Children's Mental Health with Born Founder Eva on the Bristol Health Hub Radio Show

This week's BCfm Health Hub Radio Show focused on the mental health of our children in school.  Can diet, exercise and mental attitude at school support children to be less stressed and more capable of coping with the demands of modern day life?

This question created a fascinating debate on the show and it was great to hear the experiences of  Chantele from Kids Company, a charity which, like the Health Hub's Engaging Minds programme, goes into schools to teach kids how to be in control of their feelings but to also understand the source of those thoughts.

As my focus is more on the 0-2 age group, I was interested in how we as parents can prepare our children for the big wide world by helping to instill resilience and calm from a very young age.  When kids are supported at home when they are young, they will be less inclined to be stressed when they get to school.

If we really think about it, kids just do what they see, so if we are stressed and living in a cortisone (stress hormone) induced haze they will learn that that is 'normal'.  The point I made on the show was that as parents, we have to be the change we want to see in our children.  One way to do this is to educate ourselves and change our behaviour.  I do believe it's never the child's 'fault'; we have to take responsibility when our kids are behaving in a way we don't like.

There are lots of great books on the subject, my all time favourite being 'How to Talk so Kids will Listen and Listen so Kids will Talk'. The authors, Adele Faber and Elaine Mazlish, have a great website with lots of useful information.  For those who prefer experiential learning I'd really recommend Partnership Parenting, run by Bristol store customer Alice Sheldon.

Another great resource for parent is http://emotioncoaching.gottman.com which highlights the importance of emotional intelligence for children.

You can hear the recording of the 27th of January show here and every Tuesday 10-12 live online or BCfm 93.2fm

Love
Eva

Visit Borndirect.com to see our full range of parenting books

Pot Noodles with a difference!

The chatter in the Born office this week has centred around the virtues of a decent flask (we need to get out more!) and at the risk of sounding like elderly aunts, it appears that on long walks or picnics in the chilly weather, we are never without a trusty flask.

Which is why we are all exclaiming over the brilliance of the Insulated Food Jar from Skip Hop. These brightly coloured stainless steel containers are food flasks for little ones - perfectly sized for child-size portions of whatever warming goodies you want to fill it with. These flasks are BPA-free, PVC-free & Phthalate-free, so you know that they're completely safe and hygienic for your child to eat from, and they'll keep food warm for up to 7 hours - that's an entire school day!

These flasks couldn't be more child friendly - decorated with either the owl or the monkey from the Skip Hop Zoo range, each one comes with it's own spork (a mix of fork and spoon) which clips neatly into its holder.


You can buy both the Owl and the Monkey Food Jars from Born.  Here's a very simple "Pot Noodle" Recipe that we think would be perfect to fill the jars!



The alternative vegetable "Pot Noodle"

1. Take a portion of dried plain egg noodles and cook according to instructions, using either boiling water or stock.

2. Separately, lightly stir fry some spring onions, a little ginger and garlic and any veg that you have to hand.

3. Add the cooked noodles into the pan with the veg and mix lightly.

4. Pop into the insulated jar and wait till lunchtime!

The Wishbone 3-in-1 Balance Bike and Trike - Born to be Wild!

The fantastically cool Wishbone is not just any balance bike - it's a transformer! It converts from three-wheeled trike to a lightweight, stable balance bike then to a larger "running bike", perfect from toddler through to pre-school!

"I WISH… With hindsight, my garage would not be filled with outgrown ride–on toys and trikes; there would simply be a single wooden Wishbone running bike from New Zealand, and my four–year–old would probably still be riding it today." - Daisy Bridgewater, The Daily Telegraph


The Wishbone is a multi-award-winning (so it's not just us who loves it!) and beautifully styled unique balance bike that evolves with your little one through three stages of childhood.  Designed and made in New Zealand to encourage your child to learn to steer and balance and made from sustainable ash and birch, the Wishbone is the ultimate bike that will be loved by children and their parents... (Parents - remember to let your kids have a go too!)

'What's different about the Wishbone?' we hear you ask. Unlike many other balance bikes, the wishbone is a trike, a balance bike and a 'running' bike, so you only need to ever buy one bike to see your little one through from when they have taken their first steps to when they are walking to school!


Stage 1 - The Trike
When your little one is first walking, the Wishbone is a trike, with the three wheels giving superb stability, yet it's still lightweight enough to manoeuvre easily.

Stage 2 - The Balance Bike
At around the age of two or three, you can convert the trike into a two-wheeled balance bike, so your little one can sit on it and practice balancing and steering. They might be a little wobbly to start, so this stage is designed for little feet to still be close to the ground.

Stage 3 - The Running Bike
This is where your little one finds freedom! At around 4 or 5, flip the frame to give the bike more height. Your child can confidently sit on the bike and "run", lifting their feet up when they want to free-wheel, but still be able to brake easily with their feet. The Wishbone is the largest "running" bike currently on the market.

Find out more or order your Wishbone now from Born - at just £159.99 and free delivery, it will last from the first toddle through to the first 'Big Kid" bike!


The Wishbone Hall of Fame

• Winner, Best Eco-Toy Award in the Junior Magazine Design Awards 2012. 
• Listed in TIME Magazine's Design 100
• Highly Commended in the Junior Magazine Design Awards 2011
• Best Green Toy, Dr Toy USA

 

Top 10 Tips on How To Maintain Your Pushchair

Buggies and Strollers don't come cheap, so when you've got one, you need to look after it! Keeping it in good condition will not only ensure that your little one is safe and comfy, it'll increase the chances of the buggy lasting for any siblings that come along! Our friends at Buggy Pitstop maintain and repair pushchairs all day long and they've given us their Top 10 Tips for making sure your pram or stroller will last for as long as your family needs it!

There's a baby in there somewhere! (photo: Daily Mail)

Tip 1

Prevent expensive repairs on your pushchair by not putting too much shopping on the handle bars. Hanging heavy bags can weaken the handle or folding mechanism and pushchairs can also tip over very easily with your baby still in it.


Tip 2

Spray some Silicon spray on wheels and moving parts regularly, to stop them seizing up.
(If you don't have Silicon spray, try some furniture sprays that contain silicon.)

Tip 3

Keep mould from forming by wiping the buggy down frequently and clean up spilled food and drinks as soon as they occur. 

Tip 4

When storing the pushchair keep it in a dry location. If you choose put it into a plastic bag or bin liner, make sure you pierce some holes for it to breath.


Tip 5

If someone else is going to use your pushchair for the first time, please instruct them on how to fold and open it.  Brute force is NOT required!


Tip 6

When using a pushchair with air filled wheels make sure you don't overfill them with air, as they can burst.

Tip 7
Replace wheels when you see wear and tear. This will make your life easier and will prevent other faults accruing.


Tip 8

When loading your pushchair into a car, make sure you don't overcrowd it or pile too many heavy things on top, as this can buckle and weaken your buggy.


Tip 9

When climbing or descending stairs, be very careful. The pushchair was NOT designed to bounce up and down! Equally, the handles were not designed to pull the buggy up steps with the child still in it.


Tip 10

If you're visiting the beach or if you live at the coast, make sure you rinse your pushchair thoroughly with a hose. Salt water and humid salty air erodes medal parts on the buggy incredibly quickly.

Wembley-based Buggy Pitstop will professionally clean and service your old pushchair, with prices from £50, depending on the make.  This service is ideal for sprucing up your buggy ready for a new baby, with Buggy Pitstop claiming to remove up to 99.9 percent of bacteria or mould. Professional cleaning is also a good idea if you’re thinking of selling your buggy (you're more likely to sell it faster or get more money for it!) or planning to buy a second hand pram.

In addition to cleaning, Buggy Pitstop offer repair services and spare parts.

Born in Stoke Newington, London is a Drop-off & Collection point for Buggy Pitstop, with collection days each Tuesday. Visit Buggy Pitstop for more information or to download a booking form.

The Born Sale - Not Just For Babies!

We've got some great clothes for babies & children in the Born Sale, but there are treats for the adults too! Our pregnancy clothes have a fantastic 50% off!

This gorgeous Maternity and Breastfeeding Vest from Boob is great for casual or smart wear and ideal for those hot summer months... Now reduced from £40 to just £20!
















Team it with these immensely comfortable Maternity Slim Pants also from Boob that look and feel amazing! The top can be folded down so you can wear them over or under your bump... Now just £22.50.

We love the Birthing Wrap by Womama - Wear during pregnancy as a dress, a casual wrap over jeans, a wrap for birthing in and a post birth nightie, ideal for nursing - in our sale for just £29.50, but stock is moving fast...

Don't forget to check out our selection of HOTmilk Maternity and Nursing Bra's and Underwear, they feel gorgeous, they look amazing and with sale prices from just £8, what's not to love?!



To see our full range of sale items, visit the Born Sale at Borndirect.  If you're local to Stoke Newington, London or Gloucester Road, Bristol,  call into one of our shops to see what bargains are on offer in store!

The Old UPPAbaby Vista & New Vista 2015 Pushchairs - We Review the Difference

February 2015 sees the arrival of the UPPAbaby Vista 2015 Pushchair. So what's the difference between the new Vista 2015 and the older "Classic" Vista?


The Vista 2015 can take two carrycots or two infant car seats at the same time 
Perfect for twins, the new design enables the use of two rear facing carrycots or two rear-facing infant car seats. When you buy the Vista 2015, one carrycot is already included so if you want to double up, you will need to buy an additional carrycot and the upper and lower adapters.  We guess that most people will buy the same colour carrycots, but if you're feeling inspired, why not mix and match?!

We love that both carrycots and car seats can be rear-facing - so important for bonding, especially in those early stages.

The New Rumble Seat
The old, classic Vista had a Rumble Seat that enabled you to turn the buggy into a double. The new 2015 design of Rumble Seat reclines and can be used for rear or forward-facing. The 2015 Rumble Seat gives you loads of options and freedom to make sure your Vista adapts for you and your family - use it with a carrycot, an infant car seat or the stroller seat, so again, it's brilliant for twins but perfect for a toddler and a baby.

The 2015 Rumble Seat is available separately (it's not included in the price of the Vista 2015) and comes in all colours to match the strollers, not just the black! We think the Indigo and the Silver would look really nice as a combination - it's your chance to get creative!

Stronger Frame
UPPAbaby has strengthened the frame of the Vista 2015, probably to further support it's role as a double stroller. But at only 9kg, the aluminium and magnesium frame remains lightweight and durable, giving an enhanced performance with the improved shock-absorbing front & rear suspension.

Larger Storage Basket
Fed up of having to hang bags off your buggy, or having coats etc shoved in a bundle under the seat? The new Vista 2015 has a bigger storage basket, so you can fit more baby essentials or carry more shopping without having to drape things over the handles!

Easier folding mechanism
The Vista 2015 has an intuitive one-step fold mechanism, so it'e easy to fold your pushchair quickly and without fuss. The brilliant thing is that the pushchair will still fold with the additional rumble seat in position (although it will be slightly bulkier than normal) - perfect for storing at home or for those trips to a busy cafe where a double buggy may cause issues!

You can use your Vista 2015 in the following combinations - we have highlighted where need to purchase some additional seating or adapters...

Combinations (each rear or forward facing):

• Single carrycot or toddler seat
• Infant car seat (car seat required)
• 2 infant car seats (car seats and upper and lower adapters required)
• 2 carrycots (additional carrycot and upper and lower adapters required)
• Carrycot and Toddler Seat (upper and lower adapters required)
• Rumble Seat and Infant Car Seat (car seat, rumble seat and upper adapter required)
• Rumble Seat and Toddler Seat (rumble seat required)

And don't forget - you can use the UPPAbaby Piggyback Ride Along Board 2015 for passenger number three - ideal for tired little legs!

Find out more or order your UPPAbaby Vista 2015 for £699.90 at Born - The new 2015 accessories are coming soon too!

Seeing the world through your baby's eyes

By Guest Blogger Kerry Secker

With an extensive career in childcare spanning over 15 years, Kerry Secker has established Kerry Cares Parenting - a professional service that offers advice and hands-on support to parents and carers with all aspects of baby/childcare and parenting, from a gentle, child-centric perspective. Here, Kerry tackles some of those difficult times in day to day life that parents may find difficult...

Re-organising your kitchen cupboards

What baby thinks: These cupboards are such fun! They are just STUFFED with exciting things to play with, explore and drool all over. They make the most amazing sound when bashed on the tiles! Hmmm, which one shall I go for, the Creuset is a lovely bright colour or mummy’s favourite China tea set as it is so pretty.

Quick fix: Instead of having this endless and pointless battle over the favourite handmade china set Granny gave you, move your most precious goods to a higher cupboard or put a good lock on it. Fill a drawer or cupboard with lots of things they can play with and explore or have a basket of old kitchen equipment. Everyone will be saner and happier!


Having to hear their own voice in a restaurant/church/insert own place where hushed tones are appropriate.

What babies think: WOW this place is amazing but why is it so quiet? The adults, for once, are not in my face and chatting to me. Instead they have their game faces on and are staring blankly at something in the distance that I can’t quite make out. I know, I will entertain and delight them with by serenading them by practising my vocal ranges or my best rendition of “Let It Go” from Frozen.

Quick fix: Babies and children (and let’s be honest some adults!) do not understand where hushed tones are appropriate. For them, your attention is elsewhere and they can pick up on how tense you are by every noise they make. Most places where hushed tones are required are dull and quite frankly boring to babies and young children and they just want to get back to what they do best, playing and exploring. Acknowledge they are feeling like this, try to distract them with something up your sleeve and if they are really causing a disturbance take them out for some fresh air!


Messing with food

What babies think: This food feels so good to touch, pull apart and make it into a hundred pieces. I love that if I squeeze it makes a squelchy noise and ozzes through my chubby fingers. If I spill some, I can make pretty patterns in it with my fingers and then rub it all over my face and hair. I wonder what happens if I throw it over the side?

Quick fix: Babies will make a mess when they eat as it is part of their development process and an important one too! Put a mess mat down, a full bib on baby and change them after a meal if need be. Try not to get cross and hung up and it will pass. If there is more playing than eating calmly take the meal away. Giving smaller portions can limit the damage.


Baby that only stops crying when you pick them up

What babies think: This cuddle is so lovely and warm. I can feel a soothing, steady heartbeat and I feel secure and safe. Hang on, what’s happening, I am getting scared! Where am I and where has my human cushion gone?

Quick fix: Babies need human contact; it is a basic human need. This is especially important for a new born in the fourth trimester. For nine months, they were warm, wet and constantly heard the steady thump of a human heart and then they were born and are expected to self- settle straight away. It not always practical to hold them all day but if you need to put them down, tell them what you are doing and give them plenty of reassurance. Just hearing your voice can settle a fretting baby. A sling is a great way for your baby to feel secure yet gives you your arms back.


Watch Born Founder Eva Fernandes' interview with Kerry Secker...

 

 

The Born January Sale - Out with the old and in with the new!

Happy New Year to you all!

We've got some gorgeous new products that we really want to show you as soon as possible - we've got some real gems!  But before we can get them in, we need to make more space in the shops (and in the stock rooms!) so in the next few days we will be highlighting our stock clearance items.  We have lots to share and the sale includes ex-demo items and products from all our categories including slings, pushchairs, toys, nursing bras, clothing, books and gear.

Our sale includes 30% off all Frugi and Little Green Radicals Autumn & Winter 2104 collections!

LGR Reversible Jacket now £18.20

Frugi Charlie Romper now £14

Visit us online at Borndirect.com or pop into our Bristol or Stoke Newington store to grab a bargain.

If you haven't already liked us on Facebook, click here or follow the link below to make sure you see the bargains as we anounce them, and if you have any friends with babies or expecting soon you may want to let them know too.

Frugi Dylan Tomato Dungarees now £21