootensils from Skip Hop are brilliantly designed, making it easy for little hands to grip them properly and over time practice and develop their gross motor skills enabling them to move food to mouth properly with ease. 

They also look great! 

It's Only Mess 

Easy to say I know but it doesn't matter how quickly our children are going to get to grips with eating like big boys and girls, there is going to be a fair but of mess along the way. Bibs and aprons are a must and a great idea for saving time and effort when it comes to clearing up is to place an opened bin bag or messy mat under the highchair or grown up chair to catch the majority of anything dropped. 

Sitting Up at The Grown Up Table

It is very exciting for children being able to sit properly at the table with their family. Swapping a highchair for a booster seat signals the next stage of development. Setting a place for the children with their own dinner mat, own special plate, cup and utensils will go a long way to encouraging them to practice their eating skills. 

As with anything, the more fun and interesting we as parents can make learning something new, be this eating like a big boy or girl or even sleeping in a big bed for the first time, the more likely the transition will be a smooth one. 

Happy mealtimes!

Half Term and Holiday Travel Tips

Are we nearly there yet?

There is nothing quite like travelling, be it a short trip or a longer journey with tired and/or bored children. We've all been there and we all know how stressful it may be on both parents and children. To help avoid these situations we've put together this mini-guide to help you all enjoy a calm, fun and safe journey this half term and for all future road trips.

On The Road

Be Prepared
If you are prepared for the worst anything else may be seen as a bonus. In the event of a breakdown it is essential that you have a breakdown box in the car with drinks, snacks, essential medications and of course things to amuse the children. If you are lucky enough to have broken down near a safe grassed area a ball or a Frisbee makes a great distraction activity (and burns off some of the excess energy) and if not paper games, simple card games and similar novelties will make passing the time before you are back on the road much more pleasant for everyone.

Be Safe
It is essential that the kids are in the right type of car seat for their age and height.  Up until the age of four years children should be a Group 1 car seat. From four years onward the rules are often confused. This handy car booster seat guide from Halfords clears up any confusion about what types are best and for what age. The right type of car seat will keep your children safe in the event of an accident and will also eliminate any discomfort felt which could be occur if the child was in the wrong type/size of car seat.

 Keep The Little Ones Occupied
Avoid boredom by having age appropriate drinks and snacks, toys, games and items which will amuse children throughout the journey to hand. Using a specially designed caddy or over the seat tidy makes it easy for children to access these items themselves.

Car games (knock, knock ding-a-ling was a firm favourite when some of us at Dotty Hippo HQ were younger!) as well as audio books, music and in-car DVD players for longer journeys all offer great solutions for beating travel boredom.

Schedule in Breaks
For long journeys toilet / changing breaks are important however these times also offer a great opportunity for the children to let off steam. If there is a play-park at your rest-stop or an open yet safe area encourage them to stretch their legs and get a little exercise before getting back in the car.

Travelling By Foot

If you are lucky enough to enjoy dry and even warm weather there is no better way to spend your days off and holidays than getting out in the fresh air and going for an adventure. 

Walk Safe

It is never too early to teach your little ones how to cross the road safely and every day trips out as well as holiday outings make for the ideal time to practice these skills. Teaching little ones to hold hands, pushchairs and walk independently is all part of them growing up and thankfully using walking accessories such as the Sure Steps security harness from Diono allows them a little freedom while parents and carers remain in complete control of their safety.

Be Seen

On dull days, early morning and of course in darkness it is essential that when walking out and about that you and your children may be properly seen by road users including cyclists as well as others on the paths. Everyone wearing fluorescent jackets or waistcoats with reflective bands when out and about, as well as having a light and reflective stickers or similar on pushchairs will ensure that your party may be seen at all times.

Carrying Supplies
It is amazing how much "stuff" you tend to take with you when walking out with children. There are snacks, drinks, tissues and wipes, changing items, toys and often much more. Rather than weighing down the pushchair handles and risking tipping whey not use a stroller organiser such as this one to keep everything to hand and safe?

If you aren't using a pushchair anymore and want to keep your hands free for holding little ones and playing use a backpack with handy pockets for everything you need. Ensure that you choose one with two straps so that you may spread the weight of what you are carrying and avoid back ache.

Whatever you have planned for this half term we hope you have a suitably wonderful time!

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6 lovely lunch boxes for girls

Have a look at our lovely girls lunch boxes from from Skip Hop, Stephen Joseph and Beatrix New York - suitable for children to take to nursery or who are starting school .

These lovely Skip Hop girls lunches boxes from Skip Hop are our best sellers - available in Bee, Hedgehog, Owl, Butterfly and Ladybird designs.  Matching straw water bottles are also available.

If you are looking for something a little different, these lunch boxes from Beatrix New York are ideal. Available in a range of designs including Katarina Frog and Penelope Octopus.  Beatrix is a New York City based company devoted to creating cool, contemporary stuff for kids with a grown- up sense of modern design and style.   They have cute characters and colorful graphics and are designed with a focus on simplicity, quality, & fun.

Stephen Joseph are another brand from the USA who have a range of fun lunch box designs - these styles are particular popular for girls starting nursery. All Stephen Joseph lunch boxes have a carry handle and a zipped pocket on the outside.  Designs include ladybird, girl zoo, cupcake, horse and butterfly.

See our lunch boxes page for our full range of boys and girls lunch boxes.

5 great backpacks for younger boys

Have a look at our backpack ranges from Skip Hop, Stephen Joseph and Beatrix New York - suitable for boys from toddler age and up.

The Skip Hop Zoolet is ideal for toddlers who are just learning to walk. A rein attaches to the bottom of the bag and can be removed as your child grows.

The Skip Hop Zoo Packs are a great size for boys who are just starting nursery and are available in a range of designs including this cute shark. Matching lunch boxes and water bottles are available for many designs.

These Stephen Joseph quilted backpacks are great for young boys who are just starting nursery.  Available in a range of designs including including train, shark and construction.  

The Beatrix New York backpacks are available in Little Kid and Big Kid sizes.  The Beatrix New York Little Kid backpacks are ideal for nursery, while the Big Kid backpacks are big enough to carry everything your little boy needs when starting school.  Matching lunch boxes are also available.

Babyface bedding ranges for girls and boys

Children's bedding needs to look great, stay soft through frequent washings and be kind to their skin.  Babyface only use high quality natural fibres in their ranges meaning that their bedding is skin friendly and machine washable. Their designs offer an alternative to TV character themed bedrooms and will last well beyond the toddler years.  The Babyface ranges include a range of designs to suit girls and boys with some including double bed sizes which seem to be getting more and more popular.  




Babyface have just added two new designs to their collection and these are now available to purchase or pre-order from our website.  The Tea Party Cupcake bedding is a great addition to their ranges for girls.  





The range includes a duvet cover with colourful cupcake and bunting appliques, a gorgeous brightly coloured quilt and matching accessories including this lovely cupcake cushion.




Finding bedding for older children can be challenging.  The new Babyface All Stars and Varsity range is great for older boys and we know quite a few girls who would love this design too.  




The range includes an All Stars duvet cover in grey, navy and cream, a colourful quilt and matching accessories including this quilted cushion.  The new Babyface denim rug coordinates with this range perfectly.




The new designs also coordinate well with the existing Babyface ranges including the 100% cotton gingham duvets and accessories.

Babyface Designs Ltd was founded in 2003 when designer and mum Grainne Macey designed her first collection of children’s bedding. Her vision was to produce a high quality, practical yet stylish range of children’ s bedding which would appeal to both parent and child.  Grainne and her sister, Aileen, have continued to develop and expand the Babyface brand over the past ten years. Grainne’s designs follow the latest trends in children’s themes and textiles. Her signature bold colours and attention grabbing style brings a refreshing look to this market. 

Kiddiewinkles 2 in 1 Playhouses and Accessories

Kiddiewinkles presented their range of beautiful playhouses to us and we thought they would make a perfect addition to our existing playhouse range.

We loved the Kiddiewinkles’ unique dual themed 2 in 1 concept and believe this takes creativity to the next level.  We love the idea of a door on both sides of the playhouses – so there is easy access for children to run in and out of with no pushing or shoving to get in through one door!  Plus with intricate embroidery detail on all 4 sides of the playhouses you can turn them around for variety.  Finally, the playhouses inspire even more creative and imaginative play as there is a different theme on the front to the back! 

All the Kiddiewinkles playhouses are available in 2 sizes – I can even stand up inside a large playhouse so it will be a long time before your child grows out of it!!  Kiddiewinkles have kept their designs sophisticated to retain their longevity.  If you buy a playhouse for a young child they really will get years of fun out of them and therefore they offer exceptional value for money.  A Kiddiewinkles playhouse will be a treasured gift for years.

Their popular dual themed ‘Rose Cottage and Tea Shop’ playhouse was the first playhouse introduced to their range.  The front and 2 sides depict an English Rose Cottage with hand embroidered and appliqued butterflies, flower pots, roses and a truly gorgeous picket fence adorning all 3 sides. Turn it around and the back is a quintessential village Tea Shop complete with pink gingham appliquéd shelves, embroidered tea cups, a tea pot and cupcakes – perfect for afternoon tea whatever the weather!

  

The 2 in 1 Enchanted Garden and Fairy Woodland playhouse takes inspiration from fairies at the bottom of the garden and is a delightful, pink playhouse based on a fairytale woodland scene. Adorned with bluebells, daisies, birds and fairies when you turn it around the enchantment continues with a mystical woodland scene. Striking trees bear rosy red apples and fairies twinkle with silver wings and dresses.

The NEW 2 in 1 Gingerbread Cottage and Sweet Shop playhouse is almost good enough to eat with its cute appliqué and embroidered gingerbread men adorning all four sides. Turn this around and it becomes a sweet shop with shelves full of tasty treats including traditional candy canes and swizzle lollipops. 

  

The 3 ‘girls’ playhouse designs offer a nice variety with the different coloured base fabrics.  So if pink isn’t your thing you can always opt for the lilac based playhouse!

Kiddiewinkles didn’t want to leave the boys out so have included a Fire Engine playhouse and striking Wild West Wigwam to their range.  These designs have however proved as popular with little girls as they have done with the boys!

The Wigwam has a natural cotton canvas background featuring a blazing sun on the front. Horse, buffalo and bear appliqué motives are included on each side along with tufts of grass, red and white feathers and a colourful zigzag pattern for authenticity. Perfect for summer days in the garden or as a secret den in a bedroom or playroom, this fun Wigwam design will bring out the cowboy and Indian in all little people! 

Their authentic Fire Engine playhouse will appeal to aspiring young firemen! Hand embroidered and appliquéd wheels complete with lights, fire tools, ladder and a fire hose this bright red design will encourage creative play.  The roof covers half of the fire engine to provide a den or driving area and the rear is open to enable hours of interactive play, putting out ‘pretend’ fires!

Lastly their toy baskets have been really popular for storing allsorts of things in.  My daughter keeps all her soft toys in her pink one. A friend has just had a baby and loved the neutral coloured one for the nursery – perfect for storing muslin cloths, towels etc. in it.

All Kiddiewinkles™ products are made from 100% cotton.  All the playhouses are available in a large and small size. Co-ordinating floor quilts are also available to compliment each playhouse.

Debbie Hulme from Kiddiewinkles™ said: “All parents we speak to believe in imaginative and creative role play for their children.  As a company we are passionate about designing toys that encourage creative play.

“The world of make believe is so important for children’s social and emotional development and at Kiddiewinkles™ we whole heartedly feel that our new 2 in 1 playhouses will allow children to play freely and independently; fuelling their imaginations, inspiring magical play and creating memories that will last a lifetime.”

Children's Backpacks for Nursery and School from Beatrix New York

We are always on the look out for great products and we loved these children's backpacks from Beatrix New York as soon as we saw them.  They are a little more expensive than our other backpacks for children but really high quality and would make a lovely gift for a child starting nursery or school.

Beatrix New York is a US based company devoted to creating cool, contemporary stuff for kids. Beatrix New York backpacks combine a childlike love of whimsy and imagination with a grown- up sense of modern design and style. 

This Little Kid Backpacks are embroidered with a cute character and will hold everything a child needs for a busy day. This nursery backpack is made from durable nylon and easy-to-clean laminated canvas.  Little Kid Backpacks have a small interior zipped pocket, padded back panel and padded shoulder straps. PVC free, lead This Beatrix Big Kid Backpack is large enough to hold text books, lunch, a laptop and more.   One of our favourite designs if the Papar Owl.

Papar Owl Little Kid Backpack - Beatrix New York

The Papar Owl Big Kid Backpack is made from durable nylon and easy-to-clean laminated canvas.  These children's backpacks have a large interior with a small interior pocket, a large front pocket and two side pockets, padded back panel and padded shoulder straps. PVC free, lead free, & phthalate free.  We particularly like the Percival Dino Big Kid Backpack.

Percival Dino Big Kid Backpack - Beatrix New York